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Pumpkin Spice Everything

29/9/2017

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Pumpkins, a cousin of cucumbers, watermelons, luffas, and zucchini are edible and quite tasty! In technical botanic speak, pumpkins fill the “What am I going to eat in December!?” niche. Most were bred to have tough skin to supply calories and nutrients well into the winter. 
Per Cup of roasted pumpkin:  Calories 49, Protein 2 g, Carbohydrate 12 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Calcium 37 mg, Iron 1.4 mg, Magnesium 22 mg, Potassium 564 mg, Zinc 1 mg, Selenium .50 mg, Vitamin C 12 mg, Niacin 1 mg, Folate 21 mg, Vitamin A 2650 IU, Vitamin E 3 mg.

One of our best sellers is this…

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The Musque De Province; we call it a Fairy Tale Pumpkin. It originated in Provence, where it is still eaten today. It has a mild flavor that can be used in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. It is often eaten as a street food in France; roasted whole, sliced along the ribs, and seasoned with different spice mixtures... yes, you can use pumpkin spice. It is then served wrapped in parchment paper.

The most commonly eaten is this weirdo!

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The Blue Hubbard has a small seed chamber, thus most of the volume is meat. Its mass to volume ratio makes it perfect for mass produced canned pumpkin. You can use anywhere pumpkin or winter squash is called for.

My favorite is this guy.

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The Speckled Hound. This is a true winter squash and should last for months! It is the perfect size and shape for easy roasting, just toss it in an oven on a cookie sheet until the skin is soft. The best part is the pale orange meat is dryer than most which makes it especially sweet! Perfect for desserts and breads!

My last to mention is this unassuming guy.

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Sometimes called tiger stripe or the Styrian Pumpkin. The meat is nothing special, however it's pretty and a different coloration than most, so it definitely has its use. But this Austrian squash has a secret if you cut it open…

Its seeds are completely hulless. Most pumpkins seeds look like the image on the left vs the right.  Roasting them is a breeze!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin or winter squash, at least one cup of cleaned seeds
The amount of oil and spices will vary with the volume of seeds collected.
½ tablespoon of oil per cup of seeds.
.5 t of salt per cup of seeds

1. Preheat oven to 300
2. Hollow out Tiger Stripe Pumpkin (or any pumpkin or winter squash)
3. The seeds will be attached to some membrane, so rinse in a colander and lightly scrub with cloth towels (seeds will stick to paper). It is not necessary to completely clean the seeds. Excess membrane is edible and will dry.
3B. (If using a non tiger stripe squash, skip drying. Bring some salted water to a boil and dump seeds in to pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain, and let dry on a cookie sheet.)
4. Toss seeds with your favorite oil(coconut, olive, melted butter…) and salt. Use other seasonings as desired. ½ t Worcestershire sauce is nice...Pumpkin Pie spice… the sky is the limit, but leave sugar out until after roasted.
5. Spread on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes.(15-20 for hulled pumpkin seeds) Some will pop when they are done.
6. Remove from oven(add sugar or herbs at this point and toss, if necessary), lift foil off of pan and place on cooling rack.
Scarf down right away, store in airtight container, make brittle, add to soups or bread, or use them in pesto.

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Conifers and Evergreens for Container Gardening

21/10/2016

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Succulents are all the rage right now, and they have been for a while.  It’s easy to see why.  They are low maintenance, interesting and colorful without flowers, making an arrangement attractive throughout the season.  Most come from extremely harsh climates, so bringing them here they almost grow too easily.  They can be planted in a trough or bowl for a mixed arrangement, planted in small individual pots that can be rearranged on the fly, or planted singly to use as a specimen.  They need full sun to stay healthy and vibrant, but usually this is not a problem in Oklahoma...until winter.  Most succulents are tropical or at least not pot-hardy here.

Conifers(and some evergreens), however, meet all of these requirements including that critical one.  They are evergreen, cold hardy, and for the most part, pot hardy, meaning they can be left outside all winter.  Something that can’t be done with most succulents.  But the best part is that they look great all year.  We carry a line of evergreens and hollies that are either dwarf or extremely slow growing, which means they only out grow a pot every 5+ years or so.
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Rock Garden Holly

This hybrid Holly has shiny dark green leaves that are bronze when they emerge in the spring and during the growing season.  It’s mature size is only a foot tall and wide, so it’s perfect in a mixed pot or as a specimen or even a small bonsai.  The red berries in fall and winter make it ideal for decorating for the holidays!

