One of the gardens on the May 21, 2011 Garden Tour Susan Varlamoff’s garden is a combination of classic beauty maintained with environmental practices. The front yard features a koi pond and waterfall with biological filter. It also has an herb garden and other plants that attract beneficial insects to keep pests under control. Much of this yard is shaded by a diversity of hardwood trees so there are many shade plants including natives. Nestled among the plants and trees are statues. Most dramatic is the pure white marble statue of a man embarcing a woman in the wooded and dark backyard. Susan is finishing a book on planet friendly gardening so she uses this approach in her garden. She will be providing a fact sheet outlining the Top 12 Planet Friendly Practices which guests can read while sipping lemonade and eating homemade pound cake with farm fresh strawberries. Related…
Author: Jane Burke
Alpine Strawberries: The Misunderstood Fruit
By Michael J Wellik from The Strawberry Store http://www.thestrawberrystore.com Over 20 years ago I operated commercial greenhouses and grew bedding plants, Easter flowers and many other standard ornamental crops. I was not happy with profitability and began searching for new crops to grow. I decided to trial a variety of strawberries called ‘Ruegen’. When I bought the plants, I didn’t even realize that this was not a standard garden strawberry. In fact, it was a different species, Fragaria vesca, which is also known as the wild strawberry, alpine strawberry or woodland strawberry. The size of the fruit was the first clue that I was dealing with the unknown. What attracted me and hooked me was not only the unique wild taste, but the incredible aroma. In the years since then I have collected over 40 varieties of this species from all over the world. I am fascinated with…
The Latin Quarter
Some Latin plant names give away important clues about the nature of the plant. Here are a few of the more commonly used names, and perhaps a few rare ones, to broaden your knowledge of the wonderful world of Latin. coccinea = Scarlet Salvia coccinea – Scarlet sage sulphureus = Sulphur-colored Cosmos sulphureus – Cosmos rotundifolia = Round-leaved Tithonia rotundifolia – Mexican sunflower communis = Growing in common; general Ricinus communis – Castor bean cylindrica = Cylindrical Luffa cylindrica – Luffa sponge tuberosum = Tuberous Allium tuberosum – Garlic chives sativum = Cultivated; planted deliberately Coriandrum sativum – Cilantro/Coriander vulgare = Vulgar; common Foeniculum vulgare – Fennel officinalis = Medicinal; of the pharmacopoeia Melissa officinalis – Lemon balm Paniculatum = having flowers in a cluster, with each flower borne on a separate stalk Koelreuteria paniculata – Goldenrain tree Place names: sinensis or sinicus = of or from China Camellia sinensis…