Yavapai Gardens March 200 1 Master Gardener Newsletter

Home , Jerusalem artichoke, The Plant (novel)

University of Arizona, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension Yavapai Gardens March 200 1 Master Gardener Newsletter

Events & Activities The Urge to Purge MG Assciation Meeting, March 20, Cottonwood by Patti Conrad Board of Supervisors Office, see address page for directions and carpool information. A new year brings with it a desire for re- flection, self-examination Yavapai Rose Society - Will meet March 18 and divestiture of needless 2:00 PM at the First Christian Church, 1230 clutter. As it is in all areas Willow Creek Road, Prescott. Guests are of our lives, so it is in the welcome and there is no charge. For more gardening world when information call Bob or Nancy at 771-9300, Spring comes. Since I am or Dave at 778-5507. a pack-rat personality, this is quite a challenge for me The Cottonwood Organic Gardening Club no matter what category meets at the Cottonwood-Verde Valley Fair- of life I am dealing with. I grounds on the second Wednesday of each like antiques. Collecting month at 1:30 p.m. teapots, bird statues and bird houses, and old garden tools adds a lot of clutter but these items are not going anywhere—at least not yet. At least these items do not have to be planted, pruned, fed, wa- tered, sprayed, protected from animals, and mulched. Besides their collecting a little dust, (a fine collectible in its own right,) they’ll peacefully stand in my house and garden. All I have to do is Table of Contents enjoy them. As a bonus, spiders love to live around and in the bird houses which thus are doing The Urge to Purge . . . . pg 1 double-duty as bird nurseries and Spider Diners. Jerusalem Artichokes . . . . pg 4 As a plant collector, it is a passion and part Master Gardener Class . . . pg 5 of my job. I test-drive new plants and old favor- Artichokes . . . . pg 6 ites in new locations and combinations. For most Fruit in a Bottle . . . . pg 8 people this would be frustrating and expensive, March Calendar . . . . pg 8 so I recommend the philosophy of “plant what Thank you . . . . pg 9 works in YOUR garden for YOUR green thumb Spring Plant Sales . . . . pg 9 and LOTS of IT!” Here is where the purging comes

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 1 in. You can have a lovely garden with a lot less in Prescott on Iron Springs Rd would love to re- work if you objectively assess your plants to see cycle your 1 gallon size and larger pots, as would which types of plants are growing best for you. Prescott Valley Growers in Prescott Valley on Hwy Iris and I do not connect, for example. You may 69. I asked them. Certainly other garden centers do really well with mugo pines and herbs or pen- in the County would want them, too. A couple of stemons and junipers. In each category of plant broken red clay pots would be plenty for shards; there are many types, so you can do a variation- use the rest as paving material for a walkway or on-a-theme motif. You could plant mugo pines, make a mosaic coffee table. Otherwise, have the both clipped and natural, and other pines such as trash pick up a few per week, if necessary. I prefer dwarf Scotch and Austrian along to use small square pieces of with six different types of thyme used window screen over the and a half dozen sages. Voila! A drain holes instead of the shards. garden that looks difficult and in- They are neater and store in a teresting but is really a snap for small space. you to nurture. Remember that the I am also a printed- idea is to get what you want but work junkie, reading anything to “simplify, simplify, simplify.” (I with words on it—road signs, borrowed that from Thoreau, but brochures and old newspapers. if he actually wanted to simplify, So you see, parting with any of why didn’t he use the word just my books is out of the question. once?) Go figure. I love them all. Besides, I may It doesn’t matter how NEED them. They are useful for pretty a plant is, if it keeps dying reference, pressing flowers and on you or isn’t doing well in your leveling tables. To save you from patch of soil, get rid of it and don’t my fate, here is a short list of buy it again. Purge your piece of must-haves for the bookshelf. paradise of those bad-mannered Onward and Upward in wimps that fret and fuss and put the Garden, by Katharine S. White in happy plants instead. Give them is a hybrid between philosophy away or do them in. My mottoes and instruction tomes. What a are “when in doubt, yank it out” gal! She’s a real straight talker. and “if it won’t thrive, it won’t be Judith Phillips’ two book set, alive.” It seems harsh but nature Natural by Design and Plants for is ruthless. We can learn from her. Besides you Natural Gardens are guides for lovers of native are doing the plants a favor by finding them a plants. She teaches you how to effectively use home or saving them from a slow lingering death natives in home landscape as well as discusses by yanking them out and composting them. Help their care and propagation. They are not field them on to plant heaven via composting reincar- identification guides. They are useful for mixing nation. existing native plants with introduced garden spe- Remember, there is a difference between cies in a pleasing and harmonious manner. They thriving and surviving. A thriving plant is easier are two great books that may be purchased singly to care for and looks better in the garden. If mari- or as a set that are worth the price. golds love you, learn to love yellow and orange Of course, if you really want to simplify and stop wishing that they came in blue. Embrace your library, the one book to have is the Sunset reality. Western Garden Guide, an encyclopedia and bible Purge the inanimate from your life also. reference for the gardener. I actually prefer the Toss out those plastic pots or recycle them to gar- 1995 edition with the yellow flowers on the cover den centers or nurseries. Watters Garden Center

