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As is the gardener, such is the garden!!
The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation, it becomes an obsession. - Phyllis McGinley

Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding Bridal Bouquet


Source: Ian West


What a beautiful morning we had today in USA watching the British Royal Wedding.  
The Union Jack flags continued to fly as Britain cheered its new royal couple. 
Around 2 billion people tuned in to watch Prince William marry his love Kate Middleton.

But, Why am I writing about William & Kate in this blog?
The answer is simple: knowing that is spring in the UK, we (as garden lovers) were really anxious in the greenery that would be adorning today’s event. So what better day to show their gardens than in a Royal Wedding.
I am not going to uncover anything by saying that Kate looked really pretty today, but...the detail of her flower bouquet gave her the perfect final touch.
It was a simple and tiny, hand wired bridal bouquet (compared to the one that Princess Diana wore on her wedding).
It was designed by Shane Connolly. It had Myrtle, Lily of Valley and Hyacinths.
LIFE The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (Life (Life Books))The tradition was followed in perfection. The bouquet contained stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.


Everything has a meaning in life and the bridal bouquet was not an exception. Every flower was chosen for a reason. They have a unique meaning:

Prince William & Kate Middleton Wedding Commemorative Coaster - Heart Motif on Union Jack.

Lily of the valley: Return of happiness. This delicate, fragrant flower signifies sweetness and renewed happiness. The flowers are very traditional wedding symbols

Sweet William: Gallantry and of course, because of the Name.
Hyacinth: Constancy of love. Another very fragrant flower. The white hyacinth signifies "constancy." Again, a very important sentiment when starting a life together.
Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection
Myrtle: The emblem of marriage; love. Every royal bride since Queen Victoria has had a sprig of myrtle in her bouquet. The myrtle comes from a tree which grew from a cutting of Queen Victoria's own bridal bouquet myrtle. Since then, each royal bride has included a spring from the tree in her bouquet, and they then plant their sprigs in Queen Victoria's garden as well. In fact, the tradition is that the bridesmaids plant the sprigs in the garden. Supposedly, if a sprig doesn't root and grow, the bridesmaid who planted it will be an old maid. Luckily for them, myrtle roots very easily.

NEW Real Touch White Rose and Lily Bridal Bouquet, Limited.

The biggest complaint I had about the bouquet was that it was too small and understated. But I wonder: “How big does a bouquet really need to be?” Bigger is not always better ; understated, elegant, and meaningful is the way to go at least for me. I appreciated the understated beauty of Kate Middleton's bouquet amid the pomp and extravagance of the royal wedding.


For your information, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is generally only available in the UK in April and May.  Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is available generally from April to June.  Hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are more readily available – normally from November to May.  So Kate really showed us the seasonal flowers from the UK!!!

Source: www.bbc.com

Monday, April 18, 2011

How to grow Tomatoes (videos)

Saturday, April 09, 2011

How to Prune your Bonsai in Spring

Naturally trees tend to be large and thick and inevitably have disorderly shapes. In order to remove the disappointing and unaesthetic parts of a bonsai, you need to prune its branches, buds, and leaves.  It is not enough to cut off  branches or to merely reduce a tree's size. You also need the smaller branches and leaves to develop fully. If you prune part of a branch, then new buds will grow out of the lateral bud of what remains and they develop into new branches. In this way branch pruning adds new branches and leaves to the tree.

Bonsai Tree Tool Kit - joebonsai Deluxe Apprentice SetPruning is the key to make from a regular tree a fine work of art. The goal of pruning is to cut off the tree parts that disturb the plant's shape so as to reduce the tree's overall size and to improve its appearance.
Bonsai are grown from ordinary, normal, not dwarf, species so their small size is basically the result of pruning, both branches and roots. 
Root pruning should be done following the same protocol as branch pruning because it affects the basic health of the tree. The same way, pruning branches and leaves will affect root growth. So, whatever you do above ground level will also affect what happens to the tree below the ground and vice versa.
The first step in how to prune a bonsai tree is that you always want to make sure you are pruning the tree in the appropriate season. Although there are some types of trees that can be pruned and trained throughout the year, many trees must be worked with during a specific time. The best period for pruning is when it brings minimal damage to the tree. Generally speaking, for deciduous trees it
is just after their leaves fall, and for conifer trees it is in the end of the tree's dormancy. For certain species of trees, if you prune in winter, then in the following spring or later the branches may develop overlong internodes and the large leaves will grow very dense.

