More Winter Prep

Imagination as a Master Naturalist
Although many of the plants I have on our farm are non-native plants, I still do enjoy them. I'm not a purist Master Naturalist.  I think it's fine to have non-natives, but I do encourage everyone to plant at least some natives to encourage wild life to visit their gardens.  It's fun to think about the prairies of Illinois, and I do so often when I'm out working in the garden, looking out to the west, and seeing the Mississippi River flood plain.  I think about the Indians that used to be here, probably right on our property.  I look to the east and see the bluffs behind our house and how Chuck's great-grandfather said the Mississippi River would sometimes flood and come right up to the farm in the late 1800's.  Of course, this was before any levees were built and before Cahokia Creek was diverted.  He even said there were times when steamboats could be seen from the farm!  Using creative license, I can imagine prairies without any sign of civilization or perhaps prairies with some teepees and a cloud of smoke rising to the clouds.  It's fun to imagine!

A Primer on Elephant Ears
You all probably know what an Elephant Ear plant is.  I didn't know that these can be invasive in the far south in tropical regions.  We have no issue with that in Illinois since our winters will turn the corms to mush if you don't dig them up in the fall.   I also learned that the corm is used by Hawaiians to make poi, a Hawaiian staple.  I remember eating poi when we visited Hawaii, and I was NOT IMPRESSED!   I finally dug them up today, and I'm glad I did before they received a hard frost because they get very slimy after a freeze.  

You may have noticed that I used the word CORM.  Many folks think that Elephant Ears are bulbs or tubers.  There is actually a difference between a corm, a bulb, and a tuber. 
A CORM is an underground stem and a base for the flower stem.  It does not have layers, like an onion does. Crocus, Gladiolas, and Elephant Ears all are corms.
A BULB is and underground stem and leaf.  Inside a bulb is a miniature version of the flower itself. The flat, hairy, mass at the bottom of a bulb helps the bulb stay together, since the bulb contains layers. Tulips, daffodils, lilies, narcissus and amaryllis are all examples of bulbs. 
A TUBER is an underground stem.  Tubers have leathery skin and have "eyes" which are growing points from which the plant will emerge.  A tuber does not have the flat, hairy mass (basal plate) at the bottom, like corms and bulbs do.  Dahlias, begonias, caladiums, common potatoes, and anemones are all tubers. 

There were some flowers on the Elephant Ear stalks that I noticed when I cut them down. (See the light-colored oblong structure in the picture.)  These flowers resemble Calla lily flowers when they bloom.  Too bad I didn't notice the flowers when they were in bloom.  I will pay more attention next year!                                                      

Cut Elephant Ears' stems will ooze a liquid that contains calcium oxalate crystals.
These can cause a skin irritation.  Even though the corms are edible (poi),
 uncooked parts of the Elephant Ear are NOT to be ingested.  Do not allow this
ooze to come in contact with your skin.

Elephant Ears cut into smaller pieces and
placed into the compost pile.

Corms are cut and dried and then will be
place in the basement for the winter.

More Seeds, Pods, Flowers, and Bulbs

I'm taking advantage of this warm weather and bringing plants inside, potting up bulbs, and checking out what seeds pods need to remain outside for the birds. I've saved seeds from different sources ranging from the Benjamin Stephenson House, my sister Diane, and from Vicky who is a fellow Master Gardener/Naturalist.  I've also swiped a few seeds from the withering Coleus plants at The Wooden Nickel Pub and Grill in Glen Carbon, Illinois.  I labeled the seeds with the source and will store them in the refrigerator over the winter.  Pictured here are some very tiny seeds of Coleus, some very large, very hard seeds of Moonflower, and some shiny black seeds of Celosia.  The Ironweed seeds will provide a native plant that attracts butterflies and other pollinators.  It is a tall, purple flower that you may see in fields or other natural settings.  It is best to plant Ironweed at the back of the flower garden because it gets tall.  And another nice characteristic is that it requires little care in preparing the soil.  In fact, too much love (i.e. fertilizer, compost, etc.) will cause the stems to weaken and they won't stand upright.

Okra

The oblong pods are the seed pods of Okra.  I don't grow this at home because I don't like to eat okra, but the pods make very interesting dried decor.  These pods are from the Benjamin Stephenson House.  Sometimes I paint the pods with gold spray paint and use them as "picks" in my Christmas trees, both indoors and outdoors.

Echinacea

I will allow the seed heads of these Echinacea flowers to remain in the garden.  These are better known as Purple Coneflowers.  These flowers are along a sidewalk, fairly close to the house.  When I walk around the corner to the area these are growing, a half dozen yellow finches scatter about, vacating the area until I leave.  The yellow finches love these seeds.  It seems like yesterday when these brown, spiky seed pods were beautiful purple flowers, gracing the path.

Mandevilla

I've never had a Mandevilla vine prior to this year. My friend, Sherry, tried to overwinter hers last year and she had no success, so this year she asked if I wanted it over the winter.  I thought, "Why not?" So the rest is history.  I sprayed it with an insecticide before bringing it indoors, and I also pruned it back by about one third.  It now sits in a south-facing window where it will receive some direct sunlight.  I need to be careful because it will not like too much sunlight.  I will also keep my eye out for spider mites or aphids.  So far, so good!  It's been in the house now for about one month and continues to bloom.  We'll see how it does after the furnace starts running regularly!

