The Garden Buzz

Squares of Savannah: Sometimes It's Hip to Be Square

I'm not getting around to as many blog posts down here as I'd hoped for during my stay in Savannah. I expected time for exploring and writing, unfortunately health issues for myself and some family members have taken necessary time away. And then my car was smashed the other night while parked along the street. Even though I don't drive as much here, it's always something, isn't it?

I'll be busy this week too since I have a friend coming to visit, so I thought I would at least link to my Star Tribune post where I temporarily leave off my obsession with courtyard gardens and talk about the lovely squares of Savannah. It's not quite gardening but it is all about making beautiful spaces.

Here's hoping things calm down and next week I'll be back to my usual garden espionage!

The fountain on Lafayette Square                                         The Garden Buzz

September 11, Serendipity and Sea Turtles

The tales of September 11 often speak of timing, split-second decisions and the life-altering consequences that follow. Everyday we are at the mercy of traffic signals and small choices that put us at points on the map at random moments. Mostly they are without tragic results.

This week I'm taking a break from gardening and writing about gardening. I'm spending some time in Savannah GA where my daughter's starting her fall classes of grad school. Today as I went to meet her for breakfast I passed the fire station on Liberty Street and noticed a gathering of firefighters and family observing the solemn anniversary. 

Here I thought, I had been too busy this month delivering kids to colleges across the country to think of doing something in remembrance. I do think, probably too much about how things can change quickly in life. it's probably why I go the trouble of making sure these kids settle in and feel comfortable returning to school and their other lives.

Writers with their vivid imaginations always ruminate on morbid possibilities. I want my kids to know how much I love them. Just in case.

On a gentler note, the timing of traffic lights and our dinner choices resulted in a life-affirming experience we didn't expect to encounter this evening. 

The day before we'd stopped by the Pig and Shrimp, an outdoor cafe that's only open 4 days a week, usually not the ones when we pass by. A colorful character named Gerald runs this unique venue that warns its customers that friends don't let friends eat imported shrimp. His delicious shrimp po-boy reiterates this fact.

Tending BBQ at The Pig and Shrimp

We got to talking with Gerald and told him we might come back the next night to try his BBQ. But when we got there, after a string of red lights and a few minutes before closing time he was flustered and turning away customers because his help had failed to show up. We took our food to go so he could close up and then headed to the beach.

Sea oats on Tybee Island at sunset

Sticky and gritty with sauce and sand we took our limeades (he makes a killer limeade too) for a walk down the beach. and saw a group of people gathering. It was hard to tell what it was all about; a prayer service,a beach wedding? 

Rescuing sea turtle hatchlings

Turns out we were lucky enough to happen upon a Loggerhead sea turtle hatching and rescue. Daily volunteer patrols at dawn monitor sea turtle nests and often reolocate them to the slope closer to the dunes since the first slope of the beach puts them in danger. From May to October, 60 days from egg-laying they hatch and make their way to the sea.

This little guy didn't make it

They face predation from animals, habitat disruption from sea wall construction, confusion from lights on shore, fishing nets and a host of other obstacles to survival. 

An unhatched sea turtle egg

This particular group of hatchlings were affected by the wave actions of Hurricane Irene. Unfortunately the marine biologist was only able to find two babies alive. She pulled out lifeless little turtles suspecting that fire ants in the nest might be an issue as well. An unhatched egg resembling a leathery ping pong ball was pulled from the sand too.

The two survivors

The two babies were taken to the water's edge, enabling them to imprint the area and physical action of crawling. From there they have a two day swim to reach the warm currents of the Sargasso Sea. If they were females, and if they survive, 35 years from now, they will return to lay their own eggs within miles of this very spot.

Assisting the baby sea turtles on their incredible voyage

Assisted by the voulnteers they were set upon the wet sand, then washed up and down the sand by the waves, one step forward and two back over and over until they disappeared into the surf at sunset.

Maybe there's some sort of symbolism there. 

Garden2Blog: P. Allen Smith's Invited Me Over, No Foolin'

 

Well, me and about 20 other garden bloggers.

