Weekly Garden Thread - Nov. 26-Dec. 1, 2022 [Trees & Shrubs with Winter Interest]

November 26, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.

This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

In that same vein, (supporting Small Businesses) we have good friends that have been doing amazingly well with their (local, small, family-owned) fur business! Since raccoon pelts aren't worth spit these days, Beau has been giving them to this couple and they're making amazing things from them. I got my Raccoon Fur Ear Band from them last year, and I want some more of their hats and such. He tans all kinds of furs and she can sew like a dream and does an excellent job.

You CAN wear fur around here, with no one batting an eye or calling you a murderer, LOL!

They also provide all the 'stuff' you need for hunting hounds - leashes, collars, training collars, headlamps (you hunt raccoon at night in the dark), GPS systems and such.

Wishbone's Hound Supply and Furs

These pix are from a show they did ("Cowboy Christmas") in Dubuque, IA a few weekends ago:

Check out the upper right corner of the second pix. A local lady crochets raccoon and opossum scarves for her - they are so cute! She also crochets these awesome hats with a fur Pom-Pom that my friend makes and adds to the top of the hat. I'm lusting after one of those!

[Qiviut]

I really love seeing small businesses like this - “niche” businesses where creative people find something that is appealing and no one else is doing. Especially love the crocheted raccoon & ‘possum scarves!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Exactly. I have room to build a new perennial bed, as well as make some sort of ‘Shady Fairy Land’ out of the north tree line behind the house.

Bit I am no longer the LEAST little bit interested in making more WORK for myself. It’s low-to-no maintenance from here on out.

I’ll grow fruits, veggies and flowers though - always! :)

[tob2]

I was right about the roses. A few nights of below freezing temperatures have just about killed all the buds! Darn it.

[heartwood]

6b.

I think there is a huge difference between 6b and 7a, much bigger than any other half zone difference, in that 6b the ground freezes solid for a couple months, and in 7a the freezes generally seem to be a few days at a time.

Add in sandy soil, and it’s another world. If I moved 50 miles from my 6b clay to 7a South Jersey sand...I know someone who grows zone 8 plants with careful siting.

[Qiviut]

Jon Forti, The Heirloom Gardener, is "on fire" this weekend - here's another good graphic.

BTW, I just ordered another 'box' of pastured pork, probably about 20 pounds. I'm getting liver/fat for free .... no one else wants it & it's thrown away by the butcher if you don't ask for it. I am rendering the fat into lard - will be giving away lard for Christmas to those who will appreciate/use it. As for the liver, that is the most nutritious part of the hog - I'm making pâté to freeze and use periodically. Too much liver in a short period of time is too heavy in Vit A. I need a trip to the liquor store for brandy to make the pâté :-)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Witch Hazel- an underused Winter blooming shrub.

"Culture
Snip...Preferring well-amended soil and regular water Witch Hazels are tolerant of acid or alkaline conditions. Native forms are hardier, while most hybrid cultivars grow in USDA Zones 5-8. Once established, they are virtually maintenance-free and resistant to most pests and diseases. Witch hazel extract is commonly used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. The supple branches are still used as divining rods to search for water sources. Wild turkeys and squirrels feed on the seeds and it is the larval host for several butterfly species. An astringent made from the leaves and bark is still sold worldwide for a variety of uses."

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Pictures from the Late Fall garden. (11-26-2022) I am using row covers and 40 degree pipe heating cable in the raised bed frames. (Messy...looks like a homeless encampment!)

The Kaitlin Cabbage (Top picture) is doing better than the Farao Cabbage (2nd down... my size 11s for scale!) While it may be going from excessive heat (98-99 F August) to cold (19F in Nov) the Farao may also be experiencing some fertilizer burn as well...I can still smell the last application of fish emulsion fertilizer.) I will keep them growing as long as possible, but I do not think I have more than 3 - 4 weeks more season left. I tried planting Brussel Sprouts behind the cabbage (How to grow move food in less space experiment) but It did not work well. I may realize a few sprouts but the B. Sprouts are slower to grow than the cabbage and are being blocked from sunlight and probably water. (Will hold off planting B/Sprouts again until i have purchased a quarter section! )

Red Express Cabbage did not tolerate hot weather in August & September. Out of 4 plants one has survived and is doing well, although getting a head of cabbage at this time appears doubtful. I bought Giant Red Mustard in an end of year plant sale and it seems to be pretty happy! (Have been harvesting from it.)

