In Honor of The Great Backyard Bird Count

I posted this on Facebook yesterday, but since the Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up in February, I thought I would share these two photos with you.  There was a car accident in our neighborhood and a tree was scorched.  For some reason I am drawn to this tree everytime we drive by.  Well, yesterday we saw a Barred Owl.  He blends into the background really well.

Do you see him??? 

Look at the close up.....

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the GBBC!


words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Tuesday's Trees- Dogwood

Some of us think of Dogwood in the early spring as their bracts begin to open to show its flower. The bracts get larger and turn white..

...or pink or red.














The sight of the dappled white bracts in the landscape is classic Cornus florida. Whether it is through the leaves ---


or out in the open---

Nothing says spring like the dogwood in bloom.

Not sure whether your dogwood will bloom in the spring? Check out the buds for its flowers in the fall.

The dogwood is a native tree to the eastern United States, zones 5-9. It is considered an understory tree, one that likes dappled sunlight. That being said, it can handle full sun. While it is said more shade in the south, I can tell you some of the dogwood I see in Greenwood, South Carolina are in full sun and seem to be doing well. It likes moist, fertile, well drained soils.

Wildlife benefits from the dogwood's berries. Many birds and squirrels enjoy the fruits. The references say propagation can be done by greenwood cuttings in spring, hardwood cuttings in summer, or seed. We have many seedlings throughout our woods.

The leaves are opposite, simple leaves which turn the most glorious red to purple-red in the fall. They are oval to ovate about 3- 6 inches long and half that wide. The leaves appear after the bracts open with the Cornus florida. Cornus kousa, leaves are first then the bracts open.

 In addition to the beautiful foliage in the fall, the bright red berries often make the tree appear to still have its red leaves. 

The wood is fine grained and very hard. There are many uses for the dogwood timber; tool handles, shuttles, wheel cogs, pulleys, and jeweler's blocks to name just a few.

The bark on mature trees is dark and is deeply ridged in small blocks, much like an alligator's skin.

The tree can grow up to 30 feet tall. The shape is rounded with a flattened top, branching horizontally.

If the tree is stressed it is more suseptible to disease.  In recent years Dogwood Blight has spread throughout most of the range of the dogwood.  It is an anthracnose disease that thrives in cool, moist weather.  This disease attacks the leaves, eventually killing the tree.

There are different kinds of Cornus, Cornus florida, the native dogwood, Cornus kousa -a Japanese dogwood that blooms about 2-3 weeks later than C. florida and blooms after the leaves have emerged.  There is an evergreen dogwood that I find most incredible--Cornus angustata 'Empress of China'-- a beautiful tree that in milder climates is evergreen.  The bracts are impressive.
Here is one outstanding tree in the Virginia State Arboretum at Blandy. I believe this is 'Empress of China' but I can't find my notes from the trip right now.

You may remember I am big on foliage that turns red in the fall.  That is part of the reason that I am profiling this tree at this time of year.  The other reason is that the Abbeville Cooperative Extension office sells trees in the late fall, delivery is tomorrow. I bought 3 red dogwoods, 3 redbud, and 2 pecan trees. I look forward to some spring color!!

As always here are my references--US Forestry Service
UCONN
Floridata

Next Tuesday-- the tree -Persian Ironwood






words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Frosty Herbs

Do you grow herbs?  I know many of you have vegetable gardens, both cool season and warm season veggie crops.  Some of you also grow fruit.  I used to grow cool and warm season vegetables.  I used to  grow fruit.  I used to grow herbs. 

Now I only grow herbs.  I might put some lettuce plants in some containers on the deck in the spring....and might do tomatoes this summer.  For now, I grow herbs.  The yard isn't set up for a vegetable garden.  That is ok, we have the best farmer's markets.  What I really love is having fresh herbs at my backdoor.

I grow most of the usual ones---Mediterranean oregano.  Looking to find some Mexican Oregano-- understand it has a different flavor.  I have a killer recipe for chili that calls for MEXICAN Oregano.  Will keep looking.

Flat leaf parsley-- what a difference from curly parsley, and dried parsley?? Not even worth it.

Salad Burnet, Sanguisorba minor, another evergreen herb.  This herb isn't one I cook with, not in the heat kind of cooking.  I use this cucumber flavored herb in salads and in my homemade Tzatziki, a cucumber yogurt dish.  This herb adds that extra cucumber boost.  Nice addition to anyone's herb garden.

One herb I had to search high and low for was one that was in my German herb mix. Fleisch-und-Gyros Würzer, a mixture of Bohnenkraut, Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika and other herbs and spices.  I could find any and all of the herbs except Bohnenkraut.  For the longest time I couldn't find the translation for it.  Finally I found out it was Winter Savory.  Satureja montana, an evergreen perennial sub-shrub, with cute little white blooms in the late summer. 

 

Here it is all frosty.  I was able to find seeds and grew my own.  One can guess as soon as the seeds sprouted, I found some Winter Savory in one of the garden centers. I now have a few plants and I shared some with my fellow Master Gardener Interns. This herb is so wonderful in savory dishes...figures, right!  Pork dishes, bean dishes, salads, you name it...savory rocks.

One can't have herbs in the garden without Rosemary.  Even if you never cook with it, just to rub your hands across the plant and enjoy the fragrance of its leaves.  Rosemary is a must have.

Thyme is something we all need....both in our food and in our lives.   For now my Thyme is in a small clay pot on the deck.  All my herbs are on the deck in containers.  I have dogs, enough said.   I will find a larger container for some of the herbs in the spring.

I love the Sage with the frost on its leaves.   I use the sage in my stuffing at Thanksgiving and I put it fresh salads.

One herb that doesn't handle the cold weather at all.....Basil.  Sweet Basil is a warm season annual.  I leave my Basil in the herb pot until it is no longer.  The Goldfinches LOVE to eat the seeds of the Basil.  I like being able to have things for the birds to eat.   See how sad these poor little spent blooms look?  

And closer...you can see the leftover bloom. 

Have no fear---I harvested a few seeds to grow some Basil indoors over the winter. 

What herbs do you have to have in your garden?

words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.