My cascade forms were copied from those seen in an old book I have ‘ The Art of the Chrysanthemum- Cascades, Giants and Other Potted Styles by Tameji Nakajima, (1965, Harper and Row). I wanted to recreate the most traditional method that I could, and believe me, reference on this topic is scarce.

Some of the exhibition mums which are not cascades are budding up well. they are all being relocated back into the greenhouse.

Some of the Ivor Mace varieties have buds which are already 2 inches in diameter. This should produce a very large bloom in a month, or so.

I rooted my cascade chrysanthemums in January and February, to allow the longest growing time possible. Heavy pots are essential, as the weight of a long cascade can tumble an unbalanced pot. They required daily watering, and fertilizing once a week since mums are heavy feeders. I know that it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s a brief visit with a watering can on summer evenings after work.

The four largest pots of cascade mums, now forming flower buds, are relocated to the protection of the greenhouse, where I will remove them from their bamboo training structures – I process that takes two people, and a couple of hours to ensure the every wire is released without damaging the plant.

Some plants have plastic ribbon ties, which I also used, but I think I likes using the bonsai wire better, it was easier to loop around the stems, and to snip away when transferring the plant to the wire structure. I used black Japanese bonsai wire on most of my other plants, and used black waxed twine from Japan made specially for bamboo structures, for the form.

The cascades are long now, some are almost 5 feet long, and I had to set the pots high to allow space to work underneath the cascade. A concrete block and an old soda box helped. Also on the bench is No. 5 Bonsai wire which I will use to create a loop to hold the chicken wire mesh.

Another variety waits for transferal to a wire form. Disbudding takes some skill as well, beginning at the tip and the sides, the last part of the plant to be disbanded is the top, so that the entire plant will bloom at the same time. If I didn’t time the pinching, the plant would bloom first at the longest part, and work its way back to the base.

No. 5 bonsai wire is thick and yet bends easily. It will reinforce the new form for the cascade, and allow me to bend it into shape if I need to.

The ends of the wire are set deep into the pot, and basically mimic the shape of the cascade. The long pointed bamboo form is traditional Japanese, and I can see now why this method is preferred – as the final form on these plants ended up being long and pointed, vs those that I trained onto chicken wire from the beginning – those look more irregular, and fan-like.

It takes some practise to fit the chicken over the heaven No. 5 wire. I attached it to the two bamboo base stakes at the top, which are set deep into the pot. I have yet to remove the plant from its many ties on the bamboo frame.

The chicken wire mesh is trimmed to match the overall shape of the cascade, and the edges are carefully wrapped around the base wire. The goal here is to have the plant mature in a way where the foliage and blooms hide any portion of the wire base.

With the bamboo structure removed now, the plant, which generally holds its shape, is carefully attached to the wire base.

Now, to move on to the other four cascades!

This past weekend we entered the Provincetown Massachusetts Dahlia Society show – Joe was going through some of his entries, above. I am so thrilled to say that I kind-of won big-time, as well. A dinner plate AA dahlia of mine won ‘King of the Show’ . The variety is known to be a show winner, and for some reason, luck fell my way with this ‘AC Ben’.  Now the Dahlia show season is over, and with no frost in sight, the rest of the blooms are for friends and family.

The post Training Japanese Chrysanthemum Cascades appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Even just 5 bulbs of Iris ‘Katherine Hodgkin’ makes a scene. Bred in the 1960’s it’s a cross between two rarer small iris, I. winogradowii and I. histriodes, both delightful choices to force if one dares to risk ruining their bulbs ( I prefer them in the garden) but ‘Katherine Hodgkin’ is easy, and relatively available – it just sells out early in the catalogs.

The snow here in the Boston area is insanely deep, the icicles are nearly 15 feet long, and connect the roof gutters to the ground, and although I am tempted a bit to snowboard off of our roof into a snow drift, now that we are back from New York, I am focused on the bulbs I have been forcing for a mid-winter flower show, being held this weekend at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden (you MUST come visit it, as nothing will lift your spirits more!).  I’ve talked them into regenerating the classic winter bulb show, very much like the way most spring flowershows began in Boston, Philadelphia and New York in the mid 1800’s – it’s in their DNA to to sponsor such an event, and I have so much hope that this event will inspire others to grow and enter plants during the winter months.

Even though I knew that I wanted to force many plants for this first of what I hope will be an annual show, I just didn’t realize,  back in October when I started potting up bulbs, that this last week of February would require me to be traveling (New York Toy Fair and Westminster Dog Show). This is a critical time when one is forcing different types of bulbs, as timing can become tricky – snowdrops rush ahead as tulips need care, when coaxing them into bloom, small iris can burst into flower within a couple of warm, sunny days while the rarer muscari slug along hoping for a sunny week of 70º weather in the greenhouse. Needless to say, it’s been a challenge to time everything to bloom on a single Friday.

Click below for more!

A pot of Iris danfordiae, an easy to force bulbous small iris which one can find in any fall bulb catalog, can come into bloom in just a matter of days once brought into the warmth. I just love their bright, yellow flowers, so although I plant many outdoors in the garden, I always save a few in my pocket to shove into a pot just for some winter color.

I’m please to say, that I think that I’ve done pretty well – aside from a few disasters (such as me slipping down the deck stairs onto my back in deep snow last week – just like Charlie Brown and Lucy – with a full flat of muscari, which flew up into the air and all landed upside down in the snow) (Oh, and then there was this little thing called 102 inches of snow in three weeks here in Worcester, MA), (and then of course, some rascally terriers who decided to dig up all of my flats of forced lily of the valley just moments ago – my fault – I left them on the dining room floor), in the end, I think if I can get everything to the hall tomorrow morning (in 0º temperatures, of course), then I will count my blessings. Almost there.

Any of the small Iris reticulata varieties can also be forced easily, and if kept cool on a windowsill, can last for over a week once in bloom – these bloomed early last weekend, but I was able to keep them fresh by placing them in the cold greenhouse for a week.

The best thing is, even though every pot and pan is currently employed catching drips from the cieling due to ice dams (reminder to self – call the insurance company after doing my taxes this weekend), the entire house smells like spring – the intense scent of hyacinths and narcissus, as the come into bloom on the larger windowsills, and under lights upstairs, so that they can develop their bright colors. At least it smells like spring.

