How’s Your Garden?

HOW’S

YOUR GARDEN

BY LOIS TRIGG CHAPLIN

These Chives Taste Like Garlic

Years ago, I was introduced to garlic chives when ent parts of the garden to learn from their condition. visiting a Florida farm specializing in Asian vegetables. Instantly, this perennial herb that supplies garlic-flavored leaves year-round appealed to my love of garlic, and it has been in our garden ever since. The leaves are grown, harvested and used in recipes like Did the roots expand or do they seem stunted? Are there knots from root-knot nematodes? Are any of the roots soft and rotting? Are the roots healthy and vigorous-looking? This tomato shows a small cluster of rather twisted original roots at the very bottom SIMPLE TIMES onion chives, but for a garlic flavor. The flowers, which of the plant in contrast with the vigorous roots that are in bloom now, give native bees and syrphid flies a formed along the buried stem when the transplant fresh flower to visit at a time that beekeepers refer to was planted deeply. It was buried all the way to the as a dearth in the garden. As long-lived perennials, I top two leaves in the spring. In fact, most of the root soon learned that if left alone, garlic chives can reseed system developed along the buried stem. Anything beyond their boundary, so it’s a good idea to trim back we gardeners can do to help our plants grow a good the flowering stalks when the seeds start to form. THE CO-OP root system will help them through stresses. PANTRY

Garlic chives

Garlic chives are easy to start from seed, but even easier from a seedling dug in the garden of a friend, or started from transplants (it is sold by Bonnie Plants.) Fall-planted garlic chives will be fine through winter; they are quite cold-hardy.

Study the Roots

Are you wilting yet? Your plants may be, especially those without a good strong root system to get water. At the end of the season, it pays to take a close look at the roots of spent vegetable plants in differ

Many perennial salvias have been in bloom for months, yet they keep on keeping on. A group of species and hybrids, perennial salvias offer months of beautiful blooms that also support bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Garden centers carry salvias for late summer and fall planting, often in three-gallon containers in full bloom for a large pop of instant color. Look for Black and Blue and similar selections of Salvia guaranitica, or Mystic Spires, Indigo Spires or similar hybrids of Salvia longispicata x farinacea. Small-flowered red salvias such as Hot Lips and Radio Red are selections of Salvia greggii that go by common names such as Autumn Sage or Texas Sage. They are not always winter-hardy in North Alabama, but may reseed. Also look for Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) or Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha) which begins blooming in late summer. Forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis) doesn’t bloom until October or November, but grows all summer, getting up to five feet tall. Late summer and fall are the best times to plant perennial types so that they can establish their roots before spring. Another plus: Their heavily scented foliage isn’t much liked by deer and rabbits. Salvia

A House Number Idea

I saw this pretty painted wooden plaque on the fence of a community garden in San Diego and thought that the idea would be adaptable to just about anywhere, in cluding a house. Depending on one’s artistic skills, the number and artwork could be freehand or stenciled on. A protective clear coat would help it last longer, too. Of course, it doesn’t have to be limited to a house number; a name or welcome would work as well.

House number

Late Blueberries Extend the Season

Still wishing you had some fresh blueberries? This fall add late-bearing selections such as Centurion, Pow derblue and Baldwin to extend the fresh berry season and save the ones in the freezer for later. Just be sure to mix up the varieties so that they have the required pollinators for best production. Although Centurion is self-fertile to some degree, pollinators Powderblue and Brightwell will insure good pollination. Tifblue is a pollinator for Powderblue and Brightwell; Powderblue and Centurion will pollinate Baldwin. Remember to keep newly planted blueberries heavily mulched with pine bark and amend the planting soil with moist peat moss or pine bark. They absolutely need acid soil to thrive. Blueberry roots don’t have root hairs, so they need very faithful watering for the first couple of years until they

are well established.