The Garden Buzz

40 Carrots, a Girdle and Phil Collins

I heard an old Phil Collins song every time I looked at the burlap growing container and the wilting carrot foliage, "I wish I could just make you turn around - turn around and water me". 

This was back in the spring and I had thrown some carrot seeds into one of these new-fangled girdles, the burlap grow bags given to all the garden bloggers at Garden2Blog by those fun-loving gals at The Seed Keeper Company. 

 We were in between houses, living in a rental while the big move was looming, my mind wasn't really on carrots. Building a home involves a thousand tiny decisions that add up to a very big deal if you don't do it right. So I was a little preoccupied.

"How can you just walk away, look at this beautiful foliage". Foliage was all I really expected. At first the bag sat on the picnic table and then after we moved it sat wherever I could find a spot, dodging the concrete guys and the stonemasons while the exterior was finished. It found a resting place on the driveway for awhile where the garage doors reflect at a couple hundred degrees, caught in a cycle of water and wilt.

Oh and yeah, I never got around to thinning them either.

By now the burlap bag and its withering contents were a source of embarrassment, "And you coming back to me is against all odds". But I couldn't quite throw it away. As the patio and landscaping was nearing completion, I took the bag of ferny, browning foliage inside out of sight so as not to completely ruin my reputation as a garden writer and master gardener. It sat on a table in the garden room for a week while I went in a hundred different directions doing everything else but worrying about carrots.

Finally in a frenzy of checking off my to-do list and fall approaching, I looked over at the bag and sighed. "So take a look at me now". I felt around down in between the stems and lo and behold, I met with firm resistance. I dumped the bag into a tub, that's the beauty of these grow bag contraptions, you don't have to dig.

Forty carrots!

Look at what I found. Forty carrots. I figured they would taste like crap after all of that neglect. Surprisingly they were as sweet as any homegrown carrot could be. "You're the only one who really knew me at all". Just think if I had put the grow bag in a place of honor and paid more attention? Imagine what you could grow! 

When you're done with the grow bag it folds up for easy storage, so "there's just an empty space", no big pots to wrangle until the next season when the burlap girdle will be ready to replant. 

Check out all burlap growing girdles and all the other great things on Carol and Kerry's site at The Seed Keeper Company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Grafted Tomatoes-Great Idea or Gimmick?

Last year I pitched an article about grafted tomatoes---what a cool concept I thought. I was told it was more an agriculture story, not mainstream enough for the home gardener.

So what shows up in all the garden centers this year? Yep, grafted tomatoes, and more. Eggplant, cucumbers, peppers. Already popular in Asia and Europe, they've been slow to take off here, but sure gained steam this year.

Just like grafting an apple makes for a stronger, hardier tree with other good qualities selected like improved flavor and disease-resistance, the same goes for these grafted vegetables. The really good thing about grafted tomatoes is they can give heirloom tomato varieties that extra something to get higher yields than you would otherwise. How's that for a win-win?

Important note: Unlike regular tomatoes that should be planted deep, grafted tomatoes should be positioned so that their graft union (usually marked by a little plastic collar, or if that has fallen off, just look for the nubby seam) at least an inch above the soil. You do this so the original rootstock (scion) doesn't root and ruin the whole reason for growing it.

So...anticipating, and dreading a slow start to my gardening year, what with the winter that wouldn't leave and our new house exterior behind schedule, I bought one grafted Mighty 'Mato Indigo Rose and a regular Sweet 100 cherry tomato for two large containers. I thought... one experimental and one old dependable to take care of my tomato urges until the garden goes in.

What shows up the next day? Samples. Of grafted tomatoes and their ungrafted counterparts to test side by side. So without further ado and according to the FTC rules I will tell you I received Grafted Brandywine, San Marzano and Chocolate Stripes from the folk at Mighty "Mato and Harris Seeds among others. I gave one set to the neighbor and still await his verdict.

Meanwhile the Indigo Rose shot up huge and immediately put on baby tomatoes all over the vigorous vine. The best part? These gorgeous little globes are deep blue-purple draped over green. Striking. 

And they have anthocyanins. Say what? I was introduced to these free-radical scavenging and anti-oxidizing pigments at the Minnesota Herb Society "Journey Through Thyme" 50-year celebration. Herb wizard Pat Crocker conjured up some great cooking during her presentation, Basic Black: Cooking with Magic. 