My Muscari pots were kept under the cold benches in the greenhouse for 16 weeks, and then brought into the bright light to force. I brought them into the house for a time, to speed them up under lights, and then back outdoors.

 In October, I decided to try to recreate a display that I saw at the Chelsea Flower show a few years ago – simple clay pots set on black, each one full of a different commercial variety of Muscari. I fussed around looking for as many named selections as I could (and I resisted ordering the rare species, for now, wanting to see how this experiment would net out). I planted two pots each of about 16 varieties, and set them to sleep much of the winter away under a dark bench.

These plastic pots will disapear, as I will repot each of these pairs of pots into one, clay bulb pan. Aesthetics are important with me, as they are with many of you. I will reuse these pots for tomatoes and seed starting soon.

If you’ve never forced muscari, I encourage you to try some (I have to say that the variety known as ‘Blue Magic’ has the nicest flowers indoors) – they have a nice fragrance, less intoxicating than hyacinths, yet 100% fresh, like May 5th indoors.

Oh, snow. Here in the Boston area, this winter has been a record breaker – it has caused some problems in the greenhouse, mostly affecting the temperature inside, as nighttime lows have dipped near -10º F. I think choosing muscari was a good choice for forcing this winter, as in past winters, they may have bloomed much earlier.

A detail shot of what will be making it to the show bench tomorrow. Later this weekend, I wills share with you how they look installed, as well as what my tulip display looks like.

I knock out the rooted Muscari, and repot them into old clay pots. Topped off with coir, the appearance suddenly improves. Now, all they need are labels.

Here is a sneak peak, on my sand bench, of what some of the collection will look like this weekend at the Tower Hill Botanic garden. Come and visit if you are in New England! Yes, I know that it is going to snow Saturday, but with over 100 inches this winter, what is 4-6 inches more?

The tulips are looking fine, and coming into full bloom under lights in a spare bedroom. They appreciate the additional warmth indoors, as the greenhouse is just too cold. I selected a color palette of purple, lavender and pink.

I think that these tulips could last an entire week indoors.

The greenhouse this morning, frosty and nearly encased with snow – it is -2º F outside at 8:00 am.

The muscari are potted up now, and waiting in the studio to be moved to Joes truck as soon as it warms up. I am concerned about moving them in this cold weather, as even 30 seconds in sub-zero weather can freeze them.

What won’t be going to the Botanic Garden this weekend is this tray of Lily of the Valley, it’s just not ready yet.

Lydia (left, who is pregnant and due in a week and a half), and ol’ Fergus (who you all know has cancer, but who is still ‘hanging in there’) are happy to have us home. Weasley is home now too (which they are not happy about), but all that really does is crank up the volume on cookie begging. This is how they do it.

The amaryllis are still blooming, most on their second bud stalks, with the third buds just emerging.

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The post FORCING BULBS FOR A FLOWER SHOW appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Black centered white anemones are practically impossible to find for the home garden, but I did find one source – an although Anemone coronaria can only be grown outdoors in warmer zones ( Zones 8 or higher), they are perfect for cold greenhouse. Soon  I will share my story about my search for the black centered white anemone but for now, I will have to settle for this black centered ‘DeCaen’ selection.

I’ve decided to add a short winter projects list to my already long annual list of projects (which are mostly summer projects – more updates on those in a few weeks). I love gardening in the winter, in the greenhouse more than I do gardening in the summer, so it should come as no surprise that I would ass a projects list for the winter season, too. My winter projects like mostly includes projects in the greenhouse, which I know may or may not be interesting to you, but I think that you will learns something from a few of these.

Read more – click below

Project 1 – Anemones and Ranunculus – cut flowers in the greenhouse

While in high school, I would work during the holidays at a local florist (and this was back in the 1970’s!). I thought that I was the hippest kid because I worked in an old, wooden greenhouse range at the top florist in the city, and they had a banana tree in it (hey, I was an impressionable 16 year old!). The banana tree bloomed, and I got my picture in the paper. Bananas with snow outside – magic. Well, that sort of thing has lost some of its magic, but I remember that about a mile away from the main greenhouse range, the owner had another greenhouse range which was older – much older, perhaps left over from the late 1800’s. Large, at least one hundred foot long greenhouses with row after row of holiday plants like azalea crops, poinsettia and gloxinia.

Anemone coronaria corms are quite strange looking. They look as if they would never be able to grow ( which side is up and which is down?) Don’t worry, plant them at an angle, and they will figure it out for you. They must be soaked overnight in warm water for best results.

Anyway, in the back of the longest greenhouse there were these beds in the ground – concrete lined beds will with ferny foliage, and just around Christmas time, the beds would start blooming – with long stems of Anemones. Another bed was planted full of Ranunculus. Both beds provided cut flowers from the New Year until Easter – Easter, when I would be sent back to the greenhouse to pick both pink and purple anemones and sometimes a pink camellia from one of the tall camellia trees which were planted in the ground, near the end of the greenhouse – there was one elderly woman who would call asking if we had camellia corsages. Sweet. I mean, who does that now?

I am planting my Anemone coronaria ”Black Eyed White” corms in a raised bed on the south exposure wall so that they can capture most of the January sun.

The greenhouses burned down around 1980, but I often think of them, but now that I own a greenhouse myself, I really don’t know why I haven’t tried growing anemones or ranunculus yet. This year, I am. White anemones with black centers. How the Hell Matt did you find those? More on that in another post, it’s a fascinating story, – and in case you are looking for the ones that I found, check out this site. Because you are not going to find them any where else. These are the black-eyed selection from the De Caen group, but they will be the closest you will be able to find, if you are thinking about growing some of these gorgeous commercially grown ‘Panda’ strain seen in these pictures. Those are only available to the handful of commercial growers who raise them for the Dutch cut flower market.

Seeds were soaked overnight. White seed, in particular can be hard to break through the seed coat.

Soaked seeds were added to folding root trainers, for long, deep root growth.

