The Blog for Your Entire Garden

Balmy summer nights are the perfect time to linger near the garden and enjoy the intoxicating fragrance of flowers that release their scent after the sun goes down.  Here are three favorite annuals that release their fragrance at night:

Moonflower

Moonflower (lpomoea alba)  A relative of the morning glory, moonflower is grown as an annual in most climates.  For those who love the large blooms the Moonflower produces fragrant, white, 4-6 inch flowers that open after dark.  Grown as an annual in colder climates, this beauty grows year-round in warmer climates (Zones 8-11).  This night blooming vine is perfect for an arbor close to the entrance to your home.

Evening Scented Stock

Evening Scented Stock (Matthiola hybrids)  With pink, mauve, or purple 1 inch blooms, stock releases a strong, spicy scent at night.   This plants flowers have a very powerful fragrance!   A rather plain looking plant, what the Scented stock does not have in looks it makes up in fragrance that only happens at night. The perfect flower for a night blooming garden, you truly will be shocked at its strong fragrance.  I have this planted near entrances to my home and under bedroom windows.  Easy to grow from seed.  Grows 12-18 inches tall. Best in full/partial sun.

Flowering Tobacco

Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.)  This fragrant plant’s scent is more intense at night.  Trumpet-shapped, tubular flowers open in the evening in shades of pink, red, green, or white.  This plant blooms repeatedly and grows 36 to 48 inches tall.  Perfect for much needed height to beds and borders, group it in cluster for more impact.  Sun to Partial Shade.  Warning: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.

You can add color, texture, and height to your garden with fast-growing annual vines.  Use them as a natural privacy screen, a welcoming habitat for butterflies and bees, or protection against sun, wind, and unattractive views.  Here are five of my favorite varieties.

Black-Eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata).  This is a fast growing vine!  Black-eyed Susan grows easily from seed.  You can expect this tropical twining vine to grow 5 -8 feet tall and have vibrant orange, yellow, or white flowers although other varieties are available.  This plant is good for a trailer in a hanging pot or a window box or as a climber on a trellis.  Plant in full sun.

Corkscrew Vine

Corkscrew Vine (Vigna caracalla)  Another tropical, this sweetly scented twining vine (also called a snail vine) produces silvery blooms with lavender-pink, coiled centers and curved outer petals that look like seashells.  Clusters of blooms grow 12 inches long; the vine grows 25 feet tall.

Cypress Vine

Cypress Vine (lpomoea quamoclit).  Another member of the Morning Glory family and a favorite of Hummingbirds and Butterflies alike  is the Cypress Vine.  This twining vine has lacy, fern-like foliage and grows to 20 feet tall.  It produces star shaped red, pink and white flowers.  Easy to grow from seed.  Full sun.

Cardinal Climber (lpomoea x multifida). Another easy to grow from seed vine, this vigorous twining vine grows 15-20 feet tall and some varieties will grow to 30 ft. tall making it an excellent choice for covering fences or walls. Cardinal Climber produces trumpet shaped, deep red flowers (hence it’s name) with white or yellow throats from summer to fall. Great for attracting Hummingbirds! A member of the morning glory family, this vine does well in full Sun.

Cardinal Climber

Hyacinth Bean

Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus). My personal favorite. I love this plant! This striking vine is actually a perennial but is grown in colder climates as an annual. Widely grown in Southern Asia and Africa where the ripe seeds and the green pods are used for food, Hyacinth bean produces fragrant purple flowers, 4-6″ long, followed by velvety purple bean pods containing eatable peas (I’ve never eaten any). The stems are purple too as are the veins in the leaves. Grows to 20 feet tall and is beautiful on a trellis.

Happy Growing!

Info from an older edition of Cooking Pleasures Magazine.

Fresh greens from your garden are a welcome addition to summer meals.  Choose seasonings and food pairings that complement rather than mask the flavor of the greens.  Here are some suggestions:

• Bitter Greens:  Chicory, dandelion, radicchio, escarole, and endive.  Season with garlic, olive oil, and bold vinegars.  Pair with citrus fruit, hard boiled eggs, aged hard cheeses, and sweet, salty, or smoky meats, fish, and cheeses.

• Sweet Lettuces and Greens:  Pea shoots, sunflower shoots, red and green butterhead, red and green romaine, red and green looseleaf lettuce, oak leaf, and mache.  Season with fresh herbs, light oils, and sweet and light vinegars.  Pair with mild cheeses, shallots, and fruit.

• Spicy Greens:  Mustard, cress, sorrel, turnip greens.  Season with bold oils, garlic, curry powder, minty herbs and bold spices such as cumin, rosemary, basil, and chile.  Pair with cooked onions and smoky meats, fish, and cheeses.

• Sturdy Greens:  Arugula, spinach, beet greens chard, kale, baby bok choy.  Season with garlic, chile, herbs, and bold oils.  Pair with butter, cream sauces, cheese, citrus fruits, and smoky meats and fish.

