Pink Muhly Grass
he salad I grew up with was assembled using ^^^^ simple arithmetic: 'Iceberg' lettuce plus tomato wedges equals tossed salad. Today, the flavorful array of salad greens available has multiplied the possibilities exponentially. Flipping open a seed catalog, I am tantalized by pages of lettuces and unusual salad greens offering glamorous looks and tastes from sweet to tangy to spicy. Suddenly there are more variables to the equation.
Growing my own salad greens gives me lots of flavor options. I can tailor my salads to who will he seated at the dinner table and the other dishes to ik- served. What's more, i know that homegrown salads are tastier and more nutritious than store-bought. But which varieties to grow? My advice: Start with a few selections of lettuce, then add flavorful greens to suit your palate. Vary the colors and textures, and you're ready to toss.
Start with Lcttuce
The wealth of lettuce varieties can be divided into ones that arc soft and those that are crisp. I love the soft lettuces, especially the oakleaf and butterhead types. Sweet and creamy, like tissue on the tongue, these include 'Mascara', a red oakleaf lettuce that glows in the garden. 'Flashy Butter Oak' is a dramatic combination of red-spattered oak-shaped leaves folded around sweet, buttery hearts. Loosdcaf lettuces are known for their large flutters- leaves. 'Red Sails' is a good loosclcaf for summer salads because it lasts longer in hot weather without bolting, or going to seed.
In contrast to these tender-leaved types, the romaincs and summer crisps, also called French crisps or batavians, provide crunch and succulence. Green romaincs can grow large and stout, with 'Bravchcart' offcringgood lettuce flavor. The smaller red romainc varieties, such as 'Brecn'. provide dazzling color. Summer crisp
Chickpeas, pistachio*, and fcta cheese add protein to a bowl of
Chickpeas, pistachio*, and fcta cheese add protein to a bowl of
lettucesarc refreshingly sweet, with thick, frilly leaves packed tightly into juicy heads that can tolerate hotter weather.
Add Flavors
Including greens of different flavors adds variety to the salad equation. Bccausc some greens like cool conditions while others can take the heat, they also reflect the season. Mild. Spinach lends a familiar sweet flavor to salads, as do young beet and chard leaves, ('.hard varieties have a bonuv ribs ami stems of white, red. yellow, or hot pink. Kale leaves are sweet and tender when pickcd young. Don't forget cabbage as a salad ingredient; delicate savoy cabbage. Chinese cabbage, and bok choy contribute both flavor and crunch.
Some mild greens arc particular about the season. In cool temperatures, I grow orach (Atriplexhortensis), tatsoi, miner's lettuce (CJaytoniuperfolijtj), and machc (also known as corn salad or lamb's lettuce). The following greens like hot weather: amaranth greens (Amarantbustrim/or). New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetrjgonioiJes), Malabar spinach (jRastUa alba), and purslane (Portit lata o/eraeea var. saliva).
i lot and spicy. The cresses, including curly cress and 'Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled' cress, add a sweet pcppcrincss. Mustards provide a wide range of heat, from the pleasant 'Tcndcrgrccn' to the spicy 'Red Giant', which gets stronger as it bolts. The lacy mi/una's degree of zest depends on the variety grown and vouth-fulncss of the leaves. Young radish greens also add a mustardv tonc. Choose radish varieties with smoother leaves, like 'Shunkyo Semi-Long* or "White Icicle".
Bitter, ('hopped into small pieces and sprinkled into the salad sparingly, a few bitter greens add unexpected pizzazz. Plus, they're beautiful. Crunch)- radicchio leaves offer paintbrush swipes of red. Curly endive or frisec, like deeply fringed lettuce with a crisp heart, brings its refreshing sharpness to the salad bowl. Italian dandelion—really a chicory—has long, strappy leaves. The small, bitter leaves gleaned from stalks of bolting Icttuces bringa flavorful spark to bowls of blander greens.
