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Cotyledon

Cotyledon is a genus of 10 species of perennial shrubby leaf and stem succulents with numerous varieties and cultivars. Mostly from Southern Africa, they also occur throughout the drier parts of Africa as far north as the Arabian peninsula. This particular cotyledon is growing in a succulent sampler pot only 4 inches deep. Members of the genus are shrublets, generally …

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I don’t remember ever eating a rhubarb dessert in my life. But the idea was always intriging…A celery like vegetable with a tart taste often paired with sweet fruit like strawberry. A few years ago I purchased a plant as a novelty. I grow it in a large pot since I have limited ground area. Our rhubarb plant finally got …

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Tomato Deterrent with Chiles: FAILED

Some creature is eating my tomatoes between sunset and 7 AM. It could be an early bird squirrel but I don’t think so. That leaves raccoons and rats. Recently I read about an organic deterrent so I gave it a try. Mice and rats seem to avoid chiles. I mixed ground habanero chile peppers, vinegar, water, oil, and soap. I …

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Sweet Bergamo Italian pepper

  DOLCE DE BERGAMO The versatile sweet Dolce De Bergamo chile pepper can be utilized in both fresh and cooked applications. Its thin skin and flesh make it ideal for preparing blistered, fried in olive oil and served with sea salt as a finger food. In my version, after frying the peppers, I grilled some sourdough bread and served with …

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Oregon Gardens

For twenty-five years I drove every summer up to Seattle for a bicycle vacation. And every year I would pass the road signs to Oregon Gardens. This year I visited them. They are 20 miles off the interstate in the small town of Silverton. You travel on scenic country roads to get there. The Oregon Gardens is similar to Butchart …

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Crocosmia

Crocosmia are red-to-orange glad-like flowers for the summer. Crosomia is a South African version of a gladiola. The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning “saffron”, and osme, meaning “odor” – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when …

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Acidanthera

Acidanthera is a summer-blooming bulb in the gladiolus family. The plants have upright, sword-like foliage and fragrant white flowers in late summer and early fall. Acidanthera is easy-to-grow in any sunny garden and it also grows well in containers. Known by many other names, including Gladiolus murielae, Gladiolus callianthus, Abyssinian gladiolus and peacock orchid. SHADE AND SUN: Acidanthera should be …

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Carrots 2018

You have heard of baby corn. These are baby carrots. I plant them in deep rich loam. Give them water, sunlight, fertiizer. and the result are a crop fit for Lilliputians. I am quick-pickling them in a balsamic vinaigrette

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Bumper Crop of Santa Rosa plums in 2018

2018 was a year for a bumper crop of Santa Rosa plums from our 4-in-1 grafted dwarf plum tree. Each plum is small so there is not much fruit pulp. So I decided to make a plum compote. it is a simple recipe. Ingredients: 1 pound of plums (quartered; include the pits) 1 cup sugar / honey half cup water …

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