The Old Farmers Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom 0517162970, 9780517162972

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FARMERS

A

and delightful collection of gardening advice and tips from the pages of The Old Farmer's Almanac fully illustrated, informative,

Cynthia Van Hciztnga and the Editors of The

Old Fatmet's Almcinac

Previously Published at

For

centuries,

$25

The Old Farmer's Almanac

has been offering

its

unique combination of

science, folklore, humor, and no-nonsense

advice on a variety of subjects. The

OF GARDtN WISDOM

offers the

same

mixture of practicality and fun with tion of

gardening

tips, secrets,

BOOK

singular its

selec-

advice, and

information.

•

LEARN TILL,

•

HOW— AND WHAT—TO

AND HARVEST

DISCOVER TECHNIQUES FOR ELIMINATING

•

PLANT,

GARDEN PESTS

LEARN THE BEST AND FASTEST- GROWING

VEGETABLE VARIETIES •

EXPLORE REMEDIES USING HERBS

YOG GROW .

FIND

OCT THE BEST KIND OF SOIL

FOR DIFFERENT PLANTS

Gardening

is

an area of recreation as well

as a huge industry, and at

all

times

it

is

both art and science. For the urban weekend

[Continued on back

flay]

DISCARDED by Murray Library

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2010

http://www.archive.org/details/oldfarmersalnianaOOvanh

Book of Gatdca^3^isdom

Also from

Random House

Value Publishing:

The Old Farmer's Almanac

BOOK OF LOVE

The Old Farmer's Almanac

Book of Gatden^^?isaom Cynthia Van Hazinga & the Editors of

The Old Farmer's Almanac

Gramercy Books

New

York

Copyright

©

1996 by Yankee Publishing,

Inc.

reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

All rights

part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information

No

storage and retrieval system, without permission

in

writing from the publisher.

is pubished by Gramercy Books™, an imprint of Random House Value 280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, by arrangement with Random House Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

This 2000 edition Publishing, Inc.,

Gramercy Books™ and design are trademarks Printed

Owing

in

of

Random House

Value Publishing,

Inc.

the Gnited States of America

to limitations of space,

all

to use illustrations will be

acknowledgments of permissions found on pages 210-11.

Random House

New

York

• London • Sydney • Auckland http://www.randomhouse.com/

•

Toronto

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The

old Farmer's

almanac book

of garden

wisdom

/

Cynthia Van Hazinga and the editors

of the Old farmer's almanac, p. cm. ISBN 0-517-16297-0 1

.

Gardening. Cynthia.

III.

—

Gardening Gnited States. Old farmer's almanac.

2.

I.

Title:

Garden wisdom.

II.

Van Hazinga,

SB453 .039 2001

635— dc21 00-062233 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

I To my mother,

Sylvia Wartiainen

Van Hazinga,

whose enthusiasm

ignited

my

for nature

own.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS would Taylor,

like to

thank

three editors

and Sharon Smith

rators, especially

I

my

the book.

— and

Benjamin Watson, who contributed sidebars to

Society, especially for the use of

Library and

librarian.

its staff;

the

Thanks

New

Public Library in Hillsborough,

A

our colleagues and collabo-

New

appreciate the help of the

1

Kathryn Powis,

all

— Georgia Orcutt, Sandy

book has many

Random House; Corsey, who did

parents.

library

its

also to the

York Horticultural

and the assistance of

New

Hampshire State

York Public Library; and the Fuller

New

Hampshire.

Thanks

to Carol Jessop,

who

the art research; to

the facts; and to Barbara Jatkola,

also to

Candy

who

David Rosenthal of

designed the book; to Gianetti,

Mark

who checked

copy-edited the text.

CONTENTS

Introduction

xi

2

1

Planting

2

The Weather & Your Garden

32

J

Garden Design technique

50

4

The Flower Garden

?8 1

5 6

,{?.j„*-..

./i*^

Growing Fruit

102

TheHerbGarden

138 f'

7

The Vegetable Garden

164

8

TheHarvest

190

INTRODUCTION

"to plow, to plant, to hoe, is

the work which

lies

before us now."

— The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1882 Researching

and writing

book has

this

led the author

and the

Old Farmer's Almanac into close contact with our

editors of The

horticultural past

and added

to our respect for the experience

and wisdom of those Gardeners

Who

Have Gone

The

Before.

journey also has given us a strong sense o{ nature's enduring patterns, those forces that guide gardeners. For the gardener

meddling

is

only nature's

con-

assistant, at best a caretaker of the earth's resources,

nected to the process and part of the plan.

Again and

again, in compiling our

observation, calling

on

reminded that nothing

tradition is

book of advice, anecdote, and

and lauding innovation, we were

new under

the sun.

Some

of the most ven-

erable directives, whether offered in 1828 or 1909, parallel the latest

when the 1882 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac "We ought to raise more seed, and not pay so much for what we know so little of," the seed savers of 1996, newly awakened to the

research. Thus, advises,

importance of the global gene pool and the need

for biodiversity,

emphatically. In 1849, The Old Farmer's Almanac reported, world, now-a-days,

is

nod

"The

divided into Conservation and Reform, that

the old and the new, and so

it is

in farming."

Today

is,

ecologists battle

developers on the troubled border between civilization and nature,

and gardeners use down-to-earth methods on skyscraper

roofs.

And

now,

as then,

even

great joy,

as

it

we

&

feeds us.

Some

ing like a weed.

Smith

gardening

garden;

a

prime recreation and a source of

Gardening

gardeners see

Hawken) and some

we

is

a

is it

as a calling.

practice a craft that

is

growth industry

as a lifestyle

We

both an

— grow-

(uniforms by

are gardeners because art

and a science; we

garden instinctively and knowingly, by tradition and inspiration. As

we

cultivate

we

fill

and

plant,

our lungs with

we

air,

learn from nature; as

perhaps lower our blood pressures, as the therapists

Farmer's

asserts.

At any tion,

XII

is

new breed

and

of horticultural

in 1893,

"and never lead

astray,

but always

purer and better." Perhaps.

rate, as gardeners,

and wholly

prune,

"Flowers have a refining influence," The Old

Almanac noted

upward to what

we weed and

train our ears to the songs of the birds,

ourselves.

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

we

are part of nature, part of civiliza-

THE OLD FARMER'S ALMANAC

ROOK OF GARDEN WISDOM

y^(.'u

PLANTING "A GARDEN

IS

NOT A

LITTLE THING;

FOR SOPHISTICATED CONVERSATION.

BUT NEITHER If

IS

IT

A SUBJECT

YOU REALLY WANT TO DRAW

CLOSE TO YOUR GARDEN, YOU MUST REMEMBER FIRST OF ALL THAT

YOU ARE DEALING WITH A BEING THAT

HUMAN

LIVES

AND

DIES; LIKE

THE

BODY, WITH ITS POOR FLESH, ITS ILLNESSES AT TIMES REPUG-

NANT. One must not always see

it

dressed up for a ball, man-

icured AND IMMACULATE.

"A GARDEN

IS,

ABOVE

ALL,

THE HUMBLE EARTH.

.

.

.

00^

"The SIMPLEST peasant, the lowliest GARDENER, KNOWS DEEP INSIDE HIMSELF

man's

life,

THAT THE EARTH

but ALSO

IS

HIS PEDESTAL.

NOT ONLY THE TRUE SOURCE OF LET THOSE

WHO DON'T

LIKE

TO

dirty their hands think about this: let them consider themselves a little like the sacrificial priest,

hands red with

sacred blood; let them think earnestly about the office

they wish to fears, let feel like

fulfill.

then, having learned to repress their

them carefully wash their hands; they will then

the purest of men."

— Fernand Lequenne, My Friend the Qarden

^\$^.

te

si/N&S*

B 1

H^-^

^/,

^w^iiflH ^*5i

^ff^r^ '0.

^0/^

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOOT EARTHWORMS? And

do they

really whistle while they

you turn over your garden

soil,

work?

stop and rest

— and

now and then

As

look for worms. For they are the real plow horses of fertility.

"It

be doubted," Charles Darwin wrote, "whether there are

may

many

other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as

have these lowly organized creatures." Darwin, some

researchers have concluded, considered earthworms of greater value

than horses, more powerful than African elephants, and even

more important

Even

to people than cows.

Minnich notes

in

so, as

author Jerry

The Earthworm Book, Darwin did not give

the earthworm credit for what sidered

its

is

now

con-

most important function:

incubating within tract

its

digestive

enormous quantities of

microorganisms, and then casting

them

basis for

i

It is

before there

worms

become the

off to

humus.

amazing to think that

European settlement,

were essentially no earthin

North America. Eleven Ice

Age

stripped the planet nearly bare of earthworms.

They

thousand years ago,

the

existed only in a narrow area that included the world's

three great agricultural valleys: the Indus, the Euphrates, and the Nile.

The

soil

was rich and

fertile in these

three river valleys, crops grew

almost without cultivation, and great civilizations grew up those days, sacred,

earthworms were appreciated; Cleopatra decreed them

and Egyptians were forbidden

to kill them.)

In that same period, few regions in what

supported extensive agriculture. sparse,

as well. (In

widespread,

and

is

now

the United States

The Native American population was

largely

based on hunting and gathering.

According to Minnich, "Before European contact, the only lumbricids Ithe

common American and European earthworm

terrestris]

and

is

Lumbricus

native to the United States were some lazy species of Bismatus

Eisenia, essentially worthless as soil builders."

So what happened? Immigrant earthworms (and

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

their egg capsules)

^

Gardener's gold.

Not-So-Humble Huius Gardenino, or the cultivation of

same Latin word gave us both the noun humus and the

The adjective humble. But the contribution of humus to den

soil

anything but humble.

is

Humus

mixture between a solution and a suspension.

amounts up

to 75 percent of

its

volume.

fruits

sort, is

a colloid, a coarse

It

can hold water in

Humus

is

the reason good

can be held in the hand without running through the

soil

why

it

crumbles

like

chocolate cake, and

why

it

and

fingers,

drains well but

holds moisture.

be regarded as

civilization.

lates

form of a

itself.

Any

They

soft,

most soil

feast, a plant's

dark loam that

ideals, ideal soil

is

is

and physical powers, promotes

and

rare,

but

soil

is

After

makes the

and

always improv-

can be helped along with humus

in the long run, the soil

among

the

humbler

neither evaporate

rich in organic matter

suit

all,

diffuses peace, con-

and places within

—

that

is,

its

reach a large amount of luxury in the shape ofdelicious fruits and

magnificent flowers.

the gardener's requirements. plant,

and the plant

— The Old Fakmek's Almanac, IS50

soil.