Distinctive tastes. Some greens defy categorizing. No salad of mine is complete without arugula. Its characteristic nutty spici-ncss is mild when young, increasing in strength with maturity. Young shungiku (Chrysanthemum eoronarium) leaves add a flowery essence. Cilantro is generally considered an herb, but I use it lil>crally like a vegetable.
Toss in fresh herbs by the handful. Lemony ones include sorrel, lemon thyme, and lemon basil. Basils vary in color, leaf size, and
Top: Purple-leaved tatsoi. left, and marbled radicchio. right, demonstrate that not all salad "greens'are green. Middle: 'Tom Thumb', a mini-butterhead lettuce, is planted in the style of a (/ui'mcuhx. a space-saving grid of staggered rows. Bottom: 'Red Russian', left, i* an extra-tender variety of kale that's ideal for salads. 'Oriole'Swiss chard, right, displays brilliant leaf ribs.
flavor, with different varieties offering citrus, cinnamon, and anise undertones. Mints have similar variations in flavor and form. Don't forget chives, parsley, cutting celery, tarragon, and bronze fennel.
Green and red grapes. Maroona almonds, "Granny Smith' apples, pumpkin seeds, and Manchego cheese enliven a botd of mild, frilly lettuces.
Growing Considerations
One way of adding diversity to the salad bowl is to plant mcsclun, a traditional seed mix that incorporates greens and herbs. I prefer to grow each salad ingredient separately, then combine them in the kitchen. Sow seeds directly in the garden in rows or beds when the soil temperature is conducive to germination, or start them indoors in pots. Many cool-season greens germinate best in cool soil. On the other hand, delay the planting of heat lovers, such as basil and amaranth, until after the last-frost date.
For a continual harvest of young, fresh greens, plant small amounts every 2 or 3 weeks. Most greens like sun (although lettuce prefers a half-day of shade once hot weather arrives). Steady moisture and fertile, well-drained soil promote quick growth, which results in tender leaves of the highest quality. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses help maintain even soil moisture and arc rccommcndcd for hot areas. A 2-inch layer of loose mulch, such as straw, serves three purposes: It suppresses weeds, it keeps the soil cool and moist, and it prevents mud from splattering the leaves.
Extend the growing season into early spring and late fall with row covers for cold-weather protection. Summer heat, however, is the factor that is most likely to limit the harvest of lettuce and other cool-season greens. As the weather heats up and davs lengthen, lettuce loses its mild flavor and becomes increasingly bitter. For summer harvest, select heat-tolerant varieties and protect them from afternoon sun with shade cloth. Or sow greens for summer harvest between rows of sweet corn or tomatoes, where the taller plants provide some protective shade. There arc limits: Even the most heat-tolerant lettuce variety won't taste good when the temperature exceeds 90'F.
Harvest and Chill
Some people like their salad leaves really small, each leaf no larger than the howl of a spoon. I prefer them about the size of my palm but no larger than my hand, when thev arc more flavorful and have developed their personalities.
Cut whole plants of headed lettuces, radicchio. and small greens like machc. To harvest nonheadinggreens, snip leaves individually with scissors; more will grow back. Save thinnings of greens growing too close together for the salad bowl. too. Ami try the flower buds! Spring kale buds arc exceptionally sweet, arugula buds quite hot.
Immediately soak the harvest for a few minutes in cold water. Scoop out any debris with a strainer. Shake water droplets from the leaves (or use a salad spinner), then use the greens immediately or roll them gently in a dry paper towel and seal them in plastic bags. Greens stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week. •
For more information, set rind li litrt on [kirc 91.
Finishing Touches
Blend greens to meet your fancy, then consider these additions. Dressing. A mid dressing with delicate flavors needs mild greens to stand out Stronger dressings, like a pore o<l with balsamc vinegar, can showcase the natural flavors of a spicy salad Cheese. Add cheeses that grate or crumble well. Soft Gruyire «S a good match for butter lettuce. Strong and salty teta. Parmesan, and Blue cheeses offset the spemess of arugula and mustards Fruit. Soft fruits, such as pears, strawberries, and peaches, are appropriate additions m a salad of soft greens The sweetness of fruit can offset stronger flavors or be the focus of a rmkl salad Edible flower petals. For a visual Spark, expenment with blossoms of calendula, borage, gladioia. daylily. s<ju3sn. pea. bean, nasturtium, and Lemon Gem' marigold. Usmg only the petals, toss with the greens or sprinkle on top.
