Wildflowers complete woodland shade garden

If you had asked me a few years ago which of my gardens I favor most, hands down the answer would have been my English-style flower border. It’s the garden I dreamed about and yearned for, but never had room to grow when I lived in the city.

But today my story has changed because my woodland shade garden has stolen my heart. I look out at it every day from my office window. In summer, from that distance of 20 feet, I can see a colorful mix of hostas, heucheras, astilbes and a host of hydrangeas. But it’s the smaller plants, those that stay close to the ground, that call to me to come and take a closer look.

I am thrilled my lungworts Pulmonaria, with their leaves splotched, spotted and glazed with silver, are reseeding. And tiny Japanese painted ferns are popping up everywhere. Native ferns got wind that the living was easy in the humus rich soil I prepared and have also taken up residence.

What are missing are the lovely native flowers that once filled the woodlands that surround my house. The dogtooth violets Erythroniumamericanumand trillium Trillium grandaflorumof my childhood are nowhere to be found. The large deer population that roams my acreage and adjacent family homestead has ravaged the wildflower population that thrived in the surrounding woods when I was a child, so now I will have to buy native plants I want to grow in my woodland garden. And I want to expand the collection.

Many woodland natives are early blooming ephemerals that flower in spring and then go dormant, so they are best purchased and planted in early spring. But they can be hard to find.

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Puttering In The Potager = Week 10 of 2010

Our Potager - March 16 - Week 11

Why raised beds?

If you lay out your garden with the traditional rows and paths of our grandparents you are limiting your garden productivity simply by using that old design. [more detail]

=The problem with the role and pass all design is that almost as much of a garden is dedicated to pass PA THS while in a raised bed Garden you get about a 30% increase in growing area just by changing the garden layout.

Raised beds offer more square feet of growing area than a row and path layout .  The key to this approach is that the bed is just wide enough so you can comfortably reach the middle from each side and therefore you avoid ever walking on the bed itself once it is established.  You can now plant vegetables throughout the entire bed placing them so when mature, their leaves are just touching the leaves of adjacent plants. For detailed information about how to develop a raised bed garden  go to ………

http://gardening.yardener.com/YardenersPlantHelper/VegetableGardening/BasicsofVegetableGardening/RaisedBedDesignPrinciples

Roto tilling; yes or no?

A Rototiller is a very helpful tool when you are starting a new garden from scratch. With a new garden, you will probably need to use a rotor tiller for two or three years and then you should have no need for a rotor tiller thereafter.

If you have an established garden a Rototiller becomes a very destructive tool. In simple terms, a rococo or breaks up the valuable soil structure that has been developed by the soil food web last season.

For more information about soil management in the vegetable garden go to our website:http://gardening.yardener.com/YardenersPlantHelper/VegetableGardening/BasicsofVegetableGardening/SoilBuildingandManagementintheVegetableGarden

What Is This Succession Planting?

I would say that most vegetable gardens in this country waste a good portion of their potential productivity by planting the garden only once in the spring. By the end of July there may be 30% of the growing area is bare.

While it takes some planning it is not difficult to actually have three seasons in your garden. You would have the early spring season, the main summer season, and the fall season. The simple secret to accomplish this three season goal is to have plants ready to replace Spring season plants that are finished for the season. When the broccoli is finished in late June you may have any number of vegetables to take over that space. You can plant lettuce, carrots, beets, or almost anything else in that space. If you planted lettuce for example, in June, but well be pretty much finished up by late July. Men are and then you can plant something like tale to replace the lettuce and you have accomplished the three season goal.

Essentially the rule is to have no bare space that has no plans any time between June and October. Later in the season I will talk in more detail about up managing the fall crop. For more information on this topic go to:http://gardening.yardener.com/YardenersPlantHelper/VegetableGardening/BasicsofVegetableGardening/ExtendingTheGrowingSeason

What’s happening the next week or two in Nature?

Orchard Mason Bees Emerge and look for housing up to early June(Mason Bees Homes at http://www.masonbeehomes.com/). Not a problem.