These conservatory camellia specimens in the Limonaia ( like an orangerie) at Tower Hill came from the collection which was housed at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston. My plants will not have such a provenance, but they are nearly this size. I am ready to try a few on our glassed in porch, to see if they will survive the winter there.

This amazing grey auricula was raised by my dear friend, and primula expert Judith Sellers. She gave me a piece of it, but I ordered more varieties from England to try these most striking of the primula clan once again.

I had to work last week, so sadly I could not attend this years show – so this is how I watched him winning this highest of prizes in his world of dog shows. Live, on FaceTime. It worked fine, but all the dogs sort of looked the same. At least, I could drink wine while watching!

Our Irish Terrier Weasley, or should I say Red Devil’s Irish’ ‘Grand Champion Lucifer’s Fire’ just won a major show – an OMG moment this past Sunday. He won Best of Breed at the National Terrier show known as Montgomery County Kennel Club Terrier Show in PA. It was also our breed club specialty, which means that he also won Best of Breed at the Irish Terrier Club of America’s national finals. Amazing. Go Weaz! He also came in 4th for Best of Show, which was against all terrier breeds.  We couldn’t be prouder. Today he came home, pee’d on my computer and then chased some red squirrels up a tree. Dogs.

Weasley with his handler, the talented Adam Bernardin, who has been his agent since last year. Now – off to Westminster again, but this time with some real cache.

Weaz was happy to be out of his crate and adjusting from a few weeks on the show circuit. He passed out on the seat on the way home, only awakening for some McNuggets.

The post MY NEW WINTER PROJECTS LIST, AND GO WEASLEY! appeared first on Growing With Plants.

This summer I have been assembling and training a collection of about 25 upright fuchsia selections, some historical, others just curious, which I am training to be either standards ( topiary) or bush uprights, a method of growing fuchsias once popular in conservatory displays at botanic gardens and private estates were gardeners trained fuchsias for summer displays in greenhouses or on the porches of grand, summer cottages in Newport and Connecticut. If you are looking for true coral colored flowers, long, delicate clouds of bee-sized blossoms in shades of lavender-grey or peachy pink, with little skirts or magenta and raspberry looking more like those engravings from a nineteenth century fairy tale book than a floral display, than maybe these old-timey fuchsias are for you.

Upright fuchsia varieties have all types of blossoms. Some are very small, others quite large, but they all hang.

There are many reasons why good plants can’t become commercial, and certainly, height is one of them – just try to find a perennial taller than 16 inches at a home center or big box store nursery – the reasons are more practical than one might think – they just don’t fit on the shelves, so merchandising is out of the question. One is most likely to find small fuchsias, in bloom and in 4 inch pots for window boxes (treated with growth regulators) than any interesting species or selections known for their amazing floral color or display.  All this aside from those horrid hanging basket fuchsias (nothing wrong with them, ecxept that I find them revolting).

 Me? I just find upright fuchsias so much more interesting than weeping varieties often found at garden centers. Tall canes with a single stem trained upright, carefully pinched and trimmed until a woody stem  is formed, and then a bushy flower chandelier with pendant blossoms, some lifted to eye level where one can appreciate them more.

My Fuchsia’s this year are just starting to bloom, here are some of my best trained varieties:

Click below for more!

I know, another crazy Matt project – as if I don’t have enough to do. But hey, these all keep my life interesting as I become bored easily. I suppose if I had gardeners, or a staff, I would drive them crazy with more intensive projects, but until I win the lottery (if I played it!), the only gardener is me. And I think I can only handle about 30 fuchsias, which will winter over in the cold greenhouse and hopefully become more beautiful next summer, as these are plants which will need to build some woody age to them before they reach their potential. This year, I am lucky to have just a few blossoms to share with you. Above, are some of the varieties I have so far in the collection.

I love some of the coral tints that fuchsia can have. This one is called Machu Picchu’.

The World Dog Show held in Helsinki Finland this year, just ended, and our Weasley ( Irish Terrier) competed. It was a pretty fancy affair – many liken it to Europe’s Westminster.

The World Dog Show is enormous, and with 38 Irish Terriers from many countries, we were not disappointed. It was a well organized affair, and no expense was spared.

I stayed home this week and a half because Joe and Weasley our Irish Terrier went to Helsinki, Finland where Weasley was entered into the World Dog Show. He did quite well, even for an American bred terrier with a docked tail ( Europe does not allow docked tails, but in this show, it’s OK). He placed third in his class.

Weasley, or ‘Red Devil Kennel’s Lucifer’s Fire’ placed well at his first World Dog Show this weekend in Helsinki, Finland, where he and Joe have been for a week. Their absence gave me some free time to get some house work done. It’s hard to believe that this little guy is the same one who digs holes in the cabbage patch, and pees on our tomatoes.

I painted the back porch this week during my vacation as Joe was with Weasley at the World Dog Show in Helsinki ( Weasley came in 3rd in his class/breed, so that’s not so bad. They are flying home tonight. Fergus here is enjoying not having the youngsters running around, as he is getting old. Nothing like a nap on a rainy afternoon.

The rest of the dogs needed a baby sitter, which comes down to me. I actually loved the time off, as it gave me some time to catch up, or sort-of catch up with chores and garden projects. Work still kept me busy as we have presentations coming up, but between computer time, photographing etc, I was able to clean off the back porch and paint it – even the floor. I also was able to sow 60 more species of Lithops for that collection, and catch up on weeding, repotting cyclamen and other random garden projects. Of course, I feel as if I got nothing accomplished, and yes – that is probably an illness many of us share!

Joe said that the opening ceremonies were like the Olympics. I suppose these are the Doggy Olympics. Here is some typical Euro weirdness or modernity, depending on your style. I sort of like it.

Maybe next year I will go the the World Dog Show because it is being held in Milan ( ahem, hey – if I have to go, I will force my self to tolerate it!). In a couple of weeks I will be traveling to the North American Rock Garden Society annual meeting in Sante Fe, New Mexico, so I am looking forward to that. More about that later.

Happy High Summer!