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 2 and 624 pages over the instead of mail order. Not because the plants are 2001 edition with the better but because dirt costs a lot to ship. “Dirt coral-pink roses on the cheap” is wrong. Dirt is heavy and expensive if cover and 768 pages be- you mail it. Big plants are heavy, too. You will get cause they dropped the a plant that is much smaller than you expect. Buy mail order suppliers guide from the in person whenever possible. When I could not resource section and the paper qual- get what I wanted, I have ordered plants, seeds ity seems inferior. Mail order sup- and bulbs from the following companies: plies can change unexpectedly so that could be why they deleted it but Bluestone Perennials—perennials of all types, it gave people a good starting point some shrubs and grasses (800)852-5243 with reputable companies. On the High Country Gardens—Natives, perennials, bright side, you can now buy a used shrubs, grasses (800)925-9387 copy of the 1995 edition for a good Schreiner’s Gardens—Iris of all types price and put those extra dollars into (800)525-2367 x 50 fertilizers instead. Buy both if you Dutch Gardens—Bulbs of all types, high qual- can afford it. ity, some unusual types (800)775-2852 The last book of my recom- Thompson-Morgan Seeds—Seeds (800)274- mendations is the Undaunted Garden 7333 by Lauren Springer. As with Judith Phillips, Lauren Springer is a realist There are thousands of suppliers, so you and a clear thinker. Any gardening could garden on the internet and never get your book by either of these authors would be worth hands dirty. I prefer to narrow my scope and get owning. Undaunted Garden is abut gardening at on with it. Laying out the catalogs on the table for a 5000 foot plus elevation and climate similar to comparison shopping, I find it easier to flip back the mountain areas of Prescott-Flagstaff-Payson. and forth through paper pages with bookmarks On the downside, sometimes Springer’s plant than to click, click, click through an internet cata- choices are not readily available from local nurs- log. Then I have to change sites and click, click, eries or indeed from mail order sources but you click again. I can not compare twelve varieties of can find substitutes in the same plant families that penstemons from four companies at once on the will work just fine. computer but I can do this at my desk with paper Regarding the category of garden catalogs, pages of real catalogs. I have tried both methods I receive lots of individual catalogs from dozens and I prefer not to jump over the inter-"net” and of suppliers each year but there are only a few that get stuck in the “web.” Remember, the idea is to I really order from: some of these I have been us- get what you want but to simplify, simplify, sim- ing for 20 years or more. The other catalogs I re- plify—oops, sorry! Please delete two of those sim- ceive I keep anyway for their reference value. I plifies. may be tempted by that rare variegated juniper, but when I find that it costs $35.00 for me to get a (Ed. Note: I agree it’s easier to search through paper 3-inch-tall start in a 4 inch pot, I change my mind. catalogs but most sites have a place to request a copy of their I do enjoy toying with the idea, picturing the juni- catalog from the website and, once you have an order ready, you can order from the website.) per full size in my garden, situated just there. For- tunately, reality strikes through the steam rising from my teacup and I see clearly once more. Through years of experience, I would always choose the plant in hand, the seen-in-person plant at a garden center that I can buy locally

