Winter or Summer Savory?

Summer Savory

June 9, 2010

The plant tag on this herb that I planted last year said Summer Savory which is an annual herb.  However, it came back up this year so obviously it is a perennial so I suspect that it is actually Winter Savory.  It does look like Summer Savory but I will be able to tell better when it blooms.  I don't like letting my herbs go to flower because the plant's energy is then put into reproduction rather than the leaf production I want for eating.  I planted a piece up in a pot so will let that one go to flower.  If the flower is white it is Winter Savory but if it is a lilac colour then it is Summer Savory.  Either way it is quite tasty!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Mother's Day Herbal Gifts

There is no such thing as too many herbs!  The beauty of herbs is they can be grown indoors and outdoors without much effort.  If growing indoors the main requirement is light followed by proper watering.  Herbs tend to like to be on the dry side.  Many will grow nicely on a window sill or on the balcony.  A couple of our kids gifted me with two potted herbs for Mother's Day. 

The first potted herb planter consisted of five herbs planted in a cute planter suitable for indoors.  As the herbs get larger they can easily be transplanted outdoors.  The herbs in this pot are parsley, sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary from Freeman Herbs in Beamsville, Ontario.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The tag includes suggested ways of using the herbs.  Once the herbs outgrow this pot they can easily be repotted outdoors in the garden where they will flourish as perennial herbs or they can be repotted in larger containers for indoor growing.  Not only do they smell heavenly they are just so lovely to behold!

The second potted herb is a variety of basil called pesto Perptuo.  According to the tag this is the sweetest tasting basil of all basils.  It provides a good fall harvest and can overwinter indoors.  When it comes to basil there is no such thing as too much.  I love basil!  It's one of those herbs that even in the garden I'm constantly pinching to make the plant bushier while popping the pinchings in my mouth savouring the wonderful flavour.

There are several varieties of basil and quite honestly I would have one plant of every one of then given my druthers.  This herb when used fresh really adds that extra and in my opinion fresh is far better than dried so is well worth cutivating indoors during the winter.  Basil is an annual in our area so basil plants in the garden are brought in to overwinter indoors.  Clippings will root in water which is quite handy if you don't want to dig up plants in the fall.  Basil is best if you don't let it come to bloom so harvest leaves often.  Pinching will result in a bushier plant.  It does grow well indoor and outdoor plants overwinter well indoors as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

This is the fifth home we have owned and while each house/property presented unique challenges this property has presented the problem of over growth. The landscaping is mature as far as trees, bushes and shrubs. There really is too much! Compounding the problem are several perimeter, pocket garden beds planted willy nilly with everything imaginable. Despite moving here the end of June 2007 we are still in the tear out mode. At the same time we are doing a fair amount of pruning because we want to keep the look of the gardens without the wild, unkept look. It is obvious that some plants have to go. In order to do this I have been identifying what is growing on the property then eliminating the problem plants while keeping or transplanting those plants that give us the look we want.

Sweet Woodruff
(Galium odoratum)

A sidewalk runs from the driveway to the back steps leading to the lower covered patio. On the house side this forms one small flower bed about 2' x 6' that would be perfect planted with a low growing ground cover. Also bordering the sidewalk on the house side is a L-shaped bend actually more like a P-shape with a narrow tail and wide bed in front of the kitchen window. On the other side of the sidewalk is a meandering garden bed with various plants that in most cases need to be moved. On of these plants is Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) identified with the help of one of my kids. There is a good size patch of this plant along with a smaller one.

and in various edible products (May wine, sausage, jam, jelly and soft drinks) however high levels of Sweet Woodruff is a very pretty, low growing, mat forming ground cover popular for shady locations. It has small, white, four petal flowers formed in cymes (each flower on one stem with stems joined together on a single stem) in the spring. The simple leaves form whorls of six to nine giving this ground cover a unique, delicate look. Sweet Woodruff is said to be slightly invasive but I have not found that to be the case. If anything I would like it to spread a bit more. Propagation is by division. When dried, Sweet Woodruff resembles fresh mown hay or slightly vanilla scented. Dried Sweet Woodruff is used in potpourri and it has both culinary and medicinal uses. Coumarin (a blood thinner) that gives this herb its scent can cause headaches while very high doses can cause vertigo, central paralysis and apnea while in a coma. Sweet Woodruff has not been used as a flavouring in Germany since 1981 however, home growers continue to use dried Sweet Woodruff for flavouring a variety of foods. I am going to stress the high levels as you would have to eat a lot of Sweet Woodruff to experience the negative side effects. Normal culinary levels of dried Sweet Woodruff is unlikely to cause any negative side effects.

