Ya Gotta Love Tatarian Aster!

I snapped this photo yesterday with my telephone as I was playing in the garden with Sadie the Dog.  If you aren't familiar with Tatarian Aster, it's one that you need to check out!

Aster tataricus, hardy zones 3 to 9

I got a tiny little clump of this baby a couple of years ago from a gardening friend, and now have enough to have split that original piece into six spots around the Stepchild Garden.  It is definitely a strong plant, but not one that I would call invasive or a thug of any sort.  It just hangs out in its original location, steadily growing into a larger clump.  It separates beautifully and easily, so sharing is no problem at all.

The real appeal to me with this plant is that it is as close to maintenance free and I have found in the perennial bed.  Seems to be just fine in wet years and dry, and is always neat and tidy.  I have done NOTHING to this plant all season, and the stalks are all now about 4 feet tall and standing perfectly erect.  No staking, no "Chelsea Chop," nothing.  When frost finally gets it, I'll go through and cut back to the stalks to the base, and then it will do its thing for another year.

It is a late bloomer (some time shortly after Labor Day in Atlanta), so tuck it somewhere in the back of the bed.  It just sort of hangs out looking well behaved and a strong green until August, and then it gets its growth spurt.  Once it bursts into bloom, it is covered with butterflies and bees, and has a really beautiful clear lavender-blue color. 

Fifty Shades of Green

One of the programs I developed recently for presentation to local gardening groups is called "Fifty Shades of Green."  (One of those garden porn things......)  This presentation is a very casual list of fifty of the best ideas I've learned from other gardeners, some of whom I know well, and some I have never known personally, although they are (or were) well known.  My goodness, is that a convoluted introduction to this post!

In any case, if you're bored and want to hear some excerpts from this program, we discussed it on a local radio station recently, and it's now available on podcast.  We recorded two programs that morning, so I think it's listed as "Winter Containers" on the website.  My guess is that the container program will show up there soon.

http://www.radiosandysprings.com/showpages/mastergardener.php

A Late Summer Container for Shade

 

I honestly tried to upload this photo because I've been having such difficulty getting Blogspot to accept photos I've always been able to upload.   Since this photo seemed to work, I figured I would just let it stay.

 

This photo isn't the best quality, since it was taken with my phone a couple of days ago, but I think the container has handled the Atlanta summer heat really well.

 

It is in what I would call "bright shade," since the driveway where this is positioned has a bright white finish on it, and when the sun hits this pavement, it is almost painful for humans.  This collection of three containers doesn't get direct sun, but it gets a ton of indirect light from that reflection.

 

The large fern is an Australian tree fern, that came to me in a 3 gallon container in April.  I learned from my grower that the trick to these guys is to NEVER let them dry out.  They can take a ton of heat and are even ok with a fair amount of sun, but the water has to be there all the time.  We also fertilizer all of the tropicals really heavily (high nitrogen) all summer.

 

The other plants that stand out are "Kong Rose" coleus, Alpinia (Shell Ginger, which never blooms, but has great foliage), Kimberly Queen fern, Farfugium, Browallia, and Pseudoanthemum.  If you want specific cultivars, let me know and I'll find that information in my files.

 

Hopefully this breakthrough with the photo means I'm back up and running on the blog!

 

 

Blueberry-Basil Granita

Blogger still isn't letting me post pictures for some unknown reason, but here's the recipe for a pretty awesome Blueberry & Basil Granita that I made a couple of nights ago.  The recipe was on a sign in the basil patch at Atlanta Botanical Garden, and I made it exactly as the recipe was written.  Rave reviews from all of the dinner guests!

1 Pint Blueberries
1/2 cup water
8 basil leaves
The juice of one lime
4 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth, and freeze in an airtight container until slushy, about 2-1/2 hours.  Serve in a glass garnished with additional basil leaves for garnish.

I served this with a lemon pound cake and ginger snaps.  Pretty great combinations!

Atlanta Botanical Garden

I had a couple of meetings this morning with other people from the gardening world, and Atlanta Botanical Garden seemed the perfect place for morning coffee.  I haven't been there since The Inspired Gardener syposium in February, so it was wonderful to see things in their full late-summer glory.

