Old gardeners never die they just spade away, although some do throw in the trowel, horticultural wisdom has it. But the past few weeks have sorely tried the earthy fraternity to say nothing of sorority. As Stephen Fry observed: “Wet and windy. Then I looked out of the window and saw that the weather is too.”
April however is here to bring hope to a wilting gardener’s breast, even if it was but originally the second month of the Roman calendar before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC. It became the fourth month about 450 BC.
But wait – April, according to our chums across the border is National Garden Month. South o’ the border down Washington way they also keep up with the horticultural theme by designating April as ‘Fresh Florida Tomato Month’ (April 6th is ‘Fresh Tomato Day,’ not a few whom we’ve known), proceeded on 5th April by Dandelion Day. We’re rooting for 12th being National Licorice Day, and then there is 16th, the Day of the Mushroom, Garlic Day on 19th. Finally, 30th April is both Raisin Day and Mr. Potato Head Day. Little wonder that April is also designated for optimists as National Humor Month while the pessimistic can take solace since it is also National Anxiety Month.
Diversion No. 1
Gardeners may which to embrace the fragrance of ”Dirt” offered by Demeter or, failing that “Earthworm” or “Mushroom” from the same company that also offers a “Gin and Tonic” scent. Certainly makes a change from an aftershave offered in India made from cow urine. Then there is the Biotherm Homme Force – infused with spring water scents and absinthe. But as every horticulturist knows absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. Thanks to Katie Silver of The Daily Telegraph for putting us on the scent.
Our florist friends are eager to promote daisies and sweet peas as the Flowers of the Month but out in the garden centres they are looking forward to presenting an array of new perennials. Yet more coneflowers (Echinacea) make their appearance with such enticing names as Marmalade, Milkshake, Pineapple Sundae, PowWow Wild Berry, Prairie Splendor, and Raspberry Truffle. They are joined in fruitiness nomenclature by hosta Raspberry Sundae although two others may not appeal to the more patriotically minded: American Hero and Purple Heart. They could cause some ill feeling next year on the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Thanks to parks departments falling back on elephant ears, Colocasia, two new offerings are on hand: Keep ‘em Coming and Thailand Giant. Also thanks to many a parks department, large fibrous begonias are making a comeback; this year look to the foliage of ‘Gryphon’ for containers, specimen border or even as a houseplant. Showstoppers for the sunny garden are Hybrid Asiatic Lilies with many new offerings this year’s such as ‘Forever Susan,’ ‘Linda,’ and ‘Purple Eye.’ Left undisturbed they will reliably return season after season.
Diversion No. 2
Smart phone applications have raised the bar again, as they now allow users to immediately look up the names of flowers simply by taking a picture of the plant, according to The China Post. “Flower Goddess, Flora” application uses an original image-recognition technology designed by the National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering (CSIE). The new app was unveiled 3 March at the school.
6 April 1954 Hanover, Ontario: a farmhouse struck by lightning left a shambles of one room, and threw flowerpots on the windowsill to the centre of the room, as recorded by Environment Canada’s chief climatologist David Phillips in the agency’s annual calendar. Unlike Spring 2010, this year Phillips says spring will be “reluctant to arrive,” colder than usual and wet over most of the East, with temperature swings that are typical of a La Niña year. Their green thumbs twitching, frustrated gardeners are observing that La Niña is a bit of a #.
Conceding that David Phillips has been right on the money in the past, it might be better to forgo seeding vegetables much later this month. Heavier, clay-based soils are particularly slow to warm up. Seeds sown to early will simply rot in soggy, cold soil. Candidates for early planting are beets, chard, spinach, green onions, radish, lettuce and broad beans. Follow these with peas and beans then the cucurbits: cucumbers, squash, melons and pumpkins. Leave the warm-loving tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and okra to late May or even earl June.
Diversion No. 3
“Orchid collecting was popular in Darwin’s time, and rich Victorians would hire trowel-wielding bounty hunters to scour the Tropics for rare breeds. Competition was fierce, and the stakes high. Scores of orchid-seekers succumbed to disease and killer bees, while those that survived were ruthless. ‘Sometimes they would kill rival orchid-hunters,’ says Lara Jewitt of Kew Gardens. “On other occasion they would kill their plants by urinating on them.’” [Source: Christopher Middleton, The Daily Telegraph]
Mark Alberstat, Halifax, Nova Scotia, writes to New Scientist magazine’s ‘Last Word’ feature in turmoil of his tomatoes. “Tomatoes on sale here during the winter don’t taste as good as those available in summer. Does their nutritional value change too?” Since there is as yet no reply in that excellent weekly, here are some reflections. Those appalling selections, good for little more than woodcarving or gussying up fast food joint offerings are imported from points south. In order to thus travel, they are shipped green. Upon arrival they are placed in what the “fresh” food industry calls a gas chamber to artificially ripen them. The result, as Alberstat observes, that they don’t taste so good as summer toms. The original varieties of tomato that could tolerate this indignity were developed at the University of Southern California, according to Rebecca Rupp’s fascinating book, Blue Corn and Square Tomatoes. And the USC tomatoes were tough, too: they could withstand an impact of at least 25 pounds at a time when the average Detroit auto suffered a dinted fender from less than 10 pounds pressure. Nova Scotia is not exactly well known for hothouse produced tomatoes but, especially in Ontario and British Columbia, they offer tasty and nutritious sustenance to those that must have their hit of Lycopersicon esculentum berries . . .
Diversion No. 4
A Stratford woman was on her way to her Georgia vacation home when she claims two U.S. Customs agents strip-searched and pawed her at the border before she was fingerprinted and denied admittance, reports the weekly Maclean’s. The 46-year-old says in the lawsuit against the border agents that she was singled out for secondary inspection after she didn’t report she was packing Canadian raspberries.
As Prince William takes a bride this month, a moment out for his father’s penchant for natural horticultural processes. The Prince of Wales has urged everyone from allotment owners to urban gardeners to go organic, but how does he keep his own parklands and gardens green, enquires Louis Gray, environmental correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph? Prince Charles is constantly questioned for his beliefs but he is no hypocrite. For more than three decades he has practices what he preaches, planting wild flower meadows, encouraging birds and bees, growing his own fruit and vegetables and even pruning the trees and laying traditional hedges on his estate. Prince Charles’ organic farm produce, while not always a commercial success, utilizes ‘farmyard muck’ as compost while natural pest control uses birds to kill insects. His residences feature renewable energy and recycling – even ‘grey water’ is piped to the flowerbeds.
