Chaya - Meeting a New Plant

When we moved from West Virginia to north Florida, I started meeting plants I'd never heard of. 

Like Chaya. 

I first met Chaya in David the Good's, Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening (pp. 43-44), and learned that the plant is a perennial that can grow in poor soil, and that Chaya leaves are "ridiculously good for you." 

After I saw Green Deane's picture of a beautiful Chaya tree in Longwood, Florida, and read, in his Eat the Weeds blog post, "Chaya: The Spinach Tree," about Chaya leaves being "generally twice as nutritious as spinach, Chinese cabbage or amaranth," I began searching for plants to start in my garden. 

This September, my friend, Tammy (who's a resilient and creative gardener) generously gave me a branch from her huge Chaya plant! 

I made cuttings and,

six weeks later they were well rooted.  

Now, eleven sturdy baby Chaya plants are tucked in to our unheated greenhouse, where they can wait out the cold weather and be ready for setting out in the Spring.

By the way, if you like knowing plants' botanical names, Chaya with star-shaped leaves like these is Cnidoscolus aconitifolius. Chaya with leaves like maple leaves is Cnidoscolus chayamansa. Green Deane explains the origins of these botanical names here. 

Happiness is Fall Seed-Collecting!

Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I have a wildflower garden at our Homestead's entrance. Ragweed and Bidens had grown tall, above the flowers I planted, so I was happy today to clear away those aggressive plants and find my native Purple Coneflowers and Dotted Horsemints.

And even happier to find seeds!

The spiky seedheads (in foil) are just full of seeds. 

I'm saving them in paper today to plant in October!

 

How I Care for Ginger and Turmeric in my north Florida (Zone 8b) Garden

Turmeric in half-barrel planter

Ginger and Turmeric plants are easy to grow in north Florida (USDA zone 8b). I grow mine in containers. About 16 rhizomes can be grown in a 4-gallon half-barrel plastic planter. 

Ginger in containers

In smaller containers, I aim for about four inches between rhizomes. The plants like plenty of water and grow well in the shade of our oak trees. 

Deanna, at Homestead and Chill, has a nice post on growing Turmeric in containers. Her tips on choosing containers and planting rhizomes are great, although her growing season is a little longer than ours (she gets about ten months growth while we get eight or nine).

Pretty flower on edible Turmeric

After the first frosts, when the leaves have died down, I harvest my Ginger and Turmeric to use in healthy recipes. Growing my own saves me a lot of money (recipe links at the end of this post)! 

I keep my Ginger and Turmeric fresh, all winter long, by storing the rhizomes in sand in covered containers. I learned about storing Ginger and Turmeric in sand from Morag Gamble's YouTube video. 

To be sure to have Ginger and Turmeric for next year, I save some of the rhizomes for planting. In the Spring, I freshen the soil in my planters with compost, divide the rhizomes into smaller pieces, and replant.

Sometimes, to make things even easier, I leave some of the rhizomes in their containers to overwinter, and just harvest enough to prevent overcrowding. Large containers can be left in place, while smaller containers are best moved into a sheltered spot. Overwintered Ginger and Turmeric plants will come up on their own in the Spring. They do well with a little added compost and mulch snuggled in around their shoots and each year they increase in numbers.

When ready to use the harvest, I first brush off any loose dirt or sand from the rhizomes, then wash them in water, using a brush to clean them thoroughly. The best way to peel Ginger and Turmeric, surprisingly, is with a spoon! (I wear gloves when peeling Turmeric to keep it from staining my hands.) 

No matter how you use your fresh Ginger or Turmeric, they both add flavor and health benefits to your meals. I like fresh sliced Ginger in stir fries, and grated Ginger in a healthy shrub or in "Switchel." Here are some fun Ginger recipes:

• Ginger Veggie Stir-Fry
• Stir-Fry Sauce
• Thai Ginger Chicken
• Pineapple Juice and Ginger Shrub Mocktail
• Ginger Switchel
• Ginger-Turmeric Herbal Tea

Fresh turmeric is flavorful and healthy. Some example of how to use it include:

• Creamy Turmeric Chicken Skillet
• Turmeric Pickle
• Fresh Turmeric Golden Milk

I'd love to hear how you grow and use your own Ginger and Turmeric in the comments!

Medicinal Herb and Pretty Garden Plant - Narrow-leaved Plantain

 

I fell in love with Narrow-leaved Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) when I first saw its cheerful blooms on walks at our West Virginia homestead. The blossoms would appear to dance in the afternoon sun, twisting and turning in the slightest breeze. I called them “Sparkle Flowers”!

They were so pretty, I didn’t recognize the little wildflowers as Plantains. I was used to the Broad-leaved Plantain (Plantago major), a well-known medicinal plant but a larger one that can look a little weedy. When I learned that my "Sparkle Flowers" were Narrow-leaved Plantain, with medicinal properties similar to Broad-leaved Plantain, it was a win-win for me – cute flowers on a medicinal plant that I could slip into my garden beds.

I grew plants from seed for our new Florida homestead this year. Seeds from Strictly Medicinal Herbs, started in January, were ready for a garden border by March. 

This Weekend - "Plant Yard Sale" - Sunday only

Our "Plant Yard Sale" will be on Sunday 8/28 this weekend. On Saturday, DH will be home, taking a well-earned day off!

Our current list of available plants is here. 

I'm looking forward to meeting Tallahassee Plant People on Saturday, 8/27, at their monthly Plunch (Plants/Brunch/Fun) event!

Native Plants for Moss Garden Terrariums

All summer, I've been encouraging our native mosses and ferns to grow in pots and planters in shady places. With all the rain we've been getting, they have really spread! 

To enjoy these woodland plants indoors, I've been planting moss garden terrariums. 

Terrariums in three styles and two sizes will be available  at this weekend's "Plant Yard Sale"!

• small garden terrariums
• medium garden terrarium

1) Woodland Dish Garden (small garden terrarium)

Two kinds of moss, and lichen on a branch, grow together in an elegant dish garden for a seating or study area.

Keep the lightweight cover on between viewings to maintain humidity, and spray lightly with rainwater or distilled water when condensation no longer forms on the glass. Provide filtered light.

Native plants, sustainably grown. Easy care to leave plenty of time for serene contemplation.

Charcoal and pebble base layer. Lightweight cover provided. Glass vase 3 ½” tall x 4 ½” wide.

Hot Days and 'Forest Fire' Celosias

This year, instead of buying Celosia seed, I used saved seed from my 2020 'Forest Fire' Celosia plants. I had bought the 'Forest Fire' variety from Fedco Seeds in 2019. (Although Fedco didn't carry 'Forest Fire' seed this year, they do offer a similar Wheat Celosia variety, 'Ruby Parfait.')

Wheat Celosia plants thrive during our hot summers in north Florida. I love growing them!

Celosia's light-dependent seeds are easy to start when the weather is warm, and Celosias make great fresh cut flowers and dried flowers for fall arrangements. They can also be added to potpourri for a touch of color.

Celosia plants are big, and they grow somewhat loosely in the garden, so they can look a little wild. But, when the flowers are cut, they can be grouped closely together in a vase for a fun, dramatic look. 

To dry the flowers, I bundle several stems together with a rubber band.

I slip an opened paper clip under the rubber band to make a hook for hanging the bundle. 

Then I put the bundles inside paper lunch bags to keep them dust-free until they're dry. The bags also catch any seeds that fall off the flower heads.

Now I can enjoy my Celosias when the hot days of summer are done!