Buy a nesting box (www.Duncraft.com)

Flocks of blackbirds move through if weather is warm

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‘Yardsharing’ grows know-how, good food

I recently ran into a very interesting new concept for vegetable gardening. It is called “yardsharing.” Say someone has some yard space and would like to have a small vegetable garden, but doesn’t have a clue about how to get started or what to do afterward. The solution is for that homeowner to find one, two, or three persons or families who do know how to grow vegetables but live in an apartment or town house or someplace with no property on which to garden. The result is “yardsharing.” The homeowner donates that space and the gardeners set up and manage the garden and everyone shares in the harvest.

For example, take a senior citizen living in a house with a yard with space, but who physically is not able to garden. “Gardening Person” comes and sets up and runs the garden. The senior citizen gets half the harvest but probably won’t be able to handle that much. Extra goes to the food bank or the Garden Writers’ “Plant a Row For The Hungry.”

Gardening Person would rent a roto-tiller to break up the turf and dig the garden. Raised beds are optional. Gardening Person, after talking veggie preferences with “Host Homeowner,” purchases seed and seedlings then plants the garden. How much the Host Homeowner does is up for discussion. The system still works if the homeowner plays no role whatsoever; the harvest is still split 50-50 and it is still a good deal for both sides.

This idea apparently was conceived in Portland, Ore., and has spread to many other states. The Portland folks have a great Web site at www.yardsharing.com. There are hundreds of gardens in Portland that use yardsharing.

We have our own yardsharing program alive and well in southeastern Michigan. Go to http://hyperlocavore.ning.com/group/seekingyardsharesdetroit.

This arrangement is very similar to my foster apple tree idea. Some years ago I wrote about taking advantage of the thousands of full-sized old apple trees that are in backyards and have not been cared for in decades. The apples are small and wormy and the lawn is covered with rotten apples every fall.

The solution to this problem is for the owner of the apple tree, who knows nothing about caring for an apple tree, to find one, two, or three families with someone in the group who does know what to do. It takes three years to properly prune a tree that has not been pruned in many, many years. You can’t just clean it out in one season. However, even after the first pruning, if the tree is sprayed properly, the apple harvest will be edible.

A mature apple tree, properly cared for, can produce more apples than four families would ever be able to eat. There would be enough apples to also make some tasty apple cider.

Sharing is good for the tummy and good for the soul.

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Nancy’s Vacation in England

Do you want to come along???

Adrian Bloom’s Celebration of English Gardens Tour (For Garden Writers, Master Gardeners & those in the Horticultural Industry) July 3rd – 11th, 2010 There is no finer example of using plants to inspire both intellectually and emotionally than English garden design. Steeped in history, English design styles, from formal gardens to cottage gardens, have lead the way in both Europe and the Americas since the 18th century. This special Celebration of English Gardens Tour for garden writers and those in the horticultural industry will feature visits to some of the finest gardens, horticultural facilities and shows in England, personally selected by Adrian Bloom. Enjoy valuable networking and social opportunities as well. Blooms of Bressingham has been famous for its selection of herbaceous perennials for more than 80 years. The father and son team of Alan and Adrian Bloom are the creators of Bressingham Gardens, whose 16 acres we will tour in a one-day visit. This is a unique opportunity to not only view the six distinct garden areas at Bressingham up close, but to meet and socialize with other garden writers from the UK, North America and Europe at a special Press Day event. Adrian’s latest book should be out by the time we are here. Blooms of Bressingham – exclusive Press Day Event Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – full day ticket King’s Privy Garden – at Hampton Court Palace, view the Great Grape Vine – planted in 1768 Beth Chatto – acclaimed gardens of drought, water and woodland, based on sustainable planting Thompson & Morgan – tour through their facilities and see the latest Old Vicarage – this ‘hidden garden’ is a must see! Will Giles Exotic Garden – tropicals are his passion Cambridge Botanic Garden – over 10,000 labeled plant species set in beautiful landscape RHS Hyde Hall – a visit to the 360-acre Hyde Hall estate is unforgettable in any season Guided tour through the beautiful Abbey Gardens at Bury St. Edmunds Botanic Gardens, established in the 1800′s plus more… 4 Star Hotel Accommodation 8 nights English Breakfast Daily Welcome Dinner Farewell Dinner at Pub Entrances to Cambridge Botanic Gardens, Beth Chatto Gardens, RHS Hyde Hall, Will Giles Exotic Garden, Old Vicarage, Bressingham Gardens, and RHS Wisley Special Press Day Event Punt on the Cam Tour of Abbey Gardens in Bury St. Edmunds Entrance to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Entrance to HC Privy Garden Ride on London Eye Coach Driver tips Stay tuned for more to be added! For information go to http://www.gardeningtours.com and click on “blooms2010″

