Controversy in the Garden

A departure from the usual type of post here. I have had to make a difficult decision regarding a pressing issue in the garden.

The story begins 10 years ago when I was given some plants from an out-of-state friend; some flowers and some raspberry roots. I had just moved here from NYC where I'd lived for 35 years. Not knowing where to plant what--I didn't know the land yet--I plopped everything in the first places I could think of that might be suitable. That location was where my garden would eventually become established. I was completely oblivious to the time bomb hitching a ride in one or more of those potted plants. I knew nothing about it, nor did I know to look for it.

That bomb was Ground Elder, also known by several other names including Bishop's Weed. Aegopodium podagraria. A horribly invasive plant up here where I'm located. The garden where these plants came from had Ground Elder in it, I found out later. I noticed it within a year or two and it's fast spreading habit alarmed me. When I went looking to ID it I started to realize the seriousness of the problem. Within two to three years, one bed had been completely over run by it. I spent two to three weeks one spring digging that bed up and sifting the soil, trying to eradicate it. (If but a tiny segment of root is left in the soil it will take hold, grow, and re-establish itself.) This set it back but before I knew it, it was back and spreading in other directions. It was a mess and threatening to smoother my entire garden. In hindsight I think this threw me into a sort of denial, thinking that it would 'peter out' or meet the end of it's natural life cycle. Well no, it didn't.

I had angst about it for a number of years, discouraged at having had the experience of sifting through soil in an effort to remove every trace of it, and not wanting to repeat that effort again in vain. Last year I noticed it spreading to other beds nearby and some had popped up in an area where I was dumping sod to create new beds. It seemed an insurmountable problem and I was feeling a certain guilt over it, because it wasn't here before I got here. I worried that it would continue to spread and that it's seedlings would eventually cover the entire mountain in an unstoppable sea of Bishop's Weed. How did this ever happen?

The situation had become one of desperation. From the stories I'd read online and my experience at trying to dig it out, I realized that trying to manually eradicate it would be a futile exercise. Thus begins my controversial decision.

It is completely against my principles to use weed killers or insecticides. However, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I decided to do some reading up on the subject. Today's ubiquitous herbicide of choice is, of course, RoundUp, which contains as it's active ingredient, glyphosate. I have, over the years, read horrible things about glyposate and it's effects on the bee population and other life forms. I would never have considered using something like it. But in my search for an answer I came across some studies that seemed to shed new light on it.

One study from England, in particular, had found that some glyphosate based herbicides had about the same effect on bees as a control group--a very good outcome indeed. The study mentioned a particular brand, but sadly, that product is only available in the UK. The conclusion of the study is that glyphosate is not the main culprit in RoundUp, and the real problem is the inert ingredients that make up 99% of it's constitution. (I'm unclear whether the maker of RoundUp is reformulating its product to address this issue.)

This alone might not have completely convinced me, but I had also read about how glyphosate works, and why it cannot affect insects or animals. It works by interfering with some channel of chemistry that plants alone utilize. Reading about the application of RoundUp, I found that one sprays it on the plant's leaves, which in turn absorb it and it makes it's way to the plant's roots. It's systemic.

 All this 'research' took place last summer and since I couldn't obtain the glyphosate herbicide from England (the one with good marks), I decided to wait and think about it over the winter. I wasn't ready to turn to RoundUp yet.

Several months later, and my thoughts boiled down to these points:

• I think that the indiscriminate use of RoundUp should be avoided and by no means should it be used on a large scale.
• If I had sprayed these invasive plants when the problem first arose, I would have had to use very little. If I wait longer I will have to use a lot more.
• I need a specific, one-time (hopefully) application to erradicate an out-of-control invasive plant that could well smother out a lot of local flora if nothing is done about it.
• The size of the area I need to treat is still manageable.

I decided it needed to be done.

I started with the worst patch first, waiting for a day with little to no breeze, and sprayed close to the plants. The label on the container says results can be seen as quickly as 12 hours later. Nothing. After a few days: Nothing. Finally, I noticed a yellowing of the leaves and a gradual dying back. Oh, thank goodness. It has been working for over a month and I'm now removing as many dead roots as possible so as to reclaim the bed that had become so infested.

