Above, blossoms of Wisteria go with anything but here they’re paired gorgeously with the peach-colored blooms of a native deciduous azalea.  The arbor-type structure the Wisteria is growing on is, I should note, very strong, which any structure supporting Wisteria had better be.

Brookside goes all out for Wisteria, as evidenced by this block-long arbor.   There were so many bees swarming all over those blooms, I wish I’d been able to capture the sound somehow.  Of course the bees are no threat us humans, as they’re far too busy to bother us (which is the case with bees generally, unless we step on them or disturb their nest) 

I’d never seen a Wisteria with white blooms before! 

I love this bench, especially in its aged state with lots of character.  Looks like it was donated in someone’s honor – great idea!  Flower-wise, the Alliums blooming in back of it make a wonderful contrast with the quiet greenness all around them.

The scene above illustrates several garden design ideas in a not-too-showy way.  First, that rustic bench draws us into the scene.  And even under large trees, it’s possible to have lots of color – here azalea blooms and the season-long color of Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ ).  And a simple gazing ball is a wonderful addition.  Finally, a strip of lawn does a great job of showing off more exciting parts of the garden – the borders.

Above, the bench is shown from the other direction to illustrate a design principle the folks at this public garden use to great effect – massing!  I love blue Hostas anywhere but especially this many of them all together.  In the background is another impressive mass – of Epimedium.  Who says we can’t make gorgeous gardens under trees?

Above, could a garden scene be more calming than this?  And inviting too – thanks to that simple bridge.  The river of ferns, Hostas and Primroses planted in pebbles are part of a functional element that manages to be stunning, too – it’s a dry streambed.  Thus, the bridge.

Finally, another massing of Hosta, this time a variety we don’t usually see.  I remember the sad, bad old days when Brookside was invaded by deer every night and their poor Hostas were chopped off at the base.  Thanks to deer fencing, their shade gardens are fabulous again.

A note about the English ivy climbing up the tree in this photo:  it stops a few feet above this portion of the tree.  Ivy is harmless enough when it’s kept low and isn’t allowed to climb high enough to envelope the tree or produce berries, which can then be spread far and wide by birds.  The gardeners here know what they’re doing!

The post Inspiration and Tips from Brookside Gardens appeared first on Homestead Gardens, Inc..

Azalea maze at the Getty Museum Garden – not for the home gardener!

To Correct Misshapen Azaleas

Renewal or renovation pruning is the technique that brings old shrubs (not just azaleas but also viburnums, forsythias, mock oranges, spireas, and cherry laurels, among others) back to the attractive and healthy form they were in when you bought it – over time.  That disclaimer about time is because we gardeners can only remove limbs and encourage new growth and then wait; we can’t make it all happen at once. 

If your azaleas are old, overgrown or badly misshapen, here’s what to do this year and the next two years:  Simply  remove one third of all the stems down to their origin (close to the ground).  This is counter-intuitive to most of us because really, who’d ever imagine doing it?  But honestly, I’ve done this to dozens of old shrubs over the years and and seen it work wonders.  It stimulates the plant’s own growth hormones exactly where we want new growth to happen – at the base of the plant, rather than at the perimeter.  Sadly, we see too many examples of azaleas and other multi-stemmed shrubs being pruned (or worse – sheared) at the ends of the branches, which only makes more new growth happen at the perimeter of the shrub, where there’s already too much growth.

The following spring, the shrubs should have produced lots of new growth at the base.  Just reduce the number of shoots per stump to two or three, leaving only the strongest and best placed ones.

Full, right-sized azaleas

Azaleas Too Large?

Of course the best policy is to choose plants whose ultimate size is exactly right for the spot they’re growing in, but mistakes are made, and selecting the wrong size shrubs is a common one.  Besides mistakes in plant choices, sometimes we make changes in our gardens that make down-sizing of certain plants a great ideas.  Whatever!  Some plants that are too large for their site are hopeless cases because they can’t be pruned back to the correct size – especially many conifers but with azaleas there’s usually an available fix – the renewal pruning described above, which reduces the size of the plant.  For the purpose of keeping the shrub smaller,  this renewal pruning will probably need to be performed every year, indefinitely.    

Regular Pruning is Minimal

All that said, azaleas look best when minimally pruned, allowing them to retain their naturally graceful form.  Here’s what they need to maintain their good health and beauty.  

