February 9, 2019- Week #11 of the Winter picture contest

The Ground Hog would have seen his shadow in Iowa City last Sunday.
This ushers in that time of Winter when we can realistically think Spring will be coming soon.
Of course it really will not be here for some time.
But the average temperatures in February go up by almost 10 degrees, from the beginning to the end.
The average high at the beginning of the month was 20 degrees. That average temperature had been 20 degrees all January. By the end of February it will be 30 degrees.

We are are also picking up at least 15 minutes per week in daylight.



Here is the snowdrop clump we were watching a month ago.
It is waiting for that first 40 degree day and I think the flowers will open.

Last Week in the contest

The Winner was Starry Starry Night, the hardy hibiscus.



Pink is a god color.
I was a little confused about the name. Marilyn wrote in and explained the name.
Here is what I learned.

"Starry starry night" are the opening words to a song by Don McLean composed in 1970.  He was inspired while reading a biography of Vincent van Gogh.  He named the song Vincent, and it is representative of van Gogh's painting "The Starry Night."  https://genius.com/Don-mclean-vincent-starry-starry-night-lyrics

Thank you Marilyn for adding this bit of knowledge for the group.
I should mention that I found a late blooming lilium named Starry Night on one of my internet sources. It was sold out at the moment.


100% of all votes was as follows:

Fall Crocus                11
Starry Starry Night    19
Hoya                           4
Fiamma                      4
Blue Iris                     4

We now have 12 of the 16 pictures selected to advance to the next round. There are 12 in 10 weeks because there were 2 ties.
There are 3 more weeks counting this coming week. Who else will be added and which picture will be the wildcard?

This Week, Week #11

#1 Pink Orchid 

December 21, 2019

This orchid is Bc mackai mayumi.
I have had it for 5-6 years.
This fall it started to bloom a lot in late Noember.
Bc stands for Brassayola and Cattleya. Those are the types of orchids that were crossed to produce this one.
Orchids are so important for the winter garden, being color to out mostly inside existance.

#2 Bicolor Asiatic Lily
John Hancock

 (June 27, 2019)

Asiatic lilies can have such bright colors, as you saw last week with Fiamma.
This is John Hancock.
I got it in 2018.
I have found that some do begin to lose some of their vigor, since they are blooming in less than full sun.

#3 Wild Tradescansia

 August 31, 2019

I have to tell you this.
This plant is a weed.
Mostly I pull these plants up.
Before I did that this time I took a picture.
It really is an amazing flower.
I really have nothing like it in the garden.

A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular place.
There is no genus or species for weed.
This is wild tradescantia. I grow a more cultivated cousin back by the pond.
The flower is this picture does not really look like its cousin.

#4 Daylily Primal Scream

 July 20, 2019

This plant is certainly in the top five named plants in the garden.
Daylilies do have many remarkable names.
This is because there are so many 1000's of daylilies in commerce.

#5 Virginia Bluebells 

May 2, 2019

Bluebells are an important part of my garden.
I do not remember ever having bought bluebell plants. It seems like they were always here.
They arrive after most of the spring bulbs are finished.
Then they dominate the garden like very few other plants.

I particularly liked this picture as you can see the different colors as the flowers develop.
The bud is pink. Then it opens blue.

Bluebells are actually a bulb. The bulb looks like a carrot. It can get to be an inch wide and 4-5 inches deep.
The plant will grow to 18 inches or so. As such I try to move them if they are next to a very short hosta or epmedium.
They bloom over several weeks, flowing around the garden, starting in the areas that get the most sun. After they are finished the foliage can be cleared away by the first of June.
They transplant easily. Each spring I will pot up maybe 50. If I get them right when they are coming out of the ground they will even bloom in their new home. Or they will become an easily identifiable bulb that can be put in the ground someplace, waiting for the next spring.





So there you have the field for Week 11.
Vote away.
And tell me your own stories.

Bonus Pictures

Bluebell time

Bluebells do go nicely with larger hosta. After they die down I will put shade annuals right over the top of the bluebell bulbs.







The buds are pink when they open. Some stay pink longer than others.
















This is actually a rare mutation. This plant stays white the entire time. I got it from a neighbor about 3-4 years ago. It has not particularly spread. I think that is true about many mutations.














Here is the pink tradescansia, in my garden, that is not a weed.
It is rather vigorous, bordering on the invasive.

Here are the buds.








Here is the full blooming orchid from picture one.

Julia's Recipe

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

This is an unusual soup, which I did not expect from reading the recipe. Philip pulled it from the NYTimes, because he thought it sounded interesting. I expected something akin to broccoli soup, of which we make two kinds: one with cheese and one without (and with potatoes). This soup is creamy, but without cream in the manner of pureed vegetable soups, but without any real brassica flavor. Of course, cauliflower is milder than broccoli or cabbage or brussel sprouts. Anyway, this soup is good and different. Try it.




The ingredients: 1-1/2 cups of chopped onion; 1-1/2 teaspoon of smushed garlic; 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots; 4 cups cauliflower florets (no stem pieces); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons miso (they say white, I had red); 1-1/2 teaspoon lemon zest; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon coriander seeds. Not shown: water!

Note the large lemon. Philip's sister has a lemon tree (and a grapefruit tree) and sent us some of each. Put grocery store citrus to shame.





I started by prepping the vegetables, peeling and chopping and smushing. Then I put the coriander seeds into a Dutch oven and heated them up for about 2 minutes until they looked a little toasty.

I turned off the heat and extracted the coriander seeds which I cracked up using a mortar and pestle. I happen to have one. If you don't, put the seeds in some kind of clean bag and crush with a rolling pin. I set the coriander aside for a bit.







I poured the olive oil into the pot and turned the heat to medium. I added the onion first and cooked it for 6 or 7 minutes. Then I added the garlic and cooked it for about 1 minute.

Then I added the sliced carrots, the coriander, the salt and 6 cups of plain old water. The recipe did not call for broth, which I usually use to make soup, but I did not this time to see what the soup would taste like without it.






Next I added the miso and whisked it in. It's thick stuff.

After the miso was incorporated, I added the cauliflower, brought the soup to a simmer, turned down the heat and covered the pot.

I cooked it for about 20 minutes until everything had completely given up. Or as recipes say, had become very tender.






I pureed it with a stick blender until it was smooth. Then I added the lemon zest and lemon juice, and as they say, soup was on.













Here it is in the bowl, sprinkled with a little smoky paprika and kosher salt to look fancy and add a little spice and crunch. The recipe suggested chopped cilantro, but we do not go there.

We had the soup with egg salad sandwiches and apple-celery-walnut-raisin salad (aka Waldorf salad) for a nice winter supper.

We had leftovers for lunch and the soup reheated nicely.

Odds and ends

I will make no comments about this last week. It is one we would rather forget.
It better get better.
Philip