There is still another bed that needs treatment and I'm waiting for some early flowering plants to be done blossoming (which they just did this week) so I can dig up the bed, save the plants I want, and then spray the Ground Elder.

I'm really relieved. Finally, it appears to be under control and I know how I can get rid of it now.

It's been a nightmare. I'm keeping some RoundUp in reserve so that if I see any new shoots coming up, they'll get sprayed right away.

This is the area that has already been sprayed, the process of removing roots has begun. The rhubarb patch will also need to be dug up and treated since it, too, is infested:

A pile of dead roots. A small fraction of what I'm pulling out:

Another view of the area (I'm waiting on the small patch on the right because there are crocuses I want to save in that area):

The other bed that is infested, waiting to be treated:

Seedlings etc.

( Note: Blogger is acting up this evening and won't re-size my images. So, as always to see a bigger version of the pics, simply click on them.)

Nature continues it's showy spring roll out with a seemingly endless array of sights, smells, and bird song. Oh, what a delight it is. Pictured is a Sessile Bellwort which has found a place in the front yard. So perfectly delicate and colored. The other morning I went out to the front deck with a cup of coffee and found myself listening to the beautiful song of some bird I could not identify. It was glorious. The Lilac has been in full bloom these past two days and it's heavenly scent is wafting through the yard imbuing the whole place with a magical aura. Beautiful, moving, and reassuring spring.

Some tulips that blossomed in the past few weeks...

I was late sowing tomatoes, didn't get them started until about two weeks ago. They should nonetheless provide a crop... I hope. With this week's high temps they grew much in the past few days and I potted them on, earlier this evening. They'll go in the ground in a couple of weeks. I have been able to place them outside during the day ever since they germinated and doing so has given them a robust character. Seedlings that are exposed to breezes develop stronger stems than those that are coddled in hot houses. These are going to be very good plants I think. Also sown were some zucchini, which is growing gung-ho, some nasturtiums--doing well, petunias--terrible germination, and black-eyed Susan vine--also far from satisfactory germination. I have 2 of the vines and 2 or 3 petunias! There are enough zucchini plants to probably feed the whole town, prolific as they are. Several plants will go to the neighbors.

Just after potting on the tomato seedlings this evening, with some of the zucchini visible on left...

The cost of plants in nurseries has sky rocketed. Shockingly so. I was at a local place this week, 4" pots are over $8 each! A hanging pot with a large geranium: $50!! I shall say no more other than that is not going to make gardening a money saving effort!

The latest quilt square is presenting challenges. Firstly, the pattern's author pictured the central shapes as two-tone leaves and that didn't suit me, so I decided to make them a stylized sun. So far so good. But there are four flowers, one in each corner, and they have many petals that become very narrow near the center of the flower. I have successfully cut out two of them, but the third one started falling apart at those narrow areas. I think I need to find a more tightly woven wool to use for these. Also, because of the narrowness, blanket stitch is out of the question. I checked the author's sample and she put blanket stitch along one edge of each petal only. I wasn't keen on that either, so I'm sewing these down with whip stitch and may then decorate the edges with something else. Not sure yet.

(I've decided not to crop out my current reading. I never read it as a child, only ever saw the wonderful movie that used to come on TV once a year. It's never too late, and it's an enjoyable quick read! 😊 )

Wild things, Tame things, and Sheep and Wool

 

That's a Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium). Ran across them while I was strimming some brambles out back last week, in the dappled shade where the forest meets the field. So, so pretty. There was a whole patch of them...

I'd never seen them before since it was an area I've managed to avoid all these years.

On the other side of the yard, in front, I found these beauties in a small patch. I have seen them in years past up on the other side of the stone wall. Glad they are feeling comfortable in approaching nearer. Trillium...

Finally, one bank on the edge of the front lawn is covered in violets this time of year. Their soft blue/purple is a sight for sore eyes...

Among the domesticated flora greeting the spring are some pretty Daffodils. I do love them so. This one is my favorite of all...

