Park Seed Garden Journal

Zinnia's Make Great Cut Flowers!

Whether you're looking for a wedding bouquet, a prom corsage, or you're just trying to brighten up your dismal decor, sometimes you simply need the perfect flowers. We have gotten letters and pictures from customers who have grown our sunflowers, roses, tulips, and more for just about every occasion possible.

If you are looking for the perfect cut flower, I have a suggestion. The Zinnia 'Profusion' line is an amazing group of flowers in a huge array of colors. The full, luscious blooms stay beautiful for a very long time (I've still got one in my freezer from last year). The most popular Zinnia this year is Zinnia 'Profusion Knee High Red,' a hardy plant with long stems and bright red blooms, perfect for your cutflower bouquets.

Another one of my personal favorites for cut flowers (which also happens to be a Park Best Seller) is the Cockscomb 'Bombay' group. 'Bombay Pink' and 'Bombay Orange Tip' are actually in the Bio Dome (seed-starting kit) on my desk right now. I will keep everyone updated on their progress as they start to sprout.

Sunflowers, Perennial and Annual

"Sunflower" specifically referes to the species Helianthus Annuus, which is the common annual sunflower most often planed by gardeners. But, "sunflower" is also used to denote any plant in the genus Helianthus. If you have grown sunflowers you probably know where they get that name. The plants in this genus perform a little trick known as "heliotropism." In the morning, before the sun rises, the plants wailt eagerly facing the rising sun in the east. They follow the sun through the sky all day and watch it set in the west. Here's the really neat part-- After the sun sets, they face the east again to wait for morning. No wonder the Aztec used them as a symbol for their sun god.

The genus Helianthus consists of 2-12 foot tall perennial and annual plants with coarse, sticky leaves and daisy-like flowers that are 3-12 inches across. Colors vary from yellows, oranges, and reds to mahogany, browns, and purples. They usually bloom in the late summer to early fall.

You make want to grow your own sunflowers. The plants are beautful and they would make a great addition to any garden. Sunflower seeds are delicious and great for you, and you can get many seeds from just a few sunflower plants. For annuals, sow the flower seeds outdoors about 1/2" deep and 2-4 feet apart after the last frost has passsed. For perennials, germinate the seeds indoors during late winter, and place them in a cool location at night. Remember to keep them moist. After about two months they should be ready for the garden.

Take a look at a couple of our perennial sunflowers that you can purchase right now. Sunflower Marc's Apollo Has big bright 4 inch blooms and ships in a 1 gallon pot. Sunflower Sun Gold has bis fluffy 5 inch blooms and ships in a 3-inch pot.

Colony Collapse Disorder

Five or six hours into a road trip, you start to get a little antsy, and a service station just won't do. You spot some of those people many like to call “salt of the earth,” honest people for sure, selling what they grow and taking life real easy. You've probably bought peaches, melons, and apples and sampled some homemade jam. There have been potted mums, pumpkins straight from the patch, and maybe a jar of the finest honey you could never find in a supermarket.

If you start from the honey and work your way back through the list, you will find very quickly that there may be a crisis upon these honest people, and, ultimately, the rest of us. The bees are sick. There was a story from the Associated Press today that seems to be buzzing in a few local news sources. “Colony Collapse Disorder” is what they are calling, a mysterious condition that has caused domesticated honeybee populations to drop dangerously low these last few months. Any gardener knows how important honeybees are because they provide the bulk of the pollinating workforce for the agricultural industry.

Researchers at universities all over the country are working on this problem right now. According to the USDA, one-third of the food consumed in the USA comes from plants pollinated by insects, and honeybees do most of that work.

tandrews@parkseed.com

Park Seed Blog Question of the Day!

I recently sent an email to the Park Seed customer service department asking for interesting or frequent customer questions. When I get a good one, I'll dig the resident experts for the best answer. We'll call it the Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (imagine a booming voice with an echo) and I will post them for everyone to enjoy.

Here's our first Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (again-booming with the echo)
“Do you have a list of edible flowers?”

Apparently conventional fruits and vegetables aren't hittin' the spot for these garden gourmets.I took this one the Park Seed senior staff horticulturists. His answer was... drum roll, please...“Yes.” Then he gave me the list. I've pasted it below. Mmm... rose pudding. I hope you enjoyed our Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (you get the picture.)
[Disclaimer: don't give me a hard time if I don't post a Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (yadda, yadda...) everyday- Park Seed Blog Question of the Every Other Day or So! just doesn't have the same ring to it.]