Anthocyanins are members of a flavonoid group of phytochemicals with wide-ranging health benefits. They are found in herbs, fruits and vegetables with blue, purple and black colors. Or as my mama used to say, "A colorful plate is a healthy plate".

Mighty 'Mato Indigo Rose--Grafted Tomato

            

So in went the other grafted tomatoes unstaked into temporary two gallon pots, waiting for transplant into my new kitchen beds. Now here in mid-July and still no kitchen beds, all the tomato samples are in limbo, perhaps purgatory, but the Mighty Matoes are proving a point.

You can see that under horrible circumstances they are still making a better effort next to the regular plants. I can only think if I'd had that many large containers or here's an idea, real ground, they would have been prolific and healthy!

So as I'm waiting for my landscape to be "installed", what a less than picturesque word, I'm waiting on Indigo Rose to ripen soon (followed by the others). You're supposed to wait until the purple turns brown and the bottoms go red for optimum taste.

And the Sweet 100? In a year of weird weather and weirder plant happenings, with some things flourishing and astounding us while others languish, I still can't believe it's such a disappointment. You can usually always count on a cherry tomato when all else fails but not this time. 

Time to invoke the gardeners mantra...there's always next year.

As for grafted tomatoes, I think they're a great idea.

 

 

 

 

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Quick Trip to Birmingham: Blooms, Bubble Planters and More

Just a quick post to prove I haven't fallen off the face of the world. Nor have I plunged down one of the many surprisingly steep ravines that link the neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama where I'm helping my daughter find a place to live while she's at Southern Living magazine.

No sooner had we hauled all of our earthly goods into our new almost finished house than I had to start thinking about another move in the same two weeks.  In case it wasn't already complicated my son is also moving tomorrow, heading to Omaha for a co-op job in conjunction with his engineering studies.

We've absorbed lots of Birmingham history, both good, bad and interesting while learning the lay of the land. Topography. Who knew Birmingham was so mountainous? It feels like we've been starring in our very own version of "house hunters" while the Vulcan statue looms above the city. 

In between apartment hunting I've managed to see lots of lush, colorful plantings all over the city, the humidity agrees with them more than it does my hair. We did quick stops at a couple garden centers...down here in Steve Bender country. I almost expected The Grumpy Gardener himself to jump out from behind the rows of potted azaleas and ask me just what I thought I was doing on his patch.

Leaf and Petal in picturesque Mountain Brook caters to the sundress and pearls crowd serving up gorgeous container combinations but also has great little houseplant offerings. Check out these unique vessels...

Loved all the driftwoody textures with ferny foliage.

Succulents!

A green roof of sorts

And don't miss the chickens and that cute coop.

Last night after a tasty dinner at the Little Donkey we came upon Sweet Peas Garden Shop on Linden Ave in the homey section of Homewood. It was closed but my-oh-my look at that MG filled with flowers. It might have been the sangria but we got pretty excited about this oversized herb sign too.

Flower Power

I hear Charlie Thigpen's Garden Gallery is legendary, but it will have to wait until my next visit.

Meanwhile back in Minneapolis, I may have the beginnings of a landscape and veggie beds soon on the bare plot that is my future garden. Hopefully I can get my hands in the dirt before it starts snowing again! Pictures soon.

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Planting a Window Box (With My Feet in the Sink)

 I planted the window box outside of my upstairs laundry room today. The small windows have wonderful screens. The spacious counter is extra deep. My Ikea farmhouse sink sits in the middle. It wasn't easy.

Sitting on the counter removing the screen
Planting a second story window box sometimes requires a different strategy. Do you go up a ladder Chevy Chase-style, certain to fall? Or do you lean out from above? Do you drag a bag of potting soil and  all your plants up the stairs? 

Inserting a coir liner into the window box

Our new house isn't finished but we've already moved into it. We had been renting the house next door to our building site, but our time was up. The late snows and rainy spring has our exterior languishing in the last stages and well, my garden is just bare dirt and a dream. Nothing can happen until the concrete driveway and sidewalks go in and more rain is on tap this week.

Petunias: Shock Wave and Easy Wave Medleys

And wouldn't you know it's plant sample season and every day brings a new box of beautiful goodies begging for a place to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temporarily taping the coir to keep soil inside

The Shock Wave Medley and Easy Wave Medley Petunias from the Harris Seed Trials were just the thing for this window box, These saturated colors like Coral Crush and Wave Denim, Coral Reef and Wave Violet will look great with our dark gray/green house color (Benjamin Moore "Quarry Rock") and black trimmed windows.

