Tuh-Duh! Garden Path Progress

Tuh-duh! I completed a gravel path in an area I like to call our wilderness garden in Desert Aire. The plan is to add more walking paths around our two maple trees. A neighbor has called it an arboretum. Many thanks, but it's truly a work in progress. With a park bench placed just so, who knows, it could be a small park. I regret leaving behind two concrete garden benches at our previous home in eastern Washington. In an effort to downsize, and not wanting to deal with two heavy benches at the time, we now must spend double to replace. Everything has gone up in price! This area also needs a small fence, to keep the tumbleweed from blowing in from the west. You'll notice quite a pile of this in the photo on right. Sigh...more work to do. But stay tuned. When everything leafs out, especially the mimosa (out of view on left), it's a lovely view.

When we first moved to Desert Aire (taking on .6 acres of mostly undeveloped land), the "wilderness" area was my biggest challenge as a gardener. The previous owner had chosen to use the area as a dumping ground for rocks, many of which were quite large. Putting on our thinking caps, Vince decided to use the rocks to widen the road, and so, he built the perfect Scottish wall.

Meanwhile, I explored gardening books and online designs for plant layout. I eventually decided to add a berm in front for privacy, which became home for 2 mugo pines, 2 junipers, 1 pine tree, and smaller evergreen plants in between. “Several 'tiger eyes” staghorn sumacs, 1 blue spruce, 1 mimosa tree (gifted by a neighbor), kinnikinnik groundcover, barberry shrubs, spirea shrubs, 2 more pine trees, 1 fig tree, and two maple trees were planted in the rear and on the sides. Phew! That's a lot of planting.

It's been slow going, as most of the plants were small at first, but slowly everything has taken off after five to seven years of growth. We still have an excess of native rabbit brush and bunch grass (it grows everywhere), which I plan to dig out soon. One nice thing about gravel here is if you place down weed control fabric underneath and have the gravel sprayed, the weeds give up. (Thanks, Russell Landscaping for helping us control the weeds). You can also omit the fabric cover, but only if the gravel is quite deep, three to four inches.

So take a look. I'm patting myself on the back today. 😁

March Gardening: Let the Adventure Begin

March. So here we are. Another adventurous gardening season in Desert Aire. Those new to the area, don’t despair. There is more here to grow besides sagebrush, bunch grass, and Russian thistle (those pesky tumbleweeds). And to be fair to mother nature, we need those nuisance plants, don’t we? Where else would the quail nest and frolic? I know these plants harbor other critters like snakes, but I won’t go into that much. A bull snake tried to enter our hangar once, so I’ve been on the lookout ever since, but they are harmless (in eight years, Vince and I have never seen a rattler—fingers crossed). 

But back to gardening. Roses, Roses, Roses. These beauties do so well here, in-ground and in pots. If you haven’t already, go out and clip your roses low to the ground to about one foot. Open up the interior spaces so the rose can breathe. Cut way any dead branches and those that cross over where they shouldn’t. There is really no way to do this wrong. Assuming you water, your roses will come back regardless. You just decide whether you want them to look spindly or more compact in appearance. 

Looking for a reliable rose that blooms all year? A friend recently emailed that the Rugosa Rose (on left) never fails. They saw this rose thrive year after year in Washtucna, WA where they lived, which has climate similar to us. This rose is native to northeastern China, Japan, Korea and Siberia. In Siberia it actually grows on sand dunes and beaches. Its hallmarks are beautiful fragrance, soil tolerance, and temperature hardiness. Rugosa roses prefer acidic pH, but it can thrive in the poorest of soils too. One drawback is that once established, the rose will sucker, but if propagation and spread is your goal, this is your rose. Flowering typically comes in late spring and early summer, but deadheading will promote repeat blooming. Flowers grow in small five-petal clusters in different colors--pink, red, lavender and white. 

The rose hip (on left) of the Rugosa rose is also edible, similar to a cherry tomato in size. Not sure about taste, as I have never eaten. Have you?

Fertilize your roses. Rule of thumb is to fertilize when you see green growth. There are rose fertilizers out there, but I usually grab fish fertilizer because it’s handy and seems to work for everything here. I lean toward natural products, but sometimes you need more. Our maple trees for instance have an in-ground treatment this time of year for potential aphids. We’ve never had an infestation, so apparently it works. Aphids will indeed attack your roses and other flowers, but that is easily resolved with insecticide. Again, I prefer natural or organic products. 

