Redland Evening Herb Society Online

This month features the  garden of REHS member  Melanie Bermudez. Her garden is full of statuary and  tropical flowers.

Gargoyles and fairies watch  over a canoe used as an  elaborate container garden full of herbs.

A goddess image stands  among fire bush and frangipani plants.

Melanie’s grandkids love to  play in the garden, among  the plants or on the trampoline.

The path along the side of the house is full of plants  that sprang up on their own.

Plans (and work!) are underway for a vegetable bed in  another section of the garden.

Thanks to Melanie for sharing her magical space with  us, and thanks to Kristin  Jayd-Jimenez for the lovely  photographs and explanations!  

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 07:28 PM | Permalink

Description: Native to southern Mexico, vanilla is a climbing tropical orchid with oval leaves and heavy stems. Flowers are yellowish- green, with a hairy yellow center lip. Vanilla is currently grown in many tropical countries, most notably Madagascar and Reunion. Indonesia is also successful in
producing vanilla.

Cultivation: Vanilla orchids prefer moist, shady environments. They do not tolerate frost. Flowers bloom after the third year, and must be pollinated by hand to develop pods. Pods must then be cured to obtain the flavor, in a process developed by the Aztecs. Vanilla labeled as “Mexico” vanilla has
been cured by a steaming process, while “Bourbon” vanilla has been cured by blanching.

Culinary: Vanilla is used as a flavoring, and sometimes as a coloring agent for foods. It is most known for adding its flavor to sweet dishes, but can also be used for savories. It is commonly available as the whole pod or as an extract. The best quality pods should have white crystals on them when
you buy them.

Other uses: Vanilla is widely used an addition to perfumes, potpourris and cosmetics.

More about Vanilla:
• Vanilla is said to have been brought into popularity as a flavoring alone by Queen Elizabeth I.
• Most chocolate desserts contain vanilla to set off and complement the chocolate’s flavor.
• Vanilla sugar can be made by placing a vanilla bean in a sealed container with sugar. As you use it, add more sugar to replenish.

Sources:
Herbs and Spices for Florida Gardens by Monica Moran Brandies.
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Vani_pla.html


“Ah, you flavor
everything; you are
the vanilla of society.”
-Sydney Smith

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 08:37 PM | Permalink

Eliat and Enrique Schmalbach have an extensive garden planted around their  home and fish farm. Most  of the plants were placed  intentionally, but others  grew where their seeds were scattered after meals on the  terrace.

Eliat loves growing all manner of plants, and there are  herbs, fruits and vegetables thriving in the landscape.  There are citrus and tropical  fruit trees planted on the  property, which provide  shade for some of the other  plants.

Raspberries flourish in the  center “wild” part which is  left natural and uncultivated  in a Brazilian tradition Enrique adopted.

The Schmalbachs enjoy pomelos, mangos, avocados  and loquats from their trees,  and flavorings from fennel,  basil and rosemary, among  other aromatic herbs. They  also have flourishing tomatoes and a large aloe that  was in gorgeous bloom.

Many thanks to Eliat and  Enrique for showing us their garden!

“In spring, at the end  of the day, you should  smell like dirt.” -Margaret Atwood  

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 03:38 PM | Permalink

Kristin Jayd-Jimenez sent in these lovely pictures of Cheri O’Neal’s garden. Cheri grows a variety of vegetables and herbs, and began her garden from scratch when she moved to her ‘new’ house. It is now well established and very beautiful.

Cheri has this to say:

Well, in my herb garden I am growing Strawberry, Mint, Comfrey, Basil, Lavender, Rosemary, Oregano, Tomato and Parsley. In another box I am growing Fennel, Dill and more Rosemary. The Fennel and Dill are Caterpillar food for the Eastern Black Swallowtail I have successfully attracted.

And of course some weeds! A garden isn't a garden without weeds. Oh, I almost forgot that I have a beautiful chive plant hidden behind the very large Basil. My lemon grass is about 6 feet tall, and that came from the raffle table last year some time. It is beautiful and HAPPY!

Thank you, Cheri for showing us your gorgeous garden!

