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Flower of the Week: Cornflower

The cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) is a fast-growing, lushly-blooming, herbal flower. This slender plant is highly ornamental when it blossoms in the summer and fall. It has a beautiful capitulum – an inflorescence surrounded by a circle of blue trumpet-like ray florets with serrate margin lobes.

Cornflowers are widely useful in horticulture, especially in newly-built gardens. Before other trees, shrubs, and persistent flowers mature to their best looks, this fast-growing country floret comes in handy to revive the dull color void of immature gardens.

From "Cornflower" to "Bachelor's Button"

Cornflowers originated in Europe, where they grow very well in almost all types of environments but especially in arable plain fields with fertile soil. In ancient times, Europeans often found them in the farmlands, thus the earthy name “cornflower”.

Cornflowers are great for flower arrangements. They remain vividly-colored when dried, and therefore are often used to make dried flowers. It’s said that bachelors in England like to pin them in their buttonholes to boost their courtship success rate, so the cornflower has earned an alternative name of “bachelor’s button”.

Dried cornflowers are edible. They can be served in salads for adornment. Cornflower petals are often added to Earl Grey tea as well.

A Famous Flower With a Long History

In Europe, the cornflower has a long history of cultivation and enjoys household fame. When tracing the genus name “Centaurea”, its written records easily date back to Ancient Greece. According to Pliny the Elder, Ancient Greeks used the name of the mythical Centaurs for these blue florets because they believed the story that Chiron, who mastered the art of healing, had used this plant to cure poisoning by the Hydra.

A Centaurs statue in the Tuileries Garden in Paris

Many regions, schools, organizations, and political parties in Europe also chose the cornflower to be their insignias. Today, it is the national flower of Estonia and Germany. Legend has it that cornflowers once helped Friedrich Wilhelm III of the Kingdom of Prussia and his family hide from Napoleon Bonaparte’s pursuing army. Since then, the cornflower has become the symbol of the Kingdom of Prussia, often appearing on the uniforms of high-ranking military officers.

The cornflower is often present in literature and art as well. The story of The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Anderson, begins with the words “Out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower”, describing a beautiful, imaginary underwater world.

The Mesmerizing Blue

Of a cornflower’s most attractive features, nothing stands out more than its bright blue color. “Cyanus“, the specific epithet in its scientific name, simply means “blue”. In the field of design, “cornflower blue” is a unique color name, while in gemology, a higher-level color code of sapphire is also called the “cornflower” color.

In the 1910s, scientists extracted centaurocyanin, the same kind of anthocyanidin, from cornflowers and roses successively. But a cornflower looks blue, and a rose is red. Why the difference? Initially, people attributed it to the different pH values in the flowers’ fine structures, for like all other anthocyanidins, centaurocyanin looks red in an acid environment and blue in an alkaline one. However, later researchers realized the answer is far more complex.

Scientists in Japan discovered the ultimate answer as recently as 2005. The centaurocyanin in cornflowers doesn’t bear color by itself. Instead, 6 molecules of anthocyanidins and 6 molecules of flavones constitute an intricate complex protocyanin, with iron and magnesium ions contributing to its formation as well as extra calcium ions to keep it stabilized. It takes such a fully-formed complex to bestow that bright and rich blue upon cornflowers.

Can I Grow Cornflowers Well?

Cornflowers are perfect for country-style gardens, where they can scatter around and grow freely without much special care. Cornflowers require very little from their environments, flourishing naturally and tenaciously no matter whether the soil is barren or fertile, or the sunlight duration long or short. They can also be planted in flower beds or potted in just about any containers.

To create the most striking visual impact, it’s best to plant some other flowers among the cornflowers that share the same flowering season while differing vastly in color contrast, such as corn poppies, calendulas, etc. What’s more, the cornflower is an excellent nectariferous plant. For a rustic garden, they are the best choice to attract bees and butterflies.

A widely-grown garden plant, cornflowers are superbly capable of expanding. The plant has spread worldwide and naturalized nearly everywhere, including in North America and Australia. In some areas of the New World, it’s still considered dangerously invasive. Therefore, take careful measures to prevent its expansion when you grow it.

Interestingly and by contrast, wild cornflower distribution in Europe where the plant originated has reduced significantly due to intensive agriculture and herbicide overdosage.

Size: 30-70 cm tall, up to 1 m tall in fertile soil

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zone 2-11

Light duration: Full sun, partial shade tolerant

Soil: moist soil with good drainage, drought-tolerant once planted

Bloom time: Late spring through early summer

How to Make a Neat Edge for Your Flower Bed

It may not seem like the edge of your flower bed matter. However, the truth is that a neat edge on a garden bed can give your landscape a more professional appearance. Thankfully, making a neat edge is a simple task that you can learn in just a few minutes.

Neat edges on your flower beds are a sign of a well-cared-for landscape. While these edges are a subtle detail compared to the rest of your garden, they are surprisingly effective in making your garden look like a professional team created it. Along with that visual appeal, a good edge also serves a functional role by setting a clear delineation between your beds and the other areas of your property. That is why we created this guide to help you create by yourself.

