Frigid

Two nice pictures here from Carrol. Today was sunny but very cold with the threat of extreme wind chill temperatures tomorrow. These temps wont be good for plants or outdoor animals. The local deer population is getting hungry and the damage is becoming more evident daily despite some protective measures we took back in fall. Dr. Gredler and Dick W. came in to put sealant on some of our obelisk pieces before they are assembled. Otherwise, it's just been me pouring through catalogs. It's interesting to note that some of the smaller, organic and/or heirloom catalogs also include a lot of information regarding GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and the danger that biotechnology may cause specifically to crop diversity. I would encourage anyone to read www.purefood.org/text.html and perhaps an article regarding the role that Monsanto is playing in this controversy www.saynotogmos.org/ud2008/umay08.php#fear. I feel there is a lot of cause for concern and the debates will continue to get more fiery in coming years. Another topic of interest may be the loss of biodiversity in Iraqi agriculture as a result of some of the same issues. See www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=1447.

Amazing Amaranths

I've been recently working on a presentation for a symposium up at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI) on February 19th. The symposium is on Incredible, Edible Gardens and my topic is "Ornamental Edibles". The image to the left shows zinnias and 'Golden Giant' amaranth (Amaranthus) that is an edible plant for it's young leaves and grain production. It's been interesting compiling images of ornamental plants that you can eat and I've been more and more impressed with amaranth as a great garden plant and "edible opportunity." 'Golden Giant' will get over 7' tall and has impressive flower plumes. Other amaranths include the "summer poinsettias" or Joseph Coat leaf amaranths (Amaranthus tricolor) that have edible leaves and beautiful leaf coloration. There are many varieties including 'Early Splendor' to the right. Amaranths love our WI summers although it's important to note that pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) is in this group as well! See the article below for more information on this neat group of annuals and incorporate some in to your sunny garden this year! Note the 'Fat Spike' amaranth at the bottom!

Another really cold day. Janice, Larry and I have been inside working on various projects. Jean is working in our reference libary and we've had various volunteers come and go throughout the day.

Are you interested in a plant with an ornamental impact that is also good for your diet? Amaranths (Amaranthus sp.), while not new to horticulture, have found there way into both ornamental and vegetable gardens throughout the world. The popularity of these plants in the United States has soared in recent years and with the sheer variety of amaranths available, you may find one that suits both your eye and your stomach. Thriving in hot summers and being easy to grow from seed are two more wonderful attributes of these garden stalwarts.

There are over 60 species of amaranth, many of which are considered weedy (including the notorious pigweed). However, many species are very ornamental and less invasive. Gardeners may be familiar with love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus). This old-fashioned garden annual with its great height and trailing pink or green flower clusters is always an eye-catcher. With over 400 varieties, amaranth has a wide range of value as both a food crop and ornamental plant.

Amaranths have been an important part of civilization for over 8,000 years. Amaranth was eaten by hunter-gatherers in both North and South America before the domestication of agriculture. Grown as both a grain plant and a leaf vegetable, amaranths were utilized by the Mayans and were the principle grain crop of the Aztecs between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago. Frequently called “Grain of the Aztecs”, these plants were domesticated along with maize, beans and gourds. Grain amaranth was frequently interplanted amongst other crops and harvested at the end of the growing season. Ancient Peruvian cultures planted a border of amaranth around fields to protect the principle crop against wind, animals and thieves.

The principle grain species include hypochondriacus, cruentus and caudatus. Sown in late May and harvested after frost, over 1000 lbs. of grain can be collected per acre from these amaranths. The primary leaf species include tricolor, dubius, lividus, and cruentus. Depending on the culture, young leaves can be cooked, steamed, blanched, stir-fried or baked. Asian cuisine utilizes many of the highly nutritious leaf amaranths (Amaranthus tricolor).