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Using Shrubs In The Flower Garden

If you read a lot of gardening books and magazines you’re probably familiar with the term mixed border. If not, don’t despair, it’s simply a term used to describe an elongated plot of land filled with flowering plants mixed with shrubs, possibly grasses and maybe small trees.

The issue of Fine Gardening magazine published several years ago featured the article Design a Border with Strong Plant Shapes by Sydney Eddison, that I think does a nice job explaining the visual impact of combining these plants and how one might begin go about putting together a mixed border.

The interspersing of shrubs and grasses among the flowers adds more than texture and color. Shrubs come in a variety of interesting shapes – cones, globes, mounds, spikes and fountains that add substance, depth and structure to the garden.

A before photo of the author’s garden depicts a sea of daylilies in full bloom. Though the area is awash with color, the garden lacks definition. And what will that space look like a month later when the lilies have bloomed out?

The after photos show a far more interesting scene, a garden packed with glorious blooming flowers framed with fountains of grasses, mounds and pillars of purple foliaged shrubs and a variety of interesting shaped evergreens. The added contrast of these strong shapes and lines turned a pretty garden into a fabulous garden that will carry the landscape through the four seasons

As I looked over the plant list Sydney Eddison provided I realized that, as is often the case, some of the recommended varieties will not work in many Michigan landscapes.

The gorgeous thread leaf Japanese Maple that thrives in Eddison’s Long Island, New York full sun border, that provides a large and graceful mound of mahogany colored foliage, could not handle that kind of exposure here in Michigan. And even if it could, it’s far too large for most yards. Flower lovers tight on space are not about to give up large chunks of plantable land to a tree, no matter how lovely it is.

But all is not lost. With a little detective work it’s not hard to come up with substitutes, downsized shrubs that are hardy and offer a stunning array of shapes, textures and colors for use in mixed borders.

For instance, let’s just take a look at some possibilities for globe and mound shaped shrubs.

When we think of globes, Arborvitaes quickly come to mind. But common varieties burgeon to 5 to 6 feet in but a few years. However, Thuja occidentalis ‘Danica is a true dwarf Arb that grows to only ten to fifteen-inches in height. ‘Golden Glove’, with its soft yellow foliage will stay within the 2 to 3-foot range and is hardy to a frigid zone 3.

Boxwoods are another classic choice for evergreen globes and they are on the list of deer resistant shrubs. Buxus ‘Green Velvet’ at 2 to 3-feet in height won’t require shearing to keep it from overtaking the garden.

Repetition of shape and color provide continuity that helps tie the mixed border together. And there are many deciduous shrubs that will not only repeat the globe or mound shapes, while adding season long color and interesting texture as well. The deer resistant Barberry ‘Rose Glow” with its lovely rose and pink mottled foliage that matures to a deep purple, is a colorful choice that might be used like book ends to anchor at the ends of the border. If you prefer green go with the 3 to 4-foot ‘Lime Glow’ Barberry. Burgundy colored Barberry ‘Crimson Pigmy’ will only rise to 18 to 24-inches. At the rear of the border repeat that globe shape and color with deep purple-leafed Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’. As a bonus, this stunner will produce oodles of intense rosy-pink flowers in June and flower sporadically on current season’s growth. At maturity ‘Wine and Roses’ will reach 4 to 5-feet in height, but it can be easily pruned to reduce its size after the initial blooming. And those prunings make fabulous foliage fillers for your cut flower arrangements. If you’ve a passion for purple, repeat that shape and yummy color in the front of the border with the low growing Weigela ‘Midnight Wine’.

