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grEen News from Smithfield Gardens
January 2009
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Dear Friends,
We hope all of you had safe and happy holidays. Most of us here had a chance to get away and spend some time off with our family and friends, and we can now return to the work of getting ready for our new season. With the worst of the winter months yet to happen, gardening is far from most people's minds, but did you know our landscaping department plants 12 months of the year? We have found that in this climate most plants do fine planted in the winter. The only exception would be anything that may be tender or marginal. With that said, we want you to know that our trees, shrubs and most of our perennials will be on sale 20-50% off through the end of the month.
With the cold forcing you to spend most of your time indoors, you may have noticed that without a Christmas tree and holiday decorations your house may be suffering from the post-season blahs. Perhaps you need a new houseplant to perk things up. We still have a very nice selection in our greenhouse, and these plants are also on sale at 25% off. Even if you want to just come in and browse, we keep it warm and humid in there so that it feels like summer.
Later on in February we will begin our 2009 classes, and you can see what we will be offering on our web site. Several of the classes are new this year, and some of them are likely to fill up quickly. Please register as soon as possible to guarantee your spot. Another thing to look forward to in February is our list of new plants for 2009, which we will share with you in the next newsletter.
Until then, happy gardening and stay warm!
Your Friends at Smithfield Gardens
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Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
February 21st (Sat.) 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. "Basic Home Landscape Design" In this popular class you will learn what you need to know before you start installing a new, or updating an existing landscape. This class is taught by Jeff Williamson and fills up fast, so please register early.
February 22nd (Sun.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. "Proper Pruning Techniques" Les Parks teaches this class and he says that late winter is one of the best times to be pruning in your garden. Come find out why.
February 28th and March 1st (Sat. and Sun.) 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. "Winter Garden and Hellebore Celebration" Come join us as we celebrate one of our favorite perennials. Winter blooming Hellebores are shade loving and very easy to grow. We will be featuring many companion plants and other winter bloomers. There will also be special sales, door prizes and refreshments. Look for more information in February's issue of grEen News.
February 28th (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. "Plants for Winter Interest" Many gardeners do not realize there are numerous plants that will add loads of interest to the winter garden, some will even flower. Ann Weber and Jeff Williamson will show you the best of these "off-season" offerings.
January Store Hours:
January 1st - closed
Open Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Register for classes here
Other Events:
January 29th (Thu.) "Home Gardener Program" This is held in conjunction with a professional horiticulture conference. This year it will be at the Founders Inn in Virginia Beach. The all day program will be very informative and includes lunch. For more information call 523-4734.
The Norfolk Master Gardener program is accepting applications for a new 10 week session of training starting Feb. 2, which will meet Tuesday and Thursday mornings. For more information call 683-2816 or visit nmgv.org.
The Chesapeake Master Gardener program is accepting applications for a new session of training that will run from Jan. 13 to April 7. The classes will meet 9:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. For more information call 628-6348 or apply on line at cmgv.org. The Norfolk Botanical Gardens has classes throughout the month and you can go to www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org to learn more and to register. | |
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Is There an Elephant in the House?
This photograph isn't terribly exciting, however the green leaves in the pot will become something that you can eat or enjoy simply as a reliable perennial. I chose to tell you about something a little unusual that can be planted now, and something that I had to do a little "research" about. This past fall we received some elephant garlic bulbs, for the first time, and it was my job to put them into pots for sale. So, here it is ---the Cliff notes version for Allium ampeloprasum.
Elephant garlic (so named because well-grown bulbs can be the size of a woman's fist or a grapefruit, depending on whom you ask) has a sweet, mild flavor. Consequently, it is a great way for timid people to introduce themselves to a garlic taste before they work their way up to the stronger stuff. Elephant garlic can be used as a vegetable or as a flavoring agent. Slice the raw cloves into salads or use the slices in place of onion on a sandwich. Grill or roast them, but be aware that they do not store as long as regular garlic. Many sources said that elephant garlic is now more readily available in mainstream grocery stores than it once was so keep your eyes open for this California-grown allium.
The local source for these cloves is an accomplished chef, but she confessed to me that she had never cooked with elephant garlic. She liked it for ornamental value in her sunny perennial borders. The blue-green leaves get about 2 ½' tall feet tall. The small pale lavender flowers appear in a rounded, ball-shaped flower head and are on stalks reaching 4'-5'. This plant blooms in June so it is a wonderful tall accent plant in a perennial border or herb garden. I know that bees love this type of flower so you can help out our invaluable pollinators while you enjoy something pretty.
When planting elephant garlic make sure it has a well-drained site, and soil with plenty of organic material. Plant the cloves 1"-2" deep and 8"-10" apart. If you are growing it to eat, several sources said to make sure it has minimal weed competition. Another tip was to cut off the flower stalks when they first appear so that the energy of the plant goes into making larger bulbs underground. One photograph showed plants where the flower stalks had been cut off next to ones that had been allowed to bloom. The difference between the two groups, regarding the size of the bulbs when harvested, was indeed apparent. Incidentally, the stalks can be cooked like asparagus according to one blog.