Now my fuchsia collection doesn’t seem so crazy. Most of the other plants are not blooming year, so they are still outside on the deck display. Maybe they will bloom more heavily in September – if so, I will post an update. All of my fuchsia cutting came from THE EARTHWORKS nursery, at Fuchsias.net

The post DISPLAYING A COLLECTION OF VARIOUS FUCHSIAS appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Left to right – ‘Aquilegia caerulea Songbird series  ‘Nightingale’, ‘Songbird Series ‘Bluebird’ and Songbird Series ‘Dove’

Do you remember when you were a little kid? Mom’s cosmos and zinnias seemed to be more than 6 feet tall? Those Larkspur’s and asters towered over the top of your head, and fragrant roses where at nose level? Those were all great, but there was something magical about the delicate dangling blossoms of Columbine, which hung just at eye-height. Well, then you were only about 3 feet high yourself, but just tall enough that you could peer deep inside those long spurs of Columbine, the trumpets of daylilies and giant, papery blooms of Oriental Poppies with their deep, black boss of stamens (and usually with a surprise bumblebee bumbling around inside) – nostalgia in the garden, the charm of these vintage flowers is often lost to the more sophisticated of us – experienced gardeners who generally snub those plants that are often sturdy survivors. Denizens of abandoned or ill-kempt perennial borders. Plants for the lazy gardener. The amateur, and not as ‘hip’ or stylish as a ‘Patty’s Plum’ Papaver or a ‘Nora Barlow’ aquilegia.

Songbird Nightingale, Songbird ‘Cardinal’ and Songbird ‘Robin’

But sometimes I like to challenge the elitist not-so-deep inside me, for I am man enough to admit that although I may grow heirloom leeks and poach them with a homemade mustard vinaigrette, I still can appreciate a good egg McMuffin ( with Canadian Bacon, not sausage – come on). And so it goes with my gardening — I do raise rare South African bulbs from seed, and high alpine narcissus from Morocco, but I also love to indulge in tall, golden marigolds and scarlet geraniums (within reason, of course), and even though a hybrid columbine mix may seem like an exotic perennial to many new gardeners, to those of us who spend hours trying to track down rare Podophylum, it is something that usually gets back-listed in favor of endangered primula seed from the Himalaya.

But remember – epic Egg McMuffins, baby.

Epic.

Sometimes simple, common — even hybrid, is OK.

It can even be ….awesome.

In the garden, my plants are standing up to rain, late snow and high winds. Very few petal shatter, and many remain open at the same time.

The selection had many nice lavender and purple selections, notice how bright the purple in the foreground is ( Songbird ‘Bluejay’ a vibrant purple, and one of three selections in the blue shades found in the mix. Look at the size of these blossoms!

Aquilegia caerulea Songbird Series ‘Dove’ was awarded an AGM selection by the  RHS, and one can see why.

Seedling of my ‘Song Bird’s series of columbine where started in the greenhouse in January, and set out into the woodland border last May, along with some Primula denticulata.

Seedling are strong enough to set out into the garden by mid May from a January sowing indoors. The idea site, being an eastern exposure. Plants will bloom a bit during the first season, more during the second season, which are the images you see in bloom in this post, but they will mature to full-size plants in their third or fourth season.

Now in their second year,  the blossoms plants are taller, and covered in flowers. They will reach their full maturity in 3 – 5 years, when the plants will really shine. I can’t wait.

The color selection of the Songbird Series of Aquilegia is unmatched, and I am so impressed with how long they last when cut and brought into the house. Nearly one week now.

“Bunting’ ( in the EU) or Bluejay, in North America, is a nice, strong blueish purple that looks ‘Photoshopped’ ( it isn’t — I promise – and I know Photoshop).

The post HOW TO GROW COLUMBINE FROM SEED WORTHY OF A COTTAGE GARDEN appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Originally from the Yucatan, Oaxacan Green Dent corn is a primitive heirloom selection, which produces these distinctively dark green and olive colored cobs. Primarily a corn meal variety, it is also ornamental.

This year I wanted to grow something really different – something that I never grew before, and I settled on trying some dry field corn, more specifically, an heirloom green Aztec variety called Oaxacan Green, a dent type of dry corn, which  foodies-in-the-know have become obsessed lately, as it produces the finest corn meal, with a deep, earthy and sweet flavor. In November, I plan on making the most delicious corn bread from my very own corn meal. Until then, I must properly dry the cobs first. Today, I picked the crop, which I am drying on our porch, as rain is expected for the next few days. Hung out like this, the cobs will dry in three weeks, and then I will finish it off in the over to ensure that no moisture remains in the corn kernels.

If you want to grow corn for drying, and grinding for meal, allow the cobs to dry as long as you can on the corn stalks in the garden, before harvesting, ideally, during dry weather.

I  really don’t know why I have never grown dry corn before? I suppose it’s comes down to the basic economics of volume and harvest – a 200 square foot raised bed of field corn will only produce about a bushel of corn, barely enough for three quarts of corn meal ( just guessing), but after reading Joseph Tychonievitch’s new book about Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener, (Timber Press), I became inspired to try growing, drying and grinding my own corn – if only to experiment, and to experience something special. Special, because where else could I find freshly-ground heirloom varieties of corn like Aztec Green besides from my own garden? Oh, yeah…and I was getting a little board, so this sounded like a fun project.

Oaxacan Green can be misleading, as some ears are nearly black, or indigo, while others are a bright, olive green. Once pulled out, the kernels are  more grayish green, with pale tips. The corn meal will appear only slightly darker than normal corn meal, if not a little grey.

Each kernel, on ‘dent’ varieties gets a slight indentation on the end of the kernel when dry, hence the name, Dent corn.

Dent corn drying on my back porch, out of the rain. I never expected the corn to look so nice – next year, I need to plant even more interesting varieties – pop corn, strawberry corn, Indian corn. The best part of all this? Peeling back husks to see what you have. So rewarding.

How to dry corn

 Grinding Dry Corn

What I do want is a nice stone grinding wheel, or better yet,  vintage corn grinder, but I think that I
will be using my Vitamix or getting the corn mean attachment for my Kitchen Aid
mixer ( any advice anyone?). I’ll let you know how the corn dries, if I need to
switch to drying the corn kernels in the over, and I will share anything that I
make with the ground corn. Please share thoughts or ideas on what I could
possibly make. Johnny Cakes? Corn Bread? Hmmm?

