GGG

Granvil le Gardeners Gazette Promoting Education and Recreation through Gardening Activities

Oxford, North Carolina March 2019, Volume IX, No. 3

HERBS FOR HEALTH AND HEALING By Joe and Terry Graedon, The People’s Pharmacy

Monday, March 25, 7 p.m., Granville Co. Expo Center, 4185 U.S. Hwy 15 S, Oxford, NC

About the Program Herbs have been used for healing for centuries. Many familiar herbs from your garden could also serve you well in your medicine chest. What does science tell us about the healing properties of plants such as turmeric, ginger, lemon balm, rosemary and thyme? Which ones have been part of ancient healing traditions?

About the Speakers Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist and Terry Graedon is a medical anthropologist. They are co-hosts of The People’s Pharmacy public radio show and co-authors of The People’s Pharmacy newspaper columns. They have written more than a dozen books on various aspects of health and self-care.

Brief Natural History Notes from 1587 and 1709

Excerpts from John Lawson’s Natural History of Carolina, 1709 And

Observations from Thomas Heriot’s Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, February 1587

“Bear’ is the March choice in “A Companion to the 1985 Eno River Calendar:”

Oochehara – Tuscarora for “Bear-skin” Beares, which are of blacke colour. The beares of this countrey are good meat. The inhabitants in time of Winter do use & eat many: so also sometime did we. --Thomas Heriot

I who have eaten a great deal of Bears Flesh in my Life-time (since my being an Inhabitant in America) do think it equalizes, if not excels, any Meat I ever eat in Europe. The Bacon made thereof is extra-ordinary Meat; but it must be well saved, otherwise it will rust. This Creature feeds upon all sorts of wild Fruits. . . .

They are great Devourers of Acorns. Now and then they get into the Fields of Indian Corn, or Maiz, where they make a sad Havock, spoiling ten times as much as they eat.

The Potatos of this Country are so agreeable to them, that they never fail to sweep ‘em all clean, if they chance to come in their way. They are seemingly a very clumsy Creature, yet are very nimble in running up Trees, and traversing every Lim thereof. When they come down, they run Tail foremost. At catching of Herrings, they are most expert Fishers. They sit by the Creeksides, (which are very narrow) where the Fish run in; and there they take them up, as fast as it’s possible they can dip their Paws into the Water.

The Oil of the Bear is very Sovereign for Strains, Aches, and old Pains. The fine Fur at the bottom of the Belly, is used for making Hats, in some places. The Fur itself is fit for several Uses, as for making muffs, facing Caps, &c. but the black Cub-skin is preferable to all sorts of that kind, for Muffs. Its grain is like Hog-Skin. --John Lawson

Did You Know Did you know that Tony Avent and his wife have gifted their entire estate to NC State University? This is the announcement: As we mentioned last fall, Anita and I have gifted our entire estate including JLBG/Plant Delights Nursery, to NC State University for future preservation. Now we are working with NC State to fully fund the required multi-million dollar operational endowment. Once complete, we will become an official sister institution of the JC Raulston Arboretum and will open full time to the public. We must have everyone’s help to finish funding the endowment. All gifts are made through the NC State Endowment Fund, a 501(c)3. If you would like to donate, here’s the link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1209/giving/plain.aspx?sid=1209&gid=214&pgid=3781&cid=6309&bledit=1&sort=1&dids=9421&appealcode=LB000413 In case anyone does not know about Plant Delights Nursery, here is a summary paraphrased from “A little about our garden nursery” on the Plant Delights Nursery Official Site: Plant Delights Nursery is an award winning online nursery in Raleigh, NC near Garner specializing in rare, and unusual perennials. It carries a wide selection of exotic plants, cold hardy tropical plants, native plants, and the best selection of new plants online. At any time, the website has over 1700 online nursery plants for sale. Many of the best perennials are available nowhere else in the US as they represent rare plants collected by Plant Delights founder Tony Avent during his more than 60 plant hunting expeditions to places like China, Crete, Taiwan, South Africa and Argentina or distributed by some of the many specialty plant organizations of which Plant Delights is a member. All the perennial plants are grown in greenhouses and are shipped mail order all over the world...or they can be picked up from an online order. The garden nursery is periodically opened to the public for retail sales events, classes, photography workshops, and guided tours. The garden also hosts private groups like schools, plant societies, garden clubs, botanical societies, arboreta, and plant nurseries by appointment. Proceeds from sales at Plant Delights Nursery support the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens, a six acre garden with extensive research programs that grows over 25,000 different plants...exotic plants, native plants, unique plants...all types of outdoor plants. To read the fascinating history of the garden and nursery, go to the Plant Delights Nursery Official Site, click on JLBG, click on About, click on Garden History and Timeline.

Spring open garden and nursery days are Fri. and Sat. May 3 & 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. May 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. And the next weekend: Fri. and Sat. May 10 & 11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. 5-12 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Did you know that there are thin-skinned, seedless muscadines out there? The only ones I’ve eaten or even heard of have thick skins and big seeds. I happen to like the skins (where nearly all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are), so I chew until they’re swallowable.

Gurney’s seed catalog describes ‘RazzMatazz’ “. . . . Combining the sweet flavor and tender-crisp texture of table grapes with the disease resistance and native hardiness of muscadines, RazzMatazz is the first seedless grape to provide gardeners with true fruiting success without spraying “. . . . And “. . . . . Enjoy the rich, sweet flavor from midsummer to first frost, as early as six months after planting. Pluck the little deep burgundy grapes from a wire trellis or fence placed in a sunny area of the landscape. Self pollinating . . . .”