Define the Shape of the Bed

Before you make your flower bed edge, you need to define the shape and size of your flower bed. You’ll have complete artistic license over the general form of the bed. The more important matter here is that you have a clear idea of what you intend to create from the beginning. One of the best ways to envision your flower bed is to lay a rope or some similar item on the ground. A garden hose will work well for this as well. Once you have made your flower bed shape, you can follow along your hose as you cut the edge.

At times, it can be tempting to make a bed with many wild curving lines. These complex curves may be your preference. However, there are a few reasons they may not be the most desirable shape. First, the more complicated your bed shape is, the harder it will be to make an accurate edge that matches your intended shape. Also, if your flower bed borders a lawn, a complex shape will make it difficult to maneuver your lawnmower around the bed. For those reasons, keeping your bed shape simple is likely a better choice.

Cut the Edge With a Flat Shovel

The quickest and easiest way to make an edge for your flower bed is to use a flat shovel. At your local garden supply store, you’ll find some shovels whose main purpose is to create garden bed edges. But if you don’t have one of those specialty edging shovels, any shovel with a flat blade will work. Once you have that tool, follow these steps until you have cut a neat edge along the entire perimeter of the bed:

After you complete that process, there is one important tip that you will need to follow to ensure that your edge is as effective as it can be. Make sure that you never fill your edge to the top with soil or mulch. Filling the edge will make the edge less definitive. It will also make it far easier for plants from outside the bed to grow into the bed. So, instead of filling the edge, make sure that you leave about an inch or two of the edge empty.

As we just mentioned, this is by far the fastest way to make a neat edge. However, this method is also the least long-lasting. Since there is no physical material holding the soil in place, the edge will eventually erode. Because of that natural process, this method requires you to recreate your edge occasionally. If that does not sound appealing to you, the next section will provide you with some alternative options.

Consider an Edge Material

Instead of simply cutting the earth with a shovel, you can use a stronger material that will hold your garden bed edge in place for longer. Here are a few of the most common materials that gardeners use to make neat edges on their flower beds:

Making an edge with these materials will take much longer, but your edge will have greater longevity. This approach also gives you the chance to select a material that will complement and enhance the appearance of your garden.

Why Flower Bed Edges Are Important

Flower bed edges contribute to the overall visual effect that your garden has. However, there is also a practical use for these edges. In most cases, flower beds will exist adjacent to a lawn or some other planted area. A strong edge to the bed serves as a barrier between those two spaces. Regardless of how you make your edge, it will help to prevent grass or other plants from growing into your flower beds. This can make maintenance easier as there is less of a chance that you will need to pull unwanted plants out of your garden.

Flower of the Week: Orange Daylily

Like the beautiful garden plant, orange daylily is often called a lily, but it is not the common lily. The orange flowers simply bear a similar resemblance. Orange daylily is native to Asia. Because of its beautiful flowers, easy maintenance, and strong vitality, orange daylily is often called “the perfect perennial plant” by gardeners. Some may wonder why such beautiful flowers fail to appear in the fresh-cut flower market alongside lilies. The answer is that daylily, as its name suggests, only blooms for one day.

Brief Cultivation History of Orange Daylily

In summer, warm and bright orange daylily flowers bloom in many gardens, making them very attractive. Every year, many new beautiful varieties of orange daylily are selectively bred in Holland by dedicated gardeners who love them. Orange daylily is one of the most highly hybridized plants, with more than 80,000 varieties, and the number is still rising. Hybridization experts have greatly enriched the color range of orange daylily, from the original yellow and orange to vibrant red and purple, and even some colors close to green, black, and white.

In addition to this variety of colors, orange daylily has also been cultivated into a number of gorgeous polyploid varieties with double petals. Many orange daylilies have also won the highest award of Stout Silver Medal and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

The double-leaf variety of orange daylily

Orange Daylily Is Not Native to North America

You may think a common orange daylily is a native wildflower in North America, but sadly, it is not. Most orange daylilies come from Asia. The ancient Asian orange variety is called Hemerocallis fulva. They are very popular and found nearly everywhere on the continent. In most of the United States and parts of Canada, orange daylily has escaped the walls of the garden and become an invasive species. It spreads rapidly through vegetative growth to trees, fields, roadsides, and ditches. As a result, it has actually acquired another name: ditch lily.

Orange daylily in the wild

Dangerous Delicacy

Interestingly, in the Chinese and South Korean hometowns of orange daylily, it is more than just a beautiful flower. For centuries, orange daylily has been picked and steam-cooked as part of the Asian diet. By comparison, Hemerocallis citrina, a relative of orange daylily, is only eaten occasionally by East Asians. Yet, it is actually Hemerocallis citrina that is planted and used as an ingredient in various flower vegetable dishes. It has a special flavor of citron and has been cultivated and eaten for more than 2,000 years in China. Hemerocallis are generally toxic, so East Asians don’t eat the fresh flowers. Instead, they pick the buds that are not open in the morning, boil them, dry them in the sun, and then use them to make soup.