- LESS
By Sharon Tregaskis Photographs by Matthew Benson
A beginning' gardener's ingenuity turns $75 into 6 months of fresh vegetables.
Last year, my partner and I became new homeowners, buying a house and a few acres of farmland in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We had ambition and creativity, but since we were also transitioning from two paychecks to one. cash was tight. So in early February, we set a goal of spending no more than $75 to grow. buy. or barter an entire season of fresh, local, organic vegetables. Could it be done? Yes. and then some. Ultimately, our scheme yielded as much in new friendships, hardened muscles, and lessons learned as it did in the produce we harvested. In our season of (admittedly, self-imposed) limits, we discovered that abundance comes in many guises.
February 12
It's rained all week, pooling atop a sheet of ice in the back yard. The snowdrops arc hudding. I've already arranged mv first frccbic, courtesy of (iraigslist. A woman too pregnant to dig seeks help dividing her iris and strawberry beds. I will supply the labor and in turn help myself to unlimited rhizomes and runners. We'll arrange the details in April. Meanwhile, I'm inspired to inventory our perennials and post a barter offer of my own.
The beds of the neglected vegetable garden arc in rough shape: The rich soil has been overrun by weeds and saplings, some taller than I am, while the I »orders around the raised beds have decomposed. We have our work cut out for us.
I've alerted friends to our budget scheme; they're already sharing information. One who took the Cooperative Fxtcnsion beginning-gardener class last year reports a free seed cabinet stocked with donations from the big companies ami local seed savers. Any county resident may take up to ii packets. And an ceo-boutique downtown has posted flyers for monthly gardening classes; I've inquired whether they'll host a seed swap. I hope to expand our seed inventory and meet some like-minded gardeners.
March 14
Today was beautiful: a clear, blue sky. bright sunshine, and temperatures warm enough to shed our winter layers here in '/.one A pair of hawks, hoping we might flush a rodent, wheeled overhead. VC c borrowed a truck and trailer this morning, and retrieved—free—15 cubic yards of mostly composted horse manure. This was the week for online offers from people cleaning out their barns, so I made a deal with the one right for us: herbicide-free feed, a farm both near our house and that of the friends lending us their truck and trailer, even help loading from the generous horsewoman sharing her wealth.
This afternoon, we placed the trunks of quaking aspens thinned from an overgrown corner of the yard as borders for the raised beds. The result fits our rustic-chic aesthetic and spares the hassle and costs of store-lmught lumber. 'Ib suppress weeds, we've sheet-mulched the footpaths with cardboard salvaged from the grocery store, topped with several inches of wood mulch from the town pile. Mounds of emerging daffodils, daylilics, poppies, ami tulips abound, including in spots we plan to double-dig for vegetables. I'll offer those to the people who responded to my online-perennial barter offer. It's starting to look
Opposite, top left:
Clothespins nailed to a scrap of pallet wood keep gloves organized and dry.
Left: An experiment in thrift yielded almost 800pounds of produce.
Tips
- Or check the local Cooperative Extension for free seed. Host an exchange.
- The supermarket usually has boxes and containers available for the asking.
- Split the cost of expensive tools or large seed orders with friends and neighbors.
Tips
Penny • Go online. Visit OrganicGardening. •r-j. -i • . corn's seed-swap forum. Craigslist has I 11 J.C11 mg free, barter, and farm-garden categories where anything from mulch to seedlings, even lawn tools, finds a new home fast. On Freecycle.org. everything is free.
- Or check the local Cooperative Extension for free seed. Host an exchange.
- Barter and trade with friends and coworkers. Get creative: bake a cake or babysit in exchange for help planting a tree or for the loan of a truck.
