This week on Plot 44? Well, it’s the time of year when the magnolia becomes the centre of attention. And rightly so. I planted this tree in November 2002, and it flowered even in its first spring in 2003, about half a dozen flowers I recall. Allotment neighbours came by and admired it. I still have the label in my allotment journal, it says: ‘A neat round headed tree with large, up to 10″ (25cm) soft mauve-pink cup shaped blooms. Height 8-10 feet (2.5 – 3m) in ten years.’ I also note the price of it, it was reduced by £10 and was a snip at £24. So here we are, nine years later, and it’s a star. Well worth the £24 I reckon. it’s tempting just to show you pictures of the magnolia, but there is more to Plot 44 than this!

November 2002, I have just planted the magnolia tree.

15 March 2012. The buds are opening…

15 March 2012, always makes me think of strawberry ice cream.

16 March 2012, ah… gorgeous.

But it’s not all about show. Smaller things are happening which are just as magnificent in their own way. Seeds in the polytunnel emerging, a bumper crop of sweet peas, plus the start of growth on the pomegranate tree. Yes, you can grow pomegranates in Liverpool. And outside, new growth everywhere if you look, lungwort, frittallaries and scillia.

15 March 2012, of all the sights of being a gardener, this is one of my favourite. Sweet pea ‘Tommy’ named after my allotment neighbour who gave me the seed (he died in 2007 and I grow it every year and remember him).

15 March 2012, the first signs of new growth on the pomegranate tree (inside the polytunnel).

15 March 2012, new leaves of brunnera, a member of the borage family, which will have masses of tiny blue flowers.

16 March 2012, snakeshead fritillaries in the bog.

16 March 2012, gorgeous blue flowers of scillia, emerging like stars.

Me and Gemma have been busy in the vegetable garden – it’s in two halves and Gemma has called them the eastern and western quadrangles. In the eastern quadrangle we have planted up a border with Gemma’s lavender bushes, rosemary and roses, with some thyme.

15 March 2012, the new east quadrangle.

And, unusually, I’ve had some help from Ronnie this week. We came to Plot 44 on Saturday for breakfast. Ah, the taste of food outside, like camping, it tastes so much better.

July 2001, the cordyline is on the right, just by the pot of orange flowers (marigolds). It’s about three feet high (1m).

And Ronnie, in his non-gardening role, will often point at things that ‘should’ be done. And it was the dead cordyline that was pointed out today. Well, the cordyline plant is one of the first plants that arrived at Plot 44, it was growing in a pot in our back yard at home, and it was getting a bit big. So it was transported here and planted out.

Well, it shot up like a rocket. And within a few years it had become the tallest thing on the plot – easily visible from the road, and looking suitably exotic.

Cordylines are native to Australian and New Zealand, and I love their big sword-like leaves. I love the way they look unusual here in the northern hemisphere. And, best of all, the plain green ones – Cordyline australis – are fairly tolerant of a bit of cold weather, so are hardy in the bits of Britain blessed with the Gulf Stream, so it’s not unusual to see them happily growing in the west of Scotland. In late spring mature plants, like this one, produce huge sprays of sweetly scented small white flowers, not at all showy, but which perfume the air all around it. Heavenly. And then the robin would come and eat the seeds.

In the winter of 2010-11 we had a very cold period. We had sub-zero temperatures for weeks and also snow, which is quite unusual here in Liverpool. The cordyline, for the first time ever, turned brown and the leaves dropped off. Sadly, the top growth had died. And this happened all over the UK, I would often see sad looking brown withered cordylines in gardens, looking defeated and sorry.

April 2007, the cordyline – in happier times – is the tallest plant on Plot 44.

The horticultural advice was to cut off the old branches, and cut the stem down to the ground and wait for it to send up new shoots from the base. So last spring I gingerly hacked off one branch with a saw, it was hard going, tough and fibrous, and I couldn’t face doing the rest, so I left it. And then one day last summer I noticed that it had in fact started sprouting from the base. It wasn’t completely dead after all. But it was a monster, and the thought of cutting it down seemed daunting… I mean, how exactly does one cut down a ten foot plant with a fairly solid trunk? (Cordylines are not trees, they have fibrous stems with a corky coating that resembles bark).

And so, this week, Ronnie decided it was time for it to go. Yes it did look pretty miserable, and so we set to it with the saw and renewed vigour. And maybe it’s because it’s had time to dry out but it was relatively easy to cut off the upper branches – fortunately Ronnie is six foot tall and able to grab the branch while I sawed feverishly! But the trunk was harder, though thanks to some sheer brute strength (mostly Ronnie’s), we cut it down. In the process we have made homeless several thousand families of woodlice who were living in the space between the inner fibrous section and the outer corky covering. I’m not sorry. I hate woodlice.

