My botanical blunder

It comes from a place of love, of nurturing, of hope. My sister bought us a gift certificate for a tree as a house warming present 8 years ago. The Southern magnolia we carefully chose and planted was a symbol of finally setting down roots. We staked the tree because god forbid a strong wind, or heavy storm, or other force of nature should knock down the tree. When the tree outgrew it's original tie, I grabbed my favorite tool - the plastic cable tie - and once again tied it up because...well...I loved this tree and wanted to protect it. In tonight's first master gardener lesson, we learned about botany from a most engaging speaker. There is too much to pass along and it's all fantastically interesting. I would just suggest everyone take a class in botany. There was only one moment I wanted to jet from the class - when we learned about the vascular system of plants. See the cable tie in the photo above? Well, though I had no interest or experience in gardening when I planted the tree, I did have an inkling that when a cable tie indents the tree, it's time to cut it off. Don't know why I didn't. Laziness. Busyness. A subconscious fear that the tree would fall over (silly when one can compare the thickness of the tree to the thickness of that anemic wooden stake). Here's why I DO need to cut it off: The cambium layer (xylem and phloem) of the tree is a very thin ring of conductive living tissue just behind the bark. The xylem's job is to transport water from the roots, upward into all parts of the tree. It's the continuous piping throughout the tree. The phloem's job is to transport sugars and carbohydrates from the leaves downward into all parts of the tree. This is the tree's vascular tissue. So that plastic cable tie could possibly be (gulp) cutting into the very layer that is essential to the life of the tree. In addition, I don't want to damage the cambium layer because disease can get into the tree, rot the (dead) wood in the center, and cause a slow death. Let's hope this class did not come too late...

********************************************************

On a lighter note...here's another tidbit you may not have known about lilies (referencing this post on lily bulb and tremella soup) It does not have petals. You know how roses have petals and the green sepals just under the petals? Well, no sepals, no petals. Lilies have tepals. Remember this, there will be a quiz at the end of March - with a prize that has not yet been determined. For real. Just decided this now.

On being a masterish gardener

I spent the evening in a room full of people with widely diverse backgrounds. There was a woman born on a farm, a green agency worker, nutritionists, lawyers, an architect, a magazine publisher, young professionals from Capital Hill, a high school culinary arts teacher who won a grant to create a vegetable garden at school, lots of volunteers for different organizations, and many others. What other event could bring this motley crew together on a snowy Tuesday evening? The first day of master gardener class, of course.



Not to belabor the -ish theme, but I would prefer to consider myself a "master-ish gardener" because I'm sure that even after the two month course and 50 hours of volunteer work, there will be much to learn. I am excited to know that in order to maintain certification, master gardeners need to fulfill additional hours of volunteer work and continuing education every year. With lots of exciting projects going on in DC, I know I won't need to attach the -ish forever.



It's been an interesting day. I reach my bedtime full of excitement at this opportunity to learn and meet new people who all share a passion for gardening and concern for environment; full of maternal love as the baby of the family turns 5 after a day of birthday wishes and princessly attention (where did that pink and princess gene come from?); full of confusion after a really entertaining season premiere of LOST; and full of hope that tonight will bring lots more snow and a school (and thus work) closure tomorrow. I should go to bed reflecting on how cool it all is...but may read my assigned chapter on botany first...

I bet you didn't know this about lilies...

The bulbs of lilies can be cooked in a variety of Chinese dishes. Below, you see a sweet soup - more of a broth or what is literally translated as "sugar water". The soup calls for tremella - a loose, flowery, off-white colored type of mushroom - (one of the most potent medicinal mushrooms), and lily bulbs (l. lancifolium, l. brownii, l. pumilum) which contain many health-promoting properties. My mother's recipe below, is a not-too-sweet dessert and alleviates cough, sore throat, and insomnia. I just find it comforting on a cold winter's day.

• Tremella and Lily Bulb "Tong Shui"

Soak 1/2 cup dried lily bulb (shown in photo above) for about 2 hours until completely softened

Soak about two handfuls of dried tremella for about 1 hour until softened

Drain water from lily bulb. Rinse tremella several times until water is clear. Snip off any tough ends. Add tremella and lily bulb to large pot of water (about 10-12 cups) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Add 1/2 cup or more of brown rock sugar, depending on desired sweetness. I would say most Chinese people do not prefer this dessert soup to be too sweet. Simmer for an additional 25 minutes.

* tremella, dried lily bulb, and brown rock sugar should be available in Asian grocery stores.

The greenish thumb potager, before and after

I love working with stone. Though the stone you see above does not necessarily stack like legos as one might imagine, one quickly figures out how to turn the stone around and around to expose the most attractive face, how to steady the stone with adjacent stones, and how to backfill with gravel or soil to create a sturdy wall. I constructed the little potager above in a couple of weeks this spring, working about an hour a day between work and picking up kids. It has served my needs beautifully, and I'll show you why...


Above, you see my first vegetable garden. What an eyesore....and the animals! Can you feel my frustration? Raised beds are a necessity for me. The original veggie garden ground-breaking almost turned into a shovel-breaking as most of what's under the grass is large tree roots, heavy clay, or rocks. In the photo below, you'll see the original year one garden - the L-shaped garden. You'll also notice lots of shade. Though I'm not always so astute, I was wise enough to chart the sunlight in my backyard and found the sunny hours were between 12pm and 6pm. I built the raised beds directly under the sun, as most of my backyard is shaded. Year two brought an expansion (naturally, right?) - a 4X4 square to fill in the L. Below, the inspiration for this garden (my then 7 year old) is helping me plant garlic. See that horrible slope behind her? It's covered in weeds, poison ivy, sunken in dips, tree roots, and broken liquor bottles from the previous owner of the house. Something had to be done.

