Olga's Blog (31)

Epiphyllum, also known as Orchid Cactus, is a genus of 19 species of epiphytic plants in the cactus family that are native to Central and South America. The plant is pretty easy to grow and should be treated as a houseplant in our zone.…

This year marks 25 years since the Chester Garden Club built the gazebo on Main Street in Chester.  The trees that were planted at the time have grown tall and now provide needed shade in the summer.  They also shaded the former sun-loving garden which necessitated a complete redesign and replanting of the gardens…

A mysterious object was filmed by an underwater camera near a deep-sea camera drilling rig off the coast of the United Kingdom. It turned out to be a Deepstaria enigmatica, a bag-like jellyfish, said oceanographer Steven Haddock.


Two Tree Lilacs (Syringa reticulata) were dedicated at the annual event held this year on April 27th at 50 North Rd. One tree was donated by Scott Juhlin, ELC Landscaping, and the other tree was donated by Chester Boroughʼs Shade Tree Commission, Environmental & Open Space Committee…

This is another fabulous recipe from our 2011 December Luncheon. Carol W. comments are in italic. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, (4 medium leeks)
• 1/4 cup…

Wondering what to do with cranberries? Try our club member's elegant Christmas Cranberry Mousse:

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon…

As the Chester Craft Fair is approaching, we would like to list the types of bulbs the Garden Club will be offering this year. All our bulbs are deer- and rodent-resistant and fully ready for fall planting in your garden. We also will be taking orders from local customers only (sorry we don't offer mail delivery) for Allium Globemaster and tree peonies since they won't be ready for Craft Fair. We…

There are two types of red raspberries: summer-bearing and fall-bearing. Summer-bearing raspberries produce crop…

Out of many ferns I have grown over the years, my favorite is Hare’s Foot (Davallia sp.). It has lacy fronds and fascinating hairy rhizomes (“hare’s feet”) that eventually creep over of the edge of the pot. Despite its delicate appearance, this fern is very easy to grow indoors; it survives remarkably well dry air…

I am a soup person. I absolutely cannot live without soup. Once a day, at least 5 days a week, my family has to have a soup for lunch. It sure scares my son though, and, every time I place a bowl of soup in front of him on the kitchen table, he rolls up his eyes. But since he knows that there is no way he can avoid eating soup, he sighs and picks up his spoon.

Like many of you, as the weather gets colder, I certainly like to cook…

A couple of weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite spots in town, Willowwood Arboretum. In its Mediterranean Garden, I came across a plant which had already finished flowering but its foliage and impressive flower stems covered in numerous seed pods still looked beautiful. I searched for the name tag among its dense leaves and finally found that the plant’s name was Pineapple Lily (Eucomis comosa). After I got home, I immediately searched for more…

During the Craft Fair, I found myself talking with one of our avid gardeners, Nancy, about French sorrel. It surprises me that such a delicious green is not widely known in America. French sorrel (Rumex scutatus) and garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa) are closely related to the weed commonly found in our backyards, sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella). All sorrels are edible…

In a store, as I walk between shelves filled with different plants, tiny containers with Venus Fly Traps (Dionea muscipula) catch my eyes. They are fascinating carnivorous plants.

Carnivorous plants have caught the imagination of many minds including Charles Darwin, who wrote Insectivorous Plants book and had extensive correspondence about them with his close friend and colleague Sir Joseph Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Carnivorous…

The temperature is in teens outside, and our gardens will stay dormant for about two more months before starting to awaken with the first warm sunlight. Fortunately, gardening is not confined to just outside, and majority of us probably have a few indoor plants which are happily growing and even blooming this time of the year. One of those plants is the orchid. Not all orchids continue to actively grow during winter; some of them are slowing down a bit, but others are shooting out…