Cultivated Garden

Wordless Wednesday - Goodbye Winter! - Sonja Hinrichsen's Snow Drawing

2012-02-29T19:08:00.000+01:00

Snow Circles from Beauregard, Steamboat Aerials on Vimeo.

Speechless...

Origin, habitat and protection of our weeds

2011-11-14T21:33:00.001+01:00

While it is hardly possible to harvest more crop from the weed free cereal fields of our times than from those of the mid 20th century covered mildly with weeds, the increasing use of herbicides resulted in the decrease of weed species diversity and their genetic richness, and growing herbicide-tolerant transgenic (genetically modified) crops is likely to accelerate genetic erosion.

Hungarian landscape at the beginning of the 20th century (Fortepan)

Thinking about sustainable development we must be planning to conserve a more favourable state of the environment than that of the present - when several weed species are on red list. But can the decay of our environment be reversed merely by being able to abandon the desire of totally weed free cereal fields?

Hungarian landscape in the mid 20th century (Fortepan)

Does an association or any of its endangered species return if space is provided? Do we have enough knowledge to “cure the patient”?

According to Gyula Pinke’s and Róbert Pál’s book titled Origin, habitat and protection of our weeds it seems that the precautionary principle is worth thinking about.

It is not difficult to realise that using weed seeds

produced in industrial farms worsens genetic erosion.

Abandoned vineyard

The alteration of plant associations proceeds towards forests - and this statement makes sense even if thinking of seas, oceans, high mountain tops or stern Northern landscapes where there can not be any forests evovling. Human activity is a disturbing factor of plant succession, whose influence interrelates with the complexity of the affected system. The botanical book published in 2005 elaborately defines variations of the interaction between culture and nature in this process.

Ploughing with oxen

at the beginning of the 20th century in Hungary (Fortepan)

This work is a book not only because it is sold in bookshops, has covers and pages but a clear mmessage can be read in it as well. Who opens it will find unusually high quality pictures that portray topical plants and associations easily recognizably, and also a lot of the cultivation methods. But its greatest value is that its easily understandable statements are based on researches of weed vegetations in Hungarian cereal fields and vineyards. A chapter dealing with European historical aspects also contribute to the understanding of our environmental conditions’ changes. I must note that in my neighbours’ opinion the hoe is the best herbicide.

The aim of the authors is to contribute to the favourable changes in our attitude towards weeds. But is it possible to rejoice over the appearance of an unwelcome ‘guest’, some weed? At least it can be learnt if we accept that we are part, not the aim of our world. It is worthy of note that for example field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) dominant on mulched beds brings up nutrients with its deep roots adding richness to the compost.

The castle of Munkács (today in Ukraine) in the mid 20th century (Fortepan)

What cultivated slopes!

Reading the book I have also recognized the importance of soil structure in the temperature of the garden overiding otherwise lucky topographical conditions. In my garden built on approximately the same latitude line as Ulanbator the growth of the plants may drop two weeks behind compared to other gardens of similar exposure.

Harvesting in the mid 20th century in Hungary (Fortepan)

There are old stories about wheat turning to rye that eventually becomes corncockle. If you are interested in the explanation of the startling scourge, and want to read about wild rye - the weed of barley and wheat - grown as grain due to the changes in cultivation methods - especially harvesting - and the pressure of need (and you also speak Hungarian), get an issue of the well edited botanical book.

Myrobalan plum

2011-08-30T00:52:00.004+02:00

I consider grafting an important and interesting part of horticultural skills. As I have been reading in the topic, it’s a pleasure to recognize two saplings - probably from plum stones - growing in my garden that can serve as rootstocks for the first trying. Reading about stocks I realized I had already tasted myrobalan during an excursion to the Börzsöny mountains. I’m among those few who met this fruit as adults - though it grows freely on the scenes of my childhood as well.