Edible Flowers


         The following flowers are edible and can be used in a variety
         of food preparations.  Always make sure to use freshly col-
         lected flowers from plants that have not been sprayed with
         insecticides or fungicides.  Do not use flowers from a
         florist or flowers collected along the roadside since they
         may contain pesticides or lead from car exhausts.  Never
         experiment with other flowers since some like Foxglove,
         Azalea, and Clematis are poisonous when eaten.

         Harvest flowers and buds in early morning after the dew has
         dried.  Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with
         a damp paper towel in the bottom.  Use only glass, enamel,
         ceramic, or plastic containers and wooden spoons or spatulas
         when cooking them.  Trim away all stems as close to the
         flowers or buds as possible and remove the white tips on rose
         petals since they are bitter.  When using flowers in salads,
         add them after the dressing.

              Flower                               Use

         Anise Hyssop                 Tea, marinade, Chinese dishes
         Apple blossoms               Salads
         Bellis (English Daisy)       Slightly bitter.  Salads
         Black Locust (Robinia)       Fritters
         Borage                       Cucumber flavor.  Potato salad,
                                      cottage cheese, tossed salad,
                                      cream cheese, potato soup, fruit
                                      salad, cake, and canape decora-
                                      tion, frozen in ice cubes added
                                      to summer drinks
         Calendula (Pot Marigold)     Adds subtle flavor and golden
                                      color to soups, salads, bis-
                                      cuits, rice, & egg dishes
         Carnation                    Soups, stews, sauces, salads,
                                      stuffed peppers, marmalade,
                                      butter, pickled
         Cercis (Redbud)              Salads, pickles, fritters
                                      Buds pickled
         Chamomile                    Tea, salads
         Chives                       Mild onion flavor for vege-
                                      tables, omelets, cream
                                      cheese, salads
         Chrysanthemum                Slightly bitter.  Salads, soups
         Cinnamon Basil               Fruit salad, chutney, sweet and
                                      sour dishes, marinades for
                                      chicken or ribs
         Cornflower                   Salads
         Cress                        Salads
         Dandelion buds               Omelets, salads, marinated,
                                      pickled
         Daylily                      Oriental stir fry, boiled and
                                      buttered, battered and fried             
         Dill                         Pickles
         Elder (Sambucus)             Cheesecake, fritters, candied,
                                      pancakes, muffins
         Fragipani (Plumeria)         Stuffed with corn meal or melted
                                      cheese
         Garlic Chives                Mild garlic flavor
         Geranium                     Mildly sweet
         Hollyhock                    Buds in salads and omelets;
                                      flowers in sandwiches
         Hosta                        Salads
         Jasmine (jasminum
                  polyanthum)         Salads
         Lavender                     Salads, teas
         Lilac                        Salads
         Lemon blossoms               Salads, teas
         Marigold                     Used fresh or dried.  Chowders,
                                      salads, rice dishes, broths,
                                      custards, cookies, muffins,
                                      sandwiches, pickled
         Mignonette                   Dry, crush, mix with salt,
                                      veal, and lamb dishes
         Mimosa                       Salads
         Mints (except pennyroyal)    Teas, salads, vegetables
         Nasturtium                   Light, peppery flavor; salads
                                      stews, soups, sandwiches,
                                      omelets, seafood, cheese
                                      spreads; pickled buds
         Orange blossoms              Salads, teas
         Pansy & Johnny Jump Up       Vegetable and fruit salads,
                                      candied cake decorations
         Petunia                      Sweet flavor
         Pineapple Sage               Teas, salads
         Plum blossoms                Salads
         Primrose (Primula vulgaris   Candied cake decorations,
                   & veris)           salads
         Red Clover                   Salads, spinach, turnips and
                                      greens, with butter on toast
         Red Bergamot (Monarda)       Mellow mint-citrus flavor,
                                      fruit salads, vegetables, tea
         Rosemary                     Slightly bitter; soups, meat
                                      dishes, vinegars, butter, or
                                      cream cheese
         Rose - all but especially    Fresh or dried; cakes, puddings,
                Gallicas and Damasks  honey, syrup, vinegar, candied,
                                      salads, sandwiches
         Safflower                    Provide color and flavor as a
                                      substitute for Saffron; soup
                                      stock, rice
         Sage                         Cold salads
         Salsify buds                 Omelets, marinated, salads, pickled
         Scarlet Runner Beans         Salads
         Squash blossoms              Stuffed, fritters, omelets
         Sugar Snap Peas              Salads
         Sweet Acacia (A. farnesiana) Candied or in ice cream
         Sweet Cicely                 Syrups, sweets
         Verbena                      Dry, crush, mix with salt;
                                      veal and lamb dishes
         Violets (Viola odorata)      Salads, sauces, fritters,
                                      custards, candied, cakes,
                                      sandwiches

Cheers,
Thomas

tandrews@parkseed.com