Think of humus not

their

picnic ready to spread

composition can be manipulated to

makes the

of

and inviooratestlie mental

classes,

nor leach away; they contain a

ing

It

tlie test

tentment, and happiness, stimu-

frugahty

served up by microbes for the use of plants.

nutrients. Like

some

habits of industry and domestic

In the moisture are essential minerals, processed, prepared,

in the

(lowers, may, in

ideal gar-

as feeding plants but as feeding the soil

itself.

Planting

wedged into the shoes of colonists' horses and packed

crossed the Atlantic

into the root balls of plants the immigrants brought.

soon

and

New

England meadows were

Earthworms work fast;

Midwest was a vast garden,

lush, the

fields of grain stretched across the continent.

Earthworms produce more compost other organism.

As

are bathed in a

mucus that

faster

and more

stiffens

and moisten the

the walls of their tunnels.

nels in turn aerate

worms

earthworms consume nearly everything in their paths

sacred,

and Egyptians to

kill

them.

and minerals

When

—

as

than any

soil.

The

Omnivorous and unfussy

Cleopatra declared earth-

were forbidden

easily

they burrow (constantly eating and excreting) they

— including sand

they propel themselves powerfully through the earth.

they have digested everything and excreted

Worms

again the beneficiary.

neutralize their

own

the gardener

it,

them on account

bank with

in the soil

able nitrogen, seven times the phosphate,

^ potash o{ anything

is

castings (with three

pairs of calciferous glands near their stone-grinding gizzards)

deposit

tun-

eaters,

and

five times the avail-

and eleven times the

else in the top 6 inches of soil.

(They dig down

farther than that, too, going as deep as 15 feet, helping to drain

the earth.) Castings are totally available organic humus, and every

earthworm produces

amount

its

own

weight in castings every day. This can

to 5 tons of castings

on

1

acre o{ land in a year.

And

as if

were not amazing enough, some researchers report that earth-

this

worms

whistle while they work.

One devotee

of Lumbricus lyric opera, C. Merker, wrote in the

1940s that earthworms have voices and can actually sing in "a definite

and changing rhythm" by deliberately opening and

closing their mouths.

Although they have no

lungs,

could hear them sing up to 12 feet away, and singing

may be

in search of love

—

for

much

worms have

Merker of the

five sets of

double hearts and meet to copulate in good weather, producing almost two hundred offspring annually. Like the microbes, their

companions under the

soil,

the more organic material

they encounter, the faster they reproduce.

Which silent,

is

lucky for

us.

Because whether they're singing or

where would we be without earthworms? Note: For further fascinating

'

•-

see Jerry Minnich's Press,

facts

about earthworms,

The Earthworm Book (Rodale

1977) and Peter Tompkins and Christopher

Raird's Secrets of the Soil

(Harper

&

from which we learned much. -^^

Row, 1989),

""

4 Gardener,

Old-time farmers knew as to

Know Thy Soil

that the types of plants that flourished in a particular area gave strong clues

the type of soil to be found there. Look to the plants that do well, they counseled, and you'll

learn as

much about

your garden as any modern

soil test

can

you.

tell

As

Soils that are acidic give root to trailing arbutus, trilliums, buttercups, mare's-tails. Azaleas indicate acidic soil, as

and most

tomed

lilies.

Many

plants from woodlands

to acidic soil. Potatoes

in acidic soil.

and wetlands

and many other

common

Thriving local species often provide clues to

Type

soil

So do

ferns,

are accus-

it.

content. For example:

Likely Type of Soil iris,

wild onion

Alkaline

Buttercup

Wet

Ferns

Heavy, possibly clay

Fireweed, nettles

Fertile,

Once you know what

you've got, just adapt the

soil

giant tater, clearly satisfied with

-ij«::*

M^

moist

— or your choice of plants — accordingly. One

:

right.

chrysanthemums,

— including oaks and pines —

vegetable crops prefer

of Plant

Burdock, chicory, saltbush, wild

i^

were

do rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias.

and blueberries grow strong

Blackberries, raspberries,

usual, they

chamomile, rushes, and

t\o^

its soil.

.

A HEAD-START PROGRAM When

starting seeds indoors, plant

them

in

anything from seed blocks

to

jump of 4

to

eggshells

a question of timing. Seeds started indoors can get a

6 weeks on It's

crops

seasons, this

sown

means

indoor plants have sive to

in the ground. In regions with short growing

a great deal. less

In their vulnerable seedling stages,

competition from weeds.

grow your own seedlings than

to

And

it's

less

expen-

buy plants from a nursery.

HP AHQTi

Gardeners

start seeds successfully in all sorts

great lengths to coddle lets,

them

cubes, or peat pots;

Moisture

at this vulnerable stage.

some

is

Some

plant in pel-

wooden

use paper or plastic cups,

Our grandmothers used

recycled cans.

of containers and go to

or

flats,

eggshells.

the ruling principle at this point. Gardeners using mois-

ture-wicking peat pots or paper bands must take special care not to

them

dry out.

It's

ing. Seedlings

are cut apart,

that take a

also important to

grown

for the

way the

let

roots are form-

some root strength when they

in pots or flats lose

and those grown

in individual pots

*o«

..

develop circular roots

good while to recover. For strong, healthy seedlings, try

soil

blocks, available through garden supply catalogs.

*•«''/

Container and growing medi-

Bu "'''

Be,,,,,

/-«'«»„

um

""«' II,;.,,

all in

made

one, each 2-inch soil block

is

^'''""op

lU.,.,

of compressed potting mix, a bit

wetter than most, which contains a

^ '•""« Hl„,

good quantity of fibrous material

*'

Roots

fill

and then

the soil blocks to the edges

when

stop, so that

''^"'

' 'irfoi,

•'"'"..•../,.,

blocks

are set out in the field, seedlings

become

established quickly

and ^'^""^

ll,.„d

without trauma

With any kind

ting soil mix. Press

into the

soil,

iv

of container,

premoistened pot

start seeds in a

them

firmly hi^>r,yr '

then cover them

'"'"'''"1'.

..

'"t''>,i(„.r,

/

.

^

"

"'uiii;,,..

with glass or plastic (a plastic

bag works well) and keep them

warm

until they sprout

Above

indoor

all,

seedlings need light

sunny, south-facing win

dow

or

the

benefit

of

fluorescent lighting equip

ment. Give seedlings 14 to 16 hours of light a day and

keep them moist. Once they

^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^m ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^HI^H

^^^^^^V

watch

^H

have a second

set of leaves,

they will need a weak solu t

ion of fertilizer

t»,

4i

»

%^a*—.^

.

d:hM^%l ii^l^' ^^

Tips for Transplanting owing

is

one thing; transplanting young seedlings

for success.

Here are

is

an equally tricky business with

its

own

rules

a few of them:

S

«•"

Handle with

care. This

tender touch and

all

is

the time to have a

on your

inevitable, but continued decisiveness

supplies at hand.

part

crucial to the late-summer yield. For a

is

beautiful crop of tender lettuce, for example,

*" Choose is

your moment. The best time to do

on a misty

sow seeds every month and transplant them

it

soon

or cloudy day or late in the after-

noon when the sun

is

as they are ready. Toss out seedlings that

have been crowded in

low.

opment (•"

Make

as

their beds, their devel-

and impotent.

arrested; they are old

contact. Poke a hole in loose soil and

press the roots firmly in contact with the soil.

'^^

Toughen them up. Seedlings

started indoors

need a period of transition (about 2 weeks) '•*

Water

sparingly. Seedlings

course, but don't overdo

need moisture, of

before they are exposed to the outdoors. This process,

it.

known

as

hardening

off,

allows

to adjust to wind, direct sunlight,

'^ Be

protective. Don't allow the seedlings to be

damaged by strong winds

or strong

ating

or

day or

so, or

row cover

night. Later,

may

provide them with a cloche

to raise daytime temperatures

On

their

plants need shelter and must

light.

Shield the young plants from direct sunshine for a

temperatures.

come

outings,

in for the

when they have toughened,

they

stay out overnight in a sheltered spot.

i*'

Keep

a

warm

spot for

warm. Cold frames

with the very young.)

are

them good

— but not too

for

hardening

but never leave them closed on a

warm

off,

day.

young

seedlings.

Entire crops have been lost in a few hours

of the season, this

may seem

when

selective. Transplant only

At the beginning

fluctu-

and

speed growth. (Remember, you are dealing

•" Be

and

first

them

the temperature rose too high too

Pl.ANTIN(;

fast.

19

WAIT TILL THE MOON At

least if

omantics and affairs

FULL

IS

you're growing potatoes

.

.

.

scientists agree: the

moon does have an effect on the

of men, although whether that effect

ed to the ebbing and flowing of the tides

And

emotional or limit-

is

a subject of debate.

is still

moon

traditional gardeners hold that the

also has

an

effect

on your garden. For centuries, es of the

it

common

has been

moon. Tradition has

it

to link planting times to the phas-

that crops that grow underground

root crops such as potatoes, carrots,

and beets

— should be sown during moon

the dark of the moon, from the day after the before

it

is

new

again.

(They reason that

this

the day

full to

is

Biodynamic gardeners explain that during

time, the plant orients itself toward the root, is

this

sap rushing downward.

its

also a favorable time for transplanting.)

—

leafy vegetables, grains, cab-

bage crops, parsley, peppers, and cucumbers

— should be planted during

Crops that mature above the ground

the light of the moon, from the day the

During

this period, the sap

the plant with

Many after the say,

is

said to flow

is

change to the new moon. The

moon

upward more

full

last quarter,

is

always the

of spring. Just two days before Easter

it is full.

strongly, filling

moon, beans

most

moon

many

the gravitational pull of the

plant's roots to

shown

places.

first is

Sunday

Good

after the

Friday, tradi-

Thus, potatoes planted on

its

it

moon

raises

makes sense that

it

moon.

ground water the way

may

pull nutrients

leaves, thus stimulating growth.

Some

it

from a

studies

have

that seeds do take in water and germinate according to a lunar

Others have documented that certain flowering plants, such

sweet peas, need a period of total darkness to bloom. If

right

planters

Friday will begin to settle into the soil during the dark of the

does the ocean's tides,

cycle.

to the day

vitality.

tional potato-planting day in

If

new

is

gardeners plant potatoes right after the

Churchgoers point out that Easter

Good

moon

a barren time, best for weeding and cultivating.

first full

sweet peas

start to set

buds during the dark of the moon,

be that the extreme blackness triggers

bloom. Budding during the delayed by the

full

moon, then, would be

light.

toes after the full

moon and

see for yourself ....

