April 2012

Planters Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
April 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncover the Weston Rose Garden
Saturday April 14 @ 8:00 a.m. (rain 4/12) –

Weed, spread composted manure and prune. BYO tools & thorn-proof gloves. Regular maintenance will begin at a date t/b/d. Anyone interested in joining this elite group of gardeners and learning more about rose gardening while contributing to our town is welcome – regulars, part-timers, or drop-ins.

Monthly Meeting - Monday April 23@ 7:00 p.m.
@ Wethersfield Community Center.

Final planning for the Plant Sale. “Official” pots and labels for donated plants will be available.

Annual Plant Sale - May 12 (Rain Date May 19)

This is our major fundraiser. CRITICAL NEED - Club members are asked to contribute “home grown” perennials to the sale. If you do not have your own plants to donate – seek them out from friends, neighbors or relatives. If you need help splitting the plants contact Chairman Tom Gibson 1-860-208-5195.

Plants being donated should be split and potted as soon as possible in order to allow them time to develop in the pot and look good for the sale. Please label all plants. Contact Fred Odell (860.529.6064) for official pots, potting soil, and plant labels.

Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan

“Guerilla Gardening” and “Hydrangea Rage” have been in the news recently. And although both have their roots (so to speak) in Great Britain – they each provide valuable information on how we colonists can make our own horticultural efforts that much more rewarding.

First, some basic definitions. “Guerrilla Gardening” is simply gardening on another person's land without permission. “Hydrangea Rage” is an aggressive or angry behavior by a gardener in response to an assumed assault on his/her flora. The former is an organized horti-sociological movement. The latter is, at the moment, the spontaneous response of one deranged individual. (Although when you hear her story…)

Wikipedia says: “[Guerilla gardening] encompasses a very diverse range of people and motivations, from the enthusiastic gardener who spills over their legal boundaries to the highly political gardener who seeks to provoke change through direct action. It has implications for land rights, land reform. The land that is guerrilla gardened is usually abandoned or neglected by its legal owner and the guerrilla gardeners take it over ("squat") to grow plants. Guerrilla gardeners believe in re-considering land ownership in order to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it.

“Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden. Some garden at more visible hours to be seen by their community. It has grown into a form of proactive activism or pro-activism.”

The term “guerilla gardening” was used for the first time in 1973 by Liz Christy and her “Green Guerillas” group, who transformed a derelict private lot in the Bowery Houston area of New York City into a garden. It now has its own “global internet forum” (GuerillaGardening.org) and its adventures are tracked, at least in Great Britain, by the mainstream print media – which granted when judged by some of our uptight New England standards may not seem like “real journalism” – but still.

Hydrangea rage, at the moment, seems to be exclusively the property of one 87-yeard-old grandmother. As reported in London’s “Daily Mail”:

“Hydrangea rage! Grandmother in court after going potty because a neighbour trimmed her plant

“She may be an 87-year-old grandmother, but touch her plants and Margaret Perry can get particularly nasty.

“In what has been described as a ‘hydrangea rage’ incident, the retired council worker shouted obscenities at neighbour Brian Kelly when she found him trimming her prize flower.

“Storming out of her house, she branded him a ‘menace’ and screamed, ‘b**** up your a***’ before threatening to cut his internet cable.

“Mr Kelly said he was merely cutting the plant back after it had grown into his garden and was blocking the sunlight from his tomatoes.

“Perry, a former Greater London Council employee, denied shouting abuse at her neighbour, but admitted asking him what he was doing to her hydrangea.

“During the hearing, Mrs Pool [the Judge] was forced to tell Perry to keep quiet after continued outbursts in court.

“Perry, clearly distressed, pleaded with the bench: ‘What am I supposed to do? He cut my flowers.’”

