Archive for April, 2009
Saturday, April 11th, 2009
EYEBRIGHT
In an ordinary garden, you need not waste time on sowing eyebright, because the soil is too rich there. In Northern Europe, the small plant, 4-12 in high, grows naturally in poor grassland. The species, however, is deteriorating all the time, and nature lovers are therefore trying to preserve the small plant in botanical gardens and nature reserves. It is quite feasible to create a reserve for rare native plants in almost any garden. It is worthwhile sowing eyebright in poor, preferably rather acid, loamy, or sandy soil, where there are low-growing plants.
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Friday, April 10th, 2009
SMALL LUPIN
The small lupin, a most rewarding plant for a blue annual border, is one of my personal favorites. It adorns entire areas with its fragrant shade of blue, capped with yellow. The individual plants grow to 6-20 in in height, depending on the soil. In poor soil, they remain compact and particularly beautiful, and the foliage acquires a greyish-green color. Make sure you allow an adequate distance between the individual plants. Rob Leopold, the man who promoted the subtle new range of annuals, even plants them as much as 20 in apart, so that they can achieve their maximum spread. In that way, the lupins do not restrict themselves to single upright flower stems. Instead, they spread out into complex flowering organ-like structures and also go on flowering for a longer period. The flowers, however, come to an end after barely two months, and then the seed pods ripen. The seeds are quite easy to harvest. Sow them directly in the garden during the subsequent months of April and May for flowers from the end of June until far into August.
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Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Although Anoda cristata is native to Mexico and the dry southwest of the United States, it will not survive in arid soil. The plants grow along the banks of watercourses. In a garden, they like moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, which should not be too rich in nutrients as this would lead to the development of excessive foliage at the expense of flowers. The mallow-shaped flowers appear in July at the top of approximately 3-ft tall stems. They grow about 1 ‘/4-l V2 in wide and have a lovely satiny sheen on the inside. The flowers of the species are white or tinged with blue. Those of the popular cultivar Anoda cristata ‘Opal Cup’ are soft pink with veins in a deeper shade. Anoda cristata ‘Snow Cup’ has snow-white flowers.
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Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
WHITE MIGNONETTE
The tall white flower heads rise up grandly amidst the other plants in a border of annuals. White mignonette makes an imposing impression, but remains very ordinary. It benefits all the other flowering plants, which show up far better when combined with mignonette. It is strange that the plant is seen so rarely, despite the fact that its flowers are wonderfully fragrant and it is very much an “architectural” plant, a species with a strong, clear form. Do sow this treasure – either directly in the garden in April-May, or indoors in March. It comes into flower as early as June and goes on until September, at least at the top of the plant, which grows to a height of 20-39 in. By then, the small green fruits will have appeared further down the stems. Sow several times in succession if you would like compact plants over a longer period.
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Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
DILL
Dill is one of the most satisfactory kitche herbs, but its beautiful shape, color, and del: cate scent ensure that it is also very popular fo cutting and drying and as an annual borde plant. The species originated in Asia Minoi but was brought to Europe in antiquity, when it gradually became indigenous after being cul tivated in gardens. It is therefore very easy tt cultivate. Sow the seeds directly in the garden between March and June. The first flowering is to be expected from June onwards. For culinary purposes, the leaves are cut off before the plant flowers, and may be used for flavoring fish dishes and as a garnish.
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