Hello my dear gardening friends,

May Day – did you go out and leave flowers on your neighbour’s doorsteps? I am afraid that I did not. However, I did take flowers to my dear friends who are celebrating the Greek/Macedonian Easter. I am so very privileged to be treated like family – I spent a wonderful few hours, eating and drinking (I keep telling them that they are just like Jews – we eat and drink at the drop of a hat). It was such a joyous occasion filled with love and sheer delight with everyone just being together, although I am afraid that my dear friend and hostess is tired after all that cooking and preparation. At least the men not only cut up the lamb, but also cooked it on the barbecue. Thank you John and Renee and your wonderful family.

I have been thinking about the beautiful Bluebell woods that I remember as a child, and the armfuls of flowers that everyone carried home. It seemed that they would last forever, alas building homes took priority and many of these wild flowers have gone forever.

The true gardener and lover of all growing things grieves at the destruction of our native plants. Great forests and woods have been destroyed to make way for roads, towns and factory sites. I was appalled the last time that I drove to Niagara – the fields of vineyards have gone and in their place are building after building – some of the best growing land in the province covered with cement and tarmac. Because of this some of our most prized species have and are becoming exceedingly rare and in some cases extinct. Every year, horticulturists, gardeners and growers present pleas for the preservation of our native flora. It seems that the pleas fall on deaf ears.

Just last year I saw a couple with a bucket full of white flowers that they had just pulled from the side of Trent Canal near Lakefield. When I asked what they were doing, they proudly announced that they were taking them to their garden – I could not convince them that the plants would just die, that their conditions were totally unsuitable. When I looked where the flowers had been growing I realized that they had taken them all, just ripped them out, stealing the enjoyment of anyone else who might have seen them.

Should wild flowers be picked?? After all they belong to everyone? Gardeners say emphatically NO, but sometimes it does not harm the plant if the bloom is removed. In fact, it can even be beneficial. It prevents the plant from wasting its strength producing fruits and seeds. It is the way that the flowers are removed that is most vitally important. If the flowers are pulled off, the plant may be broken and lifted from the soft soil that it was growing in and left to die. A sharp knife should always be used to remove the flowers from the parent plant. Trilliums, Bellworts and a few others are the exceptions and should not be picked, for once their stem leaves are gone, the ability to manufacture food is gone too. Should the plants survive they will not flower again for several years. The inclusion of wild flowers with other plantings is becoming more and more popular, but native plants are just as exacting in their demands as any other garden plant. They cannot be just “stuck” in the garden and left. If you do not give them the conditions they require you will be guilty of “murdering” the unhappy captive plants. Native does not mean that they will grow anywhere. Please do not take them from the wild – there are so many people selling them now.

Wild flowers can be started quite easily from seed by division of underground parts or by direct transplanting. The way to do it will depend upon the species. I suggest that you check in a good wildflower book for accurate instructions. Late summer or early fall is the time that propagation is most likely to succeed, although you will find plants for sale now.

Wild flowers must have suitable soil, sufficient moisture, and the correct exposure if they are to thrive – always ask how and where to plant them. You must try and recreate the conditions that the plants enjoyed in the field or forest. Good luck – they are well worthwhile growing for you are helping to preserve a species that might otherwise disappear.

I had a Hepatica growing in my garden purchased from Richters. It was here for several years, one spring I was away for the weekend – when I returned someone had dug it up – all of it – leaving me just the hole!!!!!

The horticultural society was asked to go and “rescue” some native plants, and a few of us did. I took the marsh marigolds and put them in my neighbour’s boggy area at his cottage, and they are flourishing and have increased. As to the area that we took them from, it is now a housing estate – the lady slippers, trilliums and prairie smoke that we did not take that night are gone forever.

It is interesting that the majority of flowers we find growing in vacant lots and along roads are true aliens, not from outer space but escapees from gardens. Often the first place to find a foreign plant is either along a railway track or near a seaport. These immigrants almost invariably grow in disturbed soils, few venture far from the roadside, where they apparently cannot compete with our pre-adapted, native flowers. One exception is the lovely European orchid, the Helleborine (Epipactis), which now blooms profusely in the wild woodlands of the Berkshires and upstate New York. Conversely, most native flowers cannot compete along the roadside. The winter road salt takes its toll on all plants (and my truck). What is going to happen to our rare native wild flowers? Because of the attrition of habitat some are in a very precarious position. Bogs along the southern margins of glaciated country are becoming fewer and fewer and orchids that require bog conditions are getting harder to find.

When a forest has been cut, its shade loving orchids may disappear. It will take about 50 years before the new forests are suitable for them again . How can they possibly return ? Birds are mobile and they can easily return to their old habitats , some seeds have parachutes or are carried by those same birds. What about the others ? Can these seeds remain viable in the soil for half a century or even more, until succession makes their habitat suitable once again? I suppose that most of us will never know . After all we will be long gone too.

It will soon be time for those beautiful little golden flowers to proliferate our lawns, as no one sprays with toxins (not my readers anyway) we can go and pick 4 quarts of blossoms and make some wonderful wine.

Once again I will give you the recipe, before the lawns become golden and your ingredients raise their lovely heads.