Yellow myrobalan

Prunus cerasifera - myrobalan or cherry plum - provides stock for several cultivated plums and apricots, a probable “parent” of Prunus domestica. Its etymology can be traced to the ancient Greek where proumnon means fruit but the Latin prunum is already ‘plum’ and prunus is ‘plum tree’. Cerasifera is a compound word: kerasos is ‘cherry’ or ‘cherry tree’ in Greek and - through Latin - it appeared in words of various languages meaning cherry, the Latin ferus is ‘wild’. Myrobalan may arise from the Greek murobalanos with the meaning: muron is ‘unguent’ and balanos is ‘acorn’. This fruit should not be confused with mirabelle plum that is a cultivar of Prunus domestica, specialty of the Lorraine region in France.

Red myrobalan

Cherry plum native to Asia was naturalized in Europe in the Roman period, today several cultivars are known as ornamental trees - start blooming quite early in spring -, around abandoned nurseries and orchards they grow freely in sizes and colours created by nature.

Myrobalan in the pot

Its taste is somewhere between plum and apricot though in the marmalade made from myrobalan nothing reminds of plum. Anyway, I have saved stones from the larger and juicier red ones just like from the smaller, creamier yellow ones to sow later.

Myrobalan marmalade

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T22:17:00.004+02:00

My Study Garden

2011-08-09T22:16:00.000+02:00

Seats in the study garden

Hotlips Disco

2011-07-31T22:04:00.006+02:00

Most plant names originate far away in time and space, and researching them is based on knowledge acquired through - among several arts and sciences - History, Ethnography, Botany and Etymology.

Mathiasella bupleuroides

With the birth of Botany as a branch of Biology a nomenclature developed more appropriate to classification than common names. Like everyday names, scientific titles often imply plants’ appearance, but it is not rare that they are named after those who discovered them as in case of Mathiasella bupleuroidest first described nearly sixty years ago by the widely recognised expert of Umbelliferae (today rather Apiaceae), Mildred Mathias. While the botanical name is apt to identify a plant the common name tells more about the culture of the community that coined it. Though the moment of creating a plant name is mostly sunk in oblivion.

Mildred Mathias

It is extremely interesting then to trace the process of finding a creature a common name reported today in Michael Quinion’s weekly e-magazine, one of my favourites, the World Wide Words. Among ten British endangered species Octospora humosa discovered more than fifty years ago was announced by Natural England to be coined a colourful common name - the Guardian also called its readers’ to participate the competition. The bright orange creature lives with moss and belongs to the group of Discomycetes - Discos for short. It was given a name as lurid as its colour: Hotlips Disco submitted by the twelve-year-old girl, Rachael Blackman.

Photo:Thomas Læssøe/MycoKey/Natural England

The aim of the competition with names that are easy to remember is to popularise knowledge about endangered species and to contribute to the advancement of the discourse about them.

Our Garden

2011-06-06T16:04:00.004+02:00

In November last year Google Maps/Earth saw this above our garden. I'm happy that the curves can be seen from that altitude!

Edible

2011-05-19T12:34:00.005+02:00

It is possible to do theoretical gardening but only theoretically it is not - or is not worth. In recent months I have been practicing theoretical blogging, now I have decided to get back to the typing-imageuploading method.

From late winter cows give plenty of milk in our neighbourhood we mostly use to make cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, and the "byproduct" whey ends in bread, kuglóf (gugelhupf) or pogácsa (various types of scones frequently baked in most Hungarian homes) pastry - or under the grapevine. For weeks the garden has been providing delicacies for theoretical gardeners as well, and since dill seedlings are visible above ground the dill season and the series of wonderful breakfasts have started, too.

Dill with fresh cream.

Anethum graveolens is "kapor" in Hungarian that has a slavic origin from the time of our settlement in the Carpathian Basin. The botanical name tells us about its intensive scent: gravis = heavy - maybe - strong, oleo = smell, scent, and the old Greek aneson or aneton implies relation with anise.

This year I have sown radish seeds among which the most stunning is the white icicle. I would not have thought of trying it but received seeds from my parents. Since late March seeding - like a miracle - snappy, juicy "carrots" developed in a row. They needed one and a half months to reach their usual size - due to the extremely dry weather my Dearest watered them daily.

spring radishes

A summer type is ready for picking ensuring supply after the early ones.

Raphanus sativus is "retek" in Hungarian, also with slavic origin from the middle ages. Botanical name: from latin sativus = cultivated, and the root of raphanus is old Greek meaning quickly appearing.