• Removing all dead, dying and diseases branches and stems – back to where they start.  (Never cut just anywhere, leaving a stump.  Cut a half inch above a branch.)  This can be done any time.
• Every year or two, removing at least one of the oldest stems back to the ground or close to it.   This is often the tallest of the stems, and almost always the thickest and showing age in color – usually grayer.
• Often, azaleas look best in borders when they’ve been limbed-up.  That means removing the low-lying limbs, especially ones lying on the ground or on top of groundcovers.  Too much limbing up can ruin the natural shape of the plant, so keep a light touch.
• Finally, removing or shortening branches that crowd out other plants that aren’t as amenable to pruning (especially conifers, whose shapes are so easily destroyed by pruning).  Same goes for branches growing over sidewalks and paths.  

Azaleas carefully pruned to keep the path clear

Tools for Pruning Azaleas

Hand pruner and loppers should easily do the job; I’ve never had to resort to my pruning saw for an azalea.  Just remember that if you’re using your favorite hand pruner (mine is the #2 Felco) and straining to make the cut, the branch is too large for hand pruners and it’s time to step up to the lopper.  Never mind that the hand pruner MAY cut that branch if you use enough muscle; hand pruners can be irreparably damaged by doing that.  

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Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook

“Growing Your Own Food is like printing you own money.”

       -by Ron Finley who describes himself as a “renegade gardener.

 Michael Pollan, whose book The Omnivore’s Dilemma changed America’s thinking on eating meat, now has a new book, Cooked, which argues, “Cooking may be the single most-important step anyone can take to help improve the American food system.”

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the importance of growing your own food, learning to cook and teaching people to cook; who better than to explain the growing and cooking of the vegetable world than Deborah Madison with her stellar new book and the excerpt I’ve included from her beautiful article, “Food for Body and Soul“. Lastly you’ll find another recipe from Vegetable Literacy employing any variety of zucchini squash along with herbs and nuts to lift it to new heights.

“Growing your own leaves a deep, lasting imprint on your body, psyche, and memory.

Imagine it’s before dinner and you’re on your knees in front of a squash plant that has weathered the summer. Your hands part its big leaves, then slide over the sleek, shiny bodies of the ribbed ‘Costata Romanesco’ zucchini, assessing their natures and deciding which ones to pick.

Meanwhile, in a supermarket somewhere, a woman is turning over a shrink-wrapped package of dull-skinned zucchini. With distance, our relationship with food weakens. Those of us who garden are ecstatic about finding the first shoots of asparagus in the spring.

But having no intimacy with asparagus flown here from Peru, we consequently recall little about eating it, even though it has made a rather astonishing journey, one that few asparagus spears have made before.

 I believe that it’s contact and memory, both of which increase as distance decreases between the soil and the table, that mark the difference between merely feeding and really nourishing ourselves.

Grow Your Own!
We seem to be in a collective state of anxiety about our food. Knowing that trucks and planes must roll and fly if you are to eat, and seeing the rising prices at the pump, you may suspect that there’s a downside to your long-distance food and that food could get very costly. You might well wonder if indeed it makes sense to fly a few ounces of easily grown arugula from one end of the country to the other in indestructible plastic clamshells.

Should you rely on Big Organic, or support local farmers? Shop at high-end groceries, or at Wal-Mart? Are expensive organic vegetables as pure and wholesome as the stores would have us b Ask elieve? yourself any of these questions, and you might be tempted to throw up your hands and say, “Forget it, I’m growing my own!”

And that would be a good idea.

Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a neophyte, I’m confident that the most important reason you have for filling your backyard with trellises, hills, and beds for vegetables is that growing your own leads you to an experience—first of all, of real food; but also of your connection to the earth, the seasons, the weather, and other people.

You may have started gardening to correct problems in your own world, but the correction has surely enlarged your life. Garden, and you know where you are.

The signs a garden gives us to look at are many. Is the soil hard and dry with drought, or moist and full of worms? Did the lettuces sprout a month earlier than usual? Was it that late-spring rainstorm that kept the pollinators away from the fruit blossoms so that this will be a year without fruit, or was it that untimely freeze?

Be in the garden, and you learn firsthand about the large and subtle shifts in the world around you—about climate change and global warming, about migration and survival, and about the astonishing ability of tender seedlings to push out of rough ground each year and grow.