- Scavenge your land or neighborhood. Tree trunks can become the sides of a raised bed: branches and brush can be turned into trellises and plant supports.
- The supermarket usually has boxes and containers available for the asking.
- Split the cost of expensive tools or large seed orders with friends and neighbors.
- OfTer your labor or skills to a local CSA or market farmer for seedlings or produce. Many CSAs offer free or discounted subscriptions in exchange for a certain number of hours of work.
- Keep the giving cycle going. Donate leftover seeds and materials to local schools, community gardens, or the Cooperative Extension, and your excess harvest to a food bank.
like a garden! Next weekend, we'll repay the trailer loan by helping our friends plant trees at their place.
April 3
The seed swap was a grand success. Two do/cn participants traded seeds and garden talk for about 2 hours. Also fun: crafting my seed packets, and delivering leftovers from the event to the Cooperative Extension seed cabinet. Next year, I'll schedule the exchange for late winter. In-fore everyone orders by mail. The local native-plant socicty holds its exchange on the winter solstice—great idea. Some of the catalogs offer bulk discounts; next year, we'll save cash with a group order.
April 19
Friends starting an organic farm invited us to a work party to plant 20.000 crowns of asparagus. We helped out for a few hours and came home with a dozen crowns to plant in our own garden. They're interspersed with the strawberries, and now we have a beautiful bed of perennial vegetables that we'll ln-gin harvesting next year. I jtcr this week, I'll help another farmer transplant her tomato seedlings from trays to pots; she's promised me gooseberries and my choice of mature seedlings, instead of cash.
May 3
This past weekend's rototilling extravaganza was brilliant. A friend of Mohawk dcsccnt has outgrown his community-garden plot and will work the soil on our land instead. He'll interplant heritage varieties of white corn with l>cans and pumpkins in the traditional Three Sisters style, along with tobacco, sunflowers, and vegetables for his family. 1 le rented the largest rototillcr available and coordinated the timing so we could take turns In-hind the In-ast. We supplied the fuel and extra hands to pick rocks. Running nearly dawn to dusk, we broke ground for his extensive gardens and ours, and when sve ran out of steam, the neighbors took a turn in their yard. I'm excited by this new partnership, and especially pleased that there was time and energy to clcar several hundred square feet of lawn for flowers. The annual seeds I've collected will attract birds in view of the kitchen window, and Mom now has a bed into which she'll transplant the-primroses. bleeding heart, balloon flower, and other perennials she divided years ago in anticipation of us one day settling into a home of our own.
Opposite, top: 'Curb alerts"are sometimes posted online; local extension offices host seed exchanges and pot neaps for gardeners needing growing container*. Left: Horse farms often offer manure free for the hauling.
May 15
If there's one thing I hate, it's mowing grass—and this house floats in a sea of the green stuff. I lappilv, my aggressise lawn-eradication plan looks like a winner. Friends of friends ripped a dozen mature yew bushes from in front of their foundation. We leaped at the chancc to install them along a property line where we'd like a smidgen more privacy, then tilled in among them with divisions from our overgrown hostas and forsythias we received in a day lily trade. An online post yielded a beautiful, mature bridal wreath spirea. I cut it back hard In-fore digging it from the donor's yard and replaced it with the white lilac she had sought, dug from a clump in desperate need of thinning at our place. A former collcaguc long ago offerer! bamboo and rhubarb from hisgardens. and Anally wc can take him up on the offer. I've also transplanted several varieties of willow and strawberries, as well as hops, butterfly bush, purple concflowcr, salvia, rudbeckia, black currants, blueberries, and horseradish, all free.
We're wary of overtaxing our well, so to nurse the newcomers through their first summer, we've relied heavily on free mulch from the town's mulch pile and. for the acid-loving plants, used grounds from the local coffee shop. We've also amassed an assortment of rain barrels, all cheap or free. One Inrgan as a pickle barrel (S3 at a garage sale); others formerly held industrial dishwashing detergent at the local college's dining hall. Not pretty, but shielded from view by fast-growing vines ami decanted
One man's waste is this garden's wealth.
