Wild about Wildflowers, Part 1

Bluebells at Denver Botanic Gardens, where it’s hard to find the ice cream but easy to find the flower.

This week I had great fun with the Ft. Bend Master Gardeners in Rosenberg, Texas. They wanted to hear about one of my plant passions: wildflowers. (I’m sharing a list of my favorite wildflowers at the end of this post, plus a FREE BOOK for a lucky winner!)

Many Americans alive today were not around to remember when wildflowers were called “weeds.” That transformation in thought is a recent developement. (RECENT if you are an old fart, like me.) The Beautification Act of 1965, championed by then 1st lady-Lady Bird Johnson, brought much deserved appreciation for our natural beauties. (Okay, I wasn’t in school yet when LBJ was president, so maybe I’m not THAT old.)

The entry sign at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX. For more info on the childhood of Lady Bird Johnson, read MISS LADY BIRD’S WILDFLOWERS, by Kathi Appelt with art from Joy Fisher Hein, illustrator of my book, BLOOMIN’ TALES.

For many years, our native wildflowers were sought after as foreign favorites, proven to be hardy additions to European gardens. A prophet in his own land, right? Mrs. Johnson’s love for her Texas roots – and the attached flowers – bloomed into a determination that her fellow Americans were missing the boat. Or at least the wheelbarrow.

So what is a wildflower? “A flower not intentionally planted or seeded,” says Wikipedia. How is that different from a weed? Maybe it’s not. A new friend from Ft. Bend Master Gardeners (thanks, Vic!) says “a weed is a plant that no one has discovered a use for yet.” In my experience, a weed could be a misunderstood wildflower. It’s often a plant that happened to take hold in a spot where it’s unwanted. A wildflower in a flower bed might be okay, but that same plant in the lawn is considered a weed. Why do they seem to thrive in the lawn instead of the well-tended garden? Because most prefer a depleted soil. We take too good of care of them, in other words.

Butterfly weed attracts and feeds the monarchs.

A monarch caterpillar on butterfly weed: if you want butterflies in your garden, give ‘em their favorite food!

There’s some disagreement on whether a plant should be indigenous to an area to be truly considered a wildflower. Insects, animals, and birds probably prefer dining on natives over foreign plants. Most of us are leery of unknown foods, right? In my book, an INVASIVE plant is always a WEED. Intent on crowding out our native plants, gorgeous flowers lull us into a stupor as they plot to take over the world.

Weed or wildflower, here are 10 of my favorites. Next week I’ll share 10 more easy-to-grow wildflowers.

I’d also like to hear and see some of your favorite wildflowers. Share your wildflower stories and shots with me as a comment here to be in the running for a FREE copy of my children’s book BLOOMIN’ TALES, full of legends telling how some of our wildflowers got their names. And if you are in the Austin area next weekend, the illustrator -Joy Hein- and I will be signing copies on Saturday, April 27th, from 1-4 in the Wildflower Center’s bookstore.

• fragrant aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
• beauty berry (Callicarpa americana)
• beebalm (Monarda spp.)
• blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
• bluebells (Eustoma exaltatum)
• blue sage (Salvia farinacea) (Salvia x ‘Indigo Spires’)
• butterfly weed (Aeslepias tuberosa)
• cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
• Hinkley’s columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinkleyana)
• purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Want a FREE book?

Bloomin’ Tales comes in a special TEXAS edition, too!

Head to my author FaceBook page if you want a copy of one of my books. Gus will do the drawing later today, so you better hurry!

New Year’s Anti-resolutions

This year has begun the same way last year ended: I’m behind.

My intentions – like that of most other bloggers – are pretty straightforward. Most of us try and get a new post up every couple of weeks, if not weekly. My record does not reflect my intentions.

Yes, it’s been a crazy year… near death for my sweetie… a move…  grad school in another state … a new book out (well, sort of two books since it’s in TWO EDITIONS with different information in each)… me two surgeries and then surgery on two relatives that required travel and care for a week each… our 1st grandbaby born.  Is my year any different from anyone else’s, though? Have you overheard someone exclaim, “this year was so calm. I’m bored” ?I know I haven’t!

