Pear Tree Guild

Included are types of plants chosen for their specific functions and interactions with the floral and fauna community as a whole.

FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY

• Bartlett Pear -central guild species; provides edible fruit, pollen & nectar, shade, wood...
• Apple & Spearmint -bermuda grass control, edible, insectary (provides food or shelter)...
• Borage -dynamic accumulator, insectary, tea...
• Columbine -native, edible, medicinal, insectary...
• Dandelion -dynamic accumulator (deep tap root), insectary, edible (dandelion wine!)...
• Daylily -edible (flowers and roots -boiled like potatoes), insectary...
• Crimson clover -nitrogen fixation (legume), soil cover, insectary, edible flowers...
• Calendula -garden tonic, medicinal, edible...
• Scallions -aromatic pest confuser (strong smells confuse pests), edible, insectary...

 I CANNOT WAIT TO EAT THIS BEAUTY!

Yet Another Edible!!

Hollyhock Alcea rosea 

The young tender leaves and inner portions of the stem can be eaten raw or cooked.  The young leaves and flowers can be chopped finely in salads.  The roots can be eaten like potatoes and are quite nutritious.

Medicinally, the flowers and roots can be harvested and dried for use as a mild tea which is said to help with inflammatory issues.

Hollyhock's further uses:

• Dynamic accumulator –can be used to activate (bacterial) decomposition of compost
• Paper –fiber from the stems
• Litmus –anthocyanin pigment in flowers
• Dye –brown colored dye from flowers

Source: Plants for a Future

Golden Treasures of Spring

The golden, oval dots pictured above are ladybug eggs. This ladybug knew what she was doing! Laying her eggs right next to a food source (red aphids) is a choice place for the eggs to hatch. In 4-10 days these babies will find a real sweet meal!

The larval phase of the ladybug lifecycle is the most voracious feeding stage of all. Known to eat as many as 400 aphids before they pupate ladybug larvae (pictured below) do a fine job keeping aphids and other garden pests at bay.

2 Fun Facts about Ladybugs:

• In the lifetime of a single adult ladybug, over 5000 aphids will have been consumed.
• One ladybug can lay up to 1000 eggs in her lifetime.

 Thank you Gaia!

Red Valerian

Centranthus ruber

Taking a break from our Fungus Friends this month we wanted to share a plant some folks may not know about.

Red Valerian is a common flower seen this time of year but the leaves of Red Valerian are pretty special.  They can be eaten like lettuce or spinach in a salad and taste even SWEETER when picked small!  The larger leaves can be steamed and eaten plain or even stir-fried with a little kale.

We feel it's important for people to understand just how much FOOD grows in their garden.  Contact us for a consultation and we'll tell you what's what in your gardens! 

[FYI: Red Valerian is not the same as Valeriana officinalis, a medicinal herb.]