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 3 Jerusalem Artichoke or Sunchoke Helianthus tuberosa by Nora Graf

This member of the sunflower family is one Plant after the last frost in the spring or in the of the few that is cultivated as a food source rather fall about three inches deep and 12 to 18 inches than just an ornamental. Its fleshy rhizomes are apart. edible. The tubers are sweet but, because their With the typical yellow sunflower flower sugars contain insulin rather than starches and they can be used as an ornamental but they can sucrose sugars, they are good for diabetics. Tu- grow over six feet tall. Once in, though, they are bers also contain free glutamine and are high in difficult to get rid of. If you want to use them near amino acids, sparking a resurgence of interest in flower or vegetable beds, you might want to think eating and about a way of containing growing them. them. In spite One of the drawbacks of its name, the is the difficulty in peeling plant is native them, as they tend to be to North knobby and rough. One America. It is source suggested eating them found from with the peel. You’ll have to Ontario to the experiment to find what you southern like. Another problem is that United States. they promote flatulence. An The history of 18th century appellation ap- the name is con- plied to them was “windy fused. Some root.” No doubt it is a veg- think it is a corruption of “girasole,” Italian for etable to be eaten in moderation. A few varieties sunflower or turning to the sun, others think that like Fuseau, Garnet and Stampede have been se- Jerusalem is a corruption of Terneuzen, the place lected for smoother tubers and are probably the in Holland from where artichokes were first in- ones you can find in stores marked as Sunchokes troduced to England in 1617. or Sunroots. Jerusalem artichokes were cultivated or Over the years a number of varieties have collected from the wild by the Indians before the been developed that appear under varietal names 16th century. The early tubers that made it to Eu- but some varieties have more than one name. This rope were larger than wild ones, so it is thought can be confusing if you plan on going into exten- they were cultivated varieties that had been se- sive gardening of this vegetable. The best source lected for their larger size. of tubers or seeds is through Seed Savers Ex- The plants thrive in many kinds of soil and change. They list a huge number of varieties in full sun. In heavy soils they may grow rather un- their seed listing. Some varieties to look for are evenly and knobby. They are generally propa- Jack’s Copperclad, Mulles Roce and Waldoboro gated from tubers which can be cut like potatoes, Gold. one eye to each piece. Harvest in the fall after frost Chokes can be cooked in a variety of ways; has killed the top or about a month after the plant the simplest is to toss the unpeeled tubers into a flowers. The plant can be invasive and spread barbeque fire or to put them in a pan while cook- via the rhizomes into nearby beds if they aren’t ing a roast. At 350° they will take about 30 min- dug each year. utes to cook. They can also be boiled or sauted.

YavapaCounty Master Gardeners Page 4 Stir Fry Chokes and Broccoli Seed Savers Exchange serves 6-8, recipe is from “The Victory 3076 N. Winn Road Garden Cookbook” by Marian Morash Decorah, Iowa 52101

1 bunch fresh broccoli 1/2 lb Jerusalem artichokes 2 Tblsp. Lemon juice 1 Tblsp. Cornstarch (optional) 1/4 cup water (optional) 1 Tblsp. Soy sauce (optional) 3 Tblsp. Cooking oil 1 1/2 tsp. Finely minced ginger root 1/2 tsp. Salt 2/3 cup chicken stock or water 2 Tblsp. Butter Dear Yavapai County Master Gardeners,

