The Soul Garden–The Perennial Bookworm

The Soul Garden:.  Creating Green Spaces for Inner Growth & Spiritual Renewal.  Donald Norfolk, 2002.  The Overlook Press, 288 pages, 8.3 x 5.7″, $27.95 (hardcover).

Most gardeners and professional horticulturists believe that the act of creating, tending and sitting in a garden promotes well-being. The science of horticultural therapy provides backing to the notion that  gardeners have speculated on since the beginning of man; which is: being outside in the presence of lush plants is good for us.  We who tend gardens as a hobby or business receive the direct benefits, though we don’t often dwell on why this is so or how to cultivate a garden specifically to promote health.

Delving into history, the author of the Soul Garden shares the philosophies of others who, back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, have espoused the healing power of gardens.  While recommending landscape features that inspire spirituality and the kinds of outdoor activities that can give meaning to our lives, the book also discusses some of the philosophic basis for horticultural therapy.  Unfortunately, there is scant mention of the hard science that is being done in this burgeoning field.

One of the most powerful parts of the book for me was the discussion of what I would call  gardening obsession and how the drive to work, improve and collect as part of the hobby  can detract  from the spiritual enjoyment one can take from the garden setting.  As a gardening addict myself, I found some of this argument spot on, but other reasoning false.

For instance, collecting plants, knowing their classification and Latin names is satisfying for me as it expands my understanding of the individual plants themselves, the field of botany and related  natural sciences.  I suppose that if I were so obsessed with the act of collecting that I could not expand my appreciation for plants beyond the act of procuring and cataloging them, that might be another story.

The argument that did resonate with me is that it’s important  to remind ourselves that if we only look at the garden through the eyes of the do-er, we aren’t taking advantage of the full power of the garden to ground and balance us.  No doubt I am guilty of this; looking out into my yard and seeing only the chores, or the so-called failings in my  mind, whether they be of design or maintenance.  Or perhaps my focus is on stemming the tide of plant disease or death, when in reality, that’s part of the cycle of life that quite often we can’t control.

This book is a refreshing reminder to continually enjoy and find repose in the garden.  After all, it we don’t take the time to savor the fruits of our labor, why is it that we tend and create gardens in the first place?   In other words, if the hammock goes unused due to chores, perhaps one needs to re-think the garden.  If the bench becomes merely a focal point at the intersection of an axis and not a place to stop, sit and appreciate the vista, the gardener needs to gently re-direct back to the concept of gardening for the soul.

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Sarcococca confusa (Sweet box)–PLANT FIX

Sweet box branches in a handthrown vase by Dotty Patrick

Valentine’s Day is upon us and I’ve always thought that the best gift for a sweetheart that adores flowers is a PLANT.  A bouquet is beautiful, but a flowering plant is the “gift that keeps on giving”.  And so, the ideal present in my mind is a witch hazel, hellebore, camellia or Sarcococca–anything with a lovely winter flower to brighten up gray days.  Even if it’s a bare root, as yet barren rose–the gardener knows the potential and will appreciate the thoughtful gesture of many a bouquet to come.

Some type of fly visits Sarcococca flowers

Over the years I have added several winter bloomers to my garden so that I have “flower power” to get me through the dark days. Sarcococca confusa shrubs are planted in shady locations so that their strong fragrance finds me when I’m out in the garden, or more commonly at this time of the year, on my way to and fro work.  The scent of Sarcococca in late January and most of February lifts my spirits.  As soon as I notice it, I clip some branches to put in a tall vase by my front door and bring a handful inside for further enjoyment.

A handful is all you need.  Some who are sensitive to strong perfumes might find sweet box too much for a closed-in space, but I adore it.  If your front door is on the north side of the house, I recommend planting a Sarcococca there.  Alas, my entry faces west and receives way too much sun for sweet box.  No worries–a tall vase of branches on the front porch  lasts a long time in the cool of the outdoors, way beyond that of the vase on my dining table.  Sarcococca is most attractive when grown in full shade and rich soil.  It will grow with more sun provided it is given ample water, but the leaves will be smaller, yellower and less glossy.

