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Articles from Francis Rosenfeld | Selfgrowth.com
- Flowers for the Summer Solstice - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldThis is so exciting! I have heard so many stories and legends about this flower, but I never actually saw it before. This is Galium Verum, Lady’s Bedstraw, the flower of St. John, a plant so deeply associated with the summer solstice that some even believe it only blooms on the Eve of St. John’s ...
Views: 1202 - Working with Herbs - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldWorking with herbs is an art and small details in the practice of harvesting and preserving them makes the difference between success and failure. Harvesting: Always harvest herbs in the morning, right after the dew has dried up but before the heat makes the plants release their volatile ...
Views: 694 - Summer Rain - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI sometimes forget how much I love summer rain, even the subdued kind, like the one right now, the kind that lasts for days. The light shifts to green from bouncing off lush wet foliage under a murky sky. There is harmony in the dance of raindrops tapping on the roof, life itself feels softer, ...
Views: 620 - Valerian - by Submitted on May 31, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI worried when I added valerian to the herb wheel that it wasn't going to last very long in my garden. Cats are supposed to be so attracted to this plant they can't rest its scent and chew it into oblivion. Either we don't have enough free roaming cats in the neigborhood or its reputation of ...
Views: 626 - How to Care for Daylilies - by Submitted on May 22, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldThe day lilies came with the house and they were already established when we moved in, so I didn’t pay much attention to their care. It showed. I used to take day lilies for granted because they are so ubiquitous in public and commercial outdoor spaces people see them as care free. That they ...
Views: 613 - Bladder Campions - by Submitted on May 15, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldThis is an edible plant, widely used around the Mediterranean Basin to flavor omelets, pasta and risotto. Its young greens make a tasty addition to meals when stewed in a little olive oil, just like chards and spinach. It can be eaten uncooked, but the raw leaves taste bitter because they ...
Views: 650 - Magic Beans - by Submitted on May 08, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIf I knew how much I would enjoy purple beans, I would only have planted those to begin with. Besides being an attractive feature in the garden, they taste better and are not stringy at all, which is a blessing. Of course the purple color turns green in the pot, but that's beside the ...
Views: 572 - More About Lemon Verbena - by Submitted on May 03, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI know, when you think cooking herb, lemon verbena is not the first plant that comes to mind. A lot of people, especially here, up north, where it is not winter hardy, may not be familiar with this wonderful plant, so I'll do the honors. It has the fragrance and taste of lemon zest, with just ...
Views: 592 - Gardening is Art - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIt turns out flower gardening meets the criteria in the definition of art: it is a human activity dedicated to the creation of a physical item principally meant to be appreciated for its beauty and emotional impact. How much of it is the gardener’s input and how much of it is nature’s mercy is ...
Views: 620 - Garden Sage - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI had to give the sage a serious hair cut so that the struggling rose could emerge from under it. When plants thrive, they thrive. I’ve had this clump of sage for two years, and it expanded through all the seasons, including winter, only it knows why! I really don’t know what to do with sage, ...
Views: 683 - Jack in the Pulpit - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI know that Jack in the Pulpit is not the only living thing that changes genders in order to adapt to its circumstances, but I still think it is a cool enough fact to mention. The plant starts out male and if in time it finds its location accommodating and its nutrient supply adequate, it ...
Views: 589 - Growing Peonies - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldThe peonies would have bloomed by now, the buds have been ready to burst for more than a week, but it is so unseasonably cold, weird May weather! Temperatures in the fifties, I almost have to question the wisdom of moving the basil outside, it looks miserable. Peonies are the object lesson for ...
Views: 655 - Flowers of the Rainbow - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldBecause they are so old, irises have become quite heavy with symbolism and legend, so much so that I almost got drowned in the downpour of information that carried me from the gods and goddesses of Antiquity to the budding medicine of the Middle Ages, to the royal house of France, and then back ...
Views: 648 - Buttercups - by Submitted on Mar 21, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldGuess which were the first flowers to bloom this year? Spring finally made up its mind, not before one last fluffy snow. Despite this desperate attempt, winter lost its power and the wet blanket swiftly melted to provide the plants with welcome moisture. Every day I take a trip through the ...
Views: 631 - Waiting for Violets - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldEvery summer I plan to thin the violets and every summer I change my mind at the last minute, and this picture is the reason why. How can I pull these delicate flowers that cover the earth in spring in every shade of blue between aqua and indigo? Sweet violets are to the flower bed what Pac-Man ...
Views: 508 - Roses for Landscaping - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIt is amazing what special status roses have in gardens! A gardener will move a tree, completely restructure a flower bed and change the location of a patio before they decide to touch an established rose. New homeowners who inherit roses plan their entire gardens in ways that feature and ...
Views: 602 - Chamomile Lawns - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIf you have a sunny slope that is difficult to mow, in a location with well drained, sandy soil, try a chamomile lawn. The delightful apple scent is a reward in itself, and using chamomile as a groundcover offers some advantages, like low mowing, feeding and watering needs, but the plant is ...
