Two decades ago, I planted a flower mixture that included many interesting annuals. One of them, through modest but persistent self-sowing from year to year, remains a resident in the garden.
In the fall, when I cleaned and prepared emptied areas of the vegetable garden for the winter, I left some of the low-growing densely leaf-packed green mounds to bloom in the spring. Throughout the winter, the plants have remained plump and robust, undaunted by snow and pelting rain.
The flower is a European native known commonly as drooping catchfly or nodding catchfly (Silene pendula), a plant that is perfect for rock gardens, plot edging and containers. 鈥淐atchfly鈥� refers to the plant鈥檚 sticky stems, said to be capable of entrapping tiny insects.
Over the years I鈥檝e become very fond of the plants for their utterly undemanding resilience and their thick clusters of nodding, rosy pink blooms. I鈥檝e always taken care to leave several conveniently located self-seeded plants to grow and bloom.
My fondness for Silene pendula came leaping to mind when I noticed a new listing in the William Dam Seeds catalogue. It was for a Silene pendula selection called Sibella Carmine, a form of the species with double flowers in an intense purple-rose. Sibella Carmine is a 2020 Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner.
It鈥檚 worthwhile paying attention to European Fleuroselect award-winning plants. They are always superb. The website Fleuroselect.com pictures the new Silene. Other Fleuroselect award winners I鈥檝e grown and delighted in include Xanthos cosmos and the exquisite viola Delft Blue.
William Dam Seeds lists and labels numerous winners of awards from both Fleuroselect and All-America Selections. Here are a few more items of听interest in this catalogue.
鈥� Mashed Potatoes is the name of an elongated, white acorn squash whose flesh 鈥渞esembles mashed potatoes when baked and fluffed.鈥� Since potatoes, steamed tender and mashed with butter and cream, is a personal favourite comfort food, I鈥檒l by trying this winter squash as a 鈥渇un potato alternative.鈥� Another, tan-coloured acorn squash called Baked Potatoes, has听鈥渟weet and nutty鈥� flesh excellent for roasting and using in听desserts.
鈥� Dropshot, a new listing in the Herbs section, is a Mexican marigold (Tagetes filifolia) that听produces ferny leaves with 鈥渁听surprising sweet licorice flavour suitable for fresh or cooked use.鈥� The bushy, compact 20-cm plants are attractive used听in containers or as a bed edging.
鈥� Amazing Grey is a new Shirley poppy (Papaver rhoeas) in听shades of blue, purple and smoky grey. 鈥淲e have been waiting several years for seed听to听be available.鈥�
鈥� Edible Flower and Herb Mix.听Listed in both the Flowers and Herbs sections, this blend of听tasty听plants and blooms is recommended for adding colour and flavour to salads and stir-fries.
鈥� Choho is a cross between the Asian greens tatsoi and komatsuna. I鈥檓 intrigued by this听listing because I鈥檝e enjoyed good results growing komatsuna, an upright leafy green with rounded, dark green leaves. I听grow it with mizuna, another easily grown upright Asian green听with attractive and mildly pungent, serrated leaves. Tatsoi grows in a compact rosette of听thick, spoon-shaped leaves. The听results of joining the characteristics of the rosette-forming tatsoi with the thinner-leaved, upright komatsuna will听be interesting to observe.
鈥� Deema. For years, my summer squash of choice has been the听ridged, Italian Romanesco type of zucchini. I like the nutty flavour. It鈥檚 been a while since I鈥檝e听grown the creamy-flavoured Mid-Eastern types like Deema, which produces pale green, tapered fruits with cream mottling.
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GARDEN EVENTS
Orchid meeting. Victoria Orchid Society meets Monday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Head United Church Hall, 401 Tyndall Ave. Speaker for the evening will be Tom Mirenda, founding member of the North American Orchid Conservation Centre and former orchid听collection specialist at the Smithsonian Institute. He is currently director at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. His talk will be a fitting lead-up to the theme of the society鈥檚 Annual Show and Sale Feb. 28 and March 1: Conserving Our Natural Beauty.
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Cannabis workshop. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in听Saanich, is offering a Cannabis Basics for the Home Grower workshop on Saturday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The听class will cover different strains, propagation from seed or clone, growing indoors and outdoors, harvesting and听relevant legislation. Cost to HCP members $60, others $65. To register, call听250-479-6162.
