May 9 , 2013
Where botany meets horticulture|Monticello|Peckerwood
Thanks to louse , human foragers , experimenters , idealist , and plants ’ own twist on things , our garden are profoundly enriched . MySalvia farinacea‘Henry Duelberg ’ , discovered by Greg Grant in a burial site — and call for the nearby headstone — prepare a perfect companion to whiteSalvia greggii .
I ’m so beaming that Austin plantsman Art Petley find this salvia , now named ‘ Silke ’s Dream ’ .
His cuttings wended their way through two horticulturists to finish up in greenhouse . Beyond , you ’ll see my sweetened apricot pink globe mallow , which was presuppose to be orangish . Still , I bought it recognize it could be ANYTHING ! work for me .
I think of when Mexican feathergrass was the fresh coolheaded plant in Austin ( and severe to find ) .
It was calledStipa tenuissima . I ’d recite the botanical name over and over because I liked the sound of it . Now , phytologist have change the taxonomy toNassella tenuissima . Still the same springtime seed heads on feathery leaves , plus a fancy name to roll off the knife . And now so useable .
Pineapple guava bush ( Feijoa sellowiana ) is actually not a guava at all , though many love its flowers in spring and advanced fruits in fall . I ’ve hear that the sweetest fruit is when you permit them actually fall to the dry land .
A German plant scientist name this fruit small tree / bush after Don da Silva Feijoa , a botanist in Spain . Its species name recognize F. Sellow , a German who hoard specimens in the responsibility of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil . Mine has n’t bloomed yet , though I do it the silvery undersides of the foliage in a semi - shaded spot . My ally with this blooming one employ it in a instinctive CRT screen between her driveway and the neighbor ’s .
Down her street , thisYucca rostratasends it flowers to the sky . These days , thanks to tissue culture , there are cultivar like ‘ Sapphire sky ’ .
Thanks to enterprising folks , my nativePenstemon cobaea , Mediterranean Byzantine glad , and larkspur made it into nurseries and into my thawing toilet garden .
So , how do gardening and botany intersect?Daphne deciphers it for us this calendar week .
One of the most quintessential explorations was President Thomas Jefferson ’s gardens at Monticello . This week , Peter J. Hatch , Retired Director of Gardens and Grounds atMonticello , join Tom to associate Jefferson ’s revolutionary gardenand organic drill to our cultivation today .
In Peter ’s attractively written and illustrated book , A Rich Spot of Earth , settle down to full-bodied stories of Jefferson ’s botanical journeys , elaborate diary , the line of descent of plant life , horticultural tips and recipes from the time period . See how Peter restored Jefferson ’s veg imaginativeness and excites us to do the same .
Here ’s one of the numberless surprises ( to me ): Jefferson used the folio ofYucca filamentosato link up up and stake grapevine . Have you ever think of that with cultivars like ‘ Bright Edge ’ or ‘ Color Guard ’ ? I ’ll have to wait a few years for my passalong ‘ Color Guard ’ !
Oh yes , if you ca n’t get toMonticello , online you’re able to purchase historical seed for food and ornamentals , like Hyacinth bean that I ’ve seeded to cover a part of my chain link fence . And do check out their event , too , for a family slip into history , wonder , and rejuvenation of honest , salubrious discernment .
Daphne ’s pick of the weekis Chile pequin / Chiletepin / Chili pequin , etc . At Monticello , Thomas Jefferson grew chiletepin , the “ Texas bird Piper nigrum , ” from Dr. Samuel Brown in Natchez . In 1997 , the Texas House named chiletepin the prescribed wild pepper of Texas .
Many sources describe tepin as ovoid and pequin as conical or oblong . However , my plants from local baby’s room were labeled “ chile pequin , ” even though the fruits are labialise , as you’re able to see !
In any case , it ’s a true tough Texan , and a wonderful perennial in my semi- shady beds with that psycho clap of sun . It ’s completely fun to see where snort seed it . AtTravis Extension , they ’re larger and denser in full sun .
If you may pick up the fruit before the birds get them , here ’s afabulous salsa formula from KLRU colleague JJ Weber .
Normally he apply dried tepins , but to fete Peter Hatch ’s sojourn , he made three dissimilar edition with my fresh chile pequins ( tepins ? ) . Whatever , it was gone so tight I almost did n’t get a picture !
Thanks to Internet Explorer and nurseries , in late age gardener have added specimens and cultivar of cacti and agaves . Since tending them without an “ ouch ” is new for many of us , Jeff Pavlat from theAustin & Cactus Succulent Societydemonstrateshis spiky / spiny plant toolkit !
To add up to your compendium , the Cactus & Succulent Society of America is host theirnational pattern in Austin June 15 - 20.Register to attend unbelievable workshops , public lecture and private plant gross revenue . If you ca n’t sway the whole deal , gross sales to the public are June 16 from 1:00 – 5:00 ; Monday June 17 , Wednesday June 19 from 7:45 – 5:00 ; and Thursday June 20 from 7:45 – 4:00 .
On tour , we repeat our sojourn to Peckerwood Garden , where botanical explorer John G. Fairey introduce many of the plant that have made it our own explorations . This weekend , May 11 & 12 , isPeckerwood’slast world-wide public open days until dusk , so head on out if you may !
Viewer delineation of the workweek : an update from Susan Brock . The cardinal eggs in a hanging basket in her NWF attest Backyard Habitat have hatched ! What a wonderful find !
Thanks for stopping by . Until next week , glad exploration ! Linda
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