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"Celebrating Moms" May 4, 2011
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Dear Gardening Bug,
When I was shopping for a special card for my mother this past weekend, I noticed that every single Mother's Day card had at least one flower on it (the one I finally chose for my mother had about a hundred!). It seems that mothers and flowers just go together. So it's quite appropriate that we celebrate mothers in the spring when the largest number of flowers are in bloom. This week's "garden treasures" feature some of our favorite flowers for this time of year: oleander, mandevilla, zinnia (photo above, in the banner), vinca, gaillardia, African iris, and more! Below: celosia and salvia.

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Our Mothers' Pies
Another thing that's often associated with mothers is pie. It seems that all of us have a favorite pie made by Mom. My mother's is pecan pie; I have simply never tasted a pecan pie as good as hers. And the best thing is, she uses "home-grown" pecans from our Rockledge Garden tree. Each fall this one tree produces enough pecans for my mother to make at least six pies, with plenty of pecans for eating and for the squirrels as well! I always love to show children on field trips our little 3-gallon pecan trees and the huge tree that they will become.

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Our Mothers' Stories
How many of the stories shared by your mothers over the years relate to gardening? My mother tells about the flowers and trees that grew around her home in Macon, Georgia. One of her favorite trees was the fig tree that "Papa" had planted. My grandfather was from Italy and took great pride in his crop of huge, beautiful figs. He always raced with the June bugs, my mother tells me, to see who could eat them all first!
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Crape Myrtle: "Queen of the South"
While the beautiful blooms of the tabebuia trees have slipped away and have been replaced by lush green leaves, our next wave of blooming trees is about to burst out. Crape myrtles are just starting their wonderfully long bloom cycle (May through September). These trees range in mature height from 8 to more than 20 feet, and they come in range of colors, including white, pink, lavender, and red. One of our favorites, Tonto, is pictured below. While crape myrtles go dormant during the winter (and yes, they are very cold tolerant), their bark is quite showy as it exfoliates into various shades of brown, tan, and grey. It's a real beauty! Here's a link to our crape myrtle information sheet.
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Workshop This Saturday: Mother's Day Container Gardens
In just a few weeks Susan will be heading up north for the summer. Before she goes, we'll have her create several of her famously beautiful container gardens. And this Saturday at 10 am, she will be presenting a workshop on container gardens and will show you how to create your own to take home.
The pots are "watering cans" (with drain holes of course). Susan will help you to select the right plants for your setting; you can choose from annuals, perennials, herbs, foliage plants, or succulents. The cost of the workshop is $25 to $35, depending on which plants you select. Please call ahead (636-7662) to reserve your space as class size is limited.
We've recently posted our May and June seminars on our website. We've got some great ones coming up, so take a look!
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Cooking Demo This Friday, and Grilled Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Our cooking demo with peppers last week was the best one yet! The grilled stuffed peppers weren't just delicious, they were beautiful. All of the ingredients were local, including jalapenos from our Rockledge Gardens edible garden. Many of you asked for the recipe, so I'm including it below.
Be sure to join us this Friday from 5 to 6 pm, when we cook Spicy Blueberry Pork Tenderloin on the grill (blueberries are in season now).

Grilled Stuffed Peppers (from Robb Walsh)
2 tablespoons seasoning blend of your choice (we used Emeril's Bayou Blast) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 pound breakfast sausage meat (from Petty's meats, yum, yum!) 1/2 pound ground beef (ground sirloin, again from Petty's) 1 cup cooked rice 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves Cayenne pepper Ground cumin Oil, for frying 3 small green bell peppers (four lobes preferred) (our peppers were from the Brevard Farmer's Market and they were everything but green bell: red, yellow, and orange...ALSO jalapenos from our Rockledge Gardens edible garden) Yield: 6 small pepper halves Mix the seasoning blend, salt, and wine in a small bowl and stir well. Then combine the mixture with all the other ingredients except the oil and peppers in a mixing bowl and mash with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Put the meat in the refrigerator for an hour or more to allow the flavors to blend. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and place a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until done on both sides. Taste, and adjust the salt and seasonings in the remaining meat mixture.
Cut the peppers in half through the stem so that they form six half-pepper cups. Fill each half pepper with meat mixture. Mound the meat no more than a 1/2 inch over the top edge of each pepper. The stuffed peppers can be made in advance to this point and stored covered in the refrigerator for several days.
To cook on the grill, first light the grill. Cook pepper side down over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pepper is charred and soft. Turn the stuffed peppers over and cook on the meat side for 10 minutes. Test for doneness.
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See you in the garden, Theresa & Kevin phone: 321-636-7662 |
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Rockledge Gardens "Quick Links"
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Free annual or perennial with purchase of gift certificate of $25 or more
| Rockledge Gardens gift certificates make great Mother's Day gifts! Bring in this coupon and with your purchase of a gift certificate ($25 or more) we will give you a free 6" wrapped annual or perennial to present with it. | Offer expires May 8, 2011. Please present coupon. Click here for printable version, or if you don't have a printer, mention coupon offer gcff050811. Limit one coupon per Garden Bug.
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