Digging for Gold

March is a month of planning. What shall we grow this year? Which seed catalog has the best deals? Which vegetables and flowers did well last year?   Do we want to add new beds, new plants? These questions keep us busy dreaming and planning for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, it's time to check on what's left from last year that we should eat up? I just used the last of the spaghetti sauce; it was good too! I have a few jars of pickled beets left, and the freezer still has green beans, spinach, corn and red peppers.  I see red pepper bisque, corn chowder, and minestrone soups in our near future.

The snow pack is receding, so DH went out to the garden with his shovel. Winter blessings - carrots and parsnips!  It's a real treat in March to get produce straight from the garden. He always mulches them in the fall, and then we forget about them. They are too hard to dig in the midst of winter, but come now... it's like digging for gold.

Parsnips and carrots freshly dug from the garden.

 

Carrots and parsnips - looking good now that they're scrubbed!

I decided the carrots were a great reason to get out my new food processor (Christmas present!). Zip, zip, zip and I had 4 cups of shredded carrot for carrot cake. I used a recipe from Allrecipes.com - Carrot Cake XI.  I liked this recipe because it calls for oil instead of shortening similar to my good zucchini cake recipe. I substituted pecans from Texas for the walnuts, and 1/2 cup orange sauce (juice + pulp pureed) for 1/2 cup of the oil. (Normally I would have substituted crushed pineapple instead of the orange sauce, but I had oranges from Texas that needed to be used.) The cake needed longer than the recipe stated to bake, but other than that, it was fantastic. So moist and flavorful - didn't even need frosting, but it sure tasted good with a dollop of ice cream.

DH is the cooker of parsnips. He introduced this vegetable to me, and the way he prepares them, they taste as good as candy. Now remember, I said tasty, not necessarily healthy.  First, he peels and juliennes them to french fry size. Then he parboils them until just barely soft.  Lastly, he finishes them by sauteing them in butter until golden brown. The butter is the secret! Yu-um!

Amaryllis Morning

There were a couple of nice surprises waiting for us on our return from Texas and Alabama. First of all, the grandchildren had made us a very nice welcome home poster with balloons to greet us when we walked in the door. Thanks, kids! As we looked around, the house was spotless; we thought our daughter-in-law must have really gone above and beyond. The kids said, "Yes we cleaned", but she laughed and said, "No, you left it this way. I just told the kids not to mess it up."  The truth might be somewhere in the middle; thanks so much for tending to our house!

Then we checked our plants. They all looked great - thanks again, C. The orchid that bloomed just before we left was now in full bloom; and the amaryllis had grown 2 feet. One is in full bloom. See Anticipation.  The blooming amaryllis has 2 blossom stalks. One stalk has 3 blossoms; the other has two. The blossoms are a variagated red/white - just lovely. The second amaryllis is poised to blossom soon - can't yet tell what color it might be. 

The only problem the amaryllis seemed to be having was that they were both too top heavy for their small pots. Without leaning on something, the whole pots just want to tip over. I went to the garage in search of a larger pot that might help them stay upright. Instead of a pot, I spotted 2 plastic tubular containers. I believe they were part of the supplies used in creating the footer for our greenhouse. Concrete containers, maybe? Anyway, they worked perfectly! All I did was carefully drop each amaryllis plant - pot and all - into the tubular containers. Problem solved!

I also checked the internet for amaryllis care directions. They seem to be very happy with their location. All I need do is keep them slightly moist and enjoy. When both the blossoms and leaves have died back, I'll the trim them back to the bulb, and put them away for next winter. I did find, on the web, a beautiful photo story showing the whole amaryllis process from bulb to die back. It's worth checking out. Amaryllis Photo Journal

Sweet Home Alabama

Lake Martin, Alabama

Alabama? Yes, we made it home - to NY - arriving in blizzard conditions. Ugh.  But on the way home we stopped for a couple of nights in Red Hill, Alabama. Red Hill is a community of lake-side homes on Martin Lake just northeast of Montgomery. Martin Lake is the result of damming the Tallapoosa River. The lake is large, irregular, and lined with pine and oak forests. Our sister and brother-in-law are spending the winter months here, and a very lovely place it is. The day we spent touring lakeside was sunny and bright - just about the most perfect weather ever. Although February doesn't always reach 60's and 70's at Martin Lake, it did the days we were there. Plum trees were in bloom; I saw both my first daffodils, and my first robin. My spirits were rejuvenated as I soaked in these first signs of spring.

A perfect day on the lake!

First Daffodils of 2011

Green mistletoe growing as a parasite in this deciduous tree.

