A catalogue of trial, error and advice

Dustyevsky

There's a good summary of someone's experience with Stridolo here, though it's likely Arb will have seen it:

https://www.tyrantfarms.com/stridolo-silene-vulgaris-how-to-grow-and-eat-with-recipes/

They're in the US, but somewhere colder than any of us are likely to be.

 EDIT: Just remembered, we have Silene maritima as a rock plant. Very similar looking. Might try a wee piece to see what it tastes like, but it's not productive enough to be very useful as veg!

-taff

LessImpecunious said:

-taff said:

I've got that. The packet said it could be a sod to germinate but it obviously liked where I put it. It has become straggly though because I have no clue when to cut it back ot when to leave it or what. I did a decimate clear up earlier on this year. Pretty flowers though. Overwinters here really well, stays green altought obviously the flower heads dry up and go brown.

Did you try eating it?

I did, that's what I originally grew it for but I have to say, there are better things to grow, like agretti. It doesn't have much of a flavour reminiscent of anything, it just tastes green and planty, a bit like a stronger version of grass or a weaker version of pea greens.  If you were starving, you'd eat it, but otherwise....I just leave it there for the insects now.

this is what it looks like after a few years, I haven't cut it back but it probably could do with it if you want to keep it small and bushy

On the plus side, if you break off the shoots from the stem, and shove them in some damp compost, they will grow to propagate

ArbitraryRandom

Thanks all. For me it's just about curiosity this year - Rare plants are generally such for a reason (they're difficult or not productive), but a bit of variety, especially over winter when a lot of greens are dead or dormant, appeals to me and I would like a nice balance of edible and attractive given the beds are going to be right next to my outdoor seating area  

As always, any other suggestions welcomed  

-taff

If you find out how to keep them bushy and not straggly, let me know. I do like the flowers, they're like little goblety type things and they are very pretty in flower.

The lure of rare plants cannot be resisted! I've gone down the not normal herb route lately, trying to get some caraway this year and epazote, if they germinate...

LessImpecunious

Thanks for the link Dusty, and info taff - my mum's garden (just down the road from me) hosts maritima, vulgaris (stridolo) and Silene alba (which I'm trying to grow from her seed, unsuccessfully so far) - the last two potentially edible but bitter, due to saponins apparently - so a taste taste may be in order if I'm there when it's not hailing or blowing too much! And maybe will try for some stridolo cuttings! (And apologies for hijacking your thread Arb...)

Dustyevsky

ArbitraryRandom said:

As always, any other suggestions welcomed  

I've not followed the thread much, so this may have been mentioned, but good old Mizuna (a particularly fine-leaved form) seems to go through most winters unperturbed, even outdoors.

ArbitraryRandom

Added to the list  https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/mizuna-mibuna/grow-your-own

I'm assuming the same as other leafy things (does best in partial shade)? 

YoungBlueEyes

Temporarily lowering the intellectual tone of the thread.... how did you do the plan for your garden Arb? The one on the bottom of page 17. Is it a computer thing or a garden design website thing?

YoungBlueEyes

ArbitraryRandom said:

Quiet day at work, so I figured it was past due to update this thread... What has happened in the last 5 and a bit months? 

Well, trees planted (more than intended thanks to Farway and Dusty being wonderful horrible devils), beds built (different shape than intended, but I think it works in the space) and today being filled with soil! 

Seeds on every available windowsill to be planted, and a couple of bushes that have very patiently been spending the last year in pots have gone in (saved the builder shifting maybe half a barrow of soil )

Pictures and other miscellaneity to follow, probably tomorrow; but (as is the tradition) first the latest plan - only vaguely to scale:


Again, the top left of the shed is North and the corner with the quince is more or less bang on West, making the raised beds S/E facing.  

I mean this one  

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

Quiet day at work, so I figured it was past due to update this thread... What has happened in the last 5 and a bit months? 

Well, trees planted (more than intended thanks to Farway and Dusty being wonderful horrible devils), beds built (different shape than intended, but I think it works in the space) and today being filled with soil! 

Seeds on every available windowsill to be planted, and a couple of bushes that have very patiently been spending the last year in pots have gone in (saved the builder shifting maybe half a barrow of soil )

Pictures and other miscellaneity to follow, probably tomorrow; but (as is the tradition) first the latest plan - only vaguely to scale:

Again, the top left of the shed is North and the corner with the quince is more or less bang on West, making the raised beds S/E facing.  

I mean this one  

Here you go: https://virtual-graph-paper.com/ 

It's a bit fiddly, but was much easier than all the garden design tools online - I just drag rectangles around till it looks right  

If you make a (free) account, it saves your sketches so you can go back in and change them (or remember what you intended originally...)