Hemerocallis citrina

The toxicity of orange daylily and Hemerocallis citrina both come from colchicine, a deadly chemical carried by many Liliaceae plants. If you eat 0.1-0.2 mg of colchicine (equivalent to 100 grams of fresh cauliflower), you will be poisoned. Colchicine can stimulate our digestive tract, affect our central nervous system (especially the respiratory system), and cause nausea, vomiting, and hypothermia. If you eat too much, it may be fatal! Additionally, colchicine can also affect the function of the liver and kidneys, resulting in irreversible damage. Obviously, you shouldn’t eat fresh orange daylily.

Boiled, dried, and then used to make daylily stew

Orange Daylily in East Asian Culture

In addition to eating, orange daylily is often seen in the literature and paintings of East Asia. In China’s traditional culture, orange daylily is thought to make people forget about their worries. Before a man left home for future endeavors, he would plant orange daylily in front of his mother’s window, hoping that his mother would forget about her worries. For this reason, orange daylily has become a symbol of motherhood in China.

The Difference Between Daylily and Lily

Although Lilium is the true lily, many people also call daylily a lily. In casual conversation, this isn’t a problem. However, planting, cutting, and potting daylilies and lilies require very different methods. Mistake one plant for the other and your daylily will wilt overnight. It is important for this reason to be able to distinguish between daylily and lily. Fortunately, it is pretty simple to do so.

First of all, a single flower of orange daylily can only bloom for one day, while a single flower of lily can last for several days. Additionally, orange daylily has scalloped clumps of leaves from which many flower stems grow. By contrast, lily leaves grow around the whole stem in whorls or spirals, and there is only one stem.

Orange daylily is featured with scalloped leaves, from which many flower stems are drawn

Lily leaves grow around the whole stem, in whorls or spirals, with only one stem.

Finally, we can also look at their roots – although they are all perennial plants, orange daylilies have a fat root, while the lily has a bulb with overlapping scales. This is quite noticeable when you purchase the plants.

Can I Grow a Decent Orange Daylily?

Everyone likes orange daylily, because there is no perennial plant that is as easy to maintain, and the flowers are so gorgeous and lively! They are low-maintenance and can grow in almost any place with sunlight or shade. They always bloom, and the luxurious branches and leaves block any weeds trying to emerge nearby. The only required task is to divide the plants every five years so that they can blossom better. It is important to note that the orange daylily is toxic. Wear gloves to prevent allergic reactions when planting and dividing plants.

Size: 1 to 4 feet tall

Hardiness: Zones 3 through 10

Sunlight: Full Sun to Partial Shade

Soil: Loose and well-drained

Bloom Time: Summer and fall

Uses and Benefits of Mint Hay Compost to Know

While it is one of the most beneficial garden amendments you can use for your soil, mint hay compost is not familiar to most people. This material holds many benefits and should have a place in your garden. This article will introduce you to a few of the main benefits and uses of mint hay compost.

There are so many different types of mulch and soil amendments that you have likely heard of some obscure materials that people add to their gardens. Among these many materials, one of the strangest sounding ones is mind hay compost. However, while that name may be unfamiliar for some, mint hay compost has many uses and benefits in nearly any garden. This article will introduce you to a few of the most notable advantages of using mint hay compost.

Improved Moisture Retention

Soil moisture is one of the most important matters you must address before planting any plant. As you probably know, each plant species comes with a specific set of growth requirements. Within those requirements, a certain level of soil moisture is one of the most vital factors. Achieving the ideal soil moisture often requires some sort of soil amendment. If you are hoping to make your soil better at retaining moisture after watering, mint hay compost is a great option for you. Add some to your garden beds, and you will no longer need to worry about your soils drying out.

Additional Organic Matter

Most plants will grow best in soil that has plenty of organic matter. This matter enriches the soil and provides copious amounts of nutrients to support plant growth. As such, it is important for you to make sure that your garden soil has plenty of organic material if you want to see the best results from your plants. Adding mint hay compost as a soil amendment is a great way to do that. Mint hay compost contains countless micronutrients that your plants will appreciate.

Amendments for Clay and Sandy Soil

One of the greatest challenges for many gardeners is dealing with poor soil quality. For those who attempt to plant on properties with clay or sandy soils, this issue is especially prevalent. Thankfully, mint hay compost can help in either scenario. When you add this material to sandy soil, it will improve moisture retention and add some much-needed nutrients to the soil. Interestingly, it can have the opposite effect on clay soils by improving the soil drainage characteristics. That means that mint hay compost is a soil amendment you can rely on in many situations.

Weed Suppression

Mint hay compost can act as a soil amendment or as a form of mulch. In the latter case, the mint hay compost will act as any other type of mulch would. This includes the suppression of weeds in your garden beds. After adding a few inches of mind hay compost to your garden, you can expect to spend less time on your hands and knees pulling out unwanted plants. However, you should know that mint hay compost can break down quickly, which means it can only ward off weeds for so long.

Pest Prevention

Unlike other types of compost, mint hay compost has a strong scent. That scent can go a long way in discouraging pests from entering your garden and afflicting your plants. Many plants can fall victim to rodents and insects. So, the presence of mint hay mulch may be what you need to aid your plant in fending off an infestation.

