Moxie Gardener

Rosemary is known for its haunting fragrance and affinity for flavoring meat.

Students in ancient Greece wore garlands of Rosemary to help them remember when taking exams. Its reputation for strengthening the memory made it the emblem of fidelity for lovers. “Here’s some Rosemary my love, don’t forget me.”

Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region and grows freely all over southern Europe. Throughout the world it is cultivated as a culinary herb, as well as for cosmetics and medicine.

Classified botanically as Rosmarinus officinalis, its common name is derived from the Greek ros, meaning “dew” and marinus, meaning “sea,” which explains why it’s sometimes called “dew of the sea.”

A tender evergreen shrub, Rosemary will not survive winter outdoors in much of the United States. Fortunately, it’s easy to dig them, pot them up, and overwinter indoors in a bright, south-facing window. Don’t overwater, but don’t allow it to dry out. The gospel of overwintering Rosemary says if it dries out, it’s dead. Learned that the hard way. Here’s a post I wrote last fall when I brought my Rosemary indoors.

Like most other culinary herbs, Rosemary grows in average, unimproved soil, although you do need to provide good drainage. Rosemary is difficult to start from seed. It has very low germination rates and is slow to get growing. Small transplants are widely available. Set out transplants after all danger of frost has past. Rosemary does best in full sun, but it will grow slowly in partial shade.

Plant Rosemary near cabbages and beans to repel moths and beetles.

Burn stems of Rosemary on barbecues to deter flying insects and infuse barbecued meat with its unique flavor. In the Mediterranean area, linens are dried draped over Rosemary bushes so its bug-repelling oils scent the linens.

To make the most flavorful roast chicken ever (so I’ve been told), stuff the cavity with several sprigs each of fresh Rosemary, parsley, and thyme, along with an entire head of garlic. Roast, covered, until chicken is tender.

You’re welcome. 

Growing for 8 weeks now...no sign of flower stem.

It’s been eight weeks since I re-planted my amaryllis bulbs. (See my earlier post about it here.) As you can see by the photo at left, they haven’t done much of anything. They each have two leaves and they seem healthy. So far there is no sign of a flower stalk.

Winter is dragging on here. One day it’s cold and blustery, the next day the air seems milder, kinder. The cold and snow seem to be lasting forever.

One day I noticed the snow near the south side of the house had melted and the ground was thawed. Of course I thought about planting spinach seeds there. The next day the temperature dropped twenty degrees and it snowed. It was a nice fantasy while it lasted.

Soon I’ll be able to start seeds, but not until the middle of March. It’s hard for me to look at the gardening forums and read about gardeners in warmer climates discussing their spring plantings. And they do it with a certain amount of glee, I might add.

Oh, how I yearn to plant.

Soon, very soon.

Will these two renegade amaryllis bulbs ever bloom?

In December 2007, I bought two amaryllis bulbs from a retailer whose employees wear red shirts.  Winter is long up here.  I wanted some indoor winter bloom to brighten things up.

I brought them home and followed the instructions.  They both started growing leaves, but then only one of them grew a flower stalk.  It bloomed spectacularly in February, but broke off after only a day or two.  The entire pot fell over because it wasn’t massive enough to counter the weight of the flower stalk, which broke off in the process.  (The bulbs were already planted in lovely matching faux copper ceramic “urns” so I assumed the maker of the bulb kits knew what they were doing.  Right.)

The second bulb sent up leaves, but never sent up a flower stalk.  I didn’t sweat it, preferring instead to coax it along and have it bloom next winter (which would be now, but more about that later).

So, I have these two amaryllis plants/bulbs—one that never sent up a flower stalk and another that had its flower severed shortly after it opened up.  Into the bright, natural light they went, with me watering to keep them moist, but not wet.

Within two weeks the bulb that bloomed started to turn yellow.  Eventually all of its strappy leaves withered.  I admitted defeat, and set the pot in a dark, interior hallway (it’s more like a storage area).

The bulb that didn’t bloom continued to grow for about a month, then its leaves started turning yellow too.  The second amaryllis went into storage next to the first one.

Here it was, late March, and already my amaryllis bulbs had gone dormant.  I wondered if they’d last until fall without shriveling up.  Then I wondered if the bulbs could have stored enough energy to even grow again, let alone bloom, since they went dormant so soon after forcing.

I planned on starting the bulbs in September, but I forgot all about them until New Year’s Eve.

I was a little skeptical when I re-potted them in fresh growing medium, and added a little granular fertilizer.  I put them both into larger clay pots than the cool looking faux copper “urns” that they came in.  (I’m sure I’ll find another use for those cool looking urns.)

The picture above shows the two bulbs yesterday, one well on its way and the other just sticking a leaf tip out of the nose of the bulb.  I have no idea if these amaryllis bulbs will bloom this winter or not.  I hope so.  I hope they at least stay alive long enough to summer outside, so they can store energy and bloom next year.

Gardening forces you to be patient.  Especially in January.  When you can’t wait for spring.

Aarrrgh.

Belgian endive is forced indoors.

Winter is especially hard on gardeners in the far north.  Snow covers the landscape for several months of the year and growing anything outdoors is out of the question.  Belgian endive is meant to be forced in winter.  It’s a double blessing—fresh vegetables and a chance for the gardener in the house to grow something.