I would like to establish a second patch of Sweet Woodruff. It would be a perfect ground cover for the first small garden between the sidewalk and house. Not only would it be pretty and delicate looking, it would be maintenance free. The plant will be ideal for potpourri as well. This will be one herb that I will be growing indoors as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

White Nancy Lamiums

White Nancy Lamiums
(Lamium maculatum)
June 26, 2008

Moving into a home with mature landscaping has meant discovering a lot of new to me plants. We moved in late June so that meant we had no idea what spring plants there were. Part of the fun has been identifying the various plants as they emerged to decide if they were friend or foe. This means that I have had a wonderful opportunity to expand my gardening knowledge! I will be sharing some of my findings with you but first a valuable tip. If you have a plant you don't know whether it is a friend or foe, leave it be until you have identified. Take pictures and clipping to take to the nursery where they will more than likely be able to help. Quite often neighbours will say "oh that's such and such" more often using the common name.

I discovered a patch of lamiums in one bed although I didn't know that was what it was until I identified the plant. This bed has to be almost completely revamped so the question became whether this was a plant I wanted there and if not where if at all. The plant is quite pretty so I was hoping it was a friend.

Lamiums are a member of the nettle family (herbaceous) commonly called creeping lamiums. They are low growing, spreading ground cover about 6 - inches tall that blooms in late spring and early summer continuing through the fall. There are several cultivars with flowers ranging in colour from pink, dark pink, rose-red, purple, lavender along with variations in leaf colour from yellow and green to silver and green. Beacon Silver with bright lavender flowers and White Nancy (White Nancy dead nettle, spotted deadnettle) with white flowers. These two varieties with their silvery green leaves edged with a deeper green are the same except for flower colour. Lamiums do not like soggy soil conditions. They are are ideal ground cover for dry shady locations. It can be somewhat invasive but my experience so far is that it is not near as invasive as other ground covers. If planting for the first time, plant 16 - inches apart. Propagation is by division and they are self seeding.

I love the looks of this ground cover. As you know, I detest grass so am always looking for environmentally friendly ground covers. It is a little higher so could provide a habitat for rodents but I haven't seen any indication of this happening yet.

As you can see something has been after my lamiums. I suspect slugs but have not spotted them yet in the actual patch but I do know they are in that particular garden. I am treating with diatomaceous earth mainly because we do have an earwig and centipede problem. Diatomaceous earth is 100% organic made from finely ground diatom fossils. It kills off many crawling insects including earwigs and centipedes (thank-you!) and it can be used indoors or outdoors.

Warning: Use a dust mask whenever applying diatomaceous earth as it can cause respiratory problems during application. Wear gloves to prevent problems with skin absorption.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

Bearded Iris

Bearded Iris
Iris germanica
June 2, 2008

Iris is the genus (recall the nomenclature post earlier) of 200 to 300 flowering plants. They are herbaceous perennials that grow from rhizomes or in drier climates bulbs. The have long, erect flowering stems that in our zone bloom from late May to early June. Despite being an herb they are mainly grown as an ornamental plant in the garden. The flowers are quite showy but from my first year experience with them are not long lasting. The flowers can be cut for indoor display. They are fragrant but not as fragrant as other cut flowers. They do look lovely standing to great you as you enter the garden.