Heads of sunflowers have also been picked to dry on the back porch. In this way, squirrels cannot get the plump seeds which need to dry thoroughly before eating. After a slight roast in the over, the seeds will be ready to eat.

As if I don’t have enough going on this weekend, Lydia decided to give birth to her puppies last night, so I have been up for 46 hours, as I am the only one home this week, as Joe is with the other dogs at our National specialty dog show in Pennsylvania (I need to share this too – remember our puppies that were born last October during Superstorm Sandy? Well Weasely, our male Irish Terrier  just won Best of Winners and Best Dog earlier today, I had to watch it on Facetime). As for these pups – I delivered the pups by myself ( ugh!), with the first one being still born on Friday night at midnight, Liddy brought it to me on my pillow, thinking that I could revive it, then off to the whelping box, a pot of coffee and the rest of the night was planned, and rather smooth sailing. Fergus and Lydia are the proud parents of 5 girls and one boy. Whew.

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Making your own Herbes de Provençe is easy, but like anything, it does require some up-front knowledge about selecting the best herbs, as well as knowing the right time to dry them, but the truth is, there is no one, single recipe which is ‘classic’ or even ‘traditional’.

Basic Herbes de Provence consists of just a few herbs – tarragon, thyme, rosemary and oregano, in a 25% ratio.

This past Saturday, I turned all ‘French’ for a day, picking so many herbs that my hands smelled for two days! Nothing that a little Pastis couldn’t cure!

A tradition Provençial wall locust, a ceramic locust that I bought in Nice, filled with fresh picked herbs on our porch near the kitchen. I have a half dozen of the Locust pots, hanging near the rear door in various sizes, I like how wierd they are, at least to an American, but as our locust’s hatch this year, they suddenly make sense.

Sure, one can find jars of Herbes de Provençe in France today, but there, the standard is a commercial brand marketed under the name Ducros, and Label Rouge ( now owned by spice giant McCormick).

Fancier brands in the US have ingredient that can vary wildly, but there seems to be one fact most connoisseurs of the herb mix agree upon, and that it, that it must never contain lavender, especially the blossoms. Lavender was added in the 1980’s to make mixes feel ‘French’ in both scent and feel’, ( OK< I like the Lavender in some mixes, I admit), but knowing that it was added so that it would appeal to tourists does make me want to try a more ‘authentic mix, even though I use the term ‘authentic’, loosely.

Today I decided to go out into the garden, and pick herbs specifically for drying, so that I can make my own Herbes de Provence mixture. Taking in all that I have learned in my research, I feel pretty confidant that I can make a good mixture, as I have many of the oil-rich herb species required.

The trick here is this: Use as many of the high summer-growing herbs, those Mediterranean species that would be found in gardens, or in the wilds of Southern France.  If one thing is essential, it is this – use the right varieties of these herbs, for an inferior Thyme, such as Lemon Thyme ( Thymus serpyphyllum, will dry terribly and ruin a mix). Here are my notes on each type of herb required for a decent Herbes de Provence mixture. Feel free to switch around proportions, but I will include the rough proportions used in France per the Label Rouge web site.

 I am separating the herbs into groups, plants that have similar amounts of volatile oils , or drying times.

Here are some basic suggestions for recipes:

1. The Label Rouge mixture calls for:
Rosemary, Oregano, Savory, Marjoram, Sage, Lovage. Bay, Parsley, Basil, Tarragon and Fennel.

2. An old French classic cook book the Larrousse de la Cuisine, has a much simpler mix:
Wild Thyme, Rosemary, Bay Leaf and Savory ( Summer Savory).

3. Patricia Wells, in her ‘Patricia Wells at Home in Provence’ cook book (Scribner, 1996), prefers fresh, wild collected herbs, snipped fresh fennel fronds rather than seed, as well as snipped dill, but lists her ‘classic’ dried mixture as having “Dried Fennel (seed), rosemary, sage, savory, and wild of domestic thyme.”

For what’s it’s worth, she goes on to clarify the difference between Herbes de Provençe and Fines Herbes. “Fines Herbes are comprised of fresh chervil, tarragon, chives and parsley”. Chefs worth their sea salt also know that Fines Herbes are best when assembeled and used as fresh herbs, and not dried.

Note: Not one of these contains lavender.

Herbs dry on the back porch. NOte the hand painted locusts on the olive urn.

Another chapter in Larrousse de la Cuisine lists “Fennel, Rosemary, Chervil, Oregano, Summer Savory, Tarragon, Mint, Marjoram Orange zest and Lemon Zest, and that Lavender leaves can be added ‘as a benifit for tourists”. How funny.
I have seen mixtures with

The truth is much more simple, and logical- Herbe’s de Provençe simple means “handfuls of summer herbs found in Southern France, and the recipes vary a widely from family to family, as recipes should, Let me know what your favorite mixture has in it.

Thyme and other aromatic herbs drying on the back porch.

Notes on specific herbs for Herbes de Provençe

Fennel, Tarragon,Lovage and Chervil

These provide that essential licorice flavor found in the mix, and although some mixes include all, or none of the licorice scented herbs, the most common ones used are tarragon and fennel. Fennel seed may provide the strongest flavor, and in France, wild fennel seed is preferred, but unless you live somewhere where this grows as an escapee ( such as in California), you will have to harvest your own, or buy it. Tarragon will dry nicely, but forget about drying Chervil, it is far too tender, and like cilantro, will lose its flavor.

Pick fresh herbs in just as the dew dries in the morning, as the leaves much never be wet or damp. Tie into tiny bundles, and air dry in a shady, dry and breezy spot. Pick more mature stems, ( if they don’t wilt, they are mature), as these will have the highest essential oil content.

If you are making a fresh mix, then you have many more options to achieve the same flavor profile.  When using fresh herbs, you may choose chopped Lovage leaves, but they can be horsey, due to their size and stems.  The finest fresh option is Chervil, which offers a delcate flavor profile almost unmatched as it is also somewhat floral. I would choose that as the finest option for that authentic mix, Remember, never dry chervil, fennel fronds or lovage, for all you will have is hay-scented herbs with only a hint of licorice.

