A Garden of Miniatures

Gardens of different types seem to be multiplying around here. There’s a veggie garden, a flower garden. a salad garden, a tea garden, a herb garden, a small orchard and numerous perennial gardens. How to keep track of them all?!

A cypress and stonecrop sedum.

When the house was built fourteen years ago, rocks unearthed as the basement was dug were lined up to form a stone wall. A bulldozer was used for this project. I never liked the bulldozed wall. A respectable-looking stone wall is not made by a bulldozer, it didn’t look natural, nor did it seem like it belonged here. So, finally, I collapsed it, prying boulders loose with a pry bar, and letting them tumble down the hillside. Smaller, movable stones were rolled over to a boundary line where I’ve started to build a dry-laid, hand-stacked stone wall.

The new rock garden- the torso is the upright stone.

What now remains of the bulldozed wall is a natural looking grouping of a few rocks nestled into the ground at varying heights. One of the rocks was entirely different from the others. It is a "ringing" rock (click here to find ringing rocks in Wikipedia). This type of rock is common here, amongst many other types. I first noticed the ringing effect while tossing rocks into piles for stone wall building. They land with a distinct ringing sound, unlike others that hit the pile with a dull thud. The Wikipedia article suggests tapping the handle of a ceramic coffee cup to hear a similar sound. Other characteristics are that they seem heavier, or denser than most other rocks, and they are a dark grey color that becomes black when the stone is wet.

The ringing rock is a long, oblong-like shape. I wanted to set it upright, partly burying it to keep it in place. This project took a week of daily shifting the rock a few inches at a time with a pry bar, being that it was way too heavy to move all at once. One final determined pry made it stand upright in the hole I’d dug. The shape of this rock seems to resemble an ancient carved stone torso that has lost its head and arms over the years. In the rain it turns black, standing out dramatically from its surroundings.

With the rocks in their new places, my next thought was to find plants to grow between them and around the "torso", but I didn’t want the plants to obscure the stones. After all of my hard work, I felt the rocks should be dominant objects in the garden. This led me to think of miniature plants. I’d never grown miniature plants. It took a little research to find what I needed. A helpful resource was a listing of plants (with photos) found here.

Mini Hostas from NH Hosta.

The miniatures garden, so far, is a small collection of plants. They are all experimental since it usually takes some time to find what grows well in a new area. Among other types, my research to find small plants brought up a variety of mini hostas. I love hostas. They are perfect for this partly shaded area, and the mini ones have a charm that I cannot resist. Today I received an order of mini’s from NH Hostas, a nursery that offers a fabulous variety of this plant. They are sweet! -jmm

The Tea Garden

What a pleasure it is, all through the growing season, to go outdoors and gather a leaf of this and a flower of that to brew into a steaming cup of herbal tea. Through winter, it’s nice to have a stash of the same herbs dried and ready to steep.

Because I had been gathering tea parts from multiple places, eventually I thought to move the herbs all into one place. After preparing a new area with dirt and compost, and lining the edges with rocks, I gathered the plants and tucked them in.

Too early to be flowering, this rose has blue-green leaves.

Already at the back of the tea garden was an Alba Alba, an antique rose that in flower is wonderfully aromatic. It’s long arching canes bow gracefully over the tea plants. It’s not out of place since its petals and hips often end up in cups of tea.

It has occurred to me that the tea garden follows some of the concepts of permaculture. One of them is that it is not monocultural. Plants that are suitable for tea may include a wide variety of types. Another idea is that of incorporating plants of varying heights, all the way from ground hugging mint to a nearby tall maple tree. And finally, the plants are types that, in flower, attract bees and other beneficial insects. Every yard needs a tea garden!

Here are some of the plants in the tea garden.

Peppermint, Mentha x piperita. Central to the garden, mint has a place in every cup of tea. It is allowed to spread through and around the other plants. A sprawling plant, its stems grow roots where they touch dirt.

German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla. Has feathery leaves. Use the button-like flowers, which have a subtle apple-like scent, for tea.

Catnip, Nepeta cataria. Easy to grow and its bushy habit, that becomes more sprawling than bushy after the neighborhood cat finds it, results in a plentiful supply of leaves.

Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis. A lemony scented leafy plant that grows like a bushy shrub about two feet tall. Looks similar to catnip, but has slightly shiny leaves.

Bee Balm, Monarda didyma. Use both the leaves and the flowers for tea. 

Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica. Looks similar to both catnip and lemon balm, but grows taller than either. You can tell the difference by its spinier leaves. Wear gloves when picking it.

Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum. Has a flavor similar to licorice or anise. Grows about three feet tall, like a leafy shrub.

Red clover, trifolium pratense. Use the blossoms.

Wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca. Use the leaves.

