Occasional journal posts in between gardening or working
Entries by MinxterBloom (134)
Hops and other darling infloresences
From Henriette's Herbal website (in English, Swedish, and Finnish, since 1995 or so!): Humulus lupulus
(Click into image to go to the website, and see the Rafinescue (1828) print, too.)
American Medical Botany, Bigelow, 1817-1821. (used in Rafinesque)
Read about hops, including medicinal uses other than beer :), in this American Botanical Council article.
Hops are sensitive to both vine length and day period for blooming, which is why hops are hard to grow in the American mid-Atlantic for brewing purposes. Female plant blooms yield brewing hops and must be grown away from male plants to prevent nut formation. See the layered inflorescence? This structure extrudes chemicals in a resin that constitutes the drug lupulin. Lupulin is used as a sedative, which is not a surprise as the soporific quality of beer is well known.
Another plant with a similar flower is the oregano "Kent Beauty."
More on that tomorow.
In closing, though, I think I want to try growing golden hops for nothing other than a golden twining vine in the bright shade of my yard. Christina in Canada does this to lovely effect. She even used hops in wedding array for gentlemen. Now that is a beery good idea.
Rose census in new plot
(taken in August, 2012).
Winter is a good time to look at the skeletons of roses. I left several fully adult roses in the old plot because that is what we do, when a plant is very happy. But, here in the new place, I have some toddler and teen roses in place. Here is the count.
Two Zephirine Druhin climbers: one in front and the other on the side. One rose was meant for a gentleman's garden but now she is in the side plot near the house in bright shade between a Pinky Winky hydrangea and a sweet Annie plant (Artemesia annua).
New Dawn climber, in the back in a hopeful puddle of sun in bright shade, against the blue barn-let. She is flanked by a Clematis montana (Mayleen), meant to clamber over the blue barn-let, and a white Venus Calyanthus.
Lilian Austin, near the top of front long sunny bed, I think. But perhaps that is
Mary Rose? Both Lilian and Mary are David Austin Roses.
Hannah Gordon (perhaps Nicole) is mid-day in the front long sunny bed. I think.
Anon! Unnamed miniature lavender given me by sweet older lady in the blue-stone front bed near the porch steps. I hope this gem survives, mostly for sentimental value.
Souvenir de la MalMaison, famous as Napolean's Josephine's rose (discarded, she was).
Souvenir de St. Anne's (in the picture) and so lovely, really, that I tear up each time I see this rose.
Lucia von Lightkonigen (climber): so healthy but after three years not a bloom at all. We shall see, we shall see in spring 2013.
My roses came from Rogue Vally Roses in Oregon, as tiny bands, several years ago. Lovely people and you should check out their pages. One of my Zephies came from the Antique Rose Emporium, another fine place
In my move, I lost Renae? And, I think that my Cafe Ole is gone too. Renae seemed to be lost in the shuffle but Cafe Ole faltered in the ground. Unless, this little Ralph Moore creation arises from the ground in March.
I want to have a Ralph Moore rose in my yard, as I knew him when I was a teenage. What a lovely, lovely, man.
Christmas 2012: surprised by a greenhouse
I am building a greenhouse. And, am surprised. I will write more about this over the next few weeks, as well as post pictures. But, this undertaking is a bit stunning to me and I am trying to make sense of the surprise.
Brief detour, though, as today is St. Stephen's day or Wren day.
Wren or dreoilín in Gaelic may mean "Druid's bird" and that this small, cheeky bird acts as as messenger between this world and the next. I think of this as more the sideways world that is with us, but we not dare fully see or even admit to this parallel reality. Read the thoughtful John O' Donohue on this. Tis deeply Celtic.
“The eternal world and the mortal world are not parallel, rather they are fused.”
― John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Historically, a wren was hunted in a highly mannered way (think fox hunt). Capturing little "dreo" brings good luck for the new year. In modern times, the tradition of "hunting the wren" involves musicians and mummers roaming from house to house and "passing the hat."
Back to my garden. Wrens live in three lady holly trees outside my window. Dear wee fluffed birds, these cold days. But, in spring, their burbles and fluted songs return.
I'm back
with a new garden. We could talk about why I have not posted in ages but that would be sad and tedious. Short version:
loved a garden, lost a garden (so very hard that this actually surprised me)
Am now loving into being a new garden.(am charmed but also like a very person who weathers the grief of a lost love, and might be skittish or diffident to hide a wealth of feelings)
More later. And, to all, be kind to all as we never know another's burdens. Plato said this long ago. He remains to be right.
Having fun writing about retro
gardening for the most excellent Pam Kueber at RetroRenovation Here is the second article I wrote for her on mid century MODEST landscaping: climbers. First paras are here; then follow this link to full article on to her website.
Ted Cleary of Cleary Design emailed me after the hybrid tea roses article. We are both glad that roses as a landscape “tool” are coming back. Let’s look at one of the easiest ways to use a rose in your Mid-Century Modest landscape: climbers and ramblers.
But first, what canvas will you place a rose against? The canvas is composed of your home and the green “stuff” near the foundation and close-in yard.
Backdrop Canvas
First, two words on architecture: tight and loose. Look at the tight residues of line-inspired landcaping from the 50s and 60s in the photo above. See also the loose instinct of the 90s – present here also in the “waving” perennial border. The original foundation beds next to the house under the windows are rectangles. Azaleas planted in the 50s remain. Gone are the hugely overgrown Forsythia bushes that dwarfed both front windows. To the left of the house is a huge, horizontal holly bush, also from the 50s.
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In other news, heeled in 12 rose slips (I AM INSANE but a rose mania, like other plant obsessions, is surely forgivable). Will be moving in spring and the plant prep and triage begins.