Birdfoot Violet

 

This was a small one spotted by a dirt road during one of last year's Wild Harvest Tours.

Common Name: Birdfoot Violet

 

Other Common Names: Bird’s-foot Violet, Bird-foot Violet

 

Botanical Family: Violaceae (The Violet Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Viola pedata

 

Description & Habitat:

Birdfoot Violet is best described as a low-growing perennial that can get about 10” tall with flowers that are roughly the size of those found on cultivated annual Violas or some varieties of Pansies. Typically the flower is the best identification feature because you might spot it from further away as they are dark to pale purple with a white and yellow center. The leaves of this plant are often about ¾ to 2” in length and are deeply cut into 3 to 5 segments that are heavily lobed. The leaf is lobed enough that it is often thought to resemble a bird’s foot hence the plant’s common name. These native perennials are herbaceous and may go dormant at certain times of the year in North Carolina. They prefer dry upland forested sites and can be found sometimes by the side of dirt roads. Unlike other Violets these plants do not reproduce vegetatively and spread only by seed. Their flowers are very visible in the spring in the partial to full shade environments they prefer. which will aid you in locating them. This plant  in the past has been known by the botanical Latin names Viola pedanta var. concolor, V.p. var. lineariloba and, V.p. var ranunculifolia

 

When & What to Harvest:  Since this is a slow-growing herb it is wise to only take what you need and even then it might be wiser to forage on other related Violet species which reproduce faster. With that said, this perennial’s flowers and young leaves are edible raw or cooked and can be added to soups to thicken the broth in the same way one might use Okra. You can make tea from the leaves and the flowers can be candied, a poultice of the leaces can be used to relieve headaches and in the past infusions of this plant have been used to treat dysentery, coughs and the symptoms of a cold. One should take care not to use the flowers of this plant if they are yellow, as this mutation can cause gastrointestinal distress if consumed in large amounts.

 

Non-Dangerous Lookalikes:  As far as I know there is nothing that looks like this.

 

Related Dangerous Species:  None, the Violet family are relatively safe.

 

Recipe:  A basic Syrup recipe using Violet flowers.

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups of loosely packed Violet flowers with all the green parts removed.

3 Cups of water

1 Cup of granulated Sugar

½ Teaspoon of Lemon juice

 

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 cup of water to boiling.

2. Put flowers in a bowl or container that will not be damaged by heat.

3. Pour boiling water over the flowers.

4. stir the flower-water mix to ensure all flowers are properly submerged.

5. Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 days.

6. In a pan add the two cups of water and the sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves.

7. Gently pour the violet-water into the sugar-water mix; you may need a strainer for this.

8. Add the lemon juice.

9. Allow to cool and then transfer to a bottle and then refrigerate.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=vipe

 

You can get seeds and live plants here:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/viola-pedata-birds-foot-violet

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Turnips

Parsnips

Onions

Celery

Potatoes

Garlic Bulbs

Oyster Mushrooms

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Houseplants:

Abutilon

Aloe, American

Begonia, Sindbad

Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf

Hoan Ngoc

Pothos, Cebu Blue

Rose Campion

Selaginella

Solanum uleanum

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

Swiss Cheese Plant

 

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (-): [The channel is on Hiatus until 2025]

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 4^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

As spring gently jumps out of a plane into summer.

Welcome back to another springtime episode of Lost in the farmer’s market where we talk about the casual obsession that makes one a gardener. Today’s topic is that of spring time photographs from the test gardens and a few announcements that are of some Importance to you the reader. First off one of the Sustainable Neighbor’s contributors Bryan W. is heading back to Reno Nevada and thus The sustainable neighbors threw him a going away party. In you can see in our first photo of the week there he is receiving a award from Marsha Howe. LITFM also presented him with a rare copy of Desert Harvest which was written for that region of the United States.

Bryan being presented with the Leadership award by Marsha Howe.

For those who don’t know, Bryan was critical to the establishment of the Bridge gardens and the central organizer of the Coffee Klatch. Not to mention he put the words Kombucha and Kimchee in the lexicons of the Sustainable Neighbors group and taught a few members how to make both. Needless to say he will be missed but on the other hand we doubt this is the last we’ve heard of Bryan and wish him the best.