Ultimately, your garden gives you a real experience of plenty and even diversity. Your garden gives you tasty little fennel and beet thinnings to add to a salad, or tiny zucchini attached to big yellow blossoms that are begging for fillings. Creeping purslane nourishes you with good omega-3s, and your luscious purple amaranth sprouts make a gorgeous garnish, as will the violet sage blossoms.

Imagine having enough sorrel to use it by the fistful, instead of having to buy just eight sad leaves at a time. At last you can make a stupendous sorrel soup. You may discover that cauliflower greens are delicious, and that those small heads that come on at the end of the season lend great charm to a meal. A lovage leaf for your sandwich? No problem if you have a plant. Same with chive blossoms scattered on ricotta cheese or arugula sprouts adding bite and charm to a hard-cooked egg.

When you grow your own, you can see the possibilities your garden offers, and not only when things are at the stage—the only stage—that the supermarket shopper knows, but in all of their growing stages and, most important, the moment of their greatest flavor. An heirloom tomato grown in Belgium and sold in Texas simply can’t rival even the most mundane variety grown (organically) by you. Kale punctured in a summer hailstorm can still be cooked; it need not be thrown away because of some visual standard created by a market.

There should be a warning: Cooking out of the garden will ruin you forever for anything less.

It’s not surprising that the garden is the ultimate inspiration for those who go inside at the end of the day to cook dinner. And what you make from what you grow becomes part of who you are, so that over time, without effort, you begin to catalog your tastes; remember what was exciting from years before, be it a platter of vibrant ‘Green Zebra’ tomatoes glistening under a scattering of sky blue blossoms or a gorgeous ‘Triamble’ squash. Recipes rush to suggest themselves from your harvest, flavors sparkle, vegetables shine, and fruit is truly sweet the way it can be only when picked ripe. Even when things are a struggle, it’s still utterly rewarding to grow your own.

Good, gorgeous food is not about privileged shopping, but about surrounding yourself with plants and all the possibilities they offer. Seedling by seedling, leaf by leaf, you navigate through each year’s garden, and in that way, you grow your life. You’re no longer a spectator standing in the aisle reading about what’s for dinner, but the one whose hands, tangled up with weeds and leaves, dirt and dust, end up with a squash that positively gleams.”

Sauteed Zucchini with Mint, Basil and Pine Nuts

This could be a salad or something you pile on crostini covered with ricotta or toss with a small pasta shape. It is easy to make in smaller or larger quantities. 

• 1 pound zucchini, any color or variety
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 small cloves garlic
• 10 mint leaves 
• 5 basil leaves
• 1 heaping tablespoon capers, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Additional mint and basil leaves, slivered or torn to finish

Slice the zucchini into rounds a scant 1/2 inch thick. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and saute, flipping and turning every few minutes, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. They won’t necessarily cook evenly.

 Meanwhile, chop together the garlic, mint, basil and capers and toast the pine nuts.

 When the zucchini is golden, add the herb-garlic mixture and the vinegar to taste and toss well. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Turn onto a plate. If you’re not going to eat the zucchini right away, cover and let stand at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then finish with the pine nuts and the mint and basil just before serving.

 With ricotta: Slip spoonfuls of ricotta among the squash. 

The post More “Vegetable Literacy” Plus Profound Edible Quotes appeared first on Homestead Gardens, Inc..

Yes, the Annapolis Community Foundation presents GreatGive, a 24-hour online fundraising event, and Homestead Garden is proud to be listed as one of the 10 Founding Circle members, in loving memory of Don Riddle, who was well known for his dedication to local causes.

How it works

From 7 PM on May 15 to 7 PM on May, 16, 2013 the Anne Arundel County community will come together for 24 hours of generosity. During that 24-hour timeframe, individuals, businesses, and organizations can donate online here to a charity(s) of their choice. 100% of each donation to participating charities will be given to the charities.  Each donation increases the cause’s chances of getting some of that prize money, too.

The Causes

Of special concern to us at Homestead are causes supporting the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways in the county, and there are plenty of them to choose from:  Chesapeake Baysavers, Severn Riverkeepers, Watershed Stewards Academy, South River Federation, Scenic Rivers and Trust, Oyster Recovery Partnership and the Chesapeake Conservancy.  Other environmental groups worthy of support include Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails and Help Green Annapolis.

