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Growing Aloe
By Brenda Hyde
Aloe plants are succulents and thrive in hot, dry
conditions, which is probably why they like my
old dry house.
My very first aloe plant was giving to me by my
husband's 75 year old Grandmother, and I killed
it from overwatering the poor thing in a desperate
attempt to keep it alive in order to impress her.
My next aloe not only survived, but has been divided
into many more plants that I've given away to friends
and family. (I've also become friends with Grandma
Dorothy, and no longer worry about impressing her!)
I grow them in clay pots on my sunniest
windowsill and I no longer overwater them!
Aloe plants love bright sun, but will do
fairly well in medium light as well. Allow the soil to dry
between waterings and water less in the winter
than in the warm months. They like being pot bound
in my experience, and may be divided each spring
or before if you have a lot of baby plants in the
pot.
When you pot your aloe offshoots, or the main plant,
use regular potting soil with a little sand added.
Potting aloe is a great children's project by the
way. The plants are easy to handle, and hardy enough
for little hands to replant. My daughter was just
over 2 years old when she helped me repot six aloe
plants, which she proudly presented to family when
they visited. Again, I find terra-cotta pots are
perfect for aloe because they don't retain the
extra moisture that could damage the plant.
Aloe really does soothe minor burns, as I have found
out through experience. Tear
off a leaf, break it in half and rub the "juice" on the
burn. To gather the gel for recipes, cut off a large leaf
and lay it on a hard surface that you've laid down a
piece of foil, wax paper or parchment. Slice the leaf open lengthwise with
a sharp knife. Use a butter knife's dull edge to scrape
from top to bottom, pushing the gel as you go. Discard the leaf
and scrape the gel off the paper into the bowl or container
that you are using for your recipe. An aloe plant is a welcome friend in the kitchen!
About The Author
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her husband and three kids. Stop by and visit her garden blog, Garden of Grace & Whimsy, and her photography blog, A Dance of Words & Photos.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.