Rare, Just Yummy or Plain Unusual Garden Flowers for May

PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM 'DRAMA QUEEN' LUSCIOUS PLUM AND VIOLET STREAKED BLOOMS FROM THIS TENDER POPPY THAT MUST BE SEEDED WHERE IT WILL DECIDE FORYOU WHERE IT WILL GROW. THEY ONLY LAST A DAY, BUT OH, WHAT A DAY.

Really, 2012 is all about poppies. But there are poppies that we still rarely see grown well, for as many of us know, poppies are not easy, unless you want to settle for the ordinary orange Oriental Poppies. A quick update on my great 2012 Poppy experiment, they are all doing well, and I hope that in a few weeks, I will be able to show you images of the Papaver rhoeas, P. commutatum and the P. somniferum as they come into bloom. Never easy, never pretty when not in bloom, poppies generally look best in photos and not in the garden, but when siting in the right location, and when viewed on just the right day, poppies can be quite stunning. Stay tuned you poppy freaks!

SARUMA HENRYI, THE UPRIGHT FLOWERING GINGER

Saruma is rarely found in gardens yet it is starting to appear in collector gardens as a few American nurseries are starting to carry seed-grown plants of this red-list endangered plant from China. Originally discovered in the early 1900's in China, taxonomists, or those who name plants, have been having some fun with this species. The heart-shaped leaves look a bit like Asarum, or Wild Ginger ( which is where the Upright Flowering Ginger name came from - this of course, is not culinary ginger, and neither is Asarum). Saruma is simply Asarum, twisted around using the same letters. Silly taxonomists. No one seems to know why it has taken so long for this plant to be shared and brought into cultivation, but it should have a brighter future - it is a flowering shade plant that is completely deer proof. Related to Dutchmans Pipe ( Aristolochia), this member of the family looks nothing like any Dutchman's Pipe you may have smoked. You can find Saruma henryi available at Plant Delights Nursery.

MODERN VARIETIES OF SIBERIAN IRIS CAN BE VERY IMPRESSIVE, WITH STRONG STEMS TOWERING UP TO 40 INCHES, AND A BROADER RANGE OF COLORS.

Not unusual or rare, except that most American gardens have boring varieties of Siberian Iris, an old fashioned type of Iris that spreads like grass, and that was all the rage in the 1920's. just try finding one at a local nursery. Often, all we see is the pass along plants which are often poor, older varieties, that are just "yawn" ok. I encourage you to try adding some of the newer varieties from one of the few breeders who are still working with this easy to grow iris varieties. Check out Joe Pye Weed gardens for some of the best, and OMG amazing Siberian Iris, some in colors that you never could imagine. JAN AND MARTY  are friends, and I highly recommend them as a source for these plants. These are iris that wont die, but will instead spread into large, tall clumps with hundreds of flowers, and lots of plants to share or to spread around the garden. Leave those old under performing varieties to your neighbors who don't know any better. Guaranteed that they will be asking you where you got your plants from.

DAPHNE CALCICOLA, A RARE CHINESE DAPHNE BLOOMS IN A POT.

Daphne calcicola, a rare treasure of a shrub from Yunnan is not new, but simply a shrub which is rarely seen in collections. First introduced by the famous plant explorer George Forrest in 1906, who described it as "the most beautiful flowering shrub", today is may only be found in a few private collections. I grow this shrub in a large Chinese stoneware container  filled with limestone rock, similar to the lean conditions where it grows in the wild. This is a daphne that it not fragrant, but it is worth growing for its floral display alone. A bit tender, I keep my shrub in the cold greenhouse for the winter. Not sure where you can find one, my original plant came from Harvey Wrightman from Wrightman Alpines.

MIMULUS AURANTIACUS, A CONSERVATORY PLANT THAT WAS OFTEN GROWN IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY GREENHOUSES HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, IS ACTUALLY A NATIVE CALIFORNIAN. IT CAN MAKE A FINE GARDEN SPECIMEN, EVEN HERE, IF GROWN AS A TENDER ANNUAL.

