February week 1

Wow, it actually seems like winter with two snowstorms in a row! Will we get a threepeat? First up in this week's plant retrospective are two trees (with similar latin names) I discovered on the Virginia Big Tree Database while researching plants to add to my new see how it grows map:

check out the thorns on this monster! It's a water locust near downtown Williamsburg (Gleditsia aquatica).

And this is the national champion water elm (Planera aquatica). It doesn't look all that notable, but no one's found a bigger one yet. It's on the campus of William & Mary near College Corner.

Elsewhere on the campus were these snow-covered windmill palms,

and this graceful elm,
I also snapped some pictures at the Lewis
Ginter Botanical Garden's Winter Sympoisum. The variegated plants really stood out, like this boxwood,

a Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora 'Oculus Draconis')

and a Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana 'Zebrina').

Also eye-catching were this witchhazel,

this viburnum,

and these topiaries.

After the first day of the symposium I made a quick stop by Maymont where I grabbed some seeds off a parrotia (I'll never get around to planting them).

I also came a cross this Dr. Seuss-like tree, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe a chaemacyparis? Can anyone identify it by the foliage?

You can see the rest of my February week 1 photos here.

Ira Wallace at Lewis Ginter

Ira Wallace of the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange spoke about heirloom vegetables for this year's winter symposium. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a source for heirloom and standard vegetable seeds that publishes an extensive yearly catalog containing around 700 varieties. The catalog Ms. Wallace passed out was beautifully illustrated by company employees.

The company was begun in 1982 and is located in Mineral, Virginia. It sells its seeds either by mail order or through retail locations. The variety of unusual shapes and colors Ms. Wallace showed in her presentation was amazing! Yellow-fleshed moon and star watermelon, bizarrely shaped tomatoes and several colors of carrots. Heirlooms are great because their eye-catching appearance works great in an ornamental garden. Here's an adorable little red corn variety dubbed Strawberry Popcorn.

photo by Chiot's Run

And here's a selection of different garlic varieties that she brought along (not quite as showy).

Ms. Wallace defined heirlooms as non-hybrid, open-pollinated seeds that have been passed down generation to generation. According to Ms. Wallce benefits of heirloom varieties are:

1. superior & unusual flavor
2. regional adaptation
3. rare shape, form, colors, and textures
4. natural disease resistance
5. fascinating stories

Producing seeds through open pollination insures that the seeds will resemble their parents, and that if grown properly, growers will not have to repurchase seeds every year. An interesting note: if seeds are saved from two-thirds of the crop, the plants should maintain their quality. If seeds are saved from one half of the crop, the variety will tend to improve.

The Southern Seed Exchange specializes in varieties adapted to the Mid-Atlantic region and Ms. Wallace gave several tips about growing vegetables in our area. Using seeds from their catalog, you can have lettuces every month of the year! Ms. Wallace recommended red lettuces for the winter and said that in the summer months grow your lettuces close together because you'll want to eat them while they're young, before they get large and bitter. She also pointed out that one plant that's difficult to grow for seed crop around here is carrots. They cross-pollinate with Queen Anne's Lace and develop a bitter flavor.

Seeds were for sale at the symposium.

The customers were very enthusiastic.

Something that Ms. Wallace didn't mention, but that I discovered while researching this article was the Southern Seed Exchange is the main source of income for the Acorn Community, an egalitarian, intentional community of about 15 members. Intentional communities are a kind of planned alternative society with a shared vision and goals. I love to see people trying out new ways to live so this is even more of a reason to support the company!

For information on the other speakers at the 2010 Winter Symposium click here.

See How It Grows

Want to find an interesting plant or landscape to visit? Take a look at the How It Grows google map. Who knows...maybe there's a national champion tree lurking in your neighborhood. Click here for a more detailed map and list of places. You can even download and view it on Google Earth!

I've just started this map so there's not a whole lot on it yet, but I'll keep adding. If you know of something I should include, let me know!


View See How It Grows in a larger map

Michael McConkey at Lewis Ginter

Michael McConkey of Edible Landscaping gave an entertaining presentation at this year's Winter Symposium. Edible Landscapes is a well-known nursery in Afton, Virginia, just south of Waynesboro. They have a great selection of plants, both common and unusual (ever tried che fruit?).

Years ago, McConkey gave up a career (and late nights) as a musician to become a gardener, but he didn't give up music entirely. He opened his talk with a witty song filled with fruit and vegetable puns. The one line I remember went something like "Come on down to my cornfield and I'll kiss you behind the ears" (you can hear some of his music on cdbaby).

After the song, Mr. McConkey discussed the history of some of America's best edible plants like paw paws, mulberries, strawberries, elderberry and Chickasaw plum. And he had an interesting theory. Every once in a while plant hunters will discover an unusually large persimmon or plum or some other fruit. Could these be remnants of varieties cultivated hundreds of years ago by Native Americans? He suspected that a large amount of the New World's germplasm was lost when pioneers cut down orchards that had been tended by Native Americans for generations. But just maybe a few of these plants survived, waiting to be rediscovered.

Mr. McConkey also gave several tips for growing fruit. For blueberries, be sure you're getting southern varieties—the cheap ones you come across at the big box stores just might have come from somewhere up north and will struggle in our heavy clay soils. The southern varieties will do just fine in clay if you top dress them with an inch or two of decomposing cellulose like leaves, bark or branches.

How can you deal with wildlife poaching your produce? One way is to have lots of it. That way you'll always be able to find something left on a plant. And having a dog around doesn't hurt either, but they don't necessarily help with the peach-loving bears that he has to deal with.

Another tip was spraying clay on some kinds of produce to combat pests. He recalled the owner of a quarry telling him that there were two peach trees at the entrance to his quarry that were always covered with dust, but they grew perfectly. When Mr. McConkey heard about the kaolin based spray Surround, he remembered the story and gave it a try, with good results.

He even gave us advice on what to do with your fruit. For a super purple fruit drink, mix eldeberry juice with honey and add to a cold glass of milk. Kids will love the intense color!

As an added treat, Mr. McConkey brought several plants that he had coaxed into blooming for the symposium:

pink flowering ume apricot

navel orange

seascape strawberry

blueberry

improved Meyer lemon

meiwa kumquat

By the way, Mr. McConkey has several videos on YouTube. Here's one of Mr. McConkey explaining how to prune a kiwi vine:

For information on the other speakers at the 2010 Winter Symposium click here.