You might not get to Mexico this winter, but if you plant some milkweed, you can help a Monarch Butterfly get there.

With their bright orange and black wings, monarchs are one of the most easily recognizable butterflies in the U.S. and Canada.  But where do they come from?  The monarch in your garden is like a long-haul trucker stopping for a meal.  This little creature travels hundreds or thousands of miles in its lifetime.  You can be part of this incredible journey by planting milkweed, the one plant absolutely essential to the monarch’s life-cycle.  See the video at the bottom of this post for more information.

Monarchs are well known for their long-distance migration.  Each fall, they fly thousands of miles on their delicate wings to ancestral roosting sites, where they spend the winter months semi-dormant in large colonies.  Western monarchs migrate to dozens of locations along the California coast, where they cluster in native trees and in the ubiquitous non-native eucalyptus.

East of the Rockies, monarchs make a more dramatic migration.  They fly from southern Canada and the northern United States all the way down to a handful of sites in the mountains of Mexico, where they roost in the millions.  It’s breathtaking to see so many monarchs in the trees that their collective weitht sometimes breaks branches, and to hear the sound of millions of butterfly wings when the monarchs take flight to sip from puddles.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this migration is that it takes place over several generations.  The last generation of the summer hatches at the northern limit of monarch range.  That generation delays sexual maturity and, triggered by the changing season, begins the 3,000 mile journey to Mexico, where it spends the winter.  In early March these butterflies reach sexual maturity and head north, mating as they go.  Some get as far as southern Texas, where the females lay eggs and die.  The next generation hatches and, after completing metamorphosis, heads north and east and repeats the process.

Over three or four more generations, monarchs repopulate the rest of the continent easy of the Rockies, until the last generation of the season begins the southern migration again.  A similar, thought shorter, migration happens west of the Rockies as Monarchs overwintering in California head north.

Understanding the Milkweed Connection

Butterfly gardens must provide food for both adults and caterpillars.  Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed, a double-duty plant that also serves as a nectar source for adult butterflies.  Milkweed has a sap that contains alkaloids, which make the insects taste bad to birds and other predators.  The striking coloration of the monarch evolved as a warning that tells predators, “Don’t eat me; I taste bad.”

Start your monarch garden by planting milkweed species such as swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, butterfly weed (A. asperula), and common milkweed (A. syriaca).  If possible, choose a species that’s native to your region.  Plant native perennials to provide nectar from spring through fall.  Because monarchs migrate, late-season nectar is particularly important.  Good choices include coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), ironweed (Vernonia spp.), Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum), sedum (Sedum spp.), and verbena (Verbena spp.).  Commercial nectar is also available along with butterfly feeders specially made to provide a quick meal to migrating butterflies.

Add some dense shrubs where the butterflies can hide from hard rains and strong winds or a butterfly house Avoid insecticides, which can kill butterflies.  Then sit back and wait for these orange and black beauties to arrive.

Note: Avoiding Butterfly Bush

Butterfly bush (Baddleia spp.) has long been a staple for gardeners trying to attract butterflies, and there is no doubt that butterflies find the shrub irresistible.  An import from Asia, butterfly bush comes in many colors and grows in a variety of conditions.  Beware however, butterfly bush has become invasive in some parts of the country, notably the Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic region.  Choose native perennials and flowering shrubs instead.

Click the link below for an interesting video from the New York Times.

Monarchs and Migration

Today, while browsing my Twitter feed http://twitter.com/alison_dale , I found these very pretty and printable calendars from The Week-end Gardener’s site.  Each month gives you lots of gardening tips including what to plan, plant, prune, maintain, plus weed and pest control and fun projects for each each month of the year.

http://www.weekendgardener.net/do-list.htm

Enjoy!

Alison

Tree Swallow

Elegance and grace define the Tree Swallow.  With an iridescent coat of metallic blue-green, and underparts and cheeks of pearly white, it’s hard to find a more elegant looking bird.  Grace comes naturally to this lovely swallow as it glides along with its distinctive, swooping flight.

Left on their own, this bird nests in tree cavities and prefers a habitat near forests, hence it’s name.

Listen for single chit or cheet notes.  Durning breeding season, these birds also create a song out of happy, twittering notes.

They are great at hunting mosquitoes and other airborne pests around your garden making them an attractive bird to attract to your yard.  Build or buy nest boxes and attach them to trees in the back part of your yard away from where there is activity.  Optimum opening size is 1 1/2″.  Bluebird-style houses work just fine.  Expect Tree Swallows to dive and swoop at you if you get too close to their nesting territory.

Unlike other species of swallows, the Tree Swallow eats berries and seeds as a part of their regular diet.  Bayberry, dogwood, red cedar, Virginia creeper, and other berries and seeds comprise about 30 percent of their diet.

