Herb Garden
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Winter 2003-04 Newsletter
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Karen's letter to Fellow Gardeners
Spice and Entice: Enhance the winter
garden with fragrance
Herbal Spotlight - Magnolia Vine (Wu Wei Zi)
I love the occasional winter customer. Last Sunday, (one week ago today)
it began to snow. After 4” of powdery beauty morphed into stinging pellets of
sleet, that began…yep, a really yucky week.
On the day of the snow, I went outside every two hours to sweep off the cold frames* to take the weight off of the plastic that covers them. The last time, as the grey day dimmed to an incomplete darkness, I began sweeping the top of the largest house first. The sleet had attached itself to the powdery base and with the first bump of my pushbroom over the arching roof, an avalanche proceeded to ripple from above me down the length of the house. One moment I was knee deep in snow with boots that stretch slightly above my ankles. The next, I was plastered to the ground with snow. As I sputtered to the surface, I was glad that it was dark…and that no one was watching.
No one could come to work. I sat at the computer and did my bookkeeping. I chased the recently spayed feral cats to try to attach their rabies tags. I drank wine, built a fire in the woodstove, read a novel, watched HGTV, bugged a few friends on the telephone…
Yesterday, after a week of being unable to find the ground, much less work or even walk upon it, (yes, I’ve fallen 4 times thus far), I braved the back walk to get to the greenhouse. I was happily chopping at some frozen nursery mix in an attempt to pot up the newly arrived hostas. (Texans have no sense of winter weather…my UPS guy had to struggle through the drifts to deliver a ton of tightly packed treasures that would have surely resented being dumped out into an 18° evening atop a mound of snow.)
Suddenly, I was amazed to hear a car “land” in the parking lot (snow plows can create an awesome mess) and then, a car door popped open. From the greenhouse, I poked my head out and shouted “Hi, can I help you with something?” When you’ve been stuck alone for days and not seen too many folks, you’re damn close to desperate for human contact.
“Do you have any lemon grass?” she shouted in return.
“Yes” I called as I pondered the reasons that someone might be scrambling about for a tropical herb in a snow bank in a North Carolina January.
She elaborated at the door. “I called home from work and TOLD them to get my plants in, but, of course, they didn’t. My lemon grass bit the dust. That stuff in the grocery store just can’t compete with the fresh.”
As she slid down the slippery path back to her car, I began to think that next week will be less yucky. A customer actually braved the snow for some lemon grass! Things are looking up and spring is right around the corner! It’s so great to feel cheerful again.
*Cold frames are unheated greenhouses that protect plants from desiccating winter winds and sudden shifts in temperature. Happy Gardening,
Spice and Entice: Enhance the Winter Garden with Fragrance
Many folks think of daphne odora
first and foremost when the subject of winter fragrance is broached. A lovely,
temperamental and occasionally suicidal little evergreen shrub, the Winter
Daphne pulls you outdoors with spicy fragrant clusters of pink/white blossoms
that begin in late February and last well into March or April. Ensure good
drainage for this densely branched, mounding plant in semi-shaded spot and you
may succeed in establishing a contented little treasure.
In addition to our daphne odora, we are growing a different species for late winter beauty. The February Daphne (Daphne mezereum) is a late winter flowering deciduous shrub that will slowly grow to attain a 4' rounded appearance. Delightful fragrance wafts from rosy-purple blossoms that are produced from the buds along its leafless stems in March to early April. (I know…the name says February, but the literature says they’re lying!) Red berries follow blooms to offer another appealing feature in June. This plant prefers a well drained site and protection from afternoon sun. What a treat for the winter garden!
For those who prefer a plant that is a little less picky (daphnes have their pesnickety reputation to uphold), the Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) might be an option. This unusual, winter bloomer has fragrant yellow blossoms in late January or February. Stems may be cut and forced inside for indoor fragrance and color. Planted near a walkway or courtyard with evergreens, this lovely shrub will entice even the most devout winter hater outdoors with its spicy aroma. Prune out old canes or shape for size after flowering.
Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Gold Rush'
Another unusual beauty is the Japanese Rice Paper Plant (Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Gold Rush’) Rubbery stems display tightly furled silky white buds in nodding clusters at the tips of their branches. These unfurl in late winter to become beautiful, fragrant flowers of golden yellow. The bark of those rubbery, light-colored stems is the commercial source of rice paper. These terrific unusual plants are beautiful scattered in a lightly wooded area, as they colonize from the base and put on a display that from a distance appears ethereal.