The friendships we made and the knowledge we gained taught us that abundance comes in many guises.
into j-gallon jugs discarded by the natural-foods co-op—which wc store out of sight in the potting shed—it s a rainwater collection system that works for us.
June 16
A small organie-vcgctabic operation wants the excess hay from our fields, which is cut and baled free bv a cattle farmer down the road who takes the bulk to feed his livestock over winter. The produce growers will suppress weeds in their garlic beds; in exchange, they've offered credit at their farm stand, which boasts honey and jam.
While we couldn't start seeds indoors ourselves this year, between the trades, some starts from the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm wc belong to (free because we're supplying our labor in exchange for the season's cats), ami leftover seedlings from another friend planting veggies at our place, we've gotten a great jump on the season.
It's too early to know how my homemade fish emulsion works in the tomato beds. Dad supplied sunfish from his pond; I buried a few while planting seedlings and fermented the remainder in a discarded f-gallon bucket with lid. free from the co-op. The process is admittedly stinky, but so is store-bought, and this approach appeals to my do-it-yourself, get-it-for-free ethic.
June 26
Karlicr this month, wc transplanted a trio of hardy kiwi vines overwhelming their previous owner's tiny downtown yard. To raise the hand-hewn, post-and-bcam arbor that will support the vines at our garden entrance, we invited friends to help. Wc supplied snacks and drinks and thev supplied muscle, camaraderie, and laughter.
August 14
There's no licttcr gift for a gardener than free labor. My cousin and her brood infused the garden with their energy and vision last week, The eldest transformed the sunflower patch outside the kitchen window into a destination by laying a winding path edged with rocks from the-gardens. punctuated with divisions from around the yard and trade perennials I potted back in June. Row cover and old sheets will shield them from the hot sun at this inopportune time for transplanting. Soon, they will be a gorgeous legacy of her visit. The second-eldest built liners for the remaining garden beds with salvaged lumber, and the young ones collected seed for next year, including peas, garlic, and spring bulbs that had naturalized during the years of neglect before wc arrived.
1 Icartbrcaking. but inevitable: Our tomatoes and potatoes have late blight. It was reported locally in late June, and many here spent the July 4 weekend burning or bagging their infcctcd plants. And yet, silver linings: Many weeks ago, wc transformed the plastic and lumber l>equeathcd by friends who are leaving town into a pseudo-greenhouse. That partial protection from the summer's constant rain held infection at bay long enough that wc have green tomatoes for jam ami pickles. To save the 200 row feet of potatoes planted as part of an organic fingcriing variety trial
Opposite, top::Aunt Ada's'Italian pole bean* from the seed exchange cabinet flourish on a trellis made from tree limb% and old twine. Below: Coffee shops often give away used grounds for free. Wood scraps trimmed to a point make tidy markers. The grounds are used to amend the soil around blueberries.
