Garden Gifts Are Blessings

 The Gift of Smells – Blessing #9

I love so many aspects of the gardening experience, but none excites my senses as much as the sense of smell.  Oh, to have ‘smellavision’, for I do not know how to have you experience the aromas with just my description.

So let your imagination go, and let’s go into this smell, smell world!



Fresh mowed grass smells moist, and earthy, and green.  I love the smell.

 


Fresh compost is earthy and moist – no wait – that was the mowed grass!

 
Pine trees – no, not this ‘pine scent’ but apparently my preference for the pine is worth having for so many.  I’d rather have the real pine scent. A true gift of nature.



This is more of what I have in mind when I think of pine – but here again, this aroma is pressed into candles, and room deodorizers in cans. These aromas that entice our sense of smell are a blessing that the garden offers - naturally. We keep trying to bring these fragrances into every aspect of our lives.




Basil and lavender are herbs that give an added element to cooking. The pasta sauce with basil is mouth-watering, and taste and smell go together for culinary enjoyment.

Lavender scent is very calming and is often used in bath products and lotions. Sashays of lavender have lined dresser drawer for centuries. Tussie Mussies, such as this, graced the Victoria Maiden when daily showers and personal deodorants were not available.These fragrant bouquets waft the ladies in lovely floral scents. A Blessing?  Most Certainly!

Mint has many varieties – mint with underlying flavors of orange, basil, lavender, banana, spearmint, lemon, chocolate, apple and pineapple. By rubbing the mint leaf, one can smell the mint flavor.


Sage is a fragrant, bushy plant that rarely grows taller than 2 or 3 feet.

Pineapple sage is a fast-growing plant with bright green leaves and red blooms that appear in late summer or early fall and smells like pineapple!  It is used as a fresh, edible flower and is added to salads, iced teas or used as garnish. This Pineapple sage is only hardy to zone 8, but can be grown an an annual in colder climates.

Pineapple sage

Sage

Herbs of any type are fragrant.  I like the smell of lemon balm, - reminds me of lemon drop candy.  But if it is allowed to flower, you can have a lot of lemon balm pretty quickly, as it floats around the garden.

Lemon Balm

Roses – how does one describe a rose aroma?  The smell is bottled and sold as a cologne and bath oil. Rose petals retain their aroma even when they are dried and used in potpourri. Citrus, cinnamon, and  bay leaves meld senses into a refreshing combination.

Roses, lavender, and pine scents are a gift from the garden. 

Everyone has a favorite rose for color or petal count, or disease resistance, but Greesemonkymann wrote that he likes Blue Girl. “it's a purple/blue rose that smells AMAZING, hands down the best smelling rose, I've ever smelt, and I've smelt lots. Completely different than typical rose smell, lavender, lilac, jasmine like smell.”





Necotiana emits an aroma late day.  It wafts through the garden and the scent is strongest at night, so as to attract pollinating moths.

 Nicotiana sylvestris is a species of the genus Nicotiana, known by the common names woodland tobacco, flowering tobacco, and South American tobacco. It is grown as an annual in my Zone 6 garden for its scented flowers. This plant is a gift in the garden.

CasaBlance is a lily that I have in my garden and when they are blooming, all you want to do is stand nearby and just breath.  Although, near is not a prerequisite, as the fragrance of this lily will come out to meet you. A gift for sure.




I must not forget to mention all of the flowering trees that delight us for a week or so every year.  Apple, cherry, crabapple, and serviceberry welcome the spring with their gift of  scent.








Artemisia, lilacs, hyacinths each have its own heady scent that linger in the early summer garden.

Lilac

Hyacinth

But let's not ignore the seasonal scent of burning leaves on a bonfire in the fall.  Great memories are evoked from this smell - roasting marshmallows...... and sitting next to someone special on a hayride.

I know I’m omitting so many other plants, but acknowledging that fragrances from any source are  gifts from the garden and they are truly a blessing.


What fragrance do you like?  Please share with us you favorite.  Thanks.

Winter Plant Care - Prepare for the Cold

Cold, Wind, Snow....Winter's Harsh Realities

Very cold, sub-freezing temperatures are forecast  for my Zone 6 garden in southwest Ohio.  I'm inclined to wrap up on the couch with a quilt and a plate of munchies nearby.  As my poor, darling plants are out there facing the elements, I know I need to take some steps to protect some of the more delicate ones from the winter cold.

