I’ve always wanted to grow Cypress Vines (also called Star Glory) and was really happy to find the seed packets for sale.

I know some people can’t stand any type of vines and think they are messy to grow and get rid of. But I am some of the few folks that love climbing flowering vines, from morning glories to clematis.

These tiny red star shaped blooms are a nice contrast to the green fern like leaves.  Unlike morning glory, the bright flowers stay open all day long. Photo from Missouri Plants.

When I see photos of Cypress Vines and morning glories, I always think of my father.  Like myself, he also loved to grow flowering vines.

My father had grown Cypress Vines in the entrance of our tropical childhood home in Thailand. Every time I left or entered the front door, I felt like the plants were greeting me. The leaves were very soft to touch and looked very green and fuzzy.  Actually more feathery. And the bright red star shaped flowers were so cheerful.

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Clematis are some of the most beautiful climbing vines. The name clematis comes from the Greek word “klema” meaning “climbing”. There are over 400 varieties of clematis in the world.

Clematis are natural climbers, so it’s best to grow them along fences, trellis, arbors, or even with a nearby shrub.

In the botany world, the colorful flowers are actually not petals, but sepals of the plant. In other plants, sepals are normally green and much smaller then the petals.

This one is called “John Paul II”.  The buds are very pretty, they look almost like lily blossom.  And the white flowers (sepal) look like fabric.

And this is the “Ariake” clematis from Japan. Such a delicate looking flower.

This down facing clematis is “Blue Boy”.  Also another delicate variety found growing in Japan.  It looks like a pretty parasol.  The buds are also very pretty.

This is the “Dr. Rupel” found growing in Argentina. It is another one of my favorite clematis. The pink ribbon like strips almost look like they’ve been painted in by someone. This one is similar to the “Nelly Moser” variety that is also very popular.

Note: These beautiful collection of clematis photos are by Tsuyoshi Isojima of Hiroshima, Japan. Of all the varieties of clematis, they are some of my favorites.

I’ve never grown clematis, but found some great tips from gardener Doug Green. And here are some of his useful tips:

- They love to grow in full sun and require good soil. It likes rich organic soil amended with compost. It does not like clay soil and will not do well there.

- When you are ready to plant them, dig a hole that is 2 x 2 feet and 12 inches deep.

- Protect the root by adding organic mulch (not rocks) around the base of the plant. Organic mulch provides good nutrients for the plant.

- Water weekly and water deeply.

Hopefully with these helpful tips I can then learn to grown my own clematis soon. I also like the idea that they bloom for months over the summer time.

Clematis are said to be easy to grow. And once the plant is established, they are easy to care for and plenty of flowers.

And unlike bougainvillea, which are also very pretty, these flowers do not have thorns. Which are good for me, since I’ve had my share of being around thorny plants.

This deep purple beautiful clematis are grown in North Carolina.  Nye Noona took this photo from her sister’s garden. The beauty of the flower and photograph itself just takes my breath away.

This new clematis cultivar is grown in New York. It’s a much lighter purple and growing along an iron fence. I love how the tips of the sepal look like stars. Photo by Bill Bird. He has a great photo gallery of many other cultivars too.

Blooming clematis is such a rare and welcoming sight here in Northern California. So just seeing them in photos is good enough for me.

I came across these interesting and useful designs from Finland. They are made by the designers at Tonfisk.

The philosophy behind their design company is to create not just a product with a different shape, but a whole new idea.  As stated, “Form follows function doesn’t mean all objects have to look the same” is built on Louis Sullivan’s functionalist dictum. However in spite of its cliché-status it describes best our design philosophy.”

Photo from Garden Design.

The “KIIKKU” is this stepped garden or potted plant display.  It lets you bring some color into your living room in a stylish and innovative way.  Kiikku consists of a walnut wood ladder from which hang four easily removable flower pots.

The term Kiikku means “swing” in Finnish. It swings upward to display your flowers in a pretty arrangement. The pots could also be used to hold a herb garden or even the easy to care for succulents.

It looks like a simple idea that serves a good purpose for people who like to collect many potted plants. The idea is to create a stepped garden which could also be placed either indoor or outdoor. A great idea for those with limited space. Available at Unison.  Photo from Unison.

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June is just around the corner, and I am looking forward to fresh summer vegetables. Especially cucumbers that are organic and fresh from the farmer’s market.

But I have yet to see any locally grown pickling cucumbers yet. Maybe in a few more months.

As soon as I get my hands on them, I would also love to try making my own pickles.

“Bread and Butter Pickles” are some of my favorite because they are a bit sweet, tangy, and crunchy. They are perfect additions to any sandwich or salad.

These cute little garden cucumbers would make great pickles! Photo from University of Wisconsin.

In the botany world, cucumbers are a fruit with it’s blossoms that are then pollinated. But in the culinary way, they are refer to as a vegetable. Either way, they are great eaten fresh, pickled, or stir-fried.

The easiest recipe I’ve come across for pickles is from the June issue of Country Living magazine.

The ingredient list isn’t bad and shouldn’t take more than a few hours to finish.

Here is the recipe Chef Jason Robinson of the Inn at Dos Brisas in Texas shared with the readers of Country Living’s magazine.

