11 minute read
Tidewater Gardening: K. Marc Teff eau
Dorchester Map and History
© John Norton
Dorchester County is known as the Heart of the Chesapeake. It is rich in Chesapeake Bay history, folklore and tradition. With 1,700 miles of shoreline (more than any other Maryland county), marshlands, working boats, quaint waterfront towns and villages among fertile farm fi elds – much still exists of what is the authentic Eastern Shore landscape and traditional way of life along the Chesapeake.
For more information about Dorchester County visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/dorchester/.
TIDEWATER GARDENING
by K. Marc Teffeau, Ph.D.
Try New and Old Plants in 2023
Welcome to 2023! The new year means that gardeners’ mailboxes have been inundated with garden seed and plant catalogs and our emails overloaded with gardening promotions. An interesting occurrence over the last few years is the emergence of small boutique seed growers and suppliers who focus on old ~ “heirloom” ~ seed varieties in addition to the traditional seed suppliers who promote the new flower and seed varieties. Another new offering is the “open pollinated” varieties in addition to those bred through a deliberate pollination process by flower and vegetable plant breeders.
I skip the arguments that pit heirloom/open pollinated vs. in-
tentionally bred varieties. After a long professional career, I find those types of discussions usually generate more heat than light because there are passionate “believers” on both ends of the spectrum. Gardening should be a peaceful and enjoyable activity! I grow both and appreciate the characteristics of both. “Whatever floats your boat,” as the saying goes. It is fascinating to review the heirloom seed catalogs and websites and see what they are offering. So, in one sense, the old has become new again.
One of the characteristics of an “heirloom” variety is that the seed is a regional or local variety passed down in families and in communities from generation to generation. While waiting the other day for our Silver Sneakers® exercise class to start, I was in a gardening discussion with one of our classmates who is 86 years old. Sybil asked if I had ever heard of an Alabama rattlesnake bean. She said that she ate them as a child in Alabama
Platform Basket Spider Lift
Full-Spectrum Nutrient Management & Fertilization Diagnosis & Management of All Insect & Disease Problems
Complete Tree Services: Pruning & Removal
Storm Damage Clean-Up 410-745-6935 www.dobsonlandscape.com
MHIC · Maryland Licensed Tree Experts · Professional Fertilizer Applicator · Pesticide Business Lic.
and that her family grew them and passed them on.
When I got home from class, I consulted the Internet and learned that there is a rattlesnake bean. It is a pole green bean with purple/ red streaks on the seed pods. Southern Seed Exposure Exchange lists it as “a heavy producer in the hot, humid areas of the coastal Mid-Atlantic and South where sandy soil prevails. Steamed snaps are sweet, rich, and full flavored. Stringless when pods are small to medium size. Vigorous vines bear 7 in. round purple-streaked pods containing buff-colored seeds splashed with brown.” I plan to order some seed this spring and grow a crop for my exercise classmate.
A very popular heirloom tomato variety offered in the major seed catalogs and by one of the companies that provides vegetable transplants to the big box stores is the Cherokee Purple tomato. I have grown some in the past, and they are very tasty. Its heirloom history is attributed to breeding by Cherokee Indians in the Tennessee River Valley more than 150 years ago.
Cherokee Purple is an indeterminate variety that is heat and humidity tolerant. It produces large (12”) uniquely colored dusty rosebrown fruits that can weigh 12 ounces or more. When compared to other large slicer- and beefsteaktype tomato varieties, however, it can be considered somewhat “ugly.” It is a long maturing tomato ~ 75 to 90 days from transplanting. Both the rattlesnake green bean and the Cherokee Purple tomato are on the University of Maryland Extension’s list of recommended vegetable varieties for home gardeners in Maryland.
Shifting to the “new” from the old, I always like to highlight some of the All-American Selections (AAS; all-americaselections.org) for the new year. One of the vegetable winners 2023 is the Squash kabocha Sweet Jade F1. According to the AAS, “This cute, singleserving-sized squash is the perfect addition to your garden for a fall harvest. Sweet Jade proved itself in the AAS Trials with its high yields and good holding capability which is great news for both home gardeners and growers. Each fruit is between 1–2 pounds and can be used for single servings of squash, as an edible soup bowl, or in any number of Asian-style dishes
where a sweet, earthy nutritious squash is typically used. Sweet Jade’s deep orange flesh is dry yet sweet and very flavorful whether roasted, baked, or pureed.” As a summer squash, Squash kabocha Sweet Jade F1 is a vining squash, spreading 6 to 8 feet and matures about 100 days after seeding.
If you are a hot pepper fan, another 2023 AAS vegetable winner is the Pepper jalapeno San Joaquin F1. This pepper is a determinate plant, meaning that it sets its fruits all at one time rather than over the course of the gardening season.
AAS’s comments on this winner include “This is a determinate jalapeno that sets most of its fruit in a short window so there is a generous (~50 fruits per plant) number of fruits ready all at the same time. Perfect for canning, pickling, and making roasted stuffed jalapenos for a crowd. But no worries if you won’t need them for a while as they hold their firmness and taste until you are ready to harvest. Judges loved the flavor of the thick-walled fruits that have just a hint of heat at 2500–6000 Scoville units. Leave them on the plant longer for
FRANK E.DAFFIN, INC. Quality Builders Since 1936
MHIC #1857 MHBR #877 We make construction work and renovations to your home fun and exciting, as well as easy and stress-free.
a beautiful red, and still delicious, jalapeno.”
