Oh, yes. It was a fun mail day!

Here are the seeds we ordered so far this year:

Seed Savers Exchange:
Beans, ‘Good Mother Stallard’
Beans, ‘Hidatsa Shield Figure’
Beans, ‘Ireland Creek Annie’
Corn, ‘Golden Bantam Improved’
Ground Cherry, ‘Aunt Molly’s’
Pea, ‘Amish Snap’
Pepper, ‘King of the North’
Squash, ‘Long Island Cheese’
Watermelon, ‘Petite Yellow’

Botanical Interests:
Bean, ‘Contender’
Bean, ‘Trionfo Violetto’
Broccoli Raab
Kale, ‘Lacinato’
Kale, ‘Red Winter’
Tomato, ‘Cherokee Purple’

Also, I bought some seeds at Lowe’s over the weekend:
Burpee:
Basil, Lemon
Basil, Sweet
Chamomile
Catnip
Microgreens, ‘Rainbow Blend’

Ferry Morse:
Lemon Balm

I’m finishing up my last order (I think…) for Renee’s. Once I get that in, I’ll post again

What I was not expecting was that this book would make my mind race with the possibilities open to me in my own garden. I’ve been gardening here for seven years now. I have a system! But now I’m looking at the front steps and picturing a staggered row of large olive oil cans planted with herbs, wondering why I waste precious bed space for potatoes when they can be surprisingly beautiful growing in a metal trash can. I’m inspired.

But it’s not all pretty pictures and inspiration. No, there is solid, useful information here, too. From growing microgreens on your windowsill to creating a self-watering container, to cooking and preserving the bounty, you couldn’t ask for a clearer, more enjoyable treatise on how to grow and use the food in your garden. The recipes are unique without being fussy, and I love the fact that each entry for the different types of edibles includes information about which varieties to grow in containers.

As if that weren’t enough, there are the charts. I love charts. Charts are the best! (Yes, I’m channeling “Elf” there…) I love being able to look at a page in a book, and, at a glance, have my question answered. For example, there is a very thorough chart about the different flavor profiles of edible flowers. Looking for a citrusy flavor? Try Tuberous Begonia. Want something fresh or fruity? Shiso will fill the bill. And then there’s the chart on page 43. “Good Contenders for Poor Conditions.” If you’ve ever wondered how you can use the area of your garden in which the soil is depleted, or soggy, or shady, or just too hot for most things to grow — you will love this page. As someone who is struggling to find a few more feet in my own garden to grow edibles, I have been growing in “less than ideal” conditions for a while now. The information in this chart opens up new possibilities for me.

Yes, I’m gushing. I admit it. This book is the real deal, a book that anyone who wants to grow food needs to have on their shelf. If it can teach this “old” gardener a few new tricks, imagine what it can do for someone who’s just trying growing their own food for the first time.

ITGO Rating: Five out of Five Trowels

About The Author: Gayla Trail is a writer, photographer, and graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the creator of the popular gardening project, You Grow Girl (now in its 10th year) and the author of You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening as well as an in-demand gardening personality and spokesperson with a focus on urban gardening, growing food, sustainable living, and community. Her work as a writer and photographer has appeared in the Globe and Mail, New York Times, Newsweek, ReadyMade, Domino, Budget Living, Sierra Club Magazine, Gardening Life, LA Times, Life Magazine, and more.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an advanced review copy of this book by the publisher with the understanding that the decision to review the book, and the contents of that review, were solely my own. This review encompasses my own opinion of the book, and has been influenced in no way by the publisher or the fact that they provided a copy for review.

How the Peony Got Its Name (Or, Why it Never Pays to Piss Off a Goddess)

More than once, I’ve read comments by my fellow garden bloggers referring to peonies as “floozies of the garden.” I can see it. They’re showy, flamboyant, and once they’re in bloom, they demand as much attention as stiletto heels and bright red lipstick. So I laughed aloud when I read one of the many legends of the creation of the peony.

The story goes that there was this cute little wood-nymph named Paeonia, who was very sweet and very shy. One day, Paeonia went into the meadow to gather buttercups. Well, it just happened that as this sweet, shy wood-nymph was standing knee deep in buttercups, Apollo rode by. He saw her, was totally entranced by the sight of her, and within moments the two were making love in the meadow. Shy Paeonia was embarrassed by Apollo’s passion, and turned her head aside. But when she turned her head, she was met with the sight of the goddess of love, Venus, standing there (undoubtedly with her hand on her hip) with an angry frown on her face. Paeonia blushed deeply, ashamed that the goddess had caught her in the throes of passion with Apollo, and in that instant, when the wood-nymph blushed, Venus turned her into a flower that still bears both her name and her blush, the peony.