Ingredients: 1 lb of Kirby cucumber (although I think any small pickling cucumber would be fine). 1 large sweet onion, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup distilled vinegar, 1 tbs ground turmeric, 1 tbs mustard seeds, and 1 tbs ground coriander.

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Carolina Allspice is a new plant I just discovered and would love to have in the garden. It’s a fragrant flowering shrub with dense leaves and suckers that can grow up to 9 feet tall. It is native to the woodlands of the south eastern United States. Including Virginia, Missippi, and Florida.

Here is a photo of the pretty blooming Carolina Allspice.  It has dark maroon to purple petals that bloom at the end of short branches.  Image from rareplants.de

The scent is what intrigues me. As it carries fruity notes of pineapple, strawberry and banana. Even the leaves are described to be aromatic when bruised.

Scientific name is Calycantus Floridus and common names include:

Sweetshrub
Carolina Spicebush
Carolina Sweetshrub
Spicebush
Common Spicebush
Strawberry Bush
Yellow Sweet Betsy

Floridata has more useful facts about growing the Carolina Allspice.

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Vines are some of my favorite plants, and if the vines have beautiful fragrant flowers and edible fruits, then it’s even better.

Schisandra or Chinese magnolia vine is a twining climber plant with both.  The plant is native to the Russian far east and northern China. It is similar in appearance to a clematis and can easily grow 10 to 20 feet in a season.

The leaves have been described to be slightly heart shaped with a citrus lemon scent.  The fragrant white flowers appear in spring and by autumn produce bright clusters of red fruits.  The leaves also turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

These bright red berries remind me coffee berries and grapes at the same time. I would love to try growing one of these vines. They could start to bear fruit in 3 years. Photo from Fair Life.

Backyard Gardener’s website listed the following requirements for successful planting.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Since I am in Zone 9, this plant would do well.  I mainly want to harvest them for the berries. As the dried berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

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In Asia, the use of bamboo charcoal for health purposes is very popular. People in Japan, Korea, and China find the uses of bamboo charcoal to be very beneficial for many other uses too.

It was discovered that the porous structure of bamboo charcoal helps absorb bad stale air amongst many other benefits.

Bamboo charcoal is  made by placing cut and dried bamboo stalks into a kiln.  Cooked in high temperatures, the charcoal is then collected and cut into small pieces.  The pieces have found their use in the health and beauty market.

The following benefits of bamboo charcoal include:

Removes odor from kitchens, shoes, and other places.

Extracts humidity from the air and turns it into negative ions.

It’s also useful in help absorb formaldehyde.

Also helps fight electromagnetic waves from electronic items. So it’s best to place bamboo charcoal near your computer and other electronic items.

It’s also recommended to add bamboo charcoal and water to a vase of cut flowers. This helps extend the life of the flower.

So far I have added bamboo charcoal to my potted plants (which are near my computer), and also to my flower pots outside.  It’s only been 1 week since I’ve used it, so I can’t say if I’ve seen any improvements yet.

I have also put some bamboo charcoals in a basket and keep it in the bedroom.  This is to help clean the air. I’m hoping it’s making some difference.

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It’s October and the fragrant Butterfly ginger has bloomed in my mom’s garden.  She planted these back in May of this year.  For our northern California climate, these plant enjoy being in pots.

It’s got an interesting way of blooming.  Notice how they shoot up from individual pockets.  I didn’t catch them when they look like spears.

The fragrance is really the best part of this flower.  It reminded me of Gardenia, but with a lighter scent.  The ants and bees like it too.

The sight and smell of this flower brings me back to someplace tropical and warm, especially nice when it’s middle of Autumn.

Since my last post about “Autumn Garden Seeds”, I thought I should explain a bit more on the subject of using alfalfa pellets as organic and natural garden fertilizer.

Some people even use this stuff. It’s rabbit food, but also has alfalfa in it. 5 lb bag sell for about $9. Image from Southern Agriculture.

I was able to gather more information from Planet Natural about alfalfa pellets.  They are the primary plant source of nitrogen.  Alfalfa pellets also contain trace minerals and triacontanol, a plant root growth stimulant.  It’s recommended to use about 25-50 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. before planting.  Or apply as a side dressing later in the season for plants requiring additional nitrogen, such as the lawn.

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I know it’s only August, but I’m wondering what kind of vegetables would make a nice autumn and winter harvest.  I know my mom always like to grow Chinese mustard, garlic, onion, and cilantro during the cold season.

The folks at Seeds of Change refer to this as “Four Season Growing“.

Fresh Broccoli Raab.  Photo from Seeds of Change -“Tender young leaves and stems form small florets with a mild flavor reminiscent of broccoli and turnip.”

They recommend these varieties as they are cold-hardy.  Some of the list include:  Arugula, Beetberry, Broccoli Raab, Chicory, Cress, Endive, Huazontle, Komatsuna, Mesclun Salad Mix, Mesclun Spicy Salad Mix, Mustard Greens, Orach, Purslane .

I’ve haven’t really heard of most of these names.  But Broccoli Raab is my favorite.  It’s really tasty in sautes or slightly steam and eaten with a spicy sauce.

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