Tag Archives: purple

Witch Hazel: A Friend in the Garden

1 Mar

More snow is forecast for Sunday/Monday. Mother Nature has been toying with us this season; it has been a dreary, harsh winter for those of us living in the Washington DC area, where winter is not usually so bad. Long-suffering friends in colder climes scoff at our feeble complaints, but we are all well and truly tired of winter and are longing for spring.

Which is why it is so nice to have some Witch Hazel in the garden: it blooms just when you have had enough of winter, and gives you hope that spring is not too far away. At the moment, this lovely Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Birgit’  is the only bright spot  in my garden, which remains braced for more bad news. Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids are crosses between Japanese and Chinese witch hazels. ‘Birgit’ is one of the darkest red (actually, purplish red) cultivars; I bought it for its deep color and also because ‘Birgit’ is the name of an old friend. My Witch Hazel is still quite small, but already it is living up to its namesake; it is a great friend to have in the garden, especially at this time of year.

  

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Recipe: Citrus-Spiced Braised Red Cabbage

24 Jan

I love cabbage, that most humble of vegetables. Humble it may be, but versatile, too–and good for you, especially the red kind. With its lovely jewel tones (from a type of pigment also found in flower petals and fruits), red cabbage adds a beautiful touch of color to any meal.

This braised red cabbage is tangy and slightly sweet, featuring fresh orange juice, red wine, and  balsamic vinegar, as well as cinnamon, cloves, and caraway seed. It is a very nice accompaniment to pork or sausages, or a Thanksgiving meal–and also adds bit of zing to sandwiches. And if you are like me, you may also find yourself eating it cold, just because.


Citrus-Spiced Braised Red Cabbage

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lg. onion, cut in half through the ends, then sliced into thin strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 lb. red cabbage, any bruised outer leaves removed, cored, and sliced into strips (about 10 c.)
ground black pepper
1 c. vegetable broth
juice of one orange
3 tbsp. red wine
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preparation
1. Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. When hot, add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the cabbage and mix well to coat with garlic and spices. Continue cooking until the cabbage has wilted, then sprinkle with black pepper to taste, and add the broth and orange juice. With the heat on medium high, cook the cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by at least half.
3. Add the wine and vinegar, and cook another 15 minutes. There should be some liquid at the bottom of the pot–but the cabbage should not be soupy. Turn up the heat if needed to allow any excess liquid to evaporate.
4. Serve immediately with a slotted spoon.

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Troopers in the Autumn Garden

23 Nov

I have sadly neglected the garden. I’d like to blame it on work and family obligations, but the real reason is that I find the autumn clean-up far less satisfying than the spring clean-up. In the spring, when I gather up the detritus from winter, I am delighted to see tiny new shoots pushing through the earth underneath. I love seeing new buds unfurling. The atmosphere in the garden is of one of eager anticipation. The prep work then is like priming a canvas before painting in order to set the stage for a masterpiece to emerge. It is a fantasy, I admit–but in June, when viewed at just the right angle in just the right light by someone who is squinting slightly, the garden does look somewhat like an Impressionist work of art.

In the autumn, the garden is a much sorrier sight (well, my garden is). And the clean-up then feels more like chore than delight. But there is no camouflage in the winter, so if anything, making sure the garden looks neat and tidy is even more important. So what did I do today? Did I spend hours pruning, deadheading, weeding, or transplanting? No, I procrastinated–I took photos of the few remaining spots of color and bits of interest, telling myself tomorrow is another day.

Here are a few autumnal troopers: Echinacea ‘Southern Belle,’ a Montauk Daisy featuring a slightly lethargic bee, and Hidcote Lavender. Plus, something to look forward to: buds on Witch Hazel ‘Birgit,’ ready to burst forth very early next year for some welcome late-winter color.

   

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Photo of the Month: March 2013 (African Daisy)

30 Mar

This is the photo of the month for March because it reminds me of spring, which at long last seems to have arrived here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. We took advantage of the glorious weekend to embark upon a much-needed garden cleanup,  which included creating a small rose garden, relocating numerous plants to better spots, and making multiple trips to the nursery.  And that is where I saw other African Daisies, which made me think of this photo I took during our trip to California at Christmas.

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Succulents: Aeonium

7 Jan

One nice thing about traveling is that it allows you to taste food you might not normally have at home. But traveling also exposes you to unfamiliar flora. And having put my own East Coast garden to bed for winter, I was delighted to make the acquaintance of some gorgeous succulents in Southern California during the holidays.  Succulents — which include aloe and agave, and even the euphorbia I grow in my own garden — have thick, fleshy stems and leaves and retain water even under the most trying conditions. They are ideal desert plants — and coastal plants, too, since they tolerate relatively high levels of salt and minerals.

I was not familiar with aeoniums, but their beauty made me stop in my tracks as we wandered through Old Town, San Diego.  The photographs below were taken just after a rainfall and they show yet another characteristic of many succulents: waterproof leaves.

  

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