No Bacteria or Fungus

Any time you add a material to your garden, you run the risk of introducing some harmful substances as well. Even a beneficial material such as mulch could be hiding fungus, bacteria, or seeds that will later develop into weeds. However, that is not the case for mint hay compost. The process that leads to the creation of mint hay compost also causes it to be completely clean by the time your get to use it.

A Sustainable Approach

This final benefit may be the most impactful of them all. Using mint hay compost is an environmentally friendly practice. Much of this relates to the way in which mind hay compost comes into being. Mint hay compost is a by-product of the spearmint and peppermint oil manufacturing process. During that process, those essential oils companies use steam to extract oil from the mint plant. Once they have that oil, they do not need the rest of the plant.

The companies can throw out that plant material, or it allow it to become mint hay compost. Continuing to buy mint hay compost creates a demand for the product and therefore reduces the waste that would normally accumulate through the essential oil-making process. In other words, by using mint hay compost, you are not just doing the best for the plants in your garden. You are also contributing to the health of the earth.

How to Pollinate Your Garden Plants by Hand

Pollination is something that most gardeners expect to take place automatically. However, there are some cases in which you may need to hand pollinate your plants. Read here to learn how to perform this important gardening skill.

While insects and birds do a great job of pollinating plants, there may come a time when you have to perform this task on your own. In fact, those instances are only on the rise, considering the significant declines in pollinator populations in recent years. To deal with that unfortunate reality, you’ll need to find a way to pollinate your plant by yourself. Read on to learn some techniques that will allow you to do just that.

Hand Pollination for Plants With Male and Female Flowers

Some plants come with both male and female flowers. These plants are often the ones that are most likely to need some assistance with pollination. Since the male flowers typically have pollen while the female flowers have the capacity to produce fruit, there needs to be some way to transfer the pollen from the male flower to the female flower.

In the absence of pollinators to move the pollen from one flower to another, you will need to perform this transfer by hand if you hope to see any fruit form. Here is a reliable process that you should follow to complete that task:

That method should get the job done. But if you don’t happen to have a paintbrush, there is another method that you can use. Here is how that alternative approach unfolds:

Hand Pollination for Plants With Perfect Flowers

The methods we described above are fantastic for plants that have male and female flowers. But as you likely know, not all plants have those types of flowers. Instead, some plants have perfect flowers. A perfect flower is nothing more than a single flower that contains both male and female parts.

Plants with perfect flowers usually don’t need your help to pollinate since the male and female parts are in such close proximity. But, if your plant is still struggling to produce fruit, there is an easy way to stimulate pollination. At times, hand-pollinating a plant with perfect flowers is as easy as giving the flower a gentle shake. That motion can cause the flower to release its pollen, leading to fertilization. If that doesn’t work, you can try this technique:

Be Persistent With Hand Pollination

The processes for hand pollination that we just shared with you should be effective in most scenarios. But what you need to remember is that each method can require some persistence on your part. There is no way to know if your hand-pollination efforts were successful until you begin to see fruit forming. For that reason, you should continue to practice your hand pollination until you see fruit emerge. Try repeating your hand-pollination once a week until you find success.

How to Know if You Need to Hand Pollinate

Now that you know how to hand-pollinate your plants, it is time to understand when you should apply these new skills. As we mentioned before, most pollination happens as a result of the activity of pollinator species. Hand-pollination is only necessary when that activity does not take place. You should consider hand-pollination if:

The Main Advantage of Hand Pollination

Pollination is something we expect to take place on its own. For that reason, hand-pollination can feel like just one more chore on your long list of gardening tasks. However, the good news is that hand-pollination offers you a significant advantage. With this approach, you can drastically increase your crop yields. Since you won’t be relying on a pollinator species, it is up to you to decide how many flowers you choose to pollinate. This can lead to more mature fruits in your garden than ever before.

What Is Happening to Pollinator Species?

Throughout this article, we have alluded to the fact that natural pollinators are on the decline. That decline is what is making and-pollination increasingly popular. However, it also has some dire consequences. Human land use has led to lower biodiversity and an increase in pesticides. Those two factors have consistently cause pollinator populations to decrease. This not only impacts the ecosystem as a whole but also makes it more difficult to produce crops. So, if you don’t want to do the work to pollinate your plants on your own, the best you can do is take action to support the native pollinator species in your region. Planting native species and pollinator gardens are great ways to help these vital species thrive.

Flower of the Week: Wisteria

In April when bulbous flowers fade, there isn’t a more astounding scene than a wall full of wisteria! Their strong stem climbs on the wall, and event though they do not have that many green leaves, they bloom astonishing blossoms at the end of their stems. The pleasant smell flows down with the beautiful flowers in the air, forming a huge purple waterfall.

Butterfly Shaped Flowers From the East

If you observe it carefully, you will find that each long inflorescence consists of small butterfly-shaped flowers. They look a lot like pea-blossom. This is because both wisteria and pea-blossoms belong to Leguminosae. Wisteria is from Eastern Asia, and Japan and China are their main origins. These types of perennial large deciduous vine plants often bloom in April. When the bloom season is about to complete they grow feather-shaped compound leaves.