So rather than promise change, I’m gonna make a different kind of promise to you and to myself, an ANTI-RESOLUTION of sorts. (Did you know they have an APP for that, too?) I’m predicting unpredictable flurries of activity on this site, with random silences. There will be no pattern seen by the naked eye. Or even by the bespectacled one, for that matter. If I get lots of landscaping questions (usually in the spring and fall), you will see lots of posts. If I don’t, you probably won’t. What I’m saying is the frequency depends on YOU, not me, this year. This is not to put a guilt trip on anyone. It’s kind of like when my girls don’t call, I assume all is well.

When you DON’T get a call from your kids, is that 1 degree of separation from Kevin Bacon?

I do have many garden-blogging friends who report in a regular fashion. Some even posted their New Year’s gardening resolutions. Not me.

If you have a problem in your garden, or don’t; need some organic lawn care advice, or don’t; have a photo of something you need identified, or don’t;  need some life encouragement, or want to offer encouragement to others, let me know. If I don’t hear a peep, neither will you. c:

Build a crate coffee table

crate table

This week I’m working on projects at my daughter’s house as we await the imminent arrival of my 1st grandchild. Her nesting has created a long list of honey-do’s and momma-do’s and at the top of her list was something she’d seen on Pinterest: an exterior coffee table made of wooden crates. Upon visiting the Abilene, Texas Habitat for Humanity ReStore on another quest (also on the list), she mentioned needing two crates of the same size/shape for her project to the guy checking us out. He motioned for us to pull around back where he loaded – gratis – two said crates.

(I think West Texas folks are just nice like that. Probably didn’t hurt my daughter is 9 plus months pregnant and I’m old….)

Wanna know how we made it? Here’s the low-down on our method, with a few extra hints, gratis.

1) Talk someone out of relatively clean twin crates. (HINT:Take a pregnant woman with you for apathy. Also, if you can pull them OUT of the car, place the crates so they must be moved in order for your spouse to get into the house, encouraging them to help with the project.)

Expect to use 3 cans of spray paint because of the rough texture of the crate’s wood.

2) Paint said crates (I used 3 cans of spray paint and a mask, but in West Texas winds, that was barely enough) along with 4 sections of 4×4′s as spacers, if desired.

3) Screw casters into the corners of the crate that will be the bottom part of the table. (HINT:You might want LOCKING CASTERS unless you’re okay with the table being used as unapproved playground equipment.)

Why is it called “toenail” when you put screws in at an angle?

4) Toenail deck screws attaching the spacers to the bottom crate, then to the top crate, creating a two-level table. (Or a really fun, really cute, and really DANGEROUS trolley for kids.)

Oooooh, wouldn’t this be a cool serving trolley or wine bar if each crate was cut in two and stacked FOUR high?

(HINT: I’d love to see YOUR photos if you make one of these, but wait till my daughter goes into labor before you send it. I’d like to rock my new grandbaby while SHE works on projects!) c:

Locking casters will keep your table stationary, but aren’t nearly as much fun when table surfing.

Free Friday better than FREAKY Friday anyday!

Dramm’s classic Rain Wand along with their classic model showing its use. While I do condone using this product, I do NOT condone the white shoes after Labor Day. (Photo – and give-away – courtesy Dramm Corporation.)

Several weeks ago I got a package from Dramm Corporation, a great North American company that started out producing commercial landscaping products but known now primarily for their incredible hose-end watering tools, like the classic Rain Wand.

They asked me to try some of their other products and sent enough for YOU to try them, too.

Dramm’s Compact Pruners are a great stocking stuffer! (Cat not included.)

Want one? For FREE???

Just comment on this post or on my author FaceBook page to get your name in the drawing.

Oh, by the way, according to Captain Hook, their Compact Pruners are pet friendly, but not PAW friendly. c:

Garden gypsies love change!

We’ve moved. Again. For the last time. Again.

People ask “how can you leave your gorgeous garden?” Those people don’t know me. I’m a garden gypsy. When I get close to being finished, it is time to move on and find a new challenge.

BEFORE: the front entry of the garden – the front door is on the side of the house on a different street, so no one could find it. Okay for salesmen; not okay for UPS.

AFTER: the front entry of the garden – we created a new entry walk, brick wall and gate off of the cul-de-sac, which was our actual address. Everyone could find us, but need the secret handshake to enter.