I came across this story in an absolutely charming old book (published in 1939) titled Stories and Legends of Garden Flowers by Vernon Quinn. I picked this book up from my local library a few days ago, and I am just inlove with it. As someone who loves mythology and folklore anyway, reading this wonderful combination of gardening and mythology has been a real treat. And I know I’ll never look at a peony the same way again. The little floozy….

Instead of my beloved coffee, which, though lovely, is not helping much with my throat, I’ve been drinking ginger tea with honey and lemon. It is one of those herbal teas that does double-duty: the ginger helps boost your immunity so you don’t get sick as easily. And the lemon and honey are classic ingredients for soothing a sore throat. Here’s how I make it.

How to Make Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 2-3 inch piece of ginger
Honey
Lemon

Bring four cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Peel a 2 to 3 inch piece of ginger root and slice it thinly. Once the water is boiling, add the ginger and turn the water down so that it simmers gently. Allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain out the pieces of ginger. Add the ginger tea to a cup, and add a slice of lemon and as much honey as you’d like. You can keep the saucepan of ginger tea on the stove on low — you’ll get several cups out of this one batch.

A few of the sources I researched mentioned that the honey would lessen the immunity-boosting power of the ginger, so if you’re drinking the tea mainly for that reason, you may want to omit the honey. But I can tell you that the honey and lemon is working wonders on my sore throat. I think I’ll make ginger tea part of my regular routine during cold season! (And if you’re interested in growing your own ginger, no matter where you live, this post from The Dinner Garden is full of useful infomation.)

I thought I’d share another of my favorite poems by Clifton (this one about cutting kale and collards, something I’ve done several times, and thought of this poem each time) in memory of her.

cutting greens
by Lucille Clifton

curling them around
i hold their bodies in obscene embrace
thinking of everything but kinship.
collards and kale
strain against each strange other
away from my kissmaking hand and
the iron bedpot.
the pot is black.
the cutting board is black,
my hand,
and just for a minute
the greens roll black under the knife,
and the kitchen twists dark on its spine
and i taste in my natural appetite
the bond of live things everywhere.

Ideally, we wouldn’t use plastic bags at all. When purchasing one or two items, carry them or put them in your purse. Keep canvas or cloth bags in the car for shopping trips. But we all end up with at least a few. There are some ways to use them in the garden.

1. Fill Space in Containers.

Ball up the plastic bags and put them in the bottom of large containers so you won’t have to use so much soil. This will also make the container lighter. To keep the soil from falling down into your plastic “filler,” put a layer of landscape fabric between the plastic bags and your soil.

2. Use them as a “liner” for rust-prone containers.

Use plastic bags to line metal containers that might rust if they were in direct contact with soil. Be sure to poke a few drainage holes in the bottom of the bag before filling it with potting soil, and trim any plastic that would show above the soil line.

3. Make a Kneeler.

Double up the bags and slide a thick newspaper inside. Instant kneeling pad.

4. Get Organized.

Use them in the garden shed for keeping small items like cell packs, tiny plastic pots, or hose fittings and nozzles contained and hung up and out of your way.

5. Store Autumn Leaves.

Fall leaves are a great “brown” to add to the compost pile, so I try to keep some aside for spring and summer, when carbon-rich materials seem to be lacking in my compost pile. Fill a few plastic shopping bags with leaves in the fall, poke holes in the bags to allow for a bit of air flow, and store them in your shed or garage. When you need browns for the compost, all you have to do is dump a bag or two onto your pile.

I’m trying to avoid plastic shopping bags all together, but it is a challenge. It makes me feel a little bit better when I can put them to good use. I hope these ideas help you with any plastic bag guilt you may experience this gardening season!

Several of you have probably seen me write (many times….) about how bad I am with house plants, so you may be having a good chuckle at the idea that I’m reviewing a book about orchids. But orchids are not nearly as fragile as they seem, and, therefore, may be worth another try.

At least, that’s the premise of judywhite’s new book, Bloom-Again Orchids. She profiles 50 orchids that are not too difficult for the home gardener to both grow and get to rebloom (which was an issue for me. I never could figure out how to get them going again!) Filled with stunning photos of each orchid profiled, it will definitely want to make you go out and get an orchid or two, or five (as Kylee mentioned on Twitter when we discussed this book. Read her review of Bloom-Again Orchids.)

What I liked about this book was that it went beyond the standard “this is how you grow the plant” information that you’d expect from a book like this. What I didn’t realize is that there is a whole vocabulary surrounding orchids, almost a language all its own. I enjoy learning this type of information, and it makes me appreciate these beautiful plants even more. Besides, the language of orchids is a rather beautiful one, if a bit tongue-twisting.

As an inexperienced orchid grower, I most appreciated the section 10 Best Tips For Growing Orchids. The tips given are straightforward and take a lot of the mystery out of growing these beautiful plants.