Pruning the branches and leaves on the outer side of the bonsai tree stimulates the growth of those on the inner side of the tree, where the branches, buds, and leaves tend to wither due to insufficient sunlight and poor ventilation. Moreover, pruning the exterior branches and leaves makes the interior ones more visible. This brings out a sharper view of the entire bonsai. It also facilitates branch wiring.
There are many things we need to discuss properly, in order for you to understand the basic concepts of pruning a bonsai. Bonsai Tool 10-piece SetI have read many books and several webpages about different pruning techniques and they all try to explain everything in only one or two pages of a book or in a couple of paragraphs in a website and it is impossible to do that. There is too much information to share and too many details to go over, that it may be even overwhelming for you and for me to go through everything in one post, so today we are only going to focus on Branch Pruning. (it will be more than enough time to write a post about Root pruning and Trimming techniques)
When pruning, you want to focus the majority of your attention on the trunk, which will add to the illusion of mature size and age, more than any other feature on the tree.

We have two ways to prune your bonsai.
It can be either a Heavy or Styling method and a Light or Decorative one.

Styling Pruning

A Bonsai Juniper Tree 4 Years OldIt is the process of creating from an ordinary piece of nursery stock into a pre-bonsai. It is a very stressful for the tree so it should only be done when the tree is dormant, at the end of winter, beginning of Spring. If it is done too late in spring, the stress could kill the tree.
It depends on the tree, so the process could include decreasing the height of the tree by cutting off the trunk just below the final visualized height of the tree (that is the top of our prospective bonsai). You can imagine your bonsai or y
ou can sketch the idea or you can even use some modern gardening software to design your bonsai style.

Brussel's Japanese Red Maple BonsaiBut for all trees, it will include removing undesired branches. This could include removing up to eighty percent of the tree’s foliage areas in a deciduous tree, but for evergreen trees, fewer leaves and branches means less for the root system to supply with water and nutrients and it could mean certain death, so those trees should be shrunk in stages. Remember that Heavy branch pruning will slow the growth of the root system. 
Styling pruning on your rookies may include cutting back the trunk, sometimes as far as the trunk base (drastic pruning). This is usually done to make your tree more conical. For some deciduous trees, this can be done by simply removing the unwanted trunk, cleaning up the cut, and waiting for new buds to form to choose a new leader.
It is better to leave around one inch (2.5cm) or more of the unwanted trunk  above the desired new leader to allow for dieback. If you are going to jin the branch, leave the stub long. If not, leave the stub short. There is no need to protect the stub from dying out (because that is actually what you want to happen). This will allow the new leader to become strong enough to survive after the cut is cleaned up. The stub should be cut off cleanly horizontally. This is done to allow the use of the best leader from the new buds that will erupt. If it is done in an angle, the growth will start from the tip of the pruned branch  and we have to repeat the process.  


Decorative Pruning

2pc Bonsai Shear Set - 3 year guaranteeIt includes the shrinking of secondary branches, the removal of some unwanted branch or the restructuring of the apex (the top of the bonsai) and it includes pinching back and leaf removal (defoliation). It does not change the big picture of your bonsai because you don't change its main structure but it will improve the look of an established tree that already when through an earlier heavy pruning. This type of pruning it is not that stressful for the tree, so this can be done at the beginning-mid spring. Pinching back can be done (in 90% of the species) throughout the season and leaf pruning (trimming) can be done during the summer.


Which tools should we use?