After much research and a summer of unlimited and unnatural confidence, my husband helped me build the stone wall. The steps lead to a walk that leads to a little sitting area on the slope (outside the left edge of the photo). The plan is to move the fire pit to this cozy sitting area. I'm really pleased with the wall project. The only problem is...it really calls attention to the ugly wooden vegetable garden. I thought about using stone, but envisioned that a large, rectangular, stone vegetable garden would look too "heavy" and too boxy. At the same time, I really wanted to expand as much as possible while still keeping the garden out of the shade.

After ruminating over this for two years, I found the potager below to be the perfect solution. It was easy for me to build myself. There was left over stone from the wall project. The stone maintains a consistent look, but the potager design keeps the garden from looking too utilitarian or heavy. The four rectangles allowed for a slight expansion while still providing paths between the beds so as to prevent trampling the soil. The rounded corners at the center of the potager helps soften the edges. I also love the potager's symmetry. The design maximizes the gardening area under the sun. In the separate beds, I also added monarda, lavender, and a selection of herbs and marigolds in an effort to attract pollinators and beneficials. Of course, having a space in the center allows for a container planting that is a beautiful focus as I walk to the back yard from the side yard, or as I look out the back window.

Though I anticipate minor repairs each spring, the results are well worth it.

How to make luffa gourd sponges

Although luffa gourd is grown to harvest young and eat, it is also widely known as the "dishcloth" gourd. Luffa.info has excellent step by step growing and harvesting directions along with photos that document the big reveal at the end of the 140-180 day growing season: luxurious scrubby sponges guaranteed to soften and smooth your skin!

To grow, you'll need a strong trellis. You'll see below two luffa gourd plants. You'll find they are great climbers and get quite heavy by the end of the summer. This photo was taken early in the season. You can see the young tomato plant in the larger container next to it and understand why I dubbed the luffa "the beast" by the end of the summer.

Growing is simple. If you have a long enough season (zone 7 and up) start your seed outside. I thought Maryland (zone 6/7) might be iffy, so I started my seeds indoors around March. Water the plant during periods of drought, then be patient. They'll grow prolifically during the long, hot, summer days and slow during cool periods. Their bright yellow flowers will catch your attention for sure. The gourds, once they start appearing, will grow extremely fast. Let them continue to grow until they dry on the vine as shown on luffa.info, or harvest them just before your first frost. Now you'll watch the magic unfold. You'll bang the gourds around to loosen the seeds, peel the skin off, squeeze and rinse the gourd until all that remains is a clean sponge as shown below. Most of the larger sponges I gave as gifts, as is. You would not believe the exuberance of the men in my life who were the happy recipients of these "back scrubbers". You can see that I cut some of the smaller sponges into little pieces. My gardener friend keeps one by the sink and loves how it gets all the dirt off after a day in the garden. You will also notice that I cut some down the middle, snipped and hollowed the inside so that I could open it up and wind up with a flat piece to be made into the little sponges in the last two photos...

Super simple to make the sponge below: First I cut the luffa sponge to the size and shape I wanted. Then, I found a new, thick, totally luxe bath towel and cut a piece to size. Next, I used a strip of the pom pom decoration that I bought by the yard in the notions department of my favorite fabric store. I sandwiched the pom pom strip between the luffa and towel. I did use some clamps (paper clips actually!) to hold the pieces together, but because the inside of the luffa is so textured, it readily gripped the back of the towel as well. I also inserted the little D-ring (also from the fabric store) and a wide piece of bias tape. This is for hanging the sponge in the shower. I used a sewing machine to sew the pieces together about 1/4" from the edge. You may see an impression, but because both luffa and towel are so thick and textured, the actual thread nearly disappears. This is a project that beginning sewers can accomplish with ease, as lines do not need to be perfect. It's VERY forgiving!

Though I hadn't touched my sewing machine in years, I was still able to relearn how to use it again and also make multiple sponges in just a couple hours or so from start to finish. I think my friends and family were delighted to receive these sponges as gifts along with one of my favorite products - Bee and Flower rose-scented soap. This soap has a wonderful true rose fragrance and can be found (cheaply!) in an Asian supermarket or online. I love it for the packaging just as much as the scent.

GBBD January - $120 of blooms

My heart skipped two beats today- once when 2 dozen white roses were delivered to my office, and for the second time when my husband told me how much he'd spent on this gorgeous bouquet.

Bonus points he didn't even know he'd earn: good timing. Here's my GBBD contribution!

The only flowers blooming around here are cut and in a vase, but take a look to see what else is blooming around the world today at May Dreams Gardens.

My Garden Story

As many of you may know, my garden story did not begin until I was an adult. It is a story that involves a continued disdain (though mutual understanding) for bugs, an obsession that allows me to garden by moonlight without embarrassment, tries my patience when my tiny backyard crops fail, and restores my faith with wintertime amnesia while I dream of the following spring's garden. It is also published in the current issue of Washington Gardener magazine. The story of how things came to be in the Greenish Thumb garden is written for the magazine's regular column "My Garden Story" and is a deeply personal essay about how gardening has affected (positively you will find!) my very difficult relationship with my father. If you would like to read this essay, get yourself an issue of Washington Gardener. You'll read great articles about important garden topics for every gardener as well as information about events and locales specific to the Washington, DC area. They're selling like hotcakes at the Barnes and Noble down the street (then again, I bought myself a couple of copies!). If you're not in the area, see this Washington Gardener blog post for info on how you can get yourself this much coveted mag. I'd love your feedback!