July 9, 2008

  • 100 Species – Around the Yard

    1.  Clematis  This year my husband bought a trellis for our clematis (previously it grew up a post).  The most encouraging thing I read about clematis: “It should be noted that incorrect pruning will never bring an early death to clematis.”  Folk wisdom I picked up somewhere: “Clematis need sun on their shoulders and shade on their feet.”


     

    2. Garlic  This whimsical plant lives and breathes among my flowers.  I just learned that the curlicue thingies are called scapes.  I also learned that most garlic growers remove the scapes to promote greater bulb growth.  Further, they are edible and here is a recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto.  Pasta anyone?


    Can you spot the garlic on the left?

Comments (7)

  • Yum.  I love garlic!  Pickled, roasted, or however.    But I try to avoid pasta….because I like it too much.  Lately, with my pesto, I stir a little in with my steamed Vidalia onions….the green adds a pretty color, and of course, the onion has fewer carbs than the pasta. 

    Wait a minute… I just realized I could do that with spaghetti squash!

    Guess I’ll try that for dinner tonight.

  • what a beautiful shaped garlic plant! initially i thought (as i was moving the cursor down) that it was a decorating trellis; we have wild garlic in the garden – but not the type you have!

  • Funny, my first impression of the garlic was some new kind of watering system!! How funny our imaginations are, eh? And your front garden looks quite lovely.

    I think I will be learning about plants vicariously through YOUR learning, due to school commitments. But I’m enjoying it already!

  • carol, the beauty of your clematis prompt me to find out which specie grows in south africa – i found this fascinating info – i’ll have to plant one (or first search for one in my overgrown garden); i think we might just learn a lot from each other with this venture… i enjoyed your comment about pruning… we have a plum tree: a friend (a very good one of dh)showed me how to prune it so that it looks like a tree in a chinese garden…on which dh replied: do you want fruit in the summer or do you want it to look beautiful? i didn’t answer him that i think it can look both beautiful and bear fruit – we had people with us… i or rather we can still prune it though     

  • The clematis is wonderful. I have always wanted one but never thought we could. I have a spot we were JUST talking about putting a clematis in, but I fear your mention of the sunny shoulders would eliminate that spot. SO thank you for this. You just saved us some bucks. The garlic is marvelous. I am a pasta fanatic (and my hips prove it) but unlike Carol (whose idea was wonderful) I just figure life is short….eat pasta. I would rather have it than chocolate. I have become a garlic fanatic with all of the health benefits associated with it. Okay this got long. sorry. great post my friend. blessings m

  • THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!  We were given these and were just using them as a type of scallion.  We have an entire bag still full and I wanted to use them before they went bad.  I will be trying out this pesto for sure!

  • Beautiful photos! The DH and I discussed a spot for a trellis and Clematis yesterday, your’s is glorious!

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