I have always wanted Iris but until now did not have them. Now I have two clumps of Bearded Iris, one a white with purple edging and the other a peach. I've never had Iris so it is a learning curve for me. They should be planted in grainy, well drained soil in a sunny location. Avoid over fertilizing as that will cause soft, lush growth that will flop easily. Tall varieties should be avoided in windy areas as they are susceptible to both wind and rain damage. Staking will help prevent wind and rain damage. Iris should be divided every few years when fail to bloom or the number of blooms is reduced. Propagation is by division six to eight weeks after blooming. Simply slice though the clump to form two or more clumps depending on the size of the existing clump leaving a chunk of rhizome and roots for each division. Plant the removed clump into a prepared hole with the fleshy part of the rhizome showing and the roots well covered. If the rhizome is planted too deep the Iris will grow profusely but not flower.

Iris borer (Macronoctura onusta) and thrips are two problems you will encounter when growing Bearded Iris. The Iris borer eggs overwinter on debris or on the crown of the iris. The tiny caterpillar eggs hatch in the spring and bore through the leaf eating their way to the centre of the leaf. By mid-summer the caterpillars are about two inches long and have made their way to the rhizome where they tunnel and eat. As a result the rhizome will become soft, mushy and foul smelling (iris bacterial soft rot). Prevention is the best course of action against the Iris borer. Inspect the plants in the summer looking for dark spots on the leaves. Divide the clump as for propagation, manually remove and kill any Iris borer in the rhizome. Cut away the rot if it is minor or remove the rhizome entirely. Bearded Iris can be dusted with diatomaceous earth in the spring as a preventative measure against Iris borer. During late summer and early fall clean the beds well to eliminate egg laying sites. Remove all debris after the first heavy frost to prevent overwintering eggs. Thrips are tiny white flies that lay their eggs in developing buds. The larva damage the flower surface causing the flowers to become mottled and/or streaked. Some buds may not open or will rot. Control thrips with insecticidal soap or diatomaceous earth as soon as the buds begin forming. Fly tack is an effective controle for adult thrips. Aphids can transmit mosaic virus to Bearded Iris causing the leaves and flowers to become mottled. Affected plants should be destroyed. Control aphids with insecticidal soap.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Peonies (Paeonia)

When the peonies bloom it pours. That has been so true this year with a cold and very wet spring. We had two lovely peony bushes at my childhood home. I loved the beautiful showy flowers so when we bought out first house I really wanted to plant peonies. What stopped me was remembering the ants that liked to gather on the peony buds. An old wives tale says that peonies need ants for the blooms to open but this is a myth. The ants are there to feed on the nectar and will seldom stay after the buds open.

This is the first house that I've had peony bushes. One is a gorgeous pinky white and the other a deep purply pink. Both are very fragrant! They are away from the house so as to not encourage ants indoors. For the most part there is very little maintenance for peonies but they reward you with beautiful, showy, fragrant blooms that can be cut and brought indoors. If doing this and you are concerned there may be ants in the blooms, simply soak the blooms in water for 5 minutes. This will drive out any ants without harming the blooms.

I've noticed two problems with my peonies. First we have been experiencing a lot of heavy rain so that has caused the peony bushes to bend over. They really aren't a stand up type of bush but then it could be where they are planted or just rain damage. Second, there has been a little leaf damage due to slugs. Other than that the peonies are performing nicely. They tend to like cooler climates for best growth.

Peonies should be planted in a somewhat protected location from strong winds, in full sun or light shade preferably with a northern exposure. Fertilize with a 5 - 10 - 10 in the spring. Fertilizing with a higher nitrogen content fertilizer with cause weakened stems and reduced blooming. Peonies bloom late May to mid-June and may not look the best in the fall. Disbudding can encourage larger blooms. To do this remove all buds but the terminal one as soon as buds are visible. Flowers should be removed as they fade just below the flower to prevent seed development. Keep watered and fertilized for best blooms but don't mulch for winter. The soil should be well-drained to prevent root rot. Peonies can be staked to improve the look of the bush but it really isn't necessary. Bushes can be transplanted in the fall but do not plant them too deep. Add 1/4 c of 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer to the bottom of the hole but not in the soil that will surround the roots. They will take awhile to re-establish after transplanting. Bushes can be divided as well in the fall with more success.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007