The Bush Monkey Flower, or Mimulus aurantiacus 'Pt. Molate' may be common enough in California, but here in New England, it makes a terrific pot plant for the cold greenhouse. In the summer, cutting can be placed in the garden, which is where ours takes his summer holidays- in the raised, rock wall garden where alpine grow, along the foundation of the greenhouse. Its unusual color is reminiscent of orange sherbet, but it mixes well with other pastel tints, for there are few colors in the garden similar. Available from where else by Annies Annuals.

Anchusa capensis 'Blue Angel', on of the bluest of the Forget Me Nots, but this is a native of South Africa. It smothers itself with the deepest blue flowers ( which look purple here, but believe me these are cold water cobalt blue - it was evening). Next year I will plant more, as many of these plants were a test for me this year. I can only images what a dozen or two would look like int he garden. These Anchusa make our weedy Forget me nots rather , um.... forgetable.

In the stone troughs, which house many alpine plants, some of the later blooming Saxifrages are beginning to bloom, which is reminding me of Switzerland, were we find these plants on the highest peaks of the Alps in June. Each trough contains plants from different climates, so as you can easily imaging the this tall one has plants from the Swiss and French Alps, the one behind it looks a bit more like North Africa or Turkey, with the Horned Poppy blooming ( Glaucium flavum). I think troughs are best when organized by mountain ranges, don't you?

Joe consoles Yang, one of our Chinese White Geese, after Kojo was discovered missing.

Our African Grey parrot, Kojo escaped this weekend. We've had him for 15 years, raised from a chick, and we miss him. Today, we heard him performing his high-pitched squeek, which he makes when we drove into the driveway. We thought that we were hearing things, but then, we heard the phone ring high up in a distant tree, and two streets over, and found him high in a tall oak tree. The old Polish woman in whose yard we found him in, was sitting outside wearing her bra, old-school style, and she smacked her husband and said" See..... I told you I heard a car alarm in dee tree dis morning!". We have yet to catch him, and he may never return, but at least for now, we know that he is OK. He kept calling to us all day.

Our good friends Glen ( above) and Ken visited for Memorial Day, and Glen was showing Ken how to properly hold a goose...

...of course, earings proove to be tempting to  mating goose.

Backyard Poultry, Iris and Harvesting Spinach

THE GARDEN IS ABUNDANT AROUND MEMORIAL DAY - SIBERIAN IRIS' STRUT THEIR STUFF IN THE PERENNIAL BORDER BUT CHORES START EARLY IN THE MORNING AND END LATE IN THE EVENING.

Why does it all have to happen at once!  Last week, the weather was cool and damp, this weekend, hot, humid and suddenly, everything in the garden takes off.  We all know that in America, Memorial Day marks the time when anything can be planted in the garden - tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and most every summer vegetable as now the night time temperatures shift from cool to warm. But is always surprises me how in just a few days, everything can grow. The cut flower sweet peas are growing about 4 inches a day, in the garden, turnips, radishes and spinach are being harvests, and this week will bring the first of the spring green onions. The solstice may be three weeks away, but suddenly, it is summer.

SPINACH FROM ONE RAISED BED HAS BEEN HARVESTED, FILLING TWO LARGE STAINLESS STEEL BOWLS. 

 I harvested the spinach last night. It's been a few years since I've grown spinach, as one needs to plant long beds in order to get enough for a few meals. Spinach is a treat. A half pound of seed sown seven weeks ago in just one raised bed planted will feed two of us, barely twice. A very impractical crop for the home gardener, it should be grown just for pleasure, and not for survival.  As I've mentioned before, I try to grow a few treats just for guilty pleasure ( sure - and health, but then, it's only one meal of health! So who am I fooling?). The spinach bed, now harvested, will be planted with a new crop of pickling cucumbers tomorrow, but before that, we enjoyed a lunch of 2 pounds of spinach. That's it. Our indulgence.  Spinach, freshly rinsed by a spring rain was simply sauteed in butter which, OK... is completely deviating from our whole food plant based diet ( no butter or dairy), there are just some deviances allowed - since these are seasonal treats - fresh garden asparagus, spinach and sweet peas in spring, deserve fresh, dairy butter and salt, so we splurged, and lived for a moment of garden bliss.

