Gardening with Gael: Food Forests: Part Two

[Gardening]

30 Jan, 2023

“Daylilies?” said our friend Donn, looking at the daylily represented on this page and shaking his head. “Why would anyone plant daylilies? The flowers only last one day. What is the point?”

The point is, that although each flower only lasts a day, each stalk has many one-day flowers. Sometimes up to fifteen. This very new daylily, recently divided from a clump, had eight flowers. This beautiful bi-coloured flower looks hand-painted and I can see it from our dining room table. In future years I will be enjoying these flowers for weeks. Daylilies or hemerocallis are not true lilies, growing from fleshy roots rather than bulbs. An easy-care perennial they are great fillers and because their flowers are edible they have a place in the food forest, or in my case, food court. Gaps in the borders sorted.

Reading that nasturtiums repel whiteflies, aphids and several beetles has given me pause as I fling them down the bank, the current repository for weeds and cuttings. I’m trying to gain more gardening ground as they all rot down but the nasturtiums need areas of their own. Once again these are among the edible flowers, a welcome addition to salads. They clamber willingly over any nearby shrub or bush.

If I am going to embrace what is really companion planting I am going to have to, as they say, ‘get over myself’. I read that petunias are often referred to as, and I quote from Google, ‘nature’s pesticide’. Apparently they repel all manner of insects. I still can’t seem to see a gap although a dark purple with white spots is quite appealing.

Another plant I am wary of is citronella grass Cymbopogon nardus. This is an entirely different plant to the citronella geranium which I always have in the garden. I’m still not sure if rubbing the leaves of the citronella geranium on my skin to release the oils really does repel mosquitos but the fragrance is lovely and the plant deserves a spot. Citronella grass does deter mosquitos but it is very toxic to dogs. Considering Barney eats his body weight in grass every day and is not clever about things not good for him, I might give this a miss but if you are pet free it is highly recommended.

Another grass from the same family that that repels mosquitos but can also be eaten is lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus. Large quantities of this are poisonous to dogs as well. I’m keen to grow this as it is delicious in Asian foods. I bought one from Mot at the school market. She has the real lemongrass which she uses in Thai cooking.

Lavender, however, wins a spot every time. The smell of lavender is reputed to deter mosquitos and that’s reason enough for me. There are so many varieties to choose from. Harry, at Bennett’s Cafe in the village does an amazing job with the grosso variety. This is the variety famous for its oils. It is not a plant to ignore. Tending it requires commitment. I am happy to enjoy Harry’s diligence. My garden will feature the Lavandula stoecha a hardy group with a wide variety of colours. It doesn’t become ‘leggy’ as quickly as Lavandula augustofolia although the augustifolia ‘Hidcote’ variety has an intense blue flower.

Will I still have room for my daylilies? I certainly will.

Although each daylily flower only lasts a day, each stalk has many one-day flowers, sometimes up to fifteen. PHOTO/GAEL MCCONACHY