Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners #18

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

IO1, I was doing some research this evening prior to purchasing another gardenia and thought I would share some of what I learned. If there is a dwarf gardenia available with nematode-resistant thunbergia gardenia rootstock, I couldn’t find it, but the ‘Daisy’ cultivar does have some nematode resistance and it matures at about 3’. I’m going to give it a try.
Jim is experimenting with one of those roll-out vegetable gardens for the grandchildren this summer. He easily installed a 3’ x 5’ vegetable patch this morning. I admit I’ve always laughed at the idea when I’ve seen roll-out gardens in catalogs, but had no real experience with them until now. Supposedly, it will produce peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. Is there actually a place where a gardener would be planting lettuce and tomatoes in the ground at the same time? Could that work in the northeast, Carrie? I can’t imagine anything coming of the lettuce this late in the season. The heat will make it bitter, if it grows at all. Jim thinks since it is in a cool micro-climate and it will grow in the shade of the other vegetables, we might harvest some that is edible. I’m curious to see how it all works, but I have my doubts.
We found some red zinnias for the Old Soldiers Garden while shopping today. Zinnias are a favorite annual for the butterflies they attract, but I’ve only found them in mixed colors before. IO1, I was doing some research this evening prior to purchasing another gardenia and thought I would share some of what I learned. If there is a dwarf gardenia available with nematode-resistant thunbergia gardenia rootstock, I couldn’t find it, but the ‘Daisy’ cultivar does have some nematode resistance and it matures at about 3’. I’m going to give it a try.
Jim is experimenting with one of those roll-out vegetable gardens for the grandchildren this summer. He easily installed a 3’ x 5’ vegetable patch this morning. I admit I’ve always laughed at the idea when I’ve seen roll-out gardens in catalogs, but had no real experience with them until now. Supposedly, it will produce peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. Is there actually a place where a gardener would be planting lettuce and tomatoes in the ground at the same time? Could that work in the northeast, Carrie? I can’t imagine anything coming of the lettuce this late in the season. The heat will make it bitter, if it grows at all. Jim thinks since it is in a cool micro-climate and it will grow in the shade of the other vegetables, we might harvest some that is edible. I’m curious to see how it all works, but I have my doubts.
We found some red zinnias for the Old Soldiers Garden while shopping today. Zinnias are a favorite annual for the butterflies they attract, but I’ve only found them in mixed colors before. Also, found some Genavese basil to complete the companion planting scheme in the asparagus bed. mk*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

I like salad with tomatoes, but lettuce is usually bolting by the time tomatoes are ripening. Tomatoes are VERY late in New England, at least when I grew them. I grew a "cut and come again" lettuce in the spring and then tomatoes in the summer. I can imagine having green tomatoes ripening in the fall wrapped in paper while 1st fall crop of baby lettuce is grown, but I can't imagine Jim's roll-out garden is anything that fancy!

Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

We're trying a "salad bar" with gutter-grown late-bolting lettuce in the shade. We mounted the gutters on the back of a whitewashed, disconnected gate that can be moved around if necessary. I don't actually expect to get lettuce with the tomatoes, but it's a grand experiment!

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Very clever, 13!

Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

Thanks Carrie :~)

Also I positioned it at an angle to the backyard entrance so that you can't see the whole yard when just walking by. We're holding up the gate with a ladder shaped headboard, so I'm going to plop a bucket of indeterminate tomatoes in front of it, which is the sunny side, and some clematis in the partial shade behind the t. bucket and ladder.

I suppose I should take some pics!

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Yes, you should! It sounds nice!

Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

Here you go:

I think it adds a little mystery to the backyard, plus it hides the compost. The other photos are just random shots of what we are doing. I can pack gravel really well from the ground. :~)

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Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

Aargh, the first ones didn't load. I was trying to give you the visuals in order.

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Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

What the heck? Oh, and I'm going to put lattice on top, both as an awning to the little plants and for more play space for the clematis.

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Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

I wish we could post photos in our own order and not have whatever it is decide that they must be chronologically accurate. But at least on third try they loaded.