TWO POUNDS OF FRESH ORGANIC GARDEN GROWN SPINACH COOKS DOWN TO A MERE ONE CUP, BUT OH, SUCH A TREAT.

NO SPINACH  FOR FERGUS, HE JUST HAD TO WATCH HOWEVER BEGGING FOR EVEN JUST A LEAF. HE WAS GETTING SICK OF BEGGING FOR TOFU.

WE SERVED THE SPINACH ON TOAST, AND POACHED TWO DUCK EGGS ALONG WITH A GOOSE EGG TO REALLY POLISH OFF THE LUNCH BEFORE HEADING BACK OUT INTO THE GARDEN.

BABY TURKEY'S ARRIVED!

Our late Margaret loved 'raising' her own brood of geese, ducks and chickens, but not Lydia. She has already killed some pheasants and quail, to her, they are just peeps. So we need to keep an eye on her. Fergus just gets jealous because these chicks are getting food and he isn't.

POULTS, OR BABY TURKEYS SPENT THE DAY ON THE LAWN IN THE BACK GARDEN, UNTIL THEIR NEW COOP COULD BE FINISHED NEAR WHERE WE KEEP THE PHEASANTS AND GEESE. THIS IS A BUSY WEEK IN THE GARDEN HERE, CHICKS ( THE BLACK CHICK ON THE LEFT) OF BARRED ROCK HENS, TURKEYS. DUCKLINGS AND BABY PHEASANTS ALL COMING AT THE SAME TIME.

Our poults arrived today from two farms in Rhode Island along with some chicks so we can have chickens. We decided to raise turkeys this year, selected three heritage breeds to raise this year for Thanksgiving and winter meat ( I know - vegetable based diet? Only until July!). Joe chose the Narraganset poults since they are not only a local breed, they will be sturdy given our climate here in New England. We stuck with local breeds, adding in some Barred Rock chickens, some crosses between local breeds, as well as two other turkey breeds that I forget not ( I'll have to ask Joe in the morning). It takes 28 weeks for turkeys to get fattened up for market, so these poults really will be ready for slaughter ( eew - that will be another issue!) by the winter holidays.

THIS BLACK CHICK IS A BARRED ROCK CROSS.

A PRICKLY HORNED POPPY BLOOMS IN ONE OF THE ALPINE TROUGHS.

7 Things to Avoid when Preparing a Vegetable Garden

THESE SNAP PEAS MIGHT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITH SIX TO EIGHT HOURS OF SUNLIGHT IS FINE, BUT TEN TO TWELVE HOURS CAN ADD TO YOUR HARVEST SUBSTANTIALLY.

1. Avoid Shade - Duh - But Count Your Hours of Sunlight

There are many factors to consider when selecting the perfect site for your vegetable garden. most can be fixed or altered after you have constructed it, so focus on what you can't change - the weather. Not all plants need sunlight in order to grow, but generally speaking, vegetables are the exception to the rule. But shade can be a sneaky thing - shade can be cast long distances in the morning and in the evening, and a tall tree in a neighbors yard, or a garage may block the sun at sunrise or near sunset, which may seem minor, but ever hour of extra sun may mean the difference between early tomatoes, or late ones.

When planning you raised bed, look for the sunniest place in your yard. Consider cast shadows from neighboring trees, especially in the morning and in the evening, and notice if the canopy of  a tree extends over your garden.  I have a high fence along the southern end of my property which casts a long shadow across several raised beds for most of the year, but between late May and late August, these beds receive nearly 16 hours of sunlight.

WITH LOTS OF ORGANIC MATERIAL ADDED TO YOUR SOIL, VERY LITTLE TILLING WILL BE REQUIRED.

