Cyperus papyrus

Uses : Textile, Ornamental. Native to : Egypt
     The history of this plant is long and well-known, but did you know that it has become an exotic invasive in Florida? Once, long ago, someone planted one of these in the shady part of our yard underneath several Cherry Laurel trees, and years later there is still 3 or 4 stalks surviving.
     It is known to grow in areas like ditches and swamps, where abundant moisture can be found.
     Historically, the young shoots can be roasted and eaten much like bamboo. I have fed the stalks and leaves to the rabbits, and they aren't dead yet, so I must be doing something right.
     Unfortunately wildlife seem to have no interest in this unusual plant. It flowers in the spring, but the flowers are green and right in the middle of the big green fan fronds, so kind of easy to miss.

You can cultivate Papyrus like I do, as in, with abandon. Since they are in the grass the family they are very forgiving. What I like to do with them is put a bunch of dead leaves and mulch in he bottom of a 1 gallon pot, then put the piece of plant in, then put mulch and leaves all around the sides of the plant to hold it up. Then stick the whole thing into one of my mini ponds because papyrus loves water. I have literally grown papyrus in rocks in pondwater before. I stopped using rocks because they became annoying when it was time to divide up the papyrus stems and roots.

This plant is part of my master plen to take back the front of my yard, which is a great big mess. But papyrus is sweet and beautiful, and the rabbits like to eat it so I'm going to keep this well-haved permaculture fodder source around as much as I can.

Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana

     Known for its edible small purple berries. I have eaten the berries raw, and they don't have much flavor. Popular for creating jams/jellies - sugar and pectin will have to be added.

    Usually you see the brightly colored magenta berries for months in the summer. I was finally able to get a picture of the flowers themselves.

Shibataea kumasaca, Ruscus Bamboo

     I'm not even sure how I got this plant. . I don't think I bought it, or did I? No, I think I would remember if I had bought a dwarf clumping bamboo, because it's very cool -

now that I know it's not a weed trying to take over the lemon tree. 

     Indeed, bamboos are cool. I have another larger grass that I quite enjoy because it's beautiful and grows well. And more importantly, it's edible to the rabbits.  These grasses can be very helpful in their ability to displace weeds. They are also easy to harvest and bring to the rabbits.

Permaculture in Florida: What Should I Do With All These Sticks?

      Have you ever felt like winter has left your place a mess and you don't know what to do with all of the sticks and leaves? 

     The permaculture thing to do would probably be to let the sticks and leaves stay where they fell and fertilize the soil. While I would agree that this is a good idea, it can be a  little bit unsightly in the front yard gardens. Then there is the problem of palm trees and them leaving their fallen branches on top of other plants. 

     These extra branches and leaves do have a purpose in the permaculture garden. Believe it or not, fallen leaves can be fed to livestock. My rabbits eat sycamore leaves and palm leaves, but neither are their favorite. Any amount they can mulch for me is appreciated, and the uneaten leaves are put onto the garden pathways as a mulch layer. Sometimes I also put fallen leaves and rabbit manure around new plantings.

     Large branches and sticks are a whole nother problem. They take years to break down, even here in the South. So I have found a solution, and that is to cut all branches to the desired widths of the paths, and then to stack similar width sticks horizontally to create a path. This is imperfect at times, because the branches often roll, and they also can make a person trip. But I am confident that digging in the logs a little bit will prevent this problem.

Spiderwort, Spring 2022

 

     Every Spring, around Alban Eilir, all the Spiderwort start blooming. The flowers are open in the very early morning, and as the sun rises they appear to be glowing 🟣. They are amazingly beautiful, and one of the few plants of early spring that is native to this area and edible. 

 

    Every year I transplant seedlings from the mowed areas to safer areas of my place. And every year I have more and more beautiful color in the spring. One year I used the flowers to color eggs, by sticking them to the egg and then boiling the egg in a wrapper. It came out amazingly.

Mystery plant, has flowers in the early summer.