Impatiens

July is the time that many exhausted annuals, such as dusty miller, impatiens, and petunias, respond well to being cut back, fed, and watered this month.

A good rule of thumb is to cut plants back by half, or locate little bulges, called secondary buds, low on plant stems and prune 1/2 inch above them.  They will produce new stems.

Apply an organic or controlled-release fertilizer, allowing plants to recover over several weeks.

Photo courtesy of: B & D Lilies - Snow Creek Gardens

Add drama to your summer garden with pineapple lilies (Eucomis spp., Zones 7-10).  This tropical beauty has 15″ spires of tiny greenish-white or wine-colored flowers and broad strappy leaves.

Native to the rainy, mountainous areas of South Africa. The plant has a base rosette of long lance-shaped leaves. The blooms appear on a long spike topped with a tuft of smaller leaves. These leaves and the appearance of the flower spike while the flowers are still in bud make the flower head look like a pineapple, thus the name.

Pineapple lilies come in several different varieties. Variegated Pineapple Lily (E. bicolor) has leaves with wavy edges and flowers that are pale green with purple edges. E. autumnalis is similar, but the flowers do not have purple edges. Wine Eucomis (E. punctata) have flowers that are pink to purple or white. The undersides of the leaves of this species have purple spots.  To purchase these beautiful lilies visit B & D Lilies, Snow Creek Gardens at http://bdlilies.com/eucomis.html

For a spectacular show this summer, follow these tips

Plant: Pineapple lilies are summer bulbs, available in spring as bare bulbs or potted plants.  Once soil warms, plaint in containers or in garden beds with well-drained soil in full sun.  Pineapple Lilies will grow 1-2′ tall and wide.  Pineapple lilies grow best in a well-drained, fertile, sandy soil. Use a mixture of sandy loam, well-rotted manure, and sand. If the soil is not well drained, the bulbs will rot, especially in the winter. Put one or two inches of mulch over the soil if you are in an area where the temperature gets less than 20 degrees. Plant in full sun.  Pineapple lilies will tolerate a partly shady area in the garden. However, they bloom best when they get at least 6 hours of sun per day. Give them midday shade though, as they may wilt if exposed to the noonday sun. If they wilt, water them quickly and thoroughly and they should perk up.

Water the plants well once they are planted. Pineapple lilies need constant moisture in the summer. Cut back on watering in the winter, as too much water will cause the bulbs to rot.

Fertilize regularly with fish emulsion or liquid kelp once the plant starts growing. A dressing of well-rotted manure or compost will help keep the soil fertile.

Contain it.  Keep potted pineapple lilies in the background in early summer, then move containers forward for prime viewing during their July and August bloom time. Pineapple lilies will start to form flower buds in July in North America. They should be in full bloom by August, filling your garden with tall spikes of colorful flowers.

Watch the second act.  After bloom, pineapple lilies put on a stellar second show.  Their dried seed heads are as gorgeous as their blossums.

Store over winter.  In colder climates, dig up bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place through the winter.  Plant them again early next summer. Pineapple lilies may be grown outdoors year round to Zone 7. They grow much better when left in the same spot for several years. In more northerly zones, you should dig up the bulbs and store them indoors for the winter. Store them in a pot of soil similar to that in the garden. Let the pots dry out before storing and keep them dry during the winter. Keep them in a place that stays between 55 and 68 degrees.

To divide, in early spring or fall, dig them up making sure to get as much of the roots as possible, and divide by hand or with a sharp knife. You can lightly coat any open wounds with fungicide if available. Eucomis is a little more sensitive to root disturbance than some bulbous plants, but if you are reasonable gentle with them, they will do fine.

Propagate:  You may propagate pineapple lilies by removing offshoots of the plant in the spring. Gently pull the new plantlet off the original  plant and put it into another part of your garden or into its own pot.

New Item.  Protect your hummingbirds with this transparent hummer hat that fits over your feeder providing shelter from sun and rain for the hummingbirds while offering you the ability to watch these wonderful little birds.  Keeps the squirrels at bay as well!

Hummer Hat, Red. The best baffle made! Stops squirrels, increases bird activity. Easy to hang, hardware included. Keeps pigeons from roosting. Protects hanging feeders and houses. 17 in clear red dome never blocks view. Shelters feeder from rain and snow. 100% recycled plexiglas construction. Lifetime warranty. Red coloring attracts hummingbirds.

Just a short post to tell you about an idea that I think is amazing.

This morning I came across a post that I thought might be a great way for me and my fellow gardeners to make a difference in our cities.

Rockport is asking it’s citizens who garden to plant an extra row and donate the goods to their local food pantry.  I think this is an easy and excellent way to do something towards helping out our neighbors in need.

Please join me in doing this.  It has always been my view that if  you aren’t part of the solution to the world’s problems then you may be part of the problem.

Read the article here, it’s about half way down on the left side:  http://www.gloucestertimes.com/pulife/local_story_166223035.html?keyword=topstory