Aren't they beautiful! I must plant more next fall.

Another striking blue, Muscari...

I have a few Hyacinths that I purchased from the supermarket in years past, sold as forced indoor blossoms. I put them out in the garden when they're done in the house. This is one of them, it's getting on in years now...

My neighbor and I visited the NH Sheep and Wool festival over the weekend. These festivals are always a good vibe. It was a lovely day...

Finally, I saw the Aurora Borealis Friday night! We had clouds moving in and out but in between there were a couple of really nice displays. It was awesome. I hope you got to see them where ever you are.

Another block is finished for the quilt and the next one is started.

Yard and Garden

 

Pulmonaria

The Lungwart (Pulmonaria) is blossoming. Its truly delightful blue/purple color is a welcome site against the mostly brown/grey of the yard at this time of year. And so easy to grow.

I got an early start on the yard and garden this year, it seems to me. I've already cleaned up most of the walkway border where the teeny tiny Tête-a tête Daffodils are in full bloom at the moment. Such a cheerful sight! They brighten the grayest of days.

Yesterday I put the blade attachment on the strimmer and went at the bramble patch. Despite being drowned out by the brambles every year, the daylilies that established themselves on the bank continue to persist and that makes me happy. This summer I will keep beating back the brambles hoping to eventually eliminate them from that area of the yard. I want it back:

I need to go back and pick up all the chopped down brambles. Today I focused just to the right of this area where there is an old chicken coop, shed?, and cold frame. The chicken coop has been looking very dilapidated and I went down with the intention of demolishing and removing it. But as I started working on it, I realized that the walls of the coop are very solid, it's just the roof that's caved in. Now I don't want to get rid of it because it's so well built. It's making me want to try chickens, but I'm so unsure about it. More thought needed. Predators are a worry, as is my schedule.

L to R: Chicken coop, cold frame, and shed.

It gave me pause this afternoon to realize that in my 10 years here I've never used this cold frame. That's going to change. It, too, is very solid and I'm going to start some seedlings in it this year. I think retirement might have something to do with this turn of events. The covers seem too opaque to me so I will look for something to replace them. It probably retains heat quite well. I can put a remote thermometer in it and monitor the temps. Sounds like a plan.

The shed on the right is also in good shape but I wish it was up closer to my garden; it would make a great garden shed. But it's too heavy to move so it will remain unused for now.

Last year, the rose pillar that was holding up my Dutchman's Pipe vine fell over. It was quite a predicament because the vine was completely intertwined with the pillar and I had no idea how I could remove it without destroying the plant.

Well. The other day as I was looking it over, I remembered that I had put that pillar together and therefor I could disassemble it. So I went at it with screwdriver and pliers this afternoon. It was easy to pull the vertical supports out of the vine but the circular bands were knotted in place. With a bit of prying and minimal cutting, I got everything freed up. Hurray! I did not have to cut any of the big stems, only some much thinner ones. The pruning will probably be beneficial to it in the end. So the climbing rose now has the rose pillar--which it needed, and I can find something more suitable for the Dutchman's Pipe to grow on. So glad that dilemma is resolved.

One task that had to be done this year was cutting the oregano down to size. It had completely overtaken the herb circle I built several years ago, crowding out all the other herbs. To be honest it didn't look so great last year. Maybe because it had gotten so out of hand. So I went at it aggressively. Very aggressively: I pulled it all out. Knowing now how it spreads, I'll get a new plant and give it a more suitable space.

It's nice to see the circle again.

Also starting to flower at this time are a few pansy plants that I planted 3 years ago! They keep coming back! To be sure, I'm down to just a few plants now, but it's wonderful to see them so early, in blossom.

This square will probably be done by end of week:

A week (or two) in pictures

 It feels to me as if I made my last post just a week or so ago, but looking at the timestamp I see that it's been two weeks already! My, oh my!

A lot of progress on current projects. I dipped another batch of chocolates and they came out even better than last month's batch. It's boosting my confidence and I'm starting to feel like I have a bit of control in the matter.

Next on the agenda are some jellied centers, oh I love those. And chocolate covered cherries. I made the cherries many years ago when I was still living in Brooklyn and they were very good.