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

it

the hormones that cause

Does lunar planting work? Try planting your pota-

20

—

^^

;

may

as

\>^^.

:~\.

THREE WAYS TO HELP MOSS SPREAD Relatively instant aging techniques for

ome

new

rock gardens.

gardeners distike moss; these are usuatty

tlie

peopte wlio work

themselves into dementia or an early grave trying to achieve the "perfect" turf lawn.

growing in with acidic

soil,

its

The

fact

is,

though, that moss

natural environment —

one that receives shade or

is

beautiful

preferably a cool, partial

when

damp

spot

shade during the day.

Cool, green moss also softens the look of landscape rocks or rock gardens, lending an air of noble antiquity.

All true mosses are bryophytes, nonflowering plants that branch out rather slowly try

that

is

when

it is

understood that itself,

it

in this

for

to speed

cannot be sup-

but only in combi-

is

salt, like

sodi-

II

its

most practicable,

form

able to plants.

asked

— some ancient, some quite modern —

must be

form ofnitrates that

application

and

it

ammonium, or potassium

is in this

tricks

spoken of as an

nation with some uffl,

own. To create the impression of an older garden,

a gaseous body, so

element of plant food,

plied bf

some of these

their

up the process and encourage moss to spread.

A BAG OF NITROGEN?

Nitrogen

on

it is

readily avail-

The farmer who

a bag of nitrogen was

surprised to find that there was

no such

thing.

— The Old Farmer's A.M,',^

"^':'

The Tradilional Japanese Method The Japanese are masters of rock mossy rocks happy by sprinkling

gardening, and they keep their

them with water

in

which they have

rinsed rice. This rice water contains starches that nourish the moss.

22

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

The Big Rock Candf Mountain Meliiod If

you have an area where moss would grow well

moss-covered rock from a

site that

naturally, bring in a

has similar conditions of light and

moisture. Position the mossy rock near other rocks that are already in

place and sprinkle the bare rocks with a sugar-water solution to encour-

age the moss to spread onto them. Keep the rocks slightly wet until the

moss

is

established.

The High-Tech Kitchen Appliance Method We recently heard of a gardener who had propagated moss some

existing moss from her back yard

some buttermilk (which has an

and putting

acidity that

moss

it

by taking

in a blender

likes).

with

After processing

the moss and milk into a kind of horticultural frappe, she sprinkled the

mixture over a prepared bed and watered established.

it

lightly until the

moss became

|^ Planting

23

24

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

.

when

a boulder not a rock?

is

Why, when

it's

a tea table for

upwardly mobile picnickers.

WHAT MAKES ROCKS The push-me'pull'you

RISE? how

theories of

all

those rocks got into our

gardens

ne of the givens of gardening crop of rocks that spring.

Most

folks

rises to

North

in the

is

the

bumper

the surface of the ground each

assume (quite correctly) that rocks

rise

on

account of frost action in the ground. Yet only recently have

determined

scientists

how

freezing

and thawing over the winter

actually bring the stones to the surface.

Water expands when

it

freezes,

and geologists have long pos-

tulated that this frozen moisture in the soil could

the surface in one of two ways

—

move

rocks to

either by pushing the rocks up

from below or by pulling them up from above.

The Push Theory assumes

that freezing temperatures penetrate

subsurface rocks faster than the soil surrounding them. This causes

water underneath a rock to freeze (and expand) before water in

the surrounding

soil,

pushing the rock upward.

thaws in spring, the theory holds, a platform of rock until

The

which

it

The rock

soil

rock has

can

slip

moved

down

first,

it

the

same place into

frost.

Theory claims that

grabbing

the soil

into the cavity underneath. Result:

up, staying roughly in the

was pushed by the Pull

When

ice supports

and pulling

soil freezes it

upward

as

around the top of a it

heaves with

Planting

frost.

25

A

From the looks of

Wlien

things, rocl

^^

4^

this

would

about 10 years

last

—

until

it

was ripped out by the next land-

scaper to tackle the First Garden.

— landscape — worked under the approving

Andrew Jackson Downing and editor of The

gardener, architect,

author,

Horticulturist

of Millard Fillmore.

Downing redesigned

popular English romantic

the First

Garden

eyes

in the

ripping out the earlier formal

style,

landscapes. He made complex, grandiose designs, fired men who had worked on the gardens all their lives, hired new workers, and cut down trees to make way for a statue of Andrew Jackson. In the end, however, most of

Downing's plans went unrealized

own untimely death Fillmore's

truncated

approaching

in

a

— interrupted by

his

steamboat explosion,

career,

and the tragedy of

civil war.

Franklin Pierce, the next occupant of the

House, was a Yankee with simple

White

tastes. Pierce built a

neat white picket fence around the private presidential flower garden. eral at the

He

also installed greenhouses (the first of sev-

White House)

filled

with flowers and foliage and

heated with a big coal-burning furnace.

Greenhouses became conservatories and were a dential private

life

House nearly half

until

large part of presi-

Theodore Roosevelt moved into the White

a century later. Roosevelt

conservatories demolished and removed

all

had the greenhouses and the intricate flower beds

Frederick

Law Olmsted,

a.k.a. the Father of

from the front lawn.

Landscape Gardening. After that,

it

was largely a game of horticultural musical

chairs, con-

tinuing right up until Franklin Delano Roosevelt called in the illustrious

landscape architect Frederick

many

Law Olmsted. Olmsted's

plans returned to

of Jefferson's ideas: he retained the thick stands of trees and shrubs

bordering the lawns, installed an oval drive on the south

side,

and

replaced the iron fences around the grounds. Flower beds near the east

and west wings evolved into the two major gardens

at the

White House First

today.

According to Irvin Williams, current superintendent of White House grounds, things aren't likely to change

Olmsted plan friend

Lady Lucy

poses

is

much anytime

our Bible, so to speak," Williams

Bunny Mellon

did redesign the

says.

soon.

"The

John F Kennedy's

West Garden, now the famous

Rose Garden, where ceremonial functions are held, and also worked

in

servatory right)

the in

Webb

Hayes

White House con-

1879 with

Fanny and

Scott

(left to

Hayes

and Carrie Paulding Davis. Mrs. Hayes made extensive improvements

in

the conserva-

a prome-

tory, converting

it

with Jacqueline Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson in the East Garden,

nade

dinner guests

now known as the

from whiskey and liqueurs.

First Lady's

Garden. Both areas have wide flower beds.

Garden Design

to distract

&

to

Technique

57

as well as shrubs

Other than

forming a background for seasonal changes of bloom.

that, things

goings, plantings

seem

pretty stable after

and uprootings of

all

the comings and

earlier administrations.

Throughout

our history, presidents faced with waging war or balancing the national

budget have found that

it's

far

simpler to have an impact on the

House grounds than on the U.S. Congress. The lawns today

White

are dotted

with thirty-four commemorative trees planted by the presidents. that the In

John Quincy Adams elm, a victim of

disease, has

Now

been taken

the early nineteenth century,

the

down, two magnolias planted by Andrew Jackson near the South Portico

White House garden

featured a fancy French-style parterre to the south

have

and

Jefferson's pavilion to the west.

seniority.

The White House year, in call

gardens are open to the public two weekends a

mid-October and mid-April. Admission

(202) 456-2200.

|^

IS-iy IIBCSE^'^

I 5

k

I

M-M

p

58

iUn^Hl

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

m

is

free.

For information,

»— 4

F"^

They Called Her "Aunt Bumps" Gertrude

Jekyll (1843

- 1932) was more than

just a

garden designer. She was

— and —

a gar-

is

dening legend.

(pronounced JEE-kill) was the mother of the

Jekyll

her harmonious color schemes and bold foliage

and

effects,

lush,

opulent English garden. Noted for

she also emphasized a controlled layout

free planting (creating a sort of natural anar-

chy), maintaining a large plant

list,

a gardening style to a particular

sounds very modern,

it

and matching

site.

If all

that

goes to show what

we

learned from Jekyll.

To

Jekyll, trained in

her youth as an

artist,

the garden was a palette. She called her planting plans "garden pictures"

and compared the

variety of plant shapes to brush strokes.

An

admirer of British painter J.M.W. Turner, she set

out her plants in enormous clumps, creat-

ing the effect of an impressionist painting

when

seen from a distance.

A great designer in her own right, Jekyll also

was capable of highly productive

Working

laborations.

with

col-

architect

Edwin (Ned) Lutyens, who was twentysix years

her junior, as well

as

she created some 350 gardens (It

many

other architects,

— most of them,

unfortunately, lost today.

was Lutyens's children who called her "Aunt Bumps"; she took them

trim, four-wheeled

pony

for rides in her

cart.)

Eccentric and energetic until her 89th year, Jekyll refused to travel and almost never

even to look

at the gardens she

highly attuned to detail; wall.

To

it's

was designing. She didn't need

said she could explain

down

create her legendary designs, she was able to

to.

to the last pebble

work

strictly

results

She was

No

have been described a remarkable

wonder

they're

woman

still

as

some of the most

home,

how

to build a stone

from architectural drawings of

houses, demonstrating an amazing ability to evaluate space and light and

The

left

Intensely practical, Jekyll was

remember

visual images.

beautiful gardens ever made.

by any measure.

evoking her name.

Garden Design

&

Technique

59

GOING NATIVE Perfection

After has

is

out,

and "natural"

decades

in.

is

— even centuries — of Anglophilia, Anglophobia

arrived in America.

If

you've suffered from an inferiority

complex regarding English border gardens,

American garden design

is

going native.

relief

Or

is

is it

at

hand.

neonative?

Following nature's lead and planting native species gives you a sure-fire route to a stable,

low-maintenance garden design while adding

beauty to the landscape and conserving our natural heritage. Choosing native plants If

you garden

is

particularly rewarding

if

you garden

in a dry region

— or

any other area where growing conditions are extreme and conventional in

a dry region,

choosing native plants

plants struggle to succeed. is

particularly wise.

Herewith, our six best ideas for going native in the garden.

ILet

nature hardscape your garden. Before you begin to play with gar-

den design, take the landforms

a long look at the

soft or

hand nature has

jagged? Bright or subtle?

or varied?

Take notes, then take the

walkways

is

hint.

to re-create natural elements

—

ural stone in natural patterns

Is

Are

dealt you.

the topography

flat

Your goal in building walls or

on

unless there

a smaller scale, using natis

no

stone, for then

it

will

look out of place.