Goshiki False Holly

This will grow into a larger shrub, about 5-6 feet tall and wide but responds well to shearing.  It has a holly-like leaf that is variegated, changing from pinks to copper to yellow as the seasons progress, giving it renewed interest all year.  It only grows three to six inches a year, but eventually, it will need a large pot or a home in your garden.
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Wilma Monterey Cypress

This beauty has a soft, fine texture with a narrow, upright habit.  Another one that will get large (12’ tall X 4’ across).  This will do better solo in a pot or straight in the ground.  Its golden color is highlighted by cinnamon colored bark and lemon scented foliage.

Whipcord Red Cedar

This is for the fans of Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons.  You can almost hear the low grumbling as his plans are being thwarted by Bart.  Whipcords only get three to four feet across in the garden or pot and develop a lovely bronze color in winter.  Just watch out for the rakes as you plant it!


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Jean’s Dilly Alberta Spruce

Similar to the typical dwarf Alberta Spruce but much more compact.  Growing only a couple inches a year, it will max out at three feet tall and about a foot wide.  Perfect for a mixed conifer bowl or collection of pots.

Upright Mugo Pine

Slow-growing, upright mugo with attractive cones.

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Valley Cushion Mugo Pine

An extremely hardy, low-growing Mugo - less than a foot tall and four feet across, with a growth rate of three to five inches a year.  New buds are a rusty red that contrasts with the dark green foliage.

These are just a few of the conifers we have, and I hope I have given you an idea for a different kind of arrangement. In containers or in beds, hollies and conifers can create a garden unlike anyone else on your block. So think out side of the annual, perennial, hedge, and succulent boxes and come check out our selection. Below is a link to the web page of the nursery from which we get most of our conifers and evergreens. It has lots of great information as well as pictures of the full grown plants and ideas for arrangements.

http://www.iselinursery.com/fanciful-gardens/
http://www.iselinursery.com/colorful-conifers/
http://www.iselinursery.com/container-gardens-alternative-for-small-spaces/

Alex Wisdom

Plant nerd since grade school.

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Gardens Aflame!

13/5/2016

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Following up last week's post about commonly asked questions (last week's was, "Which plants make the best hanging baskets?"), today I will discuss another common question.
     -- How long does it bloom?  --
Usually the answer is concise, 4-6 weeks, 2-4 weeks, one day(stupid hibiscus), or every ten years.  However, with most annuals and some perennials, deadheading will keep the blooms going for longer periods.  As a corollary to the question, "How much work do they require to keep them blooming?"  Some times, "it depends" is the best answer we have.  Or there is this little guy...
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One of my favorite plants, Celosia.  The one above is Celosia argentea. 
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This is Celosia cristata.  Commonly known as Cock's Comb, because the flower head looks like a rooster's crest before it fills out to the brain shape pictured above.

This is one of those plants your grandmother planted.  They were popular in the sixties and seventies and fell out of favor, for some reason.  I have no clue why.  They have some of the best color per dollar you can find at garden centers.  They can be found in pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges.  They usually get tall, 30+ inches, unless you get one of the new meatball versions that plant breeders seem to keep pumping out.  Those get 12" tall or so. 

They are related to Amaranths, so they are edible.  The argentea's are pretty tasty, the leaves and new growth can be prepared like spinach, while the cristata (Cock's Comb) has been used in China for medicinal purposes for centuries!  Originally from Eastern Africa, they can take heat!  When the heat spikes and most plants are shutting down various systems, Celosia will continuing growing and blooming like crazy!  They are also very easy!  They don't need much food, average water, and (wait for it!) no dead heading!  Well maybe a little.  I recommend pinching off the first bloom after planting.  This forces the plant to branch, which equates to more flowers!  After that, maybe a couple snips if a flower head starts drying out.  Maybe one snip per month! 
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This is when to pinch out the first bloom. Just snip with scissors, or pinch with finger nails the tiny red bloom.
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Because of their size and vigor, they are one of the few plants that can stand up to Sweet Potato Vine and not get choked out.  Even better, the colors both plants come in complement each other nicely!

Celosias will do well in most soils, but really thrive in soils rich in organic materials.  So add compost.  A hand full of slow release fertilizer never hurt anything either!
I'd also like to mention some other common names they have had.  Cock's Comb is a good one.  Really, top notch work guys!  Others include Plume Flower, Plumed Amaranth, and Flame Flower.  The name Celosia is Greek, meaning burning, since the plumes look a bit like flames.  My favorite is their original name.  Being from East Africa, their Swahili name is Mfungu. 

These are this weeks Plant of the Week.  So all weekend, Celosias are 25% off!  Mention Mfungu, and get 40% off!

