Flowers. Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. Cooperi) has variegated foliage in green, cream, and pink, as well as scarlet flowers that bloom on and off throughout the year. Unlike typical hibiscus cultivars, it may only grow three or four feet tall and cannot tolerate more than half-day sun in our part of the world. Dr. Earth has an organic 6-4-6 fertilizer for palms, tropicals and hibiscus that is a good choice for fertilization of your variegated hibiscus.
Fruit. Medlars are among the most misunderstood fruits since they need to begin to rot in order to be appreciated. They resemble Hachiya and other astringent persimmons in this respect. Medlars are harvested in late October and beyond, staying on the tree into winter, but they may take several weeks to ripen or blet, a word that refers to the pulp softening process, after they are picked. Their flavor is somewhere between apple sauce and dates with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The medlar plant (Mespilus germanica) is a large shrub or small tree that may reach 20 feet in height.
Vegetables. While investigating the subject of grafting, I came upon a curiosity known as a tomtato or pomato — a plant consisting of a tomato and a potato grafted together. You can purchase such plants online although the results of growing them are iffy. When you conclude harvest of the tomatoes, you cut the plant down and harvest the potatoes, although the yields of both are likely to be less than if you grew them separately. The reason you can graft them together is because they both belong to the Solanum genus. Since eggplant and peppers (both bell and chili) are in the same genus, they could also be grafted onto a tomato or potato plant or onto one another. However, there are vegetable plants which, like fruit trees, have one variety grafted onto another of the same species to enhance disease resistance and overall vigor. Vegetable rootstocks resistant to nematodes or soil fungus can be planted in soil where, due to these pests, the plants would not grow. Because of soil fungus problems in Europe, for example, 95% of the watermelons planted there are grafted onto watermelon rootstocks that are fungus resistant. Although many mail order nurseries in the US advertise grafted vegetable plants, the only one I found where the stock was not sold out was at sugarcreekgardens.com. Labeled the Mighty ‘Mato, it is a Sungold cherry tomato that is promoted as bearing 2-4 times the crop of ungrafted plants.
Herbs. You can grow the plant from which black, green, and oolong tea are made. I am speaking of Camellia sinensis. Not only is tea made from its leaves, but it has attractive, fragrant white flowers whose centers are adorned with robust clusters of golden stamens. Grow tea in morning sun only. Soil should be on the acid side, so mix some peat moss into the planting hole or container mix if you choose to grow it in a pot. The Sochi variety, developed in Russia, is the hardiest and has been known to survive temperatures down to 0 degrees. However, with a tea plant of any kind, it is best to protect it from frost when young. The techniques for making green, black, oolong, or white tea vary according to the length of time the leaves — which should be young when harvested — are oxidized or air-exposed following harvest; the more time spent on oxidation, the darker the tea.
Check containers and hanging baskets daily to see if they need water. Check the soil in your garden for dryness, too. Do not let the soil or mulch surface, which is often dry, trick you into thinking the oil underneath is dry as well. Not unless you stick your finger under the surface can you accurately assess for soil dryness. As you get to know your plants, you may also be able to recognize when they are thirsty based on subtle changes in leaf color or alteration of the angle between leaf and stem.
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