Serenity in the Garden

Here is an evergreen beauty for warmer climate zones!

The Chilean Hard Fern (Blechnum chilense) is an evergreen, slow growing fern that tolerates sun and enjoys dappled shade with adequate moisture. It is rated for USDA zone 8 (may be grown in zone 7 where it may suffer some frostburn but this can be trimmed).

In colder areas protect and shelter it in a deep woodland or in close proximity to a building.Place leaf mulch around the crowns of these plants if you experience regular hard winters.

The Chilean Spanish name for the species is ‘Costilla de vaca’ which means ‘cow’s rib’ referring to the shape of the fronds. The species can be found growing at both low and high altitudes in Chile. It often colonizes alongside roads as it is quick to establish after disruption to the land.

It spreads by underground rhizomes and can colonize an area. The young and emerging leaf fronds having an orange-rusty color but as they mature they develop a waxy dark green appearance. It reaches 2-3 ft tall, may…

The [Ch]air designed by Alexander O.D. Lorimer looks to me to be based on a bee hive and its hexagonal cells...he says the geometric base of acrylic was inspired by the geometry of soap bubbles and how they cluster. 

The base of the chair appears so lightweight and fragile, yet its structure is able to support the weight of a person!  Ingenious. Click on photo caption for more information.

Dwarf Acrocona Norway Spruce -  Picea abies 'Acrocona'
Even when young, this delightful dwarf evergreen conifer develops remarkable, raspberry-red cones on the tips of its branches in spring. 'Acrocona' means "with terminal cones on the ends of the branches." Unique not only in color but also in its irregular upright form.   It becomes a broad pyramid with time, 5' tall x 4' wide in 10 years. Deer resistant.
Prefers full sun in well-drained soil. Hardy to -50 degrees. USDA zone 2. It has been known since 1890, when it was found in a forest near Uppsala, Sweden

Woolly Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) has soft, absorbent leaves and so it has been used as a battlefield wound dressing historically.  

But did you know it also has blood clotting properties and contains antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties as well?



Instead of  store bought bandages try this on a bruise or insect sting: 

Press on the leaves so the juices of the plant are released and wrap the affected area with it.

Woolly Lamb's ear is also an excellent remedy for stinging nettle. 



Deer and rabbits do not eat  lambs ear. It makes a lovely border plant for gardens and walkways.

Have you heard about Cucamelons? Also called mouse melons?  This tiny watermelon look-alike from south of the border is grape-sized and tastes of cucumber with a hint of lime. They are going to be very popular soon, kind of like the 'ipad mini' of the vegie world...
Why? because they are pest free, drought tolerant, easy to grow, and a vigorous climber/trailer that produces masses of fruit throughout the summer! 

Its botanical name is Melothria scabra and it comes from Mexico/Central America where it is called sandita de Raton (little mouse melon). They have been grown there since Pre-Columbian times and need a sheltered sunny spot to grow. 

Their taste is unusual in that - first it tastes like cucumber but the aftertaste is something tart.. Karen Bertelsen of the blog 'The Art of Doing Stuff' describes it this way:
"When you bite into the mouse melon the first flavour you get is cucumber, but then your salivary glands do that weird thing where they kind of burn and cl…