Today in Our South Jersey Garden #GardenCuizine

Today in Our Garden
South Jersey 
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b)

Hot and muggy weather in South Jersey today. It's still worth a stroll outside to get some exercise and enjoy nature. Of course, I took a camera as I walked through the garden with my coffee this morning. 

At the top of a trellis, Clematis Wildfire showed off a few deep purple blooms with white, daisy-like, penny-sized blooms of Feverfew growing below. Feverfew naturalizes beautifully in Cottage Gardens. 

Hydrangeas macrophylla ‘blue billow’ are in full bloom along with Oakleaf Hydrangea quecifolia Snowflake ‘Brido’. Our cobalt blue pom pom hydrangeas didn't bloom last year after the brutal winter, but regrowth has buds just starting to open!

In a raised bed with marigolds and rosemary, recently planted Dolico Cow Pea sprouts look promising as they poke through the dirt. Italian black-eyed peas hold skinny 5 1/2 inch long asparagus-colored pods atop uniform 12-inch plants according to Territorial Seed Company.

Sweet pepper plants have peppers showing already and our heirloom tomato plants are producing yellow flowers! Hummingbird favorites: Trumpet vine, Coronado hyssop, Lady in Red salvia, Coral Nymph and other pink salvias are starting to bloom too.

Red cannas and dinner plate dahlias are on the move and growing well. Harry planted them around the border of our veggie garden like usual. I relocated a few hollyhock seedlings to the garden fence border too; they came from another spot where they self sowed. 

Our special dahlias include red and yellow Show and Tell - a favorite from my cousin Bob who was an avid dahlia grower. It's hard to believe August 8th will be 5 years since he passed away from cancer.

Feeling Blue
Our Blue Garden patch of blue salvias seems to have disappeared, which is disappointing this year. Salvia Black and Blue and Salvia Guaranitica have returned for us the past 10 years, but this season I've only spotted a few Salvia Guaranitica's. Our Salvia uliginosa – Bog Sage didn't come back either. I wonder what was different this past winter... too much moisture or maybe too dry a spring?

Happy Gardening!
Photos and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in Our Garden #GardenCuizine #FIGS on the way!

Today In Our Garden

South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b)

Figs - finally on the way! At last, after years of very slow growth, our little stick of a fig tree is showing signs of nutritious figs. Last year I know I spotted some too, but suddenly they disappeared. Hopefully, the squirrels or birds don't eat these before we do. 

Our Ficus carica was purchased at a local garden center over 5 years ago. I don't have a record of the identification of our fig tree. It could be 'Chicago Hardy', 'Celeste', or 'Brown Turkey' fig. I don't think it's 'Celeste' though, since the fig tree has not been fast growing or shrub-like. In fact, it's been the opposite, slow growing with tree-like form and little branching out. It doesn't die to the ground either in the winter like I read Brown Turkey fig trees do. We may be better able to ID the tree by the size of the ripe fruits.

As you may know from previous blog posts, we've been attempting and planning to propagate winter hardy figs from both cuttings and air layering. Stay tuned for updates on propagating figs.

April Showers bring May flowers...but wait...it's June!!
We sure have had plenty of rain for June. How about you? Here in NJ, we're expecting even more thunder storms and rain for the next several days. New Jersey may go down in history as having the wettest June ever. Luckily, so far we haven't seen damage from too much rain. On the contrary, all our gardens are green, lush and the blooms are absolutely beautiful.

Happy and Healthy Gardening!

Harlequin hydrangea

Related Links

Uncommon Nutrition from the Common Fig

Blog post and photos Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved. 

Echinacea Blooms Brighten up the World's Gardens #gardenchat

  Echinacea

Eastern Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea blooms brighten up the world's herb gardens. The photo above was taken today in our garden. Some of my personal favorite perennials are members of the Aster family. There are 9 species of Echinacea. The cheery blooms come in a wide variety of colors too; birds, especially goldfinches, and butterflies, just love it.

Echinacea is hardy to USDA zones 2a to 9b. The USDA lists Echinacea as an endangered species in Florida. Our east coast native, pink blooming Echinacea grows back for us every year in South Jersey as a carefree perennial.

Dave's Garden lists over one hundred cultivars (types) of Echinacea. Surely you can find a coneflower in a height and color perfect for your garden.

Echinacea for Cold Prevention

Echinacea has been sold in health food stores for many years. In fact, I sold it too in my store years ago. Common and popular Echinacea products today include: herbal Echinacea teas, throat lozenges, root extracts, and Echinacea tablets and capsules. Many products often combine Echinacea purpurea with other species, such as E. angustifolia, as well as with other natural, immune boosting ingredients such as zinc, spirulina or vitamin C.

Clinical studies have been variable in their statistically significant results proving the effectiveness of Echinacea purpurea in preventing rhinovirus colds. 
Related Links
Herbs-at-a-Glance
Cultivars of Echinacea Dave's Garden Plant Files
Echinacea University of Maryland Medical Center 
Echinacea MedicinePlus, NIH
Photo and blog post Copyright(C)2012 Wind. All Rights Reserved.