Hey I'm here!
But I have to go get the sap loudly dripping into metal buckets on the Black Walnut, open up the greenhouse, and get those seeds that have been soaking for 2 days into potting soil...
The boiled-down sap of Black Walnut has a flavor that is so rich and complex. Deliciously decadent, like butterscotch and burnt caramel that got mixed up together. I like it MUCH better than maple! Our book Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts by Chelsea Green has a chapter on this under appreciated nut!
This is a Butternut tree also known as a White Walnut, (Juglans cinerea).
This relative of the above-mentioned Black Walnut is a majestic native tree with major problems.
Despite her fungal issues I hope she outlives me (so I’m hoping for roughly another 4 decades)! You can read more about Butternut here and here. Her sister tree came down on our house about 10 years ago or so, without doing a stitch of damage to the house except for a tiny dent along the aluminum edging. I do believe that’s because I spoke to her a lot. Maybe not every day, but enough so I think she knew she was appreciated!
Recently we were featured speakers at the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference, which was a blast. Are you interested in having us speak to your group/membership/organization/school?
We always try to sneak in some art & some foraging time when we are invited to speak at a conference; treat it like a mini-vacation since it is a rare chance for us to leave the arboretum!
For most of us gardeners, we have been thinking about what to plant since last December as the plant catalogs (aka plant porn as we say here) were coming in daily! By now many of us have seed packets galore, it’s hard not to indulge! But it is also a good idea to sort through your previous year’s seeds and sow those first.
Cornell University has a good resource with all sorts of growing information for 58 popular vegetables including how long a particular vegetable seed is viable. Check it out here.
Here at Hortus our seed “trick” is to soak seeds in water for at least 12-24 hours before planting them. This is especially helpful on medium to larger seeds. The water starts to soften and degrade the tough outer seed shells, making it easier for the seed embryo to sprout. Some seeds have chemicals that prevent premature germination that spring rain would naturally leech away. We find soaking is a more reliable and controllable option for jump-starting seeds.
Seeds are EVERYWHERE!
I found some Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) harvested from 2022 in the back of the fridge, (that’s a whole other post!) Being that there were only 8 or so berries I thought why not try growing the seeds and see what happens…
More seedy thoughts...
Hortus Arboretum will officially be open on weekends starting Mother’s Day. Remember to check out the calendar to see new events added throughout the season. We are open to group tours starting in April, so if your group/membership/organization/school would like to have a guided tour, contact us!
The Spring Art Residency that Hortus sponsors is taking applications through April 15th. Go here for more information on the residency & how to apply. Although we cannot provide any funding, you will have 24/7 access to the gardens, and get free accommodation to stay at the Barnette which is on the edge of the arboretum.
Maybe you’re not an artist but want to stay at the Barnette? It’s a sweet garden cottage with loads of art, including many works from past residents! If you decide you want to stay, let me know and I will give you a discount on your stay.
Since I am still getting the hang of offering this style of posts about all things plants I will kick off my PLANT Q & A part of the post starting NOW!
So, if you have a question about seeds, seed starting, plants, pruning, trees, shrubs, grass, compost, amendments, or really anything horticulturally related, ask me now since I am keeping things open for all subscribers to post questions and get some answers.
But as the season progresses, I will only be answering paid subscribers, so please consider supporting my work and while using this forum as an opportunity to ask me about plants. (If I don’t know I will ask Scott)!
I hope you enjoyed the read!
xo,
Plant Mom