Wave petunias are also weather resistant and self-cleaning, a big plus since I don't want to be leaning out the window to deadhead.

These bright colors will attract butterflies and hummingbirds too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After several false starts and forgetting the fertilizer, I began this odyssey with a little help from Hannah, my daughter who's visiting but  probably wishing she would've stayed home.

Watering through the window

 

At first I was the only one sitting on the counter with my feet in the sink. However I couldn't do the same twisty maneuver for the other side with my sore back, so Hannah hoisted herself on the other side and we commenced to plant. 

Silliness--sitting in the sink together.

Love this Wave Denim color

The samples are small for now but they'll soon fill in, mound up and spill over for a great window dressing fashion statement.

"Waving" from the window

 

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Snow Long, I'm Leaving...for Garden2Blog13 at P.Allen Smith's Place

Snow Long, I'm Leaving...for Garden2Blog13 at P.Allen Smith's Place

My favorite Facebook quote of the week went something like this... the only blizzard you're supposed to get in May is from Dairy Queen!

Maybe if I leave town spring, perhaps summer, will move in for good while I'm gone. 

It's exciting to be invited back to Garden2Blog with P. Allen Smith and twenty or so of the most engaging garden bloggers in the country. I'm honored. And hopefully the weather's warmer in Little Rock.

Garden2Bloggers at the Governor's Mansion

P. Allen filming at Garden2Blog

It's not a walk in the park, in fact last time I was there we dodged tornadoes while touring gardens and participating in all manner of gardening challenges and shenanigans. This year we received lots of pre-P. Allen "homework".

Scary weather looms over the container contest.

Bonnie Plants asked us to design an edible container garden in three containers; 24", 18" and 14" in size. I attempted to design something different from the winning garden themes of last year, but maybe I should have gone with something more tried and true. Nevertheless I had fun fumbling around with the color markers I managed to find around the house during one of our snow storms.

Edible containers are a great way to grow food in small spaces

I'll let you know how I did next week when we all meet up and see what our collective genius came up with. Meanwhile, an email arrives telling us to choose our preferred color Le Creuset French Oven. The catch? Pick a winning garden-to-table recipe for the pot, cook and shoot photos, then send to Allen. He'll be posting the creations on his blog where you can vote for your choice. I made our family's favorite Shrimp Corn Chowder; it's tasty, full of veggies and quite colorful. Visit P. Allen's blog to see all of the entries.

Vote for my Shrimp Corn Chowder!

More competitions to be announced. Follow all the fun and great info on The Garden Buzz facebook page (you can like it above) and Twitter @thegardenbuzz!

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Troubled by This Garden? Please Leave a Note.

Note left in garden

I've been wandering the streets again. All the while trying to maintain that "what you lookin' at?" glare/vacant stare encouraged for all social discourse and navigation on the mean streets of NYC.

I'm on the prowl for gardens.

While my daughter heads to Martha's in Manhattan everyday (she's doing the Everday Food Blog among other things), I am hanging out at her place for the next few days; a petite but charming fraction of a brownstone on the "Slope" near Prospect Park, in Brooklyn where all the cool kids live. 

I've found that gardening is alive and well in NYC. Considering the logistics and space limitations, I'm in awe of the horticultural efforts I see.

In this part of Brooklyn along the rows of sturdy brownstones are stately courtyards with impressive urns filled with conifers, elephant ears or coleus. There are windowboxes trailing lovely flowers. Mums and pumpkins anticipate and celebrate autumn on the iconic stoops. All working within the rowhouse framework, all perfectly groomed and lovely.

And then I find it. A garden that makes me drop the scowl and just smile. And yet, it may not be to everyone's taste.

Notable and noble for the sheer quantity of vegetation as well as the design and arrangement, this garden knits gnarled vines with stairstepped pots and "found" wood to create a seamless vista across the lower facade. The container plants flow down the steps into one another. The effect is like a densely planted hillside or perhaps a fisherman's cottage in Maine.

To the side of the steps an ordinary flower bed is transformed with an unusual structure. I love this teetering thing that resembles an osprey nest or an eagle aerie. The higgledy-piggledy platform holds up a few potted plants and sticks that seem to float over the plants below.

But the best part is that small laminated sign peeking out from the honeysuckle...

 

"If you are troubled by this garden, please leave a note."

"If you must wield scissors"

"Consider your cuticles or other body parts" 

 

Staircase garden in Park Slope

Courtyard Garden in Brooklyn

 

 

 

More Window Boxes in Charleston!

