Winter Inspiration

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already passed and December 1 is bearing down upon us.  And of course, the weather has taken a turn for the worse long before I (or the garden) was ready.  In fact, I'm sitting here writing to you now with a fire in the fireplace and snow--yes, SNOW!--bearing down on west Tennessee.  It remains to be seen whether it will make it all the way to the Nashville area, but indications are that we'll have at least a dusting and maybe as much as inch or so before it's said and done.  Some areas are expecting more!

Even with the weather turning sour, the garden still has some life in it.  In fact, this beautiful "Christmas rose", Helleborus niger 'Josef Lemper' just started flowering this week and will continue, completely unfazed by the weather, until April!  It is my favorite of all of the recent hellebore introductions.  There are others, as well, but none that have the flower power of Josef.



Here is Josef Lemper last January with a bud pushing up through the snow!

Other winter favorites include the many witchhazels like Hamamelis 'Primavera', pictured below.  Flowering as early as January in warmer climates, its bright yellow petals are a bright spot in the winter garden and are completely unaffected by cold temperatures. 

A plant that often gets a bad rap for being "invasive"--another topic for another blog post--is Mahonia bealei, Leatherleaf Mahonia.  Its outstanding architectural form is a welcome presence year-round in the garden, but my favorite feature of mahonia is its winter blooms.  In fact, its one of the few nectar sources available to honeybees that emerge to scavenge for food on warm winter days.

 One last winter favorite, and yes, another of those that some gardeners consider "invasive" (remove the seedheads and they won't move an inch, and it's not that time consuming--you deadhead everything else...)  Arum italicum is an important denizen of my winter garden.  The foliage emerges in late October and early November, remaining completely evergreen throughout the winter, thumbing its nose at temperatures well below freezing.  If we dip down into the teens for an extended period, some leaves my suffer some frost damage, but those can simply be removed and with the warm days of spring, new foliage will appear.  Keep in mind that this is a plant that goes dormant in the summer, hiding underground during the hottest months of the year, so plan accordingly.   Its the perfect plant to mix in with hostas and other shade lovers that are dormant in winter.  The arum will be up all winter long and as it goes dormant in early summer, the hostas will take its place.  In autumn, the cycle will start over as the hostas go dormant and the arum emerges.

So just because winter is knocking at the door doesn't mean I have to let it in, and even on the coldest winter days the garden will remind me that spring will--eventually--return.

Fashionable Roses

Like so many of you, I work--a lot.  Between my design clients, traveling to speaking engagements, working on magazine articles, building a stock photography library and getting ready to launch a garden tour business--not to mention a few projects that I can't talk about quite yet--my days are fairly full.  To that end, sometimes it's nice to be able to mix some pleasure with my work.  Not that I don't find pleasure in all of my work.  If I didn't, I'd change careers.  But really, sometimes it's fun just to have fun and Friday was one of those days!

I've mentioned one of my favorite projects, the Nashville Music Garden, on the blog before.  This garden is a collection of all of the roses that have ever been named for one of Tennessee's great music artists, groups or songs and, as far as we know, it's the only garden like it in the world based solely on its plants having this kind of connection to the music world.  There are roses named for Barbara Mandrell, Lynn Anderson, Dolly Parton, Pam Tillis and many other artists.  There are also roses named for songs, like Rocky Top, Amazing Grace and Blue Suede Shoes.  We even have a rose, 'Crescendo', that was named by Jackson & Perkins to honor our Nashville Symphony--the first time ever a rose was named to honor a group like this--as well as The Grand Ole Opry, The Nashville Ballet and others!

On Friday, we added a new name to our list of honorees at the Nashville Music Garden--Manuel Cuevas.  Now, some of you may not know who Manuel is, but if you've ever seen a photo of someone like Marty Stuart or Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam or Little Jimmy Dickens--or any number of other artists--wearing one of those flashy rhinestoned and embroidered jackets, suits or shirts, then you know Manuel.  In fact, Manuel dressed "The King" himself and is the man who made Johnny Cash "The Man in Black".  So it was a true honor and privilege for this little ol' country boy from Kansas to be a part of the dedication of the new 'Manuel Cuevas' rose on Friday.  Manuel even loaned me a jacket to wear for the event and I couldn't have been prouder to wear it!

