First and foremost, a very Happy New Year wish to all!   January came with a long list of to-do items and is almost gone without many of them getting done, one of which has been to sit down and write this article.  It’s a shame we cannot control when our parents and children get sick and need our undivided attention, or that the NFL chooses January for their playoff games!  So here I am, as they say, better late than never. 

It has been cold!  On many days, I have walked to my garden only to find frozen bird baths.   Looking at my outdoor thermometer, we have gone down to 18 degrees twice this month.  With the chilly and rainy weather we have had, I hope that many of you still braved the elements to plant a tree in your landscape.  Friday, January 18 was Arbor Day in Louisiana and this is the ideal time to plant your trees.  As I’ve written in the last two articles, this ideal planting time runs through February.  In honor of Arbor Day, I looked up some interesting tree facts (from www.unep.org). I hope you enjoy them.

Deepest Roots:  A wild Fig tree in So. Africa has roots reaching 400 feet deep.

Fastest Growing:  An Albizzia falcata in Malaysia grew at a rate of 1.1 inch/day.

Greatest Girth:  In late 18^th century Sicily, a Chestnut tree had a circumference of 190 feet.

Most Dangerous:  The Manchineel Tree of the Carribbean coast and Florida Everglades secrete a poisonous and acid sap. 

Most Massive Tree:  The “Lindsey Creek Tree”, a Coast Redwood, had a minimum trunk volume of 90,000 cubic feet and a minimum total mass of 3630 tons until it blew down in 1905.  The “General Sherman”, a giant sequoia in California, is the most massive living tree at 275 feet tall and a girth of 102 feet and 8 inches.

Oldest Tree:  A Redwood known as Eternal God is believed to be 12,000 years old.

Slowest Growing Tree:  A White Cedar in the Great Lakes area of Canada has grown less then 4 inches in 155 years. 

Tallest Tree:  In 1872, an Australian Eucalyptus was said to have measured to over 500 feet during some part of its life.  The tallest living tree is a Coast Redwood in California known as the “Mendocino Tree” and measures over 367 feet.  It is over 1000 years old.    

Home landscape:  Protecting the plants has definitely been the order of the day.  The LSU Ag Center has several suggestions to minimize damage.  The first is to water the soil, not the foliage, thoroughly before an expected freeze to reduce the damage done by strong dry winds.  Secondly, move tender plants in containers and hanging baskets indoors while the temperatures outside are below freezing. Third, use mulch to moderate the soil temperature, thus protecting the roots of tender plants.  Fourth, to completely protect the plants, use covers such as a sheets, plastic or quilts and take care to add support if the cover is heavy.  Covers protect by preventing heat loss.  Remember to remove the covers once the temperatures warm up again. Your traditional southern ornamentals such as the azalea, camellia, gardenia, and sweet olive should survive just fine.  None of my plants have been damaged by the many freezes we have had here thus far. 

If you do suspect you have had frost damage, do nothing for now.  Wait for the plants spring growth to emerge, evaluate the damage, and then prune off the dead areas.  Remember that some plants, such as the banana and ginger, may die back completely, but will regrow from the roots. Just cut back the dead foliage and watch in the spring as the new plant emerges. 

Loretta Boswell

Newly planted plum tree

Continuing the last two months discussion on trees, this month the topic will be adding fruit trees to your landscape.  Two years ago, I planted a Meyer lemon tree in the back yard of my mother’s Metairie home and this past winter had a bumper crop. It is a small yard but the tree was able to get great sun exposure to the south.  I amended the soil by adding composted manure and addressed a scale problem by spraying dormant oil.  If you look around, you will probably notice that many of your neighbors have fruit trees in their yards too.  

The LSU Ag Center Publication #1884 “The Louisiana Home Orchard” is a great place to get started with information on growing fruit trees, bushes and vines.  It provides helpful tips on site selection and choosing the right kind of fruit. There is an especially helpful section listing low maintenance fruit types (Citrus, Blueberry, Fig, Persimmon, Loquat, and some varieties of Pears), medium maintenance fruit types (Muscadine Grape and Blackberry), and high maintenance fruit types (Apple, Peach, Nectarine, Plum, Strawberry, Bunch Grapes and Mayhaw). For people with precious little time to devote to maintenance, selecting from the Low Maintenance group is the way to go.  The publication has an extensive section devoted to the varieties of these different fruits that do well in South Louisiana and provides spacing and fertilizer recommendations. 