Wallace 9359 Wood Handle Folding Pruning SawYou may wonder which tool to use, well, for a large trunk, a pruning saw can be a great asset. Remember that the Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke, and leave more wood than you think you will want, so that the cut can be reduced and shaped. Once you have the main part of the trunk removed, use concave or spherical knob cutters to reduce the cut. 
8AML Jumbo Fixed Blade Grafting KnifeThen, clean up the edges with a grafting knife or razor blade and seal the cut. You can buy a good grafting knife and learning how to sharpen it because you will not want to damage the living tissue. Trim in a rounded curve that will heal naturally. Do not make this a concave cut, but hollow it out just a little; as it is too large to heal properly and can hold water and promote rot. 

Bonsai Pruning Compound - CallousmateFinally protect the cut with a good gummy type wound sealer. But be careful, some pastes may actually be a good grafting sealer but can prevent the cut from cicatrizing properly. So I recommend to use bonsai made sealers, or believe me or not, regular school glue works great.



Remember that the Styles of bonsai are not rigid laws. They are only recommendations, based on observations about what makes certain trees beautiful.
Even though every bonsai has a front, it is important to note that the famous trees have both front and back branches as well as branches at the side. Thise gives a perfect balance to any tree and that is what you want to have in yours. A common mistake is to cut a piece of nursery stock until one has just a few branches left, but keep in mind that is better to leave more branches than you may ultimately use, because they can always be pruned later on but they can not be put back.
Once the main design of the tree has been established with a Hard Pruning, Decorative pruning combined with wiring will continue to advance the style of the tree until it is “complete.” (but do not get too anxious!! because there is never a complete bonsai, even the 200 years one are still wired and pruned to reshape their appearance each year). The branches should mirror the trunk. As we select branches at the outside curve of the trunk, we also select sub-branches on the outside curve of the branches. If the trunk has drastic angles or gentle curves, the branches should do the same. With most deciduous trees, this is accomplished more with pruning than wiring, although some wiring may be necessary. Be sure you leave extra branches on any weak area of the trunk to help promote growth in that particular area.
Bamboo-Leaf Japanese Maple 5 Seeds - RARE To prune the lateral branches, you should know the budding habits of your tree. This is where specific species knowledge is necessary. Usually, you will want to prune back to a bud that is growing in the direction you want the new growth to go. You will want to remove any growth downward or straight up; those that cross each other, and those growing back sharply toward the trunk and on trees that grow with opposite buds, you will want to prune to just two buds at each branching.  


Brussel's DT8045FF Fringe Flower BonsaiYou need to provide your tree with adequate time to recover after going through a severe pruning. With proper care and scheduled pruning, your tree will grow and remain healthy for years. After each pruning, new branches and leaves will grow out of the lateral buds and so will more smaller branches and leaves emerge.





 

How to prune your bonsai in Spring (Videos)


Sunday, April 03, 2011

How to grow Basil in your balcony

Basil is a member of the "Mint" family. Its botanical name is Ocimum Basilicum. I has a been used for as an embalming and preserving herb, found in mummies of Egypt and it was a symbol of mourning in Greece, where it was known as the "royal herb" .It is said that its origin comes from India, but there are some indications it may have originated even farther east; as it has been recorded from 907 A.D. in the Hunan region of China. It migrated westward as whole plants, since it could be grown easily indoors away from frost exposure. Today, basil is not only used as a food flavoring, but also in perfumery, incense, and herbal holistic remedies.



Basil has different varieties. It is easy to grow, and transforms ordinary meals into culinary treasures! Fresh basil not only tastes better than dried, it actually tastes different, almost as if it were not the same herb. Basil smells so good, and has such attractive blooms for an herb, that it's also grown in flower gardens as decoration. The blooms are also edible, though if the plant is allowed to bloom regularly its flavor declines.

As long as you have a sunny garden spot and reasonably fertile soil, basil can be successfully done throughout the world. Most gardeners who have grown, handled, and cooked a number of varieties have found that their cultivation requirements are not demanding at all. Basils also do well in container gardens located in full sun.



Choose the kind of basil you wish to grow. Do not waste this opportunity to choose one of the many astounding varieties which might be most fun or useful for you. Cinnamon basil really does smell like the sweet spice, it also has unusually beautiful and fragrant flowers. Lemon basil actually contains citral, an aromatic compound found in citrus fruit, and smells very lemony. Purple basil is often grown for decoration, as well as its scent and flowers. 