Fresh Oregano

Oregano, Marjoram, Sage

Finding the proper oregano may be your greatest challenge, as most commercial garden varieties found in the US are not the true culinary oregano we find at pizza parlors or even at the market. Look first for a type that will return year after year, and as Oregano in the world of Provençe most likely means ‘wild oregano’, an Oraganum species found growing throughout the mediterranean. At nurseries, look  for Greek Oregano, or Oreganum vulgare. What you want here is a rich, strong-flavored oregano that will hold its flavor once dried, and, an oregano with flavor. Lemon oregano, orange oregano and any of the fancy types won’t do. In drying oregano, one must wait until late in the growing season, when the plant is blooming, as the floral buds and blossom ends contain the richest amount of volatile oils. Leaves have the least. Look for varieties that have woodier stems, and not green stems that will wilt when picked. A proper oregano branch should be woody, stiff and intensely fragrant. A bunch of dried oregano in bloom, should only be rubbed gently between ones hands, to release the fragrant leaflets near the blossoms.

Sage can vary, as of course, it is a Salvia. I find that culinary sage can vary from plant to plant, so when buying plant or growing your own from seed, test them all, to find your favorite. Some new hybrids are excruciatingly horrible in scent ( especially the thin-leaved dwarf forms). Find a good sage, and stick with it. I know it is strong, and hard to find a good use for ( but I do reccommend  the recipe for Frittata in the Al Forno cookbook  Cucina Simpatica by food geniuses Johanne Killeen and George Germon – my favorite cookbook in the world, in which every page is stuck together and the cover has been missing for years! It will make you adore sage and eggs. Cucina Simpatica gave me a gift, and that gift was a love for sage beyond Bell’s Seasoning.).

Herbes de Provençe hang on a breezy, airy porch near our kitchen entrance where the sun never shines.

Savory, Basil, and Parsley

When the French write about Savory here, they are referring to the one gardeners know as Summer Savory. In seed catalogs and at some nurseries you may find something called winter savory, it is woody and has a fuzzier leaf. Summer Savory has a smooth leaf, and if you are not growing this herb already, I urge you to. I never eat Zucchini without it!. Both are eventually woody shrublets, but winter savory is so much more hairier and greyer, and it has a  skunky and bitter taste which makes it less palatable. Summer savory must be grown from seed, or from plants if you are lucky to find it. Harvest before it blooms, or in late summer when the new growth has begun to harden off. Again, volatile oils is the goal, and these mature as summers end.

Choosing the perfect Thyme means doing a little more research – the wrong thyme can ruin everything.

Thyme, Rosemary, Bay

Thyme seems to be a lose term at most garden centers, so proceed carefully. The thyme species you want is Thymus vulgaris, not Thymus serpyphyllum. You can tell the difference sometimes from the labels ( variegated Thyme, Golden Thyme or Lemon Thyme, are all T serpyphyllum – it has a wider leaf. Thymus vulgaris is more woody, especially near the end of summer, as as a culinary thyme, it has leaves which are often rolled, or smaller. If in doubt, the scent will give it away, as T, vulgaris cultivars that are best for cooking have crispier leaves, full of essential oils. Never use the Wooly Thymes, T. pseudolanuginosus.

Freshly picked Rosemary from containers on the gravel bed

Rosemary varieties are more versatile, as most are so similar, with varying degrees of oilyness. I use a prostrate from, with semi-mature stems that are half green, half woody near the end of summer – they are often so sticky with oils when I pick them, that I need to clean my snips. Rosemary can be harvested anytime of the year, but I find that growth which is almost mature has the finest flavor when dried, and is less likely to turn into sharp ‘pine needles’.

Bay laurel is easy, as long as you have the true Bay laurel. Laurus nobilis. Many plants have common names with the term ‘laurel’ but some are poisonous, or at the very least, inedible. I harvest my bay laurel leaves just as the mature in August or September, as young harvested while too young will dry with a brown color. No need to string them up,  I simply place them in egg cups on a breezy porch out of the sun, and they will dry in a few weeks.

I grow many types of Basil, but this Genovese basil I feel is not choice as some of the smaller leaved forms for drying. Still, I rarely dry basil, opting to either only use it fresh, or eliminate it from the mix.

Basil, parsley

As dried herbs, these are basically filler, I believe. For we all should know by now that dried basic is horrid, and dried parsley is barely fit enough for a caged rabbit. Use these only if you are making a fresh mixture, otherwise, leave them out.

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Cut flower sweet peas are one of the most amazing flowers a gardener can ever experience, but they are not always the easiest to grow. Here is the story about how I raised long stemmed English sweet peas this year.

Last year I became obsessed with English Spencer Sweet Peas – so variety grown by true Sweet Pea enthusiasts in England and elsewhere, because of its characteristically large blossoms and long, long stems. Once the most popular cut flower in America ( in 1900), today, the sweet pea is still somewhat scarce, which just means that you will need to grow your own from seed, as this is another one of those annuals that you will not find in garden centers as seedlings ( and, you shouldn’t, as the best plants are those grown from seed in your own garden). As many of you know, I sort of became a little too obsessed last year, even having a party to celebrate their mass blooming in June. Since many of you have shared an interest in trying to grow Spencer Sweet Peas yourselves, here is a photo-heavy step-by-step post on how I grow mine. Enjoy!

Sweet Pea enthusiasts use a new type of pot called a root trainer, and the name Rootrainer is also a brand. Google it, if you think you can invest in a set ( they are not cheap, but they are reusable). Some people use toilet paper tubes ( silly, really, and not horticulturally sound as they will decay long before you can transplant your seedlings). Root trainers allow seedlings to produce long roots, essential with sweet peas, especially since you will be pinching the seedlings to encourage even more roots in the first few weeks of growth. Of course you can use most any pot, yogurt containers – what ever you feel comfortable with, but look for deeper containers rather than shallow ones. Sweet peas dislike root disturbance, so Root Trainers allow you to unfold the pot, and slide the root ball out with a minimum of disturbance. With regular pots, you will just need to carefully tap and slide out the root ball.