Small butterfly-shaped flowers of Wisteria

Wisteria grows very fast and can climb to 10 meters tall and expand for 20 meters. To sustain their weight, it is necessary to plant them under firm buttresses or walls. Wisteria needs 3 years to develop from being planted to blooming. As soon as they start to bloom, they will contribute beautiful flowers every year. It is a never-to-be-forgotten sight in late Spring.

Seed pods of wisteria

Wisteria Map

There are many great places to see wisteria in the US. For example, Central Park, New York or Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. Of course, there is also the well known Sierra Madre Wisteria Festival: Here you can see the World’s Largest Wisteria Vine verified by the Guinness Book of World Records!

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania

If you happen to be traveling in Japan in the spring, both the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi and Kawachi Wisteria Garden have world-famous views of wisteria.

A great wisteria blossoms at Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan.

Which Type of Wisteria Is Suitable For Me?

There are three types of wisterias in gardening, including Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda) and silky wisteria (W. venusta). Wild-type wisterias’ flowers are purple to blueish purple. But among the massive cultivars, there are also white or pale pink varieties, even with streaked petals or double flowers.

White Wisteria

Among these, the Chinese wisteria is the type that can sustain coldness the best for gardening. Its inflorescence is approximately 30 cm and is best suited to be planted at the side of walls.
The Japanese wisteria is originated from Japan. It has a long inflorescence that can reach a surprising 4 feet (120 cm). It is best suited to be grown on top of pavilions or rafter brackets. When the flowers bloom, the flowers drape down to create a magnificent scene.
Silky wisteria's inflorescence is significantly shorter with a length of 10-15 cm. Their plants are also smaller with a height of 3-6 meters. They are suited to grow next to a wall or can be trimmed and shaped to be grown in large containers.
There are also cross breed species like beautiful wisteria (Wisteria × formosa). Beautiful wisterias have inflorescences of approximately 20 cm. They are suited for being planted against a wall or be planted as a Bonzai.

Regardless of which wisteria you pick, when you are purchasing seedlings, please make sure you select grafted seedlings. Not only do they have a stronger stress resistance, the timeframe for the number of years between planting and bearing flowers is also shorter. Usually, it is within 3 years. On the other hand, planting with seeds to developing into seedlings would usually take 5 years for the plant to grow flowers.

Can I Grow Wisteria Well?

Wisterias have fragrant and beautiful flowers that can attract butterflies while they are deer resistant. What’s more, luckily, wisterias are not hard to grow. Their adaptability to the soil quality is strong and can grow in a certain range of soil, from slightly acidic and slightly alkaline. Ample sunlight can let wisterias bear more flowers. Wisterias are not tolerant of transplanting, and therefore it is critical to select the best place to grow from the beginning.

Wisterias have longevity and grow quickly. Even if they are not pruned, they can bind and climb, and cover the areas they have grown to. However, if you want to enjoy a large number of flowers in limited spaces, you would need regular pruning to control its size and shape, and to promote abundant blossoms. To ensure the best effect it is recommended to prune wisteria at least twice a year (once in the summer and once in the winter).

Last but not least, the whole wisteria plant contains poisonous alkaloids. Avoid accidental ingestion of wisteria by both humans or pets.

Size: 3-10m (10-33 ft) in height, 1.2-20m (4-66 ft) in spread

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-9

Sunlight: full sun, partial shade

Soil: well-drained and moist soil, moderately fertile

Bloom time: spring to early summer

Flower of the Week: Horse Chestnut

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a common ornamental, deciduous tree. With expanding branches and dense shades, they grow perfectly as street border trees or ornamental trees in yards.

Horse chestnut’s compound leaves are palmate. Each leaf has 5-7 serrate-margined leaflets, which makes it easy to identify. However, these trees are more impressive in April and May each year when the flowering season arrives.

Each spring, horse chestnut blooms with large numbers of white flowers. In different maturity stages, the centers of those flowers may look hot pink or yellow, and present a truly graceful picture. The white flowers group into big, eye-catching conical inflorescences that are about 20-30 cm long and cluster on the branch tips. Certain cultivar varieties even bloom in light yellow or pink, earning even higher ornamental value.

Horse chestnut originated from the Balkan Peninsula and is closely related to the Buckeyes from North America (including 9 species such as A. glabra, A. californica, etc.). The Northern American variety’s flowering season takes place much later than its European cousin and is more cold-resistant.

A Star Among Gardening Trees

Before its introduction into Europe, horse chestnut had already garnered fame to the East in Turkey, where people medicalized the fruits to treat broken wind in horses. That’s why this tree is called “horse chestnut” in English.

Britain was the first country to introduce horse chestnut into horticultural practices, with use dating back to 1580. Thanks to its adaptability to the Western European climate, beautiful shape, and delightful flowers, the tree immediately gained popularity in every Western European country once introduced. Crossing oceans, horse chestnuts are also now widely planted in New Zealand and Canada.