2. Avoid Rototilling

Soil texture is one of the least talked about aspects of gardening, but in many ways, it can be the most essential, as the root zone can be the most opportunistic place where you can improve your growing conditions. All too often, mechanical rototillers and out-dated concepts such as 'double digging' do more harm than good.  Soil is a very local and complex issue, and soil does need to be worked, but in many raised beds, all one needs to do is to turn over the soil with a pitch fork to loosen it. The more organic material there is in the soil, the less the soil needs to be worked.

A perfect example of re-invention is happening in the rock garden world. For nearly 100 years alpine plant enthusiasts have insisted on using a granualar, fast-draining soil mixture akin to canary gravel, sand and pebbles, with just a little organic material added. The new method redefines the entire cultivation process by suggesting growers use pure clay. Wet, sloppy, clay.

Fundamentally, adding organic material to your raised bed is the best advice. But try not to add peat moss. Recent trends are to reduce our consumption on peat and peat products, a limited resource exists and many gardeners are looking at more sustainable resources such as compost.

3. Avoid Adding Bagged 'soil' To Your Vegetable Garden

I have no idea where this trend started, but all commercial brands of bagged soil or bagged top soil are some of the worst products one can add to your vegetable gardens. Even bagged composted manure is often un-tested, or less than 1% manure, plus, you never know where it comes from. More likely than not, it is just aged wood mulch, which, by itself, is not bad, but you should not be paying a premium for it.
Also, take some time to understand the difference between POTTING SOIL, TOP SOIL and LOAM.  Top soil is just wild, sandy or clay soil ( dirt) dug from the ground, and potting soil is SOILESS, meaning, it is composed from often three ingredients - peat moss, perlite and vermiculite ( generally speaking). Most commerical brands might be fine for containers, in fact, I highly reccomend them for containers, but for nothing else.

Best practices suggest that you add anything organic, even un-dyed bark mulch from the previous season. The best soil comes from composted leaves, which would require you to rent or buy a leaf shredder. Shred leaves in the autumn, and make a pile in the corner of your yard ( no need for fancy structures). By spring, the leaves will be perfect - absolutely perfect- as an organic additive to your garden. Second best- add hay from your barn, your chicken coop or from the zoo. Third best? Use your old bark mulch, that you stored in another pile for a year. Many commerical growers just this exact material when they grow specialty plants, it actually makes a terrific organic additive - and don't worry about it being too acidy, acid levels in soil is not affected by adding pine or hemlock.

CHOOSE YOUNGER TOMATO PLANTS FOR TRANSPLANTS VS LARGE PLANTS WITH FRUIT

3. Avoid Large Pre-Started Transplants. Go For Small

I know, it's so hard to resist those huge tomato plants in May, but resist, and go for the smallest ones. In the end, you will be happier with the results. Now that you are ready to plant, be careful about proper planting times. The greatest mistake is planting warm weather crops too early ( tomatoes and peppers), or, buying plants that are too large at the nursery. I know it is tempting, but remember that tomatoes will not set fruit until night time temperatures remain above 65 degrees. A tomato seed planted today on May 23 will over-take a store bought tomato plant with fruit on it in 6 weeks. There is absolutely no reason to buy a large, healthy tomato in May.

Learn what crops grow in cool weather, and which ones demand heat and humidity. Many crops must be grown as autumn crops and not in the spring. Dinosaur Kale or Tuscan Black kale is one that comes to mind, and many, such as Cauliflower like the 'Chedder Cheese' variety bred in the 1980's, performs much better as a fall crop. So save your seed catalogs, and use well-resected planting charts from good sources for exact planting dates ( I like Johnny's Selected Seeds' as a source for tested and true growing information).

HEIRLOOM VARIETIES LIKE THIS GERMAN GARLIC FROM 1850 ARE MORE THAN 100 HUNDRED YEARS OLD . CUCUMBERS, GARLIC AND  TOMATO VARIETIES ARE OFTEN HANDED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS AND MOST ARE CHOICE SELECTIONS , BUT BE WARY OF MORE RECENT CROSSES FROM THE LATE 2oth CENTURY CLAIMING TO BE HEIRLOOM. LEARN THEIR INTRODUCTION DATE, AND MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES.

