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Articles by Francis Rosenfeld

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By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Fairy Circles

What an exciting find! I’ve heard about this phenomenon, but it is the first time I got to see it in person. It’s called a fairy circle, or ring, and there is a very simple scientific explanation for why it occurs. The spores of a mushroom extend radially around it and even though the center eventually dies, the offspring propagates, forming a circle, or an arch. That is not to say that the sight of a fairy ring is for the faint of heart, especially since, like most fungi, they have the tendency to pop out of the ground over night after the rain, fully grown and with no warning.

Primary topic: Gardening

664 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Roses for Landscaping

It is amazing what special status roses have in gardens! A gardener will move a tree, completely restructure a flower bed and change the location of a patio before they decide to touch an established rose. New homeowners who inherit roses plan their entire gardens in ways that feature and complement them.

Primary topic: Gardening

663 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Tulips? Yes, please!

I always plant tulips. I’ve had beautiful ruffled pink ones, and fringed parrot ones, standard, double, lily flowering, you name it, I’ve tried them. I rarely see any in my garden. They don’t like the soil or the light levels, or something, or maybe they get eaten over the winter, who knows? Fact is I don’t normally see tulips in spring. There are two exceptions to this rule: a beautiful West Point variety, bright yellow, with splendid lily flowering tulips on long, slender stems, and a basic variety with short stems and egg shaped red flowers.

Primary topic: Gardening

663 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Good Soil, Naturally

Although I am an enthusiastic advocate of natural gardening, I wasn’t much of a fan of composting until I procrastinated one fall and left a sizable pile of leaves and stems out on a concrete slab, thinking that I would clean it up in spring. When spring arrived, to my surprise, everything but the very top layer had turned to humus. It even smelled like woodland soil and was crawling with earthworms. It is one thing to know things in theory, and another to see them happen under your very eyes.

Primary topic: Gardening

662 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Tips for Successful Herb Gardening

Herbs are not demanding plants, but some rules must be followed when growing them in order to ensure their success. There are two kinds of herbs: those that adapted to the wind swept, sunny and dry cliffs of the Mediterranean shores, like rosemary, basil, thyme, sage, lavender, calendula and savory, which thrive in full sun and dry, limey soils, and those that enjoy shade, like parsley, mint, lemon balm, chives, dill and tarragon, which like a consistently moist soil and not too much sun exposure.r

Primary topic: Gardening

662 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Bells of Ireland

Have you ever had this sinking feeling, when you want to try a plant you’ve never grown before, and you look at the beautiful photos on the seed packet, that there is absolutely no way this botanical wonder will ever grow in your garden? I’m not one to dismiss instinct, it is usually based on a lot of fast logical reasoning and processing of already stored information that goes on in the back of your brain while you’re minding your daily routine, but that doesn’t mean it’s always right. Fortunately for me, it wasn’t this time, because they did sprout, and root, and grow big and strong.

Primary topic: Gardening

661 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Caring for Lavender

Since plant foliage usually doesn't come in this hue, even for the namesake plant itself, and this is the first time lavender came out of winter looking alive, I didn't know if it was old growth I should prune or evergreen growth I should leave alone, so I looked up lavender care online. There are conflicting opinions about the correct way to prune a lavender shrub, some say you should prune it after it blooms, to keep the plant bushy and compact, others that it is slow to put out new growth and trimming leafless branches sets it back and doesn't allow it to thrive.

Primary topic: Gardening

661 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Roses for landscaping

It is amazing what special status roses have in gardens! A gardener will move a tree, completely restructure a flower bed and change the location of a patio before they decide to touch an established rose. New homeowners who inherit roses plan their entire gardens in ways that feature and complement them.

Primary topic: Gardening

661 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Soil Types

At the most basic level there are three types of soil: sand, loam and clay. Most soils are a combination of the three, in various proportions. Every soil type has qualities and defects. Sandy soils drain very well, they are easily tilled and provide optimal conditions for the development of root vegetables. They are nutrient poor and dry up easily. A variation of this soil is silt, which is the worst of both worlds: it has the small particle size of clay and the looseness of sand, all the defects and none of the qualities. This soil is practically unworkable unless amended.