What We Bought
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Seeds |
$35.45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Row cover |
$12.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cover-crop seed |
$10.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rooting medium |
$7.55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Seed inoculant |
$5.49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Plastic pickle barrel |
$3.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hollyhock seedlings |
$1.25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total |
Here's what wc harvested on our property:
 
that provided free seed, we cut and bagged their foliage. This should keep spores from moving into the soil and destroying the tubers. I larvcst can wait. If we're lucky, we'll have potatoes for winter storage, as well as data for the trial. September 30Our first frost was 10 days ago. Yet, while-harvesting kale and turnips yesterday at our CSA farm—which has provided a rich education in larger-scale organic farming tcchniqucs, great exercise, stimulating conversation, and hundreds of pounds of veggies since May—we learned that the gorgeous green tomatoes in their hoop house- must make way for winter greens. I requested permission to glean, and in one hour this morning we picked several hundred pounds of fruit. More than half went to a program that provides CSA memberships for low-income families, augmented with cooking and nutrition classes. They'll organize a giveaway and class with a local chef. I'll trade and share what we kept, stock the pantry, and ripen some in newspaper for Novcml>cr salads. I've heard rumors of a defunct gleaners' network in the area; I plan to learn more. November 4We still have potatoes to dig and leeks we'll harvest into the New Year. The pantry, freezer, and root cellar promise good eating throughout the winter, and we haven't paid cash for produce since early May. Yet we still have much to learn. In September, we forgot to freeze our collected vetch seeds to kill bugs. Instead of a free winter cover crop, wc had a startling October hatching. Our laying hens feasted on several heads of sunflowers, but the challcngc of »Irving ami storing too secdhcads demands winter research. Even so. our myriad trades and barters have produced a generous harvest while the social connections we've made and the wisdom we've gained will yield for mam-seasons to come. We've already thrown down the gauntlet for 2010: all the food wc can eat ami give away from May to November, for less than S25. • Grandma'* old Urate hat provides the »hade, and a basket from friend* deduttering their house holds the harvest. Kat provided rodent control in exchange for catnip. O 1 >' ¡1 1 i- G r d <■ i) inr. r o ill 45 Roses  
"Bailey Red'rose* and big muhly grass (Muhlcnbcrgia lindhcimcri) line the path to the historic chapel in the garden of the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, Texas. In the early clays of the Antique Rose Emporium, a mail-order nursery I established in 1984.1 made regular forays into cemeteries and abandoned farmsteads in search of forgotten roses. I joined a group of like-minded lovers of heritage plants, and together, we sought old roses that had survived for generations with little or no care. We callcd it "rose rustling," and it yielded stem cuttings of many durable and gardenworthv roses, sometimes identifiable but often of mysterious origin. At the same time, the emporium's nursery staff and I were developing a display garden outside our Brenham, Texas, retail center. Today that garden has expanded to 8 acres, enabling visitors to see heritage roses in landscape settings -part of our mission to promote these time-tested performers. The garden also affords the staff a creative outlet for exploring the habits ami nuances of roses. We strive to make our display garden not only an educational resource but also a destination for tourists. Initially, we struggled with maintenance—sonic varieties of roses lived up to their reputations of being petulant and difficult to grow—and were not always satisfied with the appearance of the garden or the performance of individual plants. I laving seen roses thrive in places where they received virtually no care, I realized that not all roses arc chemically dependent by necessity. With this in mind, we revised our approach to rose care and adopted a three-pronged strategy that has made all the difference. We now recommend that gardeners choose rose varieties that are naturally vigorous, maintain them organically, and interplant them with diverse companions. These three factors have allowed us to crcatc a garden that defies the fussy reputation of roses—and is richly scented with the perfume of thousands of blossoms, not chemicals. 
TTie dat/s o/ws wearing nuke suits and spraying with fungicides are over. And our roses are healthier. Choose the Right RosesRoses are comprise«! of a \-ast number of distinct varieties. These include not only hundreds of modern roses but also hundreds of antique roses, or old garden roses, as thev are also known. Due to centuries of tinkering by rose breeders, there arc smaller groups or classes of roses within each of these larger groups. Individuals in each of the classes have differences in color, size, and form that lend them to a particular garden situation better than another even within the same group. Selecting the best rose for its spot in the landscape helps ensure the success of the garden in the long run. As an example, 'New Dawn' and 'Sombrcuil' arc both climbing roses, but they have different growth habits. The vigorous, high-flying canes of'New Dawn' require a soaring arch, a gazebo, or other support of significant size. 'Sombrcuil', on the other hand,grows in a restrained, mannerly fashion, making it appropriate to adorn an 8-foot pillar. Selection determines success. As important as a variety's aesthetic contribution is its ability to remain healthy. Modern hybrid teas produce bcau-tiful cut flowers, but their maintenance needs arc high, and their lanky, upright growth habit can be difficult to integrate into a garden. In our gardens, most hybrid teas arc short-lived plants that arc eventually relegated to the compost heap. Antique roses, in contrast, tend to have a healthier constitution. I prefer to grow the older roses for several reasons. They arc resilient survivors, many living for years with a minimum of care, as I have discovered as a rose rustler. They are diverse in their shapes and growth habits, which makes them versatile in the garden. Their blossoms are lushly romantic. And they arc often fragrant— a beloved, cvocative trait that many nuxlcrn roses lack. I consider most antique roses to Ik- the ultimate garden plant—the perfect brushstroke from the gardener's palette. Embrace Nature's Ways When wc were establishing our display garden, applying the rccommcndcd 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizer to the roses was laborious and resulted in plants that bccame less and less vigorous over time. Weekly spray sessions of insecticides and fungicides did little to stop pest invasions; they were effective only at curtailing our enjoyment of gardening One day. wc spread several inches of bark mulch in part of the garden, and what happened next surprised us all: Plants in the mulched areas showed brighter and more vibrant leaves and were less affected by daily heat stress (no small consideration as our location is central Texas). 
