Jan 25, 2018

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Jan 25, 2018

Enjoy gardening indoors this Winter!

TRY TO REMEMBER The Brothers Four-Campfire 14

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Purple Passion/Velvet Plant

When I went to College at the University of Massachusetts, The Stockbridge School of Agriculture many years ago, I was so fortunate to have teachers who loved what they were doing. Their enthusiasm in teaching us about house plants, flowering plants and holiday plants and more, made us crave to know more. We had several greenhouses where we learned about growing cut flowers, forcing bulbs for the holidays, how to force plants to bloom for a specific holiday, how to grow foliage plants for your window and hanging basket foliage and flowering plants. Book learning taught us the basics but the hand on training made it all come together.

One of the plants that caught my eye, was the Purple Passion plant for its unique color. This plant would grow very well in a pot for your plant window or in a hanging basket for its interesting cascading branches of purple leaves covered with soft hair that cover the plant. This plant is very easy to grow in any window, but the more sun light it receives the more purple coloration will develop on the foliage and stems. This is a fast-growing plant that will fill up your container in just several months, not years. The plant will grow 18 to 24 inches tall or cascade from a hanging pot the same. This plant is very easy to grow, and plant records show that it has been grown in homes over 200 years. For a plant to be around that long, indicates that it is easy to grow by even the newest gardener.

When Spring arrives, there is a chance that the plant may flower for you. The flowers are yellow-orange and have an unpleasant smell, so remove the flowers if the plant is kept inside your home. In the last few years this is one of the many old-time plants that is now being used in a mixed hanging basket, window boxes or decorative containers to make these containers more colorful. Purple Passion will grow best outside in bright light but not direct sun during the heat of the day. Indoors in direct sun from fall to spring and strong light, but not direct sun during he Summer. Indoor temperature 60 to 75 degrees during the winter months.

Feeding your Purple Passion plant will encourage new growth that will have the most colorful foliage. Feed every two weeks with Espoma "Grow" fertilizer with beneficial microbes, from spring to fall and monthly during the winter months. Keep the soil moist at all times and if the weather gets warm, water more often especially if the plant is outside. During the time your plant is indoors, do not get water the foliage as the leaves are like the African Violet, that are also covered with tiny hairs that will hold moisture on the leaf and it can cause stem rot if the trapped water stays on the plant for long periods of time, plants that are outside are ok as wind and sunshine will dry the foliage quickly.

Your plant should live for 2 to 3 years and if you need to repot use a sterile planting mix with beneficial microbes like Espoma Planting Mix with Beneficial Soil Microbes. If the plant out grows its container, here is what I would do. Take tip cuttings 3 to 4 inches long, dip in a rooting powder, and place cuttings in a sterile potting soil but not garden soil. A soil with beneficial microbes from Espoma will create roots in just a week to 10 days, and now you have new plants for new containers. If you have a Purple Passion plant now, take cuttings now and you will have starter plants for spring containers or buy a plant now from your local greenhouse to use it as stock plant to grow your spring seedlings. If you see that the plant is looking tired, take the cuttings to start new plants and replace the tired plant in your plant collection.

Remember that the more, light your plant receives and the brighter the light is, the more coloration the leaves will produce, so if your plant has a lot of green on them, move the plant to a window with more sun. Keep the water off your indoor plants to prevent brown spots in the foliage. When the water sits on the tiny hairs it will become like a magnifying glass and burn the foliage, creating brown spots. If the plant gets to big for its spot in your window, do not panic, prune back the plant and make new seedling for friend and family. If your plant wilts, place the plant in your sink and flood the container with water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off the excess and place back in your window. Insect problems are always on the tip of the new branches and can be easily be controlled with the pressure from your kitchen sink sprayer, "do not" use oil spray because of the hair on the foliage will burn the foliage. Enjoy!

John McDermott (Canadian) - Voyage

Persian Shield

This wonderful plant comes from Burma where it is native plant. The Persian Shield will make a wonderful plant for your window garden, a great plant as a hanging basket or even in mixed baskets and containers outside during the Spring to Fall. The plant will grow more upright, up to 2 feet tall and wide than spreading, when pruned it will develop a nice mounding shape in a hanging basket. The foliage is lance shape, 6 inches long and 2 inches wide with a point on the end. What makes this plant so beautiful is the coloration of the foliage. The leaves are metallic, silvery-purple on top with green margins and a deep purple underside, the young foliage has a nice sheen to it and as the plant ages the color will fade a bit, along with the sheen.

