Welcome to Spring 2007 Newsletter

 It certainly is hard to sit here in my little library/studio and compose a welcome spring letter with 40mph winds ripping through the pine trees outside my window and the forecast calling for dropping temperatures and a fast moving cold front approaching.  This is the kind of weather that gives the greenhouse grower extra gray hairs and indigestion.  Plastic greenhouses become giant kites should a small rip in the plastic tear.  My seedlings are safe in the cellar of my farmhouse but soon they need to make the transition to the outside greenhouse environment.  And if the sun doesn’t shine the plants sometimes rot and die.  Anybody out there want to go into the plant business?  Looking at the calendar and remembering that confounded groundhog in PA, spring is supposed to come early this year. Our seasons just seem to be in reverse.  The way the phone has been ringing and emails coming in; it seems that many of you are really getting weary of winter and looking forward to the start of the Spring Season.  So let’s start off with some pictures and information on the Herb of the Year, Lemon Balm.

Lemon Balm is one of those plants that will grow despite a “black thumb”. As a purveyor of herbs, I will hear some of my customers make the comment, “Don’t buy that, I will give you one!”  They are right, lemon balm is quite prolific but the key to keeping this plant in great shape and to prevent it from seeding all over is to cut it back before the small insignificant flowers produce seeds.  The plant will grow in full sun to part shade and has been used in culinary and medicinal applications as well as being an insect repellent.  In fact the oils are stronger than those of a scented geraniums used to repel mosquitoes!  I grow a large lemon balm in a container by my back door close to Chincoteague Virginia where there are some pretty big mosquitoes.  I rub the leaves of balm as well as English Pennyroyal on my arms and legs when I take walks in the surrounding wooded areas and keep those “big ones” at bay.  This year I will be giving a talk on the Lemon Herbs at the Pennsylvania Herb Festival www.paherbfest  on Saturday, April 14 at 9:30am.  I have also added a link to my Lemon Herb information and recipes.(Link)  It is fascinating that there are so many lemon flavored herbs that we have for our use and that we can easily grow in containers or a small kitchen garden.  (Picture of Lemon Verbena and Lemon Grass in garden bed.)  We will feature a display of these lemon flavored plants at Alloway this spring.

You will also be seeing publicity about the Perennial of the Year, a program that was developed by The Perennial Plant Association and its membership.  Plants are voted on each year and this year the catmint, Nepeta fassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ is the selection for 2007.  (Picture of Walker’s Low)  I have read some reviews of the plant and of course those gardeners that pride themselves on having the first new unusual plant in the neighborhood are not terribly impressed.  I differ with them as I have been growing and offering Nepetas for many years and have been happy with the plants hardiness (zone3-8) and find the gray foliage an attractive buffer between other plants.  ‘Walker’s Low’ was named for a garden, not the plant’s size.  The stems are 2-3 feet long although the plant arches when flowering with aromatic gray leaves and beautiful long blooming lavender blue flowers.  Another plus is drought resistance and butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the sweet nectar. The mint scented foliage keeps deer and rabbits at arm’s length.  These are all good reasons to have the Nepetas in your garden.

 

You might have noticed “drought resistance” in my last paragraph.  Having been in the garden for quite a while, my observation of the climate is that it is becoming quite unpredictable.  Our gardens are subject to these wild fluctuations and we would do well by soil amendments and plant selection to anticipate these climate changes.  We will be selecting drought resistant plants and displaying them for your buying convenience at Alloway this year.  There will also be a new information sheet on “Gardening with the Environment” that will be available when you visit our nursery.

One of these days I am going to take all this information I have “gleaned” and also observed and put it all together in a book!  Meantime you can read about Alloway and Lavender in the new magazine “Celebrate Gettysburg” in the March/April 2007 edition.

Our Annual Garden Faire will be held on Friday, June 1^st and Saturday, June 2^nd and offers craft vendors, garden walks and talks, light herbal fare and country ambiance.  Make sure you put Alloway on your calendar this Spring!

We will open for the season April 11 and our hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm.  Make sure you have signed up on our email mailing list to be kept update on Alloway!

Think Green Thoughts of Spring

Barb and the Alloway Gardeners