Now I really will have to learn what to call him. Is it P. or Allen or P. Allen or Sir or just Al? Perhaps I should go with Mr. Smith.

I'm so lucky to have been included in this talented group of garden bloggers to join P. Allen Smith at his breathtaking Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain in Arkansas for Garden2Blog on April 26-27. I appreciate him making room for a "northerner" and a relatively new blogger like me at such an illustrious event.

Garden blogging has opened up so many new avenues for me in my mission to inform and inspire. And this is just one more of those fortunate occasions for which I am grateful. 

According to Mr. Smith, "I'm looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Garden Home Retreat and getting to know individuals in the online gardening community. It's such a creative and knowledgeable group coming to visit. I can't wait to see what shakes out of our time together."

I'll probably be the one shaking at the chance to meet one of my horticultural heroes after reading and re-reading his books, in addition to hearing him speak several times. In fact I visited the retreat with a Master Gardener group when it was still under construction. Can't wait to see the finished (although a garden is never finished) results.

I have long been a fan of his soft-spoken way of communicating time-tested design principles along with the simple joy of creating a Garden Home. You can bet I'll be taking notes.

Add to this, I get to put faces to names of fellow garden bloggers, including a couple of real live wires in the world of garden writing. Allen promises that, "Our Garden Home partners have got some great workshops cooked up for everyone, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun. I don't want to give away too much, but let's say there's nothing wrong with a little competition among friends!" Hmmm, I wonder just what that means? I'm sure it will be a hoot.

"Garden2Blog" is going to be a fantastic opportunity for us to come together and not just talk about trends and ideas, but also establish an ongoing dialogue of information-sharing within our industry."

I'll be sharing all this with you as it happens. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile check out the current list of attendees:

Along with me, Rhonda Fleming Hayes at The Garden Buzz

Adriana Martinez  Anarchy in the Garden

Andrew Key Garden Smackdown

Annie Haven Manure Tea

Ben Ford The Thrifty Landscaper

Beth Phelps U of A ex

Brenda Haas BG Garden

Dee Nash Red Dirt Ramblings

Fern Richardson Life on the Balcony

Helen Yoest Gardening With Confidence™

Jacqueline D’Elia Southern Post Journal

Janet Carson U of A Home and Garden

Jean Ann Van Krevelan Garden to Farmer

Jenny Peterson J. Peterson Garden Design

Kaylee Baumle Our Little Acre

Kerry Michaels About Container Gardener

Laura Mathews Punk Rock Gardens

Mike Lieberman Urban Organic Gardener

Robin Plaskoff Horton Urban Garden Web

Shawna Corondo The Casual Gardener

Shirley Bovshow Eden Makers Blog

Stephanie McCratic Evolved Mommy

Steve Bender Grumpy Gardener

Teresa O’Conner Seasonal Wisdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Storm: A Lament for My Lost Pines

I thought I knew the subject of my next blog post. Yet Mother Nature had other ideas.

A historic storm of massive proportion, described as an inland hurricane, blew into town on Tuesday with harsh and sustained winds that tested roofs and toppled trees. By 9pm three of my majestic white pines were uprooted and lying across the drive.

My sad trees the day after the storm                  The Garden Buzz 

With as many as 22 states affected by this storm, I'm not alone in my loss. Driving around today I saw numerous downed trees; most evergreens dragged down by their non-deciduous bulk.

The white pines that stood by my driveway were a social hub of sorts; a gathering spot for the chickadees where they nabbed seeds from the feeder taking them over to the dogwoods for a nibble. Nuthatches scurried up and down the length of the trunks searching for insects and stealing a bite in between. Wrens made an annual home in the house that hung on a stubby limb. Cardinals flew in and out adding color and song.

 

The chickadees offer year-round entertainment in the pine trees

When we first moved in, the pines were just generic evergreens to me. As I got to know them, I learned that they actually did whisper with their soft needles and sigh from their uppermost branches. While they provided privacy they still allowed a little peek between the airy fronds. They sheltered and shaded us, and made us just a little mysterious.

