Author: digman

The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title Perennial Plant of the Year 2000 to Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue’. A member of the Dipsacaceae family, the nearly flat gray-green basal foliage of the pincushion flower hugs the ground. Lacy lavender-blue, twoinch flowers bloom on slender 12- to 15-inch stems from late spring through early fall. Flowering begins in mid-spring with repeated flowering throughout the growing season when consistently deadheaded. In some climates `Butterfly Blue’ flowers until late December. Pincushion flower derives its common name from the stamens which stand above the petals resembling pins stuck in a pincushion. The leaves are hairy, ovate to lance-shaped, with the upper foliage smaller and finely divided creating a mounded rosette six to eight inches high and 12 to 15 inches wide.

History
Forty years ago Farplants grower, David Tristram, admired this exceptional plant in a garden in Ireland. Mr. Tristram obtained cuttings and grew the unique Scabiosa in his Irish garden for 15 years before moving to England where he grew the beloved plant in his Sussex garden until the early 1980s. Marketing cooperatively, Farplants and the English nursery, Blakedown, selected Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue’ for their first venture in promoting plants. Indeed, `Butterfly Blue’ has become an international winner.

Propagation Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue’ can be propagated by stem cuttings. Two-node tip cuttings of soft vegetative growth should be taken before flowering. Cuttings are placed under mist for approximately two weeks with 68°F bottom heat. Roots will form in about eight weeks at which time the cuttings can be transplanted to quarts or gallons. After transplanting, quarts should be ready for sale in four to six weeks, and gallons in six to eight weeks. Cuttings taken during the winter should receive a one-percent IBA or KIBA drench to enhance rooting. Botrytis may occur on stem cuttings during cloudy weather.

Cultivation
An excellent cultivar of an oldfashioned favorite, this long-blooming perennial for full sun to light shade grows best in well-drained soil amended with organic matter and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. `Butterfly Blue’ pincushion flower requires moist soil during the growing season. Very well-drained soil is a requirement for winter survival. This lovely perennial does not appear to be fazed by summer heat and will bloom throughout the growing season when regularly deadheaded. No insect or disease problems have been reported on wellgrown, healthy plants. Bare-root plants or divisions should be planted so the emerging buds are just below the soil surface. Container-grown plants can be planted anytime during the growing season 12 to 18 inches apart. The crown of `Butterfly Blue’ should be planted at the depth it was growing in the container to prevent crown rot. It is recommended that the basal foliage not be cut back in the fall. Winter-damaged foliage should be removed in the spring.

Landscape Uses Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue’ is an excellent front-of-the-border plant to use in combination with annuals, bulbs, and perennials. The foliage remains clean and unblemished throughout the season. The delicate blue flowers add softness to the garden when massed with boldercolored plants of yellow, bright pink, or red. They also work well with cooler tones of white, silver, and blue. Despite its delicate appearance, `Butterfly Blue’ is a sturdy plant. The plants do not require staking. During the summer butterflies find the nectar-rich flowers. `Butterfly Blue’ may be combined with Coreopsis verticillata `Moonbeam’, Dianthus `Bath’s Pink’, and Pennisetum alopecuroides for a three-season, carefree garden. The cool lavenderblue flowers of `Butterfly Blue’ shine against the warm, burnished tones of fall as one of the last blue-flowering perennials. With its long-lasting blossoms, `Butterfly Blue’ is an excellent choice for smaller flower arrangements either as cut flowers or grown in decorative containers. The outstanding attributes of Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue’ are sure to place this underused perennial in the top group of favorite longblooming perennials.

Provided by the Perennial Plant Association.

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home is the companion volume to Julia Child and Jacques Pepin’s new PBS series of the same name. Enjoy this excerpt.

Potato Salads
Potato salad is perfect picnic fare, but it is a good side dish any time of year, dressed and garnished in various styles to suit the season. Julia’s American-style potato salad is garnished with hard-boiled eggs and crisp bacon bits, chopped pickles, onions, and celery, all given a light coating of homemade mayonnaise. Make this at least an hour ahead of time so the flavors have time to ripen, and serve cool or at room temperature. Jacques’s salad is particularly nice for winter meals — the hot potatoes are tossed with white wine and oil, sautéed onions, scallions, and garlic. Serve it warm, with slices of hot, homemade sausage arranged on top, or with other meats.

The best potatoes for salad are the firm-textured, low-starch “waxy” varieties, which hold their shape well, such as boiling potatoes, small new potatoes, or delicate fingerlings. All-purpose potatoes with waxy flesh, such as the versatile Yukon Gold, are particularly delicious. Whatever kind you use, dress the potatoes while they are still warm so that they best absorb the flavors, and gently fold in all the dressing and seasoning ingredients in one or two additions only, so the potato pieces don’t get mashed from overhandling.

Julia’s American-Style Potato Salad
Yield: About 6 cups, serving 4 to 6

2 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy, boiling potatoes
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1/3 cup chicken stock or potato-cooking water
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 or 4 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled
2 to 3 Tbs finely chopped pickle, sweet or dill
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thin
3 Tbs or so finely chopped fresh chives or scallions, including a bit of their tender green
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup or so mayonnaise, homemade if possible (pages 117 and 120)
Sour cream (optional)

For garnishing Crisp whole red-leaf or other lettuce leaves Canned red pimiento, diced; sliced hard-boiled eggs; tomato quarters; parsley sprigs (optional)

Peel the potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2 inch thick.

Put the slices in a saucepan with water just to cover and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. Immediately remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of the cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Stir the cider vinegar with 1/3 cup of the potato water or chicken stock and drizzle this over the potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.

Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs, and chives, and season carefully to taste. Top with 2/3 cup of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and a bit of sour cream) and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed.

Cover the salad and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before serving. If it is refrigerated longer, let it come back to room temperature before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.

To serve, line a bowl or a platter with red-leaf lettuce or other greens, and mound the salad on top. Decorate at the last moment, if you wish, with any or all of the optional garnishes.

Jacques’s French Potato Salad

Yield: About 6 cups, serving 4 to 6

2 pounds fingerling potatoes or other small waxy potatoes
1/2 cup or so extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch slices of scallion, green and white parts
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, mashed and coarsely chopped (1 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup white wine
1 1/2 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
2 to 3 Tbs chopped chives
2 Tbs or more coarsely chopped fresh green or purple basil, fresh tarragon, or parsley
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more if needed
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (coarse), plus more if needed

For serving and garnishing Large radicchio leaves, about 6, from the outside of the head
1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh parsley

Scrub the potatoes and put them, whole, in a saucepan with water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes gently until they are just tender and can be pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately and let cool slightly. (Scrape the skin from the cooked potatoes, if you want, as soon as they can be handled. For a decorative look with fingerlings, scrape off only a band of skin, about 1/2 inch thick, all around the long sides of the potato.)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small saute pan. When hot, add the scallions and the onion, toss to coat well, and cook for about a minute over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, toss to mix, and cook for just a few moments, then remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the potatoes while still warm, cutting them crosswise into 1/2-inch sections. Put the pieces in a large mixing bowl, pour the wine and 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil over them, and toss gently to distribute. Add the warm vegetables from the pan, mustard, chives, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and gently fold all together, mixing well but not crushing the potatoes. Taste the salad and add more seasonings as you like.

Serve the potatoes warm (no colder than room temperature). Arrange the large radicchio leaves, if you have them, in a close circle on the serving platter, with their curved insides up, to form a rough bowl. Spoon the potato salad inside the leaves, sprinkle chopped egg around the edges, and parsley over the top.

–From Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, by Julia Child, et al. © September 1999 , Julia Child, et al used by permission.