by GardenLover | Apr 2, 2012 | Favorite Flora, Guest blog
By Jane Rogers
Bloodroot is one of early spring’s most cherished wildflowers, in part because it’s a sure signal spring has arrived. This dazzling white, daisy-like flower pops wide open when the sun comes out, while on cloudy days you’ll notice the petals are closed and the leaf hugs the stem. As bloodroot matures the scalloped leaf makes a handsome groundcover.
When bloodroot is happily sited it spreads and self-seeds which enables me to spread drifts of it along my woodland pathways. Bloodroot will thrive at the edge of a woods or even in full sun if your yard is moist.
If you’d like to add bloodroot to your garden, but if you’re not lucky enough to have a friend who will share a clump, check spring plant sales. 
When planting, take care not to plant the rhizomes (rootstock) too deeply or heavily mulch or your plant may rot. Bloodroot transplants and divides well in spring or fall. Just slice rhizomes into 3” sections including a bud eye (to plant facing upward). Place pieces horizontally, 1/2″ to 1″ deep, cover lightly with leaf litter and water until established. Those orangish-red rhizomes and all parts of the plant will drip colored juices if it’s cut or broken, so be sure to wear an apron and gloves to avoid stains. Native Americans used bloodroot to paint their faces, weapons, baskets and dye their cloth. It’s fun, though, to paint a broken root across the palm of a child and tell this story.
I hope you’ll enjoy growing, multiplying and conserving the beautiful bloodroot in your own garden. By doing so you can help protect our nation’s native wildflowers for future generations to enjoy.
Thanks to Jane for sharing on Heartland Gardening. She’s grows, studies and photographs wildflowers in her backyard in Akron, Ohio. She also lectures and writes on wildflowers and exhibits her award-winning images, most recently in the touring “Three Women in the Woods” exhibit.
by GardenLover | Apr 1, 2012 | Gardens to Drive
On April Fool’s Day, here’s a little horticulture humor. Thanks to Meadow View Growers of New Carlisle, Ohio, for the laugh.
by GardenLover | Mar 30, 2012 | Happenings
By Teresa Woodard
Celebrate the artistry of flowers as three Midwestern art museums host “Art in Bloom” exhibitions, this spring. Top floral designers from each city will create stunning arrangements as they interpret select pieces in the museums’ collections.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is known to have sprouted the idea in 1976, and museums around the United States and other countries have since adopted their own versions. Many host a weekend full of luncheons, floral design workshops, garden tours, evening galas and gardening lectures. One likely sellout will be the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ lecture by Nancy Clark, former chief floral designer at the White House as she shares insights into the distinctive styles of six First Ladies and several behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
Check out the “Art in Bloom” nearest you:
- Milwaukee Art Museum (March 29-April 1) – The four-day “Tribute to Art and Flowers” will feature guest appearances by celebrity floral designers and gardeners Zannah Crowe, Mark Dwyer, Melinda Myers, and René van Rems, and presentations on European High Style design, shade perennial selections, colorful gardens and easy methods for growing orchids.
- Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio (April 19-22) – Staged around a Venice theme, highlights of the Italianesque weekend include a wine tasting, “Evening in Venice” gala, jazz brunch, garden day trip and several workshops.
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts (April 28-May 1) – Join the Institute as it hosts its 28th “Sensing Spring” Art in Bloom with works of 150 floral designers, several lectures, a floral design demonstration, luncheons, family activities and an after-hours party.
by GardenLover | Mar 27, 2012 | Gardens to Drive
By Michael Leach
Is a trip to the Netherlands for tulip time out of the question? Don’t despair. Colorful vestiges of the Dutch tulip obsession are sprouting in several Midwest locations.
Dutch immigrants left more lasting impressions than wooden shoe footprints in Michigan, Iowa and elsewhere. Their love of tulips was contagious and spread far beyond their settlements.
Given this year’s Sun Belt winter and spring heat wave in most of the Midwest, who knows when the tulips will blossom. Not to worry, I’ve learned of places worth a visit with or without tulips.
