Lost & Found: Bog Rose

Bog Rose in NC where it was recently rediscovered

Bog Rose a.k.a Dragon's Mouth Orchid (Arethusa bulbosa) is endangered in North Carolina. Originally known from only a small handful of sites it is unclear if it still persists at most of these. Dedicated orchid enthusiasts, including Mark Rose & David McAdoo, have been searching remnant mountain bogs for nearly 20 years hoping for a glimpse of it in North Carolina.

It is unclear why this orchid has become so hard to find in NC, although Mark Rose believes heavy shrub invasion in its bog habitat may be a contributor.  In more northern parts of its range (where it is much more common), "many populations have been depleted or destroyed by over-collection. (http://www.botany.wisc.edu/orchids/Arethusa.html). I recently heard of a site in Transylvania County which once had 20 or more stems, that was destroyed by silt washing in from a nearby pasture.

The site where Bog Rose has been recently re-discovered had become heavily invaded with shrubs especially Rhododendron. After protecting the site from development and other forms of incompatible land-use, we began a restoration project. Using chainsaws and machetes, we removed massive quantities of woody stems to return the site to more open condition and conducted a prescribed burn. Approximately 2 years after the bulk of the clearing the Bog Rose has re-appeared!

One of the many piles of Rhododendron stems removed from the mountain bog habitat of Arethusa.

Bog Rose plants recovering from decades of  suppression.
Photo courtesy of Jean Woods (Left)

Possibly, the last home for the Bog Rose is now a North Carolina Plant Conservation Preserve. Restoration work has produced results and this, and other, rare plants are rebounding.  At the moment only 2 flowering stems have been found. Let's hope orchid enthusiasts and collectors respect the Preserve designation and the work it has taken to restore, and leave the Bog Rose for the enjoyment of future generations

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Mountain Sweets - Almost Gone?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     One of the sweetest plants to find in the Southern Appalachians, perhaps, because it is one of the most unexpected, is the trumpet-like pitcher plant known as Sarracenia jonesii. With a natural range centered on Henderson County, NC this carnivorous plant is a relatively narrow endemic just barely ranging into South Carolina. In a region most noted for forests, this pitcher plant inhabits small wetland pockets often referred to as "mountain bogs".  

Range map for Sarracenia jonesii in NC; "extirpated" refers to sites formerly known to support the species but lost for one reason or another, while "extant" refers to naturally occurring populations still present, unless indicated as "extant-introduced" which are sites created by planting in a non-naturally occurring site.

Only three naturally occurring populations remain in North Carolina.

A quick review of the distribution map tells a tale of substantial decline, in which most of the known, naturally occurring sites have been lost.  In 1986, the USFWS listed the plant as endangered.  What happened to cause the decline and create the need for federal listing?

Like many areas of the country, wetlands in this part of NC have not fared well. The first map below portrays the predicted extent of historical wetlands in the heart of the Mountain Sweet range (polygons shaded light blue). The second map illustrates those same wetland areas with the current land use depicted; bright red and yellow colors show heavily altered or otherwise developed areas. A comparison of the two gives a clear illustration that substantial wetland area has either lost or heavily altered.

                                                                                                                                                                              In addition to habitat loss, other Mountain Sweets have been lost due to poaching and over-collection by hobbyists. An example of this phenomenon is the extirpation from the wild of a "green race" of Sarracenia jonesii.   There still appears to be ample pressure collecting pressure on the few remaining native populations.                                                                             

Must we have every species in our gardens?

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Why & How to Manage Tomato Diseases Using Aspirin: Beef up Defenses

Why & How to Manage Tomato Diseases Using Aspirin: Beef up Defenses

 Aspirin won't cure diseases but it can help prevent them from establishing on your tomato plants and it can greatly slow the progression of the diseases down when established. Aspirin is a preventative measure to help reduce tomato plant disease.

