Plant This Instead!: Better Plant Choices - Prettier - Hardier - Blooms Longer - New Colors - Less Work - Drought-Tolerant - Native Author: Visit Amazon's Troy B. Marden Page | Language: English | ISBN:
159186576X | Format: EPUB
Plant This Instead!: Better Plant Choices - Prettier - Hardier - Blooms Longer - New Colors - Less Work - Drought-Tolerant - Native Description
Amazon.com Review
Culprit: Garlic Chives
Replace With: Common Chives
Gardeners are often surprised when popular plants that come highly recommended by trusted garden centers and knowledgeable friends suddenly begin a belligerent march across their gardens, running roughshod over nearby plants and encroaching on or even choking out their less-assertive neighbors. These "garden aggressors" can quickly overrun a small garden and even in larger spaces may prove problematic enough to warrant their extraction. Perhaps the better decision is not to include them in the first place. To that end, Plant This Instead's Troy B. Marden explains which plants can be invasive or aggressive in the garden and what suitable alternatives are available.
Because young seedlings are nearly identical to, and frequently confused with, common culinary chives (onion chives) in garden centers, many gardeners unknowingly purchase and plant this rampant reseeder, not realizing their mistake until it is too late. There are several distinguishing features between garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) and their more desirable counterparts, most notably their exceptionally pungent garlicky aroma when the leaves are picked or crushed. Mature foliage is also flat, as opposed to the hollow, tubular leaves of common chives, and garlic chive flowers are white and occur in August instead of the pink springtime blooms of common chives. While garlic chives can be ornamental, deadheading is an absolute must to prevent them taking over.
Common or onion chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are what most gardeners desire for use in cooking as well as for their ornamental (and edible!) spring flowers. Planted in full sun and well-draining soil, they will remain perennial for many years and provide many meals' worth of delicately onion-flavored leaves, useful in flavoring soups, stews, and other dishes or as a fresh, green garnish where subtle onion flavor might be desirable. ‘Forescate' bears rosy pink blooms on vigorous plants that are about one-third larger in all respects than their traditional counterpart. It is particularly showy when in bloom in April and May.
About the Author
Troy B. Marden (Nashville, TN) is a plantsman, garden designer, exceptional photographer, and author with a passion for plants. His twenty-five-plus years of professional experience include time spent in nearly every facet of the horticulture industry. Troy has been a co-host of Nashville Public Television’s hit gardening show Volunteer Gardener for more than 10 years; writes regularly for some of the country’s top gardening magazines, such as Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and Southern Living; and is an accomplished landscape designer. In addition to his media appearances, Troy is a popular, lively, and in-demand speaker for all kinds of gardening and social groups. His blog, Gardener Cook (http://troybmarden.blogspot.com), has become popular with plant lovers and food lovers alike. His latest venture is a garden tour division of his business that will take other passionate gardeners on trips to some of the finest horticultural destinations in the U.S. and around the world. You can find more information at www.troybmarden.com.
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Cool Springs Press (February 1, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 159186576X
- ISBN-13: 978-1591865766
- Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Plant This Instead!: Better Plant Choices - Prettier - Hardier - Blooms Longer - New Colors - Less Work - Drought-Tolerant - Native Preview
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