Midland City, AL

(Jim) Today I’m hijacking Nadine’s DG account. Hey, I paid for it and she isn’t using it. Just think of me as Sansai61.
Thanks for sharing those pix, Turtles. It gives me new ideas. I wonder if the lettuce growing in the rain gutter would work here. A section of rain gutter needs replacing soon. Lettuce is normally planted in late February here long before container planting in sun becomes almost impossible. Most of our containers are huge to survive in summer. I plant “funky foliage plants,” as Nadine puts it, in average size, full sun containers during summer. That translates into normal garden speak as succulents like sedums kalanchoes and a few hens-and-chicks. I guess I could plant some heat-hardy flowers if I were willing to water twice a day. To quote Nadine again, “Ain’t gonna happen!” I believe lettuce could work in sunny containers here up to about April and lettuce can thrive in dappled shade.
A 70-something lady gave me a recipe for using the lettuce made bitter by heat. It is sauteed and used like other bitter greens such as mustard. I’ll try that with the lettuce coming up in the kid’s roll-out vegetable garden. Hm-m-m, which is probably why it was on sale. I think it might be worth what I paid for it because it has some of the dwarf versions of summer veggies I’ve wanted to try. The dwarf cultivars are better for little hands and container growing in general.
Are you going to try one of the more unusual eggplants in your new bed, Turtles, or go with the tried and true? I went back to the common purple kind this year.
I put in new faucets in the vegetable garden and celebrated by trying out my new collapsible water hose. I like! I can hold a 75’ run of hose in one hand it is so light. It might not be as durable as rubber hose, but I had no trouble rolling it up and putting it in storage. The extra care it will require isn’t much of a hassle. I’ll be able to water my vegetable garden even on bad days when I have to use the w/c. I would have trouble rolling up 75’ of rubber hose even with a hose reel. (Jim)
Photos: 1) I like being able to control water flow without attaching a special nozzle or using my thumb. Nice feature. 2) Sedums show up in unexpected places come summer. The sedum in the strawberry patch kept fruit off the ground which is good. 3) Another daylily. There has been a lot of transplanting going on and I’m a little confused about which cultivar is where. This one looks like ‘Dragon’s Orb’

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SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Interesting article, Carrie. Arabidopsis thaliana having its genome completely mapped may explain why so many plants are being moved out of Arabidopsis, reclassified and given new names. I know it is an advance in knowledge and needs to happen, but the taxonomic reorganization DNA research is causing is a pain in the posterior for us run-of-the-mill garden geeks. Ahhh well, “A rose by any other name…… “
My knees and hips are telling me I pushed a little too hard today, but pain killers and Sleepytime” tea are beginning to take effect. Way past my bedtime. Good night, everyone. mk*

Sorry for being MIA again. Seems I'm more techy these days. Anyway, your Aloysia virgata (sweet almond verbena) has rooted, Kay. I'll keep it safe until this heat breaks and then send it out.

Good luck with the roll out garden. I tried that many years ago but no luck. My lettuce has been long gone. I do wish we could have both lettuce and tomatoes at the same time ... and in the summer! I could live off salads when it's hot like this.

Okay, my news is on. Just wanted to drop by. Waving to everyone!

Midland City, AL

(Nadine) Ha, I knew Papa Jim couldn’t limit his participation to photos on the Amargia account. I think I should give him an account of his own again for Father’s Day.
I go through times when I’m hyper- sensitive. I wish I had the restraint to pull back until it passes. I end up snapping at people instead. Do you have pineapple sage? Of all the scented plants at Amargia that is my favorite and we have some of it on the plant swap bench.
I have been writing something for my Sansai blog, but I got caught up in the research reading. I ran into one of those “Nature, red in tooth and claw”/”Survival of the fittest” types online and felt compelled to write the rest of the story. Cooperation and symbiosis is as much a part of nature as competition. Insects and flowering plants are an obvious example. For that matter, humans are examples. Without the symbiotic bacteria in our guts we would suffer malnutrition. Nature can’t be used to justify self-centeredness. Even I was a little surprised at how many examples of co-operation and symbiosis I found.
There is no bog garden yet. My bog babies are still living in their temporary homes. When I had the hole dug and the tub leveled, PJ looked at it, considered it would hold about 200 gallons of water and thought “fish pond.” He watched Dave Whitings podcast on aquaculture and is considering turning it into an aquaculture set-up. As long as my colocasia and pitcher plants have a permanent home, I’m game. We are researching and trying to decide about cost and maintenance.
The lull of high summer has come. It’s down to weeding, watering, harvesting and planning the fall garden. MK has started again on concrete projects in the cool of her workshop. PJ has time for his personal woodworking projects and I’m getting the kitchen ready for freezing, canning and drying the fruits of my labor. ~Nadi~

Springfield, OR(Zone 8a)

Good grief, I can a only laugh. I'm still waiting for first tomato blossom! Heck, I'm still working on getting the plants into permanent 'dirt.'

