Garlic Harvest 2009

Fresh from the garden this morning. Much of this will

go to pickling and canning!

In Search of the Tropicalesque

One of my projects this year is to install a "tropicalesque" garden. What exactly this means is somewhat open for interpretation, but I generally think of it as a garden that intends to look tropical with plants that may or may not necessarily be tropical. Cooler-climate gardeners often attempt this as a sort of challenge, and this season I am one of them.

What exactly is a “tropical look”? This, again, is open for interpretation, as tropical climates range from rainforest to grassland to desert. There are certain plants that are strongly associated with the tropics, and can be found throughout the zone. These include palms, bananas, and ficus. Often it is large leaves, spiky leaves, or palmate leaves that characterize a lot of these plants, and generate what is considered a “tropical look”. Some are even hardy in zone 6 Syracuse, believe it or not.

There are also many other plants that are not necessarily tropical (and quite hardy in Syracuse), but are able to connote a tropical “look”. Many of these are native, such as yucca, pawpaw, catalpa, sumac, and various lilies. Large ferns, such as ostrich, contribute as well. The creative use of broad-leaf evergreens can really contribute to a tropicalesque garden. Rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, hollies, and camellias can be used for their glossy, evergreen foliage. Yes, camellias! I have a few here in my Syracuse garden. There is a family of camellia cultivars called the ‘Ackerman hybrids’ which can withstand colder winter temperatures as low as zone 6, possibly even zone 5.

Of course, there are plenty of traditional tender perennials that can be thrown into the mix. These include cannas, dahlias, gladiolas, and calla lilies. These make good fillers for the little spaces left in the garden. They are usually not hardy here, but a select few might be able to make it through the winter with some mulching.

The crown jewel of my experiment is definitely the Musa basjoo, or 'Japanese fiber banana'. This plant is the cold-hardiest banana in the world, possibly being able to handle temps down to -30 F. This is accomplished with heavy winter mulching of course, but even without mulching this banana may be able to survive zone 6. This upcoming winter will be my first experiment with leaving the banana outdoors. I got it last May, and grew it in a pot indoors throughout last winter, but now it is sizable enough to be outside.

The 'Tropicalesque' garden. Musa basjoo center-

left.

Thornden Park Association Garden Tour

Next Sunday, June 21st, the Thornden Park Association will be hosting its 17th annual garden tour of the Syracuse University neighborhood area. Select private gardens will be featured and open to the public from 1pm - 4pm. Admission is $10 (proceeds go to the association's efforts to upkeep Thornden Park), which is payable at the field house located at Thornden Park. Read more about the tour here.

I highly recommend the tour, as you get to meet the gardeners themselves. This allows for the opportunity to ask questions or discuss anything that might peak your interest about their garden. As a matter of fact our garden was featured last year (not this year however, maybe next!). The variety of gardens on the tour is also quite amazing; large and small, sunny and shaded, open and wooded. You'll probably also see a new plant that you'll want to try at home. It's definitely worth it!

The End of Iris Season

When the iris are in bloom I feel like I'm in a candy store. Not only because of the colors and shapes, but more importantly the scent! I'm waiting for the day when iris-flavored candy will be invented, which is probably doubtful since they're quite toxic. I'll just have to settle for the few weeks of scent in May and June (and gin, which is partly flavored with iris root). Anyway, here is some of the "candy" of the garden:

'Supreme Sultan' (bought this at the farmer's market!)

possibly 'Flavescens', a cultivar dating back

to 1813

possibly 'Honorabile', from 1840

'Warchief'

'Before the Storm', by far the most strongly-scented

iris in the garden (and one of the most beautiful)

Commenting Problem

Hi all - Just letting you know that I'm aware of the problem with the comment section, and I'm working on it! Check back often :)