Wash broccoli, remove flower buds from Please feel welcome to drop in and audit lec- stalks, peel and cut into 1-inch-diameter pieces. Peel stalks, slice down and cut into 1 1/2 inch tures during the 2002 Master Gardener pieces. Slice chokes into rounds and keep in 1 Course. The room is large. However, this year's quart water to which the lemon juice has been participants will have priority on seats at added. If you wish to thicken the finished dish, tables. I hope to see you there or at the Mas- mix together cornstarch, water, and soy sauce and ter Gardener Association Meetings. set aside. Heat oil until very hot, add ginger, stir for 10 seconds. Add broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, Yavapai County Master Gardener Schedule - stirring until all sides are coated with oil and Spring 2002 slightly cooked, then add salt and stir for another Verde Valley Fairgrounds, Professional and minute. Pour in stock or water, bring to a boil, Amateur Arts Building, Cottonwood, Arizona cover pan, turn heat to medium, and braise the broccoli for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender but still All classes will meet between 9:00 AM and crisp. Meanwhile, dry the chokes. When the broccoli is tender, uncover and reduce remaining liq- 12:30 PM on dates listed below uid to 3 tablespoons, then add butter and chokes. Stir for 30 seconds or just to warm through. If you would like a sauce, add the cornstarch mixture 3/6, Plant Propagation, Terry Mikel along with the chokes and stir until stock is thick- 3/13, Plant Pathology (Disease), Mary Olsen ened. 3/20, Vegetables and Annuals, Terry Mikel You can add 1/2 lb of meat to create a full meal. Thinly slice the meat and saute in hot oil. 3/27, Insects and Integrated Pest Management, Set aside and return to pan just before you add TBA the chokes. You may want to increase the amount 4/3, Pesticide Safety , Jeff Schalau of sauce. 4/10, Fruit Trees and Vines, Mike Kilby 4/17, Backyard Wildlife Conflicts, Larry You can receive the Seed Savers Exchange Sullivan seed list by joining the organization. For information write: 4/24, Final Exam, Jeff Schalau

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 5 Artichoke Cynara scolymus by Nora Graf

Another member of the sunflower family articiocco and articoclos . The words are related Compositae. (I understand that they have re- to the Ligurian word cocali, meaning a pine cone. named the family Asteracea, but I think they will Artichokes are perennials. They are large always be composites to me.) It’s actually a thistle. perennials. At their fullest growth they can be as The history of the plant starts with the Greeks and large as six feet in diameter and three to four feet Romans, probably as the Cardoon. Young leaves high. The grayish green leaves are long and arch- and flower stalks were eaten from this plant. ing and serrated. What we eat is the flower bud. Greeks and Romans would If left to bloom they grow plants in the dark to cre- would open into a ate white and tender parts. large, seven inch, Cardoon was one of the most violet purple thistle popular garden plants in blooms. The Rome in 100AD. It was used blooms are quite as a potherb and as a salad spectacular and I plant. The modern artichoke would suggest if probably developed from this you grow arti- plant. It appears in literature chokes to let one in 77AD. North African bud actually bloom Moors near Granada Spain sometime. Oddly cultivated artichokes around enough, it was the 800 AD. From there it made leaves that were its way to England around first eaten. If you 1548. The English apparently have ever seen the were not fond of it. The Span- plant, you might ish then sent it to California in wonder why but the late 1600’s. They didn’t the concept that ev- catch on in America particu- eryone likes differ- larly fast either. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that they ent things applies here; it might be an inherited were widely grown. California turned out to be a taste, who knows. The bud at the top is the termi- perfect location for them. In 1922, Andrew Molera nal bud. Buds lower on the plant tend to be decided to try artichokes on former sugar beet land smaller. The smallest are those closest to the bot- because they were fetching higher prices than tom and shaded by the upper leaves. sugar beets. The rest, they say, is history. By 1929 Commercially, artichokes are propagated they were the third largest cash crop in Salinas vegetatively. Cuttings are made of the stem with Valley. Today Castroville, California, is hailed as some roots attached. After each cropping cycle, the Artichoke capitol of the world. Marilyn Mon- the plant is cut back to encourage growth of new roe was Artichoke Queen in 1948. Artichokes are shoots. In California, artichokes are grown year the official vegetable of Monterey County and the round, with March to May the peak period and a value of the 1994-5 crop was more than $46.3 mil- second peak in October. In our climate you should lion dollars. start with seeds (two sources are listed below.) In For all its Spanish origins, the name arti- colder areas, grow them as an annual. Start seeds choke comes from the northern Italian words indoors early, about the same time as tomatoes, 8