There are perennial basils which come back year after year, like African Blue Basil (which has pretty blue veins on its leaves) and Thai Basil, while most other varieties are annuals, which you'll have to plant year after year. Globe and Greek basil are much more difficult to grow, but form pretty little bushes which stay well-contained
If you are growing basil for the first time and want the herb primarily for cooking, we suggest Sweet Green Italian and Lettuce Leaved for starters. These varieties are the easiest to grow and size up quickly. They also have the most familiar sweet basil flavor. .
Basil should be cultivated in regions with temperatures between 7 to 27 C (45 to 80F) with a soil pH 4.3 to 8.2 (check the pH every four to six weeks). The tender annual, which is susceptible to frost grows best under full sun (at least 8hs of sun exposure per day), if there is no full sun where you live, at least grow your basil under artificial lighting. Fluorescent lights can be used if you don't have a sunny window. They will need to be placed close to the plants (18") and kept on for about 10 hours/day. Basil is perennial, so plant it in a pot that can be brought indoors through the winter months. Keep the lights on and you will have fresh herb all year round.
It does need a well-drained soils, (the easiest way to accomplish this is by putting an inch of gravel at the bottom of your container)

You can start from seeding in a "training seedling greenhouse starter container" and then transplant them to the final pot in late Spring after all danger of frost has passed. You should be able to germinate around 80% of your seeds.
Soil should be kept moist to speed germination and to improve its establishment. Seeds are small and should be planted shallow. Seed bed should be soft and uniform. You should see the first leaves after 8-14 days. Once two sets of leaves have formed, basil can be transplanted into the permanent container. Turn greenhouser upside down and gently squeeze it until plant falls out into your cupped hand. 
At the beginning the growth is slow, but after a few sets of leaves have emerged, growth rate increases significantly. Most small growers raising basil as an annual crop for a fresh use transplants, rather than direct field sowing.
Transplants are easy to produce and normally require 4-6 weeks of growth. If you want to grow your basil from stem-cutting, just pick some lateral branches, cut the stem about 3 inches from soil level, then peel off the first sets of leaves (around 3inches high) and place them into a container full of water, yes, just water (or you can use the classic mixture of sand and peat moss). You are going to see the first roots starting to grow in about two weeks, but do not get too anxious!!!, wait until you have a good set of roots in order to plant the new "grown" basil in the pot. When you are ready to plant it, fill flats with equal parts perlite, vermiculite, and peat. Press soil slightly to eliminate air pockets. Dampen soil, transplant your "Big basil" and enjoy.
Basil is intolerant to water stress at any stage of its development. So, a regular and even supply of water at rates used for most herbaceous vegetable crops will provide enough water. An easy method: water your basil when the soil feels dry if you stick your finger one inch into the soil. Remember to water your outdoor basil if it is covered, sometimes, maybe even more than you do in a regular basis because the humidity in the environment will "suck out" the water from the perspiration of your plant.

The larger the pot the less often you will need to water the plants. A 12-inches container is large enough for a single plant although many gardeners use even larger containers. Unglazed terra-cotta pots or wooden boxes work better for herbs than plastic pots, which can keep the soil too humid. 