          Found this strange looking friend growing in the deep shade of a Ficus tree at my friend's house. He has 3 acres of mostly grass but he thinks its the most amazing property ever. Regardless, I thought this little guy was some kind of raspberry or blackberry due to it's diminutive size and berry looking pods. 

This picture was taken in May

     Later I continued to check on the berries, hoping it was something edible. But it never turned purple or red, instead it burst into color. Into a most familiar color, the native flower known as Lantana.

     I don't know that much about Lantana other than it has yellow flowers or it has pink flowers and sometimes you can find one plant with both colors on it. Some people say the ripe berries are edible. Maybe we should do more with this native beauty.

     Wikipedia says that Lantana is poisonous if eaten, but can be used topically as it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It also has chemicals which give it insecticidal properties, which makes it insect resistant. Lantana is native to North and South America.

Acalypha wilkesiana, Copperleaf

     I bought this gorgeous plant at the botanical gardens near my house. At the time, I had hoped it had edible value, but as my research continued, I discovered that Copperleaf is used largely as a topical antifungal agent.

     There is an entry in a book from Archive that talks about the edibilty of Acalypha, written in 1943. It says the young shoots and leaves may be cooked and eaten.
     The internet assures me that copperleaf is not frost hardy and will surely freeze in my area. Bring it, winter!

Monarda punctata, Horsemint, Spotted Bee Balm

   I was at the forest garden and snapped a nice picture of an interesting looking flower near the road that I had never seen before. It was growing under the edge of shade from trees but also getting a few hours of sunlight as it was near the road. To me, these are among the harshest conditions known to plants.
     Then later I found an article on social media put out there by the Pasco County UF IFAS office that touted the horn of beebalm. It specifically mentions how the flowers of beebalm herald the beginning of Florida's fall wildflower season. What it neglected to mention in detail was beebalm's edibility and medicinal uses, plus the fact that it's a native that grows with no irrigation!
     Green Deane says it has more thymol than the other mints. It can be used as a cough suppressant, an antihelminthic, anti-inflammatory. He also says that it can make a sedating tea. Which might be good if you have a cough.

     On Archive, there is actually a book discussing the production of thymiol using beebalm, and breaks down the costs by acre. It's an interesting read. The information from 1916 is still every bit as true today, even if our currency's value has changed over the years.
     I have often thought about the value of creating herbal teas and tisanes to treat some common ailments. Dehydration would be necessary, of course, along with a delivery system such as tea bags. Beebalm would be a great herb to start out with, as it is medicinal, safe, and native.

Pennisetum purpureum, Napier grass, Elephant Grass

     At the local gardening club, I picked up some rooted cuttings of this interesting black grass and planted one in the front garden and one in the back garden. I didn't know too much about it then, other than that it was big and black and $12.
     It turns out that Elephant grass earned it name because it is a favorite plant of elephants back in its native home of Africa. It is edible for people too, and by extension, rabbits. Plants for a Future says the young shoots or leaves are added to soups. Elephant grass is closely related to millet.

     According to Feedipedia, it is primarily used in cut and carry feeding systems and used to make silage. It is desirable due to its wide range of habitats and drought tolerance. The fresh leaves an stems are reported to have just 1-10% protein, but to be a good source of carotene.  Historically there have been a few cases of nitrate poisining in cattle fed on exclusively Elephant Grass, but I remember reading the same for Tifton hay also. Archive has a fantastic book about using Elephant grass as a fodder crop in Hawaii.
     It is also used to make thatch and mulch, and to prevent erosion if planted on contour.
   Elephant grass is mainly grown in stands. It produces few seeds and is usually propagated by stem cuttings of at least 3 nodes, 2 of which are buried into the soil. Has been known to grow 4 meters in three months time after planting from stem cuttings.

     It has been growing very well in my yard for almost one year now. I plan on taking cuttings out to the forest to plant on the sandy areas created by cars driving through the corner of the land.

Back Yard Pond Gardening

November, 2018

     After I moved into this house, my daughter and I dug a pond garden in the back yard. Then I lined it with expensive 6 mil liner from the big box store, a purchse I will never make again. Not that I am not happy with my pond, but I found a larger liner 50 mils thick for half the price. Then I placed some patio pavers around it, that I had gotten from my mom.