If you use a lot of garlic at your house, you might enjoy this garlic trivia. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was used for everything from repelling scorpions to treating dog bites. A good "garlic rubdown" was supposed to ward off evils and colds, and increase physical strength. In 1858 Louis Pasteur documented that garlic juice killed bacteria. During WWII when penicillin and sulfa drugs were scarce, the British and Russian armies used diluted garlic juice solutions as antiseptics to disinfect open wounds and prevent gangrene.
One of the up and coming trends in home gardening is the mixing of the edible and the ornamental. By planting elephant garlic you can enjoy your garden and eat it too.
Ann Weber
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New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners
One of the pleasures of my job is having the good fortune to be able to speak with fellow gardeners. There is nothing a plant nerd likes to do more, than speak with other similarly afflicted people. In our conversations I frequently get asked for advice, or have plant samples brought in to diagnose problems. This is an important part of my job, and over the years I have noticed several common mistakes that gardeners make concerning the selection and care of their plants. So for this issue of the newsletter I thought it would be timely to list (in no particular order) some New Year's resolutions that apply to gardeners.
I will pick the right plant for the right location. As a retailer I highly encourage impulse purchases, but as a horticulturist I recommend that you make sure you know something about the plant before you buy it. Please read the label so you will know how tall and how wide it will grow, and make sure you have adequate space in your garden for it. Besides knowing the size of the plant, make sure you have the right growing conditions such as light and drainage. Ask us if there is anything special that you need to know to take care of the plant. By making an informed selection, you will be happier with your choice, plus you may save yourself future headaches.
I will apply mulch correctly and will never bury my plants under a mulch volcano. Mulching has numerous benefits for your plants, most importantly keeping moisture in the soil. It also helps control weeds, moderate soil temperatures, control erosion, __plus it looks good. However, you can create conditions for the slow death of your plants if mulch is piled up on the trunks of trees (hence the volcano look) or stuffed in the lower branches of your shrubs. This can suffocate plants, and it also can encourage the growth of rot and fungus. Please only apply a 2-3" layer of mulch over the root zone and try to keep it off the plant.
I will make sure that my new plants have all the water they need. Whenever we get a plant returned to us that is under warranty, we try to figure out what went wrong so any mistakes are not repeated. The number one reason plants die and get returned to us is for lack of water. Pay careful attention to the water needs of new plants because their root systems have not developed beyond the size of the pot. Older plants with established root systems are much more tolerant of dry conditions. Even in the cooler months of winter, newly planted evergreens will need adequate moisture.
I will read and follow the label instructions for all pesticides and fertilizers that I use. Application of fertilizers and chemicals (including organic ones) should be done in a deliberate informed manner. If you don't use these products correctly, the plants you are trying to help could be harmed, or you could cause damage to the larger ecosystem. You could even compromise your own personal health. The old adage of "if a little is good, a lot will be better" is definitely not true in this case.
Well, I think four resolutions will be enough to start with. If we can get these accomplished maybe then we can work on Crape Myrtle butchering, green meatball syndrome and obsessive mowing disorder.
Les Parks |
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Shopping Now for Spring
Well, we made it through another holiday season. It was lovely, wasn't it? So many friends and family members were here that we forgot all about our gardens. I managed to catch a glimpse of mine out of the window as I was putting Christmas up in the attic. Boy, do I have a lot of work waiting for me!
First, I need to go out there and take a really good look at everything. Hopefully, when I do, I will remember to have a piece of paper and a pencil with me to jot down notes, thoughts or wishes and wants (somehow I always forget about the paper). This is the time of year that seems best suited to making decisions about my flowerbeds; do they need to be enlarged, do I need to move this or that, do I have enough room for one or three of those? All of these questions are not only important but the answers will let me know how much prep I really need to do before spring.
Second, (and this is the part I really like) I gather all of my seed catalogs, gardening magazines and books, snuggle into my most comfortable chair with a warm mug of spice tea and start planning the additions to next year's garden. Whether it be flower, vegetable or herb it probably can be started by seed and making sure the right seeds are here for you is my job. Looking forward like I have to do I can say that all of our seeds will be here by the middle of January. Hopefully that will make it easier to get those early crops started.
Third, this is also a perfect time for me to start researching all of the ideas that I have had for spring. I find the internet a useful tool to utilize when doing my research. I try researching my ideas to make sure that I am selecting the right plant for the right location and that I have the resources necessary to make my ideas come to life. Not only is the internet a useful  tool for conducting research, but it is also a great resource for gathering ideas. Another idea with merit comes from Les, who suggests taking black and white photos of your garden so you can check your texture level. It is as important for your garden to be texturally balanced as it is for it to have color balance. Plus you can easily see the bare bones of your garden's design.
Fourth, I compile all the information from my sources - books, internet, photos and notes from my own garden. I now sit down at a very large table, draw everything out and make sure it all works. As we go through these few months until spring we will make a checklist of what to do when and how to achieve the look we are going for. Hopefully, you will go along for the ride. Talk to you next month.
Margie Cooper
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