The process is preventative so it is best to start using it before diseases arrive. The aspirin spray essentially tricks the tomato plant.
The salicylic acid in aspirin mimics a natural hormone that tricks the tomato into initiating the SAR response or the Systemic Acquired Resistance response... which means you are turning on all your tomatoes defenses without a true attack occurring. I believe this method of management makes it harder for disease to establish themselves on tomato leaves. I use it yearly.

There is a lot of research on this topic. The video explains how to use aspirin in detail, including the mixture and spraying method.

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Creating a Tomato Disease Splash Barrier: Stop the Soil Born Spores!

Creating a Tomato Disease Splash Barrier: Stop the Soil Born Spores!

Many areas have their own diseases that tend to attack tomato plants. It might be Leaf Spot or a form of Blight but whatever the disease, they tend to come with regularity.

The best way to manage diseases is through prevention. Prevention is a practice of reducing the elements that may lead to the diseases taking hold on your vegetable plants in the garden.

One form of prevention for tomatoes is creating a disease splash barrier. Simply put hard rain or hose water can splash garden soil onto your tomato plants. Mixed with the mud are disease spores. If the spores can't land on your tomato... they can't establish themselves on the plant. You are reducing the chances of disease on your tomato by preventing soil splash.

You can use any viable material to create about a 2 inch layer of mulch in your garden beds. The video talks about a few types of materials you can use and how to basically mulch under around your tomatoes.

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Lost & Found: Bent Trillium

After a recent speaking engagement for the Saluda Community Land Trust (SCLT) I was invited to visit a privately owned property. Having driven through the local area, I was dismayed by the extent and domination of invasive plants and didn't set my sights too high.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
eating up the woods in Polk County, NC

However, it was soon apparent this site was a wildflower paradise. A host of spring flowers and native plants clothed the ground including a number of Trilliums. It didn't take long to recognize that I didn't recognize them all! After some research, I began to suspect an unusual species for North Carolina was present. Rumour had it that the NC Native Plant Society had previously been to the site. I checked with Tom Harville and Mark Rose and, sure enough, they indicated seeing at least two Trilliums of special conservation interest in North Carolina. Based on these reports and my own observations, I was able to convene a "Trillium Dream Team" of sorts to revisit the site and attempt to officially document the various species present.

3 members of Trillium Dream Team
Tom Patrick, David Campbell,
 Jim Matthews

Tom Patrick (GA DNR), Jim Matthews (UNCC retired), David Campbell (UNCC Herbarium), James Padgett (NC Natural Heritage Program), Kathy Schlosseer (PCP Board Chair), Mimi Westervelt (FOPC member extraordinaire) met on-site in early May.

It wasn't long before Jim, David, and James were building a plant list for the property, adding a host of species to the list the landowner had previously assembled. Just a short walk down the trail we found the main target of our efforts.

Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) rediscovered in NC near Pacolet Falls

Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) has a wide geographic range in eastern North America, centered in the Midwestern states (see below). This Trillium is considered "globally secure" by NatureServe and the network of Natural Heritage Programs.  However, the species trails off in the south, just barely reaching north Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Here in North Carolina the species has been reported from 3 western counties all of which are considered to be "extirpated or possibly extirpated".

With this confirmation and "re-discovery", Bent Trillium is once again considered an extant member of our native flora. We hope to continue working with the private landowner to protect this important site for posterity.  The NC Plant Conservation Program has set a goal to permanently protect each native plant species in its natural habitat; this site is a "no-brainer"!

Sweet White Trillium (Trillium simile) near Pacolet Falls

Another significant species documented during our visit is Sweet White Trillium a.k.a Jeweled Wakerobin. In contrast to the wide distribution of Bent Trillium, Trillium simile is a narrow Southern Appalachian endemic found only in TN, GA, SC, and NC. NatureServe ranks it as globally vulnerable and the NC Plant Conservation Program considers it to be threatened and thereby worthy of protection efforts.