My desire to bring the flowers indoors turned into an opportunity to prune the Sarcococca growing lushly on the north side of my garage.  As I rustled the branches, various flies and other tiny insects like gnats took to the air.  Ah ha!  These must be the pollinators for the tiny, white, petalless flowers.  No bees, beetles or other better known winged-ones were in sight.  Flowers are fragrant, after all, to insure cross pollination, not for human pleasure, though what a wonderful by-product.  There are both male and female flowers on Sarcococca, and the males are distinguished by long white anthers.

The flowers are hardly noticeable amongst the foliage.  Back in my nursery days I remember customers whiffing large, scentless camellias or anything blooming nearby in search of “that heavenly smell”.  It was always fun to introduce people to sweet box and see their surprise that such an inconspicuous blossom could pack a punch. Sarcococca confusa is an evergreen shrub that reaches approximately 5′ feet high by 5′ wide in time and is largely pest and disease free.

A Valentine’s bouquet of sweet box from your garden or a 1 gallon pot or larger (Sarcococca does bloom when young) would be a welcome gift for your flower-loving sweetheart or yourself.

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Local Chocolate Tradition–100 years of Sweets for your Sweetie

Did you know that Brown & Haley, the manufacturer of Almond Roca® is a Washington company that has been in business 100 years? Brown & Haley is the third largest maker of boxed chocolates in the United States and its yummy candy is sold in more than 63 countries.

My Mom’s favorite candy was Almond Roca® and the familiar pink tin was a gift giving staple in our house. It wasn’t until I moved to Port Orchard that I learned it was made in Tacoma.  Upon further research, I was discouraged to find that the plant wasn’t open for tours.  Housed in the same downtown Tacoma  building since 1919, the chocolate factory is not set up for public viewing.  The chocolatier has a long and fascinating history, and OUTLET STORES; both things Mom would have truly appreciated.

The proximity of the factory to the Camp Lewis military base provided the initial market for what started out as the “Mt.Tacoma” bar, now the Mountain® Bar.  Almond Roca® was created in 1923 and became a big hit at the base. The later introduction of the pink tin in 1927 expanded  the shelf life of the buttercrunch toffees and Brown & Haley signed a contract with the US War Department to ship Almond Roca® to overseas military personnel.  This is how much of the world was introduced to Mountain® Bar and the buttercrunch confection that now comes in the flavors of mocha, cashew, dark, macadamia, candy cane and sugar free.

To learn more about the history of Brown & Haley, visit their website www.brown-haley.com and check out the two outlet stores–one in Fife and one in Tacoma to get some great deals on chocolates for Valentine’s Day or for mailing to out of state friends for other occasions.  The best bargains are the “manufacturing bloopers” or “boo-boos” which are what they call the chocolates that came off the processing line looking less than perfect, but that still taste divine–those go in our freezer for home enjoyment.

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Attract Bats to your Garden with the Rocket box

Rocket box style bat house installed in full sun

Are you interested in attracting bats to your garden?  If so, this is a great time of year to plan for their arrival.  Many of the bats we see here in the Northwest have either gone south for the winter, or are tucked away in roosts, conserving precious energy by limiting their activity until the weather warms.

You may have heard that bats are wonderful for insect control and they are—a bat can eat as many as 1,000 insects an hour. By devouring mosquitoes, crane flies and other pests, they protect our crops and human health.  Bats are also mesmerizing, beautiful creatures to observe.  Unfortunately, bat numbers are declining in the US and world, with dire consequences to our environment.

Many western Washington bats are forest dwellers—sleeping and raising their babies (pups, as they are known) in live or dead trees.  When we cut down trees and move into forested areas, we disturb their habitat.  We can help by preserving trees, snags and by building bat houses.  Pacific Northwest species that might use a bat house include Little brown myotis, Big brown bat, Long-eared bat, California myotis and Yuma myotis.

While there is no guarantee that your bat house will be inhabited, there are basic tips to improve your chances, most of which involve understanding that bats need heat—lots of heat, as well as open space around their dwellings.

