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Greetings!
It doesn't seem possible but a full year has rolled around, and Papershell is celebrating its first birthday this weekend! Does anyone remember last year -- the bitter cold, the biting winds, the frozen pipes, the rolling blackouts? We do! Hardly an auspicious beginning for a new garden center -- and to follow it with an epic drought was almost more than we could stand.
 | | Almost too cold for Mom! |
But now, a year later, looking forward to a second spring, the future looks rosy. Many thanks to all of you who have supported our efforts this year. You were present at the very beginning of our adventure -- and I value your friendship as much as I do your business.
 | | Baby Huey! |
There were so many great times in 2011! Remember the fledging of babies Huey and Louie? The arrival of Shelly and Tommy Six Toes? The fantastic art that graced our gallery walls? And who can forget the gallons of fantastic
delicious lemonade?
Won't you come celebrate with us this weekend with a piece of birthday cake? We'd like to share a bit of the birthday festivities with you.
Thanks for signing up for our email newsletter! Come see us soon! |
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The Low-Down on Fruit Trees
Tis the season, isn't it? Everyone's got fruit trees on the mind right now, and the early blooming of our local peaches and pears merely spurs us on! If you didn't get a chance to attend Diana's fruit tree class, you really missed out! It's a complicated subject and there's so much information out there, both good and bad.
 | | Little Green Apples... |
For my money, growing fruit is about the most cost-effective and effortless way to raise food in your garden. There's a fruit tree, vine or bush for almost every gardener's desire.
Here's a brief rundown of my favorites.
Most beautiful fruit: the pomegranate, with its bright orange outside and rich, crimson seed pods. Easy to grow and healthful too! We have Garnet Sash and Red Silk in stock.
Easiest fruit: a tie between the fig and blackberries. Both are very well adapted to our area, and have no problem with our occasional freezes.
Best ornamental fruit tree: the peach family, including plums, famous for lovely flowers as well as tasty fruit. Peaches are self-fruitful, which means you only need one to get fruit. Plums generally require a pollinator.
Best fruit tree that will provide shade: pears and Asian pears. Fast-growing, long-lived trees that require very little maintenance. We have two different Asian pears and three different European pears in stock. All are resistant to fire blight.
 | | Variegated Pink Lemon |
Easiest tropical fruits: a tie between the Improved Meyer Lemon and the satsuma family. Both are extremely cold hardy: mine made it through the past two winters without a bit of cover.
Dollar-for-dollar, best fruit for the money: the blackberry, hands down. Invest in a few 1-gallon plants and eat fresh blackberries until you can't stand it any more! We stock both the highly productive Kiowa and the thornless Ouachita.
We've got a huge selection of both temperate and subtropical fruits available right now. Download this year's list right here or give us a call. We are often able to special-order fruit too, so drop us a line if you're looking for something extra-special.
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Abutilon 'Marilyn's Choice'
I love this plant! 'Marilyn's Choice' is a relatively large abutilon, reaching about 4 feet tall and almost as wide. It's so attractive with these little petticoat-shaped blossoms and the blooms perk up any garden. This particular variety was propagated by Treesearch Farms from cuttings originally taken at an old church in Lafayette, Louisiana.
 | | 'Marilyn's Choice' Abutilon |
The abutilon family is sometimes called "Flowering Maple" and there are lots of different flower types. This one is root-hardy in our area, and blooms spring through fall in either sunny or mostly sunny locations. It's also a great favorite of hummingbirds passing through.
You may notice abutilons at the nursery with larger leaves -- these tend to prefer morning sun or even partial shade. All abutilons would like to be fertilized monthly, spring through fall.
Marilyn's Choice is available now in 1-gallon containers!
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Turnip Time!
How does your garden grow? Mine grows turnips and do I ever love to eat them! Mostly I cook turnips either roasted in the oven with other root vegetables, or steamed and served with butter, salt and pepper. But sometimes I cook this hearty veggie casserole filled with turnips, peas, garlic and cilantro. I like it because it's meaty and a little spicy, exotic without being strange. I copied the recipe years ago from one of Faye Levy's cookbooks but I can't remember which one! Enjoy -- now you can't say you don't know how to cook turnips!
 | | Turnips should be firm, not squishy! |
Algerian Turnips with Peas, Garlic & Cilantro
2 lbs. turnips, peeled if desired, and cut into 1" dice
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
pinch or more of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
2 cups frozen peas
Combine turnips, garlic, oil, paprika, cayenne and water in a large saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in rice and half the cilantro. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Add peas without stirring. Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes more. Gently stir in most of the remaining cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with a bit of the chopped cilantro.
