Scotch Broom - Friday's Flower

The Scotch Broom is a large woody shrub, averaging 3-6 feet,  that bears tiny yellow flowers and is related to the pea family.  The plants bloom between March and June before the leaves emerge.  I have 3 plants in different areas of my yard, and I love them.  In 8 years, I have never had a problem with volunteer plants due to it's reported excessive self sowing. 

However, according to the Oregon State Community Extension Service, it is a very invasive plant in the Pacific Northwest.  The Scotch Broom is a native of Europe and North Africa, and was introduced in the 1850's as an ornamental plant in California and later used to prevent erosion and stabilize banks and dunes.  There is no hatred for this plant on the East Coast where it doesn't appear to have the negative characteristics the folks on the West Coast talk about.   I will keep a close watch on mine.  On the positive side, Wikipedia states that as a legume, this shrub can fix nitrogen in the soil through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria.  Something else to consider if you have small children or dogs, all parts of the Broom are poisonous.

On a more light-hearted note, I am back on bunny alert.  A little guy has taken up residence under the backyard deck.  This bunny is so small, it looks like one of those yard decorations with a hollow bottom for a hidden key.  Adorable.

Tropical Fruit Trees

On a nice warm day, two weeks ago, I transplanted 5 of my fruit trees.  There were two reasons for doing this: 1-most of them needed to get into a larger growing space; and 2-I wanted them to be in a lighter weight pot for ease of moving.

Meyer Lemon, Clementine, Seedless Lime and 2 Dwarf Banana Trees.  Everyday they are exposed to a little more direct-sun time, and soon will be enjoying full days of sunshine.

I have also repotted the Dragonfruit and Cavendish Banana.  All have been trimmed, including the Bay Laurel and Kaffir Lime, which didn't need to be up-potted this year.  Apparently they are all happy to be outdoors again, enjoying the warmer temperatures.

The Clementine and Lime trees are sporting fruit to show their appreciation.  I'm looking forward to a productive growing season.

Feels like Summer

This year there was not a day I could say, Spring is here!  Spring-like weather appeared the end of February.  Then every Monday during March and April the Front Range Foothills received 10-12" of snow, just as if we had placed an 8 week order requesting delivery, it happened without fail.  On the 9th week there was no snow that Monday, but 6" fell 2 days later on May 1st, and fortunately that was the last of it.  The perennials didn't know if they were suppose to start growing or remain dormant.

Pink Tulips with Bordeaux Spinach.
 
We went from Winter to Summer and the now the plants are nearly jumping out of the ground. The Iris's are just beginning to flower as well as the Lupines.  This is the first year that tulips will still be in bloom when the Peonies open; that's unheard of.  Peonies typically bloom on Memorial weekend, and the tulips have always been long gone by then...except for this year. 

The Smoke Bush leaves remind me of delicate roses opening.
 
Apparently some plants benefited from the extended winter season.  After trimming the Wisteria, I discovered over 4 dozen flower buds.  Needless to say, I'm expecting a stunning show of purple.  The Spring Snow Crab Apple wasn't as pleased with the weekly snowfall...lost all it's buds...went straight to green leaves rather than first giving us a beautiful display of white flowers.  Several of the fruit trees followed suit.  We trimmed the Lilacs back severely last year, but they still managed to give us a few blooms.

The vegetable garden has finally been planted, and as every other year, tomatoes and peppers account for 3/4 of the space.  I'm trying a few new varieties of tomatoes-Franchi Red Pear, Dr Wyche's Yellow, Cherokee Purple and the Mortgage Lifter, along with my old standbys-San Marzano, Sungold, Sweet 100, Black Krim, Green Zebra, Tomatillo and Juliet.

The wildlife is always eager to see what is planted.
I'm trying my hand at red potatoes for the first time, and they appear to be growing according to plan.  Added the 2nd stack and another layer of soil this week.

A front planter is filled with blooming Allium.

Potted Cactus Gardens

Taking a class at your local Botanical Gardens, you would expect to come away with some great information.  Last summer I did just that, concerning Cactus.  I was so impressed with what I heard, I had to try it myself.  For years I have had a small perennial cactus garden in a corner of my yard that gets extreme heat and sun all summer long.  Armed with additional knowledge, I planted cacti in several coconut lined baskets, and placed them throughout the yard to enjoy.