Have you heard of the book "Survival of the Most Loving" ?

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Thanks, Susan.I promise I will have a fragrant plant list up on Amargia’s DG blog before shipping time so you can see if there is something you would like in exchange.

Nadi and I did get some much needed straightening up done on Amargia’s journal. I can’t imagine how some of the goofs happened. Italian jasmine in with the daylilies? Mk*

Well, I love doing it, and it's nice to find someone who enjoys being the recipient of my labor. I can't stand to throw even a mint leaf away...I have water bottles and flower vases of plant cuttings. Then you'll see a row of my little 2 gal zip lock bag tents with new babies rooting inside. Seems I just can't help myself. LOL

My tomatoes aren't doing anything this year. I don't understand it. I've always had fantastic luck with my earth boxes. I practice clean methods, change the potting mix and go by the instructions. I have gorgeous plants with loads of blooms and only 6 or so tomatoes here in June. I haven't picked a single one yet. I'm at a loss ... Guess I'll be visiting the tomato forum to see what's going on this year.

Okay, it's late, so off to bed.

Midland City, AL

No, Turtles, I haven’t read that book. I’ll see if I can find it.

I guess Carrie is right about how being in the same USDA zone doesn’t mean much. It was already hot at 6 a.m. this morning. To me, the summer lull begins when we stop planting because the soil temp is over 85° and stop transplanting because the heat puts too much stress on the transplants. It’s when we don’t do much outside from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but rise earlier and work until dark.
Our tomatoes are slow this year too, IO1. We planted determinate and indeterminate varieties and many different cultivars. All are slowpokes this year. I have my fingers crossed that the kind of high heat that sends tomato plants into dormancy doesn’t arrive before the fruit ripens. It will be close
I miss homegrown salad greens so much in the summer I have spent time trying to find warm weather alternatives. I’ve tried most of the warm weather stand-ins for lettuce and spinach listed on the Mother Earth News link below. Golden purslane is my favorite, but the citrusy taste gives it a little too much personality. It works with raspberry vinaigrette, but not with ranch dressing. New Zealand spinach is famine food as far as I’m concerned. Mk still grows it for the way it drapes over retaining walls and will
Cook and eat it like collard greens with hot sauce. I don’t like any of the bitter greens. (Will saying that get me deported from the south?) PJ made the mistake of trying NZ spinach raw and can’t be convinced to try it cooked so it must taste terrible raw. Malabar spinach taste amazingly like spinach, but has a mouth feel similar to boiled okra. It works in spinach/egg dishes like quiche, but I don’t like it raw in salads. Amaranth is good. The problem with it is all the bugs share my good opinion of it. I had a hard time finding enough leaves without holes to fill a salad bowl. I haven’t given up the search yet, but have moved on to the summer greens listed on the Garden Betty site (link below). Have any of you eaten the greens on that list? ~Nadi~

Mother earth link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/warm-weather-spinach-alternatives.aspx#comments

Garden Betty link: http://www.gardenbetty.com/2012/06/summer-lovin-salad-greens/

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Great links, Nadine. Thank you.

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

We harvested oregano and a little spearmint today. Jim simply hung the oregano to dry. Since we use spearmint primarily to flavor black or green ice tea, I brewed it into a strong herb tea and refrigerated the strained liquid. Jim loves the smell of spearmint so he decided to cut up the mint stems and imperfect leaves and use the leavings to freshen the house. He couldn’t find either the candle or electric scent diffusers so he got creative and put it all in a 1-quart crock pot from my single days and left the lid off. I have to admit mint is a reviving scent when coming in from the heat. I knew there was a reason I hadn’t thrown that too-small slow cooker away. ;-) The smell of mint is said to increase mental faculties. Perhaps, I should skip the Febreze and grow more mint. That could be a way to use peppermint and chocolate mint. I wouldn’t mind my kitchen smelling of either through the summer though peppermint is a smell I associate more with Christmas than high summer.
I planted peppermint on impulse because I liked the scent better than spearmint or chocolate mint. I wasn’t prepared for Jim’s “What are you going to DO with it?” question. Uh-h-h, make tabbouleh ? Hot tea? That’s the problem with growing herbs just for scent. I mean, no one ever ask me what I’m going to DO with all the tuberoses or lilies. mk*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

yyummy, mint. Kay, do you grow Nicotiana in your fragrant garden?

