What’s it going to be this Valentine’s Day? Red roses, a box of chocolates and a corsage along with a singing card are standard. Or maybe you’ve created a one-of-a-kind, original Valentine’s Day card of your own? Perhaps a night out in town with a reservation for two at Mr. Mikes Steakhouse hits the spot. How about a gift certificate for money? If your partner is a gardener, visiting a garden centre or nursery is an ideal place to spend some time and the cash.
You’ve not likely heard this account from the ’30s of a penniless, forlorn guy with a beard, whose romance was “on the rocks” and who was heard to say words similar to these: “I’m the guy all the women forgot, my words are smooth but my chin is not, a scratchy beard and holes in my socks have put all romance on the rocks and now a Valentine bleeding heart I’ve got.”
Hey there, good people. Lots more to write about, starting with an email from Alberta right after my tip o’ the hat and an ongoing great big welcome to all, wherever your blooms are planted.
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Sharing words from a Grainews reader
Ted, Re: Prairie — I was just reading your column in the Dec. 5, 2023 Grainews and thought I’d respond. Maybe don’t use my name in an upcoming column, but you can share this info. There is lots of native prairie left within the Special Areas in southeastern Alberta. Although some is private land, most is now lease land, owned by the municipal or provincial governments, with the leases owned by ranchers. There is now a park just north of the town of Hanna on native prairie. See their page for more about it. For information and facilities search the web for Antelope Hill Provincial Park. I’ve been catching up on past papers and also read the one you wrote about Bird of paradise plants and how they can be grown as houseplants. I’d love to try that and may order some seeds soon. I really enjoyed seeing them in bloom in South Africa last summer. Would anyone in Western Canada have rhizomes of one that they would be willing to split off? If not, I’ll order some seeds and try that way. We love reading your column and enjoy the tidbits of info you share. Thanks, R.L., Youngstown, Alta.
Ted’s reply: Thanks to R.L. from Alberta for writing and sharing. My Bird of paradise seeds (Strelitzia reginae) came from Chiltern Seeds in England. Their address is Chiltern Seeds Limited, Crowmarsh Battle Barns, 114 Preston Crowmarsh, Wallingford, OX10 6SL, England. Their phone is 44 01491 824675; click here for their email.
A Canadian source for Bird of paradise and other flower and vegetable seeds, available for purchase by catalogue only, is W.H. Perrin, 2914 Curė-Labelle Blvd., Laval. QC H7P 5R9, phone 1-800-723-9071. Click here for their email.
For me, Ted, the seeds (eight in a packet) were slow to germinate, so patience is required. This plant is native to South Africa and takes five to seven years to reach full maturity to realize those imposing bird-like flowers. Bottom heat, using growing mats, may help speed germination.
Here’s an interesting fact. This variety is the commonest of the Bird of paradise flowers. Some varieties are reputed to grow eight metres (26 feet) tall, but mine is only two metres (six feet). Here’s another unique feature: those spectacular flowers are the only ones known in the banana family that are pollinated by birds’ feet.
Purple potatoes
Don’t shy away from planting and eating some potatoes with purple, bluish or dark-coloured skin and flesh. The push is on to encourage more gardeners and marketers to grow these as well and spread the word. A lot of folks tell me they eat a banana for potassium. Well, dark-skinned potatoes are laden with plenty of antioxidants and minerals; plus, they contain a whole lot more potassium than bananas.
Giving some attention to purple potatoes when planting your white and yellow potatoes is a good move, especially for anyone with diabetes or who watches their blood sugar level, or has high blood pressure. While the starch in purple potatoes increases blood sugar, it does so to a lesser degree than starch found in yellow or white varieties.
Are you sentimental?
If you’re a sentimental crooner, as am I, let me ask: have you ever thought of writing, singing, reciting or speaking your own words in public or privately? At this point in life, I’ve become more sentimental. Now, love songs really speak to my heart. During my pre-teen years, song lyrics probably didn’t pluck all that much at my heart strings, but now really do. As I ponder and think back to lyrics I learned decades ago, to the song “Nobody’s Darlin’ But Mine” by Jimmie Davis, I really like the lines “sweet as the flowers in springtime…pure as the dew on the rose.” That’s another way I think of love.