But there are so many more – nonprofits in the fields of health, education, arts and culture, business development, et cetera.  (Browse all the nonprofits here.) There’s something for everyone.  And seeing what a wealth of philanthropy and volunteerism enjoyed in Anne Arundel is inspiring, and surely will lead to more awareness of them going forward. That’s the beauty of the GreatGives campaign. 

Speaking of great online campaigns in support of worthy causes, I recently saw how much attention and needed funds can be won by using online participation and social media in smart ways.  $1 million was offered to 24 different historic sites in the Washington D.C. area (including three in Maryland), with the monies going to the sites that gained the most online votes and social media support.  At the end of two weeks of voting, needy sites had not only won important funding; they’d seen their support communities grow, and the whole cause of historic preservation was at center stage all over the Internet and in traditional media, too.  Here’s hoping that GreatGive has the same tremendous impact for Anne Arundel County causes!

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First up, are some images from Takoma Park’s House and Garden Tour, in my neighborhood from 1985 to 2011.   It was great fun seeing the progress in people’s gardens and indoors, renovations I’d never seen before.  Anyone with shade in their garden can appreciate the fabulous perennial display in the shady spots above and below.  Even a narrow side yard can be a stunner.

Above is the view from one homeowner’s deck and screened-in porch into their back garden.  Nice wide borders stuffed with a diversity of plants reveal a real gardener living here. 

And though I neglected to photograph them, screened-in porches seem to be the new big thing in home renovation, judging by the homes on tour in Takoma. 

Finally for Takoma, a small patio is made prettier by the liberal use of purple and blue, including in the shade cloth but especially in the chimney-as-artwork.

Now let’s go to Virginia for the Fairfax portion of the state’s Historic Garden Week.  That’s where I found the glorious redbud/wisteria blooming combo shown above, in the large garden of a large and grand home – like many of the homes on the tour.  I learned that homes can be the focus of tours in the Historic Garden Week program – it’s just that the proceeds go to support historic gardens.  Grand homes aren’t nearly as interesting to me as grand gardens, and even more interesting are the less-grand ones.  This one, though large, wasn’t too formal and was full of great plant choices grown perfectly.

Above, here’s a homeowner using plants and creative talents to welcome her visitors.  A child’s Adirondack chair becomes a container garden hanging next to the front door and the mailbox echoes the same color-coordinated blooms.  Below, the view looking from her (amazing) home into the back yard is even more colorful and inviting.  She hand-painted the floor cloth and pillowcase.

Finally, the tour included a public garden – Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.  Since it opened in 1992 Meadowlark has become quite popular with the public, especially for weddings in the building seen below.

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Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook

Vegetables are the new heroes of the food world, as more and more of us try to eat healthier meals, many attempt to lose weight and others simply want to give up eating meat. This week we bring you a plethora of Deborah Madison from her much heralded new cookbook, Vegetable Literacy.

 When I lived in Santa Cruz, CA, Deborah worked at the Greens at Fort Mason Restaurant which was way ahead of even CA culinary leadership. She has always excelled in the vegetable kingdom and in her new book she talks about growing the food as well as cooking it. 

 I find reviews helpful, so some are included in this post. I tested and photographed new recipes from Vegetable Literacy. The first one you will find below.

 Quotes from Deborah Madison-Vegetable Literacy: 

“The garden is the other side of the kitchen”.

“As a beginning Gardner, I join forces w all the million of others who have been inspired for one reason or another to try to grow something. It’s a movement I’m thrilled to see happen and am thrilled to be part of”.

 In her latest cookbook, Deborah Madison, America’s leading authority on vegetarian cooking and author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, reveals the surprising relationships between vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs within the same botanical families, and how understanding these connections can help home cooks see everyday vegetables in new light.

Reviews

“I have always marveled at Deborah Madison’s deep knowledge of vegetables and her original creations, which taste just as delicious as they sound. Vegetable Literacy is her latest tour de force, a massive well of knowledge that makes you want to read and learn as well as cook. A fine achievement and a real inspiration for me.” 

—Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty and Jerusalem

 “I have long been a fan of both Deborah’s vibrant food and her many thorough, thoughtful cookbooks. In Vegetable Literacy she offers, with abundant warmth and generosity, observations from years of garden-to-table cooking. Filled with fascinating botanical notes and inspired recipes that really explore vegetables from the ground up—it is a pleasure to read. The writing is beautiful and the lessons are astutely down to earth.”