Say what you want but I think that both of these trends are good for the game of gardening. I was listening to an interview with sportswriter John Feinstein and he was talking about how unexciting PGA golf had become during the years without Arnie, Gary & Jack, or Tiger & Phil. Sometimes I think that our favorite avocation has become too much like that also. Too many over-planning, by-the-numbers, lookalike perfectionists simply following the label and avoiding excessive use rather than just going out, digging up some soil, throwing in a bunch of seeds, and dealing with what happens.

Imagine instead: covert ops floricultural revolutions with night-vision goggles and camouflage gardening gear – or going off unabated on Limbaugh-like landscaping rants, with the implied threat of physical violence. Now that’s a hobby a real red-blooded gardener can sink his (or her) hoe into.

See you in the British tabloids!

Ornamental Herbs
http://www.hortmag.com

There are many options when it comes to attractive-looking herbs. In fact there are many plants commonly grown as ornamental plants that are in fact herbs with histories of use in fragrances, cooking, medicines, cosmetics, etc. These include bee balm (Monarda didyma), scented geraniums (Pelargonium spp.), pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina), perennial sages (Salvia spp.), lavender (Lavandula spp.) and nasturiums (Tropaeolum majus).

Here are some plants generally thought of as “culinary herbs,” but which also have striking ornamental features that recommend them for use in ornamental beds.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis; Zones 8–10)—slow-growing evergreen tree with narrow, dark green, glossy oval leaves. Makes a good hedge or potted specimen because it responds well to pruning.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum; Zones 2–9; shown at top), Garlic chives (A. tuberosum)—firmly upright leaves and tall stalks of purple or white globular flowers. Can become weedy if allowed to set and drop seed. Deadhead spent flowers to prevent unwanted spread.
Thyme (Thymus spp.; generally Zones 3–8)—mats of tiny green or gray leaves. Generally used as a groundcover or to fill the spaces between pavers.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis; Zones 8–10; shown right)—silvery gray foliage and small purple flowers. Easy to train into a standard (lollipop shape) for a formal accent.
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus; Zones 9–11)—the look of a small, bright green ornamental grass. Fragrant. Also repels mosquitos.
Dill (Anethum graveolens; annual)—ferny, feathery foliage and flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flowers, reminiscent of yarrow. May self-seed.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum; annual)—low mounds of textural foliage; makes a good edging.

Ornamental Vegetable Garden Plants and Ideas,
How to Design a Beautiful Vegetable Garden
http://www.vegetable-gardening-online.com/

Ornamental Lettuce Varieties

Leafy vegetables grown in an ornamental garden offer a vast array of colors. For instance, lettuce not only comes in a wide variety of green shades, but also in garnet and bronze. Red Fire or Red Sails are examples of loose leaf varieties with leaves that are partially reddish bronze and part green.

Cimmaron lettuce is a bronze colored romaine that was grown back in the 18th century. Another prime example for an attractive plant to grow along with typical green romaine is Freckles, a romaine variety with blotches and burgundy spots. Besides being pretty as a picture, Freckles is one of the best flavored lettuce varieties and stays put for an extended time before bolting.

Galactic Lettuce in Hues of Burgundy is an impressive lettuce grown for its dark burgundy color. The leaf edges are curly and it resists bolting for an extended period. You can use this lettuce in a container ornamental vegetable garden or as an edging plant.

Ruby Swiss chard, and the newer mix, Bright Lights are a must for a decorative ornamental vegetable garden. The leaf veins and stem of the Bright Lights variety come in vivid orange, yellow, red, purplish red and shocking pink. This type grows tall making a picturesque backdrop for shorter plants. Besides the intense coloring of Swiss chard, the stems and large leaves, which are similar to spinach is cooked and enjoyed as a tasty vegetable.