Primary topic: Gardening

661 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Achenes, capsules, pods and pomes

Here is next year's garden, well, at least part of it, anyway. The seeds will go into labeled little bags and wait for spring. The pepperco look-alikes are four o'clock seeds, the tiny grains spilling from capsules belong to nicotiana, the red fruit is a "Hansa" rose hip and the rest is a mixture of Chinese forget-me-nots and delphiniums. Last but not least, the bean pods are sweet peas.

Primary topic: Gardening

659 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Loops

Talk about unbounded, here is to the endlessly growing morning glory, swirling around supports and draping over hardscape, deceptively strong with its springy vines weaving an intricately detailed and highly redundant veil the color of the sky. The braided loops that clamber trees shy away from the extremes of the weather, saving their huge trumpet shaped cerulean flowers for just the crisp bright morning.

Primary topic: Gardening

659 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Jack in the Pulpit

I know that Jack in the Pulpit is not the only living thing that changes genders in order to adapt to its circumstances, but I still think it is a cool enough fact to mention. The plant starts out male and if in time it finds its location accommodating and its nutrient supply adequate, it becomes female and produces fruit, beautiful red berries that pepper the forest floor throughout the summer. If over its lifetime it stumbles upon a lean year it will turn male again until conditions improve.

Primary topic: Gardening

658 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

More About Lemon Verbena

I know, when you think cooking herb, lemon verbena is not the first plant that comes to mind. A lot of people, especially here, up north, where it is not winter hardy, may not be familiar with this wonderful plant, so I'll do the honors. It has the fragrance and taste of lemon zest, with just a hint of green herb, and it can be used in any recipe that asks for lemon flavor, from meat stews and salads to fish dishes, candy or sophisticated desserts.

Primary topic: Gardening

658 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

About soil pH

So, since I brought it up, a little more information about soil pH. The alkaline soil is quite easy to recognize, it’s usually clay, heavy, and out in the open, away from any large trees and shrubs, whose annual leaf drop helps acidify the soil. It tends to dry out on the surface, but deep down it keeps moisture better than other soil types, and plants who had time to develop a good root system thrive in it. It is usually found in the open plains and arid areas.r

Primary topic: Gardening

655 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Perennial garden challenges

The most important characteristic of perennial flower beds is tough soil. Their residents, once established, don't take kindly to being disturbed, and as much as you try to dig around their roots, the dirt tends to get much harder than it would in an annual border. This is both a good thing, because many plants really thrive with more weight on their roots, and a bad thing, because heavy soil tends to drain poorly and make weeds harder to pull. If you are a plant propagation enthusiast, mulching is not an option because it can be very damaging to young seedlings.

Primary topic: Gardening

655 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Easy Shade Garden

A shaded corner isn't usually the gardener's dream, but the challenge of creating abundance in an otherwise barren and uninspiring spot is impossible to resist. Fear not, eager green thumbs, for the effort you put forth into finding out what would grow in less than ideal conditions brings with it the prize of a relaxing nook for the sweltering summer days.r

Primary topic: Gardening

654 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Caring for Indoor Plants

Plants that grow in pots on the window sill like pretty much the same things as the ones cultivated in the garden: a good amount of natural light, sufficient water and a little bit of help in the form of fertilizer every now and then. That being said, indoor plants have their own set of needs that have to be addressed in order to keep them healthy and, fingers crossed, blooming, and they are as follows.

Primary topic: Gardening

653 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Pumpkin, the big round fruit

Most suburban dwellers don't have the space and the sun exposure required to grow pumpkins, the big round fruit has a sprawling growth habit and an unruly disposition that doesn't endear it to its tamer vegetable companions. If you still want to grow pumpkins, here is how: pumpkins appreciate humus rich soils that hold water well but don't get soggy, a good amount of organic fertilizer, warmth and plenty of sunshine.