Amaranth grain is very high in fiber and low in saturated fats. The grain has more protein than corn and when ground, is utilized in breads, noodles, pancakes, cereals, granola, cookies, and other flour-based products. The grain can be popped like popcorn or flaked like oatmeal. Popped seeds are eaten in Mexico and Peru where they are mixed with molasses for a snack. In Peru, the seeds are also fermented to make beer and in India, to make candy. Amaranths were also planted on primitive kitchen compost piles and utilized in the diet for both leaf and seed.

The youngest leaves of amaranth are the most edible although some species are better tasting than others. In fact, young leaves can be harvested off of grain amaranths and the seed collected later in the year. Amaranthus tricolor has been used in China for over 400 years. Also called ‘Chinese spinach”, the leaves are thought to have a better taste than spinach, are high in protein and have significant levels of vitamins C and A, potassium, iron, magnesium and calcium. In Mexico and Peru, amaranth leaves are boiled and fried. Dye from the red amaranth leaves has many historical and present day uses.

A Crunch of Catalogs

I'm staring at over 60 catalogs that I need to go thru and assemble orders in the next couple of weeks. I go thru each of these as they arrive and mark/denote new or interesting items. The second time I go thru them (now), I put together the orders based not only on what we'd like to order but what we can afford. In many cases, we'll cross reference the cost of the same variety of seeds from different vendors and go with the lowest. Saving pennies will become more important for all non-profits in the coming years I'm sure.

It's amazing how much shipping has increased for many of these catalogs. Remember to consider factors such as shipping, substitution policies, warranties and anything relevant to securing plants thru the mail. We do quite a bit of mail-ordering of items that can't be found locally but will have to scale back this year, particularly on woody plants.

Good Grumpy turnout today. Some guys went out to bring in lights. Marv, Terry and Jerry came in to help out and we continue to takedown and process our lights show. We are careful to pack everything away in an organized fashion to save time this fall when we drag everything out again. The carpentry grumpies are working on making more obelisks (vining structures) for sale at future events. These are the same structures we use throughout the gardens and will frequently paint them colors based on the theme (color) of the area. The three horizontal levels can be seen below. They're elevated for the application of a sealant.

Snow End In Sight (Get It?)

Another snowy day today. Thus far (1 pm) we've received 6" of fluff but it's still coming down. Snow removal is obviously not as vital for us now as it was during the lights show but we still have to deal with it eventually. Dr. Gredler blew off some of the paths and our parking lot while Bill and I shoveled around the visitor's center. We'll have to keep the paths clear though so we can access the lights show for takedown. The images on this blog are just some of the items we're beginning to process at the Horticulture Center.

It's been a skeleton crew today but those tend to be my most productive days. My priority is ordering seeds right now. Most of the seed catalogs have arrived and we've been pouring over them. We have no production facilities (greenhouses) for starting our seeds but we do have arrangements with four area greenhouses to start anything we provide as seed. We probably have 3,000 flats of specialty items grown each year. These relationships are absolutely wonderful and we appreciate the willingness of these people to help us out with such unique items each year. Once we get in all of our seed, we organize it based on grower and collection. Essentially, when we pick up the plants in May, they are organized and ready to go out to be planted. We've really "streamlined" this process and the first step is finalizing the orders.

Is Spring Here Yet?

Nice image above from Carrol, one of our volunteers. This is last winter I believe and one of the best shots I've seen of our arched bridge. The flooding this past spring covered the lower 2/3 of the bridge which will necessitate some repairs and an inspection by an engineer. This bridge is the most photographed spot in the gardens and we sure would like to extend its longevity. Another nice shot of Carrol's is below (4 months after the one above!).

