Transforming Space and Culture-Creating Inspiring Frontyards

Here is my article published in the March 2013 issue of Carolina Gardener.

Carolina Gardener Magazine March 2013

I'm tickled pink ( no pun intended ) to have my first article on garden design published here in North Carolina.  Isn't that a lovely cover with the gorgeous pink coneflowers ?  It's one of my favorite flowers  .

 Transforming Space and Culture -Creating Inspiring Front Yards is the title of my article and I will reprint it here when next month's issue comes out so that I won't be in conflict with the publisher. Of course if you live in North Carolina you can pick up a copy .

The March issue is outstanding and chock full of some great articles, including one by Nan K. Chase whose home and garden I visited during the Springfling in Asheville last May.

FEBRUARY IS A MONTH OF PROMISE AND DISAPPOINTMENT

As Elizabeth Lawrence so aptly states in MY SOUTHERN GARDEN,  "  The special charm of a Southern Spring is its earliness, it is as long drawn out as it is sweet. " In the midst of of January I was elated to have two days of Spring-like weather that compelled me to visit the Arboretum and Botanic garden where I saw numerous trees and shrubs in bloom and the foliage of daffodils and other bulbs peeping out of the ground.

This lovely Japanese camellia was in bloom at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh during my mid-January visit.

Although we had some extremely low temperatures in the teens that damaged tender plants in the garden , the last week of January had days so warm that strong winds and thunderstorms arrived early and caused damage to trees and power lines.

As the Carolina Spring comes in February and this is my second one here I am slowly adjusting to the transition from long Chicago winters in which I wasn't able to get outdoor until April or May.  Here I take each day as it comes -temperatures in the 50's and 60's are frequent and I eagerly throw on my jacket and go out to smell the fresh air and watch Spring unfurl in the cherry and apricot trees, the Forsythia, Quince and Hellebores.  

I am still amazed that I am able to tend my deck container garden in winter and have spent days watching my vegetables and herbs grow .  A few nights I had to move some of them to the garage and others were covered with blankets but they all survived.

It's great to clip mustard greens in the middle of winter. When I get my forever home I will definitely plant and tend a vegetable garden year round because I find it so rewarding.

As Spring comes in February in Carolina I welcome it with open arms on this first day as I wander out into the garden this morning to chase away the ever present creeping charlie that is the bain of my  existence.

Gardening in the New Year

It tickles me whe I recall shovelling  snow in my Chicago yard and hear my neighbor who's doing the same ask " Global warming - where is it  ? "   My first winter in North Carolina had me so spoiled -hardly a day below 50 .  I knew it was way above normal and was warned not to expect it this year but, excuse the pun, new ideas , like seeds, began to germinate in my head.  I would never dare to think them back in Chicago but with the number of freezing cold days here being very limited I could plant a winter herb and vegetable garden.  Of course I had to have a portable one and be ready with the row covers but that was well worth the risk.

So now I am pleased with my pots of savoy cabbages, kale, chard, garlic , bay tree, and herbs that line my back deck. To have something growing in the dead of winter brings great joy to this otherwise gray season.

Snow has not fallen this winter and we've been teased with a few mild days in the upper '50's.  Then came mid-January and the weekend was in the mid-70's for 2 whole days.  What bliss to feel the warm sun on my face and back.  I headed outside and discovered that Creeping Charlie had started to peep up above the layers of mulch in the front yard flower beds and I spent an hour digging it out.  

January also brings an amazing number of trees in bloom and with the mild Spring-like weather I headed out to see some of them at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. 

 The Xeric garden with its tropical palms and succulents was amazing -just seeing its greeness delights .

 But the Japanese garden with its blooming cherries, apricots and camellias was the most delightful of all.  Even without a flower or tree in bloom it would've been just as enchanting with all the natural elements that make up its foundation.

The Spring-like weather is behind us now and the bleakness of winter returns with its gray days but there is joy in knowing that the real Spring is not far away.  Back in Chicago the arrival of a robin was a sign of Spring, but now when I see them it reminds me that they, like me, are home in the sunny South.

A Christmas Memory

My two sisters and I were finally old enough to go home to our Dad after 6 years in the nearby orphanage where we lived when our mother passed away.  My 18-year old brother Cecil was away, serving in the Korean war .


Far from the nearest town , our log cabin on a hill in rural Northern Alabama was nestled in a forest of evergreens -pine, cedar , holly and fir. It was home to many critters - wild turkey, guinea fowl, ducks, fox, squirrel, rabbits, possum, racoons, and songbirds .  In what little spare time we had it was our favorite place to explore and play.  

My sister Wilma was 14, I was 10 and Linda was 9 and we were expected to take on the chores . Life on the farm without a mother was hard and we didn't have any experience .  We learned to plant and harvest the vegetable garden . We canned green beans, tomatoes, okra, beets,peaches, applesauce, apple, grape and strawberry jelly and corn.  Sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes were stored in the shed for winter . We prepared crocks of sauerkraut to be eaten with bacon and ham.  We churned butter and made buttermilk.  We grew everything we ate except for the large sacks of cornmeal , flour, sugar and lard  that we bought on our monthly trip to the town grocer.

Chickens provided fresh eggs daily and fried chicken on Sundays, the cow's fresh milk and the pigs bacon, sausage and smoked ham. Fruit and nuts were used for making pies, jams and jellies. 