What can be more delicious on a slice of bread and butter than radish chips? And what abou radish salad?

Consumer Passion

2011-01-22T02:11:00.006+01:00

With the melting after late autumn frosts giant snowdrops - first of the firsts - may emerge already in December. This year the fragrant buds have opened at the beginning of January on Galanthus elwesii drawing venturesome bees. Not only is it in bloom earlier, but is also larger than common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis native and protected (!) in Hungary.

The number of varieties of giant snowdrop native to areas east of the Carpathian basin is rising. The unusualness of Galanthus elwesii 'Rosemary Burnham' with its pale green striations on the outer petals is spectacular. But the gardener driven by a collector’s passion can not be drawn by traits ascertainable walking in the garden as they are hardly visible. A galanthophile is willing to take photos lying flat on the belly to share their joy.

The increase of digital photography may have multiplied the number of fans of tiny flowers like snowdrop specialities. Macrophotography, more and more common, has unveiled the miracle of wild flowers an order of magnitude smaller than cottage garden flowers - let alone mosses and lichens. Not surprising if its potentials and pitfalls become topics in garden blogs like in Kata's and Nyöző’s interesting recent posts.

Snowdrop mania keeps hitting records for years in the UK concerning either the number of enthusiasts or the highest prices reached at rarities’ auctions. For a single bulb of the variety Galanthus nivalis 'Flocon de Neige' found in Buckinghamshire in the 1980s more than £200 was paid in 2008, and £150 is considered usual price for new varieties.

There has been nearly 20 snowdrop species from Europe and Asia with their numerous natural hybrids and 700 varieties known so far. Unlike tulips, they won’t grow well in fields, so they were dug up in the wild in industrial amounts. This practice is meant to be stopped by giving common snowdrops protection as endangered species - among many countries - in Hungary.

While the tulip mania of the 17th century Holland gripped higher social circles, the flower nicked “white gold” is already terrain of consumer passion - not only in the UK.

Articles and pictures of the most popular varieties:

Mad about Snowdrops

A Flurry of Snowdrops

Pacific Bulb Society

Bulb Society

Broadleigh Gardens

GAP Photos

Next auction in the UK: Galanthus Gala

Lichens

2011-01-14T16:18:00.009+01:00

Any way I count, it is a long time before spring - at least around here. Though we live in a small country without great diversity of elevation - two third of the country has an elevation of fewer than 200 meters above sea level and only 2% of it reaches hight over 600 meters -, approximately 4 weeks separate the Southern Great Plain and the North Hungarian Mountain Range - 400 hours of sunshine, 4 °C difference of the average annual temperature and about 400 millimeters of average yearly rainfall. In the southern parts of Hungary spring starts at least two weeks earlier and autumn starts nearly as long as that later compared to the place we live.

In early spring this length of time makes quite a difference, but that one month time is not negligible in the whole vegetation period either when the average daily temperature is over 10 °C. Little comfort that this region has seen drop in air pollution due to decrease in industrial activities in the recent two decades that has also brought difficulties in making a living for the locals.

Our garden seems to provide favourable growing conditions for some lichens. These creatures are colonies composed of a kind of fungus, alga and/or sometimes bacterium. In common language lichens are usually called plants.

They are considered bioindicators - help with monitoring greenhouse gases, tracking the rise of average temperature, or may provide some guideline in determining the age of covered surfaces.

Most of them die after deterioration of the atmosphere as they can not get rid of pollutants easily absorbed in lack of any cuticles. Such species can live among extreme conditions like those of the tropics and the tundra but are very sensitive of the change in temperature, especially permanent warming. Toxitolerant lichens may die as a result of the rise of the average yearly temperature. Since they grow quite slowly - most of them to a maximum of 1 cm a year - with the death of such colonies organisms disappear that might be as old as this tree.

Around five years after environmental improvement lichens reappear but they are usually more tolerant of warmer climate than the previous symbiotic organisms.

Identifying the most widespread ones may be easier but otherwise it might be impossible outside a laboratory. Katalin Molnár’s website and Ádám Buday’s photoblog show lichens common in the Carpathian Basin.