Views: 662 - Bulb Propagation - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIf you would like to try your hand at serious bulb propagation, a method often used by professional growers, especially for hyacinths, is called scooping, and it is known to produce up to thirty bulblets from a single bulb. Clean and dry a large and healthy hyacinth bulb and scoop out the ...
Views: 700 - Little Miracles - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldThe amount of time I spend contemplating the fresh seedlings in the starting tray would probably irritate an action oriented person. I would likely have some difficulty explaining to that person the wonderment of seeing the first set of leaves emerge, or the excitement of watching the tiny ...
Views: 575 - The Symbolism of Tree Blossoms - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldI will continue with the love and romance theme, since it’s Valentine’s Day and all, a day when the meanings of cut flowers suddenly rise to prominence, fact made evident by the dire scarcity of red roses around this blessed date. On this day it is impossible to escape the knowledge that the ...
Views: 620 - February Sowing - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIf you thought February is when the gardener has nothing to do but wait for spring, that would not be correct: February is planting time. Every year in the middle of winter my otherwise serene living room turns into a wild jungle, and for two blessed months I live inside a miniature ...
Views: 582 - The Garden that Keeps on Giving - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldIf you have established perennials, they are a readily available source of new plants for your garden. Most herbaceous perennials can be propagated by division. In spring, for fall blooming perennials, and fall, for spring blooming perennials, dig up the clump, break it up into smaller ...
Views: 576 - About soil pH - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldSo, since I brought it up, a little more information about soil pH. The alkaline soil is quite easy to recognize, it’s usually clay, heavy, and out in the open, away from any large trees and shrubs, whose annual leaf drop helps acidify the soil. It tends to dry out on the surface, but deep down ...
Views: 593 - Why Spring is My Favorite Season - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldSpring didn't come early this year, the daffodils and hyacinths are still struggling with the cold weather. This comes somewhat as a relief, last year's spring arrived unseasonably early and was followed by a damaging summer of drought. Last year around this time the grass was sprinkled with ...
Views: 656 - Sweetness and Perfume - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldSince the beginning of my gardening journey I wished for a fragrance garden, so I planted the well known scented flowers like sweet peas, lilies, and carnations. The garden surprises you, though, because that heavenly scent, that fragrance that fills the air and seems to originate nowhere ...
Views: 879 - Easy Shade Garden - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldA shaded corner isn't usually the gardener's dream, but the challenge of creating abundance in an otherwise barren and uninspiring spot is impossible to resist. Fear not, eager green thumbs, for the effort you put forth into finding out what would grow in less than ideal conditions brings with ...
Views: 587 - Bugleweed - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldAjuga reptans, bugleweed, is a fail proof groundcover for any sun exposure or soil type. I started with its Latin name because I always thought it sounded more patrician and better suited to this plants' sophistication. I love bugleweed, it is a versatile plant which helped me bring back to ...
Views: 573 - Winter Pampering - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldI looked far and wide for signs of spring, which is a testimony to my undying optimism, and there is nothing, nothing, I tell you! Not even a little shivering primrose, or a tentative daffodil, just nothing on ice with a side of leafless trees. As it very well should be, what self-respecting ...
Views: 692 - Old Bourbon Roses - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe quintessence of romantic imagery, the Bourbon rose! There is an unspoken consensus among rosarians that roses are the crowning glory of botanical creation. No other plant was capable of achieving this status and no one ever will, even though many classic perennials, such as peonies, ...
Views: 554 - Caring for Bulbs During the Cold Season - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldWhen you plant bulbs, whether that happens in fall or spring, don’t forget to mix in a good measure of bone meal into the dirt, to help them set in and give them some food for the first year. Other than that, bulbs don’t need a lot of care. Because they are usually sprinkled among other ...
Views: 549(1 vote) - Summer Garden Maintenance - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldSummer garden maintenance usually goes unnoticed, masked by the fervent activity of the plants themselves at the peak of their vegetative cycle. Because this is the season when a lot of the perennials rush to bloom, you don’t notice any glitches in the life of the garden unless you happen to ...
Views: 562(1 vote) - How to Harvest Rain Water - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldHarvesting the rain doesn’t stop at installing rain barrels, it involves the entire garden and its principal goal is to keep the water from running off the plot onto paved areas, only to eventually end up in the storm drains. Careful planning can create places for the rain water to slow down ...
Views: 605 - Confused in the Fall - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldBetween the forty five degree mornings and the eighty degree afternoons, I don't know if I'm coming of going anymore. So much so that I had to look at the calendar to remember it is almost time to plant spring bulbs. Or not. Good gardening practice advises to plant them after October 15, but if ...