• Put your bat house in full sun—the hottest place on your property (usually      south or west facing) and preferably on its own, tall post, not on a      building.
• Completely seal the house with caulk and paint with flat, black exterior latex paint      so that it collects and holds heat
• Place where entrance to the house is unobstructed so that bats have a wide, open      area with which to safely fly in and out without bumping into things, and      where predators cannot easily ambush them—10-15 feet vertically and      horizontally.
• Don’t use pesticides

There are several styles of bat houses, but I have installed a Rocket-Box bat house at my place, upon the recommendation of Bats Northwest.  This type of house is named as such because it resembles a bottle rocket.  The idea behind a rocket box is that a bat that roosts in one can move to whatever side of the house they want to achieve maximum comfort.  The south side of the house will be the warmest, the north side, the coolest, and bats can select their favorite spot at different times of the day and year.

The best season to install a bat house is in late spring when bats are returning from migration or becoming active after hibernation.  Therefore, this is a perfect time to build one.

For detailed information on how to construct the rocket box, check out:

Bats Northwest, Inc.
P.O. Box 3026
Lynnwood, WA98046
(206)256-0406
www.batsnorthwest.org
Information on local bat species, their habits and conservation.  Website features building plans for rocket box and other style bat houses, as well as resources on how to safely and humanely remove unwanted bats from buildings.  Bats Northwest usually has an information booth at the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle–this year’s show runs February 20-24, 2013.

“Build a Better Bat House” by Colleen Miko, WestSound Home & Garden Magazine, Spring 2012 Issue.

The Bat House Forum www.bathouseforum.org
Connect and communicate with others who have bat boxes.

Bat Conservation International www.batcon.org
Information on the conservation of bats worldwide with books and DVDs on bat houses.

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Why Every Man Needs A Tractor–Perennial Bookworm

Why Every Man Needs A Tractor: and Other Revelations in the Garden.  Charles Elliot, 2011.  Frances-Lincoln,192 pages, 8 x 5.25″, $19.95 (hardcover).

This book is a collection of short pieces on the forgotten and sometimes amusing history of horticultural science and landscape design.  With a sensibility both American and British (Elliot is an American who has lived in Wales since 1985), the ideas, books and individuals he addresses impact how we farm and garden today.  The author examines the written works of other authors on particular topics, in a way reviewing those books, while injecting his own impressions of the book’s characters–scientists, plant explorers, noxious weeds and devastating agricultural pests.  Elliot delivers curious garden esoterica and stories from his own plot in an easy to digest format. The is a nice read for those of us who enjoy non-fiction topics but don’t have the time or desire to read a whole tome on a dismissed botanist.  The composition allows an entertaining introduction to an concept and the means to explore it more if it grabs you.

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Looking for Lichens on New Year

Lichen I believe to be Antlered Perfume (Evernia prunastri)

2013 came in auspiciously with the crisp, sunny day we enjoyed.  It was so beautiful outdoors I had to get out with my camera.  On chilly winter days it can be easy to assume the garden is asleep but those with an inquiring mind know better.  In fact, there are tiny, involved worlds thriving on an apparently dormant tree branch.  I can spend hours investigating the denizens of bark and rotting wood when the cover of leaves is removed.  Moss and lichen abound in our part of the country, thanks to the moist environment.  Peacefully searching for these uniquely graceful and often unappreciated organisms is how I chose to spend a good spell of New Year’s Day, but they can be found any day of the year.

Lipstick Cladonia, a form of club lichen with bright red fruiting bodies originating from the fungus partner

A lichen is a phenomenally interesting organism in that is made up of a fungus and an alga living symbiotically.  The fungus in the relationship provides physical support and soaks up moisture from the environment and the alga (often a green or blue-green algae) photosynthesizes light from the sun to feed the fungus.   Lichen comes in many forms, with the algae and fungi having evolved together in partnership.  Not unlike the two organisms that make up sea coral, lichen is complex and fascinating.

Since lichens can be found on both living and dead wood (as well as on rocks and bare ground), some people mistakenly believe that lichen is the causal agent for the dead branches they find on trees and shrubs.  The presence of lichen on woody plants is a natural occurrence that doesn’t harm the plant.  The lichen shallowly clings to the bark, growing very slowly and not deriving any nutrients from the plant itself, but instead from the air and rain.  Lichen is therefore not parasitic in any way and shouldn’t be removed.