Shrub roses also fall into the roundy moundy category. Conard-Pyle’s brilliant red ‘Kockout’ will flower non-stop from June through frost and make a stunning companion to those burgundy leafed plants.  The dainty pink polyanthus ‘Fairy’ rose is another possibility.

If bright lights turn you on, the glowing golden thread like foliage of Chamaecyparis ‘Sungold’ at a mature height of about 3-feet will give the garden a year-around shot of color. Bright yellow C. ‘Vintage Gold’ that holds to a height of 18 to 30 inches is another little treasure that will color up a full sun or part-sun border.

If you think of Spireas only in terms of the brilliant yellow harbingers of spring, get thee to a good garden center. ‘Dakota Goldcharm’ is a 12 to 15-inch dwarf gold leaf with bronze tips and pink flowers. ‘Pink Parasol’, topping out at 3-feet combines blue green leaves with big fluffy pink umbrella-like blossoms. Than there’s the vivid red 3-foot Spiraea ‘Neon Flash’. Keep these pretties dead headed and they too should re-bloom sporadically through out the summer.

When planning your new scheme, be sure to leave room for the vertical shapes in the form of grasses and shrubs.

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Dwarf Apple Trees Produce Plenty of Apples

We need Johnny Appleseed to come back and make another round of planting apple trees.  People don’t plant apple trees in their yard as often as they did a few generations ago.  While we can now buy a fair number of varieties in the grocery store all year round, none of them taste as good as an apple grown at home.  Millions of Americans plant tomatoes each year for the same reason; better texture and better flavor.  What is interesting is that two dwarf apple trees will take up about the same amount of room in the yard as three or four tomato plants, take about the same time to care for, and will produce a similar number of fruits per plant.  Yet seldom does one see an apple tree included in the landscape design of any new homes these days.

One problem might be that most of us can remember grandma or a neighbor having an huge old apple tree in the back yard and it usually took an enormous amount of work to care for and while you harvested a ton of apples you still ended up with lots of apples rotting on the ground attracting yellow jackets and making a mess.  Another concern might be the trouble and worry about having to spray an apple tree many times with pesticides.  What folks today might not appreciate is that now those problems have either been eliminated or at least greatly minimized.  It is not difficult to grow apples in the backyard and you do not need much space to grow them.

Small Is In

While the standard sized apple tree can be 20 feet high and 15 feet wide, the dwarf and mini-dwarf trees available today grow to be only 6 to 8 feet tall and may be only 2-3 feet wide.  Any variety of apple can be grafted on to a dwarf root stock.  Stark Brother’s Nursery (www.starkbros.com) has even developed anapple tree they call the ”Colonnade” which has branches only 6 to 10 inches long growing up a single stem to be only about eight feet tall at maturity; now that is about as compact as an apple tree can get.  There are other advantages to having a dwarf apple tree. It is much easier to care for in terms of pruning time, spraying time, fertilizing and watering.

Fruit production on a dwarf tree is much more within human scale in my view.  A mature dwarf tree will give you at least 20 to 30 apples a year.  If you had three or four varieties, you would be harvesting at least 100 fresh, tasty apples; more than most of us eat in a year!  Apple sauce made from fresh picked apples is to die for.  You’ll never eat canned apple sauce again.

Low Spray Programs

Having to spray an apple tree ten or fifteen times a year is a situation only found in larger orchards with hundreds of apple trees.  That is a monoculture that attracts all the insects and diseases of apples.  When you intermingle two or three dwarf apples in amongst the diversity of your landscape, those problems are much less prevalent. You can find tasty varieties today that are almost completely disease resistant.  By using lots of compost and proper mulch your trees will be able to resist most disease and insect attacks on their own.  I sprayed my trees only two or three times a year and that did the job.  It’s almost impossible to have perfect apples using no sprays at all.