Pepper Plants Offer Red, Orange, Purple, Yellow and Green

Another colorful selection for your ornamental vegetable garden is peppers. There are pepper plants comprising of a rainbow of eye pleasing colors to delight the taste buds as well. Black Pearl is a vegetable gardening fan favorite. The small, round produce of this tall, sturdy plant is nearly solid purple/black and pack quite a punch on the hotness scale when eaten. Plant the colorful selection named Islander if you want to grow peppers without the heat. All bell peppers eventually ripen to a bright yellow, red, or orange, although they remain sweet green for an extended time.

Ornamental Eggplant Varieties
Eggplant varieties grown as edible ornamentals display lovely hues of dark purple, green, white, pink, striped, and lavender. Most of the lighter hued eggplants are less bitter tasting than the deep purple vegetables, if you decide to take a bite out of your ornamental vegetable garden!

Sungold Orange Cherry Tomatoes
No ornamental garden is complete without a wonderful orange cherry tomato type with a fruity flavor. Tomatoes come in very interesting choices that cover the spectrum from white, yellow, purple, green, striped, black, and of course red! I do not know any gardener who would grow tomatoes as ornamentals only but I am sure there may be a few who do!

Growing Beans for a Splash of Purple and Yellow
Purple and yellow "green" beans provide a splash of color in an ornamental vegetable garden plot. The eye popping colors make it easier to pick out the produce at harvest time.

Red Cabbage, Orange and Purple Cauliflower, Purple Broccoli Add to the Fun
Other vegetables that offer diverse color from its "normal" relatives include red cabbage, orange or purple cauliflower, and purple broccoli. (Maybe you can get the kids to eat their broccoli disguised in purple!) There is no shortage of extraordinary vegetables to add a spectacular view to your ornamental vegetable garden that are much too pretty to eat!

Ornamental Herbs add Beauty to the Garden
There are many plants that can be grown both as ornamentals and for medicinal purposes such as lavender. The fragrant plant has pale bluish-purple flowers that grow in clusters.
Lavender can be used for making essential oil, perfume, and dried flower arrangements.

Planting an ornamental vegetable garden adds brilliant color to the garden and to culinary dishes. One of the best reasons for growing ornamentals is that children are more apt to help with the harvest and eat unusually colored vegetables! This is a great way to get your kids involved in vegetable gardening. Another benefit of this kind of garden is that scientists have discovered that the colorful pigments responsible for the outstanding colors of the plants contain antioxidants that protect us from diseases.

Tomato Records
Wikipedia.com

The heaviest tomato ever, weighing 3.51 kg (7 lb 12 oz), was of the cultivar 'Delicious', grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986.[4][unreliable source?] The largest tomato plant grown was of the cultivar 'Sungold' and reached 19.8 m (65 ft) in length, grown by Nutriculture Ltd (UK) of Mawdesley, Lancashire, UK, in 2000.[53]

The massive "tomato tree" growing inside the Walt Disney World Resort's experimental greenhouses in Lake Buena Vista, Florida may be the largest single tomato plant in the world. The plant has been recognized as a Guinness World Record Holder, with a harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes and a total weight of 522 kg (1,150 lb).[54] It yields thousands of tomatoes at one time from a single vine. Yong Huang, Epcot's manager of agricultural science, discovered the unique plant in Beijing, China. Huang brought its seeds to Epcot and created the specialized greenhouse for the fruit to grow. The vine grows golf ball-sized tomatoes, which are served at Walt Disney World restaurants.

Unfortunately, the world record-setting tomato tree can no longer be seen by guests along the Living With the Land boat ride at Epcot, as the tree developed a disease and was removed in April 2010 after approximately 13 months of life.[54]

On August 30, 2007, 40,000 Spaniards gathered in Buñol to throw 115,000 kilograms (250,000 lb) of tomatoes at each other in the yearly Tomatina festival.[55]

Flower Gardening - Consider A Cutting Garden
http://gardening.about.com

For gardeners the ultimate pleasure is to be able to cut flowers from their own garden to bring indoors and to give away to friends and family. Many also love to have homegrown blossoms, foliage, and seedheads handy for fresh or dried floral crafts and cooking. However, the problem is always that picking flowers from the garden reduces the floral show in the yard. It is always a tough decision whether to cut flowers for indoors or leave them on display outdoors. The perfect solution to this problem is to establish a separate cultivated area specifically as a cutting garden. Then you can have your flowers and pick them too!