Pictured with me are Manuel (holding a picture of the rose that was named for him), legendary singer Lynn Anderson (she never promised you a rose garden!), Pat Bullard (my amazing friend who founded the Nashville Music Garden) and rose hybridizer Whit Wells of Wells Mid-South Roses (the creator of the 'Manuel Cuevas' rose and so many others).

By the way, the real rose that you see Lynn wearing on her shirt is the new 'Manuel Cuevas' rose--and the roses you see embroidered on Lynn's beautiful shirt are Manuel's own artistic interpretation of his new rose.  This shirt will be donated to the Nashville Music Garden for a special, online fundraising auction, details of which I'll announce here at a later date.

If you are interested in growing the 'Manuel Cuevas' rose or others that are part of the Nashville Music Garden collection, see Whit's website at www.wellsmidsouthroses.com.  Also, be sure to visit the Nashville Music Garden's own website at www.nashvillemusicgarden.com and become their friend by "Liking" Nashville Music Garden on Facebook.  And if you're ever in Nashville, be sure to stop by the garden which is located directly across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Symphony in Hall of Fame Park between 4th and 5th Avenue, just south of Broadway.  You never know who you might catch a glimpse of!

Shades of Autumn

I am admittedly not a big fan of autumn.  I don't dislike the season itself and in fact, some of my favorite garden plants flower as the days grow shorter, temperatures drop and summer begins to lose its grip.  My problem with autumn is that it precedes winter, and of winter, I am not a fan.  In my book, winter is simply a necessary evil--the cold weather I must endure in order to love the plants I love the most.  Perennials, bulbs, flowering trees, shrubs--they all have to have winter in order to survive--and not just survive, but thrive--and bloom.  And so, I survive winter knowing that at it's end, all of my garden favorites will be back to woo me with their flowers, their foliage, their fragrance and so much more.

So, if I have to endure winter, I figure autumn ought to be as beautiful as I can possibly make it.  Here are a few stars that are shining now in my gardens and a couple of others that I have visited this week.  Below, Aster novae-angliae (now technically Symphiotrichum novae-angliae because the botanists have been playing again).  The straight species, not a hybrid, it marries beautifully with Colocasia 'Elena' in the background.

Below, Helianthus simulans flowering in the Color Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Garden.  If you're a Nashvillian (or visiting) be sure not to miss Cheekwood--55 acres of beautiful gardens and the Color Garden, in the very capable hands of my friend Phillipe Chadwick, is especially beautiful this time of year.

Part of the fun of gardening is discovering new plants--or new variations of old plants, as in the case below.  I found this seedling Arum italicum in a friend's garden a few years ago and though it had but one leaf at that time, I thought it looked as though it might have some potential.  I'm so glad I talked her out of it.  Stunning variegation and these beautiful leaves will remain standing all winter long!

Tricyrtis is another genus of fall-blooming favorites.  Tricyrtis hirta, with its amethys-speckled blooms, always makes me smile.  It's not rare or even that unusual, but it sure is fun!

And last, but certainly not least, one of the best flowering bulbs around, Colchicum autumnale.  They last but a few days, but are so much fun when they suddenly burst into bloom in late September and early October.  If you look closely you can see the "checkerboard" pattern (technically known as "tesselation") in the flower petals.  In some varieties, this pattern is especially pronounced and very unique.

I hope that autumn finds you well.  I've been photographing like crazy the past few weeks and have a big announcement coming your way soon, so stay tuned!  See you in the garden!

30-Minute Bolognese

I posted some photos last night on Facebook of a "shortcut" version of traditional Bolognese that I was whipping up to use in a lasagna.  So many people asked for the details, I decided it would be easier to post it here, rather than taking up so much room on my Facebook page and only allowing my Facebook friends to have access to it.  Sorry that I don't have a good photo.  I was snapping with my phone as I went and the images really are inferior for posting here.  I'll do better next time!  At any rate, I can still tell you how you can make a really good Bolognese in 30-45 minutes and skip the traditional, all-day cooking.

Traditional Bolognese is a thick, meaty sauce with little or sometimes no tomato paste or sauce included.  The meat is the star.  The Americanized version is usually a thick, tomato-based sauce full of meat--what we typically would think of as a "meaty" spaghetti sauce.  This quick shortcut version falls somewhere in between and to me, gives you the best of both worlds.  Deep, rich, meaty flavor and a moist, silky, stick-to-the-pasta (and your ribs) texture.  And the time it saves!