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 6 to 10 weeks before you are ready to plant outdoors. underneath. I’m particularly fond of the “baby When soil warms, plant them at least three feet artichokes” you can sometimes find. They tend apart in a fertile soil. Because of their rapid growth to be a bit more tender and are too small to have and size, they are heavy feeders. Enrich soil with developed the flower. The only place I’ve consis- manure or compost. Then water—they like lots tently found them though is at Trader Joes in Phoe- of water. Soil should be evenly moist. In hot nix, so if you are heading south, you might try weather they will wilt quickly if they do not have stopping in. enough water. They can also be like squash and Nutritionally the artichoke is a source of not be able to move enough water in their leaves vitamin C, folate and potassium, low in sodium, during the hottest part of the day, even if the soil fat free, except for that butter dipping, and only is moist. They will recover in has 25 calories. the evening as it cools. In the Since you expend colder areas, the roots can be that many calo- dug up and stored where they ries eating it, the won’t freeze; in other areas, try calorie issue can mulching heavily. be a wash. They Aphids can be a pest, also make won- along with slugs and snails, derful vessels for when the plants are small. The stuffing and can simplest aphid control is be added to stir- spraying the plant with a fry and pasta stream of water. dishes. One of the reasons artichokes tend to be a bit expen- Artichoke sive is that they are very labor- seeds are avail- intensive to plant and harvest. able in catalogs Both operations are done although they are mostly by hand. As artichokes not common. don’t all ripen at the same Two sources I time, workers must go into the found are: fields repeatedly to harvest. As small gardeners it’s really easy to pick a few for the din- ner table every few days. Pick when they are about the size of a tennis ball. If The Cooks Garden you wait too long, the thistle bloom will be too far P.O. Box 535 along. The smaller ones near the base of the plant Londonderry, VT 05148 can be picked golf-ball size. (800) 457-9705 This treat is no fast food, either to prepare They have two varieties a purple, Violetto and a or eat. The whole artichoke can be steamed, but green, Imperial Star each leaf is eaten separately by stripping it from the bud and pulling the end, after it’s been dipped Nichols Garden Nursery in a little butter, and the soft inner flesh stripped www.nicholsgardennursery.cm from the tough outer fibers. When you get to the (800) 422-3985 center you will find a soft fuzzy portion, this is 1190 Old Salem Road NE the new flower developing. This portions can be Albany, OR 97321-4580 Albany, OR 97321-4580 easily removed to reach the soft, tender “heart” They carry Imperial Star