Outside the gate of the Trinity College Cambridge stands an ancient horse chestnut. More of them flank the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris as border trees. Horse chestnut has even become the city symbol of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

There was another famous horse chestnut in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, called the “Anne Frank Tree”. During WWII, Anne Frank’s family took shelter in the vicinity of this tree. During her two years hiding away from the sun, the tree was the only thing outside that Anne could see, and it was mentioned in the Diary of Anne Frank quite a few times. Unfortunately, this tree fell in a windstorm in 2010.

Is "Hose Chestnut" Edible?

The shells of horse chestnut’s fruits are aculeate and crack open in the fall when the fruits ripen, exposing brown, chestnut-like seeds. The fruits often fall off the trees and scatter everywhere.

However, no matter what people may want to believe or what excuse they make – “It looks just like a chestnut!” or “People say the bark and fruit of horse chestnut are used to extract medicine” – the seeds of horse chestnuts are unfortunately inedible. They contain a toxin called Aesculin, which is poisonous to humans.

However, thanks to the horse chestnut seeds’ bitter taste, accidental consumption rarely happens. Though they share the same English name and look similar, horse chestnut is not related to chestnut. Just take a look at their leaves and you can tell the difference right away. Horse chestnut leaves are large, palmate, compound leaves, while chestnut leaves are oblong, simple leaves.

Leaves and fruits of the chestnut tree

Distinguish between them next time you go camping, and don’t pick the wrong nuts to bring home.

Let's Play With Its Seeds

Though inedible, the seeds of horse chestnut are far from being useless. At a minimum, they are fun to play with.

In the UK, horse chestnut seeds are called “conkers”. Once they are ripened in the fall, children play with these seeds in a traditional game called “conker”, where they drill a hole in a horse chestnut seed and fix it to a string. Then, children throw their own seeds to hit the string-pendant seed.

This seemingly simple game is not exclusive to kids. Adults love it, too. Since 1965, a “World Conker Championships” has been organized and held annually in Ashton, Northamptonshire.

The origin of the word “conker” is also interesting. Some people believe it means “hard”, originating from the French word “conque” which means “conch”. But others insist the word derives from a different French word, “cogner“, which means “hit”. It remains a mystery to this day whether the game inspired the naming of the seed, or the seed named the game.

Can I Grow Horse Chestnut?

Horse chestnut likes light. It is slightly shade-enduring and rather cold-resistant. It loves deep soil with good drainage and can also tolerate barren soil. It can adapt to a wide range of soil types, and only has medium requirements for fertilizing and watering. Because the trees tend to lose vitality after fruit harvest, it’s best to purchase and plant commercial, nursery-grown stock for a better rate of survival. The seedling needs to come with a rootball 7 times the trunk diameter at breast height. One-year-old and older trees can be planted in early spring, but once rooted they can’t be transplanted again. Pay attention to watering and fertilization of the plants. Apply organic fertilizers to the adult trees each winter, after the leaves shed.

Horse chestnut doesn’t do well in the heat but is quite cold-resistant. It secretes viscous resin to protect the leaf buds from frost damage. In spring, the resin melts off, and branches sprout from the horseshoe leaf scars. Though the 2003 summer heat in Europe only lasted a short week (Paris had a high temperature above 37°C for just three days), plenty of horse chestnuts turned yellow early, and some died entirely. Thus, in summer, take precautional measures to protect the trees from getting sunburnt.

Pruning and beautifying are best done each winter after the leaves fall, or each spring before budding. The treetop of horse chestnut is naturally round, so it’s best to keep the original top shape, and the general principle is to keep the treetop well-ventilated and pervious to light.

Size: 70-80 ft in height, 40-50 ft in the spread

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8

Light duration: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Moist but well-drained soil

Bloom time: Spring

Best Companion Plants for a Backyard Pond

Babbling water, happy songbirds, and flashy fish are all good reasons to create a backyard pond. But no garden water feature would be complete without the right foliage to go with it. We’d like to offer our suggestions for plants that offer the best backdrop to a relaxing pond.

Sweet flag

Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) is a perennial grass that will grow from 24 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. It spreads by rhizomes and grows slowly to form a dense ground cover. It thrives in full sun or partial shade and is not invasive. The foliage has a sweet fragrance and in late spring blooms small yellow-green flowers followed by tiny red berries that ripen in fall.

Blue flag

Blue flag is considered a wetland species, which means it does well planted near pond or lake edges, in water meadows, and near other water features. It can tolerate being in standing water that is less than 6 inches deep and can be completely submerged for a short time. Blue flag is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant that grows 4’31 in high.

Varigated yellow pond-lily

Varigated yellow pond-lily (Nuphar lutea) is a North American aquatic plant with floating leaves. It goes by many names including brandy bottle, a reference to the fact that its flowers smell a bit like stale alcohol, and its fruits are shaped like bottles or vases. The Dutch province, Friesland, features Varigated yellow pond-lily leaves on its flag.