Views: 571 - Toad Lilies - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe summer is officially over, both in the garden and on the calendar, we just passed he point when the day becomes shorter than the night. The light shifted, a soft but impossible to miss change that always precedes the beginning of fall. As usual at the end of September I'm excited to welcome ...
Views: 556 - Rosemary - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldWhen you start looking into its qualities, rosemary can be quite intimidating, it seems to be good for everything: it makes hair grow strong and shiny, rejuvenates skin, boosts memory and concentration, sharpens eyesight, thins the blood and helps lower the risk of cancer. This impressive resume ...
Views: 538 - Enchanted Autumn - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe beginning of fall usually saddens me, but not this year, I don't know why, for some reason even the cold rain, the wispy fog and the chilly mornings feel soft, like an embrace. The garden doesn't look sad either, it doesn't don the scraggly, despair driven appearance that usually accompanies ...
Views: 505 - Green Tomatoes - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldEvery year the generous tomato plants bless us with an overabundance of fruit that doesn't have the chance to ripen before the first frost. Tomatoes take their sweet time to figure out how to bear more and more fruit and their best and most abundant yield goes so far into the fall they don't ...
Views: 570 - Morning Glory - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldI plant morning glory every year. Always in the same spot, always the same variety - Heavenly Blue. I forget about it after I plant it, it is slow to start in spring and its foliage gets lost in the jumble when the mid-summer growth takes over the flower beds. Come August, its growth ...
Views: 547 - Gourds and Pumpkins - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldSquashes must be the most imaginative outcome of vegetable production. They start out a modest, vaguely round fruit and end up a mannerist commentary on surface topology. Fruits elongate and bubble at the end like hot glass, expanding curvilinear folds and dimples painted every shade of ...
Views: 610 - Hot Pepper Desserts - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldJust in case you got bored adding hot peppers to chili and stew I found some delightful dessert recipes to brighten your palate. We're all familiar with hot pepper jelly but have you heard of strawberry jalapeno poppers? They are not as you'd expect, jalapeno peppers stuffed with strawberry jam, ...
Views: 650 - Plant Based Dyes - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldLong before the dawn of synthetic dyes, the world of textiles was enchanting us with warm brick reds, stunning fuchsias, royal purples, electric blues, moss greens and bright yellows. The art of fiber, yarn and fabric dyeing has hundreds of years of history, much of which was abandoned since ...
Views: 611 - Plant Catalogs - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldIf you are a dedicated green thumb, all you do after winter begins is sit around and wait for it to be over. Two long months of dreary weather later, the sight of spring catalogs gracing your mailbox is a hopeful sign of better days to come. Some people go by the buds on the trees, others by the ...
Views: 550 - The Fountain at the Center of the Garden - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe fountain at the center of the garden was a staple of medieval landscape design. Its simple yet powerful symbolism was derived from necessity, but speaks to that part of the soul that envisions water as healing and life giving. Nowhere is a tiny fountain more at home than at the center of a ...
Views: 531 - Sun Exposure - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldEven though the three basic sun exposures are full sun, part sun and shade, the last one comes in so many variations, all with their own little quirks, that it deserves a full chapter all to itself. Full sun exposure means eight hours or more of direct sunlight a day, without any large elements ...
Views: 575 - Love Story - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldPeople ask gardeners all the time why they waste so much time and effort on a pursuit that at any scale smaller than a farm yields so little benefit? Green thumbs may be blindsided by the question, shrug their shoulders and keep on with the activity they were engaged in, for how can one quantify ...
Views: 559 - Goldenrod, a medicinal? - by Submitted on Jul 18, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldI always thought of goldenrod as a dyer's plant and was surprised to learn that it has medicinal properties. Its Latin name, Solidago, literally means "to make whole", and puts goldenrod squarely in the wound healing category. It has other medicinal properties, too, mostly related to improving ...
Views: 545 - What to Do with Herbs - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldGetting from the aromatic plant in the garden to the home made health or beauty product involves a couple of preliminary steps - preserving the herbs for long term storage and transferring their active ingredients into a medium easy to work with, usually oil. Drying is the most common way to ...
Views: 549 - Yarrow - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldA resilient weed, native to the northern hemisphere, yarrow grows wild in open fields and along the sides of the roads, and had only recently gained the privilege to be cultivated in flower gardens. Don't judge this humble herb to be ordinary, Achillea millefolium is a well documented medicinal ...
Views: 517 - Harvesting Rain Water - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldHarvesting the rain doesn’t stop at installing rain barrels, it involves the entire garden and its principal goal is to keep the water from running off the plot onto paved areas, only to eventually end up in the storm drains. Careful planning can create places for the rain water to slow down ...
Views: 521 - Country Garden Favorites - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe country garden relies on scent just as much as it does on color and texture. Gertrude Jekyll popularized this garden design, praising the care free style of cottage perennials. Old country favorites don't always enjoy the extraordinary blooms worthy of flower shows, but they each have ...
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