You will need:

Pour the boiling water over the freshly picked blossoms. Pick the dandelions on a dry sunny day if at all possible, use only the yellow heads for any green will make the wine bitter. Let stand in a warm place for 1 week . Stirring daily. Strain through a jelly bag, squeezing out all the liquid. Return the liquid to a large stainless steel pot/pan and stir in the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved add the oranges, lemons and raisins. Place in a warm place for about two weeks, stirring every day. At the end of the two weeks, strain and let it settle for two more days, siphon into a large sterile bottle, using a “bubbler” or air lock which can be purchased from any wine making store. Leave it in a warm place until the fermentation is finished (until there are no more bubbles) pour into sterile bottles and cork tightly. Leave it for at least 6 months. When you take that first drink remember the sunny day that you picked the flowers. The longer that you leave the wine the better it becomes. A strange thing happens if you keep the wine past a year: when the dandelions bloom again the wine in the bottles will start to ferment a little and will become cloudy – after the dandelions have finished blooming the wine will settle back and become clear again –it is indeed very strange and I have no explanation for you!!!

This proverb comes after the recipe “When the wine is in – the wit is out”. When my grandsons were very little we went to pick strawberries. They complained because it was so hot so I told them “when we eat the strawberries at Christmas – it will be very cold outside – remember how you feel today”! Surprisingly enough they did indeed remember – I think that they were three and four at the time – must ask them if they still remember, for they are now 29 and 30 respectively!!!!!!

If all this picking, cleaning, waiting is too much for you then may I suggest that you go to Kawartha Country Wines near Buckhorn – John Rufa makes 10 different types of fruit wine, cooking wines, wine jellies and wine preserves. John even has a rhubarb festival planned for May 21st –23rd – I wonder if he will try a garlic festival similar to the one that we attended in California, I must admit that garlic ice cream was not a favourite of mine.

I seem to be stuck on talking about wild plants this week – I have been reading about wild asparagus.

You can find it in the late spring, look for the dried fronds from last year, growing along the roadside. We just pass it by not realizing what it is – Asparagus was one of the vegetables mentioned by Greeks and Romans. Cato, about 200 BC knew asparagus very well and gave excellent directions for its culture. It was actually Pliny who first noted the fact that the wild asparagus in some areas was of excellent quality, while another Roman writer, reported that the Emperor Augustus was very partial to this vegetable. So when out walking or even driving keep your eyes peeled for this delectable treat – or maybe it is simpler to go to the store and buy a pound or two ???

I was outside today checking on my garden and luckily remembered to remove the mulch off my peonies, if I had not the red crosiers (snouts) would be very thin as they pushed through the ground not fat with buds. They hate to be buried too deeply – if yours are not blooming – put your fork under them and just lift them up – a good dose of Epsom salts helps too. The tulips are finally filling out – we need some sunshine to help them bloom – I purchased some mini-roses at the garden show. I noticed that they were developing mildew, I suppose they had been kept too wet although they are full of flowers. I put them out in the rose bed, and they are just fine, seemingly ignoring the cold winds, the flowers are bright and fresh – the mildew has gone and new leaves are sprouting all over them. I guess that they have not read the gardening books that tell us it is too soon, too cold, etc... for roses !!!!

Have you seen any Great Grey Owls?? It is the largest owl in North America, usually living in Alaska and the high Rockies, down into the northern states and the Yukon, as well as northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. Recently these birds have been seen in our own backyards, the Kawarthas which is of course Central Ontario. Experts are saying that it is because of the depletion of rodents. Rodents follow a cycle of 10 year patterns and as the mice etc. vanish the owls are forced to travel further and further south looking for food. Although owls are usually nocturnal the Great Grey owl can be spotted in the daytime – and many people have indeed seen this beautiful bird. Weighing several pounds, it has a wing span of 60 inches and a height of about 30 inches so it is indeed large. It is larger and greyer than any other owl, and does not have the ear tufts that are characteristic of most types of owls. It does have a distinctive rounded head, large yellow (unblinking) eyes and a face ringed with even darker grey feathers. This bird is very easy to identify should you be lucky enough to see one, it is a special treat if you do for they only have one brood a season, with 2 – 5 babies in each hatch so there are not huge numbers of them around anywhere.

Please if you do see one, do not shoot it – as a neighbour has done. They will not take your cats, and dogs, perhaps you should keep your baby chicks inside until they are a little bigger, it is too cold for them to be outside anyway. I am sure that once the heat comes, if it ever does, the owls will take off and return to cooler climates.

I have just discovered that Neil Boughen is retiring this week, there is to be an open house for him on Thursday between 2 and 4 at the Lakefield Herald Office at 74 Bridge Street. Neil not only do I wish you a wonderful retirement – but I would also like to thank you for your dedicated reporting over the years – your factual, and entertaining columns will be missed - who will take the photographs now ??? I am sorry that I will not be able to be there to honour you. It is my first day back at work – I do not think that Deborah would be happy if I asked for the afternoon off !!!! Your wife will appreciate having you at home on the holiday weekends. I was married to a daily newspaper reporter once and spent many weekends alone – I know that we will see you around Lakefield, thank you once again.

Please drop by and say goodbye to Neil and his wife they will be pleased to see you.

Lovingly, Beryl