Highly recommended for anyone who has stared wistfully at the orchids at their local nursery but walked away empty-handed, thinking “I can’t grow those….”

About the Author:

judywhite is author and photographer of the award-winning Taylor’s Guide to Orchids (Houghton Mifflin 1996). Her photography has graced many books and publications, and has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution. A former research biologist and past editor-in-chief of one of the world’s first mega-gardening Web sites, Time Life’s Virtual Garden, judywhite is married to British garden writer Graham Rice. She is proud to say she has killed orchids on both sides of the Atlantic.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an advanced review copy of this book by the publisher with the understanding that the decision to review the book, and the contents of that review, were solely my own. This review encompasses my own opinion of the book, and has been influenced in no way by the publisher or the fact that they provided a copy for review.

Supplies:

Olive Oil (don’t use expensive olive oil for this. Use the cheapest Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can find. EVOO, if you’re a Rachel Ray fan…) or Sweet Almond Oil

Beeswax

Essential Oils

Bamboo skewer or chopstick for stirring

Clean tin can or glass measuring cup (you can still use the cup in the kitchen after you make this)

Small pot or pan

Small container to pour finished perfume into. Some ideas: a used, clean chapstick tube, little watchmaker tins (craft stores and seed catalogs sell them). You could also use the plastic tops to milk jugs or soda bottles — they won’t have covers, though, so you wouldn’t be able to have them with you on the go. Whatever works

How to Make Solid Perfume:

1.  Add one tablespoon of olive oil and about 3/4 tablespoon (the original recipe I found said to add equal amounts of both oil and beeswax, but it ended up seeming a little too firm to me. Add more beeswax if yours seems like it’s not thick enough.)  of beeswax to your can or glass measuring cup.

2.  Place the can or cup into a pot that has about an inch of water in the bottom, and place it on the stove on medium-high heat.

3.  Once the water starts to boil, the wax will melt pretty quickly. Stir it every once in a while.

4. Once everything is melted, remove it from the heat and add your essential oils. Between 5 and 15 drops of your chosen oils is about right, depending on how strong you want your perfume to be. You can go with single-note scents such as lavender, patchouli, orange, sandalwood, or rose, or you can do combinations. I’ve done a patchouli perfume with just a hint of sweet orange oil, and a lavender/vanilla combo that turned out to be one of my favorites. For more ideas on scent combinations, check out this article (they have instructions for making alcohol-based perfumes, but the essential oil combos they use should give you a few ideas.)

5. Stir the essential oils in well, and carefully pour your perfume into your container of choice. Let it sit and harden for at least 30 minutes, and it’s ready to use.

Note: I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy making these perfumes, and I didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for the supplies. The essential oils are the most expensive part of the project, so I started looking for a reasonable source for them. I buy all of my essential oils from The Organic Witch on eBay. Her prices are very reasonable, and the oils I’ve bought from her have all been very high quality. I don’t know this woman, just passing the info along in case you want to try this

By Paul Bonine

Timber Press, 2010

ISBN 978-0-88192-981-2

As I mentioned in my review of The Gardener’s Color Palette, I am starting to appreciate some of the less-common colors in the garden. Bronzes, greens (as in flowers) and blacks are all colors that I find myself noticing and admiring more often.

So I was interested to see what Paul Bonine’s book had in store for me, and was happy to find an attractive, well-organized book that is full of inspiration for anyone who is interested in integrating some “black” (most often really dark purple) plants into their landscape.

The bulk of Black Plants consists of 75 profiles of black plants, complete with relevant growing information, possible plant combinations, and (most importantly) beautiful photos. Again, this is the type of book that is dangerous for the collectors among us, because it makes it very easy to go through the book, marking pages, muttering “yes, I want that one, and that one, and oh, yes— definitely that one!” I personally found myself coveting the ‘Clementine Dark Purple’ columbine, large wild ginger, ‘Chocolate’ delphinium, and ‘Penny Black’ nemophilia. I currently grow black hollyhocks (thanks, Kim!) and I did have a black pussywillow, which was gorgeous, but died after I moved it and did a shoddy job of keeping it watered.

I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking at adding a little drama, or a little “something different” to your garden.

ITGO Rating: 4 out of 5 trowels

About the Author:
Paul Bonine is co-owner of the wholesale nursery Xera Plants Inc. and has worked in the nursery industry in Oregon for almost two decades. In addition to consulting for NPR, various newspapers, radio, and television, Paul has written for several national gardening publications. Black Plants is his first book.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an advanced review copy of this book by the publisher with the understanding that the decision to review the book, and the contents of that review, were solely my own. This review encompasses my own opinion of the book, and has been influenced in no way by the publisher or the fact that they provided a copy for review.

Snow is good.

Snow is good.

Snow is good.

(I am so tired of snow right now!)