Valentine's Day

GARDEN PATCH POINTERS
By Robert H. and Hoberley Schuler

Valentine's Day

The language of flowers:
Pick up some conversational tips

Did you ever wonder why we always give and receive red and white flowers for Valentine’s Day?

The language of flowers became popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Virtually every flower, even its color, had special significance during this period. Flowers even formed secret correspondence between men and women with bouquets being chosen carefully to convey sentiment.

The red rose is the symbol of love; a pink rose the symbol of perfect happiness

Daffodils show regard; daisies, loyalty. Apple blossoms mean a preference for the recipient and the gardenia indicates secret love.

Plants also have meanings. Ivy is a symbol of wedded love; the fern, fascination.

Flowers express traits of character, too: the cactus, endurance; the azalea, temperance; and the iris, wisdom. If you give your favorite man a clove of garlic, be ready to explain that it is a compliment to his courage and strength.

You may have received some plants that are named quite appropriately for Valentine’s Day. There’s Cupid Dart (Catananche caerulea) used by ancient Greeks as an ingredient for love potions, nowadays called Love Plant. It has bright blue slightly fringed daisy-type petals.

Love in winter is pipsissewa (any number of plants with pink or white flowers), good for ground cover. Love Entangle (Sedam acre) is low with yellow flowers and suitable for borders. Then you may have gotten Lover’s Knot or Love’s Test, alias Everlasting. The All-American Roses’ of the year for 1980 were “Love”, “Honor” and “Cherish”.
The clematis once was known as Love Vine, and the common Snowball (Viburnum opulus sterile) as the love rose.

Back to red and white. Both colors are found in a “Picotee” effect rose basically white edged with red. It is named La Minuette, often simply called “Minuet”. Other varieties with this color pattern can be found. One is Neue Revue, with white petals edged in red.
Also red and white is Double Delight, which has petals in white or cream as the bloom opens, gradually turning red along the edges when exposed to bright light.

By Janet Hartin, San Bernardino County; Horticulture Advisor (first published Feb. 1986 and updated by Robert H. Schuler through the years).

OREGANO (Origanum vulgare) which one of the oregano plant is best? The packaged dried oregano usually comes from a mixture of dried herbs (oregano, thyme and salvia) blended for their flavor. Select a plant by tasting or rubbing the leaf or get a cutting from a friend who thinks their plant is the “taste tested best”. I have four favorites in my garden.

Greek Oregano (Origanum heracleoticum) spreads to 18-inch plant with broad, slightly fuzzy gray-green leaves, has a very strong, spicy, pungent flavor that lasts after drying for culinary use.

Italian Oregano (Origanum onites) is an 18-inch tender perennial with small, erect leaves. It has a light warm flavor and is preferred for Italian foods.

Kalitere Oregano (origin not found) from Mexico, it is a very pungent oregano with white flowers. An erect plant, it is wonderful to bloom and use.
Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) belongs to the verbena family growing 48-60-inches tall. It has a similar flavor and aroma to the common oregano, though sharper and earthier.

Marjoram (majorana hortensis) is not as hardy as most oregano plants, 12-18-inches tall and as wide, with oval gray-green leaves and inconspicuous white flowers and a distinctive sweet aroma, good for drying.

Plants do well in the sun, in a light, well-drained soil, with no organic matter added. Use fertilizer sparingly and remove flowers when they start to bloom. Cut the stems and leaves for drying.

Oregano is a compliment to fish, eggs, roasts, poultry, stews, meat loaves, vegetables, Italian dishes, pasta sauce, mushrooms, and potatoes, soups, vegetables, and in breads.

Marjoram is a compliment to all dishes where oregano is used.

Oregano and marjoram need good drainage, proper sun (at least 8 hours sun), and pruning (tip pruning once a month while plants are young..

MID and FEBRUARY AND MARCH ACTIVITIES

Oregano and Marjoram: All major pruning chores need to be done by mid-February. Do not prune spring flowering trees until after they have bloomed. Tropicals and frost-tipped plants should be left until mid March or after the last freeze. Crape myrtles will flower more profusely this summer after a light shearing this month. Fuchsias and hydrangeas that were not pruned in the fall should be cut back up to 50% of the bush. I like to stagger the lengths of different branches for a neat, not butchered look. Chrysanthemums and perennial phlox stems should be cut to the ground to force new growth for dividing or rooting in March.