Common witch’s hair lichen are browsed on by deer

The average lichen is so inconspicuous as to go completely unnoticed.  Take the white crustose lichen found on mature red alder trunks as an example.  Most people assume the lovely, blotchy white pattern on the trunks of red alder is the color of the bark itself.  In actuality, the bark is solid gray with elaborate colonies of lichen species imparting the snowing coloration.  However, some lichen are flamboyantly shaped, taking on hairier, branched forms.

White crustose lichens on red alder

Lichens are impactful to forest ecosystems in that they absorb moisture when it’s plentiful and evaporate it slowly into the air, serving as a form of humidifier.  They also play a role in nutrient cycling as lichens can absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to usable sources for plants.  The converted nitrogen in the lichen can leach by rainfall, or the lichen itself can fall to the soil and decompose.  Lichens are a prominent provider of nitrogen to forest trees and useful to insects and animals for food and nesting material.

Not a specialist in lichens, I stumble along identifying the different types in my garden.  With the leaves long dropped, it’s easiest to appreciate the forms, colors and shapes now, whether or not I can positively tell the difference between species with funny names like ragbag or tickertape bone.   On the dawn of a new year, I must remind myself that one doesn’t have to be able to identify something to appreciate it.

Here’s to a glorious 2013 where we can all make time to marvel at the natural curiosities in our gardens and investigate the wild spaces around us.  Happy New Year!

For more information on lichens; see these websites:

http://lichen.com

Lichenland website from OSU:

http://ocid.nacse.org/lichenland/

Lichen key from OregonStateUniversity:

http://ocid.nacse.org/lichenland/synopticKey/index.php

Intro to lichens from UC Berkeley:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fungi/lichens/lichens.html

© Colleen Miko, 2013

Support Your Local Christmas Tree Farm–Viva Verde

Happiness is a sweet cat and a noble fir

How quickly the fall season has transitioned into the “holiday” season.  The speed from which we go from autumn color to wreaths is mind blowing.   Time already to contemplate getting our Christmas tree.  In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, there is joy in supporting local farmers and artisans.  Shopping local is a concept that includes supporting your nearby tree farm.

In my family one of our beloved holiday traditions is choosing, adorning and displaying a fresh cut tree in our home.  The beauty and the fragrance of a live tree is a warm reminder of the natural beauty around us and how fortunate we are to have bountiful natural resources in our region.

How lucky we are in the Northwest to have such a wonderful selection, as well as affordable price point for fresh, fragrant conifers.  Cut your own or buy one cut, Christmas tree farms abound in our neck of the woods.  A great resource to check out your local tree farms, see what products they provide, their hours and locations is the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association’s website: www.nwchristmastrees.org

The website is nicely organized so that you can enter your county and see the farms closest to you.  Each farm listing has a map, indicates the different types and sizes of trees they carry and what other offerings you’ll find there, including gift shops, wagon rides, garlands, free cider, and more.  Then you can go directly to the website of the farm itself for even more information.  The online guide has 43 Washington and 67 Oregon tree farms listed.

While a bit more work to buy and set up a fresh cut tree as opposed to an artificial one, there are many benefits.  Local tree farms sequester carbon, produce oxygen and support wildlife while keeping the land from being developed.  Artificial trees cannot be recycled into rich mulch like fresh trees can; when a plastic tree has outlived its usefulness, it is destined for the landfill.  If you are considering replacing your artificial tree, garlands or wreaths this year, why not switch to neighborhood grown, fresh tree and boughs?  Going with the family to select a unique, fragrant tree is a heart warming holiday tradition.

© Colleen Miko, 2012

Garden Bloggers Decay Day

Persecaria ‘Red Dragon’ sports fall finery

Of course, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is popular. Everyone wants to feast their eyes on flowers, but at this time of the year, flowers are passé.  Now we celebrate harvest and relish fall colors.  Autumn leaves, whose bright hues are initiated by dropping temperatures and shortened daylight hours are lauded for their beauty.  But when you think about it, those flashes of russet and gold are early onset decay.  A walk around the garden in fall, and not just the week of Halloween and All Souls Day, nature reminds us that all good things come to an end but also that in death, there is life.