Consider Being A Foster Parent

If you don’t have the space or sufficient light for even one apple tree, you can still have fresh apples.  No matter where you live in metro Detroit,

you can find a home in your town or suburb with a huge overgrown apple tree in the back yard that has not been cared for in many years.  Go to the owner and offer to take over the care of the tree for half the harvest which could be over ten bushels of apples, enough to think about making cider.  Renovating an old untended apple tree takes about three years of careful and proper pruning.  Done properly you can bring a 100 year old tree back into very respectable production.  Be sure you check some references about the procedures for pruning overgrown and ancient apple trees.  It can be very satisfying to bring an old tree back, and you can be sure that the tree’s owner is going to be delighted with the deal.

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Hoar Frost Is One Of Nature’s Wonders

We woke up to a spectacular “hoar” frost this morning.  All the weeds, plants, trees and shrubs are coated all over with a sparkly white frost coating.  It is not ice; it is frost and does no harm to the plants as will a coating of ice. It is sometimes called “soft rime” or “white frost”.  Usually it disappears as the day progresses.

Trees Coated With Hoar Frost

Our

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Seed Catalogs For 2010

Nothing staves off the winter blues like a stack of seed catalogs. Here’s a peek at my pile.

D. Landreth Seed Company: (800) 654-2407, www.landrethseeds.com. Their commemorative 2010 catalog is an historical treasure that took five years to assemble. Included is a unique African-American heritage seed collection of heirloom vegetables carried by enslaved people from Africa and the Caribbean that became staples of the African-American family. The illustrations throughout, along with the gardening history and advice, came from the collection of antique Landreth catalogs. This one is a collector’s item as well as a current catalog.

Burpee: (800) 888-1447, www.burpee.com. Find seeds and transplants of flowers, herbs and veggies, and my favorite tomato, the Burpee “Fourth of July.” They have 30 new varieties to tempt me.

Cook’s Garden: (800) 457-9703, www.cooksgarden.com. Find seeds and plants for gourmet gardeners, and yummy recipes, too.

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Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: (417) 924-8917, www.rareseeds.com. Check out the seeds of hundreds of heirloom veggies and flowers in a full-color publication that looks more like a magazine than a catalog. Order today, they run out early.

Nichols Garden Nursery: (800) 422-3985, www.nicholsgardennursery.com. Nichols is celebrating 60 years of seeds and plants for herbs, veggies and flowers. It offers a fascinating treasure hunt for the unusual.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds : (877) 564-6697, www.johnnyseeds.com. Find cold-tolerant vegetables, flowers and herbs that are flavorful, disease-resistant and good producers. A favorite of market gardeners and home growers. Good growing information.

Thompson & Morgan: (800)274-7333; www.thompson-morgan.com. Their world-famous 200-page seed catalog features hundreds of full-color photos, making it a great reference if you’re into flower power.

Peaceful Valley Organics: (888) 784-1722, www.groworganic.com. A huge assortment of heirloom and organic seeds including Seeds of Change, Renee’s Garden Seeds and bio-dynamically grown herb seeds from Turtle Tree Seeds. Good selection of fruit and nut trees and shrubs.

Pinetree Garden Seeds: (207) 926-3400, www.superseeds.com. Enjoy great prices for those who don’t need scads of seeds and want to start simple.

Seed Savers Exchange: (563) 382-5990, www.seedsavers.org. Enjoy an extensive collection of heirloom seeds, books and gifts. Check out the Web site for information about membership and benefits of joining the Seed Savers Exchange, the largest nongovernment seed bank in the United States.

All these catalogs are available online, and most Web sites include additional items that become available after the catalogs go to press.

Many seed houses publish online newsletters that provide growing tips, alerts of seasonal sales and special events.

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Make Drainage Problem Into Rain Garden

Winter and early spring are ideal times to look for areas in your yard where problems may be brewing.

Rainwater and snowmelt accumulation can spell real trouble for you and the environment. Some low spots where puddling occurs after a heavy rain, like the one that has developed just in front of my perennial garden should be filled in, but others, those located in areas where the land is below grade may be just the spot to plant a rain garden.