I enjoyed the change of scenery that a big garden change brings, and so did the robin who visited to see what was going on. And emboldened by the sense of removing old stuff, I cut down the miscanthus grass and gave us an opened view to the magnificent magnolia. A good day, hugely satisfying. A reminder that clearing is a stage in the process of renewal, of moving forward.

17 March 2012, Ronnie in rare ‘action shot’. (Note new growth around base of plant).

17 March 2012, the robin is on the rake having a look at the changes. I hope he/she is also eating woodlice.

17 March 2012, new improved clear view of the magnolia, whilst having a well-earned cup of tea, before the rain came.

This week I have been editing my friendship film for Rach. Yes, you’ll be able to watch it soon. I made short films for Rach all through 2011, many of them are about Plot 44, and the first film, made on 6 March 2011, shows the furry buds of the magnolia splitting open. It brought tears to my eyes. But I’m glad Rach got to see the magnolia.

I’ve encountered many friends whom, when offered an indoor plant as a gift, strangely turn it down. They always seem to cite the same reason, they have pets that they fear will get sick and die from eating the plants.

Why?

Why must it be a choice between a pet and a plant?  Why can’t plants and pets find some common ground instead of us having to make a difficult choice between man’s best friend and man’s best indoor air cleaner?

I’m sure if it came down to it, your pet would win since a plant won’t lick your face when you scratch between its ears. But, why do people feel that plants are such a danger to their pets?

Why?

Is it because of fear mongering from the pet care community?  Maybe it’s from stories they heard about Poinsettias poisoning a friend’s cherished Doberman Pincher?  But whatever the reason, I doubt they took a close look at the studies of reported pet poisonings compiled by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).

Why?

Why, because if they had they would have noticed that of the 425 fatal pet poisonings that occurred in the year 1990, only 6 were caused by plants, none of which were houseplants.  Now I’m not suggesting that all houseplants are safe but by following a few preventative steps you can enjoy the beauty and health benefits of both plants AND pets.

Which plants to avoid?  Well according to the American Veterinarian Medical Association’s Pet Poison Guide, the houseplants that are reported to have caused the most pet poisonings are in the plant Family, Araceae.  These include the genera Dieffenbachia, Aglaonema, Philodendron, Epiprenum, Monstera, Schefflera, Spathiphyllum, Syngonium, Zamioculcus, Alocasia, Caladium, Anthurium, Nephthytis, and Homalomena.  These plants contain varying amounts of calcium oxalate crystals in their sap which are released when bruised or crushed (or chewed or bitten) causing irritation and swelling in the mouth and throat and difficulty swallowing and breathing.  As bad as that sounds, it requires a lot of chewing to release enough oxalates to cause a negative reaction and the stinging and burning sensations are immediate and so discourage any further biting of the plant.

The AVMA’s Pet Poison Guide reports that the most dangerous of the plants are those with cardiac glycosides like Oleanders (Nerium) and Foxglove (Digitalis), but the only houseplants in that category are Azaleas, so you may want to avoid those plants entirely.  Even with that consideration, only 4 of the 425 reported fatalities were attributable to this group (less than 1%).

There are other houseplants that can cause some dermatitis from their sap or hairy foliage, primarily Ficus spp., some members of the Family, Euphorbiaceae (Poinsettia and Euphorbia), and Chrysanthemums.  These plants can be irritating but don’t present any significant health hazards for pets or their owners.

The California Poison Control System website has a list of safe plants and list of toxic plants and ranks them by toxicity.

The ASPCA has it’s own list of plants that are considered a danger to pets.  Both of them are good resources but there are many plants listed with contrary claims of safety and toxicity.  I’ve gleaned from them both the most and least animal friendly houseplants and listed them below:

Dracaena

Most Pet Friendly

• African violet – Saintpaulia ionantha
• Bamboo – Bambusa multiplex
• Bamboo, Golden – Phyllostachys aurea
• Bird of paradise – Strelitzia reginae, Strelitzia nicholai
• Bird’s nest fern – Asplenium nidus
• Cast iron plant – Aspidistra elatior
• China doll – Radermachera spp.
• Christmas cactus – Schlumbergera bridgesii
• Coleus – Coleus hybridus
• Dracaena – Dracaena spp.
• Easter lily – Lilium longiflorum
• Gloxinia – Sinningia speciosa
• Hare’s-foot fern – Polypodium aureum
• Heart-of-flame bromeliad – Bromelia spp.
• Hen and chicks – Echeveria spp.
• Lipstick plant – Aeschynanthus spp.
• Liriope – Liriope muscari
• Maidenhair fern – Adiantum spp.
• Neoregelia bromeliad – Neoregelia spp.
• Orchids – Cattleya spp., Epidendrum spp., Oncidium spp., Paphiopedilum spp.
• Palms – (Most houseplant palms are nontoxic except Fishtail palm, Caryota spp.)
• Peperomia – Peperomia spp.
• Persian violet – Exacum affine
• Pink polka-dot plant – Hypoestes spp.
• Ponytail plant – Beaucarnea recurvata
• Prayer plant – Maranta leuconeura
• Rattlesnake plant – Calathea spp.
• Spider plant – Chlorophytum comosum
• Sword fern – Nephrolepis exaltata
• Ti plant – Cordyline terminalis
• Urn plant bromeliad – Aechmea spp.(Other species in the genus may be toxic.)
• Vriesea bromeliad – Vriesea spp.
• Yucca- Yucca spp.

Dumb Cane

Least Pet Friendly

• Amaryllis – Hippeastrum spp.
• Anthurium – Anthurium spp.
• Arrowhead plant – Syngonium podophyllum
• Azalea – Rhododendron spp.
• Begonia – Begonia spp.
• Caladium – Caladium bicolor
• Chinese evergreen – Aglaonema spp.
• Chrysanthemum – Chrysanthemum spp.
• Croton – Codiaeum variegatum
• Cyclamen – Cyclamen spp.
• Dumb cane – Dieffenbachia spp.
• Euphorbia – Euphorbia spp.
• Fig, Weeping and Fiddle-leaf – Ficus spp.
• Fishtail palm – Caryota spp.
• Hydrangea – Hydrangea spp.
• Ivy, English – Hedera spp.
• Lily – Lilium spp.
• Ming aralia – Polyscias spp.
  

  Azalea

• Nephthytis – Syngonium podophyllum
• Philodendron – Philodendron spp.
• Poinsettia – Euphorbia spp.
• Pothos – Epipremnum aureum
• Rubber plant – Ficus spp.
• Schefflera – Schefflera actinophylla
• Snake plant – Sansevieria spp.
• Spathiphyllum – Spathiphyllum spp.
• Split-leaf philodendron – Monstera deliciosa

Another effective strategy is to discourage pets from chewing or biting plants by using Bitter Apple for dogs and citrus oil for cats.  Once sprayed on the plants these deterrents work well to keep the furry friends away from the plants in a safe and harmless way.

Sadly, the major causes of pet poisoning are not plants but Pharmaceutical drugs, Cleaning agents, and Antifreeze but you don’t see people banning those things from their homes.

Hopefully, I’ve assuaged your fears about having plants AND pets and now you and your pets can breathe easier with indoor plants cleaning the air.  And isn’t Fido worth it?

I love the Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) because of its association with the seaside and the fantasies of palm fringed tropical beaches that it brings to mind.

Poolside Palms: Cabbage trees set the scene at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Cornwall

The ‘Cornish palm’ as it is also known, appears to relish the reliably mild and damp climate which gulf-stream-warmed spots from Torquay in Devon to Plockton on the west coast of Scotland offer, and features prominently in the marketing of picturesque resorts suggesting they have a far more clement climate than they actually do.

In their native New Zealand, Cabbage trees are a common sight in open, swampy ground and dotted about on farmland. But Cordyline australis is widespread throughout the North and South islands and has adapted to a wide range of habitats to produce quite variable plants with different leaf shapes and colouring along with variable size and branching characteristics. There are in fact five different species of Cordylines in New Zealand, but it is the australis that has become the globetrotter.

Native New Zealander: A Cabbage tree in its natural environment on the stunning Coromandel peninsula

It was the first European settlers of New Zealand who named the Cabbage tree. They had undoubtedly observed how indigenous Maori used the plant (known as Ti Kouka) for a multitude of uses including for food. The roots, stem and young heart leaves are all consumed (not having tasted it myself I assume the leaves are the cabbage-like part), and there is evidence that Maori planted the tree in South island locations for food production.

As every fan of musical theatre knows, Cornwall is synonymous with pirates and in my imagination it was these buccaneers who, retiring to these parts after years of marauding in the south seas brought home the Cabbage tree as a reminder of happy days. Cordylines have become a decorative horticultural mainstay since the nineteenth century but I wonder whether it is now time to take a fresh look at the culinary uses of the plant too?

Cabbage Patch: A venerable old Cordyline australis in fruit outside an old house on St. Ives fishing quay

This would be particularly appropriate in Cornwall where a celebrity restaurateur could surely conjure up something mouth-watering… Roasted Celtic Sea Turbot served with Cornish palm hearts and Jersey Royals anybody?