Upon further reading I found out that dipped chocolates won't be shiny, and if shiny chocolates are the goal, one must use molds.

We had a power outage early last week. Three hours without electric. I had muffins in the oven and they'd been baking for 20 minutes; they need 25 to 30 minutes. I left them in the oven thinking I'd turn it on when the power came back, hoping that it would be a short lived outage. When the power was restored, three hours later, I opened the oven expecting to find half-baked muffins but wouldn't you know! The residual heat in the oven was enough to bake them. A happy surprise. They weren't browned much on top, but they were fully baked. Hurray!

Just this week I realized that my recipe for pancakes and the one for muffins have the same ingredient list except that the pancakes take melted butter and the muffins take vegetable oil! Who knew? Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, milk, and butter (pancakes) or oil (muffins). The proportions are different, of course.

There is nothing like taking the time to stop and do a bit of slow living. Fifteen minutes hanging laundry out to dry is a really nice way to pause the day, immerse oneself in the natural way of things and get pleasure from taking in the sight of grass waiting to sprout, trees lining the forest, water puddling in ground depressions while listening to the breeze and the birds. I used the downstairs dryer during the winter months but I'm glad to be hanging my laundry outside again. Feels wholesome to do so.

Our local supermarket often has a rack of fresh cut flowers reduced in price for quick sale. They are not top shape, having sat in the store for a little too long, but they are quite salvageable and can bring beautiful color into to the house for a few bucks. So I picked up a dozen multi-colored roses for $3 a week or so ago, intending to harvest the petals for decor. The blossoms lasted 4 or 5 days, not bad for such a low price.

I've stopped using the wood stove. Day temps in the 50s (almost 60 some days), night times in the 30s (tonight is supposed to dip to 26 or some such thing). So too warm for a wood fire during the day (simply won't draft when it's that warm) and I'm under the covers at night. I do use my little space heater at the desk at this time of year just to get the chill out. I was contemplating lighting the stove this evening seeing how the 20s isn't especially warm, but I think I'll let it go and see how things are in the morning. If it's too cold, next time I'll do something different.

Another block for the quilt is done. This one was complex and took almost 2 weeks, a challenge. I'm pretty happy with it though, considering I was really unsure about the colors I chose. Turned out nice.

The next block, however, has taken only 3 days so far and I'm almost done with it. Just a few more petals to sew on, and one leaf. I really like this one a lot.

In other news, daffodils and tulips are growing. Tete-a-tete daffodils are just blossoming. I sowed some spinach, arugula, and swiss chard over the weekend, hoping to take advantage of the cool temperatures ... as long as they sprout.

The bears have awakened from their slumber. I went out to the entry way one morning last week to find the back door open (it was ajar from the frost heaving) and the bag of birdseed gone, along with a couple bags of garbage which were strewn up the field. I also heard him/her the other night when I went out to get the bird feeders. Could hear and feel the ground rumble under the weight of it's running.

This picture is from a few years back...

Scarf: Done! ... and new spindles

 

Someone who did not know would have a hard time imagining that less than a week ago we were in the middle of a nor'easter blizzard that left over 12" of snow. The temps have been in the daytime 40s since then and it was really warm and sunny today; over 60 F. A whole lot of the blizzard has disappeared already and I even noticed a crocus in bloom (the above picture was taken a few years ago). I had the front door open today for the first time since winter began. Feels so nice. My sump pump in the basement has been very very busy. 

The scarf had it's finishing touches put on this week and got a good soak in no-rinse soapy water. I spun up some yarn with high twist for the fringe since it will get more wear and tear. Off to storage until next winter.

A surprise find at one of the local thrift shops last week. Two supported spindles and what I believe to be some sort of niddy-noddy for winding yarn. The spindles are quite long--longer than the typical--but not as long as a Navajo supported spindle. The whirl is clay. Rather primitive. I'm trying to find out more about them. The NH Sheep and Wool Festival is about a month away; that will be my opportunity to ask around. Experiments under way.

