Bill's Favorite Native Plants: July

Allen, Sterling & Lothrop's nursery manager Bill Kennie has been working with the Falmouth Open Space committee to help eradicate invasive plants from the Maine landscape. Bill believes that it is very important to include native species in ornamental landscape gardens. Indeed, the more native plants a garden has the better--native plants are typically low maintenance, they provide food and shelter for wildlife and are visually in keeping with our native "wild" landscape.

Sorbaria Sorbifolia                                                                                           False Spirea

Height: 6-10’-6-10’                    

                                                                      

If you want a versatile plant for many uses (i.e. erosion, naturalizing) this is the one for you!  False Spirea is drought tolerant and shade tolerant making it perfect for some tricky spots in your garden.  In June and July it has large white plume flowers that butterflies love.  The fern-like foliage remains full to the base.  Make sure to give it room as it suckers freely.  In the right place this is a great selection!

 

Seed of the Month: Golden Detroit Beets

Golden Detroit Beets

Golden Beets are more sweet and more tender than regular red beets. The first time I ate Golden Beets they were on a salad a friend made for a pot-luck—I was stumped; I couldn’t recognize it but it tasted so familiar! What a find! I use them all the time now (or every chance I can) not only are they sweet and delicious, I like the fact that I don’t get red everywhere when I cook with them. You can use the leaves as you would with other beets.

Try this recipe from Bon Appetite: (note: it uses Lacinato Kale another one of my favorite vegetables!)

Barley & Kale Salad with Golden Beets

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 3 medium golden beets (about 1 bunch), trimmed
• 1 1/4 cups pearl barley
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar

·         Ingredient Info

Tuscan kale, also called black kale, dinosaur kale, Lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, has long, narrow, very dark green bumpy leaves and is available at farmers' markets and some supermarkets.

Preparation

• Whisk 1/4 cup oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add kale and shallots; mix until completely coated. Cover and chill until kale is tender, at least 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. Arrange beets in a small baking dish and drizzle with a little oil. Season with salt and turn beets to coat. Cover with foil. Bake beets until tender when pierced with a thin knife, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Peel beets. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces (you should have about 2 cups).
• Cook barley in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 45 minutes. Drain barley and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool completely.
• Add beets, barley, and feta to kale. Drizzle salad with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; fold gently to combine. Season to taste with pepper and more rice vinegar, if desired. DO AHEAD Salad can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/11/barley-and-kale-salad-with-golden-beets-and-feta#ixzz2LYhzKi00

Harvesting Garlic Scapes

Who doesn't love garlic scapes--I use them like scallions (on everything from eggs to salads).
Here's another great How-To video from Umaine Cooperative Extension:

Bill's Favorite Native Plants: June

Allen, Sterling & Lothrop's nursery manager Bill Kennie has been working with the Falmouth Open Space committee to help eradicate invasive plants from the Maine landscape. Bill believes that it is very important to include native species in ornamental landscape gardens. Indeed, the more native plants a garden has the better--native plants are typically low maintenance, they provide food and shelter for wildlife and are visually in keeping with our native "wild" landscape.

 Vinurnum Plicatum:

There are many varieties of this plant, their sizes range from 4’-10’ high.  They all have beautiful clean white flowers that engulf the plant from May into early June.  Most bear fruit for the birds and have stunning foliage in the fall.  I have found these to be drought tolerant and take pruning very well.  Whether used as a specimen or a backdrop to the garden you can’t go wrong with one of these amazing plants!

 

Seed of the Month: Tenderette Green Bean

Tenderette Bush Green Bean

If you want to eat your own green beans all winter long—this is the bean for you!

Extraordinarily prolific, uniform in size and incredibly delicious!  Tenderette keeps its flavor and texture when frozen or canned making it a perfect green bean to put up for the winter.

Tenderette is a bush bean which means that it doesn’t require support and can be grown in containers.  So, if you’re short on space don’t think you’ll be short on delicious green beans!

Pressure Canning Green Beans: From Ball® (as in Ball Jars!) 

Definitely check out their web-site for great recipes and how to’s: www.freshpreserving.com

You will need:
2 lb green beans per quart
Water
Salt, optional
Glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) PREPARE pressure canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) WASH and rinse beans thoroughly. Remove string, trim ends and break or cut freshly gathered beans into 2-inch pieces. Place prepared beans in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes.
3.) PACK hot beans into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 tsp salt to each quart jar, 1/2 tsp to each pint jar, if desired.
4.) LADLE boiling water over beans leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
5.) PROCESS filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Note: The processing time given applies only to young, tender pods. Beans that have almost reached the “shell-out" stage require a longer processing time. Increase processing time 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.

Father's Day  Nursery Special:

June 10th - June 15th

30% OFF 4' Conifers

Including: Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, Concolor Fir, Frasier Fir, Balsam Fir, White Pine, Austrian Pine.

June Garden Tips:

Geraniums at AS&L--a sure sign of summer time!

• As the summer heats up

• Keep your garden watered.

• Mulch vegetable gardens with straw or salt-marsh hay.

• Plants in containers dry out faster than plants in the ground—water appropriately (they may need to be watered daily).  All this watering can wash nutrients out of the soil so be sure to fertilize.

• For newly planted shrubs and trees, water weekly & deeply (hose on trickle for 20-45min depending on the size of the plant). Basically, you want the water to reach the bottom of the root ball. Do this REGARDLESS OF RAIN unless you’ve planted in heavy, clay soil.  If you have planted in heavy clay soil you have to use common sense judgment to keep from over watering the plant.

• Cut back and divide spring blooming bulbs.

• Deadhead annuals and perennials to get the most out of their blooms.