December Weeding

This wet bleak December day may not look like a prime gardening day but it does present a rare opportunity to air out the lemon verbenas, Aloysia triphylla, that are over wintering in the basement.  Hardy to zone 8, a day in the light rain with temperatures in the mid 40s should be good for these plants.    A little wet breeze may end some white flies and improve the overall condition of the leaves.
We will have to keep a weather eye open since the temperature may not remain  above freezing for long.  The risk of cold damage is slight as zone 8 lows are in the 10 to 20 degree range.

The usual weeds, catnip, Johnny jump ups and chickweed, were cleared from the pots.  No serious informed gardener would bring unsterilized garden soil inside but we prefer a natural route.  Chemical fertilizer  and soil less mixtures are of no interest to us so we deal with bugs and weeds.

Our patchouli plant hit the compost pile today.  We thought that it had a good year here.  Planted in the shade garden, the plant grew.  It survived the move into the house but went downhill after that. We keep our house too cool for this plant.  Between the chill the spider mites and the scale, it was pretty much dead.  I was surprised to find very little new root growth.  As a mail order plant, it arrived in a small plastic pot that was filled with a soil less mixture.  Swishing the plant in a bucket of water before transplanting removed much of this chemical laden soil but some remained.  The plant roots never really ventured beyond the limits of the original pot.  Others must experience similar problems with nursery plants.  Has anyone found a method  of transplanting that results in vigorous root growth?  There must be a better way and we would like to know what it is.

House Arrest

It is time to accept reality and move our tender plants indoors.  This location inside of the entry door that we never use has proven to be our best location for over wintering plants.  We have other locations with better light but the moving air currents are stronger here.  A high ceiling combined with heaters on both sides of the landing really move the air.  Since this is the best location, only the most favored plants get to spend the cold seasons here.

Three rosemarys line the left wall.  For some reason I thought obtaining a golden rosemary was a good idea.  Golden leaves look like dying  leaves so this plant always looks like it is on its way out. It's walking a thin line, because any plant that begins to look unwell loses this prime location. Two sweet bays, a tuberose, the patchouli and two lemon grass plants complete the group. Here in zone 4, tender plants get a six month sentence indoors. There is a slight chance for early parole if we get good weather in the spring. At some point these tender plants will again become the "In and Out Gang."

Growing Plants Outside Their Comfort Zone

What is it about a gardener that makes them push that zone envelope? Today we savored the sweet success that such behavior can bring. Yes, this Sugar Baby watermelon is tiny, about the size of a softball. We enjoyed it with a relish that only another gardener would understand. Buying a shipped in watermelon would make more sense. Sense has nothing to do with it.

 In all we had a total of three small watermelons. Amy got to have the pleasure of eating the first one. The third one is still in the garden. Its stem is not yet brown. We will snatch it from the garden at the very last minute before it gets frosted.

The potting of the tender plants has begun. Even if the forecast of frost proves to be wrong, it gave us the necessary motivation to get these plants into pots. Plants like lemon grass, stevia, lemon verbena, patchouli,tuberose, sweet bay, rosemary and scented geraniums all need to be moved inside before the cold hits. Room in the house for plants is at a premium so hard choices have to be made. The chosen will find a place in the house. The others  will have to take their chances with the cold.

My Poor Mistreated Patchouli

This last winter when I was suffering from cabin fever and leafing through plant catalogs, I decided to purchase patchouli plants again. After all, the Richter's catalog describes the plant as easy to grow. I've had somewhat dismal results with the plant in the distant past, but I like the fragrance, and I was sure this time would be different. Since the plant is listed as zone 11+, I planted my patchouli in my warmest south facing beds in full sun. This poor patchouli has endured summer in upstate New York. It has been sunburned but is still clinging to life with a few green leaves. With the cooler weather and nights in the forties, Ed potted up the plant to move it inside and not a moment too soon!


Finally, I researched this plant to see what it's needs actually are. It should to be planted in indirect light in moist soil. For the plant to be truly be happy,the air should be moist and warm. The temperature should never drop below 75 degrees. The only thing I really did right was to plant it in dirt. Since it is still alive, Richters is right. Patchouli is pretty tough for so tender a plant.