One more block for the quilt:

And another one started:

A YouTube recommendation. I've been following Georgie Newbery since last summer. She's a flower farmer and florist; a wonderfully outgoing personality. If you love flowers, growing flowers and arranging flowers, you'll find lots to love on her channel.

Making chocolates

 

There is again a lot of visible bare ground in the yard, much of the 18" that fell last week has melted. That's a lot of snow to melt in one week, but it's been in the 40s quite a lot. However, it looks like we're in for another repeat: A major snow storm is predicted for Wednesday. My goodness.

Finished the latest block for the quilt. A lot of pieces went in to this one. Well worth it.

Planning for the next ...

I made chocolates for Easter. I have a fascination with the techniques and ingredients (yum!) of chocolate making, so I give it a whirl now and then. Finally, I have come close to success. The chocolates I made late last week are my best yet. The chocolate coating is crisp with some shine at room temperature, and the fillings are delicious. I helps to have good recipes and after many years, I have hit upon recipes for fondant and caramel that are quite good. I've also read up on tempering chocolate which is a must to achieve quality coatings.

I say 'close' to success because there is a bit of faint streaking in some of the chocolates, although it has not affected the flavor nor the crispness. So I'm very close to my desired result. I'm pretty sure the streaks are from 1) the chocolate getting too hot when I melted it, and 2) the chocolate getting a few degrees too hot after I brought it back up to temperature.

The process of tempering is simple-ish. Melt the chocolate, cool it, bring it back up to dipping temperature. But the temperatures are specific and important. I went too far, I think. One expert I've read says it should take up to an hour to melt the chocolate initially in a pot over hot--but not simmering or boiling water.

I put the chocolate on and decided to do dishes while it melted. When I checked on it, it had all melted and may have gone over the recommended 131 degrees F. I don't know for sure because I didn't check the temperature.

Then the chocolate is removed from the heat and another 1/3 the total amount of chocolate, unmelted, stirred into it vigorously and the stirring continued until the chocolate reaches 80-82 degrees F. Then it goes back on the heat until the temperature reaches 88-89 degrees F. I know for sure that I heated this stage over 88-89 and this may have been the mistake that resulted in some faint streaking. I'll try again this week because I have pounds of centers to dip!

The above method is called the 'seeding' method of tempering chocolate. There is another method but is described as more difficult. I'll master seeding before moving on.

A whole lot of centers. I made raspberry fondant, orange fondant, and caramels. I also had some store bought marzipan in the cupboard that I had purchased for Christmas but didn't use. I shaped and molded the fondants and marzipan with a few cutters and molds, and cut the caramel into squares.

The bottom line: They are delicious! A little bit of streaking doesn't stop me from enjoying these sweet bonbons!

The Cream Center (fondant) recipe I'm using these days:

2 cups sugar
1 cup heaving cream
1 Tblsp light corn syrup
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp flavoring
1 tsp soft butter
coloring

Cook the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and cream of tartar on low-ish heat to melt the sugar. Brush down the sides of the pan with water. Increase the heat and boil until thermometer reaches 238 degrees F (soft ball stage). Transfer to mixer bowl, add butter and beat on low for 1 minute. Increase speed of mixer to medium speed and beat for 6-7 minutes until shine is gone (mine always sets up around 5 minutes--watch carefully). Add flavor and color towards the end.

When it sits out, it may get too hard to work with. I find that placing it in a very low oven for 5 minutes or so softens it up enough to work with.

The Caramel recipe:

I should note that making caramel frightens me. Once the mixture nears the desired temperature it can scorch in an instant! One must be very attentive. I once ruined a pan by scorching and turning the mixture into one solid mass permanently adhered to the pan!

2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup butter
1.25 tsp vanilla

(No wonder chocolates are so expensive!)

Heat all but the vanilla to melt. Wash down sides of pan. Continue to heat to boil until mixture reaches 250 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into parchment lined pan. I find it best to cut the caramel into pieces just after it becomes stiff enough to not lose it's shape.

If you are going to try making these, brace yourself for failure. Possibly more than once. The line between great caramel and one that is ruined by the burnt smell of scorching is thin.

Bonne chance!