gardeninacity

Posted on March 17, 2015 by gardeninacity

Notes on Spring Clean Up

Just because there are patches of snow on the ground does not mean it is too early for spring clean up. Quite the contrary, since the ground in early spring tends to be either 1) frozen; or 2) a muddy mire. Of the two, frozen is better.

Where possible I like to pull the dead stalks by hand. This can be easier than using a cutting tool. Sure, it looks a bit ragged, but I don’t mind that so much. And as the plants grow in that raggedy look gets covered in green.

My favorite plant for spring clean up is the Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum). The stalks are up to 10 feet tall, and they make a very satisfying CRACK when you pull them from the crown. When they make that noise I want to shout “TIMBER!” Either that, or: “AND ANOTHER HOME RUN BY ERNIE BANKS!” But I don’t, because the neighbors might not understand.

spring clean up 3 15 — A pile of Cup Plant stalks.

Milkweeds (Asclepias), on the other hand, tend to have softer stems that won’t break cleanly and need a cutting tool. Nepeta stems also do not pull out easily. I grab them by the handful and cut them with a secatur. I have a lot of Nepeta, and when I cut them back in the spring it feels like I’m giving a haircut to a mastodon.

Spring clean up in the garden is a time of agony (ouch!) and ecstasy. Ecstasy because, as was the case this past weekend, I am OUTSIDE, enjoying SUNSHINE and MILD TEMPERATURES! It makes me feel like I have just been brought back from a semi-comatose state and have returned again to the Land of the Living.

Either a zombie or who put in too many hours in the garden last weekend. — Either a zombie or someone who put in too many hours in the garden last weekend.

The agony, on the other hand, comes from the intensive use of joints and muscles (mainly those involved in bending and kneeling) that have been taking it easy for the past few months. The worst of it, for me, is in the knees and thighs. And so in the early weeks of spring I can often be seen staggering around on stiff legs like a television zombie. Also, getting in and out of chairs can involve a lot of groaning. Certain persons (who lack a basic sense of compassion) have criticized this groaning as excessively noisy.

I will say that I have a gardening bench and kneeler that does help to reduce the overall amount of agony.

Pulling Nepeta with the help of my garden bench/kneeler.

Spring clean up provides a reintroduction to the neighborhood. There are a lot of people I only see when they pass by as I’m working in the front garden. This is particularly true of people with dogs and/or small children. Just this past weekend I met a young couple with two little girls, ages six and four. They have lived down the street for three years and yet this is the first time I’ve met them.

The younger girl was riding a tricycle with a little basket holding a doll. I asked if she was giving her doll a ride and she pointed out to me that it wasn’t a doll but a baby. What’s more, she explained that she was carrying other important cargo in her basket, including a stick and a key chain.

I’m linking this post to Beth’s Lessons Learned meme at Plant Postings, as well as Donna’s Seasonal Celebrations at Garden’s Eye View.

How do you feel about spring clean up – is it a pleasure or just a chore?

57 Comments

Posted on March 15, 2015 by gardeninacity

The Snowdrops Arrive!

For the last two years I’ve had nothing to show for the March Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. This year, though, is different. For that, I am grateful to the Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis and G. elwesii) in my back garden. Thank you, Snowdrops!

In both 2013 and 2014, our first snowdrop pictures were taken around April 5th. This provides perspective on the current winter, which became more severe late in the season, but in the Chicago area at least hasn’t been all that bad.

Not all the Snowdrops are ready to bloom. These need another day or two. — Snowdrops open their flowers when the weather warms. These are waiting for the sun to get a bit higher in the sky.

When I got home from a business trip this past Friday, the first Snowdrops were in bloom.

These Snowdrops still need a day or two before they bloom. I like the bits of dried Hydrangea flowers littering the ground.

I am not one of those Snowdrop connoisseurs, who glory in the subtle differences among all the different species in variety. Even so, I do love Snowdrops. Partly it is simply the fact that they are the very first to bloom. But it is also the way they emerge from the mud and dead leaves of early spring, clean and perky and gleaming. And of course, there are few things more beautiful than a big drift of Snowdrops in the early spring woods.

In addition to the Snowdrops, Judy found a single Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) that is about to bloom. Most of the Hellebores are still a bit tattered, and I don’t expect them to show any blooming flowers until late in March.