Amaryllis
I kept my Amaryllis plants on my window sill all summer after they quit blooming.  They each had about 2 leaf stalks. Two months ago, I cut off the waning leaves, placed the bulbs in a paper bag downstairs with some powdered fungicide.  They sat in the those bags until today.  I potted them up with potting soil, only covering about half of the bulb.  I gave them a good watering, and placed them in a south-facing window where they will receive some direct sunlight.  I will be careful to not over-water, but keep the soil damp.  Hopefully, in a few weeks, I will see a green leaf coming out of the bulb.  I knew it was time to do this because I saw the Amaryllis bulbs at Walmart, ready for purchase.  This year I will have 5 of them, including one from my friend Laura, who gave me a 'baby' from her mom's Amaryllis in New Orleans.  I love thinking about the people from whom I've received plants.  Sharing plants can keep memories alive for many years.  (In the picture, you also can see an Orchid that Chuck received as a birthday present about 6 years ago from Sherry, a friend of ours.)


The Last Hurrah!

I'm sorry to see the nice weather leave us as they are predicting temperatures in the 20's for this weekend, but I am getting in the mood for Christmas.  I've even started my Christmas decorating.  As I sit here and enjoy writing my blog, I'm listening to Christmas music.  I know it's early, but what the heck!  November 17, and it's 78 degrees!  Maybe it will be a short winter.  

What plants are you preparing for winter or bringing in for the winter?  Have you had success in the past?  Leave me your comments below.  I'd love to hear from you.

Getting Ready for Winter

The Benjamin Stephenson House Cayenne Peppers

I volunteer at the Benjamin Stephenson House on Wednesdays in their vegetable and flower gardens.  One of the perks of doing so, besides learning so much about the people and plants of the early 1800's in the newly forming United States of America, is that we can save seeds from plants on the premises.  These are Cayenne peppers and are VERY EASY to plant from seeds.  They will also self-seed.  I usually let them dry and then cut them up to sprinkle on pizza or in salads.  Some like it hot, and I'm one of those!

Can You Dig It?

Last year I dug up my Caladium tubers in the fall because here in Zone 6a-6b, they will turn to mush if left in the ground.  I kept them over the winter in the basement and planted them in "Dad's Garden" in the Spring.  They were a total success!  After digging them up, I carefully knocked most of the dirt off and cut off the stem.  I then allowed them to dry on newspaper for a few days, sheltered from any rain.  (The dirt was damp today when I dug them, so I will be sure to let them dry adequately.)  After the dirt was dry, I put them in

It's sad to see the Caladium enter their winter phase,  but I will be happy next
 Spring when they once again grace "Dad's Garden."

a paper lunch bag with some peat moss and a powder fungicide.  I only put a couple tubers into each of the paper bags and then gently shook the bag to coat the tubers with the fungicide. I left the bags folded over/sealed, wrote on the bag with a Sharpie, and let them sit all winter in my basement (which isn't heated.)  In February, I took the tubers out of the bags, potted them up into some plastic containers, and kept them indoors in a sunny window to get a head start on planting them outside.  They all grew, but I found that the soil temperature needs to be warm to get them to grow indoors.

Pineapple Sage:

I've grown Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) now for 2 years in a pot out by the swimming pool where there is plenty of sunshine.  This has been such a fun plant to grow.  First of all, the leaves when crushed between your fingers, really do smell like pineapple.  I've never used the leaves in the kitchen, but I've read that you can seep them for tea or use the leaves and/or flowers in salads.  Secondly, what a surprise it was last year when the plant produced pretty red flowers in September and October.  I guess I really didn't do my homework on this plant because I didn't know it bloomed, let alone was one of the spectacular late bloomers. But this year, again, I'm enjoying the blooms even today in  November.  I am going to try

to salvage some of this plant and am testing 3 methods. The first method is to place 'slips' (as my Great Aunt Mary would call them) into water and place on my window sill.  The second method I'm trying is to place cuttings into damp sand.  I've removed all but the top 2 leaves.  I hope they will root in this manner.  I also intend to dig up the entire plant and over-winter in my unheated basement which has grow lights.  I will keep you posted on all three of these methods.

How Long Will They Last?

With the warm weather we've been having, I'm still getting green peppers, and the Cleome, Marigolds, Salvia and Impatiens are still blooming.  I like the pure white Cleome pictured, but I also like the dark purple one pictured.  It seems most times Cleome are sort of a mixture of these two colors.  I'm going to bag the seed pods and catch seeds of each and see what I get next year.  According to the weather forecast, we may still have another good 10 days before we say goodbye to our annuals.  All of the Marigolds pictured came up from seed, which was really nice of them!  The Purple and Red Salvia and the Begonias were all planted from seed in our basement under grow lights in the bleak months of Winter. When we walked down the 11 steps to our rather crude basement last February, we magically entered a green foretaste of the Spring and Summer seasons to come.

Ever Hear of Juglone?

It's surprising that anything grows in "Dad's Garden" because we have so many walnuts from our walnut trees.  Walnut leaves, roots and nuts produce a chemical called juglone which can stunt the growth of some plants, especially tomatoes and potatoes.  There are plenty of plants that are not affected by this chemical, so just be aware of the walnut's potential toxicity to other plants.

Leave A Comment:

Please comment below if you like my blog and leave any comments about how you prepare your garden and plants for over-wintering.