Prune geraniums by tip pruning branches at the ends if in containers and rotating for a balanced shape. Christmas cactus and fuchsias will benefit with a tip pinch to keep them bushy and balanced.

PEST CONTROL: Moist leaves and debris are rich breeding grounds for pests and diseases. Keep the ground raked and cleared around all plants, including camellias. Potted and hanging plants should be weeded, and cleaned, covering any exposed roots. If you have had problems with fireblight on pears, pyracantha, loquat, or cotoneaster, now is the time to spray with streptomycin for control. Continue the war against snails and slugs.

PREPARE BEDS for spring bulbs such as dahlias by turning the soil, add humus with equal parts of superphosphate and sulphate of potash. Buy the tubers when they are available, plant last year’s crop and the new bulbs in late March or April.

SPRING BULBS: Plant summer blooming bulbs of amaryllis, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, tigridias, tube-roses, and others when they are available at the nurseries.

PERENNIALS: Pony-packs of many perennials are still available to place in the garden, carnations, columbine, coral bells, single and double daisies, delphinium, fox glove, gazanias, marguerites, penstemon, primroses, and sweet William are among those you will find. The following seeds can be sown directly in the ground (they should reseed for next year): bachelor buttons, California poppies, larkspurs, lupines, nasturtiums, etc. This is a good time to plant ground covers so they will be established before the hot summer.

ANNUALS: Spring and summer annual seeds can be planted now or plant in small containers in a warm place: ageratum, alyssum, asters, balsam, bells of Ireland, celosia, cleome, coleus, cosmos, English daisy, gomphrena, helianthus (common sun flower), heliotrope, hollyhock, lobelia, marigold (tagetes) mimulus, nicotiana, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, scabiosa, verbena and zinnias are among those found on the pages and pages of annuals from the catalogs.

You can still set out calendula, candytuft, cineraria, Iceland poppies, pansies and violas plants in protected areas.

VEGETABLES: Plants of broccoli and cabbage planted when the ground has reached a temperature of 40º should give you a harvest before mid May. (When the soil temperature reaches 40º, seeds of beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, celery, chard, garlic, parsnips, peas, potatoes, turnips, and Pakchoi (Asian greens) can be planted in successive plantings of 1 or 2 weeks. When the soil temperature reaches 35º, plant seeds (in 1 to 2 week successions), of: beets, carrots, chard, herbs, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, onions, parsley, radish, and spinach. Wait for warmer 60º ground temperature before planting seeds of beans, corn, eggplant, okra, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Plant seeds of: corn, cucumber, eggplant, okra, and summer squash when the soil temperature reaches 80º (usually late May).

BARE ROOT PLANTS of artichokes, asparagus, horseradish and all berry plants should be planted as soon as possible (before they leaf out hopefully). Plant onion, shallot and leek bulbs after the ground reaches 35º, if you did not plant last fall.

WATERING of plants under overhangs and in hanging baskets should not be overlooked during February. Keep cacti and succulents dry for another month. Do not over water your house plants. More house plants die from over watering this time of the year than at any other time. Use the water meter you received for your holiday gift.

FERTILIZING programs start in earnest this month. The principle ingredients of fertilizer include N-nitrogen which encourages green growth in the leaves; P-phosphorous for increased bloom production; and K- potash to maintain a healthy root system. A “balanced fertilizer” equates to equal parts of these three nutrients as well as secondary nutrients of calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Micronutrients that plants need include: boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc.

Either liquid or slow release fertilizer with micronutrients can be used. Not all plants like or need added fertilizer.

Loose garden soils and potted plants require more nutrients as they are watered more frequently and the nutrients are leached out of the soil. Most plants benefit from a light balanced fertilizer every few weeks. Camellias, epiphyllums, and iris do not require nitrogen this month, so we feed them 0-10-10 fertilizer.

Azaleas, gardenias, and roses may develop yellow foliage in cold weather because of a magnesium shortage. This situation can be fixed with a dose of one tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water before warm weather arrives.

LAWNS– cool-season grasses need a high nitrogen application every 6 weeks to keep them green. Water thoroughly and mow 2 inches high, be sure the mower blades are sharp. If your mower needs a tune-up, now is the time to get it done before the grass season begins.

Robert H. Schuler, M. G.
rhschuler@frontier.com

GARDEN PATCH POINTERS
By Robert H. and Hoberley Schuler
Oregon State University Master Gardeners; National and CGCI
Garden Study and Landscaping Design Consultants