Catnip, lemon balm, stinging nettle, bee balm and anise hyssop are of the mint family, characterized by square stems, leaves growing on opposite sides of the stems, and flower heads consisting of multitudes of tiny flowers. All of these have similar leaves and growth habits. Volatile oils in their leaves and stems are the source of their aromas and flavors.

Some of these plants have medicinal uses, and you should do a little research to find out what they are. Be careful to NOT use just any plant for tea. Pennyroyal, for instance, is a herb with a strong mint-like scent but comes with warnings of severe health problems, and even death if ingested, and the oil of this plant can be deadly even if used externally. If in doubt about a plant, google it!

To brew a cup of tea pour boiling hot water over the picked leaves or flowers. You can crumple them first to help release the oils if you like. Experiment with mixtures of plant types and with quantities. Allow to steep for about five minutes, then remove the herbs and enjoy your tea. -jmm

Pruning the Hemlock

The Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), is a tree that can grow as tall as a hundred feet, but some of them seem to prefer shorter heights of about thirty or forty feet. They’re great shade trees, with thick evergreen foliage on long, horizontal limbs. This makes them ideal for windbreaks, or for privacy from the neighbors. Allow lots of space if you plan on planting one.

Before pruning the Hemlock looks a bit raggedy.

I’ve seen this tree offered as a hedge plant in gardening catalogs. Descriptions say they take well to pruning and that they can be kept at the size of a shrub. There are plenty of hemlocks here, and, conveniently, one had gotten started at the edge of the woods. So I thought it'd be fun to give this a try.

I took a loppers and trimmed the top off, then shaped it evenly all the way to the ground. I stood back to have a look. The poor thing looked awfully skimpy. Branches were nearly bare, and the trunk was glaringly obvious.

But the shrub soon filled in. Branches thickened up with many little twigs holding dense foliage. It was looking very different from the day it got a haircut. The little tree had come to look just like a pruned shrub, quite a metamorphosis.

The hemlock looks shapelier now.

That was some years ago. I’ve been pruning it every year since. With each shearing the hemlock responds with vigorous growth, quickly becoming thick and lush.

In case you might be thinking of using a hemlock tree as a shrub, keep in mind that without an annual haircut it could soon grow tall and become the tree that it really is. As a pruned shrub, it can’t be beat. Inspired, I went through the woods with the loppers and started shaping a few more young hemlocks. Yard art for the woods...? -jmm

Planting the Keyhole Salad Garden

Several years ago we arranged dirt into a “U” shaped formation called a keyhole. See the post here. This garden has functioned beautifully in that the ingredients for a salad can all be picked from one area. Before the keyhole it took a lot of walking to gather everything. Now we can pick along one side of the pathway, turn at the end, and then pick along the other side.

Almost as soon as the snow melted this spring, we’ve been using perennial onions, chives, sorrel, upland cress, lovage and garlic chives. These are perennials that appear every year. This year some mache showed up. It was not planted, but somehow seeds must have drifted over from a nearby cold frame.

The keyhole garden has perennial onions, lovage, many clumps of chives, other perennials, and now rows of seeds.

Even with all of the perennials, there is still plenty of room for some annuals. This past weekend I seeded rows of greens. Two of the rows will have red and green varieties of butterhead, romaine and leaf lettuces. Another row will consist of three types of arugula. The Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog is offering wasabi arugula which we considered a must-try for something new this year. Can’t wait to taste it. A row of mixed greens will include mizuna, escarole, minutina and tatsoi.

I added some cilantro and radish seeds between the chives, and seeded more garlic chives at the end of the row. Nasturtium seeds will be stuck in along the edges when the weather gets a bit warmer.

We are looking forward to many eclectic salads! -G.H.

A Walk in the Garden

The beginning of the gardening season is a good time to go for a walk in the gardens. It’s the perennial garden beds that I’m referring to, and the beds themselves, not the pathways. This is part of an annual springtime tidy-up, and can be critical to the survival of some of the plants.

I get started by carefully raking leaves off the beds and into pathways where they will stay. Mulching paths with leaves reduces yard work in a big way by keeping them free of weeds. Wearing my new pair of beanies,* I walk through each garden bed, stepping between emerging plants, and pressing down on tunneled and hollow spots.

The roots of perennial flowers, shrubs and small trees must be in contact with soil in order for the plants to thrive, so I pay especial attention to their root zones. If you’ve planted these things you may have noticed that instructions say to pack the dirt firmly around the roots. Garden vegetables may like things loose and fluffy, but perennials do best in firmed-up soil.

The dark spot in front of my foot is a mole hole.

It is moles that are responsible for this little bit of work. These creatures live underground and scurry through the soil to find food. Apparently, they had a busy winter this year, as there are lots of tunnels and hollow spots. Two of our moles met their demise over the winter as our ever-helpful dog, Murphy stuck his face into the snow to nab them. Moles look similar to mice but they have big fat hands and a short tail. You may have noticed, too, they seem to have no eyes. But then, why would an underground denizen need eyes?