Now the patchouli has a spot indoors, in indirect light, next to a south facing window. I will try to maintain the moisture it likes, but the plain fact is the temperature in this house in the winter is rarely above 70 degrees let alone 75. If the plant endures through the winter, I'll keep in inside . Perhaps next summer for a treat on a really hot humid day , it can go outside in the shade and enjoy a thunderstorm. If it dies I won't try again, I'm just not that mean!

Such A Cool Day In The Garden!

After many days of hot weather, this morning the weather was in the cool sixties. For me this is perfect weather for working in the garden. After breakfast Ed and I headed out to play in the garden. I decided to work on the bed in front of the house. There was plenty of deadheading to do, and a lot of weeds to pull. Now is a great time to get them before all their seeds have a chance to drop. I was enjoying the breeze . The aroma of the French tarragon, garden sage and lemon verbena filled the air as I brushed against plants while I worked.

I spent a very long time watching first two and than a single hummingbird visiting the scarlet runner beans. This one hummer seems so friendly. It actually comes and hovers right in front of me and seems to linger in the area where I work, even though there are many flowers in other places in the garden. Talk about cool!

Ed called me over to take a picture of this beautiful caterpillar. It's a Hickory tussock moth caterpillar. Ed was right not to pick it up. Sensitive persons get rashes from handling this one. He may be bristly, but I think he's gorgeous and more than a little cool.

A brief glimpse of a bald eagle soaring low overhead made the morning cooler yet.







Cool during the day here in September can mean pretty cold at night. With the temperature forecast in the low forties, some of the more tender plants are headed into the basement for the night. My sweet bays, ginger, curry leaf plant, patchouli and a lemon grass have been moved inside. Tomorrow during the day they will be carried back outside. Now the in and out gang begins. More plants will be potted and join the group as the cold weather threatens. It takes a cool day like this one to give us a little reminder to get ready for what's surely to come.

Plants In A Box

Yesterday was cold and blustery. The freeze warnings were out. Ed headed out to cover the plants that we felt might suffer some damage like the lilies and my Angelicia gigas. As fortune would have it, he accidentally locked the basement door on one of his trips. Muttering to himself he walked around to come in the other door. There on the porch sat our box of plants from Richters. How lucky we were that he found them. Last night was not nice for tender, new plants to be caught outside. Perhaps the UPS man has a new muffler on his truck, or maybe the wind was noisy enough for him to be able to drop off my box of plants without my noticing. The important thing is Ed found the box in time.

The three blood root plants that we ordered were out of stock, disappointing, but in the box was a balloon flower, a finger bowl lemon scented Geranium, 3 Patchouli plants, a Rosemary officinalis, an Arp Rosemary, a golden rain rosemary, 3 alpine strawberries and 3 lemon verbenas.




I'm pretty pleased with my new arrivals. Even as stressed and chilled as these plants were, their fragrances are terrific! The lemon verbenas are small, but healthy looking. This patchouli is another matter. Although listed as easy to grow, I know from past experience that patchouli plants like it hot. With the cool reception on arrival here, I guess it has a right to look stressed out. If I am concerned about the plants recovery, I am told to contact customer service within 48 hours. Let's hope the sultry 65 that I keep my house will suffice to perk up this plant. I really hate to make that kind of call!

I've Crossed The Border!

The garden is in a holding pattern. My plants are just sitting there. It has been cold, but it has also been dry. Right now we are looking at a very dry March.We have had a sprinkle of rain or a dusting of snow, but no real moisture. I think my bulbs are on strike until they get their April showers.

In the meantime I have been thinking about the herbs I used to have. I decided that I would grow patchouli again this summer. Tired of waiting for a promised catalog, I spent some considerable time with my fascinating Richters catalog. I have frequently ordered seeds from them in the past with great results, but never ordered plants from them before, because they are across the border in Canada. Well, I've gone international now, and it was soo... easy!

I ordered some Ayurvedic herbs,Ashwaganda, Bacopa,sushni and mucuna, for my daughter, patchouli (of course), a new Wintergreen mint,feverfew, lemon verbena and wintergreen plants. I ordered anise basil seeds too. The seeds will come soon. They do not ship plants until the weather is favorable. That will probably be a month at least. It will be interesting to see how I make out with my Canadian herbs. Eh?