This first shot is of the water wall at the entrance.  Unfortunately the water doesn't show well in the photo.  The top planted area is a bog garden, and you might be able to see the wall of water spilling down over the granite.  The sound is very effective as you're entering ABG.

The iconic Dale Chihuly fountain in the middle of the Parterre Garden is one of my favorite installations at ABG. 

"Frog Baby" is officially on loan from the High Museum of Art, but it's been in this little frog pond for at least the past five years, so it's seeming pretty permanent to me.  It's another favorite piece of mine in the garden, and it looks even better at this time of year surrounded by papyrus, cannas, and other water lovers. 

The lotus blooms are just exquisite in an almost bizarre way.  I always expect water to start squirting out of the middle like the flower on a clown's lapel. 

This new vertical herb garden is very cool in the edible garden.  This section to the right is actually a vertical rill of water (several of them, in fact), so the sound of running water is really spectacular, particularly in such a hot spot where all the edibles are growing.

The current sculpture exhibit contains pieces by several artists in several different media.  This one is, I think, great fun in the long border.

More photos from ABG later.  If you're in the Atlanta area, definitely a spot worth visiting!

Fat Free, Cholesterol Free, and I Grew Most of It Myself!

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili from Sunflower Cafe

1 large onion, roughly chopped -didn't grow that
3 bell peppers, roughly diced (I used one red, one yellow, one green, since that what I had) - grew those!
2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced - grew those, too!
1 T. chopped garlic - grew it!
1 T. chili powder
1-1/2 t ground cumin
1-1/2 t. dried oregano - grew it!
1 t. salt
1 t. ground pepper
1 c. cooked white beans
1 c. cooked black beans
1 c. cooked pinto beans - didn't grow the beans.....
1 lb. chopped fresh tomatoes - grew those!
4 ounces tomato paste

Use a nonstick spray in a heavy pot, and saute the onion over medium high heat until it's starting to color.  Add the peppers and garlic, continue cooking five more minutes.
Stir in the spices and incorporate well.  Add the balance of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook 15 to 20 minutes.

When it's done I typically stir in 4 cups of cooked brown rice.  Freezes beautifully, and a great recipe for a winter lunch while working in the garden.

A Little Side Trip on the Way Home from the Beach

This first picture is demonstrating the most strenuous thing I did over the past couple of days.   Since this is the time when we have a slight break in the gardening in Atlanta, it was the perfect opportunity to visit friends who live at the Sandestin Resort on the Gulf Coast.  Having grown up in a beachfront community, there is nothing quite as wonderful for me as waking up and walking across the street to nap in the sun for a few hours. 

The bad part about going to the Florida panhandle from Atlanta is "you can't get there from here."  On a map it looks to be relatively close, but in reality it's about a six hour drive through the backroads and fields of rural Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Since we were already in that neck of the woods, it was a no brainer for me to stop at Petals From the Past, petalsfromthepast.com, one of my favorite nurseries anywhere, on our way home.  Fortunately I was driving, and Frank has no sense of direction, so my comment that it is "just slightly out of the way" didn't get any objections.  And after the drive from eternity, even Frank agreed that it was a pretty fabulous place!

A few of today's treasures are here.  First there is a pink brugmansia.  I absolutely adore Angel's Trumpets, and this is a color I don't have.  The plant I bought is really a baby in a 1 gallon pot, so it may not flower this season, but they're so easy to chop up and overwinter, I'll have a few for containers next summer. 

Salvia greggii "Raspberry" is one that I have for really great color in the Stepchild Garden, but not in any clients' gardens.  I bought one for the walled garden at the Big House, and may split it for other places, as well.  It has thrived in the Stepchild Garden for three years with absolutely zero attention, and comes back every year in spite of being totally ignored. 

The rose below is called "Peggy Martin," and is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina (there is another post about this rose many months ago here, but if you click that tag, it should come up).  This baby is like a pink version of Lady Banks, and is just as exuberant in its growth and blooms.  I planted two on the black iron fence at the Big House two years ago, and they have grown like weeds.  I'm going to add this one to another area of the fence, and then try to root some cuttings this year, as well.

Lastly, I got two LSU Purple Figs.  Again, they're both pretty small, but both have fruit on them this year.  I'm going to try them against a brick wall at the Big House, where they should love life!

Off to do laundry, since tomorrow's a work day!