What you'll need:

(This makes enough to make a BIG lasagna, 11 x 14, or would easily serve 8 if used with tagliatelle, fettuccine, or even spaghetti.)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c. finely chopped celery
3/4 c. finely chopped carrot
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds 93% lean ground beef
2 quarts of prepared spaghetti sauce (and you may actually need a 3rd quart, store-bought, I prefer the Classico brand Sweet Basil and Tomato, or Publix Premium Sweet Basil)
2-3 Tbsp. sugar, optional
3-4 Tbsp. fresh Basil, thinly sliced

On a day when I'm home all day, I'll make traditional Bolognese that takes several hours to do right, but when I'm in a hurry, this comes as close as you can get and takes 1/4 of the time.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  You want it hot, but don't let it smoke.  The goal is to sweat the vegetables down and, after about 10 minutes of cooking, have them lightly golden brown.  Once the oil is hot, add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables take on a nice golden color.

Add the ground beef all at once and use a spatula to break the meat up and completely incorporate it into the vegetables.  Open 1 jar of the sauce and add 1 cup of sauce to the meat mixture.  Keep working this mixture until the ground beef has broken up completely and there are no large chunks.  Simmer this mixture until all of the moisture has evaporated and the meat begins to look dry.  Add a second cup of sauce from the open jar and incorporate it thoroughly, simmering until the mixture "goes dry" again.  Repeat this action until the first jar of sauce is gone.  It doesn't take long, maybe 10-15 minutes, and your goal is a very rich, thick, brown meaty mixture when it's done.

Give a taste.  At this point, the mixture should taste very meaty with some tomato.  If it's too salty/tomato-y, this is where the sugar comes in to sweeten it up a bit.  Sugar is optional and to your personal taste.

Once the meat mixture is completely cooked, add the second jar of sauce all at once and simmer for about 5 minutes.  If the mixture is too dry for your liking, this is where the third jar (or part of the third jar) of pasta sauce may come in handy--to get the consistency right for your personal taste.  Keep in mind that good Bolognese should not "run" over the pasta, but actually stick to it.  During the last minute or two of simmering, add the fresh basil and incorporate thoroughly.  Your Bolognese is now ready to serve or use in another dish that needs further preparation, as I did last night with the lasagna.

This may sound like an involved process, but it's really quick, easy and a tasty shortcut to traditional Bolognese when you're in a pinch.

Cavolo Nero

In the states, we know this tough, cold-hardy cabbage cousin as "Dinosaur" kale, its name coming from the rough, leathery texture of its leaves.  We use it primarily as an ornamental for the fall and winter garden, combining it with pansies, violas and other cold-hardy winter growers where it provides a textural, architectural accent for its lower growing companions.  In Italy, however, Cavolo Nero, or black kale, is a staple of the fall and winter vegetable garden and its greatest claim to fame is the thick, rich tuscan soup called Ribollita.

On our trip to Italy last October, we sampled Ribollita in a variety of restaurants, from small town osterias to the finer establishments of Florence.  Each was slightly different in its makeup, but all were a hearty blend of kale, white beans and other vegetables.  Some had a touch of tomato, while others leaned most heavily on the Cavolo Nero itself.  In every case, the portion set before you was generous--and generously drizzled with the brightest green, fresh pressed olive oil available, some of it even having been pressed that very day.  Divine!

I stopped by the garden center on my way home on Friday and picked up some "Dinosaur" kale for my own garden.  I have yet to decide whether I'll plant it directly in the ground, where it would certainly attain its greatest size, or whether I'll opt to use it in a few pots up near the garden shed where I can protect them from the harshest winter weather and harvest kale until well after Christmas.  Given the current rabbit population, pots seem the most prudent way to go.  Either way, I'll be harvesting my own Cavolo Nero in a few weeks and Ribollita will be on the menu on more than one occasion this winter.  If you'd like to try some yourself, here is my favorite Ribollita recipe, shared from the most famous of all Italian cookbooks, The Silver Spoon.