 

 Last year on Christmas Eve the trees were so picturesque

The tree guys came and cleared the driveway leaving the rest of the sawed-off trunks saluting at awkward 45 degree angles, with the roots tilted from the earth. When they come back to clear them out completely, the yard will feel bare and exposed. Each time I drive in I am surprised at the new view of our home without the frame of evergreens. Looking out, the view of the neighboring houses seems strange after being half-hidden in the woods. It will take awhile to accustom myself to such a sudden transformation.

I know I should have respected a suitable period of mourning for my trees. Yet even in the very hour they fell, while the storm was still wailing outside, the gardener in me was considering the opportunities of a new landscape. I admit a little thrill ran through me...just think..full sun.

 

 To see the real impact of this change, check out my garden video featuring Pink Turtlehead; the pines are behind me in the last scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Action Day 2010: WATER

Today is Blog Action Day 2010. Thousands of bloggers are tackling this BIG issue about a precious resource no one can live without. WATER. We'll surely all address it from a different angle, that's the beauty. 

 

I think it's best to keep it simple and in the garden. Here are a few ways that you can help to conserve water without sacrificing the look of your garden. In fact, these tips might increase your enjoyment.

 Five Easy Ways to Conserve Water in Your Garden

1. Install a rain garden. Appropriate plants vary from region to region. Consult your local extension experts to see what the possibilities are for your area.
2. Place rain barrels at your gutter downspouts to collect rainwater for dry days. Put screens on top to keep out leaves and critters.
3. Reduce lawn area and plant water-saving native plants. Xeriscape plants are not zero-scape; most are beautiful as well as easy to grow. Herbs are great too.
4. When you water, do it wisely. Use drip and soaker irrigation. Install timers and rain sensors on your sprinklers.
5. Mulch shrubs and trees along with flower beds to reduce evaporation and conserve moisture.

 

Buzzing for the Bees

It's not called The Garden Buzz for nothing! The Garden Buzz is always on alert for big and breaking news about bees; literally the buzz about bees. You know those adorable little guys that pollinate every third bite of food that goes into your mouth!

 

That's right. Without bees, no strawberry shortcake. Without bees, no coconut cream pie. Without bees, no blueberry cobbler. You get my drift.

Bees are busy despite facing threats from parasitic diseases, habitat loss and climate disturbance, but so are humans, making concerted efforts to help them out. Please make yourself aware of these worthy endeavors.

 

Check out Pollinator LIVE, a new distance learning adventure brought to you by the USDA Forest Service and their partners. A great tool for classrooms, and gardeners featuring programs about honeybees, native bees and gardening streaming live on selected dates and later archived for your viewing pleasure.

The Great Sunflower Project continues. Citizen scientists and curious gardeners (aren't we all) are encouraged to join. Their website is a wealth of bee knowledge and inspiration. They send the sunflower seeds, you grow them, then count and report the number of bees that pollinate the big beautiful flowers. I'll be giving away some of their 2011 calendars just before the holidays ( I was late last year), keep a lookout!

Finally, read this article about University of Minnesota professor Marla Spivak, who just won the MacArthur "Genius Grant" for her ground-breaking approach to bee breeding hoping to fight off parasitic mites that threaten this hugely important part of our existence. 

Know of a noteworthy or deserving bee story or project? I'd love to hear from you, or just tell me about the bees in your garden, what have you noticed lately?  BBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

 

 

No Spring Break for the Monarch Butterfly

The Garden Buzz is on spring break, first stop, The University of Missouri, Journalism School. Apparently my daughter thinks it would be fun to have "take your mom to class" day. I'll be attending Egyptian Art this morning, but she 's on her own with that magazine editing test later in the day.

Tomorrow we head to Florida. Not for one of those wild and crazy breaks, sorry to disappoint you. We thought we'd check on the grandparents and it's just a coincidence they live close to the beach.

While I'm gone consider this; the Monarch Butterfly never gets a break. Add extreme weather and flooding to the usual challenges of long migrations and habitat loss. Storms in the overwintering region of Mexico decimated the Monarch population, according to Chip Taylor of the University of Kansas Monarch Watch program. It will take several years to rebound after 50% losses.