Rain gardens are designed to direct runoff water into a low, vegetated area, where it can be captured and filtered by Mother Nature. The gardens are planted with attractive flowering plants that tolerate the extremes of wet soils and very dry periods.

Ideally rain gardens are best located near impervious surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks and down spouts to capture the rain as close as possible to the location where it falls. Areas adjacent to ditches that flood when it rains are another option.  Commercial architects are beginning to incorporate these vegetated infiltration strips and into parking lot designs.

Storm water run off is a huge problem in developed areas where natural vegetative growth has been replaced by hardscape such as buildings, roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots. Rainwater has no place to go and gushes into sewers and drainage ditches taking the express route, smack into our lakes and streams.

Rainwater picks up pollutants in the air and as it flows over the landscape it picks up the residue of grease, and toxic chemicals from vehicles; viruses and bacteria from failing septic systems, road de-icing salts; heavy metals; and water-soluble fertilizers and pesticides from turf management.

This heavily polluted runoff water becomes a water quality issue when it flows directly into our lakes and streams. The pollutants, harm fish and wildlife populations, kill native vegetation, foul drinking water supplies, and make recreational areas unsafe.

Rain gardens consist of native vegetation plantings strategically located to intercept this runoff.  They are natural biofilters that that have the ability to clean and purify contaminated water and allow it to filter back into the ground water supply the way Mother Nature intended

Building a rain garden in not difficult, but there are some important considerations that should be addressed including watershed hydrology, existing drainage patterns, and aesthetics. The good news is, it’s not rocket science and you don’t need to be a landscape architect to install one.

Plant selection is key to success when making a rain garden. Most perennials need well-drained soil and cannot survive in areas that remain wet for any length of time. So it’s important to choose those that thrive in damp soils and tolerate standing water for short periods of time. Choosing native plants has several advantages, they are adapted to the local climate and, once established, seldom need watering or fertilizing and they tolerate drought. They are also attractive to diverse native butterflies and provide habitats for wildlife, especially birds.

Rain gardens are not intended to detain water for long periods, so mosquitoes should not be a problem. Ideally, runoff will not be detained for longer than four days. It takes 10 to 14 days for a mosquito to go from egg to adult.

African violet tip

Cindy Merritt of Troy e-mailed with valuable advice regarding watering African violets. She’s been growing them for over thirty years and attributes much of her success to her watering techniques.

She fills a clean gallon milk jug with warm tap water. (Cindy lives in Troy, so this is city water.) She then inserts 2 tea bags into the jug, draping the strings over the side and lets the potion sit and brew for two days. This trick acidifies the water.  Merritt then adds liquid African violet fertilizer according to the package directions and waters her plants.

Merritt uses ceramic self-watering pots that are especially designed for growing African violets. The 2 part ceramic pots contain an inner pot onto which the plant is planted and it fits into a second pot that holds the supply of liquid.  The water is wicked through the inner pot to the plant. As long as the container is filled with water the plant will receive the right amount of moisture. That takes the mystery out of when and how much to water.

I have seen these pots, priced between $4 and $12, at Wal-mart, Home Depot and English Gardens.

Merritt keeps one of her beauties blooming on her desk at work because

She has a work light directly overhead. She says she is always

surprised by how many men love gardening and comment

on her plants.

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Books Are Good Winter Gardening Friends

If you’re sitting around pouting, waiting for spring, pop out of that blue funk and get thee to the library or bookstore. Winter is the time to garden in your mind and make plans for spring, and gardening books and magazines are the tools of choice.

Rock Gardens are stunning, but there’s more to the process than just dropping some rocks on the ground and planting away.  “Rock Garden Design and Construction” from the North American Rock Garden Society (Timber Press $29.95 www.timberpress.com (800) 327-8650) brings together the expertise of more than 40 experts to help create a truly dramatic habitat. The chapters include important topics such as rock and plant selection, placement, soil preparation and maintenance. Also covered are trough planting, balcony gardening, woodland trail building and water features. Illustrated with more then 100 photos, that are sooo inspirational, by the time you finish this book, you may want to totally replace your lawn.  Much of mine will be gone by next fall.