This realization caused us to rethink the way we grew roses, challenging the conventional chcmical-intcnsivc methods. Our bark mulch replicated nature's recycling of leaves and organic debris on the forest floor. In successive years, we replaced chemical inputs with a variety of organic regimens, all based on what wc saw in the natural environment. Nobody fertilizes the flora in nature, but it grows and thrives just the same. Could wc rely on nature's techniques for supplying nutrients to plants instead of buying bags of fertilizer? As it turns out. twicc-yearly applications of coarse hardwood bark mulch (i to j inches in February and again in Scptemlier) provide all the nutrition roses need. Iicncfici.il organisms in the soil—ccrtain fungi, bactcria. and nematodes—assist in breaking down the mulch and feed on carbon released during decomposition. Gardeners tend to think of these organisms in negative terms, and indeed, the microbcs that causc bacterial crown gall and powdery mildew, among other rose maladies, are bad. But there arc-many more organisms that improve the viability of plants through symbiotic relationships that make roots more efficient at seeking nutrients, or by converting soil nitrogen into forms that plant roots can absorb, Gardeners who arc starting with nutricnt-dcplctcd soil might need to add a supplement of decomposer! manure, compost, or other organic fertilizer to get the microbcs rolling. Brew Tea for RosesIn retrospect, it is haul to believe that wc spent years destroying these microbial populations through our spraying program. A change as simple as adding mulch had improver! the health of our plants, yet there was something even more magical—dare I say miraculous?—that evolved from this discovery. Elaine Ingham. Ph.D., a soil microbiologist from Oregon, introduced us to a revolutionary process of increasing In-neficial soil organisms by aerating freshly Icachcd compost tea. While traditional compost tea is brewed simply by suspending a "tcabag" of compost in a bucket or barrel of standing water, the aerobic tcchniquc uses an air pump to continu- Left to right: Roses ally bubble oxygen share Me limelight through the liquid in a brew tank. Wc follower! Ingham's instructions, blending chlorinc-frce with Texas native trees and shrubs in display bed*. Knock Out. a Mallear! shrub, sparkles with morning dew. A signpost points the way. Five j>etaled rotes embody the spirit of simple charm. water, molasses (a food source for microbcs), fish hydrolysatc (ground fish carcasses, another food for fungi), humatcs (organic residues of decomposed plants or animals), and a handful of good compost to provide the initial microbial population. The air pump kept the mixture in a state of constant agitation and aeration. According to Ingham's research, after 24 hours of aerobic brewing, the microbial population explodes exponentially. One milliliter (about one-fifth of a teaspoon) of acrohically brewed compost tea contains a trillion bacteria, representing 20,000 different spccics. ami a much-incrcascd fungal biomass—all multiplied from the initial organisms in the compost. 
