I pushed the gate that swings so silently,
And I was in the garden and aware
Of early daylight on the flowers there
And cups of dew sun-kindled. Paul Verlaine
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pring, the magical time of wonder . . . Here in the Southland, the rains have yet to come with any regularity as I write this page. Yet, enough has fallen to bring neatness to the land. There
is the feel of vibrant, subtle awakenings in our pruned and still gardens. Very quietly a rebirth is occurring. The days of really cold weather has gone, the light rays are lengthening and hope and growth are just a few days away. Spring showers will still occur, yet our hearts swell with renewed energy if only in the planning of the new plantings. On-line catalogs offer a myriad of new growth kernels, just waiting for your dirt and water. It is truly one of the miracles of life to watch the transformation from miniscule speck to a burgeoning tomato plant, pepper, carrot or sunflower. Even with itchy fingers, ready to dig and plant, we know we can begin soon. Some plants lend themselves to growth within the confines of a small pot, planted indoors. These get a boost of early growth, just waiting for the perfect time when the earth is warmer to go out and into the garden soil. If you have a potting tray, great. If not, I have found that those inexpensive aluminum foil roasters work just fine. Fill your small pots with some good potting soil and insert one or more of your precious seeds. Water them from the base; just put some liquid into the bottom of the roasting pan and the soil will draw it up without dislodging that speck. Keep the whole thing indoors until they begin to sprout then gradually take them outside --- a little longer every day --- until maximum growth has occurred. Plant them into your prepared beds and enjoy the rest of your spring day.
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lanting in early Spring brings many rewards. If you plant now as the soil slowly comes out of its winter torpor, you can still get in some cool-season crops. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage,
spinach, peas are just a few of the long list of edibles that can go in now. Plant some today and wait a few weeks and then plant another for a longer harvest. Along our coast, the cool season can last into July with our marine layer. But, summer crops can also be started in March. The exception is Early Girl tomato, it is ‘early’ because it can go into the ground in February and should begin its yield by May. Yum. My vegetable patch water system was just overhauled and I expect a better production this year. Already I have broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, shallots, spring onions and scallions, peas and spinach in and sprouting. It is a particular joy of
mine to come home from work, walk out to the veggie patch and pick something fresh for tonight’s meal.
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emember that now is a terrific time to consider becoming a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. ‘Have you ever wished for more songbirds, butterflies and other wildlife in your backyard? Many
gardeners have created wildlife habitats across the country. There must be five basic elements as specified by the Wildlife Federation such as including everything animals need for survival --- food, water, cover, places to raise their young, and sustainable plantings that conserve natural resources. A gardener can apply online by clicking National Wildlife Federation. Unfortunately, it is an 8 page application, but with a $15 fee and some guidelines you can begin the process and know that your garden will soon attract all types of wildlife and help the environment using native plants. Benefits of certification include an attractive yard sign and a year’s subscription to the National Wildlife magazine. After successfully establishing and enjoying your habitat, you could then apply for the Backyard Habitat Award through CGCI and submit it by February 1, 2008. Check out the requirements on page 15 of the 2006 awards manual.’ Courtesy of Round the Mountain newsletter, October 2006, San Pedro
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nterested in butterflies? “Why do Butterflies bask? Butterflies are cold-blooded and cannot fly if it is below fifty degrees. In order to fly they must warm their internal muscles to eighty
degrees. This can be done by basking in a sunny spot, letting the sun do the work or sitting on a light colored surface and letting reflection warm them from below as well as from above. A good reflective basking place is a light colored stone, sand or sidewalk. To attract basking butterflies, try building a waterless pond using white or very light colored stones fairly uniform in size. Dig an indentation into the ground, line the hole with plastic, then place the stones in it. Do not fill with water. The morning dew will collect onto the rocks and slowly drip to the plastic at the bottom, where it will be collected for the day. As the butterflies go to the site to bask, they will discover and retrieve the protected moisture. One large rock placed in your birdbath is also effective as a place for butterflies to bask. If any garden club member builds a basking pond in their garden, will you please take pictures or write a diary of the process and send it to me. It should be a fun garden project and very enjoyable to watch butterflies basking in your pond. Maybe we should have a Basking Pond contest? I’m excited about building one. I hope you are also.
Butterfly season in the Rocky Mountain-Intermountain region is active from April through September or October, depending on the elevation. A few of the butterflies that may be seen, there are too many to name in this article.’ Courtesy of Miss Ida-Hoe, official publication of Idaho Garden Clubs, Inc. Editor, Susan Neher, snehr03@msn.com
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ature is by nature inconsistent. Fickle. One sure bet this time of year is planting wildflowers. Often, if you order some seeds from a catalog, they will toss in a free packet of wildflowers.
Why not try and use them? A neglected part of the side yard? They do not take much care and are often sown straight onto the earth with minimal cover. I have a spot like that and this is the Year!
