Prairie Fire Grass

This grass is wonderful. It doesn't flower (grow seed heads), but it also doesn't turn golden and then brown. Rather, the leaves turn a very pretty orange and remain alive -looking. I really like it. So pretty when the sun shines on it.

A Weekend at the Farm Jan 22-24 2010

Images of the farm in winter. I have started pruning the roses. I need to spray herbicide in the paths, but it's so cold. Herbicide doesn't work well when the temperature is below 60 degrees. Most of the green in the paths is poppies. Too bad, they will all have to die.
In the picture above: I am building a path next to the Long Border. It's a bit more inviting.

I tried to take it easy this weekend. I had an emergency appendectomy last weekend - I guess all appendectomies are emergencies... Saturday and Sunday were beautiful.. What do other people do all weekend? I spend all day outside on the weekends and enjoy the gorgeous outdoors. Do most people sit inside and watch tv? I couldn't do it!

• I pruned 18 roses shrubs this weekend. I have about 30 more to prune! Plus I have to prune the fruit trees and grape vines. There's always a lot to do during the winter months.
• I prepared the two long beds in the Vegetable Garden - about 30 feet - by mixing in mushroom compost and wood ashes, and I planted peas.
• I pulled dead vines off of the arbor in the Vegetable Garden so that the peas can climb.
• I watered the plants in The Greenhouse.
• I adjusted the sprinklers. We had turned everything off and drained all the water from all the hoses because of the hard freeze we had a couple of weeks ago. Last year when we had the hard freeze that lasted several days, several of the faucets burst and the water ran freely until we discovered it. I didn't want that to happen again.
• My husband and I took a walk through the woods on Sunday. We went off the roads and went through the untouched woods. We found a water hole. I don't know if it will stay wet through the summer. We'll check during the hot months.
• Came home early on Sunday and bought a seed starter kit. Planted herb seeds.

Fascinating Medicinal Herbs

I have ordered some herb seeds from Richters.com. I got some really, really interesting herbs for my Medicine Garden.


Hemlock - In the fresh state all parts are very poisonous. Juice was used in early times to execute criminals. Socrates is the most notable to die in this manner. Under proper directions it is a useful sedative for cases of nervous motor disturbances. The active principle, coniine, has provided to be an effective insecticide against aphids and blowflies.



Henbane - A striking, odiferous plant with a legendary reputation. Henbane has been used as an instrument of assassination and murder since antiquity, most famously in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet: “Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,/with juice of cursed hebona in a vial.” Gerard’s Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes (1633) says “the leaves, seed and juyce taken inwardly causeth an unquiet sleepe like unto the sleep of drunkenness, which continueth long, and is deadly to the party.” In fact the plant contains the tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which in low doses have a sedative effect, but in higher doses will cause mania, hallucination, euphoria, convulsion and death. Henbane’s uses are more benign today, giving us useful drugs for ophthalmology and the prevention of motion sickness. An annual plant that has naturalized in North America, it has broad, coarse leaves and grayish-yellow flowers heavily veined in black, with dark centers. Fascinating as a specimen plant or where grown for therapeutic use. Modern cases of poisoning are rare, and henbane’s reformed reputation has made it a respectable garden dweller at last, albeit with an unsavory past.



Aconite - also called Monkshood, Wolfsbane, Women's Bane, and Leopard's Bane. This is a poisonous herb. It has been recognized as a poison since antiquity, particularly to poison the tips of arrows. It can be used as a sedative, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to die trying. Pretty purple flowers, it is a perennial.


Allheal - also called Prunella, Selfheal and Woundwort. For centuries it was considered to be exactly as described - the cure-all for most things. John Gerard´s Herball, or Generale Historie of Plants (1633) says "the decoction of Prunell made with wine or water doth joine together and make whole and sound all wounds, both inward and outward." It is reported to have an antiseptic and antibacterial effect, and to be particularly good in cases of food poisoning. It has purple flowers, and it is a self-seeding perennial.


Bai Zhi - Root used in Chinese medicine to treat toothache and headache and externally for mastitis and infected wounds. Has antipyretic, analgesic and antibacterial action. Opens nasal passages, sinus congestion (particularly with green discharge), alleviates head ache pain. I suspect it will be a re-seeding annual in my area, although Richters indicates it is a perennial.



Avens - (Herb bennet) Once known as the herba benedicta, the blessed herb. In the Middle Ages the plant was thought to evoke the presence of Christ and offer protection against evil influence. It appears as a decorative feature in the stonework and stained glass of Medieval cathedrals, the three leaves symbolizing the Trinity, and the five-petalled flowers the five wounds of the crucifixion. Medicinally it is thought to be beneficial against stomach upset, and as an external application to wounds. It contains tannins that give it an astringent, anti-inflammatory effect. Native to Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean, it is a perennial with small yellow flowers borne on thin wiry stems, preferring rich moist soil in shade. The root has a clove scent, and was much prized as a flavouring for ale and stews. Medieval gardeners would only harvest the root on March 25, and only under certain conditions, but for modern usage the root can be harvested anytime in the spring and used fresh or dried.



Cnidium - The Chinese name of this herb is She chuang. It is a stimulant and aphrodisiac used to treat impotency. Also used as a vaginal wash against trichomoniasis, and to treat scabies and fungal diseases.



Andrographis - In Scandinavia this is now the main herb used to fight the common cold, flu, and upper respiratory infections. Clinical trials have shown that this herb really works and many believe that it is better than echinacea. Like echinacea, it works by boosting the immune system, helping the body to battle infections and to prevent them from reoccurring in the future. But it does more: it has adaptogen-like properties, it has anticancer activity, it is a bitter tonic, and it is an antioxidant that has been shown to protect the liver. In China and India the plant is commonly used to treat a wide range of infections such as gastrointestinal complaints, hepatitis, herpes, and throat infections. In short this is one amazing medicinal herb! Easy to grow annual and easy to use.