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Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) - Carolina Piedmont

Shortleaf Pine woodland with Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica), Durham Co., NC

Increased attention is being focused on shortleaf pine by some foresters, ecologists, and restoration practitioners. An ongoing debate centers on how much shortleaf was present historically relative to the other native pines and hardwoods. We may never know the answer, however, it seems probable in our region (N.C. Piedmont) that mixed forest prevailed. According to Pinchot & Ashe 1897, "....no areas in the original forest...produce pure growth of either"

Range Map for Pinus echinata;
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pinus/echinata.htm

Although the preceeding map shows shortleaf ranging into the outer coastal plain there is general consensus that most of this area was historically dominated by other vegetation, especially longleaf pine woodlands and savannas. However, in the Piedmont there are intriguing "remnants" of shortleaf woodlands or savannas which share structural and compositional similarities with longleaf pine communities. 

Open Shortleaf Pine with herbaceous
understory including Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Open Shortleaf "savanna"
 another view of well burned patch in Durham Co, NC

There is growing recognition that prescribed fire is an important management and ecological restoration tool in many shortleaf pine stands. To return long-suppressed stands to more open condition (such as the images above) frequent, regular fire is desirable. We try to burn these areas in the early spring on a 2-3 year rotation. 

  

Shortleaf Pine - Oak Forest; Spring 2014 prescribed fire

In the stand above, the nearly closed canopy from abundant oaks, especially Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata), allows only patchy sunlight to reach the forest floor. Although fuel conditions were quite dry, the lack of sunlight penetration and wind movement underneath the trees and relative humidity in the high 30's fostered slow moving low flames and incomplete ground coverage.  

May 2014 Prescribed Fire in Shortleaf Pine - Oak Forest. Poverty Oat Grass (Danthonia spicata) is abundant and flowering in the left side of this view.  Patches of live green vegetation contributed to patchy coverage of this growing season burn.

Shortleaf Pine sapling on site burned ~ biennially for 10 years.
The small needles provide less surface for ice damage
than loblolly pine (Pinus taeda),
possibly explaining  its more northerly distribution.

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start with the image...

Image, image, image..

The hills are alive and all that and for some reason are stuck in my subconscious and probably will continue to be my subject matter for some time. But meanwhile an interlude of little terracotta people who are bound for some saggar firing shortly. The SALA installation is coming together nicely as my fellow clubees are creating all kinds of terracotta characters.

And meanwhile the gallery has a great exhibition of ceramics at the mo and spent quite a long time on the lower floor admiring and trying to figure out a few pieces. This Ash piece of course grabbed my attention!

Last weekend Ali and I presented a print on clay workshop at Gallery 1855, it was a great day with loads of great attendees and a fun collaboration again :)

Today's pop up series of workshops commenced with the Balloon forming with Anna such a fun session and everyone took the notion and adapted their own styles. And so great to have friends drop in from across town.

And a bit of happy hour in the studio tonight, my first bash at facetting and throwing, they are ok for a first go and some kiln fillers… onward

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Over 40 Varieties of Tomatoes Planted & Flea Market Sale of $1 Tomato Plants

Over 40 Varieties of Tomatoes Planted & 

Flea Market Sale of $1 Tomato Plants

Well I got my tomatoes in. I am excited to be growing over 40 varieties. I seed start more tomatoes than I need and do a yearly flea market where I sell my tomato plants for $1. I also have other vegetable plants, herbs and flowers. If you are in the local Maryland area the address is

Giant Food Inc

ROUTE 108

CLARKSVILLE, MD 21029

It is in the Giant parking lot and it is Sunday May 18th from 10-1 pm. If you are local and need some plants I will have most of the varieties listed below. I sell out fast so this would be for the more local gardeners. I wouldn't travel too far. If it rains they do cancel it but it looks to be a sunny day.

I will also be selling these seeds next year.