Other than that, there is mainly the promise of future blooms. The buds on the Forsythia and Lilac are swelling. The first leaves of the crocuses, daffodils, and early tulips have just begun to poke through the ground.

To enjoy more blooms, visit May Dreams Gardens. Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day to you! And happy spring!

60 Comments

Posted on March 12, 2015 by gardeninacity

Viburnum Leaf Beetle Alert!

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s email newsletter is typically informative and sometimes entertaining, but today’s issue bore grim tidings. That is to say, the Viburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB) has now established itself in the Chicago area.

Viburnum Leaf Beetle. Photo from ohioline.osu.edu.

The VLB is originally from Europe but decided to summer in Maine in 1994. Taking up residence, it has been marching westward ever since. It was first spotted in this area in 2009, and sightings have gradually become more numerous. In 2014 there were frequent sightings in a suburb not far from where I live.

Cranberrybush Viburnum, Viburnum trilobum — Cranberrybush Viburnum flowers

There are a quite a few Viburnums in my own garden, so this is worrying news. To make matters worse, a Cornell University entomologist has sorted Virburnum species according to their resistance to VLB. And guess what? Most of mine are Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum opulus var. americana), which are in the “Highly Susceptible” category.

Cranberrybush Viburnum with early fall color.

There are also two Blackhaw Viburnums (Viburnum prunifolium – “Moderately Susceptible”) and one Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii), which I planted just last fall. Fortunately the Korean Spice Viburnum is considered resistant to the VLB. Here’s a link to the whole list.

According to a VLB fact sheet put out by Cornell University, the best way to fight this pest is to inspect newer growth for eggs, which look like this.

Viburnum twigs with VLB eggs. Photo from hort.cornell.edu.

This is easiest to do before the plants leaf out. Any twigs infested with eggs should be pruned out.

VLB can completely defoliate a shrub, and after this happens for several years in a row the plant will probably die.

As soon as the snow melts I will inspect all my Viburnums for VLB eggs. It’s very aggravating because I just planted several Viburnums over the last couple of years. Some were planted to replace Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) killed by bark-chewing rabbits.

Excuse me for a moment, will you? (AAAAAARRRRGH! GAAAAAH!) OK, that’s better.

Anyhow, do you have Viburnums in your garden? Do you have experience with Viburnum Leaf Beetle?

25 Comments

Posted on March 10, 2015 by gardeninacity

A Walk to the Galata Tower

One day we decided to walk to the Galata Tower on the other side of the Golden Horn. It was a memorable urban hike.

A view of the Ayasofya from Eminonu. — Looking back at the Blue Mosque from Eminonu. I’m afraid it was a somewhat cloudy and hazy day, so the light is not the best.

The Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in the mid-1300s. At the time, about 100 years before the Ottoman conquest, it was located in the Genoese colony outside Constantinople. Now it is in a part of Istanbul called Karakoy.

The Galata Tower from across the Golden Horn.

To get there we first had to walk to an area with the tongue twisting name of Eminonu. Eminonu is on the south side of the Golden Horn, a broad waterway that divides the European part of Istanbul.

Looking back at the Galata Bridge from the Karakoy side.

To cross the Golden Horn we had to walk across the Galata Bridge, which is busy with pedestrians, cars a streetcar, and fishermen.

The tower is about 100 feet above sea level. When I read that, I demanded a recount. It feels like a steep climb.

When it was built, the Galata Tower at about 200 feet was the tallest building in or around Constantinople.

Looking across the Golden Horn. The Ayasofya is to the right. — Looking across the Golden Horn.

Fortunately, there’s an elevator. When we got to the top, we avoided the restaurant but took in the views.

The Galata Bridge seen from above.

Another view across the Golden Horn, this time with the Blue Mosque.

Looking away from the Golden Horn.

Back on ground level, I tried to instruct my boys in the profound lessons of history, but without much success.

The walk back down was faster.

The Galata Bridge and fGalata Tower at Dusk. — The Galata Bridge and Galata Tower at Dusk.

Lights illuminating the New Mosque, at the southern end of the bridge.

By the time we crossed back across the Galata Bridge, dusk had fallen, and we watched the lights come on.

