PASSIONFLOWER -- MAYPOP

Passionflower  (Passiflora incarnata)

The Franklin County Herb Demo Garden has a beautiful Passionflower vine. During our fall cleanup we found the Maypop fruit among the leaves. It was not fully ripe. It tasted both sweet and tart. You may eat the seeds. Very interesting. Here’s some TRiViA facts:

Maypop is a common name for this vine because of the loud popping sound made when the fruits are stepped on.

Maypop is the fruit. 
Usually wrinkled when ripe.

The fruit pulp is both sweet and tart and somewhat like tropical fruit. It can be made into jam or jelly, some baked goods, and ice cream. It is flavoring for homebrews, kombucha, wine, or drinking vinegar.

Each unique flower lasts about one day, appearing in the summer and early fall. 

It grows well vertically on a trellis or against a wall or fence.

Although thought to be an annual in Zone 6 it has proven to be a dependable perennial in Zones 5-9. It is native to the southeast U.S. and Central America.

 Fire Risk: This plant has an extreme flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home.  -NCarolina Extension 

Grown on a trellis in the herb garden

This is a good native and pollinator plant attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in the summer and fall. For other wildlife, the foliage provides good, dense cover year-round. It is somewhat deer resistant. 

Passionflower vine can become a pest and invasive weed. When they escape cultivation they can become problematic weed in areas such as no-till agronomic crops, pastures, hay fields, and roadsides. Due to their thick, deep rhizomes, mechanical or cultural control can be very difficult. - Univ Missouri

The passionflower blossom, especially the flower of the purple passion fruit (P. edulis), is often used to symbolize events in the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Other plant parts may represent other people or events at that time.

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Three Sisters Autumn Soup

Three Sisters Soup
Corn, Beans, & Pumpkin

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Gingko Trees -Living Fossils

 

(Photo: The Spruce Adrienne Legault)

Gingko Trees (Ginkgo biloba)

We are into leaf drop season big time. I posited that the geneticist that can figure out how to get a tree to drop all its leaves at once might make a fortune. Annie-Rae posted “Don't gingkos do that? Means the scientists have a chance to solve this puzzle!” Yes, to a certain extent.

1.    1. The leaves turn yellow in the fall, depending on the cultivar varying from chartreuse to gold.  The leaves will drop overnight after a hard frost, and all the leaves on entire tree drop almost all at once.

 2. Ginkgo is considered to be a “living fossil,” dating back to the Jurassic period. It was nearly extinct when Chinese Buddhist monks cultivated it in their mountain monasteries and preserved the species.  

3.      Ginkgo trees are long-lived with a life span of upwards of 1000 years.  The oldest specimen in China is believed to be 3500 years old.

 4. One of the most appealing features of ginkgo trees is the three-inch fan-shaped leaves. The appearance is similar to the maidenhair fern, giving rise to their common name, Maidenhair Tree. 

5.      Unfortunately, in late autumn, the dirty secret that female ginkgo trees hide is revealed. The “fruit” produced by female ginkgo trees is foul smelling (has been compared to rancid butter or animal excrement) and is dropped in the fall following the first frost. Though immature when dropped, the embryos within the fruit continue to mature on the ground for up to two months afterwards. This means that anyone unfortunate enough to step on the fruit during that time is exposed to its pungent odor.

 6.      Extreme caution should be used when selecting ginkgo trees for landscape ornamentals or for street trees since there is no way to discern a male from a female at the seedling stage. Several “Boys Only” cultivars have been developed such as ‘Autumn Gold’ or ‘Lakeview’ to ensure that you do not end up with a Ginkgo Stinky Seeds yard or street when the trees begin to fruit.

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Thanks to Carol Shirk, Extension Dodge County, University of Wisconsin, Madison (1-4) and Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources (5-6)

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CHILL BEAUTY-Ornamental Cabbage/Kale

 

As soon as there is a chill in the air, you can add seasonal color in your garden. Yes, there are the ubiquitous mums and frost tolerant pansies but Ornamental cabbage and kale add a burst of bright, almost neon, color and texture to autumn gardens.  These plants add a burst of bright color to autumn gardens. Use them in the flowerbeds, pots, or containers. Their intense beauty overcomes gloomy skies and faded leaves. 

 Ornamental cabbage and kale (also known as “flowering” cabbage and kale) are in the same species (Brassica oleracea) as edible cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. While they are esculent they tend to have a bitter flavor and are usually used as garnishes. 

They are prized primarily as colorful additions to home gardens grown for their large rosettes of white, pink, purple or red leaves. Technically, ornamental cabbage and kale are all kales (kales produce leaves in a tight rosettes; cabbages produce heads).  But in the horticultural trade, ornamental kale is the term used for types with deeply-cut, curly, frilly or ruffled leaves.  Ornamental cabbage is the term used for types with broad, flat leaves that are edged in a contrasting color.  Ornamental cabbage and kale grow approximately one foot wide and 15 inches tall.  There are many cultivars that are commercially available.

Use in your landscape
(Photo courtesy of University of Missouri)

Use these in your flowerbeds or as edging along a walkway or path. They are best displayed where they can be seen from above to appreciate their form and texture. They do well in in planters, window boxes, or other containers with good potting soil and drainage holes.

Wait until temperatures start cooling down, then plant ornamental cabbage and kale in a sunny location in a moderately moist, rich soil.  Bury stems so that the lowest leaves of the plants are flush with the soil surface.  After planting, keep the plants well watered, moist but not soggy.  Until cool weather arrives, plants won’t have much color.   

CKagan, Master Gardener

Reference: University of Wisconsin-Madison

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ornamental-cabbage-and-kale/

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Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we head into the holiday season.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.