"I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree."
The poet Joyce Kilmer wrote those words in 1914, and I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it must have been about this time of year. Now that winter is officially behind us and we're into the first few days of spring, we can once again enjoy the sight of trees "waking up" from their hibernation and starting the blossoming process.
As always in the spring, my e-mail in-box is filling up with questions and comments from readers, and I invite you to send me yours, too. Here are a few from the "electronic mail bag!"
QUESTION: "I was hoping that you can help me with some plant selection. I have a suburban house and am looking for some ivy-like item that would grow and cover my stockade fence. The fence is wood and is subject to direct,
intense sunlight. I was reading about English Ivy on your web site, but saw that it prefers partial sun to shade, rather than direct sun. That will not work. I am new to this area and was hoping that you could suggest some dense growing vine that would cover my entire fence and survive during the extreme weather." - Michael Weir
ANSWER: You are right about the Ivy; that sort of location would be too hot. If it were me I would cover the fence with Wisteria. Very nice to look at when it blooms and will take the full sun and heat. You would plant these about six feet apart and train them to the fence. The only drawback is that they will lose their leaves in the winter months.
Another suggestion would be to use something that you could eat! Have you thought about grapevines? They are pretty to look at but will also produce an abundance of good tasting table grapes. You could even make wine if you were so inclined! Good luck with your project and I hope this gives you some ideas.
QUESTION: "I love to cook and bake. I'm forever cutting out recipes and testing them on my wife! Could you recommend a "starting herb" garden? You know; something like chives, sage, thyme, etc. Thank you very much." - Jerry Welshoff
ANSWER: Jerry, by now you have probably seen my three previous columns on growing and using herbs. If any other readers missed that series, you can find them archived at my web site. Go to www.landsteward.org then click on "The Plant Man" and scroll down to find the columns. (If you prefer, I can e-mail all three columns to you at no charge. Just send me a request.)
Chives are excellent to have on hand. Just snip some into a salad, on potatoes or in eggs for a little extra flavor. Rosemary, Thyme and Sage give punch to dishes with lamb, beef, poultry, and pork. When cooking with fresh herbs, add later in the cooking cycle than you would with dried herbs. You want to be able to taste the flavors!
Those four (Chives, Rosemary, Thyme and Sage) are a great start to growing and cooking with herbs. Here's an idea if you like to dry your own herbs: steep some dried sage, lemon and honey for a great hot tea.
Growing herbs is quite easy. Remember that most all herbs prefer well-drained soil. They do not have to be laid out in a formal garden, but can be placed in your landscape or in pots.
Thinking back to the lines from Joyce Kilmer's poem at the top of this column, I was reminded of a somewhat more cynical (but realistic) quote fromOgden Nash:
I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all.
I, for one, would rather see trees than billboards any day!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send you questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived Plant Man columns, visit www.landsteward.org where you can also subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter.