55 Comments

Posted on March 7, 2015 by gardeninacity

Book Review: Are “Aggressive” Plants a Blessing or a Curse?

The purpose of plants is to make more plants. That is all they want to do. Gardeners sometimes frustrate, sometimes tolerate this will to reproduce.

Photo from www.TimberPress.com. — Photo from http://www.TimberPress.com.

Some plants are particularly successful in this endeavor. Oftentimes gardeners consider such plants mildly criminal. How often have we heard the word “thug” used in the context of the garden, as if Monardas were members of the Blackstone Rangers? (Confession: I have used this adjective on plants a few times myself.)

Plantiful, by Kristin Green, suggests a different point of view. She lays out how gardeners can collaborate with the botanical drive to reproduce. This collaboration enables gardeners to create large, bountiful gardens at a greatly reduced cost.

Green practices what she preaches. She works as a professional gardener at Blithewold Mansion, a non-profit, public garden in Rhode Island.

The book is divided in three parts – the first deals with plants that spread primarily by seed. The second covers plants that spread mainly through roots, rhizomes, stolons, and stems.

Each section begins with a very clear and practical discussion of relevant propagation techniques for that group of plants. Then there are thumbnail descriptions of 50 plants of each type (150 plants in all – annuals, perennials, and smaller shrubs).

I was particularly interested in the third section, which deals with overwintering tender perennials. The author enticed me with her discussion of how tender perennials can be used to keep the excitement at a high pitch in beds and borders.

In the past I have tried to overwinter Caladiums and was rewarded with bags of smelly tuber mush. Now I feel the confidence to try again. Also, I learned that I can overwinter just about all of my favorite container plants, including Pentas and Lantana. When you consider the cost of buying these plants every year, it is certainly worth the effort.

There are a couple of caveats to “working with a generous nature”, as Kristin Green puts it. For one thing, generosity exists on a continuum. There are some plants that are so excessively generous that you may not want to deal with them in your garden. Which plants falls into that category will depend on where you garden.

Great Merrybells is a fine spring wildflower native to North America - and no pushover. — Great Merrybells is a fine spring wildflower native to North America – and no pushover.

Also, vigorous plants can’t simply be stuck in the ground and forgotten. The gardener has to monitor, set limits, and propagate. Though I enjoy watching two strong willed plants struggle for dominance. Sometimes the results of these struggles are surprising.

For example, Bishop’s Weed (Aegopodium podagrarium) has a fearsome reputation. I have some variegated Bishop’s Weed that I keep in difficult spots along with the very demure-looking Great Merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora). To my surprise, the Merrybells are bullying the Bishop’s Weed.

Wild Bergamot and Bee Balm 'Raspberry Wine' spread mightily by root, like other members of the mint family. — Wild Bergamot and Bee Balm ‘Raspberry Wine’ spread mightily by root, like other members of the mint family.

Plantiful is definitely an excellent book for a beginning gardener, especially one who is both ambitious and on a budget. But it is also a useful and entertaining book for persons experienced in the garden.

Do you celebrate aggressive spreaders, or shun them?

36 Comments

Posted on March 6, 2015 by gardeninacity

Eating in Istanbul

We really enjoyed the food in Istanbul. Sometimes on the heavy side, it was always tasty and frequently addictive.

Pide is referred to as Turkish pizza, which is not an entirely apt description. I think of it more as a Turkish pasty, filled with some combination of peppers, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, and/or ground meat. Usually made with lots of butter.

The pide was delicious at this place off of Istiklal Caddesi, one of the main commercial streets.

Though the owners didn’t speak any English, they were friendly and let Judy take pictures in the kitchen.

Manti are like Turkish ravioli, served with a yogurt and hot pepper sauce. We had excellent manti at a Uighur student restaurant called the East Turkistan Foundation Food House. There are a lot of Uighur refugees from China in Istanbul.

Here too the staff did not speak English. Fortunately there was a young student who translated for us. He told me that the waiter was laughing because he thought I had asked for manti doused with Coca Cola instead of yogurt sauce. Americans are so uncouth.

In Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul we found an outstanding restaurant called Ciya Sofrasi, specializing in regional dishes from southeastern Turkey.

Food is served from a buffet and sold by the pound.