Golden Beauty Chinese Cabbage is a 55 day variety, which is doing very well at this point. (Growing for 40 days...will take longer in cold weather so probably 65-70 days.) The Raised bed is 2'x2" . I planted these close together...did not use recommended spacing. The 1" chicken wire is to discourage fluffy tailed tree rats!

Because you never know how the weather will turn out, I planted radishes and Japanese Turnips and Kohlrabi. They are growing but I think that it is doubtful any will mature before New Years. (When I intend to stop gardening for the year!)

Picture of the October Garden

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Winter Magic!!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Witch Hazel....Noted....this was Mentioned in your earlier Winter Plantings post!

---

Winterblooming Hawthorn

Glastonbury Thorn: Legendary English Hawthorn

Strange Arthurian Legends (Glastonbury Tor = island of Avalon?) associated with winter blooming Glastonbury Thorn. Druids and winter solstice and new age stuff; Monks tales and myths, and of course, Chamber of Commerce local promotion of Glastonbury England!   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Thorn

This is a curious tale about a curious tree that blooms in winter!

Today, of course is the first Sunday of four in Advent, our Christian celebration of Christs birth!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Witch Hazel was on my list to add to the thread this week. Thanks!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Great stuff still growing in your garden! Lovely cabbages. :)

[Liz]

I love odds and ends wreaths......would be great on a gardener's front door.....add what's on hand.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Eric sends us all a 'Frost Flower' among the fallen leaves.

[Liz]

CALVADOS ROASTED APPLES W/ DULCE DE LECHE ICE CREAM / easy elegance

Ingredients
Häagen-Dazs® Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons calvados or apple jack brandy

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 medium apples such as Gala or Granny Smith

1/2 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (6 to 8 cookies)

Gingersnap cookies (optional)

Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine butter, calvados, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl.

Step 2
Quarter and core apples; thinly slice cross-wise. Stir apples into calvados mixture.

Step 3
Divide apples between six 5- to 6-ounce individual soufflé or custard cups. Place cups on a baking sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and apples are softened. Cool 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 4
Scoop Häagen-Dazs® Dulce de Leche Ice Cream over apples. Sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs. Serve with a whole cookie if desired. Enjoy!

*Variations include:
Roasted pears - replace apples with firm-ripe Bartlett or Bosc pears.
Roasted peaches - replace apples with peeled peaches and use peach or apricot brandy instead of calvados.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Very pretty! I usually do a lot of ‘natural’ decor for the Holidays, but we’re putting new railings on the porch before Christmas, and my usual spots to decorate will be in the way.

I DID put my sparkly, lit reindeer out, though and there will be a wreath on the door! :)

[Liz]

Nice.

[spankalib]

RE wind breaks (& maybe a little of that landscape architecture stuff), when I lived in the tidewater area in Virginia, I planted Leland Cypress for a visual screen.

Extremely fast growing! I would fertilize the heck out of them...they'd shoot up - and turn a little yellow, but then I'd just spray them with iron, and they'd green right up.

All the while shooting up like gangbusters. Planted a lot of firethorn too - they were gorgeous & a good 'barrier' plant.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for that addition! :)

[spankalib]

My pleasure! I spend most of the time studying what everyone else is saying! Learning so much>

I tried Lelands again when I lived south of Ft. Worth, but they didn't thrive. They are supposed to do ok in that zone, so it might've been the soil - which I didn't test.

For someone on the ping list who raises chickens - they can be fed (some?) calendula flower - yolks get deeper orange & it's anti-inflammatory.

See? once I research one thing, it leads to another.

(Or, "if it's not one thing, it's your mother";;;)))