Gurney’s describes another one: “ ‘Oh My! Seedless,’ A seedless grape with a true muscadine flavor!” This is part of the description: “Finally! A muscadine grape you can eat at dinner parties, on a first date, in a car—and just about anywhere else. With this new introduction, you can savor the aromatic, rich muscadine flavor without the mess. No more spitting out seeds and skins. Oh My! is the first muscadine that reliably yields full-sized, seedless, bronze-colored fruits with tender skins.”

RazzMatazz Oh My!

I found a Feb. 14, 2017 online article “Life on the Green Side, Vitis – Trialing Grapes behind the Pineywoods Curtain” by Dave Creech about planting and evaluating muscadine grapes at the Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. At the time of the article, they had 54 varieties in the collection. Creech writes that new varieties are emerging all the time and that “. . . Breeders are focusing on thinner skins and the ability to pick a ‘cluster’ rather than individual grapes.” He says that ‘Eudora’ is a recent USDA release that has small clusters of high quality grapes, and ‘Southern Jewel’ is a U. of Florida release with black, self-fertile muscadine grapes on clusters. He continues “Vitis X ‘Razzmatazz’ is so new we’re not sure what to say other than it’s gotten tremendous promotion. In fact, the first vines were sold by mail order nurseries for $99 each. Ouch. It’s a Jeff Bloodworth creation and I think it’s actually ½ Vinifera and ½ Muscadine? It is continuous flowering, seedless (!) and produces grapes from August until frost. It’s a fascinating plant and flowers may need to be pruned away to prevent overbearing and the vine becoming unthrifty. Tasty!” By Marty Finkel from sources cited in articles. Photo in first article is from Plant Delights Nursery; grape photos are from the Gurney online catalog. By the way, the Gurney catalog I brought to the Feb. meeting was a 50% off one, including these grape plants, but offer expired March 6.

To-Do List • For those starting seeds for vegetables to be set out after frost, plant the seeds indoors March 1st through

the 15th for transplants to be ready to set in the garden April 15 through May. Most require a temperature of around 70 degrees to germinate, so put them in a warm place or provide bottom heat. When seedlings break ground, transfer to shelves about an inch under fluorescent lights or put against a window that receives direct sun all day (south exposure).

• Plant these seeds directly into the ground March 1st: arugula, beets, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mustard, bulb & green onions, parsley, parsnips, snow, snap, and green peas, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips

• Plant these seeds directly into the ground March 15th : arugula, snap beans, beets, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, sweet corn, dill, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mustard, bulb & green onions, parsley, parsnips, snow, snap, & green peas, Southern field peas, radish, rutabaga, spinach, sunflower, turnips

• You can transplant into the ground: collards, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, green onions, onion bulb sets, parsley. Set out broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Swiss chard, Chinese cabbage plants about mid-month.

• Use a pre-emergent herbicide to control weeds • After danger of freezing temperatures, plant crocosmia, dahlia, gladiolus, and lilies • Re-pot houseplants that need larger pots so they will be ready to move outside after danger of frost • Continue to monitor houseplants for mites, aphids, soft brown scale, and white fly. Insecticidal soap is

effective and safe to use. Follow label directions and spray both upper and lower leaf surfaces, stems, and trunks.

• Remove winter mulch from subtropicals (ginger, crinum, lantana), clean area, and apply new mulch • Remove old foliage from hellebores and epimediums (fairy wings, barrenwort) • Divide and transplant or share with others: asters, astilbe, ajuga, oxalis, bleeding heart, phlox, hostas,

Shasta daisy, daylily, and coral bells • Keep plenty of food and clean water out for the birds • Fertilize perennials, shrubs, and trees with an organic slow release fertilizer. Note: Most well-established

plants do not need fertilizer. Those planted this past fall will benefit from fertilizer as well as any that you noticed weren’t growing as expected last year.

• Cut back ornamental grasses early this month if you missed doing so in Feb. Many started new growth in February.

• Shrubs that bloom on new wood should be cut back and shaped • Continue to plant cool season vegetable seeds: kale, kohlrabi, leaf and butterhead lettuce, mustard, onions,

radishes, spinach, beets, turnips.

By Marty Finkel

Plant of the Month

Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)

Star magnolia is one of the smallest magnolias, producing a showy cloud of white or pink flowers (depending on the cultivar( in early spring. It eventually reaches a height of 15-20 feet with a rounded crown spreading to 10-15 feet when mature. The fat, fuzzy buds open in late winter before the foliage appears to produce clusters of lightly fragrant, 3-4 inch white flowers. The blooms have 12-18 thin, delicate, strap-like petals; some cultivars have more than 30 petals per flower. Star magnolia does best when planted in moist, organic, acid soil in full sun. If possible, plant in a protected area to prevent buds from opening early and then being killed by a late frost or freeze.

Also in Bloom This Month

Note that bloom times vary, depending on climatic and meteorological conditions, and many plants bloom several months in a row (and sometimes rebloom). These are in bloom at the Raulston Arboretum.

Anise-leaf pittosporum Camellia Chinese pieris Crocus Darley heath Distylium Flowering apricot Flowering quince Fragrant wintersweet Hellebore

Hyacinth Iris reticulata Mahonia (photo) Narcissus Ranunculus Spiraea Star flower Winter honeysuckle Witchhazel

Photos of Some of the Plants in Bloom This Month

Camellia chekiangeolosa Sieber's crocus Hybrid flowering quince

Distylium (Hamamelidaceae) Darley heath Iris reticulata

Spring star flower Anise-leaf pittosporum Fig buttercup

Chinese pieris Golden paperbush Japanese mahonia By Ed Neal