I remember walking towards this bridge for photographs after my wedding in August of 1999. We didn't have our wedding at the gardens but definitely wanted some pictures there. As the wedding party progressed through the Japanese Garden towards the bridge, I saw some wild, ill-supervised kids running thru the Japanese Garden and made to intercept the culprits. My wife, in her beautiful dress, grasped my tuxedoed (is that a word?) arm with a grip of steel and whispered like Dirty Harry, "Not today.....not today." We then took our pictures on the bridge.
The bridge spans a 60' distance and was the brain child of our founder, Dr. Robert Yahr. This bridge style (and color) are meant to create a nice reflection as well. Some of the materials used to build this bridge were found on site when the gardens were first started. The supports are old light poles and the arched supports consist of 8 laminated beams from the old sewage plant in Janesville. When the bridge was lowered on to the concrete abutments, there was only a 1/4" margin for error. No problems though as Rotary Gardens had the help of David Knoerr, the retired civil engineer from the City of Janesville helping. That bridge will be going on 20 years old pretty soon and will undoubtably need some attention. It sure is a nice feature though.

Be Hip By Considering Hips

Jeff Epping, Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI), sent me some nice shots of rose hips for one of my upcoming presentations. Above are the hips of the redleaf rose (Rosa glauca). Olbrich is a "must visit" botanical garden with many wonderful displays and plants (including many roses!). Not only are rose hips (the aggregate fruit of the rose plant, consisting of several dry fruitlets enclosed by the enlarged, fleshy, usually red floral cup) ornamental, they are edible and good for you. High in vitamin C (more than oranges) and containing vitamins D, E, essential fatty acids and antioxidant bioflavinoids, rose hips are good for the heart and managing blood pressure. There are many recipes for using rose hips in teas, jam, jelly, wine, syrup, etc. Native Americans utilized hips as a winter food as they kept well once dried and provided nutrients during winters. Those with WWII victory gardens were encouraged to grow roses for their hips as well. Look in to it and consider more than the ornamental value of these fruits. Remember to share some with wildlife too though! Rosa rugosa hips are to the left.

Slow day around the gardens today. Urban and Jerry are bringing in lights while Larry and Bill process them. Dr. Gredler is painting our trash boxes and Dick H. is working on some equipment. Janice and I are in the office. Janice is putting together our vegetable seed orders which will include 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, 25 varieties of heirloom bell peppers, 25 varieties of hot peppers, 25 varieties of heirloom pole/runner beans and 25 varieties of basil. We will offer all of these for sale as plants (seeds for the beans) during the third weekend in May. Our list should be on the Rotary Gardens website by February. I'm bouncing between projects as time and motivation allow. Hips of the native Rosa virginiana are seen below. Thanks to Jeff again for the shots!

Perennial Plant of the Year! - 2009

Happy New Year to everyone! Despite economic challenges for everyone, hopefully the enjoyment of plants and the environment will continue to be important (and vital) for all of us! The Perennial Plant Association has selected the golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola') as the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2009. See the image above of this shade tolerant perennial grass at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI. I've touted the use and appreciation of this grass (and other Hakone grass varieties) in past blogs but wanted to revisit this special plant. This grass species is native to Honshu Island, Japan and prefers dappled light and rich soils. The soil needs to be well-drained. Growing (slowly) 12-18" tall, this grass has an arching form that resembles a miniature, weeping bamboo. See www.perennialplant.org/ for more information on this winner, past winners and information on the Perennial Plant Association of which Rotary Gardens is a member.

We had a great turnout today for beginning of the mammoth "takedown" of the lights show. We bring a lot of lights and displays inside first to thaw out before we "process" them. We have a pretty good system for taking down the show and will focus on the more easily obtained items at this point. We still have snow and ice that will impede progress for awhile. Jerry, Marv, Marianne and Terry (grounds people) all showed up today to help as did many Grumpies. Even thought the garden is dormant, we sure aren't!!! The "carpentry Grumpies" have plenty on their plate and we will have plenty of indoor work for the coming month or so. I'm ordering seeds and still preparing presentations which is quite fun and makes the days go quickly. No "clock watching" around here. Start going thru that pile of plant/seed catalogs. Lots of great items out there.