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aillardia’s brighten any spring flower bed, but has plenty of company to vie for that attention. Consider planting from seed: alyssum, calendula, California poppy, candytuft,
coreopsis, clarkia, columbine, hollyhock, larkspur, lupine, petunia, salvia, snapdragon, stock, sweet pea, verbena. Some flowers from bedding plants that thrive this time of year are: African daisy, Canterbury bell, cineraria, coral bell, delphinium, English daisy and primrose, rose, foxglove, Iceland poppy, nemesia, pansy, penstemon, viola. Such choices to have to make . . . ! Springtime
Oh, spring came to my garden And caught it unaware, Wearing just a few old leaves And a dejected air.
But when spring left my garden, Its work so deftly done, Many, many Daffodils Were dancing in the sun.
Velma D Bates
For the North: Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow? by Mary Crowell It is in spring when the garden is at its peak, the time when one can get absorbed in the sights and smells of the greenery and flowers to come. It is also the time to reflect and watch the birds and butterflies as you weed and look at the lush new growth. MARCH 21-25 will be the fantastic SF Flower and Garden Show at the Cow Palace. Anyone interested in any aspect of gardening shouldn't miss this spectacular event, this year the theme is "Living the Flower and Garden Life", my thoughts exactly! It is 4 acres of extraordinary gardens, over 70 free presentations and seminars on three different stages, with vendors galore. My state garden club, CGCI will be represented in the lobby this year, look for my design with cactus wood
and check out the seminar schedule at http://www.gardenshow.com/sf/seminars/. March in your garden is a time of activity, with the weather we just had, it is not hard to resist getting out on those sunny and balmy days, paperwork goes by the wayside in our house even though tax time is approaching fast. Hopefully you have already applied acid fertilizer for those citrus trees, camellias and azaleas along with an all-purpose one for the rest of the garden. If you planted the fall bulbs, you should be getting an array of color right about now, my daffodils and grape hyacinths were up in Feb.! Now you may safely prune those plants that badly needed a haircut last month. Keep those trees healthy by raking the leaves and pulling any grass beneath them as the grass takes away the nutrients from the trees. Some hardy perennials to consider might be campanulas, penstemon, phlox, mimulus, hellebores, delphiniums, salvias, and geraniums, especially the scented ones. I love to plant the summer bulbs in March to get the blooms of glads, watsonias, agapanthus, anemones, cannas, begonias, ranunculus and dahlias (tubers). When you read gardening books such as Sunset Western Gardening Book find your appropriate zone. Put out snail bait such as Sluggo as we seem to be overrun with them right about now or you can make the midnight run with the flashlight or put out beer in small lids to drown those lushes! To get rid of aphids on roses, dig in systemic rose care products around the base every 6 weeks and get rid of the ants!! Container plants seem to be my personal favorites and it is fun to look in thrift stores for odd artifacts that can be easily made into interesting dish gardens just by creating drainage. There are some metal baskets and kitchen strainers that have natural drainage and make lovely containers for hanging baskets. Containers can provide colorful impact for the garden, a small balcony or patio and are portable. Staging containers around your garden is a way to spotlight them to best advantage. Containers are an easy way to have an instant vegetable garden using a trellis to grow beans or peas. Using containers on your front porch is a great welcoming feature. Perennials have long lasting appeal even when they are no longer in bloom as many have interesting structure and seed heads. Try some of the following that provide structure: Phlomis, Veronicastum, Thalictrum, Eryngium, Filipendula, Salvia, Limonium. Plants that provide interesting seed heads: Aster, Monarda, Sanguisorba, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Persicaria, Sedum telephium, Echinacea, Helenium, Kirengeshoma. You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403, or call 341-6963.
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hanks Mary !
f your garden is burgeoning with fresh broccoli and/or cauliflower here is a four-star recipe from Cooking Light that might just help you enjoy it more.
Cauliflower, Pasta, and Cheese Gratin 8c Water 3/4t Salt, divided 1/4c all-purpose Flour 2t chopped fresh or 3/4t dried Thyme 1c (4oz) shredded, reduced-fat Sharp Cheddar cheese 2t Dijon mustard 2 (1oz) slices white Bread 6c Cauliflower florets (about 1 1/2lbs) 8oz uncooked small seashell Pasta 3c 1% low-fat Milk 3 Garlic cloves, crushed 1/2c (2oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 3/4c finely chopped green Onions 1/4t black Pepper 2t Butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add cauliflower and 1/2t Salt to boiling water, and cook 4 minutes or until tender. Remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid; set cauliflower aside. Bring cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Add pasta, and cook 7 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a saucepan, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in thyme and garlic; cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4t salt, cheeses, onions, mustard, and pepper. Combine cauliflower, pasta, and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Spoon the cauliflower mixture into a 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs with butter; sprinkle evenly over cauliflower mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 6 servings (1 1/2cups each). For more such recipes visit www.cookinglight.com