So the first thing I think the readers of this blog should see is the after effects of using black magic on certain plants. It is well and good to spout numbers and statistics and make statements but it is another to provide pictures and a sort of “where are they now” sort of comparison. Where possible I will post the older archived image of the plant for comparison with the most current ones to show the long term effects of application of black magic.

Ficus afghanistanica – Afghan Fig  (Picture taken on 09-05-2013)

Ficus afghanistanica – Afghan Fig (Picture taken on 05-23-2014)

As you can see that same Afghan fig has doubled in growth and is showing exceptional vigor. Keep in mind it started the year running and has only just received its first black magic treatment for 2014. It is clearly twice as large as last year which suggests black magic may also be suitable for use as a transplant fertilizer.

Rosa sp. – Antique rose

Because of a heavy application of mulch, the demolition of the Carolina Cherry tree nearby and a three month regimen of black magic this battered old rose is for the first time producing vigorous new growth. For the longest time this rose only had three stems tops and produced a maximum of three blooms a year. As noted in an earlier post this year the few blooms this rose had were incredible and now it’s finally showing positive growth. 

Actinidia arguta – Desert Kiwi

These two vines struggled in their position or two years and until the removal of the Carolina Cherry tree over the winter seemed unable to make any real positive growth. A combination of heavy mulching and the same three month black magic regiment as was provided to the antique rose mentioned before seems to have produced better growth while the tree being removed has removed competition.  No matter how you slice it it seems the fertilizer does indeed work in short and long term and can be used anywhere but with seedlings, which is a use I’ve not tried yet.

Lupinis polyphyllus – Russell Hybrid Lupine (aka lupin)

These little guys somehow made it through the winter and the dismantlement of the annual bet they are in to emerge this year. The piece of chicken wire is there to serve as a squirrel or rabbit deterrent while the plastic pots with the bottoms cut out serve as a growing berm. As the annual bed in question is having soil applied the lupines don’t get buried and thus stand a chance to grow out even while the bed soil level is being raised. Some have said it is hard to grow lupines and I agree they are a plant for the patient much like Columbines, Milkweed, Foxglove, Birds Foot Violets and Indian Pinks. The wait is always worth it and for Lupines the trick is to sow them in fall in gravelly soil and let them naturally stratify then nurse them along for at least a year until they are established. You should avoid transplanting them at all costs as lupines are known for their deep tap roots and their aversion to being transplanted.

Cyrtomium falcatum – Holly Fern

One of the toughest ferns around Holly fern only asks for decent soil and some regular water. I’ve seen large stands of this plant resist student traffic on college campuses with little or no maintenance. They won’t do well in poor dry soils though so consider their siting carefully.

Vaccinium ashei – Rabbiteye Blueberry

If you ever find yourself debating Highbush versus Rabbiteye blueberries this is why you should plant the Rabbiteye type. Highbush rarely produces suckers which essentially expand the amount of fruiting plants you have yet Rabbiteyes as seen above will do so. Rabbiteyes tend to produce theses suckers if they are happy in their current siting or have been settled in for a few years. I like to think of it as a growing investment.

Spigelia marilandica – Indian Pink

Spigelia marilandica – Indian Pink

This is the plant that sold me on natives, I got the pictured plant as rootstock two years ago at Blowes, as sold through some NC natives promoting company. While I cannot recall the name of the company it turns out they were selling this plant as Silene Virginica which is a very different plant. Then again one little root crown looks like every other one I guess. I later found out the said company was illegally collecting from wild plant stocks but that’s another story. So I dutifully planted the little root along with what I thought were two Bird’s Foot Violet tubers in the shady rock garden and waited patiently. I went out and read about the two and all the pictures of the plants on Google made them seem fantastic but the roots were tiny and so it was a long waiting game for the plants to mature enough to actually do something. The bird’s foot violet bloomed last year and again this year proving it was worth it. The second birds foot violet turned out not to be a violet at all but an immature Lady’s Mantle Alchemilla mollis instead while the supposed fire pink just produced leaves. This year the supposed fire pinks bloomed and turned out not even to be fire pinks but rather Indian pinks. A trip to big bloomers resulted in the acquisition of a properly labeled Indian pinks plant which resulted in the reverse verification that my ‘fire pinks’ were Indian pinks. Am I mad, not really the Indian pinks are fare nicer than what I intended to buy and the trio of imperfectly labeled plants were transplanted and now reside in the crescent garden.