Over Forty Tomato Varieties Planted (More Seeds Started)

Abraham Lincoln

Indeterminate. 75 days. 6-10 ounces. Round red fruit. Low acid with a sweet tomato taste. Good producer.

Arkansas Traveler

Indeterminate. 85 days. 6-8 ounces. Produces well in hot weather. Pink red fruit. Full of flavor.

Aunt Ruby’s German Green

Indeterminate. 80 days. 12-16 ounces. Large yellow and green beefsteak with slight pink blushing.  Sweet flavor with a hint of tomato tanginess.

Aussie

Indeterminate. 80 days. Red tomato. From Australia. This plant regularly produces 1-2 pound fruit. Large plants with good tomato production. It has a great tomato taste that matches the fruit size.

Baxter’s Early Bush

Determinate. 70 Days. Cherry. Early cherry that is very prolific. Resistant to splitting and really doesn’t need much in the way of staking.

Black Cherry

Indeterminate. 65 days. Cherry. Sweet complex flavor. Classic black tomato with deep purples, mahogany and deep reds.

Black Krim

Indeterminate. 75-85 days. 10-12 ounces. From Russia. Dark purple with mahogany and reds Green shouldering. Fruit is sweet with a hint of salt. Prone to cracking but worth the flavor.

Black Plum    

Indeterminate. 80 days.  Cherry type elongate fruits resemble large grapes. Sweet fruity taste with mahogany colors.

Box Car Willie

Indeterminate. 80 days. 5-10 ounces. Red fruit. Two varieties with this name. One is perfectly round and the other is round with some slight ribbing. This is the later. Produces a lot of medium sized fruit.

Blush

Brandywine Red

Indeterminate. 80 days. 10-16 ounces.  Heirloom from 1880’s. Potato leaf. A red fruit with the classic Brandywine taste. People love the flavor.

Brandywine Yellow

Indeterminate. 90 days. 12-24 ounces. Potato leaf. A uniformly yellow beefsteak with great flavor

Brandywine Suddath’s Strain

Cherokee Purple

Indeterminate. 80 days.  10-12 ounces.  Heirloom from Tennessee. Extremely productive. Sweet rich flavor. Deep purple rose colors with red.

Delicious

Indeterminate. 80 days. 2 pounds and more. Grown for large pound tomatoes. This variety hold the record for largest tomato. Red fruit. Good flavor.

Flamme

Indeterminate. 70 days. 2-3 ounces. Heirloom from France. Orange salad tomatoes. Great sweet fruity taste.  Very productive.

Fireworks

Indeterminate. 60 days.  6-8 ounce. An early red slicing tomato.  Fruits are round with a pointed tip. Bright red color. Heavy producer.

Glacier

Determinate. 55 days. Cherry type. 2-3 ounce red tomatoes. They set will in the cold. Potato leaf foliage. Large harvest.

Grape

Indeterminate. 60 days. Grape shape that come in grape like clusters. Brilliant red. A very sweet complex flavor that has brought them to the supermarkets. You see these in pint containers. Good heat tolerance.

Heinz

Determinate. 70 days. 6 ounces. Red round fruit that produces heavy yields. Great for canning because so many uniform fruits come at once. Crack resistance. Create in the 50’s for the purpose of canning. It is now an heirloom.

Homestead

Determinate. 80 days. 8-10 ounces. Red fruit. It is a more heat tolerant variety. Large vines with medium sized very round fruit. Produce more like an indeterminate plant.

Indigo Apple

Indeterminate. 70 days. 2-4 ounce. Extremely dark fruit caused by the sun. High level of anthocyanin. Dark purple to almost black starting from the top down.

Indigo Blue Berries

Indeterminate. 75 days. Cherry.  Extremely dark fruit caused by the sun. High level of anthocyanin. Dark purple to almost black starting from the top down. Unripe fruit has amethyst color.

