From Harleys to Horticulture
Season 5, Episode 36, July 19, 2023
Hello, hello! This week, Carol and I debated hardy hibiscus, melons, a book about Jane Austen's gardens, and so much more. Now, I bet you’re wondering why this title. Well, Bill and I just returned from Harley Davidson’s 120th Homecoming Festival last night. Bill rode back from Milwaukee while I flew on Delta.
But back to flowers, veggies, and all the best dirt.
Carol and I chatted about hardy hibiscus and how easy they are to grow for summer color that is also pollinator friendly. Some of the newer varieties are Summerific® 'Holy Grail' and Summerific® 'Perfect Storm,’ both of which I grow in my Oklahoma garden. Then, there are the Luna varieties from American Meadows. In other words, if you want to grow this perennial, you have a lot of new choices. Here is my ‘Moy Grande’ from a previous summer. It hasn’t flowered yet this summer.
Our vegetables this week are actually fruits. Although we don’t grow as many melons as we once did, I have a funny story about growing them while I was pregnant. You’ll just have to listen to hear it. You can buy ‘Ambrosia’ cantaloupe seeds from Park Seeds if you’d like to try them. They are Bill’s favorite. We also briefly talked about watermelons, honeydew melons, and pumpkins.
On the bookshelf, Carol found an interesting older book, In the Garden With Jane Austen, by Kim Wilson (Amazon Link.)
In our dirt, we found two topics this week.
Have you ever prechilled seeds in ice cubes to stratify them? Carol heard about the ice cube method on Instagram and then found a how-to article in Garden Gate magazine. For summer, I’m reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith (1947.) I had to laugh when I read that the tree in the novel is the invasive and now-much-hated Tree of Heaven from China.
I didn’t have time for rabbit holes because I was riding on the back of a motorcycle, but Carol found something interesting in The Novel Cure by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin (2013) (Amazon Link.)
Well, that’s all for this week. Carol and I hope your garden is growing well, and that you’re staying cool.
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For more info on Carol, visit her website or blog, May Dreams Gardens.
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