such small hands

I Made a Baby Zucchini!

I was beginning to despair of seeing any zucchini again this year, even though I put in several plants. I was all prepared to do the hand-pollination that Cindy suggested last year, too. My problem was, none of the female blossoms seemed to be opening. At least not when I was looking --- and I was looking all day. Maybe they opened in the dead of night!

I started thinking I should just beg the lady flowers to please just give it up, already! Then the other morning, I saw one open. Went to work right away with my little Q-Tip. Lo and behold, this morning I found a zucchini about as big as my index finger. So, hand-pollination definitely works, I just wish I knew why more female blossoms aren't opening.

Like most of the rest of the U.S., we're in the middle of a heat wave, maybe the longest string of 90-degree days that the Detroit area has seen in many years. Watering a lot and bracing for the shock of the water bill.

Happy gardening to all!

My New BFF

Oh mulch, where have you been all my life? How did I ever get along without you?

The northeast corner of our backyard always has been neglected. Dominated by the corkscrew hazelnut, a common lilac and a variety of care-free perennials, it hasn't demanded much attention. But this spring the hazelnut and lilac looked so pathetic, the entire area needed a little love.

The lilac didn't bloom well and had several dead stems, which I've pruned off. I'm trying to encourage some new stems growing from the bottom, in hopes we can avoid a wholesale severe pruning. I'll give it another year to see if it springs back, but if not, we can take it down to 8 or 10 inches.

Keeping control of the hazelnut suckers is just another ongoing battle. For a long time, I didn't even think they were part of the tree; I assumed some other shrub had planted itself down close to the trunk of the hazelnut.

A big source of the problem is our neighbors to the east. They are just renting, so they aren't too diligent about keeping the growth in check. So we have little visitors from their raspberries, which want to spread everywhere. As much as I like the fruit, I just can't keep them under control. And some other gargantuan stalks, which may be sunflowers, but since it doesn't bloom I can't identify it for sure.

Mulching in this area, as the picture shows, may not eliminate all of the persistent, deeply rooted weeds, but it will surely help keep them to a minimum. I need all the help I can get!

And So It Begins

After a long and snowy winter, the cold and rainy spring is finally ending. The ground is dry enough and the temperatures warm enough to begin planting in earnest.

I've been out in the garden a little bit, checking out the winter survivors. I have a grouping of red-twig dogwood in the front of our deck; they were long overdue for a hard pruning. I cut them way back early in April. I'm hoping that wasn't too late to see them spring back this season. So far the results are not overwhelming, but promising.

I love Michigan springs for the abundance of flowering trees in yards, lining streets, in medians. Our serviceberry has truly come into its own this year. I love this tree for its three-season interest ... flowers in the spring, berries in the summer for the birds and red leaves in the fall. This spring, it was positively stunning.

 

Fall Cleanup Begins

Summer is over and it's time to begin putting the garden to bed. I've been getting an early start, taking advantage of the fine weather for early October. We've had some nights in the 40s and upper 30s, but no hard freeze yet. Still, it won't be long ... end of October or early November usually. Fall cleanup is depressing enough without getting out there in the cold drizzle, pulling up slimy, frost-bitten plants.

Epic Fail Zucchini

Cindy, my lone reader, had suggested hand-pollinating my zucchini and asked whether we'd been enjoying any. Well, Cindy, I'm sorry to say I haven't had any success with the pollinating. Maybe next year, eh? Maybe I'll start with two or three plants as well, in case that is an issue. If we have great success, there is always the Joseph's Table at church to get rid of the excess.

Decisions, Decisions

So the fall cleanup has already given me a couple of decisions to mull over. It looks like the irises are due for dividing. Not a job I especially relish ... but (to be brutally honest) those areas of the flower bed could use a little tidying. Putting the irises in order would also give me some extra space for my other decision --- transplanting a peony that has never bloomed because it never got enough sun. Finding the right sunny spot for the peony is important because next year I'm going to have to find a sunnier spot for the tomatoes; this year they got too much shade from the west-side neighbor's Rose of Sharon bushes. Like I said back in the spring, one thing leads to another.

Assessment

I'm still pleased with the result of cleaning up the adopted flower bed. Although I didn't add much to it, the weeding and mulching allowed the existing hostas to come into their own. Next year, I expect them to thrive even more.

Drought and Monsoon

Maybe gardeners never take vacations in the summer. Nevertheless, we took two weeks to visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the same time that the temps hit the 90s and there was no rain. My daughter and her friend watered the tomatoes and most of the pots on the deck and patio, but the drought took a toll. The thyme, cilantro and probably the sage are lost. The hanging basket of petunias, gone. I can't even bear to post a photo of the back yard, where a big chunk of unshaded lawn is now either dead or dormant. We've been watering and there are glimmers of green here and there. But it probably won't green up until fall or even next spring. Memo to self: Next time you take a summer vacation, program the lawn sprinklers to come on every two or three days.