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Vickie (Cando1) sent Amargia Farm seeds for
The nicotiana ‘Only the Lonely’ and it was nicely fragrant. Other nicotiana I’ve tried since were disappointing. After reading your article today I think I understand why. So, a good guideline is look for the tall, white variety if fragrance is the goal? mk*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Absolutely, Kay. There are newer hybrids with 'perfume' in the name, but apparently they don't match the old species. They need rich, well-drained soil and sun, or maybe part sun in the south.

Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7a)

Do you still have any of pineapple sage? I love plants with red flowers that attract hummingbirds. on July 2nd I'm having my right knee done. Partial knee replacement, MAKOplasty...is a computer guided procedure. Only 10 of them in entire USA and 1 is right here in Winston. I am looking forward to having 2 well functioning knees and participating in life again!

Sending a hug and a prayer,

Sheri

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Hi, Sheri! Long time, no see. Glad to hear you are nearing the end of the ordeal with your knees. I’m holding off on going to the doctor about my knees and hips until I lose the extra weight I’ve accumulated. Eating low carb appears to be working, but I still have 40 lbs. to go.
We will send the pineapple sage when it starts to cool off, but before the sage flowers. Jim loves it for the hummingbirds it draws also. I believe it is a favorite of Nadi’s for the cake that can be made from it. I enjoy the scent in summer so much I put one in the front walkway bed where I can brush my hand across the foliage every time I come and go.
It’s sad your father doesn’t respond to plant therapy, Carrie. He sounds like the angry/bitter type. Hort therapy worked wonders for my stress and anger management. When I’m prickly, Jim still tells me to “go plant something.” Choosing garden related gifts for older, unliberated men who don’t garden anymore is tough. My top three choices to bring to older male friends who have been hospitalized are:
Succulents that have interesting structure with decorative rock mulch and a masculine looking container.
Needlepoint ivy topiary on geometric frames or those little animal frames, if they aren’t too cutesy.
Coffee table fountains that aren’t any larger than a potted plant or mini Zen gardens complete with finger-length bamboo rakes to create personal designs.
Be aware the very last can be problematic if the recipient has an attitude. I discovered that the hard way. Well, at least, the gift recipient I’m thinking of found an artistic way to express his anger and didn’t feel the need to bad-mouth the medical staff any longer.
Am I showing my age? When one of the young people connected with Amargia announced she would come to live here if there was an economic crash. I teased her saying, “Well, you never know, it might be like the Little Red Hen and her loaf of bread.” The child had no idea what I was talking about nor did Jim. Nadi knew only because her father bribed and bullied her into reading all the children’s classics. Y'all understand the reference, don’t you? Please tell me it is not as Nadi said “an o-o-old person thing. mk*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

It sure sounds familiar but I can't remember which Aesop's fable it was, or whoever. She invites too many people to share one loaf of bread? Not "the sky is falling" and not Stone Soup.

My mother used to put us to bed with stacks of vinyl records. One had Danny Kaye reading Hans Christian Anderson stories, and I memorized all of Misterogers Neighborhood and The Electric Company. As the oldest of four, I was more at a memorizing age while the littler ones were at a being lulled to sleep stage. Now Ray is making up a horrible version of The Little Red Hen!

I did call my father today. My daughter called and said "do I have to call my father?" (Whom she calls by his first name only, no "daddy" or "pop" or anything. )

Sheri!! Hello. Good luck with your procedure--I think Computer Aided is probably safer than shaky human hands. I'll be thinking of you on the 2nd.

My patio looks really great (thanks to Lowes). The zinnias are all dying--too much H2O, probably--but everything else is beautiful, and the cherry tomato is covered with blooms and a few tiny little green nubs.

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Oh, who will help me plant the seeds? Who will help me harvest, thresh bake etc? I remember now, but it's possible my mom didn't emphasize that part because she was not politically lined up with that viewpoint. I dunno. I do know the story, but I think I would have recognized the Ant and the Grasshopper more easily.

mulege, Mexico

"Not I," said the little red hen. But I am oooold. kb

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Yes, that's the one! I should have used the ant and the grasshopper. I bet she would have recognized that one. Disney never did anything with the little red hen.
I was a big fan of Danny Kaye. Sorry I missed those.