Take note of native plant groupings. Whether you decide to plant

2

only natives or not, local plant masses provide an important example of

what

Match

already

it.

the soil and the plantings.

sen plants need alkaline

3

Grow what

succeed and look wonderful.

will

grows, or a variant of

soil,

If

your

soil

is

acidic

and your cho-

Work

you're in for a struggle.

nature and select plants that will thrive in the

soil

NATURE'S WAY

with

you already have. The

4

Buy propagated wild plants from

a reputable nursery.

Seeing the collection of plants from the wild

close observer

who

fully real-

izes the beauties of nature never

as a sort of

looksonahedgetrifflmedsoasto

shoplifting, "ecologically correct" nurseries

have sprung

up in every region of the country, offering both wild plants and information on

how

to

grow them. Instead of collecting ever-

scarcer native flora from the wild, you

may want

to support

show a

level top

lar sides

these nurseries by purchasing the stock they've propagated.

without a feeling of dis-

and

gust;

to the

and perpendicu-

his

sympathy goes out

man who handled

shears with so

little

the

conception of

Blur the garden's edges. Unlike conventional gardeners,

5

either the beauties or the

who may end

plantings with an edge or a nice, tidy line, demands

going-native gardeners aim to link their gardens to the larger landscape.

To blend

a garden's edges

gradually reduce the planting density toward the perimeter of

the garden, perhaps floating a few islands of plants into the wilder landscape to lead the eye outward.

Don't

6

fertilize

nities thrive

when you

plant.

in areas of

low

plants a big mqal of nitrogen ally

is

fertility.

when you

set

at

first.

them out

Mulch, weed frequently, and wait

plants are established before you decide to give

ments. Root growth should plants

Giving wild

of tremendous benefit to surrounding weeds. Take

and easy

seem

to be

making

come

first,

a slow start.

ever saw a tree grow

naturally with a perfectly level top,

and limbs reaching just as

from the trunk

Most wildflower commusoil

Who

with the landscape,

it

usu-

of nature.

far

at the top as at the

bottom? When

man demands

of

nature a change so great arid so unnatural, she rebels and refuses

slow

to

submit

until the

them

supple-

so don't be disturbed

—

Ti't-

Hfi) Fa«mfr's AiMAVAi

IRQ4

if

-^^

Garden Design

&

Technique

61

't^-&r

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD SENSE They can be both

attractive

and

supportive. Sometimes they even

keep out the deer.

you garden, you are not alone. Woodchucks, raccoons,

When

and even

rabbits, squirrels, deer, crows,

watching your garden from the very

first

field

mice

day some

this at the start, the

the ground

is

may

critter trims

be

moment you slam

the back door and pick up a shovel. Their aim

your garden with you. Although you

will

is

to share

feel philosophical

about

your 6-inch pea shoots to

the day you will start thinking seriously about fences.

Americans have al spirit pleads,

a love-hate relationship with fences.

"Don't fence

me

in!"

Our nation-

and coast to coast we treasure

the concept of endless greenery stretching from front yard to front yard,

neighborhood to neighborhood, unfenced. Yet we know that

fences lish

we

make

—

sense

to enclose gardens, to exclude animals, to estab-

boundaries. Besides, fences and Americans go back a long way; inherited the tradition from our European forebears,

who have

long had a tendency to contain their gardens.

So we compromise.

We

build fences not just as exclusionary

devices but also as backdrops and important stylistic statements. use

them

and

as supports

trellises for

tomatoes, cucumbers, melons,

pole beans, squash, peas, and other climbers.

more fences

Wood

— out of every material we can

And we get our

build

more and

hands on.

has always been the most popular fencing material in

America, from the

civilized white-painted picket fences of early

England to the rough-hewn post-and-rail

affairs

worming

Jefferson specified a fence 10 feet high

young hare

in."

Open

and so

New

across great

stretches of the Midwest. For his fruit garden at Monticello,

a

We

Thomas

tight "as not to let

even

or closed, horizontal plank or upright picket,

whitewashed or weathered, wooden fences have long been essential for protection against

Wood

is

far

wandering livestock.

from the only popular fencing material. The

Victorians fancied metalwork fences outside their more urban homes.

Latecomers

in

the race to claim farmland

to settle virgin forest.

At

first

it

seemed

in

their

Washington Territory had main crop was stumps,

and their farms became known as stump farms. Coming up with fencewood was not a problem. 62

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

.^-rm

\

^

i

'.

il

wi ,11

.^-v

*-^Wa.

You may have

to

throw the

switch to deer-proof your

garden.

Ranchers strung miles of barbed wire. Both amateur and professional

gar-

deners have long grown hedges of every twiggy plant and have clipped

them cept

into shapes geometric

is

and

fanciful.

One

extension of that con-

the living fence, sometimes called the Belgian fence. This looks

like primitive wattle

fencing of interwoven poles but

and can be extremely handsome. (The same

is

is

true of

actually rooted,

open fences cov-

ered with grapes or other vines.)

But can

Wood,

keep out the garden pests?

it

metal, barbed wire, hedges, living fences

add beauty to a homestead and But when there's

The high,

it

no

comes

—

all

can

offer other benefits as well.

to reliable, no-nonsense pest control,

substitute for electric fencing.

ultimate deer-proof fence

and

exclude the

Some

electrified. critters

is

sturdy, at least

6 feet

gardeners manage to

with two strands of electric wire, one

6 inches and one about 2 feet above the ground. Just

remember never

let

that

in.

and hesitant

install electric fencing,

or your current.

—

until

to keep testing the waters. You'd be wrong.

Legally Speaking parts of early America, fences

Inweren't just an attractive addition to the front yard; they were a legal require-

ment. Residents of the colonial capital of

months

houses were

64

Virginia,

were

to erect picket fences

given

once

evidence,

we

carefully

one day the power went out and the

less

6

their

built.

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

It

than 6 hours to catch on.

a

Williamsburg,

you must

You'd think they might have been fooled by past shocks

the hapless gardener reports,

some

As

one gardener whose plantings were

guarded by electric fencing

came

you

down your guard —

offer the story of

deer

if

took them,

-|^

This Ha-Ha

Is

No Laughing Matter

hen

W

is

a fence not a fence?

Wtien

it's

a tia-lia.

In the green English country-

the pastoral urge

side,

is

strong,

and

people enjoy looking out over their

and lawns

fields

cattle.

Only

at grazing

trouble

is,

sheep or

you don't want

the odd sheep to amble through the open

French doors and into your

The

solution

Relatively

little

to

known

in

sunken fence or ditch dug

parlor.

problem

this

is

the ha-ha.

America, a ha-ha

is

a

edge of a property,

at the

usually with a reinforcing wall to guard against erosion. Its purpose

is

to separate

without interrupting the view

two pieces of land

as

an ordinary fence

would. Etymologists believe that the term ha-ha comes

from the French interjection "ha ha!" expressing surprise. That's possible;

you do come upon these

sunken fences quite suddenly. But we suspect that

anyone unlucky enough to

fall

into

one

while daydreaming would probably use stronger

language to describe the event.

I

Garden Design

&.

Technique

65

CHICKENS IN THE OUTHOUSE? GO WITH THE FLOW! The

birds will provide heat, the theory goes, they'll be

Call

Call Call

it it

it

hard

to forget,

and

agrosynergy.

natural landscaping. ecological planning.

Call

it

permaculture.

the eggs will be

handy

I

been hearing about the energy-efficient system

We've sustainable agriculture called permaculture

— ever

since Bill Mollison,

from Australia to spread

it.

who

for

for designed,

some

years

Mollison's ideas have generated a

and some controversy. But what exactly

great deal of excitement

now

coined the word, came over

is

per-

maculture ? Permaculture

planning that world around

is

deliberate design, a strategy of long-range ecological

calls for us. It

fundamental changes in the way we

treat the

begins at a philosophical level with questions about

what we would make of

a piece of land

and goes down

to the

most prac-

tical considerations about planting peas and sheltering chickens.

To

a great extent, permaculture

P^MMMM^^^™ — ™"!™""""""™""""""

4

— —

is

a program of laissez faire.

™™™™™™™™™""""""" -"

The Big Four ur calling as gardeners

is

complex, and yet in a sense,

it is

very simple. In the end, plants want

only four things:

1.

PLENTY OF SOIL MOISTDRE

2.

PLENTY OF AIR IN THE SOIL

3.

PLENTY OF PLANT FOOD

4.PLENTY0FSDNL1GHT

All we have to do

is

figure out

how

to give

them

providing irrigation and proper drainage, mulch,

these four essentials. In general, this

fertilizer,

cultivation,

and the

means

right location.

---I

68

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

may

Land, Mollison observes,

when plowed and

fenced. Nature

ticular site's history,

its

yield

more

knows

best.

in

natural state than

its

Thus,

we look

if

patterns of ecology, and the flow of

can learn much about that

life

at a par-

there,

we

resources and potential.

site's

In permaculture, everything functions together, and

it all

works with,

rather than against, nature. Tree crops and other perennial plants yield

food while modifying climate and counteracting pollution. Buildings

and fences form

bugs and

the garden.

trellises for

mals and hosts transient fertilize

wildlife.

The

The garden feeds people and

ani-

chickens, allowed to run free, eat

the garden. Roosting in a combination outhouse/chick-

en house, they help heat the building and get frequent attention.

Masanobu Fukuoka, author of The

Scientist Mollison hails as his guru

One-Straw Revolution. Fukuoka selves

and help each

season

when

other.

calls for

He does

they would naturally

systems that take care of them-

not plow, but broadcasts seeds in the fall

or lets plants reseed themselves.

Instead of tilling or killing weeds, he uses

method

of growing "involves

little

mulch and

spreading straw," Fukuoka explains, "but

it

has taken

me

over 30 years to

reach this simplicity." In this

spirit,

LAZy DAISIES

rotates crops. His

more than broadcasting seed and The coninion

coneflowerplanled around the

you might

barnyard pond that reflects

install a

warm house

light

on

a slope planted with fruit trees.

weed the garden and feed the

The pond

family, supplying

will host

down,

eggs,

and eventu-

meat. Feeding on fallen

trol

the pest population. In the orchard, chives and nasturtiums at the

fruit,

foot of dwarf cherry trees lure

A steep slope

is

the ducks

away or

fertilize

the garden and con-

and aphids; they

repel borers

at the foot of the slope, coreopsis yields birdseed

Such and

is life

at

bright

and helps control is

1,

is

where one to

These

will

come up year

year and need very

little

after

care.

to place gardens

landscape, working outward from the center of greatest activity,

zone

and

cultivate a variety of (lowers.