July 2019

   During the storm season of 2018 the pond flooded badly enough to draw the plants up and out of their pots. I recovered most of them, but some died off or were eaten by who knows what.

Animals must visit the pond a lot more than you would suspect, because last month I found a plant uprooted and a paver pushed into the water. Then I found this cute tortoise unable to climb his way out.
     I learned at the pond shop nearby that most people who have ponds put a lot of value into their fish and their waterfalls. I grew up in Florida, what the heck is a waterfall?? Fish are necessary to control mosquitos, so I began shopping for the black mosquitofish that are at the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens and couldn't really find them. Okay, I will admit, I didn't look too hard. Instead I bought some feeder goldfish for $0.20 each. Most have died off or disappeared, but I have counted as many as five 6-inch long goldfish at any one time. I don't feed these fish, they live on bugs and algae.
The water is pretty clear, but there is quite a bit of sediment at the bottom. Once in a while I scoop it out into the garden.

Wild Coffee, Psychotria Nervosa

     I like to call this plant Psycho Coffee, because it's just more fun to say. I bought this several years ago from the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, and it has thrived with no care at all. When I planted it back then I heeded the advice of IFAS and put it in the full shade, where it doubled in height and width and produced two seedlings. The seedlings also thrived in the full shade with no care, no watering, nothing.

     Psycho Coffee is native to Florida, and Florida is its only home. It's hardiness is from 10B to 11, but it's growing well in the full shade in my 8A front yard. I happened to be at the Pasco County Earth Day celebration, and there was a gentleman there from the Florida Native Plant Society and he had some for sale, so I picked up another one and supported the Society. I have also spotted it growing as a huge bush at the entrance of the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg.
     Psycho coffee propagates by seed, and I have found that the easiest way to propagate it is to dig up seedlings and put them where you want them.
     The berries are edible, and have a large seed in them. They don't taste good. Flowers attract butterflies and the fruits attract birds. Some say that members of the coffee family contain a hallucinogen called dimethyltryptamine, but it is unknown if Psycho Coffee has that chemical. It's called Psychotria nervosa for the prominent ribbing on the leaves.
     Definitely a keeper because edible fruit, beautiful flowers that bloom for months and attract pollinators, requires no care or watering, and loves full shade.

Shell ginger

     Native to Eastern Asia, Alpinia zerumbet (Shell Ginger) is an amazing addition to any permaculture garden. It thrives with very little water and deep shade.
     It is edible, with the leaves being used to wrap rice dishes and rice cakes. Tisanes are made with ground leaves, stems, and roots. It is considered to have many antioxidants and to lower blood pressure.

    According to this study, Shell Ginger has many effects including antimicrobial (against E. coli), antiparasitic, insecticidal, anti-cancer, antiproliferative, antiinflammatory, analgesic, antiallergic, neuroprotective, and antioxidant properties. It has a proven efficacy against HIV virus and against neuroaminidase enzymes (Influenza viruses). Phytochemicals in Shell Ginger inhibit oxydative stress in adipose cells, and contribute to lipolysis. The phytochemicals also decrease intracellular triglycerides, which limits fat cell production/growth. A chemical in the roots called labdadiene inhibits glycation, preventing glycation related diabetic complications. Essential oils, specifically terpenin-4-ol, relax smooth muscles and decrease blood pressure.

     Apparently Shell Ginger is the local superfood that no one knows about! And here I am telling everyone. The superfood outside the back door...
    Propagate gingers by lifting the rhizomes and dividing them. Plant the rhizomes at the same depth ad the parent plant, or closer to the surface when in doubt.  It should be about as deep as the rhizome is tall.

     It has been my experience that all gingers hate being disturbed, and may look poorly for a year or two after dividing. One source says that after a Shell Ginger produces flowers/seeds then thay stalk can be cut to the ground and the rhizome will send up a new shoot. If you do any cutting, the stems and leaves make great rabbit food. Indeed, they think it's a treat! The cut leaves also have a wonderful aroma, not unlike a mixture of cardamom and ginger. Not too bad in a smoothie either.

