Gardens to Drive For: Columbus, Ind.

by GardenLover | Jun 22, 2012 | Gardens to Drive

By Michael Leach

My childhood dream of becoming an architect ended when I failed pre-calculus twice, the second time despite tutoring. Yet I still harbor one dream from that freshman year in college: Explore the architectural treasure trove in Columbus, IN. Turns out there are gardens and parks, too.

Architectural masters, such as I.M. Pei, Richard Meier, Robert Venturi and Eliel and Eero Saarinen, left a legacy, thanks to the largess of the Cummins Engine Foundation, which paid design fees for many of the works. The place is such an embarrassment of riches , it wins raves from the American Institute of Architects to National Geographic Traveler.

Landscape designers, such as Michael Van Valkenburgh, are also represented. And while we’re name dropping, let’s not omit Henry Moore and Dale Chihuly, among the artists with works found around town.

A personal favorite among architects is Eero Saarinen, the son of the Finish design duo.  His arch in St. Louis is perhaps his best-known design. But Columbus has three of his works, including the Miller House and Garden. Now owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and open to the public. This 1957 classic is surrounded by an equally impressive Modernist garden created by landscape architect Dan Kiley.

For those visiting Columbus on Sunday (June 28), there’s a tour of six private lakeside gardens.

After ogling gardens, landscapes and structures, consider Eisbury’s Greenhouses and Garden Center, said to be one of Indiana’s largest retail-wholesale greenhouses. Or check out other area attractions, such as the Edinburgh Premium Outlets and Indiana’s largest antique mall.

For more information on Columbus and environs, please visit the visitor and convention bureau .

The Dirt on Roots: Compost Magic

by GardenLover | Jun 20, 2012 | Gardens to Drive

By Michael Leach

More than 50 springs have passed since I began gardening but planting seeds remains my favorite part of the process.

Science says germination results from the right combination of light, temperature, moisture, soil conditions and time. I don’t know what you think, but to me, it’s mostly magic. Cover the seeds with soil, water, wait and watch for the tiny green shoots as fragile, persistent and tough as life itself.

You can enhance the “magic” with materials almost as bizarre as “eye of newt and toe of frog.” Coffee grounds, shredded newspaper, rotted barnyard manure, grass clippings, chopped leaves, vegetable peelings and garden soil are part of my “potion” for making compost. Not only am I “upcycling” cast-offs, such materials are readily available — unlike frog toes.

Compost boosts the countless legions of beneficial soil-borne microorganisms and nudges clay or sandy soil closer to that ideal combination of moisture retentive and free draining.

Before planting in the vegetable garden, I spread an inch or two layer of compost over the site and till it in with a hoe. Perennial and shrub beds and borders are blanketed each fall under a layer of chopped leaves that invariably include grass clippings. This is what I consider horizontal composting. By early the next summer, earth worms and other soil dwellers will have transformed the leaves into organic matter and mixed it into the soil. Over the years I’ve gotten closer to having that ideal mix.  

Without intervention, however, soil returns to its original state. Clay soil becomes a place where tiny roots, only a few cells thick, can’t penetrate. Sandy soil dries out long before those mysterious forces trigger germination. Even if shoots appear, little in the way of  water and nutrients will be found to nourish and sustain life.

So avoid the frustration. Take advantage of a little compost magic to help the roots along and ensure lush foliage and fruits.

Good Eats: Garlic Scape Pesto

by GardenLover | Jun 9, 2012 | Gardens to Drive

By Debra Knapke

Sorry for the short notice, but the time is now: go outside and collect your garlic scapes, otherwise known as the flowering stem of a garlic plant.   Flower and seed production takes energy away from the developing head of garlic which you will be harvesting at the end of June to mid-July.  Now, don’t throw those scapes away!  You can sauté them, add them to pasta, rice and vegetable dishes or you can create a subtle pesto that has the smell and flavor of leeks.  Last night it was a bright green swirl of flavor in a seafood stew.  Once tomato season arrives, it will be an accent to our favorite gazpacho.

This flavorful food accent is easy to make.  I use a rough ratio of scapes to olive oil to nuts.  Pesto is a “recipe” that is infinitely morph-able.  I have added a handful or two of parsley or not.  I’ve used cashews – my favorite for garlic scape pesto – almonds, pecan, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.  Freshly ground pepper is a must and salt is up to you.  Leave the cheese out.  It either gums up the texture or covers the delicate flavor of the pesto. Add cheese later to the finished dish.

We freeze “extra” pesto in 2 oz. plastic cups.

This year we harvested close to 400 scapes from large garlic plants and first year seedlings.  We will harvest the large plants for their bulbs and spread out the seedlings for next year’s crop.

Garlic Scape Pesto … guidelines

¾ c    garlic scapes, white to light green sections (darker green may be too tough), coarsely chopped

¼ c    olive oil (may need more)

¼ c    nuts of choice

A handful or two of parsley or spinach (optional – makes the garlic scapes go further)

Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

Using a food processor, process to a paste, adding olive oil if it seems too dry.  Bon appetite!

Favorite Flora: Peonies

by GardenLover | May 23, 2012 | Gardens to Drive

By Michael Leach

Peonies make the humblest garden look rich. Their grand dame appearance is a combination of belle-epoque Paris and Chinese paintings. Peonies look like prima donnas but are tough as work horses. They need little more than full sun and decent soil to add grandeur for generations yet to be born.

I suppose that’s why peonies are a part of so many Midwest gardens. Once established, they blossom every year, just as spring turns into summer. All but one of the peonies in my garden are family heirlooms. I bought Sarah Bernhardt a few years ago. An admirable addition, she’s the only one I have a name for. My favorite I know only as Aunt Mary’s peony, actually a great aunt. Her namesake is a deep, wine-red flower with satin petals and lush scent.

My dirt-dabbling ancestors probably began growing peonies in Victorian times. Like family memories and legends, they were passed down from generation to generation. Both sides of my family added to the collection here at the family home place, where  one of my grandmothers was born in 1890. My parents moved into the house in 1952 and probably planted peonies as soon as they could pause in house rehabbing.

Unlike the old house, little work is needed to maintain the peony legacy. If time allows in busy spring, I tie cotton string around the stems to reduce their tendency to flop after a thunderstorm. I cut off the faded flowers. After the plants begin looking dowdy in autumn, the plants are cut to the ground and their remains placed at the curb for municipal composting. I want to reduce the potential of botrytis in my compost pile and on the ground around the plants. The fungus can keep the flowers from opening.

The effort is worth it. Life is too short to miss a single peony flower.