4. Avoid Weak Varieties, and Choose Heirlooms Choicefully

I know, heirlooms are hot and I highly recommend them, but be very careful about what some people call 'heirloom' and what are not true heirlooms. There are not rules here, so some people are labeling many old late 20th century open polinated ( meaning that they will come true from saved seed) varieties heirloom, when what they are is actually just 'old varieties. Many of these 'old varieties are just un-improved hybrids or un-improved selections that were introduced in the 1960's 70's and 80's, such as Marketmore cucumber strains. There are more than one.

As for hybrids? I would relax about them too, Hybrids are perfectly fine, if not preferred for performance and disease resistance. I hybridize myself, and people have been doing it for 150 years, and nature has been doing it long before that. There are hundreds of natural hybrids, just as in what happens to primroses in the wild. Natural crosses and those done with a paint brush are fine and safe - and no naturalist or botanist is running around freaking out about how hybrids are going to kill us, it's natural.

Genetically Modified Organisms ( GMO)? That's a different story. I have not made my mind up there yet, but my opinion is that is some places, it's perfectly fine. All I will say is unless you are a conspiracy theorist, and not a home gardener- don't worry about Monsanto selling you GMO seed. You could not buy any even if you wanted to.

ONE CANNOT PLANT ENOUGH SPINACH, EVEN A BROAD BAND ROW 60 FEET LONG WILL ONLY PRODUCE A COUPLE OF MEALS. STILL, THOSE FEW MEALS WILL BE OH, SO MEMORABLE.

5. Try to avoid under-planting - grow enough to prepare more than one meal.

Remember, it takes 60 feet  of peas to pick a bushel. 20 square feet of spinach planted thickly to pick a pound. I know it can be discouraging, but this is that 'ol it takes 100 gallons of raw maple syrup to produce on gallon - thingy. Don't let this stop you, just be realistic if you are planning to live off of your vegetable garden, and he honest with yourself about why you are growing one in the first place. For health, your kids, the exercise, to learn, a few fine meals 'in season'- what ever, there is no bad reason.

OVER FERTILIZED TOMATOES WITH MIRACLE GRO 10-10-10 WILL PRODUCE LUSH FOLIAGE AND TALL STEMS, BUT FEW FRUIT. OPT FOR TOMATO FERTILIZER AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS LOW IN NITROGEN ( THE FIRST NUMBER).

6. Be aware about Fertilizing Too Much or Too Little

But contrary to what many advise, must growing vegetables well will require that you use fertilizer of some sort. I use both, a granular feed which some will say is in-organic, but I feel is still chemically the same ( nitrogen, phosphorus, etc from natural sources, combined with slow-release analysis products such as lime, blood meal, green sand, cottonseed ( for nitrogen) and bone meal.

Organic dry fertilizer is generally slower to decompose than liquid, so plan on using both. The problem is, bone meal is released into the soil over years, so if I added it now, it's not very useful in the short run. It is slow and weak, which is why it is often suggested for use with bulbs. I also augment with liquid feed, both from organic sources like fish, and yes, I use some Miracle-Gro for foliar feeds on some plants ( like fast crops such as arugula, spinach and other leafy crops),

Like people-food, I strive for a balance, since my primary goal is not to save the environment, as there is little to no run-off from my tiny raised beds or containers, but I also need to harvest sizable cabbages. All living creatures need nutrition, and learning the proper nutritional needs of every plant you will be growing is essential. A radish will require the opposite in nutritional needs than does a tomato, root crops need an analysis where nitrogen is barely an element, and the worst fertilizer you can use on a tomato plant is the 10-10-10 version of Miracle Gro, as yes, you will get a beautiful 12 foot tall dark green plant, but few, if any tomatoes.

I recommend:

For Tomatoes - 2.10.5
For Leaf crops - 10-5-5
For Root crops  2-10-10

Test your soil for pH, for what spinach or peas require for a pH ( 7) may not be what tomatoes want ( 5.5).