-

If that's

addition,

insects.

activities in zones organized in roughly concentric circles in the

usually the house.

and pretty

has neither time nor strength

also

make honey). And

Permaculture Acres. Part of the plan

makes a very

especially desirable

held with Saint Johnswort, an herb that pro-

vides pollen for bees (which cross-pollinate crops and

in patches,

ducks that

ally

spice salads.

yellow fldisf or

which

The Old Farmer's r

is

then zone 2 would be the area imme-

diately surrounding the house, the place for the chicken shed, gardens,

and greenhouses, which need daily attention. Zone for trees

and somewhat

self-sufficient crops.

3

would be the place

Zone 4 would hold the

woodlot or berry patches.

Sound

a bit like the old-fashioned family farm?

Mollison's books Permaculture started.

One and

Read more about

in

Permaculture Two, or just get

According to Mollison, the answer to "Where do

your doorstep."

it

I

start?"

is

"At

^v^

Garden Design

& Technique

69

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Garden Design

»&.

Technique

77

^m^

THE FLOWER GARDEN "Often

I

hear people

LIKE THIS?' AS

'How do you make your plants flourish

say,

THEY ADMIRE THE LITTLE FLOWER PATCH

I

CULTIVATE IN

SUMMER, OR THE WINDOW GARDENS THAT BLOOM FOR ME IN THE WINTER; '1

CAN NEVER MAKE MY PLANTS BLOSSOM

SECRET?' ALL,

And

1

LIKE THIS!

answer with one WORD,

*LovE.'

WHAT

IS

YOUR

For that includes

— THE patience THAT ENDURES CONTINUAL TRIAL, THE CONSTAN-

cy that makes perseverance possible, the power of foregoing ease of mind and body to minister to the necessities of the thing

beloved, and the subtle bond of sympathy which if

not more

so,

than all the

as a witty friend of mine, in

rest.

who

for though

says

i

is

as important,

cannot go

so far

that when he goes out to

sit

the shade on his piazza, his wisteria vine leans toward him

and lays her head on

his shoulder,

i

am fully and intensely

aware that plants are conscious of love and respond to they do to nothing

else.

you may

it as

give them all they need of food

and drink and make the conditions of their existence as favorable as possible, and they may

grow and bloom, but there

certain ineffable something that will be missing

if

is

a

you do not

love them, a delicate glory too spiritual to be caught and put into words."

— Celia Thaxter, An Island Qarden

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3^,

/r^^

TRAMPS & STOWAWAYS Many it

of America's hest4oved plants

turns out, aren't natives at

f

America

all

.

a melting pot, so are her flower gardens

is

an extent that few of us plants (and nearly

ing:

all

The examples

lands.

.

.

realize.

—

to

Most of our cultivated

of our weeds) are imports from other

sometimes

are

bizarre, often fascinat-

European cornflowers came to bloom

in Pennsylvania

imported from Belgium was unpacked in a

after glass

meadow

there. In Connecticut,

when

a rubber recla-

mation factory stripped the waste from shoes and boots,

it

simultaneously deposited

soil

the earth's four corners just before the

from

over the world took root.

all

chamomile recently found

— where workers

a

new home

at the Celestial

fall rains;

plants

And German Colorado

in Boulder,

Seasonings tea-packing plant

home

sometimes inadvertently carry

and seeds from

seeds in their cuffs and

shoes.

Ever since the foreign plants have for the ride.

satchels;

Europeans landed on American shores,

come along

Some were

in horses' hoofs.

— intentionally or otherwise —

lovingly imported, tucked into shawls or

some were secreted

virtually unnoticed,

ago,

first

in pockets

and hems; others came

stowed away in packing straw or embedded

Some, unknown

in this country a century or

have changed the very look of the land. Consider

Golden

.

.

Ms

In the past 90 years, forsythia's neon-yellow sprays have a ubiquitous sign of spring across

wasn't always the case. Before it

had even been introduced

golden

two

.

bells)

it

much

of

become

North America. But that

became popular

in

America, before

in Europe, forsythia (also

grew wild on the South China coast.

It

known

as

wasn't until the

mid-nineteenth century that, from the point of view of Westerners,

Tramps and stowaways are

Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

often irresistible.

fortune found them. Robert Fortune, that

Royal Horticultural Society of London,

is

who

—

a plant hunter for the

disguised himself in native

garb and pigtails to canvass the countryside for

new

plants. In 1846, the

plant hunter carried a sample of forsythia to London, where

named

after

William Forsyth,

founding

a

member

it

was

of the society and also

the superintendent of the Royal Gardens at Kensington. Forsythia

made

way

its

to

England to Massachusetts, but

it

America

in

about 1860, sailing from

did not appear in nursery catalogs until

the end of the century. Since then, the hardy shrub has

become known

for withstanding

enduring pollu-

tion,

on

northern climates

like a crusty native,

high winds, and cold winters. Like

resting in winter. Therefore,

it

cousin the

its

lilac, it

does

insist

does not do well in the Gulf states or

THE REFINING INFLUENCE OF CULTIVATING FLOWERS

the Southwest.

Do not think

Dooryard Blues

Some directly

cultivate a

people claim that the

first

from Persia to Portsmouth,

American

New

lilacs

were imported

George Washington

at

Mount Vernon. Whatever

Mount Vernon

Washington went on record

vations of them: "Feb 10, 1786, Buds of

den book entry this country,

earlier,

lilac

vate a love of Oowers in their chil-

the source o{ the

early with his obser-

much

Thomas Jefferson had

for April 2, 1767: "Planted lilac."

swelled and seem

recorded in his gar-

They

aren't native to

dren from earliest years, as Oowers have a refining influence,

and

never lead astray, but always

upward ter. If

to

what

is

purer and bet-

one's time and strength are

were early immigrants. bed one yard square,

they kept moving. Lilacs (Syringa) reproduce rapidly with freely

suckering stems.

As

no small measure dlers.

It

judicious for parents to culti-

limited, a

And

I

to let

later sent to

and they may not have come over on the Mayflower, but

lilacs definitely

few (lowers, or

the children have a Oower bed. is

from one of these early bushes was

ready to unfold." Even

d waste o[ lime to

Hampshire, around 1695. The

story goes that a cutting

lilacs,

it

settlers

migrated west, so did the

to the countless itinerant venders

lilacs

known

— thanks as plant

with a geranium and a few nas-

in

ped-

Packs on their backs, these professional Johnny Appleseeds

followed the pioneers over the mountains and soon found that just as the

homesteaders were ready to purchase pots and pans from other traveling salesmen, they also were eager to invest in shrubs and flowers that

turtiums, for instance, can give

pleasure to the whole household;

and these flowers

will

bloom

all

the season, until the frost blights

them. A few flowers

in pots

are

reminded them of home.

Today

lilacs,

both white and "old blue"

tion of the Persian

word

for indigo

— the name

— have become

better than none. lilac is

a corrup-

a symbol of spring-

time in this country. Growing everywhere except the Deep South, they

— TH£OmF,AR.M£R'sALMA\AC,

1893

bring a fragrant dream of Oriental beauty to roadsides, parks, and gardens across America.

The Flower Garden

81

The Settlers' Companion Tlie

purple foxglove

tall,

traveling: there are eighty

the wind shakes

and

a hardy plant,

is

it

packs light for

thousand foxglove seeds to a single ounce.

them out of their papery

Each

fall

them

lavishly across the land.

Rich

capsules and scatters

in oil, starch, protein,

and

sugar, the

seeds have a high rate of germination and thrive in well-drained, ordi-

nary

soil,

sometimes forming

large colonies in the wild

(and creating a

stunning sight on a remote roadside or in a forest clearing).

Foxglove

{Digitalis

Europe, where

German

came

settlers

fingers")

When

is

native to

English and

to America, they brought foxglove seeds

them on the edges

tered

meaning "purple

purpurea,

has grown in gardens for centuries.

it

of their homesteads.

It

and

scat-

didn't take long for the

plant to escape the coastal settlements and begin the trek westward. In ?»«l*»-

when John Bradbury

1809,

set

out to collect wildflowers in the newly

acquired land of the Louisiana Purchase, he could trace the paths of the

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED... pioneers in the

More A garden ofkrdy perennials more and

satisfactory

on the wliole

less expensive

liedding plants, less care

is

and

than one of lliey

require

than annuals. No one

tors,

who noted

where

grows.

it

— and

plant

of foxglove they

trails

recently, the striking flowers

that foxglove

it

new

iron deposits

became the

had been recognized

as

must be considered. The ofthe plants

is

small,

first

and

cost

practi-

leaves

glove

and is

known

as

in

its

seeds,

fox-

perhaps

best

the primary

source of the commercial

cally they last forever.

drug

-!

found

digitalin

digitalis.

But you don't have to ,1916

be a cardiac patient to appreciate the beauty of these purple masses of bells.

Like other beautiful

immigrants, foxglove adds

one more dash of color and variety to

its

adopted land. As

does another colorful traveler

82

coalfields the plants

the physician's friend.

medicine. Raised today for the

hmited or because expense

and

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

in the soil

helicopter for masses of the

marked.

researcher's assistant, however, foxglove

need refrain from having such a

is

a clue for Russian prospec-

an indicator of minerals

was known to be a potent heart garden because the area of land

behind.

They began searching by

for the

Long before

is

left

became

.

.

As

early as 1768,

it

Roadside Ramblers Orange-red

daylilies

came

to Europe from

Ages. They were brought to the

New World

and widely cultivated here. Today Hemerocallis fulva (the

name means

China during the Middle

in the

carefree,

seventeenth century patches of

persistent

"beautiful for a day") blaze in desert-

ed American cellar holes and form brilliant borders along country roads. In either spot, they offer living testimony to Hemerocallis spreads almost solely by division.

ed by gardeners.

Sometimes

it

Sometimes

it

sends out

human

Sometimes

history

—

for

transplant-

it's

underground rhizomes.

appears unexpectedly, the offspring of the bits and pieces

torn and tumbled along by snowplows or road graders.

— baked — and medicine — the form

In ancient times, the daylily was valued as both food custard with rich milk, butter, and salt

into a

in

of a poultice applied to burns. Daylily buds are edible, but today this

proud plant most frequently to hold

soil

on

hillsides

we

use

and brighten

those corners of the garden where a rugged, pest- and disease-resistant

perennial

is

needed. -^^

Roadside ramblers

really get

around.