Generally speaking, potted plants do not succeed in plain garden soil. Instead, grow sweet basil in a mix of 1 part perlite to 5 parts potting soil.
Fertilizer applications depend on the type of soil and cropping history, that means, the older your plant is, the more fertilizer you will need. Basil responds well to moderate fertilizer such as a N-P-K ratio of 1-1-1. Spray it on the actual leaves - both tops and beneath but honestly, you won't need it for the first harvest. 
There is no national herbicide registrations for basil in the USA. This means that basil should be grown without herbicides. (A little secret, the basil itself has some antifungal properties, so it won't even require the use of one)...but if you insist, try to go Green, you should try your best to get a delicious organic, and free of chemical herb; so use mulch and manual weeding for weed control and also helps retain moisture for shallow rooted herbs. 
(Try this: grow two plants, one with herbicides and commercial fertilizer and one without, and you are going to see the difference in the aroma and flavor between them).
Flowers blooming create a hormone change which dramatically reduces the flavor of the leaves, as well as the amount of new foliage which grows. This is  more likely to happen when there is and unexpected raise in the temperature. You'll notice that if you leave the flowers, the plant will become thin and tall and the leaves won't be as full or tasty. So, when you see flower buds, pinch them out and the set of leaves under them too. If you look closely, at the base of every leaf are two tiny little leaves that will grow outwards if the stem growing between them is cut off. Cut close to those tiny leaves, but be sure not to damage them.
It is not rocket science to harvest your basil but remember that the part harvested depends on what you will use the basil for. Where it is grown for its dried leaves, cut just prior to the appearance of flowers. For essential oil, it is harvested during blooming season. 

Here in my balcony, where I have a tropical climate I can get 3-5 cuttings per year. In the more northern temperate zones, the growing season is long enough for one, sometimes two cuts. Where two cuts are practiced, the first is generally early in the summer, and the yield relatively low, and the second just prior to open bloom. For the fresh and dried ones, it is harvested for its leaves, and the plant cut above the soil two to four sets of true leaves. The leaves can be cut when needed. To allow for re-growth, cutting should be at least 10-15 cm above the ground.
Growth may be encouraged by topping when plants are about 12 cm in height. 
The color and aroma retention, is strongly affected by how you handle your harvested leaves. You should dry them at low temperatures (<30C or <90F) to hold its color (like the ones you buy at the supermarket) or distilling for essential oil. Leaves should be washed and cleaned. Basil is very sensitive to sudden temperature change. For essential oil, the cut basil is normally cut, then field dried for 1-3 days before the material is collected and distilled.

I utilize my bonsai trimming scissors to harvest, simply because they are handy, sharp and I keep them in my Gardening bag, but you can use any type of scissors. Of course try to avoid using a knife or a razor since they will not make a clean cut. If you cut on the top, you will motivate bushier development of the plant. But, ifd you cut on the bottom or sides, you will promote a taller, much more slim plant. Prune once you have three or four sets of leaves. Do not trim much more than a 1/3 of the total growth during a single period. This is exactly why you should try to get the tenderest areas of the plant (so your food processor will not get blocked up with wood stems).

We clip away all of the flowers to activate energetic new growth to spring from the side shoots. Even trim any kind of leaves which look like they’re looking set to change to less than lively green in the future. We remove these away just before they lose their color so you can still use these in a pesto as well.
After that if we require much more volume to be able to fill out our pesto-destined bag full of herbs, we sit down and crunch away individual leaves.
When freezing the basil leaves, use your scissors alongside the stem and slice all the whole row of leaves at the same time, so you make sure no stems are left. Freeze an abundance of leaves. Collect, wash, and dry. Seal in freezer bags until ready to use.
Or you can dry your basil in a ventilated warm location out of direct sunlight. (I never recommend to do it in your garage, specially if you live in the south, because in summer, the temperature can reach over 100F (38C) and you may lose all your harvest. When drying your basil, abandon the leaves on each stem right up until they’re crunchy and nice .
Bundles of herbs can be dried upside down from a line. Another method for harvesting sweet basil is drying the herb on a screen covered with and old kitchen-cloth, but I have used old newspaper and it works perfectly as well. The papers can decrease the staining and oxidation in which it might undergo with no paper. 
A few basil fanatics prefer to dry out their herb using a specific basil-drying screen after which they complete the procedure by cooking it within the oven Space the leaves to allow air to circulate. Dry herbs for around ten days before storing. 
If you wish to save your own basil seed, select a few strong growing stems and allow them to grow without pruning to flowering and seed formation. Watch the flower and seed pots carefully so that you harvest the seeds for drying before they fall to the ground.

Off the record: This is not a cooking blog, but if you want to share some of your delicious recipes using home grown basil, I'll be more than welcome to post it. I have a secret home made pizza recipe...but if I post it here it wont be secret anymore, so just ask for it and I'll email it to you...