Belgian endive is actually a chicory—witloof chicory to be exact.  Its Latin binomial is Cichorium intybus. Belgian endive is thought to have been discovered somewhat by accident at the Belgian Botanical Gardens.  Apparently a professor of gardening planted wild chicory in the basement of the lab and mounded the soil up upon the plants.  The result were the chicons that today we call Belgian endive.

To force-grow Belgian endive in winter you first need to grow witloof chicory during the summer.  Direct sow seeds where they are to grow in early June.  Space seeds three inches apart in rows twelve inches apart.  When seedlings are two to three inches high, thin to six inches apart.

Witloof chicory doesn’t require super rich soil.  Feed sparingly and use a low nitrogen fertilizer or the plants will put all their energy into growing leaves.  Mulch to control weeds and provide an inch of rainfall per week.

The witloof chicory will be ready to harvest 110 to 130 days after direct seeding.  The roots will perform better when forcing indoors if the chicory is left in the ground to weather several light to moderate frosts.  Just make sure to dig the roots before the ground freezes solid.

Take care not to damage the roots of witloof chicory when digging them for storage prior to forcing for Belgian endive.  Keep only roots with a stem at least an inch in diameter.  Cut the leaves off about an inch above the root.  Trim any side roots and trim the main roots so they are about eight to nine inches long.  Set aside any damaged or cut roots to use first.

Store the roots on their sides in damp peat moss in your root cellar at about 35° F.  You can also tightly pack them, root end down, in a 2-gallon pot, filling in around the roots with damp sand.   These already potted up roots are ready to force when you’re ready to force them.

About three weeks before you want to use the Belgian endive, begin the forcing process.  Plant the number of roots you plan to force in a 10-12 inch deep pot using a sterile growing medium.  Water well and cover the pot with a black plastic bag or provide darkness another way.  In any case, darkness, and exposing the roots to warmer temperatures of 50° to 65° F. will cause the roots to grow the chicons, which we call Belgian endive.

After you harvest your Belgian endive, remound the soil on the roots, water, and put back in darkness at the same temperature as above and the roots will produce another crop of chicons for you.

These garlic chive seedlings have been growing too far from the fluorescent lights and have become "spindly" and "leggy."

Garden plants overwintering inside, along with seedlings we’ve started to get a jump on the growing season, need much more light indoors than we realize.  Garden plants, especially those that require full sun outside in the garden, need direct artificial light in order for them to grow well inside.  Seedlings need direct artificial light only a few inches above their tops or they will grow spindly and get leggy.  We want short, stocky plants with strong stems.

In contrast, “houseplants,” virtually without exception, are plants that grow in the shade of a canopy of trees in their natural jungle habitat.  Their natural requirement for less light is the reason we can grow houseplants so well without additional artificial light.

What is the best way to provide adequate light for our overwintering garden plants and seedlings we’re starting indoors to get a jump on the growing season?

If you have south-facing windows with a sill wide enough to accommodate a pot, your seedlings or overwintering garden plants will grow fairly well with this level of light.  However, the short days of the winter months will rob the plants of some vigor.

To insure that your plants growing on the windowsill get enough natural daylight, set them on the sill directly next to the window pane and insure that no curtain, shade, or blind is between the window glass and the plants.  A window with western exposure will give you slightly less vigorous growth than a window with southern exposure.

For exceptional results overwintering garden plants and/or starting seeds for your spring garden, grow them under fluorescent lights.  You will get the best results from fluorescent bulbs that indicate they contain the full light spectrum and emit light similar to natural sunlight.  Please note that these are not “grow” lights; they are full spectrum fluorescent lights.

For best results, place the plants so their tops are only a few inches from the lights.  It is imperative that you find a way to raise the level of the lights as the plants grow to maintain their robust, straight-up growth.  Make sure to turn the plants frequently to insure even growth.

Of course, the ideal way to overwinter garden plants and start seeds for the garden is in a greenhouse.  Some day I hope to be lucky enough to have one of those.

Until then, fluorescent shop lights are the way to go.

Star of Bethlehem

When you think of seasonal Christmas plants what comes to mind?  Certainly not the Star of Bethlehem.  These hardy perennial bulbs, with their star-shaped white flowers and lance-like leaves, are a stunning addition to your Christmas decor.

Commonly called “Star of Bethlehem,” its Latin name is Ornithogalum arabicum, a member of the Hyacinthaceae family.  Star of Bethlehem is native to southern Europe and is hardy in Zones 4 through 10.  Star of Bethlehem grows 6 to 12 inches high and will do well in either sun or partial shade.

Like most other cold-hardy bulbs, Star of Bethlehem blooms in late spring from bulbs planted the previous fall.  The flowers last nearly two weeks and the foliage withers away by mid-summer.

Plant bulbs of Star of Bethlehem at a depth equal to three times their diameter, just like other spring blooming bulbs.

To force bulbs for bloom at Christmas, pot up in early-September.  Water well and store in darkness at a temperature of 35 to 50 degrees F. for 12 to 16 weeks.  In early December, move to a spot with indirect sunlight at a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees F.  When the shoots turn green, expose to a comfortable room temperature (68 to 70 degrees F.) and more direct sunlight.  Rotate the pots so all receive equal amounts of light.  The buds will appear in 3 to 4 weeks.  When buds appear, move to more indirect light to prolong length of bloom.

Star of Bethlehem is a refreshing change from traditional blooming holiday plants.