So now is time to plant milkweed. Monarch butterflies depend upon milkweed and only milkweed as a larval host plant. After they are adults they feed on a variety of flowers, but without the milkweed that won't happen. First things first.

Think about planting at least 10 plants of one species and get your garden certified through Monarch Watch as a Monarch Waystation.

There's a milkweed for every garden; Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) comes in orange or white, once established it is drought-tolerant; it can take clay soils as well. Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) is a pretty pink and tolerates wet soils, but grows in average soil too.

The list goes on, but hey, I'm on vacation. Do a little research and see how you make a difference for the Monarch.

National Pie Day - January 23 (Pear Tree Pie Recipe)

Let me be the first to wish you a Happy National Pie Day! Who knew? The American Pie Council (nothing to do silly song lyrics or naughty boy movies) designates January 23 for this auspicious occasion to help in "preserving America's pie heritage and promoting American's love affair with pies". Their aim is to "raise awareness, enjoyment and consumption of pies". Heck, I'm there.

 
Pumpkin Pie     The Garden Buzz

What, you say? Is The Garden Buzz going all foodie? Occasionally. In this case, I don't think it's that far from the pie pan to the garden, or vice versa. Name a pie that doesn't need produce to produce its filling. Cherry, berry, or kumquats, it all starts in the dirt. Chocolate cream? Little cocoa groves in West Africa. Rum raisin? Vineyards and cane fields. Chess pie? Maybe you got me there, but I like mine with a little lemon zest.

And lest we forget. Bees make pies. Every bite is just buzzing with bee-power. Without pollination, what could we look forward to; wheat pie, corn pie?

I love pie. I love how it is all contained in a crust, sort of like the perfect packaging of an egg. I love making pies; the fluting of the crust, paring apples, peeling peaches, or whisking the filling in a big bowl, and finally the finished piece. I love how it looks in the kitchen, the ultimate symbol of domesticity. I love slicing it in eight perfect portions and feeding it to people to watch them swoon. If I had one of those wide windowsills like in the cartoons, I would make pies just to see them sit there.

I remember some pies better than people; that purple raspberry/rhubarb/custard from last year that still elicits sighs and haunts us with its elusive qualities, the sweet-tart gooseberry pie at Kansas family reunions, the sweet potato pie when I grew my own, the dainty lemon meringue my mother-in-law makes. Yet my mom never made proper pies, but rather these messy, misshapen fried apricot pies, greasy and good, eaten with your hands, and even better cold.

Any day with pie would be a little bit happier. But here's a pie to honor the spirit of the American Pie Council's special day. It was inspired by the pear tree that grew by our old limestone house in Kansas. It provided shade, honey-scented blossoms and voluminous quantities of lumpy little green pears every other year. I miss it, now, every year.

Pear Tree Pie  

Use your favorite crust recipe or buy a ready-made frozen one, I wont' tell, it's only for the bottom.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

6-8 Bartlett Pears (or whatever kind is available) peeled and sliced

3 T. Lemon juice

1/2 C. Sugar

2 T. Flour

1-2 T. Chopped crystallized ginger (this is what makes it good, I think more is better)

Combine fruit and other ingredients in a bowl, then spoon into pie crust. Sprinkle with crumble topping.

Crumble Topping

1/2 C. Flour

1/2 C. Sugar

1/2 t. ginger and 1/2 t. cinnamon and 1/4 t. nutmeg

You can add oats or chopped nuts for more flavor

Combine and then cut in 1/4 C. Butter

Bake in oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve  with vanilla ice cream if desired.

PS: You can double this recipe in a 9X13 baking dish without a crust for a delicious fruit crumble, but then that wouldn't be pie. SHHH..Don't tell the pie council.

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Panic Soup

Duh, I know Halloween is past and it's almost Christmas, but we're talking about a crisis. In case you haven't heard, there's a pumpkin shortage. And if everyone keeps buying 2 cans of Libby's every time they go grocery shopping, like me, it's only bound to get worse. Is this how hoarding starts?

