Recently rediscovered blueberry and asparagus in my garden
So I guess I should probably start with the fact that I never knew my grandfather. I'd like to think I got glimpses of him whenever I'd talk with my grandmother, or my mum, but truthfully I'd never spoken about him much with either. But despite this, even though I never knew him, I feel like he probably had just as much of an impact on my life (if not more) than anyone alive who I am close to.
I suppose I should back up just a bit. My parents were fortunate enough to inherit 2 properties from my grandparents, and it is on one of these where I do pretty much all of my gardening these days. Even now, after exploring the property for well over ten years, I still stumble across things my grandfather planted decades before. Granted there are the standard functional plants like blueberries, asparagus, pears, grapes, quince & apples, (a house isn't a home till it has at least a few good clumps of asparagus and blueberry bushes) along with your standard non-functional flowers (daffodils, anemone, forsythia, and lilacs). But even back long before "native" became part of the common lexicon he planted things like trillium and tamarack. I have no idea where he would have gotten these plants or how he would even have known to plant them but he seemed to have managed to do both.
So while I don't think I'm going to able to definitely prove there is a plant dork gene any time soon, if there is I'm pretty sure I know where mine came from. And so in honor of my grandfather, this month I give you 2 of his plants along with a 2 I'm pretty sure he would have been fans of if he had grown them. Functional (aka edible), beautiful, and underappreciated in the landscape. I think he would approve.
Asparagus officinalis - Asparagus
Zones (3)4-8
Maybe a bit hard to accomodate outside of the vegetable garden, but this classy vegetable is even classier plant. Delicate ferny foliage, adabtable, amazing fall color. Don't know why we don't use it more in the landscape. An alternative to some of the more ubiquitous ornamental grasses. Usually dioecious. Grown around the world. Many selections have been made... check it out.
Purchase from: Seed Savers Exchange, Johnny's Selected Seeds, Stark Bro's, Gurnery's, Jung Seed, Harvest Nursery, Oikos Tree Crops
Cydonia oblonga syn. Cydonia vulgaris - Quince
Zones 5-7(8)
This plant is probably as nostalgic as it gets for me (as it probably has been for generations of people as its been grown and cultivated for thousands of years). There was (and still is) a small quince hedgerow (courtesy of my grandfather) that bordered the property at my grandmothers place. I've always thought of them as the apple's richer cousin, showier in all aspects, but somehow still more refined. They develop a beautiful tortured character with time, with twisted muscular looking branches, and an irregular crown. And then of course there's the fruit, which is a whole thing in itself. Typically it needs to be cooked first before its eaten (fruit is typically very dense and hard), but there are selections that have been made that do have fruit that can be eaten right of the tree (including 'Aromatnaya,' 'Kuganskaya,' and 'Pineapple'). There is a closely related species, Pseudocydonia sinensis or Chinese Quince, that, while not as hardy (z6) has bark that can rival pretty much any ornamental available.
Purchase from: Forest Farm, Harvest Nursery, Jung Seed, Stark Bro's, Oikos Tree Crops
Passiflora incarnata - Maypop or Wild Passion Flower
Zones (5)6-9
The (or one of the, with maybe P. lutea coming in first) cold hardiest members of the genus. If there were ever an exotic looking plant this is it. An aggressive runner where it's hardy spreading in a similar manner to Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) but maybe with a little less wanderlust. This is one of those plants with fruit that is at its best when it looks its worse. Dull off-yellowish, slightly shriveled, and dimpled when ripe. Native to the mid-atlantic and south. Fruit with a similar structure to a pomegranate.
Purchase from: Prairie Moon, Almost Eden, Brushwood Nursery, Companion Plants, Everwilde Farms, Lazy S'S Farm, Logee's, Niche Gardens, Rare Exotic Seeds, Smart Seeds, Sunlight Gardens
Vaccinium macrocarpon - Cranberry
Zones 2-6(7)
When I say "cranberry" you say "bog." Cranberry!.. Bog!.., Cranberry!.. Bog!.. WRONG!!! You don't need a bog to grow this trailing ericaceous evergreen. Happy to adapt to average garden soils as long as they're not too droughty. An underused and undervalued plant in the industry.
Purchase from: Harvest Nursery, Seed Saver's Exchange, Stark Bro's, Jung Seed, Dancing Oaks Nursery, Gurney's, Forest Farm
IMAGE SOURCES: A. officinalis (LEFT, RIGHT), C. oblonga, (LEFT, RIGHT), P. incarnata, (LEFT, RIGHT), V. macrocarpon (LEFT, RIGHT)