This is a great houseplant and it will thrive in a sunny window during the winter. Keep plants at temperatures from 60 to 75 degrees, and away from wood stoves or near a force hot air heating vents. During February is the right time to cut back the plant and take those cuttings to make new plants for your mixed containers, mixed hanging baskets and window boxes. Your tip cuttings should be 3 to 4 inches long, dip in rooting powder, place cuttings in sterilized soil like Espoma seed starter soil with beneficial microbes. Keep out of direct sun but give the plant lots of light and in less than 2 weeks your cutting will develop lots of roots. When, rooted plant in 4-inch pots with potting soil, not garden soil and fertilize every 2 weeks from spring to fall, once a month during the Winter with Espoma "Grow" liquid fertilizer with beneficial microbes.

When your new plant begins to grow, allow it to grow to 6 inches tall and then pinch off the tip of the plant down 3 leaves to encourage side shoot growth. In just 3 to 4 weeks your plant should develop 3 to 5 new shoots and thicken quickly. If you want the plant to spread out more, pinch the upright growing branches and more horizontal shoots will form, if you want the plant to be more upright pinch the side shoots and not the upright growing branches. If you notice that the plant has stopped growing, remove the plant from the pot and look at the roots. If all you see is a root ball of white roots, its time to repot the plant into a container 2 inches larger or take cuttings to replace the plant that has become over grown.

Water as needed but keep the plant moist at all times but not wet or in standing water. Fertilize every 2 weeks from spring to Fall and monthly during the Winter to keep the foliage nice and shiny, with a lot of colorful foliage. There is no flowers on this plant but the foliage is so unusual that it does not matter. This is a plant that you can purchase now, to take cutting in February for your containers outside during the summer. Taking cuttings is easy and when those cuttings grow it will save you a lot of money when Spring arrives. I love this plant for all the color it adds to mix plant containers. I go to Arundel Agway in Arundel, Maine for this plant and many more unusual plants for my mix container gardens.

This plant will live 2 to 3 years in a container and when you see that is beginning to die back a bit, its time to take your cuttings. I take the cuttings in the late winter for the summer garden and in the fall, dig up the plant and place it in a container for the winter in my home and repeat the process the following year. I have never had an insect problem with this plant and that is just another reason to grow this plant in your home or gardens. The Persian Shield can be planted in your sunny garden and it will give you the look of a Coleus plant, but it will glow in the sunshine. It will also grow in bright light but not in shade all day. Enjoy!

Peter, Paul & Mary I Dig Rock & Roll Music (1968)

African Violets our first indoor flowering plant

Today's African violet was discovered in 1892 growing in two separate locations in northeast Tanga in eastern Africa by Baron Walter von Saint Paul. Baron a horticulturist was the governor of German East Africa and fell

in love with this plant. He sent seeds and rooted laves to his father in Germany where they were grown and quickly became very popular with the Horticultural circles. Herman Wendlan, a prominent botanist at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Herrenhausen, Germany, gave the genus name Saintpaulia in honor of its discovery and the two species became the parent of most of the cultivators available today.

The African violet became very popular because of its ability to thrive under normal conditions found in most homes and it became a great specimen plant for centerpieces, and did very well in dish gardens too. The African violet was introduced to the United States gardener in 1894 and hundreds of cultivars have been developed that provide a wide range of flower colors, flower types, foliage types, and plant sizes from miniature's to very large hybrids. The African violet became one of the first indoor flowering plants and are still today one of the top selling small potted flowering plants for any season that blooms all year on any window sill or plant table. In 1995 African violets sales exceeded 25 million dollars in the US alone. African violets are

a very important gift plant for Valentine day, Easter, and Mother's Day but gardeners purchase this plant every week of the year. When I met my mother-in-law, Ruth Duncan, for the first time she took me to see her plant window and wanted to show off her African violet collection that day I became her personal gardener.

Here are a few facts that will help you to have the best African violets in the home.

1} Temperature is most important and the plant will do best if the day time temperatures averages 77 degrees and the plant should be kept between 75 and 80 degrees during the day for the best foliage development and flower bud development. Day time temperatures above 85 degrees will cause quick bloom flowers for short periods and poor foliage development.

Night time temperatures should be 68 to 70 degrees for the best growth and flower development, so you can see these plants do best with above average temperatures at night. Your plants will still grow well but not as

quickly and flower less often and the flowers last a shorter time in bloom.