The spider & the fly appreciate the last blooms of Aster ‘Hella Lacey’

Since the onset of rain several weeks ago, the march of decomposition has been swift.  Though the droughty summer deprived us of the usual heavy colonies of autumn mushrooms and other fungal fruiting bodies, there is still much evidence of nature’s  clean up crew, those creatures referred to as “decomposers”.  The decomposers like mollusks, animals, or fungi are breaking down dead wood and other plant parts, as well as departed animals into nutritious earth.  The scent of the air right now is rich, complex and earthy.  A whiff of fallen Katsura leaves is sweet like browned sugar and the layer of needles shaken from the boughs by rain and wind is mildly astringent.  So different from the cold of winter when the air seems to smell nothing but “clean”.

Amongst the trees, meadows and garden beds flies are depositing larvae, mushrooms are releasing spores and slugs are devouring the soggy foliage. The ground is pleasantly littered with myriad shapes and colors of leaves, sticks, lichen and withered fruit.  It’s this blanket of litter that will protect the roots of plants entering dormancy and all sorts of living things that hibernate or overwinter underground.  Nature is tucking itself in and the varied quilt patterns are intriguing.

A hosta leaf rapidly decomposing into the wet soil

Perhaps examining a rotting flower with the level of attention given a freshly opened blossom is morose.  Another way to look at it is that you can’t have one without the other and each has it’s own magic.  Happy Halloween and Garden Bloggers Decay Day.

© Colleen Miko, 2012

Managing Manure to Save Mankind–Perennial Bookworm

Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind.  Gene Logsdon, 2010.  Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 272 pages, 7.5 x 5.5″,  $17.50 (paper).

I found this book to be extremely well written and quite humorous in addition to covering everything you’d want to know about how to manage and use manure.  With more home gardeners raising chickens and the popularity of small farms growing, this helpful and entertaining guide will be useful to many–including those who use locally sourced manure to add to their garden compost.

Logsdon’s technique of working further reading material into the text takes away guesswork for the reader who wants to learn more and makes a reference page unnecessary.  The breadth of experience relayed here is undeniable, which makes even the chapter on how to use which type of fork for which type of bedding/manure engaging.  His coverage of biosolids is intriguing and reminds us that the type of manure that is most problematic on our planet is our own.

© Colleen Miko, 2012

Late Summer Pleasures–On the Order of Odonata

Spread-Winged Damselfly, family Lestidae

In late summer, early fall, the air over our pond resembles Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  The dragonflies, damselflies and skimmers–all of the insect order Odonata, maneuver deftly over the water.  Some 430 species of Odonata are found in the US and Canada.   Since their juvenile form, called naiads, are aquatic, our large pond hosts many families of these fascinating and attractive insects.  Every year I learn to identify a few more.

Naiad exoskeleton shed by adult dragonfly

Earlier in the summer, the skimmers and others crawl out of the water as mature naiads, hoisting themselves out into the terrestrial world on cattail stalks and other partially submerged plants.  One year I had the great fortune of observing a dragonfly adult crawl from within the cracked open naiad “shell”, unfurl and dry it’s wings.  This occurred over the course of several hours as I weeded nearby.  When it flew off, I was amazed at the opportunity to witness a portion of what is termed incomplete metamorphosis–what luck and timing.  The fall before, the female parent had laid it’s eggs, either directly in or over the water.  What an intriguing life cycle.

This time of year is mating season, and the aerial movements are more erratic than the usual darting and angling to catch insect prey.  The males and females, connected together, can be seen awkwardly moving from the air to the lawn and amongst the thick foliage that rings the pond.  Their love dance hinders their normally deft flight.

Various species of Odonata hunt amongst my garden beds, in addition to the natives along the water.  They search for a meal of caterpillars and other insects, sometimes themselves falling prey to an orb weaver spider with a cleverly placed web. When I see damselflies on flower heads, I wonder if they are enjoying pollen or nectar between insect snacks.

Blue-eyed Darner (family Aeshnidae) in it’s last hours

As the season progresses, I find the difficult to catch (both in hand and with a camera) Odonata in various stages of death on the ground.  I always stop to admire it,  tinged with a bit of sadness in witnessing such an amazing creature expire.  As it dies, the gorgeous, iridescent colors fade from it’s body, as the life force wanes.  With my camera lens I seek to immortalize it.

© Colleen Miko, 2012