Bouquet in 90 Seconds



Sage and Eucalyptus Bouquet

 I wanted to make an arrangement to put in the house on a small side table.  I am amazed that this late in November I have a lot of things that still look pretty good in the garden.  For this arrangement, I decided to just use foliage:  purple sage and eucalyptus.  I snipped a few stems of each and put them in a silver pitcher.

Sage is hardy to zone 5 and I keep it in my garden for two reasons:  it's great to use for cooking and its foliage complements so many other types of plants.  This one has a purple hue and its leaves are textured.

I like the fragrance and leaf structure of eucalyptus.  Unfortunately, it is not hardy in my zone so I replant it every year.

A nice little arrangement done in only 90 seconds.  No flowers required.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Not Quite Ready for Primetime

"Mini-Famous Vampire"

You know it's a big trend when the gardening world has to get in on it.  This is "Mini-Famous Vampire" Calibrachoa.  It is a blood red bloom that can be relied upon to perform from May until October.  Mine is still blooming--and I hacked it way back a couple of months ago when it was getting a little out of hand.  It trails beautifully and isn't picky about soil--and it also seems to do especially well in hot weather. 

So there it is--a vampire in my garden.  But a pretty one that's not at all scary.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Class Distinction

Society Garlic

This is Society Garlic.  It's known by other names:  Pink Agapanthus or, for the academic types, Tulbaghia violacea.  It's of the amaryllis family and is native to South Africa.  It supposedly got its name because it was believed that it could be eaten without producing "garlic breath" and so it was acceptable for use in polite society. 

Society garlic likes full sun to light shade, it grows to about 12 inches high, and is hardy to zone 7.  I don't expect mine to return next year because I have it in such a small pot and it won't have much protection from winter elements.  However, I may try to keep it alive inside.

The leaves do have a garlic-like aroma but it's not overwhelming.  However, I cook with a lot of garlic so my nose may be desensitized.  Still, I love it for its grasslike leaves and elegant bloom.  High class indeed. 

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Don't Let the Name Fool You

Purple Toadflax

You'd think with a name like Toadflax, it could not possibly be anything you'd want to put in your garden.  But you'd be wrong.  This is such a nice addition to several of my containers.  It's called Purple Toadflax.  It doesn't take up a whole lot of room and it grows upright on feathery-like stems about 24" high.  It's hardy to zone 5 and it reseeds very easily.  So it's not only attractive, it's economical too.  It likes lots of sun and grows well in pretty much any kind of soil.  Best of all, it grows all summer long. 

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

All That's Missing is a Margarita

Tomatillo growing on plant

Forget salsa out of a jar, there's nothing like making it yourself from fresh ingredients.  One of the key ingredients in the salsa I make is the tomatillo.  But I can't always rely on my local grocery to have them.  So this year, I decided to try my hand at growing my own.  I bought a tomatillo plant in the spring from White Flower Farm. 

A tomatillo plant looks a lot like a tomato plant and requires the same conditions, primarily lots of sun and good drainage.  The fruit is small, round, and green and it grows in a papery husk.  You know when it's time to harvest when the fruit has filled out the husk and the husk is straw colored.  When you peel the husk off, the tomatillo skin will feel sticky--just give it a good rinse and you're ready to start chopping.

Ripe Tomatillo

The final, tasty product

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Oakleaf in Transition

This is a follow-up to my June 27th post in which I showed the bloom progression of my "Pee Wee" oakleaf hydrangea.  I mentioned then that as the summer progresses, the leaves begin to turn a wonderful shade of burgundy.  I didn't mention that the blooms change as well.  Here are two pictures, the first is the bloom at the beginning of summer, the second is how it looks now.  Either way would look terrific in a flower arrangement--that's if you have the fortitude to actually cut it.  I don't.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books

Spillover

This is my sweet potato vine, after I had already cut it back.  It was taking over the deck.  You can find sweet potato vine in different colors, from this bright chartreuse to almost a purple black.  It loves the sun and even if you forget to water it and the leaves start wilting, it will bounce back quickly after a good soaking.  Sweet potato vine is an annual so I plant it new every year.  After the season is over and you do your garden clean up, you'll find the actual sweet potato (probably more than one) under the soil.  I still haven't tried eating them, I've always thought these were ornamental as opposed to edible.  Here's my post on that topic a couple of years ago.


Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books