This may be Hypogymnia physodes. "The name Hypogymnia comes from the Greek hypo, meaning ‘under’ and gymnos, ‘naked’ referring to the lack of lower holdfast structures. The species name comes from the Greek physcia meaning ‘bellows’ referring to the inflated hood-like lobes of this lichen." It is tolerant of atmospheric pollution.

While most plants are spending their rest period in our garden, lichens and mosses are fattening in lively compositions of the winter garden. They thrive on tree trunks and fence poles - either wooden or concrete - mainly on the northern side or under the shadow of tree crowns.

I suppose lichens are real treasures of a garden.

Still Flowers and Already Flowers

2010-11-15T23:55:00.004+01:00

It is interesting to walk around the garden now and discover blooms, gaze at seedpods and the various colours and shapes of leaves fattened in the cool weather. On Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens, I have chosen plants in full bloom.

Euphorbia

Antirrhinum

Viburnum - just like in spring

And some of the Chrysanthemums:

And the flowers under the soil surface already show signs.

Ten

2010-11-14T11:55:00.007+01:00

A few weeks ago two blotanists, Denise and Meredehuit invited me to the garden bloggers’ game whose participants list ten favourite things in their posts mentioning who invited them and which ten garden bloggers they invite.

My list features creatures that do not belong to the kingdom Plantae but to our garden they do so much. They do not make the garden bird friendly, do not overwinter outside either, still, they are the dearest creatures that live with us. We share our house and garden, sun decks and sofas with cats. If you like, we have a cat friendly garden and house - with cat doors, hiding and lurking places.

Nünü cat changed her urban life to village reality when we adopted her six years ago, at the time of our moving to the country. She must be around seven years old.

Mizura - Mizu cat - is a village substance. When five years ago the few month old kitten lurked in our window, he said “Maaaaa”. His opinion has not changed so far.

Mizu made Lonci stay here at the end of the summer. The scruffy quadruped turned out to be pregnant. Soon she started to look like a cat and become our cat when ten weeks ago she brought forth seven miracles.

Dr Borka is the biggest kitten. Apart from being born last, he is the first in everything and somehow he knows everything - offhanded.

Possibly, it is due to her name - that means ‘flower’ - that Virág is quite interested in plants.

Lina - she is simply a sweet fairy.

Bobik - he is a real gourmand.

Zolka - he seems to search for reasons in things.

Dödi is the smallest kitten - a love concentrate. Sweet Lili’s extravagant dsign hides a shy kitten. Both girls have already been taken care of by a friend for two weeks.

As the first part of a cat series I promised, I dedicate this post to the balkony blogger, Chamomilla in the Czech Republic. At the same time I ask you, dear gardenless gardener, to join this game.

I also invite Kata from Hungary - Our Garden

Ewa from Poland - Ewa in the Garden

Christina from Italy - Creating my own garden of the Hesperides

Stein form Norway - My Swedish Holiday Garden

Timbu from Estonia - Timbu aiapäevik

Kate from the United States - Gardening and Gardens

Bangchik from Malaysia - My little vegetable garden

Klara from Australia - My Orchids Journal

and Diana from South Africa - Elephant’s Eye.

Netted Iris

2010-09-26T18:42:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I planted at least 120 Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ - in Hungarian something like "reticulated woman-petal" - bulbs with their hundreds of offsets. This is the growth in loamy soil with winter frosts under -20 °C (-4 °F) of those 10 bulbs bought five years ago. Its vigorous blue is spectacular in March right after the snow thaws, and this multiplication is absolutely rewarding.

The planting basket made it easier to lift the bulbs so I planted most of them in a flower bed with the same method. In the new part of the garden I’m planning to plant some loosely among the flowering and evergreen shrubs.

Meadow in the Visegrád Mountains

2010-09-21T00:09:00.005+02:00

The westernmost part of the North Hungarian Mountain Range, the Visegrád Mountains, belongs to the Pilis Biosphere Reserve. In accordance with its main functions, the reserve contributes to the conservation of natural values with strictly protected core areas, and its study paths promote interconnection between social and environmental sustainability.

At the end of Mogyoróhegy Nature Study Path set up for children there lies a meadow with a bench on it, a carpet of flowers and the view of the River Danube. I found these flowers there:

Centaurium erythraea - centaury

It’s included in the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia as medical herb.