—David Tanis, author of Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys

 “Deborah Madison has taken vegetables to a whole new level. You’ll want to know what she knows—about botany, family pairings, and companion flavors on the plate. In cooking, Madison excels, but she’s also a natural with observation in the garden. Her passion is palpable, her scholarship tops, and her prose exquisite.”

—Amy P. Goldman, PhD, author of The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table

 “The are few people equipped with the curiosity, skill, and eye for observation required to construct a volume of this size and scope—and Deborah does it masterfully. Vegetable Literacy will shift the way both home and professional cooks think about the relationship between ingredients, and vegetables in particular. Using this book has felt like a missing puzzle piece snapping into place—inspiring, intimate, informative, and beautifully illustrated.”

—Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Every Day

 “For those of us who love vegetables, Deborah Madison gives not only practical tips for buying them, but also a bounty of diverse recipes. This is a monumental cookbook from a gifted writer and one of the best cooks of our time.” 

—David Lebovitz, author of Ready for Dessert and The Sweet Life in Paris

 “In Vegetable Literacy, Deborah Madison elegantly folds together a joy of gardening, a fascination for botanical kinship, and an expansive knowledge of fine and simple cooking. This book is a nutrient-dense treasure.” 

—Wendy Johnson, author of Gardening at Dragon’s Gate: a Work in the Wild and Cultivated World

 “In her most exciting and innovative book to date, Deborah Madison shows us how the botany in our gardens can inform and guide our preparation and cooking of meals that will both delight and nourish us all. Come directly from the garden to the kitchen with Deborah, and you will never observe or use vegetables in an uninspired way again. This book feeds our imaginations and souls with more insights per page than any cookbook I know.” 

—Gary Paul Nabhan, ethnobotanist and author of Coming Home to Eat and Desert Terroi

 Braised Fennel Wedges with Saffron and Tomato

Deborah Madison suggests you leave the core intact when slicing the fennel as it’s what really holds the slices together. Make sure to brown the fennel before adding the cooking liquid. Reserve a few of the greens for a delicate garnish at the very end. Serve it however you’d like; fennel pairs beautifully with fish or chicken, but gives grains a whole new character. Play with heartier grains like farro, wheat berries or even barley. Slightly adapted from: Vegetable Literacy

Serves: 4 

• 2 large fennel bulbs
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Finely chopped fennel stalks
• Finely chopped fennel greens
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• Kosher salt
• Cooked Quinoa (or other favorite grain), for serving (optional)
• Crumbled goat cheese, for serving (optional)
• Chopped Italian parsley, for serving (optional)

 Trim off the stalks and greens from the fennel bulbs and chop finely. Set aside. If the outer leaves of the bulbs look scarred, take a slice off the base and loosen them and set them aside for another use. Halve each bulb lengthwise and cut the halves into wedges about 1-2 inches thick. 

 Heat the olive oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and fennel seeds, crumble in the saffron and thyme, and then cook until the onions soften and the steam releases the color from the saffron, about 7-10 minutes. Add the fennel wedges and cook them until golden, turning them and the onions occasionally. Once they are well colored, add the garlic, stir in the tomato paste, capers and then add the stock and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Scrape the pan to release the juices, then cover and simmer until the fennel is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve over a bed of cooked quinoa with a little crumbled goat cheese and chopped fennel greens and parsley for garnish.

 Note: If there’s excess liquid at the end of cooking, pour it into a small skillet. When ready to serve, add 1 tablespoon butter to the juices, bring to a boil and simmer until rich and syrupy. Pour the thickened sauce over the warm fennel. 

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Call me crazy but I think I outsmarted the insects this spring. Normally, I’d be pulling cabbage loopers off my brassicas and handing them off to the chickens for a treat.

Beautiful Brassicas

Insect parents are just like the rest of us: they want to make sure they have food and shelter for their offspring. They evolve with and come out of hiding when their food source will be available.

Cabbage Looper Larva
photo by David Cappaert, Michigan State University

For years, I’ve had my vegetable garden in the same place. This year, I decided to experiment and grow everything in containers. My containers are at the opposite corner of the property from my veggie garden. These two containers are watering troughs planted with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and kohlrabi.