My  sisters and I went to church in town every Wednesday and Sunday. Younger sister Linda and I would say a special prayer every Christmas for the thing we wanted most : Snow. But our prayers went unanswered for many years and we were beginning to wonder if what they taught in church was true.  We also prayed that our brother Cecil would be safe and return to us.

 With no money to buy gifts we had to be very creative. I  sewed a sock doll for Linda , wove a bracelet for Wilma, and made handkerchiefs for Dad and we drew and colored our own Christmas cards.

Each day I would go into the woods to get pine and holly to decorate the house. I also gathered hickory nuts, pecans, chestnuts and walnuts. We had a huge fireplace that heated the house and a crackling fire where we'd gather and read Christmas stories and the bible.

The night before our first Christmas in our own home Linda and I once again prayed for snow. We jumped in bed knowing full well that such a miracle would never happen.

Christmas morning we awoke to the smell of Wilma cooking breakfast. Instead of the usual grits in the bowls on the table there was something very pure and white that looked a lot like ice cream. Linda and I both stammered in surprise : " Ice cream for Christmas ? " No, sillies, " Wilma replied, " Go look outside. "

We opened the door to a most wonderous sight. Every tree wore a sparkling dress of white . Snow ! I was beginning to think that it was something I'd only read about in books or seen in movies like White Christmas that my brother took me to see.  We put on our coats and went outside to experience the magical mysterious white flakes falling from the sky.  

The next day the snow was gone, but Linda and I agreed that our first white christmas was the best we'd ever had and we were finally convinced that there was a God .  The following Christmas our brother Cecil came home safely from Korea which further proved that prayers did work.

This childhood memory brings to mind the words of the country song " someone said that Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn't tell . "   We were blessed that we were able to make a living with the sweat of our brow on God's good earth.  

Cooking Korean in the Sweet Home Kitchen

During my almost half century of marriage to my Korean husband I learned to cook the dishes he loved as a child.  I apprenticed under a master chef -my mother-in-law who didn't speak much English but I managed to learn quite a few Korean words from her.    When all my other Korean sisters-in-law were gathered out my home for a feast she would pat me on the back and tell them how good a cook I was because I listened to her, unlike her daughters-in-law who had their own methods.  Of course I listened and followed because I didn't know anything about it.  Thank goodness Korean food is different from Chinese in its complexity and the number of recipes and dishes.

I'm happy that Korean food's popularity has finally taken told in America.  Kimchee, bulgogi, Korean Fried Chicken, and  Korean beef tacos are now household words.  In addition to its delicious taste, it's also healthy.  And, contrary to popular belief, it's not all spicy hot.  I also see many articles on healthy eating advocating kimchee  ( fermented cabbage ) because it's a probiotic like yogurt. Kimchee may also be the only vegetable dish in the world to have a museum dedicated to it.

Staples for the Korean pantry are rice, noodles,  kimchee, turnips, soy sauce, tofu, bean sprouts, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, green onions, beef stock made from shank, soy bean paste, laver, seaweed and hot pepper sauce, most of which can now be found in major supermarkets.

Below are the ingredients for a simple, nutritious soup that will make a meal when served with rice and kimchee.

To make this bean sprout and spinach soup bring about 6 cups of beef broth flavored with 2 tablespoons of soybean paste  ( miso ) and 1 tablespoon sesame oil  to a boil.  Cut the tofu into 1-2 " cubes and add them and about 3 cups bean sprouts and spinach to the soup stock .  Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes.  Lightly beat 3 eggs to which a tablespoon or two of water is added , then mince the green onions  ( about 2 ) and add them to the eggs.  Bringing the soup to a boil , drizzle the egg mixture on top the soup and let it cook until they're set.

Unlike Chinese rice which is very dry and tasteless, Koreans eat sticky rice.  During my many years of cooking I've never under or over cooked the rice using this simple method :  1 cup short-grain rice to 1 1/2 cup water. Bring to a rolling boil, stir the rice. Cover with lid and let steam for 20 minutes.  Open lid and stir to fluff up. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Perfect moist rice every time.

When my children were young they were fortunate to have their Korean grandmother care for them while I worked and as a result that have a love of Korean food and cook it as well.

The Last Rose of ?

In my Chicago garden I always dreaded the Fall cleanup which meant the end of the gardening season until Spring.  Months and months of gray skies, snow and bitter cold to endure before the first bulbs poked up out of the ground. Even after 4 decades of Chicago winters its the one thing I could never get used to much less love.  Having grown up in the sunny deep South anything below 70 is cold to me .

Here in North Carolina, however, my first garden ,which I planted a few months ago has thrived and is still in bloom.  I have been so bold as to even plant a winter garden of vegetables in pots on my back deck.  We've had a few nights of mid-30's and I've had to bring out the row covers but they still look good .

My favorite rose shrub , 'knockout ' is still blooming her lovely head off.  I picked up two of them at  Home Depot for $3 and $6 and they were looking sickly when I put them in the ground with plenty of compost and manure which they love.  They have since grown into beautiful shrubs that now fill the once empty space near my front entrance .

       
                         Unless December proves to be brutual this may well be the last rose of winter .

When the last roses of winter finally do fade I will than take the opportunity to prune them back to control their size.  Knockouts can get tall and leggy and  many gardeners tend to overfed them which only adds to their rapid growth.   I think they look best when kept at 4 ' and under.