Vegetables

Hot Peppers

Why did nature evolve with hot peppers? Nature wants its plants to spread, so if an herbivore eats something, it will spread through its digestive tract. Mammals will not eat hot peppers, so how are they supposed to spread? By birds! Birds do not have heat receptors in their mouth, so they will eat the seeds and fly spreading the plants further than mammals.

What makes a pepper hot? The culprit is called capsaicin which lines the interior of the pepper and the seeds. This compound is odorless and tasteless. The pain released in the human body from the pepper releases endorphins giving the eater a feeling of bliss so that is why some people like hot peppers.

Habanero

In 1912 Wilbur Scoville created a chart listing the “heat” of various peppers. We still use that today adding new varieties every year, called the Scoville Heat Chart. Sweet Bell Peppers rate a 0 to the hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper rating to 2,200,000.

Carolina Reaper (one of the hottest peppers

The heat of the pepper depends on the person. Some can handle Habaneros’ while others think Anaheims are too hot. When handling hot peppers over 100,000 in particular, were disposable rubber gloves and work outside. People in companies that make sauces out of the ghost pepper wear HAZMAT suits and respirators.

Ghost pepper
Shrubs

Doing Stem Cuttings from your Lilacs

If you want to start another hedge of lilacs from your existing hedge, try tip cuttings. This is an easy and cheap way to increase your plants. Do this by selecting stem cuttings from your lilacs between 3 to 5 inches long. Cut with sharp pruners or scissors. Make sure your cuttings come from along a branch that easily breaks. If the branch bends, it is too young if the branch breaks, it is too old.

Place your cuttings in moist sand, however, you can use a potting mix. Water again after the cuttings are placed and keep moist but not over wet. This is why sand works best. Mist a couple of times a day or place a bag over the cuttings loosely (you want some ventilation). Some things to help are a rooting hormone (wet the bottom of the cutting and dip into the powder) and if you can provide bottom heat, this greatly helps. It will take between 4 to 8 weeks to root, then place a rooted cutting in 6-inch pots and gradually bring outside for conditioning.

Removing sucker is an easy way to propagate your lilacs.

Lilac cuttings
Container gardening, Flowers (annual and perennial)

Summer Blooming Bulbs

Wait until the soil temps are 55 or above to plant summer blooming bulbs. You can get a head start by planting your bulbs early. I have started cannas in 6-inch pots a month before placing them outside. Plant them in groups in your flower beds knowing that some like glads and cannas you will have to dig up in the fall. Using a trowel or bulb planter, plant to the recommended depth and mix a little bone meal or bulb food into the bottom of the hole before setting the bulb.

Again, dahlias, caladium, glads, cannas need to be dug up each fall. This allows you to change up your flower theme each spring. Do not forget that some of these bulbous plants are terrific for containers like caladium and tuberous begonias.

Alliums
  1. Alliums (flowering onion) range from a foot tall to over 4 feet. Good for the flowerbeds since the flowering foliage will cover the allium’s foliage dying back. You do not have to dig these bulbs.
Lily
  • Lilies (oriental or trumpet) have low and tall varieties, blooming in later summer. Exotic in large plantings and leave in the ground. Oriental or Asiatic lilies have more of an outward flower than the trumpet lilies. Leave these in the ground.
Tuberous begonia
  • Tuberous begonias are great for shady containers. Blooms all summer long and can be taken inside and overwintered.
Glads
  • Glads were considered old fashioned, however, modern varieties have brought them up to date. Coming in many colors and multicolors, smooth or ruffled, make a nice back border. Then can be easily overwintered.
Calla lily
  • Calla lilies come in all colors and leaf colors which are deer and rabbit resistant. Shorter varieties make for a great container plant. Dig the rhizomes at the end of the season and bring inside.
Canna lily
  • Canna lilies again com in many flower and leaf colors giving a tropical look. The old fashion red canna grows over 6 feet tall. Newer varieties range down to 18 inches. They are easy to overwinter indoors.
Dahlia
  • Dahlia have a huge range of colors, shapes, and bloom textures. Varieties can reach 1 to 6 feet tall and spread 1 to 3 feet and are deer resistant. Overwinter indoors.
Iris
  • Bulb iris (not to be confused with bearded iris) are planted by bulbs. These irises are also called iris reticulata and bloom before the bearded iris. I found them great for cut flowers and can be left in the ground.