There are two important concepts that need to be understood before picking out a fruit tree to plant.  First, you need to understand the “chilling requirements” of the specific variety, and second, whether the variety is self-fruitful or not.  Many fruit trees require a rest period or winter dormancy after loosing their leaves.  This is the chilling requirement, a specific number of hours below 45 degrees.  If the fruit tree does not receive its required amount, then it will not bloom and grow the way it should.  When choosing a fruit tree, look on its tag to see what its requirements are and compare that to your region’s chill hours.  If you live in North Louisiana, your chill hours fall between 700 and 1,100 hours; in South Louisiana, the chill hours are between 400 and 700 and coastal Louisiana has between 300 and 500 chill hours.  The fruit you choose should fall within the range of where you live. 

The second important concept to understand when choosing a fruit tree is whether or not the variety you want is self-fruitful or not.  Pollination is necessary for fruit to set, so it is important to know if the variety you want to plant requires cross-pollination requiring planting two or more varieties (e.g. apples, pears, sweet cherry, blueberries and Kiwi fruit) or is self-fruitful (e.g. peach, nectarine, fig, blackberry and strawberry) meaning that a single variety will produce a satisfactory fruit crop when planted by itself.  Some fruit varieties are parthenocarpic, meaning that the fruit are produced without complete seed development, resulting in seedless fruits.  The Satsuma is an example of parthenocarpic fruit.

So, if adding fruit to your landscape sounds appealing, be sure to get started now and add a specimen or two before the end of February and take advantage of the ideal planting time. 

Loretta Boswell

Freshly picked cabbage and carrots for your cole slaw

Vegetable gardening:  It has been nothing short of impossible to get anything done in the garden this past month.  It has been too cold, too windy, or too wet.  Before the rainy weather started I was able to till up two beds and have since planted potatoes, turnips, beets, kohlrabi and carrots.  As soon as the weather permits I have a bed ready for the greens.  These will include mustard, spinach, kale and cabbage.  Other vegetables that can be planted in addition to the above during the rest of January and February include:  radishes, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, leaf lettuce, head lettuce.  If you have a greenhouse and want to start transplants for spring planting, you can seed the following:  tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cabbage broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce.  As time permits, be sure to clean and prep more beds for future planting. 

It’s hard to believe that we are still getting a harvest from the garden.  We still have cabbage, lettuce, arugula, carrots, kohlrabi, beets and beet greens, collard greens, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, chives, oregano, thyme and mint.  Below is a great recipe to make using two of the vegetables coming out of the garden.

Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Recipe compliments of:  Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002

2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (or shredded in food processor)

1 cup julienne-cut carrot (or shredded in food processor)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

¼teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery seeds

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine ingredients in bowl, cover, and chill. 

Yield:  4 servings

Mark Your Calendars:

Below are some upcoming events near and far that might be of interest to fellow gardeners.

Jan. 29 & 30:   9:30 -10:30a.m., “Winter-in-the-Garden” Discovery Garden, Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Rd.  For children 18 months to 3 years and accompanying adult.  Activities include planting vegetables, making crafts or digging for worms.   Fee is $10 for members, $12 non-members.  Reservations: (504) 488-5488 Ext. 333.  Shine only

Jan 31:  6 – 8 p.m. Food as Medicine: plants and your health, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Rd., Baton Rouge.  RSVP (225) 763-2500

Feb 9:  9a.m. – 1p.m. At both the Covington and Mandeville Farmer’s Markets, the Northlake Nature Center will be handing out free seedlings.  Knowledgeable tree experts will be on hand to answer your questions.  Informational pamphlets and brochures will also be available.

Feb 9:  9 – 11a.m., Antique and Old Garden Roses Sale, New Orleans Botanical Garden, City Park.  Free admission.

Feb 9:  9 a.m. – noon, Rose Pruning Lecture, Garden Study Center, New Orleans Botanical Garden.  Rosemary Sims talks on the basics of pruning woody shrubs with a focus on roses.  $10 per section.  Call (504) 483-9473. 

Feb 10:  1 – 4 p.m., Camellia Garden Stroll, Hammond Research Station, 21459 Old Covington Hwy (Hwy 1076).  Free admission.  Call (985) 748-9381.

Feb 13:  9a.m. – 3p.m. - Lawn & Landscape Workshop, Greater Covington Center, 317 N. Jefferson, Covington.  Registration is required by Feb 1^st.  Contact Janice Binnings at (985) 674-5822.  Cost is $20.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments or perhaps have an event of gardening interest that you would like for me to include in future articles, I can be reached by e-mail at lally@bellsouth.net.

Loretta Boswell

St. Tammany Master Gardener