For instance, there’s Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The tulip display is reported to be considerably ahead of the traditional May tulip time but who cares? Chicago has so much else to offer and the plantings that replace the tulips are outrageously grand all summer.
With a name like Holland you expect tulips. The Michigan namesake town hosts perhaps the best known and most elaborate festival. An estimated 6 million tulips bloom in city parks and along 6 miles of streets. This year’s Tulip Time Festival is May 5-12. Holland isn’t far from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. A ferry from nearby Muskegon crosses to Milwaukee in 2.5 hours, saving hours of driving, while adding a nautical element to a spring visit.
Go further west, and you’ll find a Dutch touch in Pella Iowa, southeast of Des Moines. A working windmill, built in 2002, is a focal point of the Vermeer Mill and Interpretive Center. This wheat grinding model, which looks like those in the Netherlands, is considerably more picturesque than the modern wind turbine. Pella’s tulip bash is May 3-5.
In northwest Iowa, a bit of tulipmania grows in Orange City with the Tulip Festival , May 17-19.
Topeka, Kan. holds its Tulip Time Festival April 7-23. According to the April issue of Midwest Living, there are 200,000 tulips and daffodils blooming a historic sites around town. The current issue also lists other flower-theme festivals.
Besides festivals, tulips are practically de rigueur in public gardens. The one nearest you probably has a display to make spring that much brighter. So check it out.
by GardenLover | Mar 23, 2012 | Good eats
Posted March 19:
Here on the last day of winter, Teresa and Michael are delighting in their latest garden harvests. Teresa dug winter carrots that she sowed last fall, and Michael’s been enjoying a covered row of collards through this mild winter. Now, they just need Debra to create a good recipe with the two ingredients. For next season, they’re making more plans for multiple crops. Michael has a cold frame ready to plant tomato seeds, and Teresa recently planted peas and lettuce seeds. What vegetables are you planting this spring?
Debra’s Response: Most of the Midwest has experienced a very moderate winter with respect to temperature. The collards and carrots that Michael and Teresa are enjoying have a sweetness to them that is born of being frosted, but not frozen. Today, while planting peas, I noticed that our kale has resprouted from the stems that I cut back last month after we harvested, what I thought, was our last kale. It has been a most surprising winter!
For a quick yet very satisfying side dish, try roasting carrots and collards. Again, I’m offering a free-form recipe; a cooking technique rather than a specific dish.
Roasted Collards and Carrots
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Scrub or peel the carrots, 2-3 per person depending on the size, and slice them into 1 ½” pieces
Toss with 1-2 TBS of olive oil – I use Extra Virgin – and herbs of your choice. One of my favorite combinations is dill, shallot pepper (from Penzy’s) and salt.
Spread the carrots out on a roasting pan. About pans: I have round deep steel pans and stoneware baking sheet pans. Both are great.
Roast for ~25 minutes or until you see the carrots starting to carmelize.
While the carrots are roasting, wash and chop the collards (or kale) into 1-2” pieces.
When the carrots are at where you want them, toss the collards on top, mix quickly, and cook for 5 minutes. The collards will slightly crisp and take on a toasty flavor.
An optional addition: toss some sesame seeds on top of the vegetables when you remove them from the oven.
Enjoy!
By Jane Rogers
When planting, take care not to plant the rhizomes (rootstock) too deeply or heavily mulch or your plant may rot. Bloodroot transplants and divides well in spring or fall. Just slice rhizomes into 3” sections including a bud eye (to plant facing upward). Place pieces horizontally, 1/2″ to 1″ deep, cover lightly with leaf litter and water until established. Those orangish-red rhizomes and all parts of the plant will drip colored juices if it’s cut or broken, so be sure to wear an apron and gloves to avoid stains. Native Americans used bloodroot to paint their faces, weapons, baskets and dye their cloth. It’s fun, though, to paint a broken root across the palm of a child and tell this story.