Makes 2-3 main-course servings or 4-5 side dishes.
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Weather Forecasting
People accuse me of obsessing about the weather, and, well, yes -- it's true. I put weather updates on our Papershell facebook page when something interesting is looming on the horizon. But I thought you might be interested in seeing which sources for weather I use.
I like to look at the NOAA US Local Weather Forecast on the internet because it doesn't have all the crazy hype of the weather channel or local TV stations. Plus down on the lower right hand side of the page, you can get a link detailing the hourly weather graph. I like that one because it shows how the wind is changing on an hourly basis.
 | | Radar |
But I don't like that radar! I get better images from the radar at Justweather.com. Here's what I'm watching -- the radar in Wharton/Fort Bend county.
For long-range forecasting, you might as well have a Ouija board, but I do look at this 16-day forecast. It isn't perfect but looking at the next 2 weeks gives you a sense of how dramatically the weather is likely to change.
And finally, because I'm a total weather geek now, I subscribe to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation discussion. It's the basis of the forecasts for El Nino or La Nina and has a lot to do with our chances of escaping another drought this summer.
If there is unusual weather in the immediate forecast, check out the Papershell Facebook page -- go over there and "Like" us and our status updates will appear in your News Feed. It's more up to date than our newsletters can be. Thanks!
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Please stop by and visit! Have a glass of world-famous lemonade (or a beer!) -- we'd love to meet you!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Barrow
Papershell: A Garden Gallery
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Visit us at the Market! Saturdays, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25 9:00am-1:00pm Papershell will have a booth at the Sugar Land Farmer's Market at Imperial Sugar on Saturdays! We'll feature the work of our artists and offer fresh veggies from 2 local farms! Here's a map to the location.
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Papershell Birthday!
Weekend of February 3-4
This week marks our 1-year anniversary! Come celebrate with us -- we'll have cake and lemonade all weekend, in addition to some great classes and events. We want to personally thank you for your support!
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Build A Bed, Part 1 Saturday, February 3 3:00-4:30pm Want to install a brand-new flowerbed but don't know how to go about it? This class covers the first steps, including grass removal, drainage, soil mixes, irrigation and more. Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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Sharpen Up! Sunday, February 4 12:00-4:00pm Bring your garden tools, scissors and kitchen knives for sharpening while you wait! Premier Sharpening is sending a mobile unit to Papershell. View their price list here.
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Rose Roundup! Sunday, February 4 2:00-3:30pm Caring for America's favorite flower doesn't have to be hard! Master Gardener and Rose Rustler Barbara Buckley leads this workshop on roses, with a particular focus on Earthkind, easy-care roses suitable for any landscape Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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Permaculture Design Basics Sunday, February 12 2:00-3:30pm Permaculture is a design philosophy based on principles that can be used in any climate and any part of the world and is modeled on relationships found in nature. Come learn the basic principles based on the ecology of interrelatedness. You'll learn how to incorporate these principles into your garden, with an eye to creating a self-sustaining system. This class is taught by horticulturist Diana Liga. Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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Permaculture Design Basics Sunday, February 12 2:00-3:30pm Permaculture is a design philosophy based on principles that can be used in any climate and any part of the world and is modeled on relationships found in nature. Come learn the basic principles based on the ecology of interrelatedness. You'll learn how to incorporate these principles into your garden, with an eye to creating a self-sustaining system. This class is taught by horticulturist Diana Liga. Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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Spring into Gardening! Sunday, February 19 2:00-3:30pm Get the season off on the right foot! This class, led by Papershell owner Elizabeth Barrow, touches on getting the spring garden moving and includes topics such as lawn care, veggies and flowers. Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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Growing Spring Tomatoes Sunday, February 26 2:00-3:30pm The first of our two short tomato-growing seasons is upon us! Learn to avoid problems and grow the best tomatoes ever, organically! This class is taught by horticulturist Diana Liga. Class fee is $10. Each participant receives a coupon good for 15% of today's purchases. Reservations suggested: call (281) 232-4485 or email us to sign up.
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