Varieties are important, and I encourage you to seek out the Spencer variety if you are large flowers and long stems. You certainly can use American seed strains if you wish, but I assure you that the flowers will be smaller, and the stems shorts. Heirloom varieties exist, and they are often more fragrant, but the true Spencer strain forms have the newest varieties – those grown for exhibition in England, and I believe the largest foliage and flowers. Grown side-by-side with American Royal sweet peas, you will instantly see the difference. I order mine from Owl’s Acre in England, but there are many sources in the UK and even from California (although, I honestly would just look at the Sweet Pea Society website in England, and check out their source list – these growers grow two crops a year, to ensure the freshest seed – one crop in the UK, and then one crop in New Zealand during their summer). I cannot stress the importance of getting the finest seed you can get.

I sow seed starting in late February, but also as late as mid March ( I am late this year). I sow two seed per cell, and then I pull one out and toss it, keeping the strongest seedling to grow on. At the second leaf stage ( above) I pinch the growing tip out ( it’s what the professional exhibitors do). This encourages more roots, which is so important for sweet peas as the vines will grow 8 to 10 feet tall, and by mid summer, the hot temperatures will require plants to have deep and strong roots.

In the third week of March, I start setting out the strongest seedlings into a prepared bed. I don’t add manure from the chicken and duck coops into the soil because one must control the nitrogen level, but I do add bone meal and a drench of tomato fertilizer ( 2.5.5), along with compost. I use cloches to protect plants from heavy early frosts.

These pinched seedlings show how the root trainers work. Yes, I forgot to pull out the extra seedling here, but at this stage, I can still snip off or pinch out the two weaker stems.
 In the rear, you can see the bamboo cordon system I use – 8 foot bamboo canes, attached to a wire which extends between two snow fence poles. This creates a very sturdy structure which you will need once the vines mature and bloom.

Seedlings after being set out, watered and fertilized. One plant per cane. I know, I know, a little crazy, but wait till you see the results.  This is exactly the same way exhibition sweet peas are grown in England. If you think this is silly, I can say that the foliage on the sweet pea plants grown this way is four times larger than those on conventionally grown vines. The goal at this point? Strong roots, so I pinch plants again just after planting. Don’t worry, you will be surprised at how pinching early will stimulate plants to produce side shoots which will be even larger and more sturdy than the original growing point.  For some reason, side shoots are massive  and more aggressive than those on un-pinched plants.

After pinching, strong shoots will emerge from the base of the seedling. At this point, around May 15th, you will need to start tying vines to the canes ( they will not grasp on by themselves).

I use vinyl tape for tying sweet peas, as it does not damage the stem, it stretches and ties easily. I know, it is not environmentally sound, but it just means that I must collect the pieces at the end of the season. Many UK growers use this material for staking tomatoes and sweet peas. Its’ very soft, and will not harm the plant.

By June 1st, vines will start to grow incredibly quickly, almost 3 inches a day. Have twine or tape ready, for they will need to be tied every other day or so. I tie at each internode. It’s a pleasant task, relaxing after a long day at work, just listening to the robins, and making little bows.  I’ve tried twine, rope, twistems, but this soft plastic ribbon is the best, as sweet pea stems are winged, and tear easily with even thick twine. If you want to be more organic, you may want to try cutting fabric or cloth ribbon. I think the trick here is a flat material and not a round one, which will cut into the stem.

Tendrils emerge at the end of each leaflet, and they will need to be cut off, or this will happen. They will grasp onto bud and nearby leaves, encircling them and causing havoc. Carry a pair of little scissors, and snip all tendrils off.

Flower stems need to grow tall and long, and tendrils will cause trouble. Again, it is a strangely pleasant task, snipping off tendrils every day after work in the evening. Sometimes, tending to plants with snips and ties, can be like therapy.

By mid june, flower buds will appear, and extend long and tall. If the first set yellows and falls off, don’t dispair, but keep an eye out for virus’ and aphids. If you are lucky, soon will will have amazing long stems of fragrant sweet peas.

Some of these stems are 18 inches long, with blossoms nearly 2-3 inches in diameter. Properly grown sweet peas are amazing and impressive, probobly because we rarely ever see them, even at florists. Once you grow your own sweet peas, you will understand their charm and respect why they were so popular a hundred years ago when people cared about such things.

The color palette with Spencer Sweet Peas is unmatched. coral, cerise, periwinkle – some of the purest  colors seen outside of Valentines Day or the My Little Pony aisle at Target. I can say that, because I know :). The Yummiest colors of any flower, indeed. So go get your sweet peas on!

Awesome pictures to follow:

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A selection of home-grown citrus from my greenhouse. Starting from the bottom ( the big one), Citron ‘Etrog’. as is the slice to the left. above that Meyer Lemons, Australian Finger Limes, Limequats and the tiny Indian Kumquat, Fortunella hindsii, the smallest pea-sized citrus that I grow.

Inspired by a few posts from blogger friends who seem to always make marmalade in during the winter (traditional marmalade is indeed a winter craft in Mediterranean climates, as citrus ripen during the winter months). As I keep a about ten varieties of citrus in my greenhouse here in central Massachusetts, I figured that I might as well try making some, otherwise, the citrus only gets used in tea, and a few drinks, and that’s about it. Maybe it’s time to use some of my organically grown citrus for something more useful.

Look – if Martha Stewart Living magazine can run two different covers, I thought I would too. A quick graphic treatment for my post, but I still need to design my labels. Later this week. Here is my Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Mandarins & Lavender (recipe from the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders).

Meyer Lemons formed the base for all three Marmalade’s. Mild, sweet and fruity, when prepared as marmalade, it can be rather one-note and not as lemony or bitter as true lemons, so I combined my Meyer Lemons with other citrus.

Most of the work in making any marmalade comes in the beginning, and I should note that most recipes suggest three-day long procedures ( I cheated and did this all in two days), but by far, the most difficult task is carefully cutting the fruit into thin slices. A sharp paring knife is handy, so  you won’t crush the peel and fruit while slicing.