Moles are not interested in eating your plants or the roots of them- they are meat eaters. I did a bit of research and found several sites talking about earthworms being their main diet. Besides worms there is a long list of critters that moles are inclined to eat. These include things you might not want anyway, such as slugs, termites, carpenter ants, and yellow jackets. Here, we think it’s a good thing that moles like to eat earthworms. Worms are in plentiful supply as they breed in droves under the leaf mulch on our paths.

We don’t give a thought to trying to get rid of the moles. They are part of the food chain. We share the forest with hawks, barred owls, and snakes all of who might like to enjoy one for dinner.

Several times during the growing season I’ll put on my beanies and repeat the walk through the gardens. Just in case. And it’s a simple thing to do. -jmm

* L.L. Bean waterproof mocs (great for wandering in the garden!)

A Recipe for Parsnips

Now that things have warmed up a bit and the soil has begun to thaw, it’s time to pull up the parsnips. Left in the ground all winter, they are harvested as soon as they can be pulled up in spring. A reason to over-winter them in the garden is that the chill of frosty weather sweetens their flavor. Parsnips are a genuine treat in spring when most of the stored crops have run out. It’s important to get them out before the warmer weather inspires them to grow. Parsnip is a biennial, forming a seed head in the second year. As that happens, the core of the root hardens and the plant becomes inedible.

Harvesting the parsnips is one of the great joys of spring. To do this, I start at the edge of the raised bed, and holding the shovel exactly vertical, push it straight down into the soil. Then I tip the shovel to loosen the root so it can be pulled out by hand. This method  keeps the shovel from cutting into and damaging the roots.

Parsnips are in the sink for scrubbing.

This year’s crop is the best ever; the roots are straight, long and plump. AND TASTY!, I might add. Last year we planted them in a new spot with lots of soil depth and plenty of compost. This resulted in an abundant crop, so there are some for the freezer. The first step in preparing parsnips for the freezer is to throughly scrub them, then blanch for two minutes in boiling water. Following this, they are plunged into cold water for a few minutes, and then put into freezer bags.

The best and simplest way to cook parsnips is to sauté them in butter. The dash of wine is optional.

Sautéed Parsnips

Parsnips, 2 to 3 per person depending on size

2 tbsp butter

Dash of white wine

Thoroughly scrub the parsnips with a vegetable brush. Trim off the tops, and slice them in half lengthwise. Melt the butter in a pan over medium low heat. Add the parsnips and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally so they cook evenly. Cook until the parsnips are fork tender, but not mushy. Add the wine in the last 2 minutes. Enjoy! -G.H.

Are You Making a To-Do List?

The idea of spring showing up has seemed like it would be some kind of a miracle. We got buried under about seven feet of snow this winter, and endured one cold snap after another, but finally the days are warming and the white stuff is gradually disintegrating.

There's still plenty of snow and I’d much prefer to be outdoors doing some work, but in lieu of having actual ground to walk on, here I am indoors planning things to do this gardening season. I’m making a list.

First thing on the list is kale. I was thinking it would be fun to make a garden border out of kale and edible flowers. The way we grow kale is to plant it once and then let it to reseed itself. This means the row stays put. Kale leaves can be picked when needed, including in winter if you can get to it through the snow. Kale usually looks fine all by itself, but I’m thinking a few flowers would both look nice and take it out of the realm of monoculture.

Snow is receding and perennial onions are there for the picking.

The next item on the list involves daffodils. They grow very well here and the clumps have gotten very thick. The bulbs are toxic so none are ever lost to our fat and sassy squirrel population. Last year I started dividing them up, but there are plenty more to do. I’d be happy to share some if you live nearby.

Item three is a new stone wall started last year. Dry stacking stone walls is a favorite thing to do, and I can’t wait to get started.

Another item on the agenda is something new to learn about. We’ve decided to raise some chickens. This is a first, a whole new adventure as neither of us has done this before. We can’t wait to get started and we’ll let you know what happens.

The annual load of organic manure from grass fed cows will be arriving as soon as the ground firms up. There will be compost piles to build. Some of the manure will need to be wheelbarrowed out to the orchard for building compost piles there.

A sign of spring- daffodils ready to bloom.

There’s some landscaping to do by the pond. Another place to make a compost pile as it's on the list for planting a willow and some native flowering plants.

Gil has already seeded the cold frames full of salad plants after the winter ones got used up, and they have started to grow. Seeds for other crops are started indoors.

Looks like it will be a busy gardening season this year. It will be great to get out there and do stuff. The more I think about it, the longer my list gets! -jmm