Cactus can pretty much take care of themselves in this dry environment.  In fact, given their short summer season, they thrive.  The experimental part of this project was going to be in the over-wintering.  The instructor said you could bury the potted cactus and in the spring they would come out of the ground as if they were just planted.  I bring in more than the average amount of potted plants for the winter, so this concept peaked my interest.

Fascinated with this technique, I was determined test it.  In early December, when the plants were shutting down, we dug a trench in the vegetable garden for the pot's winter home.  First covering the entire row with a sheet, then piling on the dirt.  They remained buried for nearly 4 months.

Last week we removed the soil and uncovered the pots so we could amend the garden for summer.  The plants came out looking just as good as when they went into hibernation.

Looking at them, you would have thought I had kept them in the house all winter.  They were green and lush.

I'm still amazed. 

The yard is ready for spring snow

Winter is behind us and Spring is poking through.  Although the only bulbs blooming so far are the crocus, there is evidence of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths rising from their slumber in every garden bed.

This past week there were a few days of wonderful early summer weather, with temperatures in the 60's and 70's.  Without missing a beat, we took advantage of the warmer weather and cleaned up the remainder of the planters, then created an additional 70 square feet of growing space, by enlarging a couple of beds, and adding a new one(ie: removing sodded areas). 

Aside from enriching the existing planters, the expansion made it necessary to get 2 1/2 yards of a compost soil blend and 3 yards of organic mulch; we are talking 5 loads in the truck.

These tulips won't be affected by the fresh layer of snow that is about to cover them. 

Looks like we got it all done just in time.

Quinoa Salad with fruit and nuts

I know I've talked about quinoa many times before and my love for any dish that contains this wonderful gluten-free superfood.  Quinoa, being a complete protein, is also a good source of fiber and calcium.  Given all that, here is another salad that every quinoa lover needs to have in their recipe files.  The combination of caramelized balsamic red onions, toasted walnuts, diced bits of fennel, apple chunks and dried cranberries sing Hallelujah on your taste buds.

I adapted this recipe from the fall 2012 issue of GROW magazine, which is Fine Gardening's guide to vegetable gardening.  

Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts, & Cranberries

1 C red quinoa
1/2 C white quinoa  
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 Tb balsamic  vinegar
3 C kale, thinly sliced
4-5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 large crisp apples, cut into 1/2" dice
1 C toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 C finely diced fennel
3/4 C dried cranberries
3 Tb red wine vinegar
fresh ground black pepper
Feel free to use whatever color quinoa you have on hand.  I like to mix the white and red, but it all tastes the same.

Rinse quinoa, then place in a 3 quart pot with 2 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce to low and simmer covered about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, let it sit 5 minutes then fluff with a fork and cool to room temperature.  
Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium high heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring often, under tender, 6-8 minutes.  Add the balsamic vinegar, and toss with the onions until the vinegar cooks away, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onions, kale, celery, apple, walnuts, fennel and cranberries.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3 Tbs olive oil with the vinegar, 1/2 tsp of sea salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix it in. Let it sit a bit, then taste.  Add more olive oil if it seems too dry. 

It is so refreshing and holds up well for several days in the refrigerator.

Is it a Mole or a Vole?

After the snow melted I discovered many holes in some of my bulb beds, usually near a plant base.  In some cases, as many as five holes down into the ground, leading to a single tunnel.  In order to put a stop to this, I needed to know exactly what type of animal  I was dealing with.

Moles are carnivorous; they eat worms and bugs, where Voles are vegetarian and eat blades of grass, bulbs and plant roots.  So setting a trap with peanut butter to catch a Mole would be pointless.  The main tell for a Mole, is the little mountain of dirt setting next to the hole, and there were no mountains of dirt.  The logical question for me is, what do the Voles do with all the dirt, because they are serious tunnel engineers?

This area was under snow, but that didn't seem to stop the Vole, he just scooted his way along the grass and ate the blades.

Here he's dug under the wood, into the planter and nibbled on the tender greens of a sprouting hyacinth.

This is an elaborate system that came out from under the deck, generally covered in snow.  Amazing!  I'm sure they are like mice, if there is one, you can bet there are more.  There is good news: I've caught one.  I can tell you from experience they won't go for almond butter, just use regular peanut butter.  As spring comes, I'm anxious to see which bulbs and young perennials survived this underground attack.  This battle will go on.