Creating and Planting Garden Troughs by Joyce Fingerut and Murfitt (B.B. Mackey Books, P.O. Box 475, Wayne, PA 19087) is the definitive how-to manual for gardeners who what to make their own containers and create stunning little gardens filled with incredible plants that winter hardy and year-around sensational.

Fingerut walks through trough building process from concept to form building – to concrete mixing – to completion. Larger projects take a bit of time and there are no cutting corners when durability is an issue.

Alpine gardening authority Rex Murfitt provides excellent planting instructions and a large plant lexicon to choose from.  Sample landscaping and planting plans along with hundreds of photographs and drawings educate as well as inspire.

My large bowl shaped hypertufa container formed on a commercial size salad bowl has spent a decade in the garden and is none the worse for wear.

Ah, how can one pout with so many projects to complete before planting time in spring.

The Orchid in Lore and Legend by Luidi Berliocchi (Timber Press soft-cover $19.95 www.timberpress.com, 800-327-5680) is a must read for anyone who has more than a passing interest in orchids. This facinating treasure trove of prose combines the magic, the history, the botany, the folklore, and the medicinal values along with the culture of this exotic plant family.

According to Berliocchi, it was Confucius, who first celebrated the orchid in his writings sometime between 551 and 479 B. C.  In Japan the orchid began it’s rise to popularity with the ancient tale of an emperor’s wife who, remained childless for years and then gave birth to thirteen children after deeply inhaling the inebriating perfume of the orchid Cymbidium ensifolium.

It was not until the second half of the eighteenth century that orchids entered the Western consciousness, but by the 19^th century the passion for them erupted into full-blown orchid mania. The fabulous glass houses, the Victorian conservatoires, found in England and North America were constructed to house the vast collections that were collected on worldwide expeditions.

Many orchids are surprisingly easy to grow. My partner, Jeff Ball has a white Phalaenopsis thriving in the east window at the front of his desk. Care consists of running the bark-filled container under the water tap every three days or so. The blossoms, currently in large bud stage, will remain in bloom up to 4 months. That makes the twice a week trip to the sink well worth the effort.

A copy of The Orchid in Lore and Legend and a Phalaenopsis orchid would make a great Valentine gift for the plant lover in your life.

Super Seed Catalog

If like me, you have mourned the passing of the Shepard seed catalog that was filled with yummy recipes and gardening tips as well as a cacophony of wonderful veggie seeds, weep no more. The John Sheepers Kitchen Garden Seed catalog (860) 567- 6086 www.kitchengardenseeds.com, looks and reads like an almost exact copy of right down to the line art.

The good gardening tips come from Vermont veggie and garden maven Barbara Demrosh. The recipes are harvested from great restaurants and 4-star chefs. Featured dishes include zesty Radicchio Salad with Parmesan-Balsamic Vinaigrette from Napa Valley’s Terra Restaurant and Baked Penne Pasta with Lobster from Carole Peck’s Good News Café, Woodbury, Connecticut.

Scheepers’ large selection of seeds includes Asian and Italian greens and fun stuff like white carrots, lime-green eggplant and other delightful veggies that are easy to grow and great to eat.

Local Pottery Maven Featured in Fine Gardening Magazine.

Pottery maven Julia Janiak, garden center manager at Goldner Walsh Nursery in Pontiac has an excellent article on choosing terra cotta in the January issue of Fine Gardening magazine (www.finegardening.com). Here you will learn to tell the difference between machine made and hand made pots and how and why to avoid purchasing lesser pieces.

Plans for Easy-to-Make Trellis

The premier edition of Backyard Living magazine (Reiman Media Group (800) 344-6913) includes plans for an elegant six- foot tall wood and copper trellis that is perfect for growing climbing plants. The project is well illustrated with photos and line drawings and the plans are crystal clear, including tips to ease assembly and avoid pitfalls.

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