Boneset - Eastern North American native found in swampy areas and along streams. White flowers; 30-150cm/1-5ft high. Excellent remedy for colds and intermittent fever, especially for flu. Medical evidence suggests that it enhances the immune system. Caution: contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids; not recommended for long term use.



Ma Huang - (Chinese ephedra; Cao ma huang) These are seeds of the true Ma huang from Inner Mongolia. Ma huang is a powerful stimulant herb containing the alkaloid ephedrine, the main inspiration for today's popular over-the-counter antihistamine drugs. Purified ephedrine is very potent, and a common North American practice of adding it to diet formulas is potentially dangerous because ephedrine can raise blood pressure if used over a long period, and can even cause cardiac arrythmias. However, when used in its native, non-purified form, the dried herb is much safer and very popular in traditional Chinese medicine for dispersing conditions characterized by wind and cold, such as chills, fever, headache, cough and wheezing. Very hardy; prefers dry, well-drained location with full sun exposure. Ht. 30cm/12in.



Comfrey - One of the country names for comfrey was ‘knitbone’, a reminder of its traditional use in healing bone fractures. Modern science confirms that comfrey can influence the course of bone ailments.

Three Days at the Farm Jan 7-9 / 2011

Before and after of the small expansion I did in the Medicine Garden. I wanted to get completely finished and I only had a small pile of soil and a few green landscaping strips. I need more space than this, but it's a start.

Friday and Saturday were beautiful winter Texas days. Not a cloud in the sky and 75 degrees. Sunday was stormy.

• Raked, shredded leaves, and mulched the flowerbeds for half the day on Friday and Saturday. Mulched the front beds, the Columbine Bed, and lots of places in the Shade Garden.
  
• Cut dead debris away, mostly the annual salvias.


• Moved a Mexican Marigold from The Star Garden over to a bed next to The Vegetable Garden. It was in an awkward spot.
  
• Spread crushed granite in the path I started next to the Long Border. Half way finished. Probably won't have enough to finish. I'll have to have some delivered. It's good stuff to have around. The moles can really wreak havoc on granite paths. The huge piles of dirt they make (because they are pushing the tunnel earth out of the way? or it is where they make their nests?) get washed away by the rain and completely cover up the granite in places. So there are always large areas to repair.
  
• Planted a Grandma's Yellow Rose in the Rose Garden that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. This rose is a "found" rose. It was found growing in someone's garden in Nacogdoches. For years it was marketed under various names that had the word Nacogdoches in it. Now it is marketed as Grandma's Yellow Rose. I have one already. I will plant the new one near that one. It is a true yellow, not a pale or creamy-colored yellow.
  
• I pulled up lots of Fireworks Goldenrod in the Star Garden. It was very unruly last year, and, frankly, it's just not that pretty. Now I can plant something lower-growing in front of it. Goldenrod is an herb so I don't want to get rid of it completely.


• Turned off the timers. We had a gully-washer on Saturday night and Sunday has been rainy all day, so we don't need sprinklers next week.


• I widened a bed in the Medicine Garden. I ordered some seeds and will need space for my new plants.


• I trimmed my two wisteria. I cut away all the growth from last year and left only one scaffold branch on each plant at the top of the arbor. Hopefully I will get some blooms this year.
  
• I picked some spinach from the garden and sauteed it with garlic to accompany our dinner Saturday evening.
  
• Pulled up the spent broccoli and cauliflower in preparation for planting spring peas. The seeds should be planted about 6 weeks before the last average freeze, so I will plant it next weekend.
  
• I planted some more spinach in the Kitchen Herb Garden just outside the back door.


• Raked out the Rose Garden. I have no idea how to get rid of the zillions of acorns that still litter the paths in The Rose Garden and the Medicine Garden. I might use a broom and dust pan. I can't get at them with the rake.
  
• Cleaned up mole piles in The Orchard and smoothed out trenches made by armadillos.
  
• Poured orange oil diluted with water over two beds in The Vegetable Garden to make one last effort at ridding myself of nematodes before I plant my peas.
  
• Fertilized my Dianthus with Super Bloom.
  
• Put out suet for the birds.


• Raked leaves away from the outside edges of the Rose Garden and into the woods. I seeded poppies all around the outside of the Rose Garden, and I didn't want the fallen leaves to smother them.

A Day at the Farm 12/31

The bulbs above are Ipheion "Wisley Blue'. They are tiny bulbs with pale blue flowers. Their common name is Star Flower.

The bulbs above are Allium neopolitanum. The common name is Naples Garlic. They have a a white cluster of tiny flowers /they multiply rapidly.

Above are Hoop Petticoat daffodils (the thin leaves) and Ipheion 'Rolf Fielder' just beginning to emerge from the ground.

Warm day. Arrived Thursday evening and went home on Friday to spend New Years Eve with the family.

• Spent the whole day raking and shredding leaves and spreading the mulch.


• Picked lots of broccoli and cauliflower to take home with me.


• Watered the plants in the greenhouse.


• Inspected all the things popping up. I love this time of year. Wildflowers and bulbs are preparing for spring. All the winter bloomers are in full bloom. The summer has been put to bed and all those plants are brown. But they are quietly waiting for spring as well.


• Soon it will be time to prune the fruit trees, the wisteria, and the roses. I will probably take some time off from work to do all of that. I will need several days for that chore.


• In mid January I will plant peas. The seeds should be planted about 6 weeks before the last frost. In my area that is March 1.


• I plan to begin expanding my herb garden over the next several weekends.