Category Archives: Plants

Saffron and other Fall blooming crocus.

I totally forgot that before Christmas I had purchased a few packs of Fall blooming crocus and Saffron crocus, which also blooms in the Fall.

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They have begun to grow scales, leaves, and two had open flowers but they should settle in and compete a Fall blooming cycle.

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Of course, I could never harvest enough saffron from a dozen bulbs to make the effort worth while. That is why saffron is such an expensive spice. The stamen with the pollen are picked and dried. They are called threads once dried.

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I planted them in about five patches so they could create colonies in several locations around the garden. They should make nice colonies and provide some Fall color. That is if the voles do not eat them!

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The red shades of hellebore are blooming.

I have purchased hellebore throughout the years and the red shades are a favorite.

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They seem to be in the same range of a reddish hue but a few of them also have dark foliage, too.

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I would like to add more of the named varieties such as the Pine Knot hybrids, especially, the spotted shades.

I do have two white Pine Knott hybrids with burgundy foliage. The are very heavy bloomers.

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Hellebore also have a habit of seeding prolifically. When left to their own they form colonies. I am betting on this habit to create colonies around my garden, too!

I also have this one named Dark Lady

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And this one, also.

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Hopefully, these all will create a nice colour pallet around the yard in winter.

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Harvesting culinary ginger.

The first hard frost was this week. When I say hard I mean 25f. Our typical winter temps are about 25f to 30f at night and in the 30s or 40s during the day.

Frost has killed the foliage of the culinary ginger in the garden so it’s time to harvest the roots. It’s a shame, though, because one plant was beginning to bloom and its the first time I have had that to happen.

Below is the bud and a small pink flower was peeking out the day before the frost.

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The plants are now mushy from frost and have fallen over.

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I simply pull and the root comes up.

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I rinse the soil off in a bucket of water then pour the water and soil back into the garden bed.

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Now I need to trim off the roots and clean the remaining soil by hand.

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Ginger will last about two months in your vegetable crisper in a zip lock bag. You can also freeze it in small portions so its ready to use. Other methods are storing is to store it in jars of vodka as if its pickled. I might have to try that one!

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Namaste’

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