 

Here’s a handy insecticide recipe you can make from scratch:

Mix together: 2 gallons warm water, 1 oz. Dawn soap, 1 oz. Peppermint oil, and 1 oz. Neem oil. For a stronger solution, add 1 oz. Rosemary oil. Spray liberally as needed. This works on houseplants too. Controls aphids, spider mites, white flies, and other pests. The Neem Oil also works as a fungicide for Black Spot, Rust and Powdery Mildew. Spray is safe for ornamental trees, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables too.

So… thinking about one’s reliance on more natural products, treat yourself to some available natural health benefits you can enjoy every day. To detox your body, consider the easiest method—drinking plenty of water. Add some herbal tea, and you have it in spades. For fresh air and exercise, consider an old-fashion walk around the block. You don’t have to jog a mile to benefit or qualify. Eat fresh food whenever possible. Variety is key. 

Try eating kale and other less popular vegetables. Just Google for recipes on how to cook. Be adventurous. That said, canned products need not be your enemy. With a well-stocked pantry, you can save a lot on groceries by stocking up. One can of tomato soup for instance can become the basis for a new recipe by adding leftover or fresh vegetables or even leftover casseroles. “Toss not, want not,” as the saying goes. Growing up with a Depression age mother taught me the value of not wasting food. If you are worried about the sodium, simply use less salt on the added ingredients. Spice things up and you have it. Easy.

Oh…and don’t forget to start your tomato seeds. You can buy later in nurseries too if you prefer. Tomatoes do well in Desert Aire. For best results (my preference), plant in grow boxes with water basins in morning sun (shade in afternoon). Later, add ground eggshell to the water to treat for potential blossom rot. Easy. 

Happy Gardening and Eating everyone! Remember, “Gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.” (anonymous)

The Popular Banana

Bananas. Okay, first off, we do not grow bananas in Desert Aire. But I love this fruit, don't you? Eaten plain, sliced on cereal, used for banana splits, milk shakes and smoothies, added to fruit salads, mashed in cakes, cookies, and breads, the list goes on. Some use the banana peels for facials and puffy eyes. Gardeners, you can even chop the peels and place on top of the soil to decompose and release nutrients (please do not place near plant stems for best results 😏). 

Banana is the one fruit we most likely take for granted in the supermarket. For me, it's always, "Are we out of bananas?" I seldom leave the small store in Mattawa (Harvest Foods) without a fresh bunch. At home even the overripe bananas get eaten eventually. Frozen in baggies, they become mashed ingredients for muffins, corn bread, pancakes and more. Delicious!

Did you know that a banana tree can grow 10 to 26 feet tall? One cluster alone contains 50 to 150 bananas. Packed full of nutrition, bananas are an excellent source of B6, as well as potassium, manganese, vitamin C, copper, biotin and dietary fiber. 

Unless you are one of the unlucky ones who is allergic to this yummy fruit, the health benefits are impressive. Cardiovascular protection due to the fruit's potassium and fiber content for one, and protection from ulcers. Further, bananas can help with constipation, and promote good eyesight, bone growth, and kidney health. What's not to like?

Malaysia can take credit for the origin of bananas some 4,000 years ago, where it was first noted. From there the banana tree spread to nearby Philippines and India. Bananas were later discovered in Africa in 1482 and brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 1500s where they planted banana trees in the Caribbeans. But it was not until the 19th century that bananas became available in the United States. Today bananas are primarily grown in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Ecuador.

Here's a fun Banana Recipe: 🍌

"Banana Dressing with Poppy Seeds"

1 banana (ripe)

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon poppy seeds 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon dry mustard 

3/4 teaspoon salt

Mash bananas in a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes. This is great on salad greens, fruit, and as a dip. Yield: 1-3/4 cups. Enjoy!

More fun...😄

Banana Jokes:

Question: What did the boy banana say to the girl banana?
Answer: "You have a lot of appeal."

Question: If a crocodile makes shoes, what does a banana make?
Answer: Slippers!

Banana Movies: (Remember these?)

--Bananas (Woody Allen movie) 1971

 --Herbie Goes Bananas 1980
(Herbie the VW has a wild adventure)

Banana Books:

--Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
by Dan Koeppel (2008) (adult nonfiction)

--Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes
by Joanna Cole and Alan Tiegreen (2010) (ages 4-8)

Banana Songs:

(Beetlejuice fans.......Remember this?)

"Day-O" (Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte
(from the movie Beetlejuice - 1988)

Why I Believe in Garden Gloves

Gardening may be the furthest thing from your mind with chilly mornings and snow dusting the mountain tops not too long ago. There's also that morning “burr” factor when you step outside. But except for our record windstorm in December that took down trees and roofs, winter weather has been somewhat mild compared to the rest of the nation.