I learned a bit about mistletoe on my tour of Martin Lake. Mistletoe is a partial parasite (a "hemiparasite"). As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. My sister-in-law pointed it out to me. It's easy to spot this time of year. It looks like a bundle of green high up in otherwise leafless deciduous trees. My brother-in-law told how the locals shoot it out of the trees at Christmas time for decoration.  This variety of mistletoe is native to North America and grows as a parasite on trees in the west, and in the east from New Jersey to Florida.

But mistletoe is also capable for growing on its own. Like other plants, it can produce its own food by photosynthesis. This other type of mistletoe, Viscum album, is of European origin. The European mistletoe is a green shrub with small, yellow flowers, and white, sticky berries which are considered poisonous. 

And so ends our winter travels. Yes, we drove through snow and ice from Cincinnati to home. Our driveway was clogged with heavy, wet snow - couldn't even get in until we got to work with the snowblower. But we arrived safely, and my Alabama pictures are reminding me that spring will get to NY someday soon. 

A Few Last Words on Texas

We leave Texas tomorrow.  It's been a very enjoyable month, and the weather since the cold spell has been outstanding. After the 4 days of record cold, temperatures quickly recovered and we've enjoyed 70's and 80's for the last 2 weeks. The sun shines every day; breezes off the Gulf of Mexico constantly move the air; all in all, it is very pleasant.  We will especially miss the park's heated pool; 92 degree water soothes the body well.

There are many more plants to talk about that we just don't see in NY. Agave and cactus - they both come in many varieties.  They are both well suited to this southern Texas desert climate.

2 Agaves + a Barrel Cactus

Agave have a very striking form whether they are small 1 foot tall plants or huge 6 foot mammoths. They can stand heat, cold, drought, and/or poor soils. Their shape allows them to trap minute amounts of rain, and guide it to the roots. They can survive with as little as 3 inches of rain per year. They don't look particularly prickly, but don't be fooled. You do not want to touch agave. The leaves are stiff and sharp with thorns that grow at the ends and in the center.

Agave

Cacti also survives well in this climate.  Just like the agave, they don't mind the heat, and they don't need much water.  Cacti can also tolerate some cold, but were more effected by the recent cold spell than the agave. Cacti come in many different shapes, and don't touch any of them. Even if you don't see their thorns, be assured that they're there. The microscopic barbs are the worst; I know from personal experience. (See Wednesday Is Auction Day)


And so I'll end my winter reprieve with a few more pictures of agave and cacti. Tomorrow we head for a short visit with my sister & brother-in-law in Alabama before we head on back to NY. We'll be home by the first of March. Maybe, just maybe, spring will meet us there.

A Potted Agave - Simple & Stunning

This agave was at least 6 feet tall.

a couple of nicely formed barrel cacti

I love this one. It's shaped like prickly pear, but looks like it is snow covered.

Teddy Bear Cactus

This cactus looked like it was covered in cotton.

Winter Woes

What a hard winter this has been for the entire country.  We're getting daily reports of weather back home in NY - snow, snow, and more snow. They've been in a deep freeze now for at least 2 weeks.  Friends are complaining of ice build-up on roofs, snow removal problems, and the blasted cold.

Southern Texas certainly is not dealing with anything like that. Still, it's been unusually cold for the area. The temperatures have broken the record lows 3 times in the last week. This has resulted in a bunch of emergencies all across Texas. First off, we've had 3 days of rolling blockouts. The phone rings with a recorded message warning residents that because of the cold temperatures the Texas power grid can not keep up with demand. Texans are informed that electricity may be periodically turned off for 15 to 20 minutes. That may not be so bad in your home, but schools, restaurants, businesses, and especially hospitals are up in arms about the power shortage. One of the cold days included freezing rain. Ice shuts everything down. Cars do not have snow tires. People do not know how to drive on ice. Roads were closed for 2 days. They just have no snow plows, or sanders down here at all. Schools closed because of the ice and the rolling blackouts.  Homeless shelters were overfilled. Then Texans were asked to conserve water. It seems the main water lines in several cities burst because of the freezing temps. Today the temperatures are in the 60's and rising. Maybe the winter weather is behind us, but it will take the Texans a while to recover.

We had 5 or 6 nights with temperatures below freezing, and that has really taken a toll on the tropical plants. I walked the park this morning retaking pictures of some of the beautiful plants I shot last week. Many are just being unwrapped from their preventive coverings. But it was too cold, for too long, to save everything and quite a few are toast. Residents tell me that some will come back (especially the bougainvillea... can't kill it they say); some will simply be dug up and replaced. The palm trees, the roses, and the fruit trees all seem to have survived more or less. 

What follows are photos of some of the plants that did not survive.

Don't know what these bushes are called - but very attractive.