Watering trough planter

I believe that by moving their food source, I’ve eliminated at least the first onslaught of cabbage moths. Let’s hope that’s a trend this year!

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Lucky us, many public gardens in this area are always free.

But really, spending the day in a gorgeous public garden is wonderful anytime, as I’m sure Homestead’s readers would agree.  Just take a look in the right sidebar of this blog, under Inspirations, to find a list of some wonderful ones local to us.  Or just peruse the representative sampling of photos below, intended to inspire you to GO VISIT.

Even if you’ve visited these gardens already, are you sure you saw everything there was to see?  For example, at the National Arboretum, there are so many great collections but one little-known one is the Gotelli Dwarf Conifer Collection, shown in the photo above behind a display of Irises.

Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, as it looks this week.

Ladew Gardens in Monkton, MD as it looks this week.

On the Mall in D.C., the Ripley Garden is a hidden gem.  It’s tucked in between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Gallery.

Rose Garden at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

The Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore, late summer.

Historic Londontown Gardens – from their website.  (It’s on my list to visit!)

The Adkins Arboretum, above, is also on my list.

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Getting Plants Started

-Amend the soil with compost and mulch on top to hold moisture.  Clay soil isn’t bad soil; it just needs to be broken up with organic matter to create space for air (because roots need air or they’ll drown).

- Dig holes twice as wide and an inch or so deeper than the root ball, mix the fill-in soil 50/50 with compost, discarding any clods that won’t break up.   This is the best (possibly the only) time to fix soil problems, so don’t skimp.

- Most common planting mistake?  Planting too deep.  Better to err on the side of planting high, not deep, which can cause the roots to drown.

- If you encounter hardpan (impenetrable layer of compacted clay), find a better spot, or consider building up some planting soil on top of it.  That’s because hardpan won’t drain and plants will drown in it.  Drainage is key!

- Loosen the roots so they’re free to grow into the surrounding soil. 

- Build water basins around new plants.

- Pat down the soil around the newly planted plants (with hand or a gentle step with your foot) to ensure good soil-root contact.  

- Hand-water new plants their first 1-3 weeks.

- For the first few weeks, especially in summer, it may be necessary to water every day, but the frequency will decrease as its roots spread.

- A plant’s first 5 months in the garden determine its future.  Pay close attention during that period.

- Water needs change over time for plants.  Adjust watering as conditions change and as plant matures.

 - The goal of “establishing” new plants is to encourage roots to grow deeper.  After the first few months, a tree should be able to go a week between waterings.  The next year, a month.  By the third season, it should be self-sufficient and only need watering during extreme droughts.

How to Water and How Often

- Water deeply when you water.  Why?  Roots go where the water is, so deep watering makes the roots go deep, too.  Thus, the plant becomes more and more drought-tolerant.

- Water infrequently, letting the soil close to the top dry out between waterings.  Allow as much time as possible between waterings.  Plants need AIR and it’s between waterings that they can breathe. Overwatering means watering too frequently, not too much at a time.  

- What’s the right frequency?  When the plants need it.

- Maximum self-sufficiency comes from deep roots.  Daily watering creates dependent plants.  Shallow watering = shallow roots.

- Use buckets, not teacups.  There’s no such thing as too much water at any one time.  

- Water slowly and deeply.

- For larger plants what’s recommended isn’t hand watering but a slow trickle of water for 20-30 minutes around the drip line of a plant.

Gene told us about the tall Lavender growing in his garden that’s been there 8 years now and never, ever needs watering.  The key to success with Mediterranean plants like Lavender is good drainage, which Gene accomplished by growing them over crushed rock.

Sometimes it’s the gardener who needs watering.

More Watering Tips

- Group plants with similar water needs together.

- Mulch conserves water.

- Best water meter?  Your Finger.  Though asked about soil moisture meters, Gene says they work fine, as long as they’re used correctly.  He suggests inserting them into the soil at different levels because the reading is for only the tip, not the length of the probe.

- LOOK at your plants regularly, at least weekly.  This is wonderful pay-off for all our efforts – the pleasure of strolling through the garden with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, noticing and admiring.

- Most plants will wilt to show us they need watering, but what about evergreens?  They don’t wilt, but they will lose their luster when they’ve dried out, and appear  a shade lighter.  (I’m so nervous about my evergreens, which are large and the most expensive plants in the garden, that I water them regularly, regardless of their appearance.) 