Primary topic: Gardening

652 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

A Celebration of the Sun

There are many traditions, myths and folk tales associated with the summer solstice, many of which involve the herbs and plants that bloom around this time and whose medicinal and aromatic properties are said to be enhanced when gathered on the eve or morning of the solstice.

Primary topic: Gardening

649 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Rose Care for the Winter

Whether rose pruning is best done in the fall or spring is a matter of preference. I usually leave it for spring, for some reaso I feel the plants will fare better over the winter if they keep the growth from the previous year. If you do choose to prune before winter, do so, keeping in mind that you’ll have to go back to them in spring and clean out any canes that had suffered winter damage.

Primary topic: Gardening

649 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

The Three Years Rule

The peonies would have bloomed by now, the buds have been ready to burst for more than a week, but it is so unseasonably cold, weird May weather! Temperatures in the fifties, I almost have to question the wisdom of moving the basil outside, it looks miserable. Peonies are the object lesson for why gardeners benefit from being patient. You don’t get this cascade of blooms from a plant that doesn’t ask anything of you until you put a few years into it. Three, to be specific.

Primary topic: Gardening

649 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Meadow treasures

Speaking of wonders of the plant world, how amazing is it that a Pennsylvania Smartweed, a plant that only thrives in boggy sites, decided to pick the drought summer of them all to beautify my garden. Graceful and delicate, it keeps good company to the broad leaved nicotiana that undoubtedly protected its roots from the scorching heat.

Primary topic: Gardening

648 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Medicinal foods

Stinging nettles are quite amazing plants, full of qualities both medicinal and nutritional, but who cares when their blistering touch burns like judgment and brings you to tears?

Primary topic: Gardening

647 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Waiting for Halloween

I got the candy, and the pumpkins, and the scary ghoul costumes, we're all set for trick or treat. The garden path decorated itself in expectation of little guests. Well, technically I was too idle to clean up the fallen leaves, but I recently renewed my committed to a positive outlook on life and refuse to see it that way. I'm trying to ignore the hibe al light, or lack thereof, that puts a chill through the bones for no other reason than a rodent inspired instinct to settle into a cozy tree hollow and stockpile nuts. Ugh, winter.r

Primary topic: Gardening

647 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Summer Night Rain

The rain started right before midnight, with a soft, somewhat tentative thunder announcing it from afar, almost as if it was asking itself whether or not it had the right time. I listened to it for a while, reliving a memory. The sounds, the scents of rain, removed from sight, speak to the soul in the same way your favorite old sweater comforts you, without you even being aware of it, that sweater you can grab from the closet without looking.

Primary topic: Gardening

646 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

All Summer's Glory

There is a time around the middle of July when the garden looks absolutely resplendent. It feels like every flower is in bloom, competing for attention. The late spring blooms haven’t faded yet and the some of the late summer ones decide to show up early, so there is a surreal mix of seasons that coexist in harmony before my very eyes: delphiniums, lilies, salvias, roses, daisies, bee balms, cone flowers, catmints, lavender, yarrow, spider flowers, black eyed Susans, day lilies, hostas, coral bells, and last, but not least, giant clumps of fragrant garden phlox.

Primary topic: Gardening

644 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Sun Exposure

Even though the three basic sun exposures are full sun, part sun and shade, the last one comes in so many variations, all with their own little quirks, that it deserves a full chapter all to itself.r

Primary topic: Gardening

643 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Potted Basil

I always have a few pots of herbs on the balcony, which get to bask in the sunshine all summer long. Contrary to my expectations, herbs are not the kind of care free plants that will forgive you if you forget to water them, not even the drought friendly rosemary.