Fill your cutting garden with plants that produce the flowers and foliage you love. Use it as an area to experiment with new plants and colors. Place it where it is not on public display, and indulge your fancy. Consider making it part of your vegetable garden. This is a production garden; created to be cut down, so do not worry about design correctness.

Lots of different kinds of flowering plants are suitable for a cutting garden. Long-stemmed annuals or perennials are most useful. Typically, colorful annual flowers dominate these gardens, because they are such enthusiastic bloomers. Cutting their blossoms only encourages them to produce more. All kinds of daisies are enormously popular and combine well with lots of other flowers.

Long blooming perennials have a place in the cutting garden as well as in the more formal flower border. Plants such as coral bells and fringed bleeding heart will produce flowers all season, especially if they are regularly picked. Some, such as purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susans produce bold, bristly seedheads that are ideal for floral crafts. Of course perennials can be depended upon to bloom next season - no need to replant that part of the cutting garden.

Don't forget foliage plants that contribute texture and color to both fresh and dried arrangements. Silver-leafed artemisia varieties, lamb's ears and herbs such as lavender contribute grayish-silver foliage that is both handsome and aromatic.

The following is a list of suggested annuals, perennials, and foliage plants. This list is just a beginning. There are certainly more cut flowers available.

Annuals for a cutting garden
[* indicates good for drying also]

Ageratum (FlossFlower)
Amaranthus caudatus (Love Lies Bleeding)
Ammi majus (Bishop's Flower)
Anemone
Bells of Ireland
Calendula
Callistephus chinesis (China Aster)
Campanula
Celosia, cristata (Cockscomb)*
Celosia, plumosa (Feather)*
Celosia, spicata (Wheat)*
Centaurea (Bachelors' Button)
Cleome (Spider Flower)
Cosmos
Dianthus
Dill
Dimorphoteca sinuata (Cape Marigold)
Eustoma (Lisianthus)
Geranium
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)*
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)*
Helichrysum (Strawflower)
Helipterium (Everlasting)
Marigold
Matthiola (Stock)
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
Nigella damascena (Love
In
A Mist)
Pansy
Petunia
Phlox
Reseda Odorata (Mignonette)
Salpiglossis
Salvia farinacea
Scabiosa (Pincushion flower)
Snapdragon
Statice*
Sunflower*
Sweet Pea
Verbena bonariensis
Zinnia

Perennials for a cutting garden
Achillea (Yarrow)*
Aster
Campanula
Carnation
Chrysanthemum, such as Shasta Daisy
Coreopsis
Coral Bells
Delphinium
Dianthus, deltoids (Pinks)
Digitalis (Foxglove)
Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinops exaltatus (Globe Thistle)*
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)*
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Lavender*
Lobelia
Lupine
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
Phlox
Poppy, Shirley or Iceland
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)
Sages
Solidago, (Goldenrod)
Veronica

Foliage for a cutting garden
Asparagus, densiflorus
Asparagus, sprengeri
Coleus
Dusty Miller
Eucalyptus
Euphorbia (Snow on the Mountain)
Flowering Cabbage
Flowering Kale
Sage, Tri
Color

Horti-Culture Corner

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

- Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

Funny Garden Stuff
http://www.gardening.net.au

A prisoner in jail received a letter from his wife:
"I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?"
The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all the mail, replied in a letter:
"Dear Wife, whatever you do, DO NOT touch the back garden! That is where I hid all the gold."
A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife:
"You wouldn't believe what happened. Some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up the whole back garden."
The prisoner wrote another letter:
"Dear wife, NOW is the best time to plant the lettuce!"