Isis

Indeterminate. 65 days. Cherry type. Yellow cherry with gold and red marbling. Streak on the outside and inside with red. Sweet, rich and fruity. Not a perfectly round shape.

Japanese Black Trifele

Indeterminate. 75 days. 4-6 ounces. Russian Heirloom.  A very unusual shape. Pear shaped. Deep mahogany colors with green shoulders. Potato leaf. Productive plants. Reported to have a superior tomato flavor.

Kimberly

Kentucky Orange

Indeterminate. 90 days. 12-16 ounces. Heirloom. Yellow to orange color. Tomato color can vary from plant. A sweet mild flavor. Great color for dishes. Mid range production.

Matina

Indeterminate. 55 days. 2-4 ounce. From Germany. Potato leaf.  A red fruit with terrific flavor. Produces a month earlier than beefsteaks.

Matt’s Wild Cherry

Neves Azorean Red

Indeterminate. 75 days. 1-3 pounds. Large red beefsteak with outstanding flavor. Breed selectively by  Anthony Neves. The ultimate tomato for sandwiches.

New Big Dwarf

Determinate. 60 days. 8-12 ounces. It is an heirloom that was created in 1915. 2 feet tall. Deep pink tomatoes that can reach 1 pound. A small plant with big fruit.

Orange Banana

Indeterminate. 80 days. 3-4 inch long paste tomato. Orange tomato that is long. Very productive. Great for sauces, salsa and salads.

Orange Russian Bicolor Oxheart

Indeterminate. 85 days.  8-12 ounces. From Russia. Heart shaped A yellow gold flesh marble with red. Very sweet. Absolutely delicious. Very meaty with few seeds.

Principe Borghese

Determinate. 75 days. Plum shape. Small fruit. Great sauce tomato. Outstanding for oven drying and using in dishes. Very very prolific.

Purple Bumble Bee

Indeterminate. 70 days. Cherry type. 1 ½ inch round fruit with green streaks on dark purple fruits. Great color for salads and salsas.

Red Pear

Indeterminate. 80 days. Bright red pear shape about 2 inches long. Great sweet flavor.

Riesenstraube

Sioux

Indeterminate. 70 days.  6 ounces. Red fruit.  A sweet tangy tomato with rich flavors that people love. Grown for the taste.

Sweet Pea Currant

Indeterminate. 75 days.  A very very small red round currant tomato. Very sweet flavor. Pea sized. 20-25 can fit in your hand. Very prolific.

Todd County Amish

Indeterminate. 75 days.  12+ ounces. Large dark pink tomato. Heirloom  handed down by Amish in Minnesota. Very meaty tomato with great flavor. Very productive.

Virginia Sweets

Indeterminate. 80 days. 1 pound.  Gold red bicolor mix. Heirloom. One of the best tasting tomatoes around.  It is a gold yellow beefsteak with red streaking. Abundant production.

Yellow Currant

Indeterminate. 70 days. From South America.  About 1/3 of inch across. Fruits in long grape like clusters. Sweet with an intense tomato flavor.

Zapotic Pink Ribbed

Indeterminate. 80 days. From the Zapotic Indians of Mexico. It is a heavily ribbed dark pink fruit that looks distinctively different.  A sweet mild fruit. The plant is a good producer.

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tiger boy...

This gorgeous fella left us on the wkd, he was the most loveable mischievous and totally loveable character. 18 big years of love and cuddles. There were days of the week when I was so busy and all he wanted was some fuss and love and made sure he got his way :) I will miss him hanging his paw around my neck, those wet feet after running through the rain to the back door. 

The last few weeks have been caring for him, watching him. His previous visit to the vets was pretty funny a massive wee all over everything, a little back atcha vet baby don't squeeze that bladder so much!! He had a suspected bladder tumor and a few of aged things, caring for him was a joy as much as he was a gift. 

My studio door watcher and all round gorgeous tiger boy, you will be missed...

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