Judy kept trying to get pictures of plates of food but our eating kept getting in the way. — Judy was trying to get pictures of plates of food but we kept eating everything before she could get a good shot.

We ate stuffed grape leaves, stuffed peppers, eggplant in various guises, and lots of unfamiliar things I can’t remember, but I can tell you it was all delicious.

In fact, we took the ferry back to Kadikoy the next night so we could eat there a second time.

Turks seem to be pretty carnivorous, kebaps and other grilled meat with vegetables is common fare.

Doner kebap, sliced meat cooked on an upright skewer, is greasy and delicious. It’s also absolutely everywhere, about as ubiquitous as hot dogs and hamburgers combined in the USA. This doner stand was in the Spice Market.

One day we walked to the Grand Bazaar and got stuck in a rainstorm. We arrived soaked and picked a random spot to have some hot tea. The waiter then persuaded us to have a snack of his choosing. He brought us a spicy eggplant stew with flat bread which was like a Turkish tortilla.

A cool yogurt sauce kept us from being overwhelmed by the spicy stew.

In sum, the food in Turkey was just as much a rewarding adventure as the streets and the antiquities.

35 Comments

Posted on March 4, 2015 by gardeninacity

The Blue Mosque

After visiting Ayasofya we walked a short distance to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was built in the early 1600s. From the outside, it looks somewhat similar to the Ayasofya. We read that the Ottoman Turks were influenced by Byzantine architecture. You can see the Ayasofya from just inside the entrance. Another view just inside the entrance of the Blue Mosque. There are six minarets. I’m a little bit afraid of heights so just looking up made me a bit queasy. Before entering we had to remove our shoes. There was a place for the faithful to wash their feet. Inside you are struck by the thousands of blue Iznik tiles, their dye made from cobalt. Above the tiles blue paint is used in intricate patterns. The dome was circled with blue stained glass. The domed ceiling suggests somehow that the sky itself is a dome. Tourists are not allowed in when organized prayers are conducted, but there were a few people quietly praying or meditating. The atmosphere was hushed. I wonder what they were praying for. Blue, I believe, is a calming color. On our way out it was hard not to feel awed, and a bit more peaceful.

42 Comments

Posted on March 2, 2015 by gardeninacity

Roaming The Heart of Historic Istanbul

The heart of historic Istanbul is called Sultanahmet. It’s got the Ayasofya, the Blue Mosque, and the site of the Roman Hippodrome.

It’s also got about a jillion tourists, and half a jillion shops catering to tourists. Though when we were there (in December and January), the crowds weren’t bad.

And Sultanahmet is not Turkish Disneyland. It seems to have a fair amount of ordinary life going on, along with the historic sites, the hotels, and the carpet stores. We enjoyed wandering the streets here, as we did in other parts of Istanbul.

There are a number of wooden buildings that look like they could use some fixing up.

Though some sported some pretty nice carvings.

Most buildings are in much better shape, and I’m sure many are insanely expensive. Balconies and windows with fancy metalwork are commonplace.

There are newer buildings built right up against centuries-old fortifications.

Not all the shops are for tourists.

Man selling simmits, a sort of Turkish bagel. — Man selling simmits, sort of a Turkish bagel and very delicious.

As in all of Istanbul, street vendors are a ubiquitous part of the scene.

Carving from the xxaldsf — Carving from the Theodosius Obelisk

Sultanahmet Square is on the site of the old Roman Hippodrome. Among other things, we saw the Serpent Column and the Theodosius Obelisk, both about 17 centuries years old.

Walking around, you frequently catch glimpses of the Bosphorus with its many ships.

Istanbul is a very large and very remarkable city, I’ll do several more posts about our experiences there.

43 Comments

Posted on February 28, 2015 by gardeninacity

Ayasofya, Istanbul

It was 3 degrees F this morning (-16 C), and I have pretty much given up on my dreams of an early spring. Since not much will be happening in the garden for a while, let’s cast our minds back to December 2009, when Judy and I and the boys took a trip to Turkey.

Danny had spent that fall studying at St. Petersburg University in Russia. For our Christmas trip, we thought we would take advantage of the fact that he was already in a far off land.

