It may still be snowing and chilly in other parts of the states, but here in Northern California it’s starting to feel very much like spring.
These were taken earlier today. It’s only middle of February. There were so many blossoms after all the rain we had recently.
Notice the Oleander bush with pointy green leaves, they are also growing new leaves. Oleander leaves and sap is poisonous if eaten by pets. Fortunately the cats stay away from them. And it’s best to avoid touching the sap too. But they do have pretty flowers that bloom from summer to autumn.
I like how the blossoms bunch up. Also looks like the juniper are creeping up, they need some spring pruning.
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Chayote (pronouced cha-yoh-teh) have become more common in the vegetable stalls here in California.
The name Chayote or chocho derived from Mexico (Spanish). In the southern U.S. states, they are commonly eaten and known as mirliton or vegetable pear. Chayote are cultivated in California, Florida, and Louisiana.
The inside of a chayote looks like - the seed is the best part. It is very nutty and creamy. It’s always a treat to open up a chayote and find a huge seed in the middle.
I don’t know if it’s a fruit or vegetable. When seen hanging from the vine, it’s more like a fruit. It’s from the gourd family that also consist of melons, cucumbers and squash.
Some think chayote taste like a potato and can be bland. But I think it has an interesting flavor, like a mix of cucumber and zucchini squash. It is full of vitamin C and other nutrients.
Chayote can also be eaten raw. It’s slightly crunchy. Just shred and mix with a bit of salt, lemon juice, and chili peppers. Chayote can also be added to stir-fry, to retain it’s crisp taste, do not overcook. The list of cooking with chayote can include baking and pickling as well.
All parts of this plant can be eaten, from the leaves to the root. The leaves are also used to make tea. But I’ve never tried eating anything beside the fruit. I like chayote so much, I just steam them and eat as it.
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When I visited Blackberry Farm recently, I didn’t realize the community garden was actually part of Santa Clara County Master Gardner’s Program.
Pretty purple tip Dahlia.
It just happen to be located near the Blackberry Farm. And the berry farm isn’t really a farm, just like Knott’s Berry Farm isn’t a real farm either. It’s more of a summertime recreational center with a swimming pool. No wonder it’s been close for the season and there weren’t much people around. But most of all I wanted to share more photos from McClellan Ranch Community Garden and creek in Cupertino, California.
Lonely lopsided Halloween pumpkin.
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I found these seeds at Orchard Hardware and thought it would be a nice addition to the garden. The Calendula I plan to grow in pots (since I don’t have much garden space). They are also referred to as “pot marigold.” And Calendula petals are also a nice addition to my soap and balm making.
The heirloom zinnias “Granny’s Bouquet” should be nice too. I would pot them as well, but I think they would be better grown in my mom’s garden. My mom is the ultimate “kitchen gardener” as all her plants are used in her cooking. But she does add a few of her favorite flowers here and there. Mostly marigolds, chrysanthemums, and carnations.
Last year I planted some gladiolus for her and also a row of really tall zinnias too. The zinnias were hardy flowers that bloomed all summer long and even to autumn too. I saved the seeds but then forgot where they went! Better planning next year. Read the rest of this entry »
I planted some “leftover” tulip bulbs in some flower pots and soon forgot about them. Surprisingly they are now in bloom! These plants do get lots of nice sunshine and shade throughout the day.
This is the pink tulip getting some shade. And of course my little Dessert Rose (which I prefer to call them, but they are really named “hens and chicks”) in the blue and white pot. They are succulent evergreen perennials. It is a super easy to grow plant.
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Hibiscus flowers usually remind me of tropical places such as Hawaii. They are popular ingredients in herbal tea as it gives off the nice red color. These interesting looking hibiscus flowers are not the typical hibiscus grown as ornamental plants.
They are named roselle or “Hibiscus sabdariffa” and are edible. Roselle are an annual woody shrub that grows to 2–2.5 m tall. This plant is mainly grown in Southeast Asia and Central America.
They may look strange to someone who has never seen them before. The calyx are left over after the petals have fallen off. What you see (pictured above) is these deep red bulb like blooms.
Germany uses it as natural food color and France likes it dipped in syrup. They are also popular made into sauces, syrups, and jams. They even have medicinal values and is also full of Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium and Niacin.
These dried Roselle I found at Trader Joe’s are also dipped in syrup. I have tried dried dragon fruit from Trader Joe’s and love them! So I just had to give these a try too. The texture is like dried fruit rolled up but more bland and chewy. It’s slightly tart and sweet (from the syrup). But I do think they taste better then dried cranberries.
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If I had more garden space, I’d like to grow some of these Chinese Lantern flowers. Not to be confuse with the Chinese Lantern Lily I posted about earlier. These flowers are suppose to make great dried flowers too. These beautiful photos are from Photos Ali in Holland via Flickr.