It’s difficult to see things objectively with your own child. Someone says “oh, your yard is beautiful,” and I can’t help but tell them what things need to be fixed, bringing out negative aspects no one saw but me.

I guess we all need someone in our lives to breath affirmatives into our ear – and into our gardens – giving us a fresh look at what is GOOD. My “old” garden is good now, ready for another caretaker, one who loves plants but doesn’t have a vision for planning their landscape. I often wish I was more like that….. Probably not as much as my husband wishes I was like that.

BEFORE: the view to the golf course – NOT!

AFTER: the view to the golf course – adding a broad crushed granite path framed our view to  the course and an observation deck gave us a new view to the tee box and green. Edging keeps the wildness the wildlife and I love at bay.  There are lots of spots to harbor golf balls that go astray, and no, I’m not giving them back if they land in my yard!

Thought I’d share some shots of my “old” garden, giving insight into a couple of the challenges we found there six years ago and how we worked past them. Look for photos of my “new” garden and the obstacles – and delights – I find there in the upcoming weeks.

Hope you’ll share your gardens with me, too. Do you have problem spots that need a remedy? Send your photos and let’s discover the good in YOUR garden!

Honey, I’m home….almost.

Tomorrow I’ll start the trek back to Texas after a month in Colorado in grad school and my posts on GardenDishes will resume. In the meantime, hope you’ll go to my Facebook author page for a FREE book give-away!

If you have gardening questions, please send them my way. I’m ready to go back to work…. I think.

c:

SUMMER GUEST SERIES: Alina Niemi

How to Grow Lemongrass
in Your Garden

One of the most exotic herbs you can grow in your garden is lemongrass.
It’s extremely easy to grow and spreads rapidly, making it a great choice for even the novice gardener.

You can start lemongrass from what you buy at the grocery store or a farmer’s market.  They usually come as bare stalks with the roots and leaves cut off.

To start from a cutting:
1. Clip off the leaves, leaving the bottom six inches or so.
2. Remove most of the outer leaves as well. You want the plant using as little energy as possible growing leaves, and more energy to establish roots.
3. Place the stalks in a glass of water on your kitchen counter. Change the water daily to prevent rot, especially in warmer temperatures.  After two to fourteen days, you should begin to see tiny roots forming.
4. Transplant the stalks to soil, placing them six inches apart and water them until they become established.  I usually get about 2 stalks in 6 or 8 to grow this way. Give them a large area in full or dappled sun, in the ground or containers. Because they are tropical plants, they cannot tolerate frost, but they will survive temperatures up to 10° or 20° F if heavily mulched.

Lemongrass grows three to six feet tall, in large clumps that look like grass.
They are not bothered by most pests or diseases. Sometimes aphids find a home there, but they generally do not cause much damage or danger.

You can harvest the stalks and use the bottom and interior sections in curries and dishes for Thai, Malaysian, and Indian cuisine.
My favorite use is the leaves, as flavoring for herbal teas. Blend them with other fruity herbs, orange peel, hibiscus, rosehips, cinnamon, and mint.

Be careful harvesting lemongrass, since the leaves have sharp edges. They will cut you if you touch the edges in one direction, but not the other. I usually wear long sleeves and gloves!

Here is a recipe from my book,
The New Scoop:  Recipes for Dairy-Free, Vegan Ice Cream in Unusual Flavors (Plus Some Old Favorites.)

Lemongrass Ginger Mint Sorbet
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 handful fresh mint leaves (about 1/2 cup)
3 or 4 lemongrass leaves or stalks
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, thinly sliced (no need to peel it)
1/2 cup agave nectar or sugar
1-1/2 cups cold water

1. If you are using lemongrass leaves, cut them into shorter pieces. I find garden shears work well. If you are using the stalks, smash them with the back of your knife, or slice them thinly.
2. Pour the boiling water over the mint, lemongrass and ginger.  Let it steep for 1 hour.
3. Strain the mixture. Discard the herbs.
4. Add the sweetener and cold water to the herb infusion. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.
5. Chill the mixture at least two hours, or until it is well chilled.
6. Churn in an ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s directions.