Primary topic: Gardening

642 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

The Flowers of Fall

I'm always in awe of the energy that propels fall bloomers to spring forth flowers, often weeks or days before the first frost. There are so few of them, and understandably so. I'm not talking about the frost tender plants from warmer zones that act as annuals in cold climates, those whose winters were supposed to be mild but had to surrender their natural growing cycles to the whim of the hardhearted northern gardener.r

Primary topic: Gardening

642 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

More About Jack in the Pulpit

I can’t get over how beautiful these flowers are, and am so happy and proud to have them in my garden. Their eerie hooded flowers, decorated with elegant stripes that make them look like custom wrapping paper are, indeed, the packaging, called the spathe. The inflorescence, which contains male and/or female flowers, is the spadix inside it.

Primary topic: Gardening

641 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Country Garden Favorites

The country garden relies on scent just as much as it does on color and texture. Gertrude Jekyll popularized this garden design, praising the care free style of cottage perennials.

Primary topic: Gardening

640 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Herbs for Clay Soils

I know gardening wisdom says that most herbs thrive in poor soils, category that always includes clay for some reason, but in my experience that is not true. Many ‘poor soil’ herbs can’t be bothered to last a whole season in clay, not to mention come back the following year. For instance, throughout a whole decade of gardening I haven’t managed to keep thyme alive long enough to witness the end of summer. Chamomile lasts even less. I’ll make a list of plants that thrive in clay with very little effort, sometimes to the point of becoming invasive.r

Primary topic: Gardening

640 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Mauve des Bois

If you were wondering what the color mauve looks like, exactly, it's the color of French mallows. We know that because this flower, mauve des bois, gave the color its name.

Primary topic: Gardening

640 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Treasured heirloom roses

Us hopeful rosarians have to admit that roses are not just another pretty flower. There is something very special and noble about them, the older they are the more rare and valued their flowers and often the more persnickety they get. Here are some cultivars to test your rosarian mettle. Plant only if you are willing to dedicate a lot of time to these cherished heirlooms: -Souvenir de la Malmaison, a delightfully fragrant bourbon, feeling very at home in warmer climates, not so fond of winter. Susceptible to black spot, needs winter protection.r

Primary topic: Gardening

640 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Bulbs for Summer and Fall

Toad lilies are the last flowers of the year, at least in the garden. They start blooming mid-October, to keep company to the already brown seed heads of the sedums, and they stay in bloom until November, braving the first frosts. People tend to associate bulbs with spring, and ignore their potential in the garden during summer and fall. I really miss the Casablanca lilies, I don’t even know if they reached the end of their natural life cycle or succumbed to the unforgiving winter, but they all vanished one year, for no apparent reason.

Primary topic: Gardening

639 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Itinerant snapdragons

My lovely itinerant snapdragons! Anticipating their next location is one of my favorite gardening activities. I am not sure why this particular plant likes to change its location, but it does so with a fluid path of movement devoid of the randomness of tomatoes or nicotiana in its slow travel through the garden.

Primary topic: Gardening

639 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Little Miracles

The amount of time I spend contemplating the fresh seedlings in the starting tray would probably irritate an action oriented person. I would likely have some difficulty explaining to that person the wonderment of seeing the first set of leaves emerge, or the excitement of watching the tiny shoots develop from delicate strands barely hanging on to life to healthy plants ready to withstand whatever circumstances bring.r

Primary topic: Gardening

637 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

February Sowing

If you thought February is when the gardener has nothing to do but wait for spring, that would not be correct: February is planting time.

Primary topic: Gardening

636 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Magic Beans

If I knew how much I would enjoy purple beans, I would only have planted those to begin with. Besides being an attractive feature in the garden, they taste better and are not stringy at all, which is a blessing. Of course the purple color turns green in the pot, but that's beside the point.

