Five things to do in the garden this week:
Flowers. Although the bloom period of annual statice (Limonium sinuatum) stretches from summer to fall and is long enough for this species to earn a prominent spot in your flower garden, you can keep its flowers looking fresh for years in a dry arrangement. I received a bouquet four months ago and the flowers look the same today as they did then, with their purple color that much more vivid thanks to being placed next to the dried foliage and flower buds of silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos). To ensure longevity, remove all leaves from the flower stalks when harvested, and hang them upside down in a shady spot for two weeks. For long-term preservation, keep your arrangement indoors and out of the sun. Annual statice is available in a plethora of colors including lemon yellow, apricot, orange, blue, purple, and white. Seeds are readily available on the Internet and may be planted now. Perennial statice or sea lavender (Limonium perezeii) has purple and white flowers which are just as appropriate as annual statice flowers for dry arrangements.
Vegetables: You may think of baby corn — whose ears are 2-4 inches long — as an exotic variety of ordinary corn but this would be a mistake. Baby corn can be harvested from any corn stalk since it is simply corn whose ears are only a few days old and have yet to be pollinated. As soon as the silks turn brown, remove the baby ears. Kernels of baby corn are not as sweet as they would be if allowed to reach full maturity. The reason for this is that corn’s sweetness depends on its sugar content, and this sugar is only produced as a result of pollination, a process that is interrupted by the ears’ early harvest. In similar fashion, baby spinach are young leaves of ordinary spinach and baby or new potatoes are young tubers of ordinary potatoes.
Fruits: Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa/floribunda) is a popular drought- and salt-tolerant ornamental shrub with edible fruit. There is much variability in fruit taste but, in any given plant, those that are completely ripe have maximum sweetness, although the flavor will always be somewhat tart, reminding you of cranberries or blackberries. Natal plum flowers are brilliantly white with a strong fragrance similar to that wafting from the blooms of star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), a related species. The common form grows to around three feet tall. A drawback to the plant is its thorniness, although the Tomlinson variety has much smaller thorns that are barely noticeable. There are several compact and even dwarf Natal plum cultivars, but these do not reliably flower and fruit. In its native South Africa, Natal plum is grown commercially. Efforts to hybridize the species are underway in the hope that a cultivar with consistently sweet fruit can be created.
Patchouli (Pogostemon cabin) is a tropical species native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and India that makes a wonderful indoor plant. Leaves are deep green and gently serrated with pale violet to pinkish-white flowers. The spicily woodsy fragrance of the leaves intensifies as they dry upon removal from the plant. It’s oil is famous for relieving anxiety when rubbed on the skin, but its scent alone is sufficient to improve your mood and, for this reason, some people keep it in a sachet on their desk at all times. A member of the mint family, patchouli grows quickly up to three feet tall and is easily propagated from shoot tip cuttings. It requires a somewhat humid environment so it would thrive in a bathroom or kitchen setting with good light. Alternatively, you could place it next to a mini-humidifier, a plant care accessory small enough to find a place on your desk. Mini-humidifiers are available online for $8-$20.
Fertilization of ornamental plants need not be a primary concern. Certain mature woody plants such as Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis spp.), ground cover roses (e.g, Flower Carpet series), shrub roses such as Iceberg, and butterfly bushes (Buddleia spp.) flower heavily without fertilization. Succulents, cactuses, and California natives also thrive and flower abundantly in fertilizer’s absence. If you insist on applying fertilizer, depositing a one-inch layer of finished compost around your ornamentals every three to six months, whether the compost is homemade or purchased, will insure they flower at maximum capacity.