Perfectly good pumpkins are rotting on the vine, due to heavy rains that kept the farmers from their muddy fields. If we didn't appreciate this humble, husky-shouldered vegetable before, we will soon. Gone are the days when pumpkins were just for pie; nowadays they feature in risotto and salads, curry and souffles. As for me, I have to confess I haven't done anything so creative. Inheriting my mother's southern sweet tooth, if a vegetable can be made into pie, I'll opt for it every time.

But this scarcity has me thinking twice. I brought in the cute little pie pumpkin that has been sitting obediently decorative at my back door. I got out my little hack saw and had at it. First, I am probably the only person on the planet who hadn't toasted pumpkin seeds. Now I can tick that off my list.

Roasted pumpkin seeds   The Garden Buzz 

Taking a pumpkin soup recipe from www.epicurious.com, one of my favorite cooking sites, I did something a bit unusual for me; I eliminated the recommended bacon, butter and sour cream and tweeked it. What happened is more a medley of pure veggie essence featuring the pumpkin. And in spite of the absence of cream, it was so creamy. As usual, this is more suggestion than recipe. I take no responsibility. However I have to say that soup is very forgiving, if we could all aspire to the same, the world would be a better place. But I digress.

Roasted Pumpkin    The Garden Buzz

Before the soup, roast the pie pumpkin. Easy, two halves face down on an oiled baking sheet, covered with foil and baked at 350-400, your choice, for around 20 minutes. Poke with a fork occasionally, when very soft, it's done. Let cool and then scoop the flesh out. You can do this the day before and rest up, if that was too arduous.

In a big, heavyish pot, saute in light olive oil, a cup of chopped leek (it's a lengthy, much milder version of an onion), a minced garlic clove and a bay leaf. When softened, add about 3 cups of the roasted pumpkin, 2 peeled, chopped apples and 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 to 11/2 cups water, depending on the thickness preferred. Simmer until all is soft. Remove the bay leaf. Whiz it in batches in the blender (watch out, it's hot) and return to the pot. Sprinkle with a bit of allspice, yes, allspice, trust me. Salt and pepper to taste. Or do like my husband and douse it with Tapatio sauce. Heat gently and serve with some earthy type of bread. Bon appetit!

Pumpkin Soup The Garden Buzz

If you enjoyed this post, you might like, National Pie Day for a great recipe for Pear Tree Pie!

So Long, Smith and Hawken

First it was Gourmet magazine and now, Smith and Hawken. Of course Gourmet had more history, more gravitas. But who will furnish our horticultural fantasies now?   Then I looked around my home and peeked out at the garden, looking for a piece of S&H merchandise, some remnant of their aspirational hard goods. And then I thought, "Oh, that's why they've gone broke". Did everyone do as I did; strolled, drooled, and hightailed it off to copy that "Tuscan Villa" look on the cheap? So we have no one but ourselves to blame when we crave a little hit of that garden crack.

Today, when I passed through, the scene was more garage sale than garden terrace. The clerks were still busy, but the vultures had started picking the bones cleaner; they wanted the shelves and brackets off the wall. No one seemed interested the Balinese planters stacked yay-high, but then the $399.00 price tag could have been the problem.

The remaining stock looked a little tatty, even tawdry, and sometimes just sad. The mossy garden gnomes were scuffed, the mourning dove candles were minus their tails, and the plethora of orchid pots sat listless and unwanted. Without the lush displays, the items taken out of context didn't inflame that same lust as before.

I don't think the dream has died, we gardeners will continue to decorate and accessorize our gardens, but with maybe a little more authenticity, the austerity only apparent in the price we pay, and not the exuberance and creativity that necessity inspires. Yet I don't think we will go back to re-purposing bathtubs.

I did remember that I bought this birdbath at S&H a while back, on sale. Still it looked more glamorous in the store surrounded by scented candles and heaped with artificial artichokes than it did a few weeks ago in this photo, filled with pine needles and dirty rain water. But at least I have a piece of the dream.

Smith and Hawken birdbath The Garden Buzz