Growing up in a small farm town gave me a rather utilitarian
approach to plants – if you’re going to plant it, water it, and weed it, you’d
darn well better be able to eat it! The flower beds of my childhood were filled
with perennials that were permanent fixtures: peonies, bleeding-hearts,
violets, daffodils, and tulips. The idea
of buying and planting flowers that only last a summer seemed like extravagant
self-indulgence.
When I had my own place, and started perusing
home-and-garden magazines and noticing other people’s yards that I found
attractive and might want to imitate, I especially noticed the stand-alone pots
of colorful blooms grouped on porches and decks. They always looked welcoming
and showed the care that the residents took to add a little beauty to their
surroundings.
So, I found myself scouring the garden shops to find the
right shade of petunias and complimentary blooms, plus the trailing vines,
spiky leaves and colorful foliage that filled my pots with vibrant summer color.
A couple of years ago, I evidently strayed into
perennial-land and picked up some foliage plants. This one is lamium
or “spotted henbit”. (I’d love to know
how it got that name.) I love its cool-looking green and white foliage. This variety produces small purple flowers. I
also got some variegated ornamental grass. These two have survived our recent
mild winters, so I now just poke in the petunias and alyssum around them,
saving a little bit of time and money.
All the enjoyment with less extravagance!
I still love annuals for their recklessly exuberant colors;
they are the floral demonstration of the philosophy of carpe diem (seize the day, for tomorrow may bring locusts or
frost). I always plant marigolds around
my raised beds to discourage bugs. This
year I added alyssum after reading that aphids don’t like it. Last year my pots of broccoli and kale were
infested, but so far, this year it seems to be working. I’ve stayed true to my roots by making these
annuals work for their keep.
A lot of gardening success is caused by the random alignment
of timing and weather. I’ve never had
any success with beets, for example. I
don’t know if it’s my timing or if the birds in our yard consider the sprouting
leaves their own personal salad bar. I
love beets, but I don’t think of cooking them often enough. I love that in
their fresh, natural state, they’re a two-part edible – greens to sauté or
steam and the ruby roots to roast. I
found them at the farmers’ market last week and “cooked up” this easy summer
recipe that was a big hit at my house!
Roasted Almost-Pickled Beets
4
medium-sized beets
1/3 c. light
Raspberry –Walnut Vinaigrette
¼ c.
crumbled feta cheese
Scrub the
beets and cut off the green tops. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and roast in
a 350-degree oven until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 – 60 minutes. Cool,
peel and cut into ½ inch chunks. Toss with dressing and chill. Top with
crumbled feta cheese right before serving.
You could also toss this with baby greens and chopped walnuts for a
roasted beet salad.
I’m going
back to the farmers’ market for more beets!