The Flower Garden

83

SEASONS OF A SUMMER FLOWER GARDEN How

to

keep the color going

all

summer

long.

harmoniously arranged flower garden, often compared to an artist's palette,

phony. ideal

A

might

palette

summer

much more

— or even

accurately be likened to a sym-

a painting

—

is

static,

whereas the

flower garden develops in waves, reaches crescendos

of bloom, and depends

on chronological succession

as surely as the

British monarchy.

When planning your garden, Cupid plays makeup

artist,

fragrance, of course

— but

choose flowers for their

also consider the season in

color, beauty,

putting the final touches on a

Avoid planting midsummer bloomers

pansy's face.

groups of them throughout the garden. This will draw the

through the whole area, creating the

84

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

all

in

one

and

which they bloom.

spot; instead, distribute

effect of a greater

visitor's

eyes

expanse of color.

What combinations

of plants will keep your garden

colorful all

Here

are

summer

some

long?

suggestions.

Summer

Earlf

(mid-Ma)! through mid-June)

Bleeding hearts

Delphinium Early roses {Rosa hugonis; damask, eglantine, and gallica roses) Iris

magnifica

Oriental poppy

Peony

Midsummer (late

June through July) Astilbes

Bee balm Daylilies (try Stella de

Oro)

Early-blooming white phlox

Hollyhock Hollyhock mallow Regal

lily

and Asian hybrids such

as

Enchantment

Snakeroot

Lale

Summer

(July through early September)

Asters

Fall-blooming anemones

Globe

thistle

Harrington's pink aster

Japanese Late

lilies

and

iris

daylilies

Monkshood Pink and white phlox Tiger

White

lily

boltonia

The Flower Garden

85

%

%.

\

f ^t.-

W4^ -m»m

5^

K-.'JS4- -

li-'-'T.

^•'



makes

it

flutters

way.

each blos-

Once

a bee

to the top blossom,

down

the

to

it

next

tiW'

flower and starts over again.

Climbing up takes than flying up, so saving approach.

less

it's

energy

a calorieV,

k'^*

^ '^^

m.i^

THE CARNATION: SECRET AGENT OF FLOWERS more common than

there are few cultivated flowers

Today the carnation

(Dianthus caryophyllus)

,

that ubiquitous fix-

ture of floral arrangements that seems to

occasion (even larly unlikely

Day,

St. Patrick's

when

shade of green). Earlier in

its

fit

almost any

dyed a particu-

it's

history,

though, the

carnation served a very different purpose, totally unrelated to

its

beauty or popular clovelike fragrance. In the eighteenth century, the carnation a lover's flower, a symbol of hidden passion

Someone

became fashionable

and

as

secret confidences.

discovered that a message could be concealed in the car-

nation's calyx (the

little

leaflike structures at the base of the

flower), to be read by the object of one's affection

and hidden from

the prying eyes of jealous husbands or disapproving parents.

The most famous

story of the carnation's cloak-and-dagger past

concerns Marie Antoinette,

Temple, awaiting

trial

husband, Louis XVI, in 1793. de Rougeville,

who remained

and execution,

imprisoned in the

after the

beheading of her

A bold young royalist, the Chevalier

somehow gained

access to the queen's cell

and

"accidentally" dropped a single carnation at her feet. Marie read

the message hidden under the flower, which outlined the knight's

bold plan to rescue her, and used a pin to prick out a sign on the

paper indicating that she had read and understood the note.

Unfortunately foiled the

for

Marie, her

jailers also

discovered the paper and

attempted jailbreak. Today the note

French National Archives in Paris

— bearing

preserved in the

is

silent

testimony to

the carnation that almost saved a crown.

^

Who

knows what

secrets their carnations

may

hold?

The Flower Garden

95

Nocturnal seducer Morticia of the Night

Addams

could be membership chairman

Garden Club. Meetings run

late.

^

FLOWERS THAT WORK THE NIGHT SHIFT For a

delightfully different garden,

evening bloomers make great

scents

ost plants live for the daylight hours, light

into energy

insects

ate

on

and

with their showy

attract bees

when

they can turn sun-

and other pollinating

floral displays.

But some plants oper-

a very different schedule, waiting until night to

open

up their blossoms. There, in the dark, these flowers of the night send forth their sweet, heady fragrances

—

attracting not only

also nocturnal garden pollinators such as

moths and

humans but

beetles.

Instead of making your garden just a dawn-to-dusk attraction,

consider planting a night garden especially of those flowers that love the dark. Look

first

for

white or pale blossoms, and for the strong

fra-

grance characteristic of night-blooming plants. This brings to mind

images of jasmines and gardenias, but these subtropical shrubs are either too tender or too fussy for outdoor growing in

some

most of the

United

States. Try

96

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

of the following plants instead.

*

I3/ASNV

Thh

Fi

(nvHR

Garden

101

ii'lii

^r*-»-

GROWING FRUIT "It

may

be said at the outset

that the fruit orchard will not

'live by faith alone.' It

REQUIRES watchful, INTELLIGENT CARE AND CONSIDERABLE INDUSTRY TO MAINTAIN THE FARM

ORCHARD

IN FIRST-CLASS CONDITION.

WHILE THIS

IS

TRUE, THERE ARE FEW THINGS THAT BRING

BETTER RETURNS OR GIVE GREATER SATISFACTION FOR THE LABOR BESTOWED. THE FARM WITHOUT

—

ITS FRUIT ORCHARD IS LIKE PANCAKES WITHOUT MAPLE SYRUP POSSIBLE BUT NOT ENJOYABLE. The farm orchard should supply the family and friends with the cheapest and MOST enjoyable fruit the year through, as well as many dainty dishes the housewife knows

so well

how to

prepare."

— John McLennan, Manual of Practical Farminc;

Dorothy might soy

apple tree has been a

this

bit

overstimuloted.

HOW TO

SAVE AN OLD APPLE TREE

Let's face

you could hardly make

^^^ ew 4

it:

trees

have more character than ancient,

gnarled apples. But what

t

j

apple tree looks like

k

Appleseed

worry. a

No

it

if

your backyard

was planted by Johnny

— and ignored ever

matter

how

mature tree may be,

Where

worse.

it

since?

can probably be saved.

to start? There's

no

question: the path to

is

When?

Late

generally best, but a busy

farmer once told us that "a good time to prune

whenever you can

get around to

When you do get up

around to

for years of neglect in

stimulates growth,

which

say that they prune as they'll

have

less to

do

to

neglected and out of control it

salvation begins with careful pruning.

winter or early spring

Not

is

is

it."

it,

don't try to

make

one afternoon. Pruning the reason experts often

little

later.

as possible so that

Many

experts advise a

3-year plan for saving a badly overgrown old tree:

plan to remove one-third of the unwanted growth

each year

for 3 years.

three" involves three

(Not following the "rule of risks:

sunscald from the mas-

sive dose of sudden, direct light; so

new growth

that you have nearly as

much vigorous much to cut off

again next spring; and a smaller crop of

because apples bear

fruit

fruit,

only on old wood.) (continued on page 108)

Growing Fruit

105

WHERE & WHY TO PRUNE THAT

TREE

A. Decapitate.

No

FAMODS YANKEE APPLES

apple tree needs

be more

to

the gods,

you can punish those

Bring 'em

down

B. Let the

Sun Shine

regarded

as,

hest of our

on the whole, the

New England

apples,

1

8 feet

tall

—

10

feet

is

better. Like

pride has raised up too high.

where you can reach

to

their fruit.

In.

Branches that aim for heaven do nothing but shade those neighbors who,

more generously, swoop toward The Baldwin, which must be

tfion

whom

C. Pare

Away

earth with their bounty. Lop the high risers.

Crossed Branches.

All

Too many children Too many piggies

the playpen,

in

the poke.

in

Apple branch crossing another. originated in the town of

My

chainsaw does provoke.

Wihnuigton, Massachusetts, and

Take Off Some Underbranches. Down-growing branches are the ones you want to encourage, but not of them at once. Be selective, show your good taste, pick, and pare. D.

was named

after

Loammi

Baldwin, the engineer

who

laid

out the old Middlesex Canal from

Up

Bind

E.

Lowell to Boston.

the

Rotten cavities

The Hubbardston Nonesuch

bacterial

life,

all

Wounds. and

open

cuts are

gouge out

sores. Unless

the rotted

wood and

you

fill

feel

a sympathy for

the cavity with pitch.

No

bandage necessary. originated in the town of that

name

in

Worcester Countf. The

Water Sprout? Cut

F.

Cutting

away water

tation.

The poor old

It

Out.

sprouts

is

the family planning of apple tree rehabili-

Minister originated on the farm of

a Mr. Saunders,

The Porter was

in Bowley,

first

Mass.

it

tree

trying to

is

make

babies, far

more babies than

can raise up. Curb that urge.

raised by the

G. Hey Suckal Get Outta Town. BeverendS. Porter of Sherburne,

Root suckers should not be tolerated. They are

Mass. The Wilhams originated on

springing up from the roots of the old tree.

the farm of Major Benjamin

Williams of Boxbury, Mass. All

dental.

these favorites were acci-

They have been, perhaps,

somewhat unproved by

cultiva-

Massage

H.

I.

Now

but they were not the prod-

uct of any attempt to create

tree, all the

way

out to the drip

should be

Mulch.

compost a foot from the trunk of the tree camping out there and chewing on the tree.

to

discourage rodents from

new J.

Rest.

(Stop looking; there

done good Farmer's .Al\l^\ac, 1888

service,

your yard with a

is

no

J

saved a

there.)

Take the

tree, rebuilt

living structure that will

Arboreal immortality.

106

line,

Dress the entire rototilled area with compost to feed the roots. Hold back

varieties.

—The Old

making,

remove competing sod.

the tion,

trees in the

the Media.

The topsoil under the rototilled to

new

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

rest of the

day

off.

You have

an apple machine, and adorned

be there

after you're

gone.

Growing Fruit

107

So take

make to

do

it

in stages, but

do take

in pruning," says Catskill

it

Mountain

Begin with the parts that are clearly

the healthy

good harvest

for pies,

apples for

apple cores ters.

yields apples fritters,

to feed the crit-

Berkeley County,

Virginia, 1910.

West

fruit

biggest mistake people

expert Lee Reich,

"is

not

it."

large areas of

A

"The

on.

disease.

deadwood

wood

are swelling), cut

A rotted-out it,

use a free

it is

out.

to prevent the bark

two branches of equal length and

«

9^

V

best to

l^^^^i *«^ ""isM §

iW

as the

is

common on

when you can

branch comes

— places where the

.j

on

a doorway for

is

the final cut

from tearing

size. It's

the buds

saw or a two-man crosscut.

make

if-

kLl'^^

when

Deadwood

a job for a chain

Next, look for any bad crotches

Igw

it

or any large branch, in stages;

hand

your apple tree has

low branch, almost a second trunk,

old trees, and removing

Remove

lost causes. If

(easily spotted in late winter,

off.

tree forks into

remove one o{

these,

or at least cut ally.

