"Exploring Native Flowers and Gardening Innovations: Late-season Beauty and Cauliflower Regrowth"
In this article, we embark on a journey into the world of native flowers and innovative gardening techniques, exploring late-season blooms and the fascinating phenomenon of cauliflower regrowth. With a focus on New England American-asters, Lance-leaved American-asters, and other botanical curiosities, we delve into the wonders of nature and sustainable gardening practices.
Amidst the vibrant magenta aster blossoms, a honeybee, laden with a small cache of yellow pollen, indulges in nectar sipping. As the October mornings warm, a buzz of bumblebees joins the intoxicating party, occasionally accompanied by day-flying moths. This exquisite plant, the New England American-aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), flourishes outside our kitchen windows, offering a captivating transition from summer to autumn.
Native New England American-asters and New York American-asters (S. novi-belgii) are familiar to gardeners and are highly recommended for home gardens. The Lance-leaved American-aster (Symphyotricum lanceolatum) graces our view alongside the Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima), which is gracefully going to seed. Known as Panicled aster, this plant, characterized by its open pyramid-shaped top, is currently blooming in moist and wet meadows, attracting numerous bees and occasional moths.
My recent adventure in a field workshop, led by botanist Ted Elliman at Jug End Reservation in South Egremont, immersed me in the delight of identifying asters and goldenrods. The Berkshire Botanical Garden (BBG) sponsored this program, and for future program updates, visit the BBG website. To further your knowledge of native wildflowers, Ted Elliman's "Wildflowers of New England," a Timber Press Field Guide, is a valuable resource. It is a pleasure to explore this book in the field or at your leisure and can be obtained from the BBG Gift Shop through October 31 or anytime on the Timber Press website.
In the realm of experimentation within the polyculture garden, we nurture our sense of wonder and aesthetic appreciation while cultivating delectable food and enriching soil health. As a no-till gardener, I have embraced the practice of leaving the roots of plants that bear their crops above ground to decompose in the soil, benefiting soil organisms. For instance, healthy bean, tomato, and squash vines are pruned at ground level, making way for winter cover crops. These roots do not pose an obstacle.
The article also delves into a captivating discovery involving purple cauliflower. From seedlings obtained at a nursery, I nurtured purple cauliflower during the summer. Upon harvesting a splendid head from its stem, I recalled a peculiar observation from the previous year. After cabbage harvest, I had noticed miniature cabbages sprout from the cut stems left above ground. I wondered if the same might occur with cauliflower. So, I decided to cut the purple cauliflower head above the rosette of leaves attached to its stem and root, leaving them in the ground. A miraculous outcome awaited me: a new cauliflower began to grow. After a while, sprouts emerged on the remnants of the plant. I retained a single sprout, and the cauliflower depicted in the picture represents the second growth.
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