Colchicum autumnale - autumn crocus, meadow or wild saffron, naked lady

It’s included in the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia as medical herb.

Dianthus collinus - Danube pink

It's protected!

Is it summer or autumn?

2010-09-15T21:49:00.005+02:00

Every month's 15th day is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day started by Carol, the author of May Dreams Gardens. Joining the event I chose some from the plants in bloom now in my garden.

Sedum is one of the easiest to grow, a succulent that develops green buds in flat green clusters in the middle of the summer from the baroque ruffles of the leaves in spring. Now it's a meeting point of bees and butterflies and looks fabulous in snow.

Chrysanthemum parthenium is in bloom in masses at the beginning of summer - this time of the year it's a curiosity. Self seeds. My grandmother called it breadcrumbs.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is regarded ground cover though it's decidious and starts from its roots in spring. It has many colours.

Delosperma usually overwinters in the garden but it's wise to save a few cuttings in a pot in case the plants are killed in severe frosts. It likes to grow among stones.

Nepeta is the favourite of one of our cats - often smudges her nose with that. At the end of the bloom - every few weeks - I cut them back and spread the clipped stems under rose shrubs.

Elsholtzia stauntonii is new in our garden - I received some cuttings from a kind gardener in spring. I like it very much!

What's in bloom in your garden now?

Old Photos

2010-09-11T02:44:00.005+02:00

I've stumbled upon old garden photos in an exciting archives. Uncatalogued but mainly in chronological order some five thousand pictures of a collection from Hungary is open to browsing at Fortepan. Clicking on the "download" button the amateur photos are available in higher resolution.

The oldest photos were taken in the first decade of the 20th century, but where, sometimes it would be difficult to tell.

With the first puzzle I played for a few hours without solving it. Does anybody know which negothic mansion can be seen in the pictures from the time before 1905?

Does it still exist?

Cypresses following the stairs may lead the eyes to the sea in this Mediterranean garden. The photo was taken sometime in the 1910s in Croatia. Are there Sansevierias in the pots?

Which English park is this companionship cycling in? The picture was taken before 1915.

The front garden of Szécsényi Bath around 1930.

Where was this taken?

Garden in the home for war cripples sometime in the early 1940s.

Is it not a "Victory Garden" in the Tabán?! Though the term is problematic in Hungarian since our country did not finish World War I and II at the side of the winners. Anyway, the constraint of self-support made urbanites seed every square foot that could be cultivated.

Hévíz around 1945.

Community garden of a residential area.

The Botanical Garden in Budapest in the second half of the 1940s.

Vérmező before the reconstruction of Budapest-Déli railway station in the 1950s. The planting resembles a nursery garden.

Picture from holiday at the North Sea in DDR (East Germany) in the 1960s.

A plaza of Miskolc, the Steel Town in the 1970s.

That is what fits today's selection. More photos at Fortepan.

Garden Cosmos

2010-09-07T01:21:00.008+02:00

Our bird feeder is still in bloom while seeds are already ripening on it. We never present them on a tray, birds feed on the seeds of standing Cosmos.

Moving pictures from our garden

The meaning of Cosmos bipinnatus leads to the Ancient Greek word kosmos - harmony, maybe ornamental or ordered universe - and to the Latin words bi + pinnatus - that is having two wings, or more precisely, two feathers, implying the structure and the position of the leaves.

The dispersed seeds of the annual flower - in bloom until the first frosts - overwinter and the seedlings are easy to transplant. The nearly two meter tall thick stem is supported by the strong root - while the leaves are like threads and the delicate petals quiver like butterfly wings. In spring I sow seeds along the fence and besides it has a good support over that they also lessen the weeds rushing from the abandoned neighbouring garden.

The flower of the “Psyche White” cultivar consists of multiple circles of petals. Some have “eyelashes” around the disc and others are frilly - on the same plant as well.

Tomatoes Indoors

2010-09-03T00:43:00.003+02:00

They might ripen.