There are also heirloom annuals and perennials that have been grown for years and passed on from generation to generation. Annuals include fragrant and climbing petunias, zinnias, snapdragons, hollyhocks, balsam, cockscomb, sweet peas and poppies. Like heirloom vegetables, some are native and some are not. As you know, peppers and tomatoes are not native to the U.S.
One native heirloom perennial that we all know is the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), the official Maryland state flower since 1918. The yellow and black flower matched the colors of the Calvert family crest, which were also the black and gold colors on the state flag. Sir George Calvert was the first Lord Baltimore and the first planter in Maryland.
The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is another native heirloom perennial that thrives in the Chesapeake region. An easyto-grow, drought-resistant perennial, it is planted for its colorful flowers in the landscape and as a seed source for native birds during the winter months.
A 2023 AAS flower winter is the Echinacea Artisan™ Yellow Ombre F1. Over the past few years, plant breeders have conducted a lot of cross-pollination in the echinacea family to produce new colors. The AAS notes that “Artisan Yellow Ombre is a great plant for anyone wanting vibrant color all season long in their perennial garden, or to use as a cut flower. This is the first F1 hybrid echinacea series that comes in individual colors. This winner, with an intense golden yellow bloom along with graduated colors of yellow, is a gem in the garden. AAS Judges were impressed with the uniform growth habit, vibrantly colored flowers, and multi-branched plants that produce a prolific number of blooms. Pollinators will flock to this echinacea, and gardeners will love this low-maintenance, longblooming beauty.”
Three other echinacea have been AAS Winners. They include Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy (2020), Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit
(2013) and Echinacea PowWow Wild Berry (2010). I recognize there is debate within the native plant enthusiast community regarding hybridizing native plants, whether they then are still truly native and whether the breeding results in plants and flowers that may not be as beneficial to pollinators in the landscape. I will leave that discussion for another day, as I have no desire to step into that cow pie in the pasture.
While you are contemplating old and new, heirloom and recent plants for the landscape, there are some mundane gardening activities you can do in January. I like houseplants ~ they don’t argue with you. During winter, our interests turn indoors to our houseplants and their care. Remember not to fertilize houseplants heavily in winter. They do not need it. Excessive fertilization can result in salt buildup in the soil and may cause root problems. If you are growing plants in clay pots, excessive salts will show up as a white deposit on the outside of the pot.
Also watch your watering. Depending on where your plant is located in the house, it may require more or less water depending on the environmental conditions it is exposed to. If the plant in question is growing in a cool, north-facing room, it will need less water than one in the living room, den or family room where a woodstove is located and being used.
If the leaves of your houseplant are turning yellow and dropping from the bottom toward the top, the plant may be suffering from overwatering. Sometimes this condition is the result of a plant sitting in too large a pot. In this case, excess soil around the roots holds too much water, leading to low oxygen levels and root rot. To avoid this problem, never put a plant into a pot more than 1 to 2 inches wider than the root ball. Wilting can be caused by too much water, too little water or over fertilization. Leaves with brown edges may be a sign of chronic underwatering or periodic episodes of severe drying out.
If you use a wood stove this winter, wood ashes are a good source of potassium fertilizer when used correctly. Because of their alkaline nature, wood ashes will raise soil pH. Use them only in the garden if the pH is under 7.0 based on a soil test. Do not apply wood ashes
around “acid-loving” plants. The safe rate of wood ash application to lawn or gardens is 15 to 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet per year (approximately a 5-gallon pail). Another alternative is to sprinkle them over the compost pile at different times during the winter. Remember, a little wood ash is beneficial, but a lot is not. Also remember to store the cold ashes in a covered metal container outside the house. Every year we read newspaper stories about house fires caused by incorrectly stored hot ashes and coals.
Don’t forget to recycle your holiday decorations. Greenery used as ornaments inside and outside the house can be used again in the garden. Wreaths and branches stripped from Christmas trees make excellent mulch for protecting newly planted ornamentals.
Place the smaller branches curved end up around plantings as mulch. Build tepee-like protective canopies over laurel, azaleas, boxwood and other tender plants to ward off the snow. You can also strip the needles from the remaining branches and scatter them under the drip line of acid-loving plants.
The discarded Christmas tree can be used as a windbreak on the windward side of tender broadleaved evergreens by staking the entire tree in the snow. And don’t forget the birds. Use the discarded tree as a bird feeder by hanging pinecones covered in a mixture of peanut butter and bird seed on the branches. This month, curl up in your favorite chair with your hot beverage of choice, page through the seed and garden catalogs and dream of spring! Happy Gardening!!
Photo credits: Christmas tree – UFL/IFAS Extension Marion County
All American Selections AAS Winner Images
Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.
Estate & Yacht Management Upper level estate and yacht care
307 S. Aurora St. Easton, MD 21601
Licensed and Insured Justin Greenberg
MHIC #05-148765
609-602-7523 Capt.justin@gmail.com