And in fact, his flight from St. Petersburg and ours from Chicago landed in Istanbul within a couple of hours of each other. Meeting at the airport, we all thought ourselves masters of international intrigue.

A view of Ayasofya's main dome. — A view of Ayasofya’s main dome.

So let’s start by looking at one of the places we saw on our first full day in Istanbul: Ayasofya, also called the Hagia Sofia. The name means “Holy Wisdom”.

Ayasofya was built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral about 1,500 years ago, when Istanbul was Constantinople and capital of the Byzantine Empire.

A cross with the vertical parts removed. You can still see the shadow, though it is probably over 500 years old. — A cross with the vertical sections removed. You can still see the shadow, though it is probably over 500 years old.

It was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. Under the emphatically secular Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ayasofya was transformed into a museum in the 1930s.

As a result of restoration efforts, Ayasofya displays art and architecture both Christian and Islamic, Byzantine and Ottoman.

View of the inside from the upper gallery.

From the outside the whole building gives a feeling of massiveness and solidity, like an enormous domed boulder. Inside, the space is cavernous, the windows mostly small, the light dim.

A view of the upper gallery from the opposite wall.

The capitals of the marble columns are intricately carved.

Byzantine mosaics were destroyed or plastered over when the building was converted to a mosque. Conservators have been working on restoration for many years.

Scaffolding facilitates restoration of the ceiling.

The Islamic art, including patterned mosaics and Arabic calligraphy in gold, is also undergoing restoration.

For security, the Sultan had a private screened loge to sit in.

Pulpit to the right, mehrab to the left.

The minbar or pulpit for the Imam is very tall. The mihrab points towards Mecca and indicates the direction worshipers should face when praying.

Ayasofya seen from an adjoining park. The minarets were added by the Ottoman Turks.

Ayasofya was a fine introduction to the antiquity and the parade of empires past that seems to surround everyday life in Turkey.

51 Comments

Posted on February 23, 2015 by gardeninacity

Garden Catalog Review: Brent and Becky’s Bulbs

To be honest, I’ve never purchased anything from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, (I usually order bulbs from John Scheeper’s) but I feel justified in writing a review because they are enthusiastically recommended by one of my instructors at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Brent and Becky Heath with Jay and Denise Hutchins of Brent and Becky's Bulbs. — Brent and Becky Heath with Jay and Denise Hutchins of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.

And I should mention that Brent and Becky’s plants are grown organically on their 28 acre Virginia farm. Their website is here.

When we think of bulbs, what usually comes to mind are the tulips and other spring bloomers that we plant in the fall. Brent and Becky’s has those, but right now they have an intriguing catalog of summer blooming bulbs (as well as foliage plants) that can be planted in spring. Technically, most are not really bulbs, but tubers, corms, and rhizomes.

For example, I was goggle eyed by the selection of Caladiums. I like Caladiums very much as a foliage plant for shade, but they are expensive. I’ve tried overwintering them but without success. Brent and Becky’s sells five ‘Celebration’ Caladium tubers for just $10.85.

The catch is that you have to keep them inside in pots placed on heating pads until the soil warms. But never fear, Brent and Becky’s sells heat mats for $26.945.

Caladium 'Celebration'. Photo from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. — Caladium ‘Celebration’. Photo from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.

They also carry a large selection of Dahlias, Colocasias, Lilies, Gladioli, etc. There is also ‘Emily McKenzie’, a very distinctive and striking Crocosmia.

Brent and Becky’s carries a number of perennials that I’ve always believed had fibrous roots, but I don’t want to be picky. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), for example, or Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana).

This catalog has serviceable photographs and straightforward descriptions as well as necessary cultural information. It crams a lot of selections into its 50 pages.

Have you ever ordered from Brent and Becky’s? Where do you usually obtain your bulbs?

gardeninacity

Notes from a wildlife-friendly cottage garden

Notes on Spring Clean Up

The Snowdrops Arrive!

Viburnum Leaf Beetle Alert!

A Walk to the Galata Tower

Book Review: Are “Aggressive” Plants a Blessing or a Curse?

Eating in Istanbul

The Blue Mosque

Roaming The Heart of Historic Istanbul

Ayasofya, Istanbul

Garden Catalog Review: Brent and Becky’s Bulbs

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