Primary topic: Gardening

636 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Bugleweed

Ajuga reptans, bugleweed, is a fail proof groundcover for any sun exposure or soil type. I started with its Latin name because I always thought it sounded more patrician and better suited to this plants' sophistication. I love bugleweed, it is a versatile plant which helped me bring back to life several locations with dry shade where few other plants thrive. It tends to get invasive when it has full sun exposure and rich soil.r

Primary topic: Gardening

634 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Confused in the Fall

Between the forty five degree mornings and the eighty degree afte oons, I don't know if I'm coming of going anymore. So much so that I had to look at the calendar to remember it is almost time to plant spring bulbs. Or not. Good gardening practice advises to plant them after October 15, but if it's still warm they get confused and I don't want a garden full of tulips at the end of November. I guess I'll wait a little longer to plant them, I doubt the soil is going to freeze any time soon.r

Primary topic: Gardening

633 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Pampas Grass

I honestly can't warm up to this plant; I appreciate its warm and golden chenille panaches at the beginning of fall but loathe its unbelievably depressing wet hay appearance in spring. It looks pretty for exactly three days, right before the velvety seed heads open, and then it turns into fluff in the wind and oddly sticks out of the snow, purportedly to provide winter interest in the garden for the next six months.

Primary topic: Gardening

632 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

The Garden that Keeps on Giving

If you have established perennials, they are a readily available source of new plants for your garden.

Primary topic: Gardening

632 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Bee Trivia

There must be a hive somewhere in the neighborhood, because bees visit my garden very often, to gather nectar from their favorite flowers. Sedums produce an abundance of it, and their small flowers make an insect's work a little easier. Did you know that a worker bee lives just forty days over the summer and during all this time of collecting nectar it only manages to gather a twelfth of a teaspoon's worth of honey? I feel guilty now, just thinking of all the times honey dripped off the bread.r

Primary topic: Gardening

631 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Morning Glory

I plant morning glory every year. Always in the same spot, always the same variety - Heavenly Blue. I forget about it after I plant it, it is slow to start in spring and its foliage gets lost in the jumble when the mid-summer growth takes over the flower beds. Come August, its growth accelerates enthusiastically, especially if summer rains have been plentiful, and it swallows up its supports, clambering eagerly to the highest point it can find, and only there it starts to bloom.

Primary topic: Gardening

631 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Green Tomatoes

Every year the generous tomato plants bless us with an overabundance of fruit that doesn't have the chance to ripen before the first frost. Tomatoes take their sweet time to figure out how to bear more and more fruit and their best and most abundant yield goes so far into the fall they don't have time to finish it. For any of the tomatoes that started ripening even slightly, just keeping them on a countertop in your kitchen for a few days will turn them into salad fare. They may not be as tasty as the ones that ripen on a vine, but will still be juicy and delicious.

Primary topic: Gardening

628 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Opal basil

Speaking of purple plant pigments, the ones in opal basil are responsible for turning aromatic vinegar a beautiful shade of rose, I always look forward to preparing some during the summer. For all of us who enjoy this lovely herb it will come as a shock that the Greeks believed it to be driving men to madness. It is associated with the basilisk and folk tales say one needs to curse and rant when planting it, in order for it to grow, because it is an herb of hatred and anger, born of the scorpion's poison.

Primary topic: Gardening

628 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

The Memory Herb

Rosemary is the memory herb. This is both a fact and a metaphor: the smell of rosemary improves retention and concentration, and its stems were traditionally offered as tokens of devotion, especially between lovers who were driven apart. I don’t know if it works for memory and concentration, but I became fond of its fragrance, which is both sharp and soothing. For some reason it reminds me of rain, a strange memory association for an herb that thrives in dry soil, on sun baked cliffs.

Primary topic: Gardening

627 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Yarrow

A resilient weed, native to the Northern Hemisphere, yarrow grows wild in open fields and along the sides of the roads, and had only recently acquired the privilege of being cultivated in flower gardens. Don't judge this humble herb to be ordinary, Achillea millefolium is a well documented medicinal plant, astringent, anti inflammatory and tonic, but above all it has a special gift: it is a hemostatic.

Primary topic: Gardening

627 views

By Francis RosenfeldRecently published1 topic

Magic Hour

Today I was out in the garden before dawn and I watched the crescent moon fade slowly into daylight as carpets of clouds moved very fast across the sky. Slowly the birds and the moths started to emerge from their nightly hideouts, eager to catch an early meal before the morning rush.

Primary topic: Gardening

622 views

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