A favorite in our front garden is the Winterhazel (Corylopsis spicata). Planted to spill its unusual contorted shape over a retaining wall, the fragrant pale gold chains of buttery, rounded, bell-shaped flowers unfurling in late winter/early spring, make this shrub a standout in the winter landscape. In addition, this Japanese native has exceptional foliage. New leaves open a dark purple and mature to a deep blue green. It’s best to give the winter hazel some space to spread its picturesque branches.
Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the ever-popular witchhazels (Hamamelis x intermedia). We look forward to the fringey blooms in bright yellow, burgundy red and coppery gold each year. Slow growers, but worth the wait, the fragrance and show are always fantastic. The fringy blooms of ‘Arnolds Promise’ and ‘Prima Vera’ are screaming bright shades of yellow, while ‘Diane’ is a burgundy-red and ‘Jelena’ is a coppery-orange. Planted in groupings or as a specimen, they offer a stellar performance each February.
HERBAL SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Vine (Wu Wei Zi) It’s always fun to realize that you have stumbled onto a new herbal treasure when you begin to grow a plant for its ornamental characteristics. Magnolia vine (Schisandra chinensis) is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbalism. Recommended both as a tonic and for its restorative properties, the fruit, leaves and bark contain schisandrine which has tonifying and strengthening properties. They also contain Vitaman E and many microelements. It is often considered a fine substitute for ginseng. The deep lush green foliage of the Magnolia Vine can grow from 10’ to 30’ A native of east Asia, it offers creamy white, drooping flowers in spring and female plants sport great clusters of scarlet berries from the end of July to September. Both male and female plants are necessary for pollination. An invaluable addition to the shaded or lightly shaded garden, it provides several seasons of interest with its lovely foliage, delicate blooms and startling fall fruits
These eggs are unbelievably good for the brunch lover. Use about 2 tsp each of pine nuts, green onion and mushroom per egg. (Or just go crazy and throw in any amount that you like.)
Ingredients:
Butter
Pine nuts
Chopped green onion
Chopped mushrooms
½ cup chopped fresh spinach (per egg)
Freshly ground nutmeg (about a pinch per egg)
Salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese
Brunch Time Eggs
-Melt one Tbsp. of butter in heavy skillet. Sauté pine nuts, green onion and mushroom until nuts begin to turn gold.
-Add torn spinach leaves and cook until they just begin to wilt.
-Add eggs pinches of ground nutmeg. Salt and pepper lightly.
-When eggs are cooked through as desired, sprinkle feta cheese across the top. Great served with toasted bagel and fresh cantaloupe or pineapple.
Exciting Additions
This is the time of year that we begin to pot new additions to begin growing for the coming years. As we pot, we seek out lots of info and become antsy and agitated wanting the plants to grow and fulfill their promise NOW!
Here are a few of our new oddballs to watch for:
Daphne mezereum– (see Spice & Entice article)
Kalopanax septemlobus – Castor-Aralia tree – Large-growing shade tree with outstanding glossy green leaves shaped like those of the castor bean plant. Small white blossoms in mid-summer are followed by 4”-6” clusters of black berries – a terrific treat for the birds.
Rhododendron mucronulatum –Korean Rhododendron Wow! This compact grower explodes in rosy pinkish-purple blossoms in early spring before dressing itself in lovely green foliage that is aromatic when crushed. Autumn leaf colors are a mix of yellow, orange and wine.
‘Jaytee’ Harbor Belle Nandina – an exciting new dwarf nandina that grows rapidly but keeps a compact, spreading form. Produces clusters of red berries and can be used as a groundcover!
Weaver’s Weeping Kousa Dogwood and Gold Star Kousa – Wow, a weeping kousa with heavy flowering characteristics. Gold Star is a golden variegated form.
“Leprechaun” Leucothoe – A compact evergreen for that grows well in shaded or partially shaded area, is beautiful planted in mass.
Franklinia - This aristocratic small tree hasn't been found in the wild since 1790. A rare species, it has lustrous green foliage that turns beautiful shades of orange and red in fall. The most striking feature, however, is its late summer bloom of large, fragrant white flowers with yellow stamens. This plant requires moist, acidic, well drained soil which has been supplied with ample organic matter.