American white water-lily

American white water-lily (Nymphaea odorata) is an aquatic flowering plant native to Central and North America. It is a common food for many species of birds and turtles. The shade American white water-lily casts over its pond habitats helps stifle algae growth, a side effect that is beneficial to most of the aquatic wildlife around it.

Common rush

Common rush (Juncus effusus) is a soft, grass-like clumping perennial also known as soft rush. Common rush grows well in standing water or rich moist soil. It grows in small clumps that look like tall grass and spreads by rhizomes. It can be grown in an aquatic setting or indoors as a houseplant.

Papyrus sedge

Papyrus sedge (Cyperus papyrus) is an aquatic flowering plant that’s originally from Africa. It was used by the ancient Egyptians to make papyrus, one of the earliest kinds of paper. For thousands of years, people have tied the stems together to build boats. Nowadays, it’s often used ornamentally. It’s close to extinction in the Nile Delta region’one of the places it calls home.

Mexican petunia

Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex) is an evergreen herbaceous perennial recognized by its wrinkly, trumpet-shaped purple flowers. It is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant. Due to its vigorous spreading ability, Ruellia simplex has become widely naturalized outside Mexico. It is considered an invasive species in many countries.

Yellow marsh marigold

Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) is a perennial wildflower that grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. It produces bright yellow, buttercup-like blossoms that bloom from April to June. It is commonly found growing in moist woodlands and boggy areas. It is a favorite of grazing cows and attracts butterflies and bees. Its seeds can be collected after blooming for replanting in other locations.

Pickerelweed

Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is an aquatic plant that grows 2 to 3 feet tall. It’s common name from the pickerel, a fish with which the species has a symbiotic relationship. It flourishes in shallow freshwater, including rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Common water-plantain

Common water-plantain is an aquatic flowering perennial that can grow in mud or shallow water. Its flowers open in the afternoon. The plant’s Latin name, Alisma plantago-aquatica, comes from a Celtic word for water.

Flowering rush

Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) is an aquatic plant introduced into North America from Eurasia as an ornamental plant. It is now regarded as a very invasive weed in the Great Lakes area. The stems provide a ladder for damsel and dragonfly nymphs as they emerge from the depths of the pond to shed their larval skins.

Indian rhubarb

Indian rhubarb is a flowering perennial that grows in small umbrella-shaped clumps. Clusters of flowers appear in spring before its leaves. It grows well around bog edges and small pond gardens.

Useful Pruning Tools Every Gardener Should Know

Having the right pruning tools makes your job much easier and more effortless. The best pruning tools include secateurs, long-handled loppers, pruning saws for larger branches and hedge trimmers. Here’s a guide to these useful pruning tools.

Just as a capable chef might geek out about their knowledge and collection of kitchen tools, an accomplished gardener takes pride in their pruning tools.

A gardener’s tools should not only reflect one’s commitment to their profession or hobby but also make the job easier. As with any trade, there is a proper tool for each pruning job. Here are five pruning tools worth investing in.

1. Secateurs or Hand Pruners

Bypass pruners are an essential tool for any gardener. Make sure to buy one that is small enough to fit in a sheath. A sheath will allow you to keep the tool handy on your belt and help protect the blade when the tool is not in use.

There are many types of hand pruners and they come in a wide range of prices. However, you get what you pay for. Pricier pruners will often have replaceable blades and the entire tool can be taken apart for proper sharpening and cleaning. Many professional gardeners and landscapers still have their very first hand pruner. If kept oiled and well protected, this is a tool that can last for years.

2. Loppers

Loppers are hand pruners with longer handles and are often more sturdy than a pruning blade. They are suitable for cutting larger branches that are a diameter of 2″ or less, though some with larger blades can cut branches up to 3″. Handle length also factors in as the longer the handle the more difficult it will be to make a complete cut.

As with hand pruners, cost often dictates quality. Look for detachable blades since they can be sharpened. Materials vary with brands, not just with the blades but with the handles and grips. Look for strong materials, such as aluminum alloy, and hand grips that are soft yet sturdy. Better designs have bumper pads between the handles that help keep your hands from getting pinched. Most brands have handles between 20 – 30″ long but the handles of orchard loppers are often longer. Know that the longer the handle, the less leverage one will have when trying to cut hardwood.

3. Pruning Saw

Pruning saws are useful for branches with a diameter of 2″ or more, and are essential for cutting cleanly close to tree trunks. The blades on a pruning saw are curved slightly, and they often fold into the handle. They are much shorter than construction saws and are typically around 12-14” long.

Very sharp pruning saws often come with or require a scabbard to store the saw. The scabbard also helps keep the saw sharp when you are not using it. As with any pruning tool, sharpness is key. While it may be possible to sharpen the blade on a pruning saw, look for one that has a replaceable blade and keep extras on hand.

4. Manual Hedge Sheers

Hedge sheers are a connoisseur tool for many serious gardeners. Good hedge sheers can be expensive but are treasured like a fine chef’s knife might be to a serious cook. Again, it all comes down to materials and craftsmanship. Inexpensive sheers can be found at nearly any hardware store, but you get what you pay for.