Some links:
My Cabbage tree Flickr set
New Zealand Department of Conservation entry for Cordyline australis

Cabbage trees lining the road into St. Ives:

Anyway, it’s the time of year when I start thinking about how to keep the garden looking populated and interesting over the winter, and getting bulbs in for spring, as well as taking cuttings of those plants which I would hate to lose but might well, if it’s as cold this winter as it was last. So on Sunday we pulled up most of this year’s annuals – the rudbeckia, coreopsis and marigolds – as a result of which the garden looks a lot less yellow. The rudbeckia have come close to smothering some other plants so I have reservations about having any next year. We’ll see. Maybe I should just be more organised about tying them up. I’ve left the begonias and some of the dianthus , as they are still looking reasonable and I hate to pull plants up for the sake of it.

I also emptied the hanging baskets, which were looking very sorry for themselves. They have been replanted with cyclamen and winter pansies. More cyclamen and pansies have gone in the flower beds – we found some trays of reduced plants on our last visit to the garden centre. A £7 tray of cyclamen for £2? Thank you, I’ll take four. So along with the scabious, lavender and a couple of hebes which are still flowering, we have some splashes of colour here and there.

We bought a large net bag of narcissus bulbs (assorted), some large crocus, dwarf crocus, dwarf tulips and English bluebells. Some narcissus, the dwarf crocus and the tulips have gone in the flower beds and all the rest will go in the bank at the end of the garden, under the trees where I hope they will naturalise and spread. In Jan or Feb I will look out for snowdrops in the green – I have never had any luck trying to grow them from bulbs, but although buying them in the green is more expensive it’s worth it if they actually survive and thrive.

I have yet to take any cuttings – that will be a job for this weekend. Mainly from two plants – the artemisia and the hardy wallflower – though I may try for some from the scabious too. I have mixed results with cuttings, but the artemisia has done so well this year that if it succumbs to cold I’ll kick myself if I didn’t at least try.

In readiness for the first frost, which is forecast for tonight, we have lifted our fuschia and brought it into the house, and dressed the cordyline in a lovely fleece jacket to keep it warm and dry. There isn’t much more we can do for them except hope that we don’t get a repeat of last winter.

I’ll try and take some photos of the garden in its winter state soon. Happy gardening.

©Superbian 2010

023/365

Then, turning from them, reverent,
“Their bed-time ‘t is,” she said;
“The bumble-bees will wake them
When April woods are red.”

April 7, 2009
Weather: warm & sunny should reach 70′s (We were in winter hell–now it’s like we’re in Spring Heaven–what good deed did we all do to deserve this?)

Synopsis: Family coming for visit–gardening on hold…but last night…Home Depot…new Magnolia..plant at lunch…this weekend…plant the fields for hay.

If Emily Dickinson had ever seen a Home Depot, she would have been amazed. Last night my husband and I went to get our supplies to plant our back planter. We needed Peat Moss, fertilizer sticks, sprinkler hose and heads, stakes, and brown felt. (Why do they make white felt?)

While there, I browsed around at all the flowers and took pictures of them and their tags so I could study them later and decide what I want to buy.

I knew I was looking for a Magnolia to go with my Forsythia on the East side of the house–(I’d read that Emily had one) and there was a beautiful 10 gallon one with white blooms sitting among its many brothers and sisters.

It was like love at first sight. Its pot was broken as if someone had tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy. Whew! Thank goodness no one else got it! (Mine is the one on the left of the picture with the broken rim). Isn’t he cute?

These Royal Star variety do well in cold climes–like ours. They grow to about 15 feet and, supposedly, have fragrant blooms. Mine is already starting to bloom–I’ll take pictures when we transplant it.

I took a lot of pictures, but these are the things I’m going back for after studying them at home.

Cordyline–or “purple grass” as I call it.

Sandwort–it says it blooms Spring and Summer in full sun–I’m thinking in front of the house around the trees.

Daisies: I thought I was going to plant Forsythia on the second tier of my back planter, but found the bushes I had called Forsyth Weekend–may grown to 10′. Therefore, they’re going to the East Side where I had intended there be Forsythia. I think Daisies and Tulips would be good there instead.

I thought this one was funny–since I’ve already written about how I feel about ticks…where did they come up with this name?!?

I thought this was cool–red bark that doesn’t lose its color. I’m going to bark over the planters, and my one complaint is that bark loses its color so fast. Has anyone had experience with this product?