Found Opuntia

     I feel like it's Christmas in the Springtime. When I was planting the Yucca filamentosa on the easement boundary of the new place I found several beautiful, native Opuntias growing there. I wonder if the previous owner planted them or it was just a fortuitous accident?

Opuntia placed using the STUN method, update

  It has been about two months since I planted all those tunas at the new property. They look great considering no rain and no care, right?
     It won't be too long, maybe another 6 months, and I will place them around the border of the new garden. It will be just one layer of fencing around my fortress of solitude.

Fortress of Solitude - Building a Moat

     Other than the Prickly Pear cacti that ai am propagating for my moat, I also have plans to use Yucca filamentosa as an additional barrier. If the yuccas were spaced appropriately it would be enough danger to stop most large animals, in theory. No deer preying on my garden!
    I planted out some of the immature yuccas from my house with enough spacing in between them for a row of prickly pear and then Agave americana on the inside row. Of the three aforementioned species Agave americana is the moat useful to me at the moment, as a leaf from it needs no adulteration in order to feed the rabbits. They like it! So having agave on the inside seems to make sense to me at the moment, even if I am sick from a cold and sleep deprived.
     Here is the beginning of the plant fence near the road.

Veronica spicata, Blue carpet speedwell, update

     Now that the Speedwell plants have gone to seed, they aren't nearly as beautiful as they were when they were flowering in this picture. But now they have dozens of seed pods, which are moist and mucilaginous. Perhaps when they dry out I will seed this spring flowering beauty elsewhere on the lands! It's useful as an expectorant or just as an additive to tea; almost a shame it's not native.

Veronica spicata, blue carpet speedwell

     Found this while hiking at the new property. Veronica spicata is edible, but is mostly used to create an herbal tea (an expectorant) to treat asthma and congestion. Also used as an additive for herbal tea blends.
     Sounds like it might be useful for my next cold!

4 O'Clocks, Mirabilis jalapa

     Years ago I had discovered these beautifully flowered fragrant beauties hiding amongst the unwanted plants in the swale of my front yard. At that time I had thought the 4 o'clocks were pretty but toxic. It turns out there is mixed and conflicting information put there regarding Mirabilis, but Plants for a Future states that it has an edibility rating of 2 out of 5. And has been used in the past for medicinal purposes. And hallucinatory purposes.
     The leaves are edible, but not the seeds or the roots. Other sources say the roots are edible. Be cautious.
     I'm going to propagate this plant. It grows well year after year here and often creates seedlings in unexpected places.

Opuntia Placed Using the STUN method.

     I may have said before that I am a huge fan of Mark Sheppard's STUN method of gardening, which is short for Sheer Total Utter Neglect.  In short, you plant a whole lot of the thing you want to grow, as many different varieties as you wish, collect the seeds of the survivors, and continue to plant and collect seed of future generations so that you will be growing the best, most adapted plants for your space.
     So I pruned all of my Opuntia, which came out to a lot more than I had thought it would. Filling up an entire bucket! From my postage stamp yard I was impressed. These are not old and large plants, but tiny things I have found in the neighborhood and bought one at the botancal gardens. These are the native Opuntias, be cautious when handling!

     Then I took all the tunas to the new property, which I am going to have to give a name to. I had wanted to make a fortress of solitude out of the place complete with a moat of Cactus all around it, but as yet I dont have enough plant matter for that. So I placed them all in the ground in a protected area. Could always move them later on. I was delighted to find the sand was moist about an inch deep, perfect for these cacti! With any luck, I can STUN these into thousands more plants for my moat.

Opuntia, a revisiting

     I have been rethinking the case for planting spiny Opuntia at the new place. The spiny Prickly Pear still makes a delicious fruit, and it has the added benefit of keeping out people, deer, and anything else soft and fleshy.
There is a very nice overview here.
     I must have at least 20 starts in the front yard ready for transplant. Exciting!