Quotation of the Week: "We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?" — Wendell Berry

A Very Special Day!

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations we know of were ancient Greek spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. But those were in honor of one particular mother. England's "Mothering Sunday," begun in the 1600's, is closer to what we think of as "Mother's Day." Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England. In 1907 Anna Jarvis started a drive to establish a national Mother's Day. In 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church in West Virginia -- one for each mother in the congregation. In 1908, her mother's church held the first Mother's Day service, on May 10th (the second Sunday in May). That same day a special service was held at the Wanamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia, where Anna was from, which could seat no more than a third of the 15,000 people who showed up. By 1909, churches in 46 states, Canada and Mexico were holding Mother's Day services. In the meantime, Ms. Jarvis had quit her job to campaign full time. She managed to get the World's Sunday School Association to help; they were a big factor in convincing legislators to support the idea. In 1912, West Virginia was the first state to designate an official Mother's Day. By 1914, the campaign had convinced Congress, which passed a joint resolution. President Woodrow Wilson signed the resolution, establishing an official national Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. Many countries of the world now have their own Mother's Day at different times of the year, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, and Turkey join the US in celebrating Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. Britain still celebrates Mothering Day on the 4th Sunday of Lent — but they now call it Mother's Day. By any name, and at any date, it's a special day to honor a special person. Have a gardening mother in your family and having trouble thinking of a gift? Bored with the usual chocolate and flowers? Try something different for Mother's Day this year! How about a gift planter? Get a big flowerpot or a planter and fill it with things she can use in her garden! She'd surely appreciate a new pair of garden gloves, a selection of seeds, new small tools like trowels and clippers, knee pads, some good hand lotion, and other useful items she might not buy for herself.

ALSTROEMERIA
	Alstroemeria, also known as the Lily-of-the-Incas or Inca Lily, is a relatively new garden plant that is being grown for its beautiful, large inflorescences of purple, lavender, red, pink, yellow, orange, white and bicolors.
In recent years, the Inca Lily has gained distinction because of the breeding work of Dr. Mark Bridgen at the University of Connecticut. He began his work in 1987 with his first plant collection expedition to Brazil with the late Fred Meyer. In Brazil he was able to collect the only fragrant species of Alstroemeria plus others that supply certain valuable characteristics to the hybrids. In subsequent years, Dr. Bridgen made 8 trips to Chile to collect Alstroemeria species that add winter hardiness, stem strength, and a variety of colors to the hybrids. Historically, the Inca Lily has been best known for its ability to produce long-lasting cut flowers; their post-harvest vase life is up to 2-3 weeks. The plants have an everblooming habit in the garden and will flower continuously all summer and fall. In the garden, Alstroemeria grow best in full sun, but can also grow in partial shade. Heights of the plants will vary from 1-3 feet depending on the cultivar, the amount of light the plant receives and plant culture. Flowering stems are shorter on plants that are grown in full sun. Plants will also remain shorter during the growing season if flowering stems are removed after they bloom. Alstroemeria plants that are grown in the garden, will respond to applications of mulch, water, and fertilizer. They will flower more when high levels of fertilizer are applied. The plants grow best in a well-drained soil. We feature the Princess series including: Camilla, Ivana, Oxana, Sara and Stephanie.
Camilla Oxana Sara Stephanie
A great gift idea for Mom this weekend!
Mariesa Bergquist Green Thumb Garden Pro

Make Space For Summer Vegetables

If you grow vegetables year-round in an established garden you'll need to make space for summer crops. When you plant winter vegetables in fall you can usually pull up just about everything and start out fresh. But in spring when you plant summer vegetables it's not quite that easy, because the seasons for many crops overlap. It's often necessary to plant among some winter vegetables that are still going strong and to pull out others — even if they aren't quite finished — in order to make enough room for summer vegetables. The smaller the space, the more important it is to schedule your fall planting so that most cole crops — such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower — are finished by the time you are planting. If they're still going strong, plant them earlier next year. Peas are often getting ratty looking and mildewy by summer planting time, so pull them out and replace them with tomatoes and corn. Onions and garlic stay in the ground to mature as the days lengthen. Be sure to weed your onions often; their small root systems can't compete with the roots of weeds. Replace parsley now or next month. A good place for it is east of a row of trellised cucumbers, where it will get some shade on hot afternoons. By cleaning out most winter crops, and cultivating and amending the soil before summer planting, you help prevent a carryover of pests and diseases.

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What you need: 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup milk 1 square unsweetened chocolate, grated (1 ounce) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, grated, or 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup boiling water Step by Step: Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into bowl. Add milk, chocolate, nuts, butter, vanilla, and blend well. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Combine sugars, chocolate, salt and vanilla, and spread evenly over first mixture. Pour the boiling water over this but do not stir. Bake in a moderate oven, 350F, for 1 hour, until the cake that rises to the top tests done. There will be a layer of fudge sauce beneath. Can be served warm or cold, with or without cream. Notes: [1] You can reduce fat content by substituting 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon melted margarine for the 3 squares of unsweetened chocolate. [2] You can omit the nuts to reduce fat or if you just prefer it without nuts. [3] This can be cooked in the microwave; use an 8" square glass or Corningware dish. [4] If using the microwave, allow 8 to 9 minutes on high (750-watt oven, adjust for your own particular nuker), turning quarter way around halfway through the cooking time (or use lazy susan).