Cut

just

back so that

it

becomes subordinate and heads

it

off later-

above the wrinkle where branch and trunk meet, not flush

with the trunk, to leave a slight "collar" and the smallest wound possible.

Now aim your saw higher. When upper branches are

allowed to grow

vigorously, they often shade the lower ones. In addition, apple trees grow fast,

up to 30

— well out of the average

feet tall

height for a backyard apple tree too.

Most

orchardists

about 10

is

aim to give each

feet.

picker's reach.

The shape

is

The

best

important,

tree a modified central leader (the

predominant upper branch, the one that seems to be leading growth). To encourage

back the top of the

this formation, cut

tree, leaving a

some-

LET US RAISE PEACHES!

what horizontal branch as the leader. This lowers the tree, making shorter and letting light

— and

Speaking of those branches, the center of the tree to

light.

pickers it's

—

in to the lower branches.

time to prune them out, opening up

"Prune so the birds can

tree in any direction," an old farmer advised

hand hook Cut out

or, for

it

us.

And

growers have

through the

fly

This usually

calls for a

very high branches, a pole pruner with a long handle.

"suckers," the little branches that spring from the trunk or major

branches.

The great mistake many peach-

is

to encourage the tree to

do well enough

cuts,

—

all

which

branches that grow up from the main horizontal

vertical

few years' growth the roots meet

will stimulate a rush of twiggy growth.

Cut

off inside

branch-

is

much

work,

like a sculptor

important to remember that a

it's

and needs

to take stock of the

A peach

food.

er, it

tree

is

a gross feed-

makes wood rapidly and

it

requires abundant space, though

a

As you proceed with your

ground and rob each other

ofproper nourishment and plant

should go. Keep in mind the "rule of three" and avoid large

es before the outside ones.

pruner

a

at first but after

grow out and down.

Branches that cross and rub, branches that grow too close together,

boughs

in setting

cut out any snarls or tangles (sometimes called "mare's

Your goal

and vigorous

is

the trees too near together Thef

in the

nests").

made

medium

or even a poor soil

is

to

be preferred rather than one too

emerging rich.

With a rather poor

soil,

we

shape of his or her project. Step back from your cutting frequently to see

how the tree looks from a distance, and modify your approach accordingly. Once you're comfortable with the overall appearance, you can move on

to the details.

most of the

fruit

Thin any crowded and grow

less

spurs

— those stubby

than an inch per

year.

areas that bear

This will allow

fruit

can feed to

them back

to strong buds.

And

cut

this point, you're

almost through pruning

quite.

Take a few extra minutes to scrape

you'll

not only improve the

hiding places. This

way

to

do

it,"

is

he told

needs,

and a consequent lender growth of

wood

that is quite liable to

winterkill.

—

T,

.,

n, n

F.ARMER'S ALMAN.AC, 1886

almost, but not

off any loose pieces of bark,

and

recommended by Lee Reich. "A good

us, "is to ball

carefully over the bark.

it

appearance but also deprive insects of

tree's

a practice

what

away any root suck-

ers at the base of the tree.

At

just

without the risk of overfeeding

to be evenly distributed along the branches. Invigorate a few individual

spurs by cutting

it

up chicken wire and run

[The bark] looks wonderful."

it

lightly

and

^^ Growing Frl

i

i

109

BACKYARD BANANAS What's a tropical-looking plant

.

.

.

like this

siCH POP'PAWs!

doing in North America?

— Lumps

o'

raw

— oozy th'ough With ripe yaller — like you've saw

Gold and green,

jes'

custard'pie with no crust to.

— James Whitcomb Riley, "Up and Down Old Brandywine" Pawpaws,

sometimes called "Hoosier bananas," rate high on our

list

of exotic natives well worth cultivating. Everything about paw-

paws

improbable: their luxuriant, drooping, spear-shaped leaves;

is

their funny, yellow-green tropical fruits

(What

are these doing in

the Midwest?); even their taste and texture, so unlike most other

Temperate Zone

delicacies.

pawpaws must have long ago

In fact, hardy

the tropics and found a

the

Ohio and

home

in the rich river

Mississippi river valleys.

strayed northward from

bottoms and uplands of

They grow wild from New York

State to northern Florida, and as far west as Nebraska, usually in thick-

they have a habit of throwing up suckers from their roots.

ets, for

Pawpaw

which

trees,

are

30

feet tall at most, are long-lived;

have been known to survive 100 years and bear Hardy pawpaws look

like

fruits

something straight from the tropics, but in fact they

wild as far north as state.

do look something

like

stubby bananas

fruit for 60.

— but

smooth, green potatoes or enormous green peanuts. In

some

Their odd

even more

like

flavor,

pawpaws

to bananas, but the likeness stops short. Ripe

pawpaws

grow

New

York

are also

compared

are full-bodied,

with flavors hinting surprisingly of vanilla custard,

pineapple, and mango. There's nothing quite like them. taste tropical, but they're

With

this

They look and

hardy to minus 25 degrees.

kind of endurance,

little

it's

wonder that no one

hun-

a

dred years ago ever thought pawpaws would be considered exotic.

At

the turn of the century, the

fruits

were widely sold in markets and

were so abundant in the wild that when

much

of the country's fertile

bottomlands were commercialized, few folks bothered to save them. If

you're ready to reverse the trend, be sure to plant

two

for cross-

pollination. Plant seeds or cuttings (handling the brittle taproot

with care) in well-drained to grow,

and they shrug

soil

and

off diseases

partial shade.

and

pests.

Pawpaws

are easy

Recommended

vars include Overleese, Sunflower, Fairchild, Taylor,

and

culti-

Ketter.

^^

\

/^

1972 '^SAHsof^'^

Elizabeth Testa, Miss

Chiquita 1994. Unlike the tropical fruits in her colorful headdress,

exotic-looking

pawpaws

can be grown even the

in

American Midwest.

•l

THE ROMANS CALLED

IT

THE LOVE APPLE This old'fashioned fruit has been everything from a

symbol of fertility

Quince.

to

a hair-setting

Ancient Romans called

apple," considered at

wedding

riage,

held

and

it

symbol of

fertility.

The

sacred and associated

It

it

the "love

and served

sacred,

feasts as a

ove — an association that tures

gel.

love,

it

mar-

early Greeks, too,

women and

with

it

persisted in later cul-

Country people once thought that mulberry

and quince should be grown together

as

husband and

wife to ensure fertility for the land where they stood.

Others believed that quince was the bidden

fruit

irresistible for-

eaten in the Garden of Eden, but that

never stopped them from gathering the bright fruit

and stewing

and

jellies

it

into sharp

and

Quince made the

malade, for the word

itself

flavorful

jams

original mar-

comes from

marmelo, Portuguese for "quince." It

was the Portuguese

who brought

quince to the Americas, but

who ting

listed

quince as essential

it

the

first

was the Pilgrims

equipment

up a civilization in the wild.

for set-

A few gener-

ations later, the pioneers carried the bright fruit west, adding a piquant

touch to the perfect apple serves, and, oddly,

in small

making

pie,

cooking them into lovely sauces and pre-

a gel for hairdressers by soaking

Don't give up Dippity-Do, but do plant quince for

The

delicate flavor. pears, grows spring.

quince seeds

amounts of water.

The

woolly, pear-shaped

on deciduous

trees that

trees adapt to almost

what drought

fruit,

distinctive

and

related to both apples

and

its

have exquisite, fragrant blossoms

any

soil,

tolerant. Best propagated

require

full

sun,

in

and are some-

from cuttings and by budding,

they are slow growers, so start with a young plant, which can either be

formed into a

Quince favor

when

is

tree or allowed to sucker into a bush.

inedible raw

so

— the reason, some claim, that the

many cooks gave up

preserving.

however, the strong, musky flavor of the raw

When

fruit

is

quince

fruit lost

is

cooked,

transformed into a

sweetish peach-pear taste. Unless bruised, quince can be stored for

months. In the words of a tenth-century poet, "[The quince] has the per-

fume of

a loved

woman and

the same hardness of heart."

^%

THEBEAL JOHNNY APPLESEED?

The

first fruil

raised in this country was

upon

Governor's Island in Boston Harbor, from which on the 10th of October, 1639, ten fair pippins were brought to the town.

The words of the

being not one apple or pear of the country, but to

have belonged,

first

upon

up

old record are, "there

tree,

planted in any part

that island.'"

at that time, to

The

island

seems

John Winthrop, the

governor of the colony of Massachusetts Bay

— The Old Farmer's Alma^'ac,

1888

Growing Fruit

113

and

Blue as a July sky

just

as enticing.

THE BEST OF THE BERRIES A handful of secrets for growing your own. trendy as raspberry vinegar and as old-fashioned as blueberry pie,

As

berries are America's favorite fruits.

Why

do we love them? For

and the fun of

their sweet compactness, their jewel-bright colors,

picking berries

them

— "one

makes sense even

grow or produce

for the pucker,

one

for the pail." Planting

in a small garden, for few fruits are as easy to

as abundantly. Besides,

although wild berries are

still

abundant, the cultivated varieties are generally bigger and easier to pick

— and

there's

nothing

having a handful of heaven right outside your

like

door.

The Secret

of Planting Blueberries

"As big

end of your thumb,

as the

way Robert

No its

Frost described

them

in "Blueberries."

foliage (especially in the fall) as well as

as they

have

and easy to grow even

strictly acidic soil. If

growing them in tubs (sunken

and

and heavy." That's the

other berry quite matches the ail-American blueberry, prized for

are tough, hardy,

filled

with acidified

soil);

leaves turn yellow.

114

real sky-blue

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

oil

you

its fruit.

All our native species

in northern climates

live in

an alkaline

—

as long

area, consider

drums punched with drainage holes

give

them ammonium

sulfate

if

their

/

'4#^

•V^.

>'^*

\\

V

'^

s^

/ /

Plant blueberries in the spring and in This preservation technique still

is

experimental, but explo-

sion-dried blueberries can be reconstituted with boiling

to start with 2-year-old potted plants

pollination.

And

there's a secret to

full sun. It's best,

—

at least

two

experts advise,

varieties for cross-

growing blueberries. These plants

— the wispy help most plants absorb root among water and nutrients — depending instead on a fungus that lack

roots that

profuse,

hairs

lives

water

for baking. Scientists

say their flavor

is

almost iden-

tical to that of fresh berries.

their roots

and does the same

job.