My garden shed is calling. I peeked in the other day and saw the insecticide I will soon add to some trees (best done in February). I give two maple trees a special in-ground treatment to ward off aphids. So far, it has worked fine. So, I put on a pair of garden gloves and did the job. I also finished a rock border where the red rock needed to be separated from the gravel. It felt good to be outdoors. The sunshine was glorious. Healing even. It seems only fair with 2020 well behind us now. Never mind the virus is still a problem in places. We need to be aware of those areas, but mostly, I feel liberated with all those shots behind me.

As for wearing garden gloves, if you do not know already, gloves are important!! Some obvious reasons would be to keep the garden chemicals from penetrating your skin when applying fertilizers and insecticide. The stoutest gloves also keep thorns and stickers from poking through and drawing blood. Ouch. I find that welder gloves work extremely well when pruning roses. They are thickly padded and cover your lower arms completely. I'm on a second pair now. So worth it.

Another obvious benefit of wearing garden gloves, assuming there are no holes in the fingers, is to keep your hands and fingernails clean. Important if you have someplace special to go later. Maybe dinner out somewhere nice? A good soak in the tub is the only other option. So, wear the gloves!

A few summers ago, I came to appreciate an even greater benefit of wearing gloves. Their use in preventing insect bites. We have scorpions and black widows in Desert Aire. Fortunately, the scorpions are not the dangerous kind. I read that their bites resemble a bee sting. Fortunately, I wouldn't know. It's never happened. But yes to black widows!

 

Black widows, although not normally aggressive, will bite if threatened. I discovered this while checking the cantaloupe vines for fruit. (Cantaloupe grows well here in Desert Aire). But dumb me, I was not wearing garden gloves that day. When the bite came it was a needle-like sting, and left double fang marks on the skin. I instinctively knew it could be serious. I recognized the spider's white silky web a foot or so away. We were familiar with black widows and often sprayed, but apparently missed this one.

I went inside immediately, turned on the computer, and googled “black widow bites.” Already my hand was swelling and hurt like the dickens. I iced it as instructed, swallowed antihistamine and ibuprofen, and waited…watching for more serious signs. Within the hour I felt nauseated and wanted to vomit, thinking it was time to head for the medical clinic in Mattawa, but the nausea passed quickly. No breathing problems, cramping, or numbness followed, which would have definitely meant a trip. The swelling lasted for several days though. So please, take those garden gloves seriously. Don’t let a half-inch spider protecting her eggs convince you. 

Happy Gardening Everyone. Spring will be here soon. If you happen to see me later, running across the lawn like a crazed woman, I probably walked into a spider web. I must admit I'm easily spooked now. 😀

Sharon Himsl

 

Heather - Oh What a Beauty

HEATHER. If you happen to have this rewarding small shrub in your garden, the bees will soon be buzzing around its pink flowers enjoying the nectar immensely. Right next to your yellow forsythia also in full bloom when spring finally arrives. Spring, isn't it wonderful? Oh, how I long for its return, don't you? When the trees bud out and the warm air soothes. Then again... It's February. But still, I can daydream. Won't you join me?

After admiring my neighbor’s pink heather one day, I knew I wanted one in my rock garden. I now have four in the ground and will likely add more. The tidiness and hardiness of this shrub is admirable. As an evergreen, heather is attractive all year long and does well in Desert Aire. I have yet to notice any insect problems.

Heather is a low-spreading shrub that grows to about two feet tall, three feet wide. My neighbor and I have pink heather, but the colors vary a lot (e.g., red, white, and purple). Over the winter the foliage on mine has a purple hue, but this too can vary. There are hundreds of species of this cultivar to choose from.

Heather can tolerate poor, rocky soil, but like other evergreens, it prefers acidic soil conditions. You can plant heather in pots as well. Just make sure the potting mix is “evergreen friendly.” To make your own potting mix, combine 50% peat moss, 20% perlite and 10% each of garden soil, sand, and compost (or farm manure). Early spring (coming, I promise😏) is a good time to plant heather. You can locate in full sun or light shade. You can also plant during the Fall. Once established, heather is pretty much maintenance free. 

In Victorian times, white heather was gifted to friends and young lovers💑 for luck and protection. Scottish brides always carried heather for good luck, when walking down the aisle. Similarly, purple heather represented beauty, admiration and solitude. The tradition continues to this day. 

Canadian poet laureate Bliss Carman (1861-1929) wrote, “Here's to the day when it is May. And care as light as a feather. When your little shoes and my big boots. Go tramping over the heather.” 

Happy Gardening Everyone! I'll be tramping over the heather in my daydream till spring arrives, when I hope to plant more of these gems.