Category: Educational

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In the Garden Fair

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Sensitive Plant”

Shasta Daisies

Thriving in zones 4-9, Shasta daisies are European natives, that have naturalized across the U.S.   Requiring full sun, and rich, well-drained soils, these perennials must be dead headed to continue the blooming season and plants should be divided every two or three years, in the springtime.  Butterflies and bees love these plants, so  plant an abundance in the garden fair.

Shasta Daisy

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Exhilaration On The Vine

When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Tomato Seedlings Under Grow Light

“There ain’t nothin’ in this world better than home grown tomatoes…”   Songwriter, Guy Clark,  has just about said it all for the devoted (obsessed, really) tomato gardener.   Let skeptics  laugh at tomato enthusiasts with grow lights taking up  good counter space in January and February. Those  warm, winter soups and stews, filling the soul with earthy goodness, will be worth all the ridicule.  Take for granted the abundance of sweet goodness  awaiting the garden browser in June. Vitamin C on the vine-so divine!  Adkinson, Homestead, Early Girl, Juliet, Sweet Million, Super Sweet 100, Improved Whopper – grow my little pretties; planting time is just around the corner. Count yourself lucky if you know  tomato gardeners willing to share their bounty of tomato devotion (obsession).  Sing it again, Guy.

Tomato Resources

Burpee

Park Seed

Alabama Cooperative Extension Service

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Noticeable Nandina

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  ~Robin Williams

 

Blush Pink nandina is one of those shrubs wearing their party dresses all year long. Requiring full sun to part shade, this compact dwarf evergreen, Nandina domestica ‘AKA’ PP19916, adds a festive vive to the landscape.  Click on the link below to learn more about Blush Pink and other nandinas flouncing their party dresses.

Blush Pink Nandina

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Pullulating Parsley

Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That’s the fun of them. You’re always learning. Helen Mirren

 

             Flat Leaf Parsley

(The above photo was taken on January 30, 2020.)                                                  

Curly Leaf Parsley

Parsley, a biennial,  is a highly nutritious  herb providing vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin  K, and iron as well as other benefits. In addition to being a favorite addition to table fare, parsley is also a host plant for the eastern black swallowtail butterfly. When planting, include enough for the table and enough for the colorful caterpillars that will devour the leaves.

         Eastern Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

Learn more about parsley at the following sites.

Wikipedia

Healthline

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Cruciferous Cabbage

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”
–Anton Chekhov

Happy,  coastal gardeners are an exception to Mr. Chekhov’s observation.  They  plant according to seasonal opportunities,  with winter offering some very nutritious choices, including red cabbage.  A cultivar of the Brassica oleracea  group of plants,  this leafy vegetable is high is vitamin C and vitamin K.  In addition to adding nutritional value, red cabbage  adds crunch, color and  substance to the salad bowl.  It is  also a  member of the cruciferous vegetable group,  identified as “super veggies”.  These vegetables have earned this title due to  connections to lower cancer risks. Learn more about red cabbage  and its family members  at the following links.

Wikipedia  

WebMD

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Winter Winsomeness

“A garden in winter is the absolute test of the true gardener. ”   

Rosemary Verey

Brussels Sprout Plant

Brussels sprouts,  winsome additions to the winter garden,   not only produce  edible sprouts, the colorful leaves are edible as well.  Adept at hide and seek,  this member of the brassica family, is highly nutritious.  Learn more about this odd but valuable  plant at the following link.  Wikipedia 

There they are – Brussels sprout buds!

 

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Sassy Savoy

“Winter blues are cured every time with a potato gratin paired with a roast chicken.”
–Alexandra Guarnaschelli

Mama will surely  comment about the above menu, ” I raised you better than that. Where are the greens?”  Appease Mama and add Savoy cabbage to the table. A milder form of cabbage than the familiar green cabbage, Savoy will add sassiness to the plate-just cook the roughly chopped leaves  in a little olive oil, with onions and peppers. As Savoy is not a common find in the produce section,  plan on adding a few plants to  the winter garden.  Now you’re cooking!

Learn more about Savoy cabbage at the following links.  Wikipedia

All Recipes.com

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Cool Colewort

“There ought to be gardens for all months in the year, in which, severally, things of beauty may be then in season.”
– Sir Francis Bacon

                         Young collards plants waiting to be planted

Coastal gardeners, having the benefit of year round gardening,  often focus on  members of the brassica genus during the cooler months.  Turnips, mustard, cabbage, kale and collards are included in this genus. Collards, surpassing kale in nutrient value, is an old southern favorite.  Leaves can be picked as needed throughout the winter months.  Add these to your supper table with  ham, baked sweet potatoes, hot  buttered corn bread, iced tea and  sweet memories of your grandmother’s kitchen.

Click on the following Wikipedia article to learn more about collards.  Collard plant

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Gardeners’ Delights

“Regardless of geographical region or culture,  gardening is perhaps the most common and shared experience of Nature.”
― S. Kelley Harrell, Nature’s Gifts Anthology

 Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sipping Nectar From Cardinal Spear

Gardeners have their favored places; places with bins of seed and bags of Black Cow,  places with gloves for pulling and tools for digging; places where chicks are peeping and green thumbs twitching;  places with shelves and shelves of  seedlings and even more friendly advice just for the asking; places where you’re always welcomed with a smile and a “y’all come back now” when you leave. Ready to get up and go?

Here are few places to get your green thumb twitching!

St. Elmo Feed and Seed   

Bryant Career Technical Center

Bing’s Booth at the Mobile Flea Market,  401 Schillinger Road

Shore Acres Plant Farm

 Underwood Pecan Farm  – fruit trees, blueberry bushes

Special Event:  Mobile Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale – native species

 

Green Thumb  Resources

Alabama Cooperative Extension Service   ANR0063   Planting Guide for Home Gardening in Alabama

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Tasty Tangerines and Tangelos

Thanks to a mild winter climate, residents in the Mobile area  can enjoy picking their own citrus. While many  have discovered Meyer lemons and kumquats,  others have discovered the juicy sweetness of tangelos and tangerines. The above examples are found in the backyard of a Fowl River resident-twice  blessed! Find more information about these orange treats at the following links.

Tangerines

Tangerines & Tangelos