What's a trip to Savannah without a quick jaunt to Charleston? Our excuse this time to check out the Heirloom Book Company, located at the memorable address of 123 King Street, a store devoted to cookbooks both old and new. Yes, ma'am, forget fiction, surely we're not the only ones who curl up with a good cookbook?

Stylishly spare in decor with food photography on the walls and bits of kitchenalia interspersed between the latest culinary tomes and vintage cheeky titles like, "Saucepans and the Single Girl". The subtitle is even better, "The cookbook with all the ingredients for taking that light-hearted leap from filing cabinet to flambe".

And what's a trip to Charleston without a run down Meeting Street and then a foray into the alleys and lanes for some serious window box gawking. By now they're lush and overflowing from all the sunshine and rain. Here are some new ones and a couple re-visits, after a few trips you cotton on to who plants the best ones. Enjoy...

Just coleus and begonias, but how lovely

Coleus, dragonwing begonia, torenia, impatiens, fern and Spanish moss

Green and white, always a winner, caladium, petunias, penta and licorice.

Mandevilla climbs the shutters on this signature home, note the little pig.

Red and yellow dominate these window boxes with matching urns, sedum and sword fern supply texture to croton, coleus and geraniums.

My how these have grown, almost touching the sidewalk now.

Flanking the Japanese maple, with colorful foliage and a few blooms.

This courtyard is what they call a jewel-box garden, so many points of interest but never busy. More color than the usual southern garden which relies on evergreen structure in the hot climate.

Longitude Lane where it narrows, see the woogedy cobblestones I endure for the most popular photos on the blog!

White blossoms against black shutters, so fresh even in the heat.

These were mere sprigs on my last visit in February.

If you missed my other window box tours, be sure to check out Spring Inspiration, Latest Window Boxes from Charleston and Window Boxes of Charleston: Doable Anywhere.

 

A New Gardener, or Becoming Your Mother

Spring has sprung early everywhere, but especially in Minnesota where it has caught me with a backlog of "down south" stories still to be told, before I can even start on planning and planting up here...

...There is that moment, somewhere in your forties usually, where you catch sight of your mother in a shop window reflection, maybe a photo and then you realize, oh, that's me. Sometimes it's when you catch yourself repeating some familiar saying of hers, at other times it's a certain expression set on your increasingly lined face.

It's way before her time, but watching (and guiding) my daughter create her first garden was like a backward progression of this phenomenon.

It all started last year at the GWA conference when she accompanied me there on our way to visit her brother at his new school. As a budding food writer she found lots of helpful info and parallels at this garden writers gathering. And to my surprise she was right up there when they were handing out the sample plants.

So last fall I helped her plant up a large pot with all her swag, the centerpiece being the cute new Colocasia Bikini-Tini elephant ears. I gave her my sample as well since she's in zone 8. Lucky gal.

A green lizard looking for bugs or bead of water in her elephant ears.

The adorable elephant ears are thriving in her mild climate in Savannah, although I had to scold her for letting them dry out and water them a few times for her this winter when she got busy. Though I will admit, part of her being busy was my extended stay, which necessitated many trips to Tybee Island, countless cooking experiments, forays for cupcakes at our favorite bakery and general larking around. It's a wonder she's getting her thesis done and that I finished several articles while I was there.

One of our expeditions took us to Herb Creek Nursery in nearby Sandfly where I took a few surreptitious shots of their gorgeous succulents to complete my upcoming article in Northern Gardener. She fell hard for the succulents and before I knew it we were trekking around finding inexpensive containers for all of them.

Echeveria, Senecio and Sedum succulents                            The Garden Buzz

She learned some hard realities of container gardening; potting soil costs money and so do pots. I told her to keep an eye out for other items that could be re-purposed for pots. The next day at Target she did one of those SNL-style "Tuurrrget Lady" turns when she spied the cheap enamel Easter tins and said will these work? Next she was onto galvanized buckets at Home Depot.

More Senecio or chalk fingers in a simple bucket                    The Garden Buzz

She got our her handy-dandy drill to make holes for drainage and started planting. Soon we were back to the nursery for herbs. After all you can only purchase so much thyme at the grocery store for her favorite Ina Garten chicken recipes before it gets ridiculous.

Hannah's new garden, on her carriage house patio. That's an old horse mounting block, great for staging pots.

Such a sight in her pink apron and red wellies, bent over a pot with her hands all dirty, a new gardener is born, following many generations before her. Her grandmother's Bakelite bracelets clicking on her wrist as she wrestled those succulents into the soil made me want to cry. 