Mulching is probably the easiest method to insulate roses.  I pile the chopped leaves up around the canes to 15" - 18".  The root and stem joint, or bud union, should be covered.  Certainly the canes may have winter die-back, but they can be pruned in the early spring.  Hybrid Teas are probably the most tender of the roses; shrub roses tend to be more hardy. 

These two pictures show different types of winter damage - the evergreen in the container got its roots too cold.  The pathway on the left shows winter damage of wind burn and salt damage.

Plants in containers are very susceptible to drying out and frozen roots.  Watering during the winter should be continued. Water acts as an insulator in the soil.  Frozen water is 32 degrees F.  Dry soil with open air pockets can allow the air spaces to match the sub-zero wind chills of the outside temperatures. 

I generally do not burlap my containers.  I have said before, I'm a lazy gardener, so I tend to take a less time consuming approach.  I gather my containers - some need the aid of a 2-wheel dolly - and I group them up near the west side of the house. I mound leaves around the pots to protect the roots from being exposed to cold winds.  Some would tell you to use the north side walls, out of the sun, but I haven't had any losses (yet).  The overhang is 3' wide, so again, watering manually is needed. 

A garden club friend, Marian, has 20-30 bonsai plants in some pretty, yet shallow containers.  Most are trees and evergreens that typically go dormant.  She has a trench near the house foundation in which she buries her pots. 

The bubble wrap can be purchased to wrap containers and add another layer of insulation. 

This simple burlap wind screen can protect your plants during winter from windburn, salt damage, and sun scald. 

Sun, wind, and cold affect broadleaf evergreens like rhododendron, azaleas, and holly.  Moisture can be reduced in the leaves during the winter.  Frozen ground reduces the uptake of water through the roots.  Screening these evergreens with burlap can help reduce wind damage, and offer shade from winter sun. 

Anti dessicants like Wilt Pruf offer a film on the leaves to reduce moisture loss to our winter evergreens.       ( Spray on your Christmas tree too, to have the holiday decorations a little longer.) Two products are Wilt Pruf or Wilt Stop.  Both can be found at the Amazon Store, garden centers, or hardware store.

Mulch gardens only after the ground is frozen.  Mulching too early may cause the ground to not freeze and plants will not go completely dormant.  Consequently, this semi-dormant condition, call deacclimation, can allow roots to be damaged by the cold even if this plant is labeled hardy to your zone.

Mulching at the right time can keep plants from 'heaving' (plant rises out of ground exposing more shallow roots). My heuchera - coral bells - are known for this.

Tying these arborvitae can protect the splitting of leader trunks - a common result of heavy snow.

Deciduous tree trunks are also susceptible to sun scald.

Thin barked trees like maples, young crab apples, or flowering fruit trees, and newly planted young trees may need additional protection.

In very cold weather the tree trunk can severely crack. The lack of water uptake is one reason. The sun itself, can allow the south facing trunk to be 60 degree while the back side, can be 32 degrees. This cracking can open your tree to insects and diseases.

Trunk wraps are also beneficial for protecting bark damage from animals.  Rabbits, voles, and deer can get hungry, and our plants are fair game! 

Voles, a small field mouse-like critter that loves to eat roots.  I've had hostas come up (not) missing in spring thanks to the friendly neighborhood vole.  Surface trails in the grass or snow give us a clue to the culprit.

Mulch and debris make a good cover for voles.  Clean areas around plants can minimize vole activity.  A 1/4" screen opening, extending 3-4 " below the surface around a susceptible bed can also lessen vole damage.  

Rabbits will  strip bark from trees and shrubs.

Barriers and repellants are useful deterrants. A 1 inch wire mesh around plants, at least 15" to 18" will work well.

Deer barriers need to be built around the tree so that the deer cannot reach into it to eat. Spray deer repellents like Liquid Fence work IF you are determined - respray after a rain. This urine based solution will wash away.

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I know winter seems like a long cold season, but winter plant care will ensure spring will be its own reward.

What steps do you take to give plants winter protection?