Meanwhile, the ailanthus tree seedlings, spotting a sign of weakness, moved in with zeal. They are either uprooted or mowed down. Crappy trees, I think, but I guess they are better than nothing on vacant city lots. Too bad they want to take over the world.

We've had a few tomatoes and the cucumbers have some scrawny babies beginning to grow. Like last year, some birds (maybe robins, my neighbor says) have been snipping off my zucchini blossoms before they have a chance to bear fruit. I've hung old CDs close by to frighten birds, but it hasn't worked. Maybe a bright, shiny pinwheel? I'm open to suggestions.

Then last Thursday we get a monsoon. Honestly, it almost looked like a hurricane, the wind and rain were so fierce. We had a bit of tree damage in my neighborhood; a big branch off the neighbor's maple in the front yard and another in the back. Then DTE put up "Live Wire Down" tape across the back yard; it looked like a CSI crime scene. They just took that down this evening.

I'm settling back into the regular routine, so I expect to have the weeds cleaned out and everything on the road to recovery sometime next week.

Update: Cindy, my commenter, is probably right that the loss of zucchini flowers is due to some other cause, not marauding birds. Is there anything you can do about poor pollination? Looks like this will be the second year I've planted zucchini but the plant produced no fruit. Do we need to plant more than one?

From the Heart of Hell, I Stab at Thee!

I know how Ahab felt, fighting against a force of nature like Moby-Dick. Our east-side neighbor's worthless wisteria is also a force of nature. It was a pet project of our former neighbor's ex-wife, who allowed it to wind around the chain-link fence between our properties, in the hopes that it would eventually bloom. She did say we could do whatever was necessary to keep it away from our trees and stuff.

 
The Wisteria from Hell

Today I cut it back from our lilac and cedar, filling up a trash barrel and part of a second with the cuttings. It will probably need another cutting before the growing season is over. If it were mine, I would have cut the entire thing out and fed it to the wood chipper. But it's not mine. And Ken appreciates it for the privacy screening it provides. Like in those National Geographic Channel shows, if human life ceases on Earth, then our house would be a battleground for the wisteria, English ivy and wild grapevine. In a few years, it would just be a mound of green.

An Answer!!

I received a helpful e-mail this morning from a reader, Steve B., who identified my mystery perennial in the post "Right Stuff in the Wrong Place." It is Common Sundrop, either Oenothera tetragona, Oenothera fruticosa or Oenothera perennis. Either way, it is a member of the Evening Primrose family. It's really helpful to identify these plants finally!

One Thing Leads to Another

Weeding around the yellow mystery flowers and the coral bells, preparing to mulch, I noticed several dead-looking branches on the little ornamental tree in that corner of the yard. The tree has been there since we bought the house; it is a corkscrew hazelnut (Corylus avellana). I spent all Friday morning cutting off the dead branches and clearing the weeds from around the base of the tree.

The experience led me to realize that I don't really like this little tree all that well; I would never have chosen to plant it in the first place. It's just ... odd looking. Like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Twisty, curled branches (hence the name) and misshapen heart-shaped leaves. But as long as it is healthy, I see no good reason to cut it down and replace it with something else. Maybe it's just that we've neglected it ... that area of the garden has always seemed to take care of itself with minimal attention.

The area looks better now, not so overgrown. But working back there led me to notice another problem that has to be dealt with. (One thing leads to another.) The east-side next-door neighbor's worthless wisteria (the thing has never bloomed, in the 10 years we've lived here) has wrapped around some branches of my lilac. More on that story in the next post.

The Adopted Bed

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had designs on my neighbor's flower bed that abuts our driveway. The landlord gave me his blessing, so I began clearing it out. Finished it the other day. These photos show a before (sort of. I didn't think to take the photo until I had already cleared out all the grass and started mulching) and after. In the lower part of the bed, I dug out the grass, replanted a couple of the small, mowed-off hostas and transplanted a couple clumps of the sedum "Golden Acre."

In the top level of the bed, I just needed to clear out all of the weeds, sticks and dead leaves. The upper bed has hostas, creeping phlox and a tall plant I can't identify until it blooms. Once I cleaned it out, I just laid the mulch around the existing plants. There's a big open space in the center, where I will probably transplant one of my bleeding hearts in the spring. I'm delighted with it. Instead of a neglected weed bed, we have a garden that actually looks like someone cares about it.

Right Stuff in the Wrong Place

I have this marvelous perennial that was in the garden when we bought the house almost 10 years ago. Darned if I know what it is. If any readers have a clue, please leave a comment. It has these bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers in early June atop leafy stems about 18-24 inches high. It spreads by underground runners.

By now, the plant has migrated to the front of the flower bed, where it is blocking the view of shorter perennials such as a red-leafed coral bell and scented-leafed geraniums. So, I'm wondering if I should just yank out the intruding masses, or whether I should try to transplant them to the back of the flower bed. And is this the right time to do it?

