February 18, 2007
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Flowers Gardening 101 Links

Lilac FAQs

Guest post by Emira Mears

I saw a comment pop up on an old post of mine from last May about Lilacs that I thought I would pull out and do my best to address here. The comment, or rather question was about a healthy seeming lilac bush that doesn’t seem to be producing much in the way of blooms (or perhaps any). I did a bit of research into this as lilacs are one of my absolute favourites and I do worry a bit that the lack of hands on care that I give our lilac will result in a decline in the plants health. There have been (and continue to be) a lot of plants we inherited in this garden that I need to learn more about. Anyway.

From the reading and web searching I’ve done I can contribute the following info and a few more questions for any of you out there who have more knowledge or tricks up your sleeves:

  • Lilacs apparently don’t need heavy pruning but can do with a bit of thinning out. I know that my own bush sends off suckers and and new shoots a few feet away from the main bush as well as in the centre clump, pruning back some of these will apparently help the plant thrive as it is a heavy feeder or nutrient sucker so cutting back on some of the greedy shoots is a good idea. From what I’ve read I was a bit unclear as to when one should do this, so I’m not sure if it’s a Spring prior to blooming thing or a Summer post-blooming activity. Do chime in if you know. (And I should mention everything I have read has specifically pointed out a need to not over prune, so don’t go too nuts).
  • Cutting off finished blooms is apparently one way to encourage a healthy crop of flowers the next year. Now if you’re not getting any flowers that won’t help, but I do know that this is something I have not done at all really, but have now logged into my garden journal for this June/July to take care of.
  • Soil conditions: limey. Or so says the reading I’ve done. You can spread dolomite lime or other limey additives in November in my climate (zone 8ish/BC west coast).
  • lilac between the hedge and garageDividing or moving: Here’s where my big questions come in. I’m a bit worried about the location of my own lilac (between a healthy growing laurel hedge and a garage as seen in the photo there) and that lack of sunlight due to the physical constraints (it does face south so still gets lots of sun) will eventually cause it to suffer. If I wanted to take some of the offshoots and move them to a different spot in the yard, when would be the best time to do this? Or, say if I wanted to move the whole bush?

If any of you have any other tips for healthy lilac blooms do pass them on. I know I’m keen to do all I can to keep those gorgeous beauties bountiful each May.

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February 16, 2007
5 Comments
Art/Craft Houseplants Projects Seasonal

Toasty Pot Coaster

Like many apartments mine boasts poorly insulated windows and baseboard electric heating. Yep, it’s a keeper. With the weather being in the high My Ass is About to Fall Offs I’ve been scheming ingenious ways to keep the plants that are stuck enduring their fate on the cold windowsill warm and alive through these dark days.

Toasty Pot Coaster

With a little extra time and some spare wool on hand I recently crocheted some handy warmers that seem to be making a difference. The first is a cozy coaster that was ridiculously easy for a novice crocheter like me to cobble together. All I did was make your standard crocheted circle — there are lots of books and websites that show how this is done (see list below). However, for those with some basic crochet skills all it takes is to make a small circle by slip stitching a couple of chains, and then double crocheting into that circle on every round, inserting some extra double crochets here and there to keep the coaster sitting flat.

Toasty Pot Coaster

Keep crocheting new rounds until your circle is as large as your pot’s saucer. You can make it a little larger so some of the design peeks over the edges or you can fancy it up with decorative edging like I did. Being the Queen of Scallops I went for the shell stitch which is as simple as double crocheting 3 to 5 times into a stitch until you’ve got a fan shape. Attach each fan (or scallop) to the coaster with a slip stitch and then begin double crocheting into the next stitch. You can spread them out a little bit or keep them tight like I have to make them puff out and curl. Just be sure to set a saucer underneath your plant pot to avoid turning your coaster into a wet and stinky mess.

I’ll post about the other project in a few days so stayed tuned.