- “Drought-tolerant” plants AREN’T drought-tolerant until they’re established. 

-  For trees, Gene says that TreeGator bags are very effective.  They hold 20 gallons and take 6 hours to empty, so the tree is watered slowly and only where the water needs to be.  So unlike sprinklers, which typically waste half the water they’re spraying around, through evaporation.  Efficient watering puts it directly into the soil, not up in the air.

Photo credits:  Man watering face, little girl, and nozzle.

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Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook

Highlighting Spring’s Fresh Ingredients

 Spring ingredients are in the culinary picture-front and center. I was just reading an article about chefs who are big time foraging for ramps, fiddlehead ferns, dandelions and violets. We can’t wait for those fresh ingredients after a winter of root veggies, but most of us won’t go that far. However, when the long awaited ingredients are just plucked, it’s a cinch to make dishes which are gloriously simple and flavorful.

 As an early riser of the season are asparagus, which come into play as early as April. Make the most of these bright, tender stalks with simple, savory recipes that showcase the subtle flavor and gorgeous color; they will brighten the cod and stand up to the earthiness of cremini mushrooms.

For dessert, more brilliant color in red, rhubarb and strawberries fuse in a gentle blend with the essence of rose water. Slather this compote over a rich Greek yogurt Panna Cotta called a “yogurt honey jelly” in this recipe.

 Roasted Wild Cod and Asparagus with Champagne Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 4

You don’t see many recipes for roasting the fish with vegetables as it’s usually termed baking. Here you want the rich brown color, so place your baking rack at the very top of the oven.

Make the vinaigrette while the fish and vegetables roast. Dry white wine can be used if you are short of bubbles.

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 cod fillets, skinned (1-1/2 lb.)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, washed and halved
• Champagne Lemon Vinaigrette

 Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Lightly coat 15x10x1-inch baking pan with some of the butter. On one side of pan arrange cod fillets, turning under any thin portions. Brush fish with 1 teaspoon remaining butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes. Place asparagus and mushrooms on opposite side of pan; brush with remaining butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 Bake 7 to 10 minutes more or until cod flakes easily when tested with a fork. 

 Champagne Lemon Vinaigrette

•  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• Zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup champagne
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 Mix all ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and set aside to drizzle over fish.

 Fresh Rhubarb-Strawberry Rose Compote

Makes 3 cups

Rose water imparts a Persian character to this alluring melding of spring’s first blush. The rhubarb needs to be cooked down until soft, however, the strawberries fare best when heated just for a moment.

Find rose water in Middle Eastern markets, and for the best flavor, choose Middle Eastern, French, and Italian brands over Indian ones. From your own garden, rose petals are edible if they’re pesticide-free; If you purchase them, make sure they haven’t been sprayed.

• 8 ounces rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup maple syrup  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional; see Notes)
• 1/4 cup rose petals (without pesticides)

 Combine the rhubarb, maple syrup and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit begins to soften but still holds its shape. Stir in the strawberries and cook another minute just until warm. Add rosewater.

 Transfer to a bowl. Let cool to room temperature. 

 Note: The fruit keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 Yogurt Honey Jelly with Fresh Rhubarb-Strawberry Rose Compote

Below is a historic recipe from Sunset Magazine’s April 1975 Russian Cream. It is very similar to what we now call Panna Cotta when of Italian origin. No matter the country, this creamy mellow base is perfect for the provocative rhubarb strawberry blanket tinged with  roses.

 Notes: A 6-in. cake pan can be used for the mold, but or anything from a plain metal mixing bowl to a fancy crenellated pudding bowl. Or pour the yogurt into small bowls to make individual servings. 

•  1 envelope (1/4 oz.) powdered gelatin
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt 

 Put gelatin and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and let soften for a few minutes. Meanwhile, pour cream and vanilla into a medium bowl and use an electric mixer to whip the mixture into soft peaks.

 Heat gelatin mixture gently over low heat until gelatin dissolves completely. Stir in honey and salt; remove from heat.

 Whisk yogurt in a medium bowl. Whisk some yogurt into gelatin-honey mixture; then whisk that mixture into rest of yogurt. Fold whipped cream into yogurt mixture and pour into a 6-in. cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 1 hour.

 Top with strawberry rhubarb compote and rose petals.

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