Above, Calocasia (Elephant Ears, aptly named) “Mojito”.

An elegant assemblage of tropicals in what used to serve as a fountain trough.  Each is planted into its own pot and brought indoors for winter.

Caladium “Garden White” with a companion Boston Fern, wonderful texture.

A full tilt tropical garden at the Fareway in Chestnut Hill.  Blue-flowering plant is the herb African Blue Basil.

Canna tubers can be dug and stored in the basement til spring.

Bananas in a classic perennial/annual border.  Banana trees can be left in the ground, cut back, stump covered with a plastic pot and a pile of leaves over all.  They’ll return in spring with lots of offshoots, even in harsh winters (as we discovered last spring).

Baby bananas!

I like words. Words are places, rooms, distant airs, thin and tropical. They make us feel and imagine we are more than our bodies.  Rickie Lee Jones

Because nectar and pollen are precious sustenance to Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds migrating south.

Because our endangered population of honey bees, without which there’d be a world without fruits and far less colorful, require nectar for their winter stores.  So do butterflies and other native critters.

Because songbirds feed on seeds and fruits.

The songbirds keep singing like they know the score and I love you I love you I love you like never before.   Eva Cassidy

Well, today is your lucky day.

Here is a slick infographic that supplies all the information on seasonal availability of “vegetables” (a term used a bit beyond its definition, as it does include some fruits.. but who’s counting?).

Enjoy and make sure you get your 6-8 servings in today!

“Cabbage:  a vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head”   Ambrose Bierce

Prepping the Garden for the Winter Season

• If you happen to have a mulching leaf vacuum and you have oak trees…be sure to use that wonderful stuff as mulch for your Rhododendrons, Azaleas, blue Hydrangeas and other acid-loving plants. There’s nothing better! Even if you don’t have one of those machines (they ARE noisy and gas-guzzling), your oak leaves, whole, will provide a nourishing mulch and break down faster than other leaves do. Virginia Umberger, who taught me everything about the significance of each individual plant, would keep a ready supply of oak leaves through all four seasons to use as mulch. She is in her late nineties and still carrying water from her rain barrel to the sun garden across the street.

• My mom, who taught me everything about the universe of fine gardening from the start, and who still tends to her beautiful gardens with an eye to the immaculate, doesn’t have oak leaves on her property. She knows the value of pine needles which are in ample supply, and uses them to advantage in her Rhododendron and Hydrangea beds. I must post some photos of her gardens.

• Cut back to an inch above ground all of your perennial plants. if you’re enjoying the seedheads or post-frost foliage then by all means don’t cut back!

• This is an optimal time to divide, transplant perennials if they’ve outgrown their spots.

• Bring Hydrangea heads into the house…just place into containers (leaves removed) for all-winter enjoyment.

• No pruning of Roses, Butterfly Bushes, Caryopteris til early spring! If in doubt about anything, don’t prune. Doing so now encourages new growth which will be vulnerable to the cold, and may well kill the plant.

• When there’s time, I like to edge all beds for a neat appearance through winter.
  Containers….remove plants, soil, and turn upside-down. Concrete containers will be ok with soil. A planter you really care about that may be too heavy to store or turn over can be safe-guarded by covering the opening with a piece of plywood, then wrapping the entirety with bubble wrap (you may want to then cover with burlap and raffia which looks a whole lot nicer).

• We plant bulbs through mid-January. Don’t stress if you haven’t the time right now. A word of caution…bulbs can easily become moldy and useless…so be sure yours are stored where there is good air circulation and little moisture if you’re not going to be planting for a while.

• Dahlias…if you have a dry spot indoors for storing them, lift from the ground with an inch or two of the stalk remaining, and wash the dirt off. Check every so often during the next few months, with a water sprtizer in hand, if they are too dry. They can be divided now (check for new growth nodules to determine which will be viable next year) w/ a sharp knife or in early spring.
• You’ll be replanting them in April. Or…if the following months are not terribly wet, your tubers will be safe in the ground with a 12 inch layer of leaves and landscape cloth, attached to the ground with sod staples (available at most garden centers) to cover.

• Cannas are somewhat more forgiving than Dahlias of how they’re stored. Wash them and place them in your garage or basement, plant in late April/early May.
  It’s not too late to repair your lawn with sod…in fact, it’s the easiest time of year for establishing. Call or email if you want a top-quality resource.
• The winter garden has its own charms. Be thoughtful of that as you prepare.

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

Today’s snow was of the large-flaked, fluffy type. Just beautiful. The first such snow we’ve had this year. The way the snow collects on trees and shrubs and what remains of summer plants reminds us of the four-season beauty of the landscape.

And I am reminded of Chicago winters…and happy to be in Philadelphia!!

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

February in Philadelphia:

We’re going to have temps in the high 50’s, maybe 60’s this weekend! And sunny skies. How I miss Chicago, but the February thaw, which has been for my 13 years in Philly a rite of passage, is one heck of a consolation prize. (Of course, there are so many aspects of Philly living that commend it, not the least it’s brilliant growing opportunities…almost everything thrives here!…and its proud tradition of horticultural excellence.)

But I digress. Purpose here is to offer some February “to do’s” for those of us itching to get in the dirt.

Fertilize acid-loving evergreens with Hollytone. Fertilize other trees and shrubs with compost (if you have your own, it’s time to turn it). This is also a good time to provide a cover of compost to gardens. DO NOT apply compost to acid-loving plants…it neutralizes the soil!!! We’re big on compost, and often use mushroom compost as a mulch…it stays dark, looks beautiful, has initial smell less offensive than Right Dress. Plants literally burst forth. Longterm benefits to soil are substantial. Drawbacks…weeds love it, too but they are easily removed in such loose medium; application in warm weather can burn young plants.

Buy seeds. You can use those left from last year, if they’ve been stored cool and dry, but don’t count on them. Build systems to start them indoors.

Pre-order heritage or other hard-to-find vegetable, fruit plants. The offerings are fascinating. Last year I was loving richly flavored Black from Tula, tangy and prolific Green Zebra and so sweet Sungold tomatoes. One of our clients described her miniature globe eggplants (I’ll get the name of the variety) that she just popped onto the grill…a delicious, buttery consistency to the filling. Another grew red corn, with red tassles…wish I’d captured on the camera. If you send here your favorites, I’ll post them! Cross Country Nursery is fairly local if you wish to pick up but she also ships…this grower has everything and then some in the way of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers…all organically grown.

Ask us for herbs…we have the best resource for just about everything you can imagine, and more that you can’t.

When snow melts and you can see the soil, check your perennials..stomp back into the ground any that may have heaved.

Clean and sharpen tools, machinery. Organize your shed or garage so that when the first day hits, you’ll be a happy, organized camper. Make lists of what tools, provisions, you’ll need.

Fix fencing, garden and raised bed structures. We’ll have the soft ground for it…purchase the materials now.

Prune Viburnum, azalea, rhodos…you’ll lose bloom, but this is a good time to identify the branching, determine what needs to go. Also, fruiting trees may be pruned now, before they set buds. Prune grapes.Raspberries and other caning fruit plants.

Check the tender summer-blooming bulbs and tubers you may have stored in your basement or garage….Make sure they are neither too moist nor too dry and provide what they may need. I’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about storage vs leaving in the ground next fall.

Tear pages from your garden magazines, bookmark web pages and books to better communicate to us what you’d like to see in your landscapes this year.

End of the month…if weather allows, it’s not too early to prune roses. Be brutal! I’ll share more on the subject.

We are available and happy to help you with any of the above tasks, or just to talk…give a buzz or send an email or leave a note in the comment box below, and we’ll respond.