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Here's a pretty flower!

-- Alex Wisdom

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So, Which are the Best Hanging Baskets?

5/5/2016

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This is probably the most asked question we receive.  This week's post will answer that and tie in with our sale that we are having for Mother's Day weekend!  If you pick one of these three, for your self or your momma, you will have a beautiful, low maintenance plant all summer!
I am going to start off by saying that I am leaving off the Portulacas.  Purslane, and Rose Moss(Moss Rose) are fantastic plants.  They are succulent, which means they have a way of storing water.  They bloom like crazy, they are easy as it gets.  Come on by and grab some!  However, tt would go against our mission statement if I didn't provided something more inspired.  Which brings me to the only three plants I plant every year!
By common name, Blue Daze, Million Bells, and Trailing Periwinkle.
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Blue Daze is a relative of Morning Glories, Moon Vine, and Sweet Potato Vine.  Before it made it to garden centers and an ornamental plant it was called Dwarf Morning Glory or Ground Morning Glory.    It has the same habit of opening its flowers when it is sunny as the Morning Glory.

Like most silvery blue plants, they like it dry and hot!  They are not heavy feeders, but some slow release fertilizer at the start will kick them into high gear!  Luckily!  We put Colorstar on all of our hanging baskets, so you're all set!  hang one of these, and enjoy the intense blue all season!

Also, there is a new one, Blue My Mind.  If any of you reading this has one, bring it down!  I'd like to see it.
Million Bells are not just little Petunias!  They do prefer dryer conditions like petunias and they do have colorful bell shaped flowers.  But he similarities stop there!  Well, they both have green leaves.

Any way!  These little guys love the heat!  When it is in the 100's, these will be one of the last things still blooming and pretty!  Some people may not be impressed with the small bloom, but remember, small means less energy used to make the flower which equates to MORE BLOOMS!!!  Million Bells are showy enough for curb appeal, and pretty enough for up close viewing. 

These are heavy feeders, but again, we apply Colorstar to all baskets, so all you need to worry about is watering them.
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 Last, but in no way, least, Trailing Periwinkles. Or Madagascar/Mediterranean Vinca. Not to be confused with Vinca Vine!  These look just like the bedding Vinca/Periwinkles, except they have soft stems, so the trail making them ideal for hanging baskets!

If you are familiar with Periwinkles, you know that they are great for our extreme summers.  They don't mind being either hot or dry.  These are the same way!  If you could engineer the perfect plant for hanging baskets, it would look a lot like this!

I love the little guys! Even though "little" is not an apt description!  Those are 14" clapboards the the second photo over there!
I hope this gives you some ideas for your home, or your Mothers.  Remember, May 8th!  We are having a Mother's Day Sale the 6th, 7th, and 8th, and all hanging baskets are $13.95!
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Late Spring Weeds

3/4/2016

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The henbit is dying, and making way for some of the more noxious weeds.  Crabgrass being the number one offender.
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There it is.... Digitaria sanguinalis.
  Now is the time to be putting down the pre-emergent of your choice.  We at Plant Wisdom, like Ferti-Lome's All Seasons with barricade. 

There is some nitrogen (16-0-8), so it is classified as a lawn food, but you can get more nutrients by just leaving the lawn clippings to decompose on the lawn.

Its real purpose is to prevent the germination of annual weeds.  There are three products that do this safely and sustainably.  Most organic gardeners know the virtues of corn gluten meal.  Put it on during the right times of the year, and it prevents roots from forming during germination.  However, rain and watering will reduce its effectiveness.  It is also not too shelf stable.  Leave a bag in your garage for a few months and you'll know what I mean.
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Another product is called Preen.  It is just pelletized corn gluten, making its effects last longer.  It, however, can be expensive.  I'll talk more about it later, but suffice to say, it is best used in gardens as opposed to on your lawn.

Which brings me back to All Seasons.  Is it organic?  No.  This is one of the cases where is doesn't matter, it is a best practice.  The compound in All Seasons, barricade, is derived from a plant.  Callistemon citrinus is an australian flowering shrub that survives with limited resources by stopping the germination of nearby seeds. 
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Using something pretty to eliminate something noxious.  Which leads me to the real point of the article!
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Yes, I hope I shed some light on organic practices, and I do hope to sell a few bags of All Seasons, but I really just wanted to be able to use that comic in some manner of professionalism.

_ Alex Wisdom

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    Authors

    Kathy and Alex have combined experience of over 25 years, and offer their expertise here.

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  • PWGC Home
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