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Tired! That's the short version of the update from me and the garden, after about 300 sets of feet tromped through a soggy but colorful landscape here yesterday on my first Open Day of the season. I want to recap it all for you -- but I want to watch nonstop dvd's with a heating pad positioned on my lower back today even more! Tour recap to come mid-week, but for now, two treats for the senses: a favorite sandwich, and a spicy, little-grown spring shrub.
the gorgeous, little-grown clove currant
What native American shrub smells like cloves right now, with a profusion of golden flowers, and handsome lobed foliage (which will turn nice warm colors in fall)? Another clue: It would have fruit, too, if you had both a male and a female plant. It's the clove currant, which I know as Ribes odoratum, and woody plant expert Michael Dirr calls it "a rare gem in the shrub world." Say hello, and have a virtual whiff!
gardeners' incentive: vegetarian reuben recipe
When we are pushing hard to get the garden "open" for spring, my trusty helper and I come up with incentives -- usually in the form of food. "Treats," we call them, or "employee benefits" -- whatever it takes to get to the finish line despite the to-do list that's far too long for too-few hands. "Let's make the Reubens tomorrow," Susan said, after a relentless day of chores last Thursday, and last Friday we did. Vegetarian Reuben sandwiches, specifically; hold the corned beef.
missed it last issue?
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