New Echinaceas

Who doesn’t love purple coneflowers? Echinacea, whose name comes from the Greek word for Hedgehog or sea urchin due to its spiny seed head, is a beautiful perennial that is loved by bees and other pollinators.As a beekeeper I always try to include them in any garden design. Many of us have the old favorites ‘Magnus’ or ‘White Swan’ but recently I have come across some that are a bit less well-known that I can’t wait to try.

If slugs are eating your hosta, why not try beating them to it?

I recently spoke at the Taylor Conservatory’s Growing Great Gardens and was fortunate to hear fellow speaker Ellen Zachos, the Backyard Forager.

She revealed all kinds of wonderful forage from the garden, including hosta. Hosta leaves are edible and, according to Ellen, taste somewhere between lettuce and young spinach.

The best time to pick them is when they are barely unfurling; in my garden that is often mid-late April. Harvest leaves from the outside of the clump so that inside leaves will hide cuts as they unfurl.

Zachos likes to roast her leaves in a 450 degree oven for about ten minutes; she then wraps the leaves in prosciutto.

The dish is made even better by serving it on a bed of garlic mustard pesto. Finally something to do with that weed!

I’m in Training

I know the Boston Marathon is coming up in a few weeks but that’s not the kind of training I am talking about. In fact, the last time I ran I think I was chasing the ice cream truck! I have a special kind of training because I am an Industrial Athlete. If you are unfamiliar with the term I can explain. The term industrial athlete refers to anyone who makes a living using mental and physical talents to perform jobs that require skill, strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance—just like an athlete. In the gardening business I would pretty much guess that defines all of us. It could also refer to those who garden regularly. I would propose that, like an athlete training for an event, we would be more successful if we “trained” so to speak. If we do, the approaching spring days, with their hours of weeding, mulching, pushing wheelbarrows won’t kick our butts.

I have always loved earthworms.

Whenever I would find them in my garden I would silently thank them for aerating my soil. I knew their castings were creating a nutrient-rich environment for my plants.

When my kids were little rainy day walks took extra-long because we were constantly rescuing worms from puddles. I never liked fishing because I felt it was a waste of such a great resource (and I didn’t really like baiting the hook!)

Notecards

Every so often I come across a product I can’t help but share. Growing up I was always taught to send a thank you note if I had been the recipient of something nice. Not an email or text but a real, genuine written response. So I still send thank you notes. And as a gardener, I have finally found the perfect ones.

From MercedesHarris | Graphic Design comes a range of wonderful and visually fun ways to let people know you appreciate what they did.

These thank you notes are perfect for gardeners and I will be buying in bulk since I have so many people to thank!