Go with what you can afford but look for blades that you can frequently sharpen, as this is one tool where the results are directly connected to the blade’s sharpness. Good quality Japanese sheers are often the go-to tool for topiary artists and for those who are obsessive about perfect trims on their boxwood parterres. If the blades are well-oiled, a good quality pair may last you a lifetime.

5. Electric/Battery Hedge Trimmers

Electric (or battery-powered) Hedge Trimmers are perhaps the most commonly used, yet misused pruning tool. They often come with longer blade wands and can be very useful for big jobs, particularly tall and longer hedges. Experts may scoff at their ease of use, but they are essential for those with larger gardens. They also are good for making straight or perfectly flat surfaces.

Where people often falter is when cutting twigs that are too thick, as the blades can jam. Furthermore, it is easy to over-trim a hedge and cause irreparable damage. Always remove a few inches at a time until you reach the proper depth. This is especially important for evergreen shrubs as they may not be able to grow back once the foliage is cut too deeply.

Always follow manufacturers’ directions as blades are sharp. Safety is key with any electric or battery-powered tool but especially with trimmers. Look for those with an automatic shut-off switch and always wear safety equipment. A common complaint with electric trimmers is that the long electrical cord can easily be cut during the trimming process. Some pros wear the cord over their shoulder to help keep it out of the way.

Flower of The Week: Peony

The Peony is a perennial herb in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. It is widely distributed throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including East Asia, Europe, and western North America. It is a very beautiful garden plant, featuring straight branches and stunning flowers. Peonies also make very popular cut flowers.

All peonies are deciduous perennial herbs or shrubs. However, peonies can be divided into two main types: herbaceous species and woody species. During the winter, the above-ground parts of herbaceous peonies will wither and die back completely, while the thick rhizome remains dormant underground until the spring. In contrast, woody peonies, also known as “moutan”, lose their leaves in the winter but their woody stems remain above the ground.

Origins

The peony has long been a familiar ornamental and cut flower. However, if you wish to see where the peony originated, it is worth visiting China, which has been the cultivation center of peonies since ancient times. In fact, more than 1000 years ago, during the Tang Dynasty, peonies were planted on a large scale in the Royal Garden.

Luoyang, an ancient city of China, is famous for its peony cultivation. Since 1983, the Luoyang Peony Culture Festival has been held every year, during the peony blooming season. It is possible to visit dozens of peony exhibitions, large and small, in the city.

Other great destinations in China for viewing peonies are the Peony Garden, located in Chaozhou, Shandong Province, and the Peony Valley in Zhongjiang, Sichuan Province.

From the Flower of Love to Royal Approval

The peony occupies a very important position in Eastern culture. Since ancient times in China, the peony has been known as the flower of love. For example, The Book of Songs, one of the earliest collections of poetry in China, made reference to peonies: “a man and a woman who love each other express their feelings by giving peonies”.

As Chinese history developed, peonies and the Chinese royal family began to have an increasingly close connection. Royal palaces were filled with brightly colored peony flowers, signifying dignity and majesty and often used to describe the elegance of royal women.

Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses by Zhou Fang (c. late 8th–early 9th century)

The Heart of Condiments, the Favorite of Artists

In Europe, the cultivation of peonies also has a long history, but they were initially grown for food and medicine. In fact, peony roots are regarded as the best seasoning for barbecued food. In the fourteenth century, William Langland’s famous poem “Piers Plowman” mentioned that both peonies and pepper were regarded as spices.

In 1805, Sir Joseph Banks, a British explorer and naturalist introduced several Chinese peony varieties to the UK, one after the other. This was warmly welcomed by both British horticultural enthusiasts and the aristocratic community.

Many painters were fascinated by peonies, and several great artists painted them, including Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, and more. This led to peonies becoming a favorite of the general public.

Peonies by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (c. 1880)

Vase with peonies and roses by Vincent Van Gogh (1886)

Young Woman with Peonies by Frederic Bazille (1870)

Blair's Favorite

The United States and France also began to cultivate a large number of peonies during the 19th century. Varieties of Paeonia gradually spread from the Royal Botanical Garden to people’s gardens. In 1903, the United States established the American Peony Society.

In the influential American teen drama TV show, Gossip Girl, Charles “Chuck” Bass stood on top of the Empire State Building and readied himself to propose to Blair Waldorf, while holding a bunch of peonies.

Can I Grow Peonies Myself?

It is very easy to grow peonies, because they are already well adapted to the garden environment. However, it can take several years for newly planted peonies to become fully established in your garden. During that time, you should take extra care to maintain your peony plants, by watering, fertilizing, and pruning them.

The stems of herbaceous peonies are soft, so they cannot always support their huge flowers, and their flowers often fall off. Therefore, when planting a peony, it is very important to choose the right support. You should also choose a variety of peony that is suitable for your garden and for the location in which you want to plant it.

Size: 50-70 cm (20-30 inches)

Hardiness: USDA zone 2-9

Sunlight: full sun

Soil: fertile,well-drained, pH 6.0-7.0

Water: no extra watering is needed, unless the weather is very dry

Fertilizer: at least 3 times a year, the timing is critical