This is best eaten soon after churning, because it will freeze rock solid eventually and can be difficult to soften, because it melts very quickly and never really returns to a slushy state. But it’s still very refreshing if you eat it the next day or later, after thawing a bit.

To make without an ice cream machine:  Make the base and put it into a shallow, wide container in the freezer. Every 30 to 60 minutes, mix it vigorously with a fork, breaking up the ice crystals that form. This helps to get a creamier texture. Repeat until the mixture is mostly frozen. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm enough to serve. Total freezing time is about six to eight hours.

Alina Niemi

is growing blackeyed peas for the first time this summer.
She is developing recipes for vegan salads and appetizers for future cookbooks and trying not to gain weight in the process.
Find more recipes at her blog:
www.almostveganinparadise.com

Nurturing nature(al) readers: YOU CAN GROW THAT!

My dad, Dr. Bob Foster, with me at 18 months old.

Watching the nightly news is painful, isn’t it?  I hate it in the same way I hate coming up on a bad car-wreck: I look but I always wish I hadn’t.  From the newscasts, it would seem playing outside is one of the most dangerous things a kid can do. As a child of the 60′s, I played outside a little bit every day and most of the day during summer. Nature called each morning. (Didn’t mean it THAT way….. I was young and had camel bladder!)

There were things to do and my brothers and I answered by doing them. We were in trees, making mud pies, pretending to be on safari (remember “Daktari” on t.v.?),riding bikes through paths or making our own. Imagination and room to roam were in ample supply.  We had a world to conquer, after all.  Either that, or my mom locked the screen door and told us not to return till lunch.  Regardless, I believe playing outside is one of the major influences in my life.  I think it made me a lover of nature.

Each month, dozens of landscaping professionals gather virtually during the 1st week – usually on the 4th – to share their expertise for an online event called YOU CAN GROW THAT! Although my  contribution typically emerges from gardening questions coming to my blog or from my landscaping clients, this month’s entry celebrates my new children’s book – BLOOMIN’ TALES.  I’ve been designing learning gardens and Schoolyard Habitats for the past twenty years.  I found using wildflower legends helps students and their teachers remember names of the plants in their new garden.  Often the stories also tell about habitat and pollinators necessary for the plants to thrive.  Generations handed down these legends, a tool for their children who were to become stewards of the land after them.

Recently, my friend Linda Lehmusvirta – who also happens to be the producer of Central Texas Gardener on PBS, – asked me to stop by and introduce her audience to some of my favorite BLOOMIN’ TALES and talk about my passion for wildflowers and their stories.  It was fun (and even a little intimidating) to walk into the old AUSTIN CITY LIMITS studio, but the CTG crew soon had me talking about growing up with plants.  Central Texas Gardener on PBS, Austin

So where will children’s love of nature come from if they can’t experience what I did?  While they are a poor substitute, t.v. and books do offer hope for the disaster MY generation created, dropping the baton somehow, leaving our world defenseless except for some slogans and cute animal pictures begging us to save things “before it’s too late.”  I hate to be dramatic, but in my view, if we don’t intentionally emerge kids early in nature, making it a NATURAL part of growing up for them to play outside, it might already be too late.

A special TEXAS edition of BLOOMIN’ TALES is available, too.

By the way, I’ll be giving away a copy of BLOOMIN’ TALES on my website – www.CherieColburn.com – on Friday!

HOT summer color: monochromatic doesn’t have to be monotonous

medium sized tree: desert willow

Powerful color can be powerful in the landscape.  The impact of massed color makes a showy display, even from a distance.  Don’t like the cottage garden look? No worries.

medium color: summer phlox

Try a monochromatic scheme instead. Pairings of similarly hued plants – whether it’s the bloom or the foliage – fit well in any style landscape, from modern to rustic.  A not-so-formal green gathering of diversity can be ramped up to a black-tie event when alike in their color pallete.

low color: winecup

Position the groupings so when viewed they have a pleasing flow, usually from tallest in back to shortest in front.

Here are a few of my favorites of all sizes, each one chosen for a royal purple reign.

low color: petunias

small tree: rose of Sharon, AKA althea

shrub: beauty berry

low color: purple verbena

small shrub/medium color: pavonia, also called rock rose

perennial: purple coneflower

medium ornamental grass: Gulf coast muhly