Chinese Lanterns got their name for the orange, paper-like husks they produce that resemble Chinese paper lantern. They are native to Asia and Japan. They are sometimes called Strawberry Tomato, Winter Cherry or Ground Cherry. I think it’s because of the berry inside this paper-like husks that gives it that name. Chinese Lanterns are also related to tomatillos . Tomatillos are popular in Mexican sauces and look like green tomatoes. They are used to make salsa verde or green sauce.
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This year California may be facing a severe drought. Our heavy rain season starts around autumn and continues through spring. I can say this year’s rainy season was not so good. I think we had some cloudy winters, but not much rain. Mostly fog in parts of northern California.
Concerned homeowners and avid gardeners may want to look into finding ways to conserve water. But I have mostly desert plants that are in pots, so it won’t be much of a problem for me. My mom said she may cut down on what she will be planting this year too. The latest idea suggest replacing the common lawn and yards with native plants. This idea is termed “naturescaping”. These two front yards are good examples of naturescaping. Photos were taken by City Steward of Portland, Oregon.
There are many benefits for naturescaping and to growing native plants. A great landscape design practice also located in Portland, Oregon named Plant Native gave us 6 good reasons. They are listed below:
1. Low Maintenance - Native plants evolved to grow in local conditions and to predictable sizes. They do not require watering (except during establishment), chemical pesticides and fertilizers, or frequent cutting.
2. Public Health (lowers cancer rates) - Traditional landscaping uses large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, some of which are suspected carcinogens. During rains, these chemicals often run off into public water supplies. Traditional landscaping also contributes to air and noise pollution.
3. Saves you Money - The cost of maintaining a naturescape is dramatically less than that of a traditional landscape because a naturescape essentially takes care of itself. Naturescapes also save you time - and how valuable is your time?
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A great way to bring a bit of nature into city living is having a rooftop garden. People usually think of rooftop city gardens as only being in New York City. Usually places used to hold cocktail parties. But rooftop gardening is nothing new, it has been seen in the Hanging Garden of Babylon to the Kensington Roof Garden in London , England.
The popularity of roof gardens have grown in many other cities in the United States as well. Even people in Vancouver, B.C. are joining in on rooftop gardening too. From hotels, restaurants to local organizations. I think that is a great use of extra space and a way to add a bit of green space. It may even help clean the air too.
Photo credit: Risc’s Rooftop Garden.
Another successful rooftop garden comes from England. The one pictured here is of Risc’s edible roof garden. The garden is complete with over 120 species of edible and medicinal trees, shrubs, vines and plants from around the globe. You can read more about the place here.
Rooftop gardens are usually seen as ornamental gardens, but the idea of growing your own food is gaining popularity. A great organization based out of Vancouver, B.C. by the name of City Farmer’s has a collection of stories about their work in Vancouver, Canada, and about urban farmers from around the world.
Even with the good news surrounding rooftop gardens, there are things to consider such as large consumer of electricity needed for heating and cooling. I suppose there are innovative ways to get around this, such as pumping up hot air from the buildings below. But with good planning and more knowledge about rooftop gardening, you can also plan your own rooftop garden. A fresh bowl of salad sounds good to me anytime!
For further reading, I suggest the following books:
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Euphorbia milii also known as Crown of Thorns has become widely popular these days. They originated in Madagascar. I remember about 10 years ago it would have been difficult to locate one. But now they are even sold at Home Depot. The variety found at the plant nursery have larger blooms and smaller clusters of leaves.
Crown of Thorns are very popular in many Thai and Lao households (or gardeners). They believe the plant brings them fortune and luck. As the Lucky bamboo is for the Chinese. But for the plant to be truly a symbol of good fortune, the flowers must form in brackets of 8. The bright red flowers are tiny, but the contrast it gives with the big emerald leaves are beautiful. I think many people might be turn off by the amount of thorns it has, but I think it makes the plant very unique looking.
My mother grows two varieties in her garden. The small variety has very small leaves and tiny red flowers. The one I have a pictured here (up close) was originally from southern California. It is about 10 years old. The original plant was probably older, maybe 30 years old. They usually bloom in spring and summer. But this year, we found her plant to be blooming more then usual.
These plants are very easy to grow. Like many succulents, it requires just a nice cutting and good clean soil. They don’t prefer too much water, so they do well in dry climates. During the winter (California) we usually protect them from frost. A couple of years ago, it almost got wiped out.
Ron Smith, Horticulturist, NDSU Extension Service has lots of good questions and answers on here. Some examples include: Question: I have owned a crown of thorns plant for about four years. It seems to be doing very well. However, it is very tall and I wonder if I should be cutting it back? Read the rest of this entry »