The third type of marmalade comes from the BLUE CHAIR COOK BOOK – Meyer Lemon and Kumquat. I had three types of Kumquats, which are so delicious when picked fresh from the tree – nothing at all like store bought fruit, as the oil-rich peels taste like orange blossoms to me, something store-bought fruit lose. Even store bought Meyer Lemons will not have the strong lemony citrusy oil scent and flavor in their peels that home-grown fruit have. I really don’t know why I haven’t done this before – it’s time for this costly greenhouse help supply this kitchen with some produce.

Having the proper tools helps immensly, and that starts with a proper confiture pot – a Bassine à confiture makes all the difference in the world. Costly, it’s something to look out for on EBay ( a friend of mine found a vintage one there) or from an on-line retailer. Look – you’ll have it for life, and the wide surface area and copper make jam and jelly making effortless. You will never need to buy pectin as the proper evaporation will occur.

Once the citrus are sliced into elegant long strips or slices, depending on the recipe, the long process begins. All recipes will have you soak the sliced fruit for 24 hours ( important, to remove the bitterness and to soften the rind), then they all deviate. Some require you to first boil the fruit and then drain it in a colander for another 24 hours, as I did with the Blue Jam Cookbook recipe which asked for me to create a mandarin orange extraction that took two days, but most will have you start the actual process of boiling the soaked fruit with sugar, and if you are using a confiture, this part is easy. You will have marmalade in about 30 minutes.

Cut branches of Cornus mas still bloom in the kitchen window as two batches of marmalade come together. The windows got so steamy, that I could not watch the bird feeders. Yeah – that mess on top of my stove are trays of seedlings that require soil temperatures over 75º F, like the artichoke seedlings. This is my secret spot!

Once you start on the final part of a marmalade recipe, the cooking in the confiture, the entire process happens quite quickly. Be careful, stirring too much will case more air bubbles as the water evaporates, yet you must stir ever minute or so, to avoid caramalization ( which happened to me on my second batch, as I had to go send an email logo to someone). I assume many of you are jam makers, as the garden and jam making go hand in hand, but I encourage you to use your home grown citrus – even if you use your house plant citrus, just be certain that they are organic, and for this reason, never use store bought plants with fruit on them, for most likely, they have been treated with an systemic insecticide, which can take a year or more to work its way out of a plants tissues.

Sweet, sour and Tangy, homemade mixed citrus marmalade will warm any ones hearts on a cold, winter day. Steamy windows, frosty panes of glass, and the scent of fresh lemons, oranges and limes. I am so glad that I took the time to do this today, I needed something to take my mind off of what is happening at work right now.

Jars await a hot water bath processing. I process mine for 25 minutes as it helps reduce the amount of air bubbles.

Naturally, have everything ready to work with when you make marmalade, for unlike jam and jelly, it is difficult to reheat and soften the marmalade once it begins to set, as too much caramalization will occur. Have all of your jars and glassware sterilized either in the dishwasher, or in the oven, and have your jar rubbers boiling along with the lids on the stove. Keep plenty of fresh linens at the ready, as well as a couple of pots of boiling water, as one you will need for wash cloths to clean the rims, as marmalade making is a sticky process, and the other pot will come in handy when you process the finished jars, as the hot water bath will often need topping off, and in the winter, one does not want to add ice cold water to hot, glass jars.

A jar of Etrog Citron and Kumquat Marmalade that I shot in the greenhouse, with a sprig of some of the smaller Kumquats ( Forunella hindsii) that I also added. This is the batch that I almost burnt when I had to go send the logo to someone, but it still tastes fine, and I think I even like the more caramel taste.

I also made a loaf of French bread that I started yesterday using my standby no-kneading recipe from Jim Lahey’s book MY BREAD. His no knead method has become a stand-by in my kitchen for crispy, French loaves.

Well, after all, they are from the British Isles.

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‘River City’ is a Recurve with an unusual color. A light champagne salmon. ‘Coral Charm’, a new coral or salmon colored variety. I disbudded this plant to achieve this larger flower, but typically this is grown as sprays. with many smaller flowers in a cluster.

Once the iconic blossom of autumn in Asia, the chrysanthemum moved from being a most auspicious flower to one of dull funereal status in the west. Today, it is being rediscovered by a new generation. I made this arrangement inspired by those loosely constructed by the stylish Brooklyn, NY firm of Saipua. It incorporates branches, autumnal leaves and other random clippings found around the garden today.

‘John Lowry’ A Reflexing Bloom in the style preferred in England. Bred by Harry Lawson in the U.K., This variety has one of the brightest colors in the greenhouse right now.

‘Fort Smith’, an Irregular Incurve, highly esteemed for exhibition potential, these are the giants of the Chrysanthemum world. These must be disbudded in order to achieve this size.

In the greenhouse, the exhibition mums are reaching peak bloom. Some of these plants are 6 feet tall.

The Chrysanthemum is experiencing a comeback.

Only kidding. Well, If I keep saying that maybe it will.  I will admit that the 5th most popular page on this blog remains exhibition chrysanthemums, so there must be SOME interest! I’ve have over 10,000 hits on those pages.

This bronze beauty is an exhibition form  known as ‘regular incurve’, a class , ‘Heather James’, is a new variety. Blooms in this class are formally incurved with the ideal bloom forming a complete ball.

In American, these are sometimes referred to as Irregular Incurve. In the USA we call them Football mums,’ but in Japan, they are carefully trained and respected. This cultivar is ‘Kokka Bunmi’. It is a very typical Japanese style flower with a long skirt of trailing florets dangling below it.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you also know that I am a sucker for exploring old fashioned horticultural techniques. Seventeenth Century, Eighteenth Century and Nineteenth Century growing techniques is fun for plant geeks like me who enjoy to exploring early horticultural methods, but sometimes I need to remind myself that such tasks were typically executed by large gardening staffs on private estates, and not by a single person with a full time job and a two hour commute. I found that the mums this year took a little too much time, considering that I also explored Sweet Pea culture and annual poppies at the same time.

Some mums have been bred to have very tiny blossoms, such as this bonsai-form known as ‘Koto No Kaori’

Here is the same variety as seen at the New York Botanical Garden last year

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