Too Much of a Good Thing

Once we thought this sedum ground cover "Golden Acre" was going to solve the problem of the grass growing between the rocks bordering our flower beds. But it never really took to growing on the lawn side of the rocks. Instead, it crept into the beds, gradually. In some places, it has been mannerly. But one spot in particular spread too much, and became infested with grass. Like the wheat and the tares, it was impossible to separate the grass without damaging the sedum.

For a while I didn't mind the sedum taking up the space, but now it's crowding my irises and I have other plans for the space. This year, I'd had enough. I saved about a flat-size clump to plant elsewhere, then dug out the rest and tossed it. For now, I've covered the area with mulch and put in the leftover coleus and marigolds. In the fall, I have a spot picked out for a peony that needs more sun.

After considering where to plant the sedum that I saved, I started looking at one of my neighbor's flower beds abutting our property. He's renting the house now, so he doesn't really give any attention to the yard and garden. He gave me his blessing to have my way with the flower bed. So the sedum will go in part of it. Maybe, come next spring, I will transplant one of my extra bleeding hearts to that bed. It's going to give me so much joy to see that weedy little eyesore transformed! 

Why Garden?

What is there about making and tending a garden that is so attractive to some people?

Maybe it's because it gives adult a legitimate, respectable reason to play in the dirt. Maybe it's for the exercise and being outdoors. It is that, but it's also deeply satisfying to see living things grow because of your hard work. Living things that can help feed your family or make a meal even more flavorful. Things that can adorn your home and bring the outdoors inside.

Did you know that gardening was the first job that God gave Adam in Eden, when Paradise was still paradise? Genesis 2:15 --- "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

I think gardening is one way we try to get back to Eden, to work and tend our own little corner of paradise, even though paradise is now cursed with thorns and thistles.
 

Making Horseradish

Turning the gnarly white root of the horseradish plant into the relish you find in the store is actually pretty easy, if you have the right tools. You'll want a sharp knife, a food processor, kosher salt and white vinegar. Oh, and weather nice enough you can do the job outside.

Cut your roots into small pieces, roughly the same size, about an inch long. Put them in the food processor with the sharp blade. Pulse at first, then turn on and chop until the horseradish is finely shredded. Catch a whiff of it, as I did, and your eyes are going to water as if you were chopping an onion. If you want mild horseradish, add the salt and white vinegar right away. If you prefer hotter horseradish, wait a few minutes, maybe 5 to 10.

Store in the refrigerator in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.

An article in a recent New York Times had some helpful advice on how to plant, when to harvest, and making your own horseradish.

Horseradish

Add horseradish to my previous list of plants we're growing this year. Ken is a nut for the hot stuff --- he puts it on just about any kind of meat, but especially beef. When he found out horseradish is easy to grow, he jumped at the chance to get some.

His cousin Bob Millinger, who lives on a farm outside Toledo -- near Elliston, Ohio, actually, hometown of "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox. Ken and I met up with his brother Dan and Dan's girlfriend Sue to pay a visit to Bob and his wife Janet. That was in late April, for the express purpose of getting some horseradish sets.

Bob's longtime plants were growing under an old cherry tree, so digging them out was a little difficult, but both Dan and Ken went home with several healthy-sized cuttings. We took off part of the roots so we could make a little chopped horseradish now, and planted the tops in four places in various beds and one container on the deck.

They didn't do much at first, but now they seem to be taking hold well. Even the one in the container (pictured) is looking as if it might take over.

Ken and I should resolve this weekend to chop up those horseradish roots I've been keeping in the fridge and see how homemade (not boughten) horseradish tastes.

Starting the 2010 Garden

The design theme change reflects the content change I am planning for this blog. It's been idle for a long time. I just don't have the wherewithal to comment on current events or much of anything else.

But I wanted to begin a garden journal. Rather than put it on paper, I decided why not use my existing online journal? Honestly, I don't even care if anyone reads it. I hope to keep track of what I am doing in the garden, and plans for future projects. Basically, it's for my own reference.

Living in metro Detroit, I am in Hardiness Zone 5B. We can safely plant about the middle of May, but the traditional planting weekend is Memorial Day. You can find your hardiness zone by ZIP Code at the National Gardening Association web site.

I am working with a big perennial bed. Over the last couple of years, we have switched from filling in around the perennial flowers with annual flowers to vegetables and herbs.

This year, we have planted:

• Green pepper "Linebacker"
• Sweet basil (ocimum basilicum)
• Cilantro (coriandrum sativum) in a container
• Two Early Girl tomatoes
• One Sun Sugar tomato
• One Big Boy tomato
• Broccoli
• Flat-leaf parsley (which amazingly survived the winter!)
• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• Oregano
• Tarragon
• Chives
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme

Right now everything is planted and I still need to fill in the areas with mulch.