The

secret of successful planting

is

to

mulch gathered from nearby

take a few handfuls of topsoil and leaf

healthy wild blueberries and sneak them into each planting hole to inoculate the

water water.

new

plant.

Tamp

down

firmly around the plant

Water very important — mulching Regular watering — well

it

well.

after all, berries are

is

results in larger berries

116

the soil

as

as

85 percent

to hold moisture

and can double the production of a bush.

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

and

—

A

Better strawberry

Modem strawberries and transport

— not ripe.

weed them),

characteristics to savor in a shortcake. But straw-

grow and

berries are easy to

picked really

are bred for color, cold tolerance, rot resistance,

definitely delectable

Maybe you

or pick

them

when

sun-ripened and

already grow strawberries (and hate to

yourself at a local farm.

We

have a proposal

M ANCUESTEK.

one degree more divine.

that's

compact alpine strawberries bear

Tiny,

all

summer

long, don't send

out runners (except for the Cresta variety), and can be started from seed.

They

also

have an old-fashioned wild-strawberry flavor

and exquisitely

sweet-tart.

From

distinctive

frost to frost, alpine strawberries sparkle

with white blossoms, red or white rarely bothered

—

berries,

and green

by pests or diseases, are very drought

leaves. They're

resistant,

and need

only about 4 hours of sun a day.

Even

if

alpine strawberries didn't bear

den planners. They can be planted also ideal to al border.

ble

mix with

making

fruit,

they would appeal to gar-

bed by themselves, but they are

a beautiful addition to a perenni-

Since they don't send out runners, they make great

— edging

they'll

flowers,

in a

make

plants. Set out a

a lovely

set

them out when each plant has

ger of frost

is

past.

Be sure

path.

to give

them

at least four leaves

late winter,

and the dan-

a steady supply of moisture.

you have a stand going, you can increase your holding by dividing 3-year-old plants or saving seeds from mature fruits,

Kentucky. edi-

few dozen plants about a foot apart, and

mounded hedge along the garden

Alpines are easy to grow from seed. Start them indoors in

then

— and

fruits.

Once 2- or

Unlike seeds of many

alpine strawberry seeds yield plants that are fairly true to type. C'.vPT.

Mt. Vkrson, ok Kikkwood.

Seth Botden, No.

30.

Jack.

LONOKELIAIW.

Growinc Fruit

1

17

These

Grazers, take note!

With

berries are the best for eatirig out of hand.

a higher pectin content then regular strawberries, they also

well in any standard strawberry recipe crop.

One

gardener

and reports that so

The Luxurf

—

we know has found

if

work

you can beat the birds to your

he plants white alpines

a way:

the birds haven't caught on.

far

of Raspberries

Raspberries are the aristocrats of the berry patch and have long been associated with rarity

and

luxury. (During his unsuccessful

tion campaign. President Martin

Van Buren was

1840 reelec-

evocatively attacked for

"wallowing lasciviously in raspberries.") Fragile and perishable, they can be costly in markets, but

wallow a

bit

—

if

you grow them

at least for the

month

yourself,

of July.

Raspberry plants are very hardy and like sun.

good

soil

vating,

and keep them mulched,

and no weeding. "Keep

gardener told

up hidden

us.

in

they readily

you may be able to

they'll ask for

—

off in

no watering, no

culti-

you

and

start

their feet cool,"

one

or your lovely berries will

end

their heads hot

And keep them pruned

them

If

an impenetrable tangle of thorns. Pick raspberries when

fall off

the bush and into your hand;

instead of tickle, wait another day.

if

you have to tug

0^

'™

4

Don't Shrug al Shrub you ever sipped raspberry shrub? This old-fashioned Have sweet-and-sour beverage was a favorite of farmers making hay you can make

in raspberry season, but

and enjoy

it

Combine berries

1

cup white vinegar,

with 3 cups

sugar. Let the

starts to boil.

Serve over

ice,

Remove

it

1

cup water, and

Then

from the heat,

1

quart rasp-

heat the mixture until

strain,

and allow to

diluted with water, seltzer, juice, or ginger ale.

2 quarts.

™»»»iw118

with frozen berries

mixture stand until the sugar

melts and the berries give up their juice. it

it

year round.

all

cool.

Makes about

»» »»»-

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

^ Blackberries:

The Opportunists of tlie Berry Patch

here were only a few species of black-

T

berries

was

America when the country

in

first

settled, but clearing the

land for farming apparently ere ated a situation of natural hybridization.

we

Even today

notice that blackber-

ries are

among

shrubs

to

recently

as

we knew

follow the log-

first

over

take

burned

logged land; dren,

the

or chil-

to

ging roads, berry pails in hand. Cultivated,

homegrown

blackberries give

higher yields than those in the wild and pro-

duce larger berries that many consider

more

flavorful.

less.)

(Many

also are thorn-

Since different cultivars have

highly variable temperature preferences, be sure to choose tried

and true

for

one

that's

your region. Give

the plants good soil and sufficient

moisture,

and

enough

for jams,

juice,

and eating

they'll jellies,

bear pies,

fresh.

Growing Fruit

119

OLD-FASHIONED BERRIES WORTH

ANOTHER LOOK Gooseberries are the stuff of fools

,

and mulberries

rhymes. But don't write them off ...

Few of today's know the plant it

children would if

they

fell

into

— but "Here We Go 'Round

the Mulberry Bush"

heard

in

is still

schoolyards and

playgrounds across the nation.

the subject of nursery

.

oth gooseberries and mulberries are great, easy-to-grow berries fering from bad press. Gooseberries sour; mulberries are

messy

—

really

sound messy

silly

are

sometimes

ripe

— and

they stain your clothes.

But oh! The flavor of a choice cultivar! There's a huge difference

between a good-quality cultivar of gooseberry (such

120

and

when dead

suf-

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

as

Poorman,

Silvia,

or Clark) and a sour one with a tough skin. cloyingly sweet, but

Some

many domesticated

wild mulberries can be

varieties

(try

Ever-

Illinois

bearing, for one) have a tart edge.

— and

In medieval times, mulberries were used to dye fabrics

syrupy juice can stain the

who consume them

lips,

hands,

feet,

their

and clothing of enthusiasts

with casual gusto. They're very

and perishable,

soft

delicious right off the bush, but they also can be used for wine, preserves,

or tarts.

Be warned: don't wear your

when you dance around

finest

the

mulberry bush. Gooseberries, neater to consume, inspire similar enthusiasm. Gooseberry lovers

have been known to drive major distances and commit minor crimes

for a taste of the sweetish berry, especially blers, tarts, preserves,

cooked into gooseberry

and fools. Gooseberries of one variety

may be picked

so they

in

one

cob-

pies,

THECDITDREOF

ripen at once,

all

When

day.

THE GRAPE

fully

they are delicious eaten fresh.

ripe,

Every fainier, and everf owner of

Eighteenth-century England gave

rise to a

a collage with a rod of land, ought

gooseberry-raising

# V

mainly on

size

mania that concentrated

— and

the mid-

at its height, in

nineteenth century, resulted in berries the

size

of small apples. In America, gooseberry breeding

came

berries

to a halt in the

1920s,

when

the

were implicated in the spread of the

to cultivate

a few choice grapes.

Thef require but a small space; thef are ornamental either

pruned as a shrub or trained as a vine; they are

among

the most

white pine blister rust fungus, and a federal law healthy and luscious of

restricted their cultivation.

fruits;

rieties proliferate

and gooseberries

ing.

1966),

some

states

still

ban was

restrict

grow-

So before planting them, consult your agent to

agricultural

make

sure

state

they

and with proper care and

attention, they

produce an annual

crop equal to any other in

money

value.

are

allowed in your area. If

our

are not very

susceptible to the disease (the federal lifted in

all

Although wild va-

—The Old Farmer's Almanac,

1861

you decide to grow gooseberries, choose a

site carefully

—

a plant can live for

more. These berries need good

20 years or

•awigia.

air circulation

but tolerate shade and usually thrive in areas

where summers are

cool.

Mulching

iSggjk

and some pruning

^^H

gooseberries are not demanding.

is

is

helpful,

necessary, but in general

As new

gener-

^^^B

ations taste

^^^H

diet a resurgence in the popularity o{ these

some of the sweet

delicious old-fashioned fruits.

cultivars,

we

pre-

i»^ %^ ^m^

Growing Fruit

121

GRAPES FOR THE RACKYARD GARDENER If

you've never tasted homegrown grapes, you've never

tasted grapes.

n Greek mythology, King Tantalus was condemned

when he

stand in water that receded

tried to drink,

to

and

beneath bunches and bunches of grapes that the wind

blew away when he reached

Robbed of the sheer But

a pleasure

it's

the standard Concord.

them

And

Much

— and

to

Flourish?

trellised

and

Van Buren, than super-

life

grow them

begin with, which

thank you

will

for

young maples, old bedsteads, and stone reports that her grapes

to

all,

What Do Grapes Need

full sunlight, to

more

there's

But most of mind.

be

grapes.

don't stop with

for their dependability.

in

like to

And

Grow them

more.

for their productivity.

know

keep these pointers

Air and

should.

you've ever tasted Interlaken,

If

Canadice, or Niagara, you already

market grapes.

homegrown

pleasure of eating

you can enjoy

them. Poor Tantalus.

for

grow best on

climb.

They

but they also will climb

walls.

fir trees.

them, make sure your grapes have good

for their taste.

why grapes

is

it,

Grow

An

Oregon gardener

Wherever you grow

air circulation to

prevent

fungal disease and encourage pollination.

Regular pruning. Be brave and hack away with goodwill in

aim to keep

fruit

and cane

canes (the year-old fruit will

grow.

wood

each vine, save about four

of the plant), because that's where the

By each cane, leave

couple of buds — which far better to

in balance. For

late winter;

a spur

will provide the

— a cane pruned down

next

new to a

year's fruiting canes.

prune as best you can than never to prune

at

It's

all.

Judicious feeding. Begin each season with a good dose of nitrogenrich

fertilizer.

them

Thereafter,

sparingly, or they

if

your vines are producing admirably, feed

may run

to brush,

which

winterkills easily.

Grapes need potassium and are quite fond of nitrogen, but when you fertilize,

do so widely. Their roots stretch horizontally up to 8

feet

Poor King Tantalus —

from the main stem, and they go deep in search of water, which

tantalized forevermore.

why

122

grapes don't

mind

a dry year.

The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom

is

-
9

78051 7"1 62972