2} Light is also very important and for these reason the plant can become basically shade-adapted very easily and quickly to any home when brought home from the greenhouse. Light intensity is the primary factor regulating

both time of flower and the number of flower produced. In the fall and winter months give the plants more light due to the shorter days by keeping it near a south facing window or under grow lights. During the spring and summer lower the direct light intensity due to long days and hot sun, this will help to cool the plant down and help it stay productive.

Plants that receive too much light will produce hard brittle growth and foliage and can become stunted with short stems and bleached foliage. During the hot and sunny days of summer the sunlight can and will burn both the foliage and flowers of your plants. Plants without enough light during the fall and winter will develop long leaf stems, large thin leaves, and few flowers on the plant. If you're growing your violets under lights they must be 12 to 15 inches from the plant and be on for 14 to 18 hours especially during the winter months.

3} Humidity will depend on light, temperature and the season. Violets require less humidity during the short days of fall and winter and more humidity during the hot day of summer. NEVER water the plants at night and keep

to foliage DRY or Botrytis fungus will infect the flowers.

4} Potting soil is also important with the African violet as they have a fine root system and require a well-aerated, well-drained soil with a lot of organic matter. Use a special African violet potting soil from Espoma with beneficial michrobes as it has all the qualities that the violets require to grow properly. Artificial/ man made soil like Afican violet soil is much better than a real dirt type potting soil and stay away from heavy soil made from mushroom soil mixes.

5} Fertilizer for African violets is different than most plants because they are light feeders. They prefer a slow steady supply of food from a balance fertilizer like Espoma Organic African violet food that will feed your violets for 30 days without any burning or over feeding the plant.

6} Watering is also important and your violets will thrive when the soil is maintained uniformly moist. Never saturate the soil for any length of time and never let the plant sit in a saucer of water for long periods.If you allow the soil to dry out and the plant wilts the growth will become stunted and possibly never recover. This happens because the fertilizer in the soil can burn the roots and if you're keeping it wet the roots will be deprived of Oxygen and Root Rot or Crown Rot will develop killing the plant. Check weekly and your plant will thrive for you. If you have to water over the foliage, do it early in the day so the foliage has time to dry before night time.

Always use warm or tepid water when watering.

This is a great plant for even the novice gardener and it will give you many days and weeks of wonderful foliage and flowers. Be sure to look for the new flower colors, and flower types such as the double varieties and even bi-color flowers. Variegated foliage is also available and new mini varieties.

This a great plant for a long winter inside. Enjoy!!!

"I like gardening. It's a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself."

Alice Sebold

Creamy Basil Zucchini Soup

Here is a great summer soup but even better during the cold days of winter. During the winter you can get nice small Zucchini squash, with small seeds in them and a much better flavor than the over grown squash from the garden, the secret is size. This is a nice soup to start your dinner or to get the chill out of your bines. You will love the green color and smooth taste of this soup.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large yellow onion or a large Leek, chopped
2 pounds of Zucchini sliced into ¼ inch slices
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of loosely packed and chopped Basil plus uncropped leaves for garnish
3 tablespoons of sour cream and more for garnish
¼ teaspoon of chili powder and more for garnish
Salt and pepper for your taste

Directions:

1} Heat your oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add your onions or Leeks and cook until translucent. Add your Zucchini and cook for 2 to 3 minutes: add your chicken broth and Basil. Reduce the heat to Simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the Squash is soft and falling apart.

2}Puree the soup in batches in your blender or use a hand-held emersion blender, my choice to mix everything all at the same time and less cleanup. Blend until the mixture is smooth and without chunks of squash visible. Add your cream cheese, chili powder and season to your taste with salt and pepper and blend another 30 seconds.

3} Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a teaspoon of sour cream, a dash of chili powder and a leaf or two of basil leaves. Serve while hot and enjoy!

The Next Trip with Paul Parent

A Christmas market, also known as Christkindlesmarkt, is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, Austria and the Alsace. The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Middle Ages in the German-speaking part of Europe. The Nuremberg Christmas market, first held in 1628, is one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world. It attracts 2 million visitors annually and has over 250 wooden stalls offering traditional ornaments, gifts, handicrafts and fresh food. Generally held in the town square and adjacent pedestrian zones, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing, the market sells local food,drink and seasonal items from open-air stalls. the trip information

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