Project 1 "Getting to Know the Natives"

Project 1: Neighborhood Walk

Objective: Find out what is in season (what's blooming) and what needs to be cut down (harvested)
This will be split into two categories a) perennials/annuals (i.e. plants to look at) and b)vegetables and herbs (i.e. plants to eat).  So, for the land-challenged, here are some good places to find plants:

a) Perennials and Annuals:                                            
Neighborhood                                            
Public Gardens (botanical and arboretums)    
Public Parks and Campuses                          
Community Gardens                                      

b)Veggies and Herbs:
Farmers' Markets
Grocery Stores (what's cheap right now?)
Neighborhood
Community Gardens

Pick 3-5 of each group (a and b) that strike your fancy then research them.
I will be primarily using The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plant and Flowers, DK Publishing, New York: 2002; Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Rodale Press, Pennsylvania: 1978 and Flora's Gardening Cards, Globe Book Publishing Pty Ltd, Australia: 2006.  Identifying plants can be tricky and looking up images online can help but always refer to a legitimate book like an encyclopedia to check your findings.

Keys to Success: Start small.  Each plant has a specific trail of significant names (genus, species, forma, cultivar) and as the plants become more familiar these names will undoubtedly become more important to the urban gardener but for now, the sweet and simple knowledge of a plant's group (genus) will suffice.

Perennials:

Nandina domestica

Nandina is one of the shrubs that fades into the background in summer and then comes alive in the fall.  It is a semi-evergreen and in the fall its leaves are everything from bright green to purple to red.  In the summer there are small white flowers and in the fall you can see small berries beginning to appear on some of the plants I've seen.

 

Sempervivum

Sempervivum (meaning always living in Latin) is a rock plant (as you can see).  It spreads along and is nicknamed "Hen and Chicks" because the smaller rossettes look like baby chicks following around the big hens.  It is an evergreen plant which grows flowers in the summer--you can see what's left of the flower in the picture above.  To remove these you just cut them off at the base. 

Euphorbia

Euphorbias are easier to distinguish from one another when they are blooming.  In this plant you can see the new growth coming through at the base of the plant.  When there is substantial new growth like this you can cut back the larger tops to the new growth but at this late October date, its best to leave it--frost could come at any time and harm a plant which is made more delicate by pruning.  When you do prune this plant, beware of the milky substance that lives in the stem--it will irritate your skin and eyes.

Callicarpa (Beauty Berry)

Beauty Berry is another shrub you could walk by all summer and not notice, then suddenly a small tree filled with shiny purple berries appears and it only gets more vibrant as the winter season sets in.  The leaves (when they're in season) are pale green and there are small light purple flowers in the summer.

The walk around the neighborhood was productive but will work best if it's done a few times a month.  Being able to recognize what plants do well in your neighborhood will help you understand your climate and what plants you may want to use some day when you finally get a small plot in the city!

Next time: The Veggies