Tiantia pringlei – Spotted Wandering Jew

I got this one through one of Laura Bradley’s plant swap events. As it turns out this guy is a definite relative of widow’s tears and the house plant called wandering Jew. The grouping is also known as the Day flower family because each flower lasts for roughly a day. As a hardy perennial I don’t mind it’s exotic foliage and sporadic blooms but time will tell if it misbehaves as widow’s tears tends to do.

Penstemon Barbatus – Beardtongue

A year later and these hot pink beardtongues continue onward alongside the hybrid yuccas in the little corner garden. Many of their comrades didn’t make it but these three persis ant are now getting black magic treatments for their troubles.

Yucca filimentosa – Spanish Bayonet

Although I’ve said that the name “Yucca” was the most pat name for a species ever their flowers are kind of nice and oddly smell like soap too. This plant receives full sun now that the Carolina cherry is gone and is blooming harder than ever before.

But enough of the garden’s splendor because as of this writing I am happy to say that the test gardens can be toured in two weeks or starting with the second week of June. It is also likely that the gardens will be a part of the upcoming Sustainable Neighbors Garden tour so you all out there get a chance to see what I’m talking about at the market and see some of the process that gets my plants on that table for sale. I might add it is memorial day week end and I’ll be manning a double-header, I’ll have the booth set up for 4^th Friday (5-9pm) and I’ll be manning the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market (9am-1pm) and it’s follow up Health Fair (1-3pm) on Saturday. All of this occurs at 325 Franklin Street in downtown Fayetteville in the Fayetteville Transportation museum parking lot.

Southward Skies: A northern guide to southern Gardening

This is the second edition of my book, which was published using data compiled from several years of test garden operations. It’s written to aid gardeners of all skill levels in successful garden methods that are targeted for the south east but had proven to be a valued resource for gardens across the eastern coast. It’s certainly a good gift for that gardener you know or for yourself if you’d like to have a reliable field guide. The book costs $25.00 and we do take checks for this item, you can even have it signed.

Vegetables

2x Eggplant, Casper , 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Pepper, Jalapeno, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Pepper, Habenero, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Pepper, Sweet Banana , 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Pepper, Pimento, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Pepper, Carolina Wonder, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Amana Orange, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Brown Berry, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Cherokee Purple, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Martino’s Roma, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Mexico Midget, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Rainbow Cherry Mix, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Red & Yellow Currant, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Reisotomate, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, San Marzano, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tomato, Underground Rail Road, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

Fruits

6x Strawberry- Ozark Beauty, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

Herbs

4x Basil, Sweet, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Basil, Thai, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Basil, Cinnamon, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Basil, Red Rubin

2x Bee Balm, Lambada, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Chives, Common, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Fennel, Black, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Mint, Chocolate, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Lavender-Cotton-Green, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

3x Marjoram, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

3x Oregano, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Parsley, Italian, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Sage, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

2x Tansy, 3.5” pot ($3.00)

Coming Soon:

Black Hungarian Pepper

Striped Togo Eggplant

Louisiana Long Green Eggplant

Triple Crop Tomato

Passion Vine

And this brings to an close a holiday weekend edition of Lost In the Farmer’s Market. Despite the threat of thunder showers at 2am on Sunday morning through 4 am there is supposed to be a rather impressive meteor shower, and if it does rain well you won’t have to work all that hard to keep ‘em growing.  By the way friends don’t let friends have squirrels as pets, why do I say this, the tree rates destroyed most of the early black egg eggplant crop; ‘nuff said!