Online Tutorials

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February 16, 2007
1 Comment
Events Links You Grow Girl

Portland 2007

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I’ll be in Portland, Oregon next week to speak at the Yard, Garden, and Patio Show on the topic of growing an edible garden in just about any environment. Of course I also want to check out some local gardens, thrift stores, and make that trip to Powell’s (both of them). I hit three thrift stores last year where I bought some fabric, an old box camera, the best watering can ever for 50 cents, and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” (also 50 cents). I get antsy when I travel to the States because the thrift stores in Toronto are horrible! Your recommendations for PDX goodness are much appreciated! We’re knee deep in snow and freezing temperatures here so any places you can recommend that are big on greenery, spring blooms, and fresh smelling air is critical for preserving my sanity. I can’t wait!

When: Sat. Feb. 24 (at 3:30pm) & Sun. Feb 25 (at 11:00 am).

There will also be book signings at the Powell’s kiosk directly after the presentations. Don’t be shy! I look forward to talking to ya’ll so please say hi.

Growing Incredible Edibles Anywhere and Everywhere: Your patio, balcony, or fire-escape is a potential garden of exciting flavors and beautiful colors waiting to happen. Learn the ins and outs of growing herbs, veggies, and flowers organically in challenging urban environments.

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February 14, 2007
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Fruit Recipes

Super Mega Deluxe Apple/Pear Pie (with Spelt Crust)

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I promised this recipe months ago but alas my spontaneous, never-the-same-thing-twice cooking style makes recipe writing tricky. This is a good pie to make during the winter since apples and pears are the only local fruits still available at the farmer’s market. I first came up with this recipe as a way to make apple pie sweeter and juicier. In fact it really began with the addition of ripe pears to apple sauce years ago while attempting to make the best apple sauce in the world (without additional sweetner). Once I perfected the sauce it didn’t take long to come up with ways to use the sauce that would maximize it’s usefulness.

Apple/Pear Sauce:

Ingredients:

  • 5 apples
  • 2 pears
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Squeeze of lemon (you can add some zest too)
  • 1/2 cup water

Get the sauce going before starting the pie. I don’t have any hard and fast quantities when it comes to apples and pears so I’ve estimated for you. I just use whatever I’ve got on hand with about 80% apple and 20% pear (or some similar ratio).

Peel and core the apples and pears. Cut each one in half and slice or dice into 1/4″ chunks.

Toss the apples and pears into a pot and cook on a medium heat with a few squeezes of lemon juice (if you’ve got it on hand), a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and the water. You don’t need a lot of water. I’d say about 1/2 cup for 5 apples/pears.

Turn the heat down to a low simmer once the stuff in the pot gets rockin’ and let the whole thing cook until the fruit is soft.

Turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit before mashing with a hand-held potato masher or grinding with a food mill.

Yield: You’re going to get a lot of sauce out of this. You will not need all of this sauce for the pie. Save the rest in the fridge or eat it with just about everything!

PIE!

Prepare and roll out your pie crust using the crust recipe found here. There is enough dough for a bottom and top.

Ingredients:

  • Approx 5-7 apples
  • 1-2 Pears
  • Couple of squeezes of lemon
  • A fistful of flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon maple syrup (for extra sweetness)
  • Approx. 1 cup apple/pear sauce (above)

Peel, core, and slice the apples and pears into 1/4″ thick slices. Throw everything into a bowl with some squeezes of lemon to reduce browning.

Toss the apple and pear slices together with the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg until they are coated. Add your optional maple syrup at this time.

Pour the entire mix into the pie crust. Spoon in the apple/pear sauce into all the crevices between the raw apples and pears. Use as much as possible and eat the rest.

Place the crust on top and crimp the edges. You can go the easy route by making a circle and crimping the edges (don’t forget to cut some x’s into the surface with a knife for venting) or get fancy by piecing together shapes or weaving 3/4″ ribbons of dough to form a top.

Bake in an oven preheated to 400° until juices are bubbling through the vents and the crust is golden. If the crust starts to get too dark try turning the heat down slightly.

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February 11, 2007
1 Comment
Houseplants Journal Seasonal

Is It Springtime Yet?

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You know you’re suffering some major mid-winter gardening itch when you set out to spend a few minutes on a sunny Sunday morning bathing orchids and watering African violets… and then the next thing you know 4 HOURS have passed!! In a joyful haze you have repotted several plants, taken cuttings, showered tropicals, preened away dead leaves, moved plants around, and other basic acts of greenery groping.

It will have to do for now.

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