"Beautiful and Pleasant Gardens"

2010-09-01T11:54:00.009+02:00

From the time of the Renaissance it's considered a planned activity to go walking in the nature. A topos of the antiquity, the locus amoenus, the pleasant landscape becomes valued setting for the gentlefolk's pleasures. The "pleasance", the garden for the pleasure of view and social life - that appears on the villa grounds of the 15th century with loggias, pergolas, topiaries and marble fountains - is not meant to provide supply for the estate.

"The notion of the world in Renaissance culture appears sensibly in the relation of man and nature. Discovering the natural world appears in every sphere of life. The Renaissance man separates the natural world from itself dividing it into an outside appearannce and its elements... The experience of recognizing the act of seeing results in elevating man and nature." Ágnes Herczeg

The landscape designer, Ágnes Herczeg wrote about renaissance garden art in her garden history - art history dissertation titled "Szép és kies kertek" A kora reneszánsz kertek Itáliában és Magyarországon ("Beautiful and Pleasant Gardens" Early Renaissance Gardens in Italy and Hungary). With grants from NKA (National Cultural Fund of Hungary) the book was published in 2008 - the Renaissance Year that was the 550th anniversary of the coronation of Matthias Corvinus, a Hungarian King of European renown and a great patron of the arts - and was second prize winner at the 14. International Book Fair in Marosvásárhely (Targu Mures, Romania) in the category of "The Most Beautiful Book".

If one expects great photos of Hungarian Renaissance gardens will be disappointed (though pictures of Italian villa gardens and drawings charm the eyes) since we have only archeological findings and fragments from diplomats' and globetrotters' reports of the period or chronicles. Still, the author gives such a lavish description of the gardens of that time - especially being familiar with the geographical relief of the Carpathian Basin - one can easily get involved in a movie reading the book.

A few pages summary in Italian, German and English at the back of the book helps those who are interested in Hungarian Renaissance garden culture and would like a beautiful book on their shelves but do not speak Hungarian.

Though Renaissance gardens cannot be found on the Buda Hills anymore, a 0.7 hectare (1.7 acre) vineyard open to public is soon going to trumpet that garden culture has roots in Hungary (click on the image above to read more).

Romantic Castle Park - Martonvásár

2010-08-16T12:33:00.001+02:00

As the Baroque garden is synonym for the French garden, the English garden or landscape park emerged with the Romantic Era. One of Hungary's well tended public English gardens is on the grounds of the Brunszvik Castle in Martonvásár - today it houses the Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Instead of parterres the dendrological collection is meant to charm the walker in the nature reserve. It's sad that there're only few labels to help learn.

The neogothic mansion has a view of the lake.

The wide water surface reflects just about every corner of the garden - here a favourite of romantic gardens, the weeping willow facing...

... the trees on the island.

The diversity of foliage colour.

The view of the mansion from over the lake - with the island on the right.

As the path windig around the lake crosses a carpet of ivy it's not rare to see them ramble on the trees.

There's always some picturesque vista to capture - either mystic or exotic -, here's a group of young trees bathing in the sun. Composed though not visionary at all.

Some aid to identify the trees - in Hungarian.

Chinoiserie - Oriental theme - in the gardens adored from the Rococo: the wooden bridge leading to the island and...

...a Japanese maple.

A treasure of the island, the bald cypress with its knees.

Water flowing from the lake like a stream.

Fallen tree - just like in the nature.

The vast lawn is lavish - and less labour-intensive or expensive than the parterres.

The statue of Teréz Brunszvik (1775-1861) who established the first nursery school in Central Europe. She took part in creating the garden. Now there's a Nursery school Museum in the park of the mansion.

The loud "living" wall.

The aged Atlas cedar of the "front garden".

After the walk it might be relaxing to sit amazed at the atmosphere of the plant groups. It's worth dawdling nearly any part of the garden.

Plan

2010-08-07T00:03:00.000+02:00

On my way to create a garden I try to find out "whys" and "hows". As I collect information of everything about horticulture from sites in English - and share it in Hungarian - I also feel the urge to share this part of the world with anybody interested. And so I open an English version of Művelt Kert, or rather a collection of its posts about Hungary - Central Europe - in English.

For those who haven't heard of Hungary here's an impression from the '70s when I was a child:

Main title of the documentary serial, One and a Half Million Steps in Hungary - Along the Countrywide Blue Tour

And another approach - with the capital, Budapest: