Quotation of the Week: "When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden." — Minnie Aumonier

Fragrant Roses

Julia Child AARS Winner 2006

By Yvonne Savio, Pasadena, CA As I prune my established roses and consider which new varieties to include, I always think first of fragrance. When I first planted my new rose garden at our Davis home, I chose only by color. Then, when they came into bloom, I was disappointed -- they looked beautiful, but lacked the essential rose fragrance. That's when I determined to not even consider a beautiful bloom until I was assured that it would smell strongly as well. Then, I'd look at the rest of its qualities. Exploring Scents The seven basic scents most often found in hybrid tea roses are apple, clover, lemon, nasturtium, orris, rose, and violet. Others are anise, bay, fern, geranium, honey, hyacinth, lily-of-the-valley, linseed oil, marigold, moss, orange, parsley, peppers, quince, raspberry, and wine. In general, the most highly scented roses are the ones that are darker in color, have more petals to the flower, or have thick, velvety petals. Reds and pinks tend to smell "like a rose;" whites and yellows smell like lemon, orris, nasturtium, and violet; oranges smell like clover, fruit, orris, nasturtium, and violet. Fragrance is strongest early on warm, sunny days when the soil is moist. ‘Chrysler Imperial’ seems immune to the vagaries of the weather and is wonderfully fragrant even on cool, cloudy days. Some top choices include 'Chrysler Imperial', 'Dolly Parton', 'Double Delight', 'Fragrant Cloud', 'Garden Party', 'Intrigue', 'Mister Lincoln', 'Papa Meilland', and 'Sunsprite'. Cut Roses For cutting, here are some to consider: Red: 'Mr. Lincoln', 'Olympiad', ‘Oklahoma’ Pink: ‘Aromatherapy’, 'Bewitched', Pink Traviata, ‘Spellbound’ , 'Touch of Class' Purple: 'Intrigue', 'Paradise' White: 'French Lace', 'Honor', 'Iceberg', 'Pascali' Orange: ‘Bronze Star’, ‘Cary Grant’, ‘Tahitian Sunset’, ‘Voodoo’ Yellow: 'Gold Medal', ‘Henry Fonda’, ‘Radiant Perfume’ Black: ‘Black Bacara’ Most roses will last for at least four days when cut when in bud and put in vases of 72-degree water. Recut back about 1/4 inch every two days, and add new water. Red, pink, and orange roses with many petals generally last the longest. 'Olympiad' and 'Touch of Class' may last as long as nine days. Roses that appear to be resistant to powdery mildew include 'Double Delight', 'Honor', 'Iceberg', and 'Cary Grant'. To reduce the chance of mildew, spray the plants -- especially new growth -- with plain water from a hose with a spray head two or three times a week, making sure to cover leaf undersides.

Gabi Radu Green Thumb Garden Pro

Organic Orchid Care Tips

by Tamara Galbraith Along with my orchid fascination that developed a couple of years ago came frustration. Every place that sold me an orchid also recommended synthetic fertilizers and fungicides with which to treat them. As a mostly organic gardener, this caused me some consternation. Surely there were organic remedies for my epiphytic friends? As it turns out, alfalfa meal — a common organic treat for roses — also works great as a tea for orchids. What's even better is that you can use it as both a drench and a foliar spray. Here's the recipe: Put 1 cup of Whitney Farms alfalfa meal in a piece of cheesecloth (the leg of an old pair of pantyhose works great too), making a pouch. Tie the ends securely. Soak this "tea bag" in 5 gallons of water for a day. Be sure the water is lukewarm — not hot or cold — before using on orchids. Alfalfa meal is rich in all kinds of vitamins and minerals, and is a benefit to all flowering plants. Use it every other watering for great blooms, then toss the used alfalfa meal in the compost pile (without the pantyhose, natch). Now, how about those pesky bacterial spots that sometimes infect orchid leaves? If you've ruled out insect infestation and sunscald, then reach for your spice rack. That's right: ground cinnamon is a common fungus-fighter for orchids. Simply sprinkle a small amount directly on the leaf spot and rub it in slightly. It won't eliminate the spot itself, but will usually prevent disease from spreading further on the plant. If you need to trim off entire leaves or spent spikes, seal off the open cut with cinnamon as well.

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Composting the "Unusual"

By Tamara Galbraith Tired of looking at all of those fat, post-holiday bills? Compost 'em. Although the microbial activity in a compost pile slows during winter's cooler temperatures, you can still put items aside to add to your pile when Spring comes. (Stuff a mixture in a dark-colored trash bag, throw a little water on it, poke a few small holes in the bag and put it outside in a sunny area = instant temporary pile.) Here are some compostables that you may not have previously considered adding to your pile: hair (human or animal) pasta (without sauces or oils) stale bread facial tissues peanut shells bad wine stale beer dust bunnies/lint clean shellfish shells old herbs and spices tea bags Compost breaks down most efficiently when there is a good mixture of dry and moist items, but don't let it get too wet. If your pile is smelly, there's too much moisture. Add some dry leaves or shredded newspaper. Also, get in the habit of poking and turning the pile periodically to add oxygen. And about those bills? Tear out the little plastic window on the envelope before composting...but make sure you've paid them first, of course!

What You'll Need: 2 (12-oz.) jars beef gravy 3 (4-1/2 oz.) jars or cans sliced mushrooms, drained 1 large onion, cut into wedges 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 2 (16-oz.) packages frozen meatballs, thawed 1 (8-oz.) carton sour cream 6 cups hot cooked wide noodles Step by Step: In a 4-1/2 or 5 quart slow cooker, combine beef gravy, mushrooms, onion, Worcestershire sauce and allspice. Stir in meatballs. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH heat for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. In a small bowl, gradually stir 1/2 cup of the hot gravy into the sour cream. Add sour cream mixture to slow cooker, stirring gently until combined. Serve meatball mixture over hot cooked noodles. Yield: 10 servings