Although dismaying, there is probably no time when Island residents can exhale, liberated from tick awareness.
I did a brief stint of yardwork the other afternoon. Five minutes after coming indoors, there it was, a small deer tick crawling haltingly across my wrist. The experts may differ, but my observation is that deer ticks are ticks of winter.
Anticipation
Tulips are a treat, tops for anticipation, color, and bouquets. The problem is that hungry voles, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, and deer agree, voraciously.
Even when tulips are fenced within vegetable gardens, voles and chipmunks tunnel the soil to get to them. Some species of tulips, however, appear to have less appeal than classic garden tulip bulbs; for the above reasons, species tulips hold interest.
I dove in with several blends of species tulips last year, and returned to Van Engelen (vanengelen.com) for more of the same this past fall. They were a lot of 300-plus, and it took me a while to determine where in this informal garden they would be appropriate and actually flourish. I shoved the last of the small bulbs into the ground on Jan. 10 — not fine gardening, more like quick ’n’ dirty — but they are now all tucked in.
An appreciation
West Tisbury has bred many remarkable women. One of these is Susan Silva, who died on Jan. 9.
Many years ago, Susan showed me how to make a good wreath. The green circles, put up at the darkest time of year, symbolize life’s continuity. The holiday wreathmaking she shared with me is something meaningful that I have since been able to pass along to others.
It is with fondness and admiration that Island garden and growing circles remember Susan. Her aura of creativity extended to many aspects of growing, gardening, and homemaking: sewing, knitting, and four children. Susan, along with her husband Ronald, made producing vegetables, plants, and flowers of unmistakable high quality a routine performance.
Susan plowed energy into Arrowhead Farm, Briar Rose Farm at the Spalding family place at Sunnyside Farm, the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, and ultimately Polly Hill Arboretum, where she was a valued volunteer.
Years of Farmers Markets and Agricultural Fair entries demonstrated hard work, along with attention to detail, ingredients of the high Silva standards. Susan’s flowers and arrangements were always the best and most beautiful, all homegrown and self-produced. Breathtakingly incomparable flower arrangements greeted people weekly around town and at the Polly Hill Arbortem’s Visitor Center.
Salpiglossis and lisianthus, gorgeous flowers that others find challenging to grow, emerged from Susan’s greenhouse. Artistically dried flowers and wreaths bridged winter’s gap. Daily masterpieces and everyday marvels flowed from her hands, scissors, workshop, and garden.
An unpretentious, down-to-earth woman, Susan was unfailingly generous but circumspect. Her knowledgeable advice and self-deprecatory comments accompanied all the above. With the discerning eye of a grower and the gifted one of an artist, Susan was her own toughest critic. (She would have squirmed to read these compliments.) A longtime fair and Farmers Market colleague agrees: “There was a genuine humility to Susan. Even when she was awarded many first-place ribbons and special awards for her amazing arrangements, Susan would also spend time studying the junior flower department. You could tell she had a great love of flowers. She was always willing to share information about [them]. I was also a vendor at the Farmers Market with her. People would line up before 9 to be one of her first customers. Of course she sold out right away.”
Booze for bulbs
When forcing holiday paperwhites, serve them a drink — yes, an alcoholic one! Wishing I had learned about this earlier, before the holidays, I share the info belatedly.
Here is the story. Most of us love forcing paperwhites for the holidays. We contend with stems and foliage growing too long: either not enough light, or too much warmth. Then they lean and topple, despite staking and careful regular turning.
The means to prevent this is easy, but possibly not well-known. (Or am I the last to the party?) Whichever way you have planted the bulbs (pebbles, soil, marble chips), when the shoots are about five inches high, give them a 40 percent solution of water and gin/vodka/tequila. To do this, mix seven parts water and one part 40 percent alcohol-by-volume booze.
If you use 70 percent rubbing alcohol instead, make the mixture one part rubbing alcohol to 10 parts water. The alcohol contained in the water should stunt the leaves but not the flower stems. For a description, plus photos, of the original experiment, go to
bit.ly/Cornell_PickledPaperwhites.
Hellebore cleanup?
Each passing year brings hellebores increasingly to the forefront for winter gardens, as hybrid strains and elaborate crosses enter commerce. It is no wonder: These are handsome, hardy plants that are well-suited and thrive here.
Hellebores’ poisonousness means no rabbit or deer damage, and who does not welcome flowers in winter? Even without flowers, hellebores make a handsome, midheight, evergreen groundcover.
My curiosity is piqued when advice for hellebores’ culture is to cut away the old foliage now. The reasons cited are to prevent foliar diseases and better showcase the emerging flowers that nestle among the plants.
If your hellebores’ leaves appear healthy, my opinion is: Spare yourself the trouble. On the other hand, if there is any hint of foliar diseases or gray mold, cut them away.
Hellebores are long-lived, perfect for woodland and shade gardens. They appreciate moisture-retentive, acidic soil high in organic matter. Culture includes side-dressing in fall with compost or leaf mold.
Citrus drop
Do not be discouraged! Growing indoor citrus can be frustrating. We grow them mainly to have some fruit. Once the flowering season is past, expect three “drops.” After flowering, a high percentage of flowers will drop off, due to lack of pollination. The second drop occurs when the fruit are marble-size. A third drop occurs when the fruit is almost mature. Think of it as self-thinning.