Researchers caution that molasses and other microbial (bods used in brewing compost tea can boost the levels of pathogenic bactcria. such as salmonella and (>157:! I7 /:. (oti. Because of this significant health concern, aerated compost tea should be used with care, and should not not !*.• uscd on food crops. The ability of compost to aid the soil's capacity to retain water, improve soil porosity, and help plants absorb nutrients and minerals has long been understood. But I was surprised at the results of spraying compost tea directly on rose foliage. The vast number of bcncficial microbes in the tea defended our plants from the "bad guys." like black spot and mildew. It was described to mc as like having an auditorium filled with healthy friends: If someone sick with a flu bug tries to enter, all the scats arc taken. Treated plants were less prone to attack by red spider mites. We began spraying weekly «luring spring ami fall (the seasons when roses in Texas grow actively), wetting the leaves thoroughly. Within 6 months, the improved health and vigor of our gardens proved that wc were on the right track. Roses Love CompanyGardeners often show their devotion to roses by planting them in monocultures. The unfair burden on roses to perform in isolation from other flowers rcachcs its extreme in formally styled beds of modern hybrid teas. Blooms are cxpcctcd to be pcrfcct all the time, sprayed and fussed over in straight rows of sameness. Old roses need not be put in this secluded prison; in fact, the beauty of antique roses is that they thrive in combination with perennials, annuals, shrubs, and flora of all types. Thus my final words of advice: Don't plant rose gardens—plant gardens that have roses in them. Once again, nature shows us the way. Forests and prairies arc composed of a diversity of plants that ebb and flow through the seasons, with ever-changing foliage, flowers, and fruit. Wc now strive to replicate this "natural" succcss in our ornamental gardens and landscape. In a mixed planting, the diversity of so many plant types creates year-round beauty even w hen roses arc not at their peak. The burden is not on the rose to be pcrfcct all the time, bccausc the companion plants arid their own layers of form, texture, and color. Old roses los e company. At the Antique Rose Emporium, the ability of roses to collaborate with other garden plants allows us to have several themed gardens within our demonstration area. The children's garden has sunflowers and whimsical yard art integrated with the roses. I Icrbs and vegetables minglc with roses in the kitchen garden, while thc Southwestern garden has grasses and agaves as companions to roses. So instc.nl of"-cidal" sprays, we're applying acrobic compost tea on a weekly basis and renewing mulch twicc annually. This program, along with a diversity of proper plant selections, makes gardening fun again. The plumpness of leaves, the vigor and color of our gardens is vastly different than in the days of using synthetic fertilizers and store-bought chemicals. Most important to me. the gardens are now what they should be: a plaec where I can listen to the contented conversations of visitors as they stroll along paths populated by sccntcd flowers, birds, and butterflies. It makes the garden a much bigger place than just a collection of plants. • 
10 Roses for Organic Growers This outstanding group of antique and modern roses has performed admirably with our organic regimen. All are repeat bloomers, which means they flower in waves from spring until frost. "Old Blush'. This China rose dates back to the 18th century and represents all that is good m tfd roses: long Me. repeat bloom, ease ot care. As a parent for rose breeding. Old Blush" is responsible for giving its ever-blooming quality to modern roses. Hardy to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6.
full-flowered rose a "superstar" because of its fragrance, ease of care, and cut-flower quality. Zone 5.
"Penelope". Soft, peachy blooms m bouquetlike clusters are noted for their rich perfume. The sprawling shrub can reach 6 feet Zone 6. "New Dawn'. Tf*s climbing rose bears lightly fragrant, soft pink blooms on vigorous 20-foot stems. Foliage is dark, glossy, and resistant to black spot. Zone 5. 'Crepuscule'. Clusters of orange flowers nod under their own weight. Icndng a romantic effect to the garden Crepusciie' is a ctanbmg rose of excellent vigor. Zone 7. "Stephen F Austin". One of the Antique Rose Emporium's own Pioneer Rose introductions, this 6-foot shrub has shiny leaves that ad as a foil to the fragrant flowers, wheh open pale yellow and mature to creamy white. Zone 5 EDITOR S NOTE: This list is based on the author's experience in an area of Texas with hot. humid summers and relatively mild (Zone 8) winters. However, many of the roses described here are widely adaptable except in the coldest climates. To learn which roses excel in your region, contact your state's Cooi>erative Extension Service. For more information, ue Find h litre on page 91 
TUNISIAN! |
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christine koch1 year ago
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