Same bush as above - not looking so good.

Bougainvillea tree in blossom.

Same bougainvillea tree -- toasted!

What an attractive cactus!

Oh dear! Will it come back?

Ground cover of some kind outside our patio.

Yikes!

I had not yet learned the name of this one.

The same bush as above is in the center of this grouping. All will have to be replaced.

Such a pretty little grouping.

Flower = toast; Even the cactus looks frost-bit.

Aloe Vera... It was green last week.

Roses covered in ice.

Happily, the roses all survived and are welcoming back the sun.

Palm Tree Pleasantries

A tall palm - the dead fronds have been cut from the trunk.

The southern tip of Texas is a warm temperate climate - almost tropical, and nothing makes one think of tropical more than palm trees. 

Now I don't know much about palm trees, but that's what the internet is for - right? I've learned that their scientific name is Arecaceae or Palmae, and that there are more than 2600 species of palm trees. I'm not surprised by that since right within our park here, there are tall ones, short ones, fuzzy ones, fan-like ones, and so on. I've learned that as long as the climate in tropical, sub-tropical, or warm-temperate palm trees are not fussy about their habitats. They can live in rain-forests, or deserts, and pretty much anything in between. They grow either as a solitary tree, or in clusters of 3 to 7.

A young palm makes for a great shrub. Note the feather style leaves.

This palm has never had old fronds trimmed away.

The leaves grow either like feathers or like a fan. The leaves are green and alive only at the top of the palm. As it grows, old fronds (leaves) turn brown and hang down covering the trunk. Many times these old fronds are cut away to make the tree more decorative.

Only the coconut palm has coconuts growing among the leaves. None of the palm trees I'm seeing around here are of that variety.  That's OK; nothing says vacation time better than a palm tree, and I don't need a coconut.

This palm tree has fan-like leaves.

Here's a close-up of a fan-style leaf.

The trunk of this palm tree looks like burlap.

Palm trees symbolize "vacation time" for me.

The February Storm - Texas Style

ice-covered roses

Whew! My DH and I thought we'd escaped the bitter winter weather for a month.  Not so. Cold biting winds, ice, and temperatures in the 20's found us even here in the Rio Grande Valley.  The storm of the decade that blew its way across the mid-west and northeast, dipped deep south into Texas and even northern Mexico.  It's been the major news story down here for 3 or 4 days. Texas had rolling blackouts because they did not have enough power to supply the increased usage for heat. Schools closed for lack of heat. Roads were closed because of icy conditions. The Texans' response to these temperatures would surely seem laughable to all Northerners, but they just aren't equipped to handle this kind of weather.

And meanwhile, those beautiful bougainvillea I described in my last post are struggling to survive (as are many of the other tropical plants). My DH and I brought a nice large potted hibiscus into our covered patio. We spread sheets and towels over the bougainvillea hedge. Will it be enough? It was very difficult to cover them all, and the wind did it's best to blow the coverings off for 2 of the freezing days. It has now been below freezing for 3 nights and most of the intervening days. Today should bring relief, and the weatherman says the temperatures will recover quickly. We should get back in the 70's by tomorrow.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens Prepares for Freeze

Backtracking just a bit, we did spend a couple days last week in San Antonio. That city is 4 1/2 hours north of our home base down here in the valley. The storm was just on its way in at that time. The days were sunny and bright, but cold. We revisited the downtown Riverwalk - always enjoyable. This trip's highlight was a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. I very much enjoyed the gardens even though several crews of workers and volunteers were frantically covering all the outdoor plants and trees with yard upon yard of white landscaping cloth. We were told that this kind of severe cold weather rarely happens to them; they were preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Looking down at the top of palm trees.

We spent most of our time in the indoor conservatories, of which they have several. The upward-winding palm conservatory was lovely - a very creative architectural design. As you walked a winding ramped floor you went from the base of many varied palm trees to their upper branches, and finally to above them looking down at the palms. Beautiful. It's amazing how many different varieties of palms there are. Each are different in size, in trunk pattern, and in palm leaves. Finally, when you reach the very top of this conservatory, you exit onto the top of a hill with walkways leading to other gardens.

Bananas growing in the conservatory.

There was a rain-forest mist conservatory. It was so warm and misty inside that the glass walls surrounding it were completely fogged over from the cold outside air. A waterfall added to the mist; my glasses immediately fogged up. It had a very charming, mystical feeling. I expected to see little fairy creatures hopping in and out among the mosses and plants.

There were many other wonderful plants to enjoy - banana trees, coffee trees, cacti of all kinds.  I got a bunch of nice pictures, and I'll share more in future posts. Right now I'm just biding my time; I want to shed my sweater and get back to the shorts.