Ribollita

Serves 4

1/4 cup very high quality olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 fresh or canned tomatoes, peeled

1 fresh thyme sprig

2 potatoes, coarsely diced

7 1/2 cups Cavolo Nero (black kale), shredded

1 cup fresh white beans, or 1/2 cup dried white beans, soaked in cold water overnight and drained

4 country-style bread slices

salt and pepper, to taste

This is soup is called ribollita (reboiled) because it was originally made using the previous day's leftover vegetable soup heated in an earthenware pot with thinly sliced onion, black pepper and olive oil sprinkled on the surface.  It was taken off the heat and served when the onion had turned golden brown.  Today, however, it is normally made as follows.

Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy pan, add the carrot, onion and celery and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened.  Add the tomatoes, thyme and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, then add the cavolo nero and beans.  Pour in 8 3/4 cups water and season with salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Place the bread on the base of a large earthenware casserole and ladle in the soup.  Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Divide into 4 serving bowls, sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

A Long Time Coming

After several months of revising and revamping, I'm proud to finally announce the re-launch of my old "Garden Notes" blog.  You'll notice that the title of the blog has changed, but don't fret.  I still plan to deliver all of the gardening information that was included in the blog before the changes--new and unusual plants, practical gardening tips, photos of gardens I have visited and more--but the new blog will also include another of my passions: food.

Food has been almost as important in my life as gardening has and it only made sense that at some point, the two would merge--my vocation and my avocation--and become one.  There are some exciting things happening that I can't discuss with you just yet, but stay tuned for future announcements about new career directions, more opportunities for one-on-one interaction, travel to visit some of the finest gardens and gastronomic destinations around the world and much, much more.

In the meantime, enjoy the new blog--GardenerCook--and watch your "In" Boxes for regular new posts about my two favorite topics.  Happy fall, and I'll see you in the garden!  Or maybe the kitchen!

Troy

Welcome To Spring!

Spring has burst forth with a vengeance in Nashville this week!  Forsythia, daffodils, quince, hellebores and many other spring favorites are at their peak, so I thought I'd share a few shots from the garden this week.

Forsythia 'Lynwood Gold'.  One of the oldest and best known varieties of Forsythia on the market, this is the one that gets the long, whiplike stems that are so great for cutting and forcing indoors in late winter and early spring.  Many other varieties have been introduced over the years--later flowering, more cold hardy, shorter and more compact, even forms with variegated leaves--but none, in my opinion compare to the golden beauty of 'Lynwood Gold'.

A tremendous amount of hybridizing has been going on in the world of hellebores, or Lenten roses, over the past twenty years.  Some of the finest results are just now making their way to market and much work is still being done.  The range of flower colors and forms has exploded just in the past 5 years.  Some of the best work being done in the world of hellebore hybridizing is that of Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne at Northwest Garden Nursery.  Their Winter Jewels (TM) series is, in my opinion, second to none.  The one pictured above is Winter Jewels (TM) 'Golden Sunrise' and has been stunning for the past month.

I have a soft spot in my heart for quince.  It's one of the things that I remember from my grandmother's garden when I was a child.  This unusual variety, 'Atsuya Hamada', is a deep, velvety blood red and the flowers are much smaller than normal--only about 3/4" in diameter.  It's perfect for cutting!

Another quince that I have fallen in love with in the past couple of years is this new cultivar, 'Chojuraku'.  Its deep, apricot orange flowers light up the garden in early spring.  It is deeper in color and a larger, more robust plant than 'Cameo', which is also beautiful and has been on the market for many years.  The tall stems of 'Chojuraku' make it great for cutting, where the dwarf habit of 'Cameo' makes it difficult to cut and use indoors.

One of the most unsual of all daffodils and a variety that has been around for over 100 years, 'Van Sion', also known as 'Telamonius Plenus', is one of the most beautiful and one of the most frustrating varieties that I have grown.  Some years, it opens perfectly double flowers like the one shown above, while other years it opens as a shredded looking blossom that resembles a dandelion!  Some years, if the weather conditions are wet and rainy while it is trying to open, the buds may blast and rot on the plant without opening at all.  In the years when it at its very best, 'Van Sion' is showstopping and it's worth the wait for those perfect years!

I hope that spring is just as beautiful in your corner of the world and I'll be back again soon!