Inspired by Tom Ward’s vision of the urban forest, the theme of March’s plant walk is “Nostalgic Landscapes.” We’ll walk around two North Portland neighborhoods that are populated by plants that hearken back to early resident’s homelands, chosen primarily for their ornamental qualities and sentimental value. Which of these plants have multiple functions? What other plants are hidden in this residential landscape? And first of all, how can one tell what is what, especially in late winter? Bring your questions.

After the walk we’ll head into the studio and do some relaxing sketching and have a chance to take a look at details of botanical bits we picked up along the way. And have tea. Mmmm. All levels welcome.

Email to register please, and to get directions.

Cornelian Cherry
Cornus mas
CORNACEAE, the Dogwood family

Cornelian cherry gelato?! This is not an opportunity to ponder for long while in line at Staccato Gelato. Or a time to start explaining to your cohorts how Cornelian cherries are not really cherries but they just came into bloom and they are not really super hardy in Minnesota but there is one doing reasonably well, last time I checked, outside of Coffey Hall that’s been there for decades. Here in p-town one can see a pretty grouping of them around the Vietnam memorial in Hoyt arboretum. And there’s a fine one at Edgefield! And they are high in vitamins!

Just make up your mind and keep the line moving, yo.

I’d been having childhood memories of Bridgeman’s lately, the old-fashioned ice cream parlor my family would go to to celebrate a piano recital or graduation. So it felt satisfying to take my dad and his wife out for ice cream after they patiently attended my group presentation on the final day of Permaculture design course, and the mandatory talent show afterwards. YEA!!

Lucky

Originally uploaded by mulysa_may

A piece of plastic has changed my usual late winter habit. How can one have cabin fever when fresh greens are available for dinner? By February I am usually sick of food and longing for something fresh to eat. Produce in the stores is unappealing and road-weary. And I’m so over root vegetables.

The difference this year is that I made a cloche over one garden bed in November, and planted lots of types of greens and radishes. It’s my first real winter gardening trial and I thought I lost it all during a serious cold spell in December. But the seedlings persevered and in the mild weather since have been slowly gaining height and succulence.

Every two weeks I water them and pick out a few slugs. The baby-green mixes have been doing best. I planted two types (one with arugula, lettuce and kale pictured here). They are easy to harvest by mowing down a wide strip with a scissors, and they grow back in about two weeks.

Show opening this First Friday! I’m really excited to be showing new work printed on luscious bamboo paper, mounted on bamboo panels, alongside the work of the talents listed below. Stop by and check it out:

Friday, February 5
6 to 9 pm

pushdot studio
1021 Southeast Caruthers Street
Portland, OR

Traci French
Sarah Kamsler
Nicole Linde
Kim Oanh Nguyen
Ann Ploeger
Georgia Stylou
Tatiana Wills

www.pushdotstudio.com | www.plywerk.com

If you can believe it

Originally uploaded by mulysa_may

Plum branches are ready for forcing. I brought an armful into the house first thing this morning and put them in a tall vase with warm water. Spring ethers are rising and it is Making Things time.

Citrus x meyeri
RUTACEAE, The Rue or Citrus family

..or hope to be at least.

The Meyer lemon tree I rescued from the compost heap last summer is living in the studio happily and blooming its heart out. I stopped in when I got back from my TC/DC odyssey and was almost overwhelmed by the scent. I might have to move it out temporarily to work in there. While there is the stray flying insect in there, I don’t want to leave my lemon supply up to chance, so I’ve been working on the blossoms with a soft paint brush. So far none have set that I can tell, but there are plenty more chances. A Meyer lemon in a 5 or 7 gal. pot, in Portland, can produce over 100 lemons a year!

Did you know Queen Victoria had (faux) orange blossoms on her wedding gown? She was the one who started the whole flooffy white dress thing.

Diospyros kaki
EBENACEAE, The Ebony wood family

Happy new year.

Persimmons are a beautiful aspect of Portland’s abundance. When friends were giving them away by the bagful weeks ago I had no time to do anything with them. So instead of leaving them on the counter where, as gorgeous as they are, they eventually start giving me baleful glances, I just popped them all into the freezer. Laid them out on top of a tub of berries.

This weekend when I had the chance to do some healing baking, I thawed a pile of them to make this amazing bread/cake:

1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 c. whisky
1 c. persimmon puree
1 c. walnuts
1 c. chopped dates and/or raisins

Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a loaf pan, dust with flour. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk wet ingredients together and add to dry, folding together gently. Stir in nuts and dried fruit.

Bake for 1 hour or so.

Variations:
Use plum jam instead of the persimmons and reduce the sugar by half. Sub Absolut Kurrant for the whisky and currants for the dried fruit.

Use apple or pear butter instead of persimmons and reduce sugar. Sub brandy for whisky and add a little cinnamon.

Adapted from Ellen Jackson, for Edible Portland, who adapted it from James Beard’s Beard on Bread. She recommends making a double batch and I definitely second that.

or bee spiderflower
Cleome serrulata
CAPPARACEAE, The Caper family or
CLEOMACAEAE, The Cleome family, depending on how forward-thinking or backwards you want to be.

This North American annual is a great attractor of beneficial insects! Despite it’s name, it’s widespread across the midwest and west including most of Canada. It can reseed itself and is sometimes considered a little weedy. I learned today in Permaculture Design course that it is a good plant to include in some types of guilds. It’s a really pretty plant and like other Cleome, would make a nice cut flower.

Originally uploaded by mulysa_may

Cynara cardunculus
ASTERACEAE, The Aster family

An arrangement for December.

This occurred almost naturally as the dried Cardoon flowers were displaced while the house was being decorated for Thanksgiving, and they ended up near the heat vent in the kitchen, where they opened and slowly started releasing their plumed seeds.