It may be a couple of days before I can plant the flowers. We’ll get the Magnolia in the ground tomorrow at lunch, though, and post pictures around Wednesday.

Happy Gardening!

A quick tour of my so-called jungle garden (i.e. the place I so optimistically planted up with climate change anticipation plants last summer) reveals I didn’t exactly get out of the recent cold snap scot free.

This is (or was) a purple cordyline. I was rather fond of it as it made a snazzy contrast with the libertias and hostas, to say nothing of a canna behind it, and gave me the pleasant illusion that I was quite good at putting plants together. I thought they were meant to be bone hardy, too.

The remains of a Melianthus major that was just getting into its stride last autumn…

…and my poor Astelia chathamica ‘Silver Spear’, lately of Chelsea 2008, which also looks to be less hardy than you would think.

In the meantime here are some of the things currently flowering in my garden.

…a rainforest lilly pilly and cordyline flowers…

…some native violets that carpet many of my garden areas…

…a powderpuff lilly pilly and scarlet sprite groundcover grevillea…

Some plants are grown for their colourful foliage, like the Cordyline Fruiticosa ‘Pink’. These plants can be found around overhead bridges, pedestrians walkways and in carparks. Also commonly known as ‘Firebrand’, they add to the colour contrast of the green environment as their leaves are dark red in colour and they seldom flower.

I was lucky to spot one of them flowering in my university carpark! I was so delighted that I pulled out my mobile phone and snapped photos of it! Their white flowers are small and arranged in layers around the stalk. The flower spike is around 30 centimeters long.

I will still keep a lookout on them if they are any fruits developing on this plant. I am extremely excited to see one of these roadside foliages blooming! Too bad I did not bring along my camera along, so I have to take these photos with my mobile phone. Roadside plants are always full of surprises!!

The crowd was quite receptive. Cheow Kheng, my very good friend, supporter and collaborator was present to give me his support. I am very touched by his gesture as he sat through the entire session and had rushed to the libary from an earlier event. Shirley was present too. She was the one who helped me to take some of the pictures I post here.

One of the interesting topics I touched on in the talk was “taboo plants”. It is quite unfortunate that a number of plants used for tropical landscaping belong to this category. I therefore took the opportunity to share with the audience my opinions to help dispel some of the myths and encourage people to embrace these plants. I hope my audience are not be offended. The taboo label is nothing but a product of the human mind.

Taboo plants, in general, refer to plants that a certain ethnic group will avoid growing, mostly for superstitious reasons. For example, most people in Singapore will avoid growing the Frangipani (Plumeria), croton and cordyline inside their home gardens as they have been regarded as graveyard plants. Growing graveyard plants in one’s home garden is believed to attract bad luck. Bananas and various night-blooming fragrant plants, especially those with white flowers, are also avoided they are believed to be linked to spirits.

Frangipani, croton and cordyline are colourful plants. They add colour to a gloomy place like a cemetary. In Singapore, they are common graveyard plants probably because they are hardy plants that do not need regular, meticulous maintenance. Fussy plants are not good candidates for planting in a cemetary because no one in the sound mind will visit the graveyard everyday to take care of them.

The characteristics mentioned above that these so-called graveyard plants have can in fact be good news to a gardener – one can still enjoy the plant with less work done. If you are still adverse towards the white Singapore plumeria (Plumeria obtusa ‘Singapore’), then go for those new Thai varieties that produce red, mauve and pink flowers. The yellows are so deep in some varieties that they resemble gold.

Next, most Singaporeans should be familiar with the anecdotes of the banana spirit. One can attract the beautiful banana spirit residing in the tree by tying a red string on one’s big toe using one end while the other end is threaded to a needle that has been pierced into the bud of a flowering banana plant. When night falls, one can await the arrival of the banana spirit. Because of this, homeowners, especially those who are Chinese or Malay, will refrain from growing banana trees in their homes.

While the Chinese and Malays regard the banana as a taboo plant, take note that the Hindus regard the banana tree as a holy tree. Banana trees are used to adorn the gates of Hindu temples during big occasions and weddings. The leaves and fruits of the banana are used as offerings to Hindu deities. The banana plant because of its continuous regeneration is regarded by Hindus as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.

Another belief that one may come across is that the presence of spirits in one’s vicinity if one suddenly detects a flower scent at night. As a result, people avoid growing fragrant, night-blooming flowers in their gardens. To add to the problem, many of the fragrant, night-blooming flowers are also white in colour. White colour, to various cultures is a colour of mourning and death.

Flowers that bloom at night emit a fragrance to attract pollinators to help transfer their pollen. They are white also so that they stand out more prominently against the darkness. These are the works of Mother Nature!