Midland City, AL

(Jim) In Ray's version does the little red hen have an Uzi?
1: succulents
2: Daylilly
3: red Risentraub tomatoes
4: Cherokee green grape tomatoes

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SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Jim has interviewed way too many hard-core survivalists. I’ve no doubt their version of The Little Red Hen would have an Uzi in it. Or, maybe, his Cro-Magnon diet is causing him to regress. He is an O negative which is considered a hunter-gatherer blood type. The only bread he gets is an occasional slice of Ezekiel bread. Thank goodness Publix carries the bread ready-made. We don’t have a Whole Foods store anywhere close. Finding the ingredients to make it from scratch would have been difficult and since my diet is low carb, after all that work, I wouldn’t be able to eat any.
I bet you’re right that nicotiana would do better in shade here, Carrie. I planted lots of Freesia alba and it is only doing well in shade. The temp is hovering around 94 today. The tomatoes better hurry up and do their thing. Does anyone have a secret for telling when a tomato that ripens green is fully ripe? mk*

Midland City, AL

UGG!

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

He says he doesn't know the story, but if he did, I'm sure she would have an Uzi! Ha ha ha. We are going on a road trip to go visit San Angelo (TX) and see if it has changed from 1972.

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

O-o-o-o, I hope the water lilies there are w/c accessible. San Angelo is said to have the best collection of them in the country. mk*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Oh, I knew that on Monday and Tuesday but I forgot by Thursday when we left. Darn it. But this trip really was for Ray.

The answer to the alleged question is OF COURSE it has changed from 1972! I wanted to see the pottery galleries and stuff like that but we only saw the inside of The Inn of the Conchos and the outside of Goodfellow AFB. We were not allowed in. We even had a semi 'altercation' at the front gate. Ray took a picture of a plane on a stick. (A mounted to the ground plane in "took off 1 sec. ago" position.) Unfortunately, he took the picture from the gatehouse and it has the gate in the background. We had to delete those and take some facing away from the gate.

Ray was hurt that he used o spy for the USAF and 42 years later, the USAF thinks he's spying on them, and what kind of a secret is it that a picture of the gate would reveal, but I get it. If someone (for whatever reason) were going to crash through the gates, they would need to know where the concrete was and where just wood.

Anyway, it was a very different kind of Texas than the DFW area and we always have the best talks on road trips. I am glad to be home, tired and achey but still, it's my own bed.

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

(jim) Crossing my fingers that I will be able to make a post without losing it to a power outage. Brief blackouts during evening thunderstorms have become routine.
Ah, of course, Ray would have been trained at Goodfellow. The population has probably doubled since he was there last. Air Force security can be draconian. I was denied a security clearance once because I cried openly when I received news of my uncle’s death. Actually, I’m not sure if I was denied because I cried or because he was a blood relative and his death was a suicide
I’ve been reading “Taste of War” by Lizzie Collingham. It is an incredibly well-researched book on the role food played in decisions during WWII. (e.g. Hitler’s decision to invade the Ukraine was motivated by a wish to gain food self-sufficiency for Germany, etc.)
The Green Revolution with all its blunders is more understandable to me after reading this book. The U.S. was feeding many people beyond its borders during and after the war and naivete about the capacity of science and technology to solve problems is obvious in official documents. How little was actually known about nutrition during the period was a surprise also.
MK is determined to get Amargia’s documents and records up to speed. Well, either that, or she is looking for a valid excuse to stay inside and hug the AC. The heat isn’t extreme yet, but the humidity makes it feel like it is. Today is Nadi’s birthday so she is enjoying a time-out, eating ice cream cake and catching up on anime shows she’s missed. I’ve been mowing when the rain allows and weeding some, but also spending more time inside reviving old containers with paint.


This message was edited Jun 22, 2014 5:37 PM

Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7a)

I am having a knee replacement on 7/2 and anticipate many medical expenses in July, which is my renewal month here at DG. I may just have to let the renewal go. Like many of you I am counting pennies.
I have so thoroughly enjoyed most of my DG friends and will miss you all terribly. At such time when I can rejoin, I'll probably have another name??