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 7 Magic Fruit in a Bottle March Calendar It will be warm enough this month to start plant- Most people have ing some annuals and perennials. Also gladiolus, seen a whole fruit in a bottle bearded iris and dahlia can go in. Divide and re- that has a top that you could plant chrysanthemums. barely get a grape into. Actu- ally, there is no magic to it, Get your herbs started. just some preplanning. This works for apples and pears Plant early spring vegetables. Peas, radishes, leaf the best. Grapes can be con- lettuces and spinach are all good cool weather tainerized also but they do crops. Later in the month start the root crops, car- not always develop fully, for rots, turnips, rutaba- some reason. gas, beets and cab- After the blooms fall bages. and you can see the young fruit, select the fruit on a long stem. Remove all Prune hedges. extra growth along that stem the length of the bottle. Slip the bottle over the fruit, positioning Strawberries can be the fruit in the widest part of the bottle. Secure planted now. A good the bottle to a sturdy stake. Tie the branch to the strawberry bed needs stake, also, to stabilize it. Do several bottles, as lots of organic mate- there is not a guarantee that all the fruit will de- rial. Aspargus and velop well. Shade the fruit, if not shaded by the grapes can still go in, tree, by slipping a paper bag over the bottle dur- also. ing the sunniest part of the day. The bag should be torn open so that the shady side is open. It Check fruit trees for twig borers. Look for twigs should not be covered day and night, only from with a drop of resin. Snip off suspected twig tips. about 10:30am to 4pm. The extra care will Spray trees with dormant oil if they haven’t started insurewill insure that the fruit develops fully. Har- to leaf out. It’s been a warm winter so it wouldn’t vest when the fruit develops its mature color. surprise me if a few get started a little early this weeks. Bottle can be refilled and the mix can be year. kept indefinitely. The fruit will slowly lose its color. A bit of branch can be left on. It will color Prune Roses through mid-March, feed also. Re- gin or vodka a delicate gold color. Remove it, if move soil and debris that have built up around you plan on using brandy, to avoid a woody taste. the graft. Before adding a liquor, rinse out the bottle with cool water. Do not bruise the fruit. Turn bottle There is still time to plant bareroot stock upside down for a couple of days to allow bottle and fruit to An interesting tip from National Gardening Maga- drain. zine (which is now defunct). They found that in Fill with brandy, vodka or the case of annuals do not untangle root-bound gin; close with a tight stopper or plants. In annuals the roots quickly send out new cork. Let set at least two weeks. roots unlike perennials, trees and shrubs. So just Bottle can be refilled and the mix stick those root-bound babies in the soil. Make can be kept indefinitely. The sure the soil is moist and makes good contact with fruit will slowly lose its color. the roots.

Yavapai County Master Gardeners Page 8 Thank You! Tucson Botanical Garden March 16, 17, 2150 N. alvernon Way (520)326-9686 A special thanks to all of our volunteers www.tucsonbotanical.org that helped us with the 2nd Annual Pe- can & Wine Festival. Laurel Anderson & Wierd Plant Sale June 15 Gerald Anderson, Elinor Benes, Jonella Blake, Beverly Emerson, Cecy Gilbert, Nora Graf, Eunice Ricklefs and Ralph Young. We learned a lot about Pecans from Dr. Michael Kilby and had a lot of The "Arizona Master Gardener Manual" is now fun doing all the cracking, sorting and on-line. Check out preparation for the judging. The event http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/ was a major success and we look forward to doing it again next year. NOTE FROM THE EDIT OR: Let me know about your garden, the types of seeds you planted, interesting articles you found-anything of gardening interest. Send to: Spring Plant Sales Nora Graf Flagstaff Arboretum P.O. Box 3652 Are you a Sponge? Do you want to learn new things, Camp V erde, AZ 86322 see new sights. Soak up new experiences? Come on the Master Gardener Field Trip t the Arboretum in Flagstaff on Saturday June 15,2002. It’s their annual Horticultural Fair with educational exhibits and talks, and a plant sale which includes hard-to-find plants such as certain species of penstemons. The van will be filled on a first come basis. Call Pattie at (928)778-4810 to reserve your seat on the van. If Jeff Schalau you want to follow in yur won car, that’s ok too. Please call County Director, Yavapai CountyExtension Agent, and let Pattie know you are coming so she can give you the Agriculture & Natural Resources information you need. Prescott: Cottonwood: P.O. Box 388 2657 Village Dr. Desert Botanical Gardens Prescott, AZ 86302 Cottonwood, AZ 86326 (520)445-6597 (520)646-9113 FAX: (520) 445-6593 FAX: (520) 646-9108 Phoenix, March 15, (members only day) 16 & 17 E-Mail: [email protected] Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department Boyce Thompson Arboretum of Agriculture, James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative March 15 - 30 8am -5pm, 60 miles east of Phoenix on Hwy Extension, College of Agriculture, the University of Arizona and Arizona Counties cooperating, The University of Arizona College 60. Admission $6.00 adults, $3.00 children. of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, Herb Festival April 13m 7am - 3pm (not a plant sale but race, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam Era Veteran's thought yu might be interested anyway) status, or disability. The information given herein is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Cooperative Extension is implied. Any products, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson services, or organizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication do not imply endorsement by the March 16, 17, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte (520)742-6455 University of Arizona. http://www.tohnochulpark.org

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