Familiar sights and sounds

I always assumed she would start gardening, but not this soon. Now our phone calls include her pressing plant issues along with Savannah gossip and cooking questions.

It all gives me hope. Does this mean there's a possibility my son might feel the need to plant something, someday too? 

Enjoying her new garden. Yes, she added a whiskey barrel with tomatoes and basil too!

 

 

 

Inspiration for Spring 2012: My Latest Window Box Photos from Charleston!

 

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Who doesn't love a window box? Considering the popularity of last year's post on Charleston window boxes, not many. Charleston is an easy 2-hour trip from Savannah, a hop, skip and a jump to a whole 'nother horticultural paradise. You might remember my first visit there last year and the garden tour photo fiasco.

After that I decided all the window boxes on the street were fair game, and occasionally I poked my camera through the conveniently-spaced bars of a wrought iron gate. This year I followed a similar plan and saved myself those $45 tickets! Sorry Charlie, I mean Charleston, no photography, no tour.

Charleston is known as the Holy City due to the large number churches, and seeing all the majestic spires rising above the historic district, I can see why. But I think it should just be known as the Pretty City. Even the people are pretty. So many of the women walking on King Street have that pulled-together look of Parisian ladies. And the men, well, nobody rocks a bow tie like Charleston men.

Anyway, here it is February and Charleston's spring window boxes are already in fine form.

It may be too early for many of you to start planting window boxes, but it's not to soon to be inspired by these beautiful plantings.

Enjoy....

Love this fresh green/white combination, notice the sedums.          The Garden Buzz

 

Cyclamen, torenia, kale and alyssum; the yellow bloom on the kale sets off the gold lettering so beautifully 

 Ivy, lobelia, violas and some spiky thing in cheerful orange and blue shades

A storefront box with foxtail fern, dragon-wing begonia, is it an animal theme? 

The street was perfumed with this alyssum arrangement, I suspect it's the prolific, new 'Snow Princess' from Proven Winners. 

Viola, rosemary, holly fern and snapdragons along Church Street 

Begonia and ivy just taking off in this box attached to magnificent mansion 

Edible landscape: Window box filled with herbs in another storefront planting      

 These red shutters and scrolled ironwork set off this new planting

 And these green shutters complement the white petunias and and orange violas

 Simple pansies look like little smiling faces.

If you can't get enough of Charleston window boxes, I suggest Southern Living garden writer, Steve Bender's (AKA The Grumpy Gardener) blog post showing more window boxes at their summer peak. I especially like his window box "recipe"..

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: January 15

I'm "borrowing" some blooms for this January Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. 

Camellia japonica on the square                                      The Garden Buzz

Without my own garden I've resorted to photographing a few of the flowers blooming here in Savannah while I sit out the coldest part of winter up north. I pass these beauties every day while walking so perhaps that gives me some small right to claim them. 

Lots of shoe leather                                                            The Garden Buzz

I have vague memories of camellias growing up in  California, as well as from my time living in Memphis, however I have never 'owned' one. They are most appreciated blooming now while everything else waits for another month to get started on spring.

Camellia buds ready to burst                                            The Garden Buzz

I pass a particular venerable camellia in one of the squares, Chippewa Square I believe, that has two distinct colors, one side is that soft warm pink almost coral, while the other side has a stripey pink and white, candy-like variegation. Grafting gone bad or perhaps intentional? One of those two-in-one specials from a catalog?

Meanwhile, there is a shrub, blooming all over Forsyth Park at the moment, that I feel I've seen before but am struggling to identify. It's probably a common one, but just out of my realm. Is it just a double, ruffly camellia? It's about 4x4 feet wide. Maybe a savvy southern gardener can clue me in?

Mystery shrub?

I'll repeat this photo of potted pansies, because they are just that cute.

Potted pansies on the steps of Fabrika, a darling fabric store in Savannah 

And I'll include these not very bloomy but very lovely containers of winter greenery southern style.

Large fern in windowbox with containers below
Urns with green motif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A dog friendly town if there ever was!

 

I'll end with this sweet little rose bouquet from our bistro table at the Paris Market today.

Peach roses...my favorite.

I hope to have lots more to show come February, by then I'll have probably "adopted" a few more worthy specimens! Until then, Happy Bloom Day. And as always thanks to the lovely and talented Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

 And last but not least a birthday shout to DesaRee and Stella,my sweet nieces who share this birthday.