Hugs all around,
Sheri BirdieBlue

Midland City, AL


Everybody around here seems to get a little crazy during Sauna Summer. That’s our name for when the temps stay consistently in the 90’s and it rains almost every afternoon and evening. I will never be able to listen to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” on the radio again without hearing senior Amargians guilt and nightmare inducing version.

In the jungle, the fungal jungle, old people rot away.

Cuz’ in the jungle, the steamy jungle, young helpers melt away.

We dig-it-up and clean-it-up and slash-it-down and dig-it-up…...

Other stanzas can’t be repeated on a non-violent, family-friendly website. They belong in a Creepy Pasta story.

One of the Amargia tribe is a professional magician. He’s still working on the trick of making raspberry and blackberry thorns disappear to make picking easier. His trick of disappearing ripe fruit from the tops of trees and making it re-appear in his hand also needs work, but he has developed a death-defying show while doing the latter.

Photo #1: Richard, the raving mad magician on stilts.

Daylilies are still performing their magic in sauna conditions.

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Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Great post, Nadine! Kept laughing all night and the next morning I'm looking for signs of disappeared berries.

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

(mk*) Richard certainly has an amazing talent for making waffles disappear. ;-)
Sheri, it is good to hear you will be continuing on Dave’s Garden. Please keep us posted about the surgery and your recovery.
I just read an essay on accents and dialects where the author claims even within households speech takes on unique personality. Children’s mispronunciations and misunderstandings are especially fertile ground for household dialects. My favorite example from the writer’s household was tarantula rainstorms in place of torrential rainstorms coined by his young daughter and adopted by the family. Braille as a verb is probably unique to schools for the blind and households containing visually impaired people. (e.g. “I brailled the plant, but couldn’t identify it.”) Amargia definitely has its unique ways of communicating. In fact, we might need our own dictionary or an interpreter.
I’ve been working on Amargia’s fragrant plants file and, as usual, am frustrated with the lack of a vocabulary for speaking and writing about olfactory impressions.
I think I will attempt to reclaim the word “flair” for fragrance writers everywhere. Originally, the word was more likely to be used in describing a hunting hound, rather than a fashionable lady with pizzazz. As in; “That bloodhound has incredible flair” meaning an acute sense of smell.
Entitling the document “Gardening for Flair” seems more accurate than “Gardening for Fragrance” in Amargia’s case since we don’t limit ourselves to sweetly scented plants and “Fragrance” is a synonym for perfume.
The scent-scape naturally and inevitably changes throughout the year. Sharp and slightly medicinal characterizes the humid portion of Summer (Sauna Summer). The scents of citronella, tea tree oil and resinous herbs are pervasive inside and out at the moment. Our skins, hair and clothes smell of citronella to combat insects and Australian tea tree oil to battle fungus in the heat and high humidity. Bundles of herbs have been hung to dry and I smell of thyme myself during work hours because I can’t use the tea tree oil the others do. I’m allergic to tea tree oil, but thyme is also an effective anti-fungal. The scents of rosemary, tomato foliage, marigold, all the different sages and basils release their essences when it rains because of the rapid change in temperature. (Well, I’ve always assumed that is why there is a blast of scent when it rains or we water.)
I would be as bored by a scent-scape where all the smells had the same character as a light dependent person would be with a landscape containing only one bloom color. Soft, sweet florals are wonderful, but sweet is only one note in the music of scent and I want the whole range. Loud and flamboyant gardenias or Southern magnolias? You bet! Not everyone has the sensitive nose to appreciate flowers with more demure scents. Musky glossy privet allowed to flower before pruning? Devil’s Bouquet? Musky scents are the equivalent of orange. Not to everyone’s liking, but orange would be sorely missed in the color palette. Peach and coral aren’t possible without orange. I know many people who love the acrid scent of marigolds and tomato foliage. I appreciate the way tomato leaves boldly identify themselves via scent. Who doesn’t like the love bite fresh ginger gives a nose. The leaves of shampoo ginger are like fresh ginger without the fangs.
Susan, Amargia’s lists of “flair” plants should be on the blog next week sometime. If you have a chance will you look it over and tell me what I’ve missed? I will leave a link when it’s all finished. One of the most useful gardening books I’ve read listed plants according to characteristic or for specific situations. I’m attempting to do the same thing with fragrant plants in our area. Today, I set aside some tuberose bulbs for the Fall RU in Florala, but you always have first dibs on fragrant plants. mk*


This message was edited Jun 27, 2014 9:03 PM

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