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 02:35 PM | Permalink

Herbs are happy just about anywhere, which makes them perfect for the beginning gardener, or the forgetful gardener. A self-confessed herb killer, I’ve managed to nurture some of the harder to kill varieties, and now have some bits of real ground to play with. The mints live in pots so they don’t
take over the yard. This year is the first time I’ve seen mint flowers— much fun!

Lemongrass & Cuban oregano are peacefully coexisting in a mixed bed at the moment.

Other beds hold tarragon, parsley, garlic chives and vegetables. Corn & acorn squash are happy side by side (though the corn hasn’t thrived), and the other pictured bed has cantaloupes, tomatoes and dill. Most seeds are harvested from the grocery store, so even if they don’t grow, not much is lost.

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 06:32 PM | Permalink

From December 3, 2005 to May 31, 2006, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden hosted artwork installations by worldrenowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. Their vivid colors and organic looking forms made touring the garden even more fascinating.

Tall towers stood in various locations, while bubbles floated strategically in the Garden’s lakes and ponds. Other sculptures surprised by masquerading as flowers, birds, or other natural elements.

It was a wonderful opportunity to combine a day in the outdoors with viewing of lovely art pieces.

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 05:22 PM | Permalink

John & Marie Thorp have a tropical oasis surrounding their home in Princeton. Plants truly thrive on their property, and John has a green thumb when it comes to propagation. He has many baby plants started from seed, air layers, or cuttings. Many plants are in pots, but for more permanent beds, John and Marie have improvised raised beds from reclaimed bathtubs. Raised up on cement blocks the tubs are the perfect height and width for easy access, and lined with a couple of inches of stone, drainage is no problem. Vegetables especially seem to like the arrangement, especially their onions and tomatoes.


The couple loves learning about herbs, which they recently discovered, and they are eagerly planning a permanent herb garden to house the mints, basils, stevia, lemongrass, citronella and other herbs they cultivate. They also were fascinated with the plants that were growing wild on their property when they arrived, like tobacco and bananas. There are many more plants than listing space in their garden, and they have plans to expand. We look forward to a revisit! Thank you, John & Marie, for sharing your space!


Innovative reuse: Bathtubs as raised garden beds. Those are tomatoes and chili peppers inside.

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 04:34 PM | Permalink

This month we are visiting the garden of Leila Barnes. Situated in the Redland, Leila’s grounds are full of fruit trees and orchids as well as herbs. Much of it has been given rough treatment by an unwelcome guest gardener named Wilma, but many plants seem to be on their way to recovery.

In the herb plot, there is a lush growth of mint, and dill has self-seeded all over. Several basil plants and comfrey also are growing successfully along with several species of bamboo, lilies, violets and violas. Leila also has several gingers - most grown for decorative or edible blooms - and turmeric living quite happily under a canopy of large trees. She finds that growing plants here in Florida is similar to her native Hawaii. She also shared a remedy taught by her mother. Make a tea of guava leaf tips, and drink 1/2 cup before meals as a digestive aid to prevent diarrhea. Use only the newest pair of leaves on a branch.

After the tour, we were serenaded by Foxy – Leila’s friendly dog.

Many thanks to Leila for sharing her garden!

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 05:41 PM | Permalink

Arturo Gonzalez is proof that you
don’t need a huge space to grow your
own produce, although all available
space in his yard is dedicated to
“Useful plants.” His philosophy can
best be described as, “If I
can’t eat it, why grow it?”

His garden also stands as
proof that organic farming
is certainly better for
the plants, as the lush
growth achieved shows.
Everything was green and
thick, despite the efforts
of a lady named Wilma.

In addition to the pictured
herbs and vegetables, there are
plantings of banana trees, papayas,
monstera, coconuts, spinach, radishes,
carrots, onions, tomatoes, cabbage,
squash, garlic, chives, tarragon, oregano, boniato,
and grapevines. Even with that extensive
list, I’m sure I missed something!
Thank you for letting us visit your garden, Arturo!

Arturo reaping the harvest of his
organic collard beds

Foreground: Cilantro, mint
Background, center left: tarragon
Back row: collards

Various herbs in
Arturo’s garden

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 10:38 AM | Permalink