Useful AND Attractive!
Sep. 14th, 2008 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersA Mantra to live by;>! Though in the particular case I mean is in the garden/yard/property/etc. I've never Understood planting stuff that didn't have mult uses. I esp don't poisonous stuff simply because they're "Trouble-free"(translation: they kill anything that eats them, including your pets and kids...). A few plants I'm going to mention will have to be dug and stored in most of the USA, stored in a frost-free space like a garage or basement but are worth the inconvienience....
Japanese Sweet Potatoes-Other than being tastier than the usual orange ones in our markets, the leaves are deeply incised, very much like some Ivies. A great groundcover that generally grows so fast any leaf damage from Insects gets replaced quickly
Malanga-a relative of the Elephant Ear but actually prettier. Great Shade plant and how many Starches can you say grow well in it? Peel tubers and cook like potato.
Taro-actually an edible cultivar of Elephant Ears. About half the size of the green variety. Peel and cook like Potatoes. Elephant Ears ARE NOT GENRALLY EDIBLE. Get your starts from a grocery store.
Yuca/Manioc/Tapioca-A Shrub with large snowflake-like beautiful leaves that grows from Sun to Shade. Extremely easy to start from stem Cuttings. Tubers however will not reach maturity beyond zone 6 due to long growing season....almost 9 months! Still, simply as an Ornamental it's worth it. There's even a Variegated form out there(which I'm looking for!)....
Yacon-A relative of the Jerusalem Artichoke with nicer leaves and growth habit, same yellow Daisy Fall Blossoms. Tubers are Tastier, closer to Jicama and much easier to clean than the knobby JA's. Treat like Dahlias North of z8.
Namé/Yam- A lovely LARGE vine with large Heart-shaped leaves. One plant can(and Has!)covered a carport. In Fall Harvest the root. Save the tubers it produces along the vine(aerial tubers) to replant in Spring. DO NOT MISTAKE with the Air Potato, an Inedible relative that's gone feral in much of the South. Not only are the tubers nasty tasting(hence the Inedible instead of Poisonous), they're the plant source for Estrogen manufacturing. Man-boobs anyone!
Again, peel and cook like Potatoes.
Cheers,
Pat
Cheers,
Pat
Japanese Sweet Potatoes-Other than being tastier than the usual orange ones in our markets, the leaves are deeply incised, very much like some Ivies. A great groundcover that generally grows so fast any leaf damage from Insects gets replaced quickly
Malanga-a relative of the Elephant Ear but actually prettier. Great Shade plant and how many Starches can you say grow well in it? Peel tubers and cook like potato.
Taro-actually an edible cultivar of Elephant Ears. About half the size of the green variety. Peel and cook like Potatoes. Elephant Ears ARE NOT GENRALLY EDIBLE. Get your starts from a grocery store.
Yuca/Manioc/Tapioca-A Shrub with large snowflake-like beautiful leaves that grows from Sun to Shade. Extremely easy to start from stem Cuttings. Tubers however will not reach maturity beyond zone 6 due to long growing season....almost 9 months! Still, simply as an Ornamental it's worth it. There's even a Variegated form out there(which I'm looking for!)....
Yacon-A relative of the Jerusalem Artichoke with nicer leaves and growth habit, same yellow Daisy Fall Blossoms. Tubers are Tastier, closer to Jicama and much easier to clean than the knobby JA's. Treat like Dahlias North of z8.
Namé/Yam- A lovely LARGE vine with large Heart-shaped leaves. One plant can(and Has!)covered a carport. In Fall Harvest the root. Save the tubers it produces along the vine(aerial tubers) to replant in Spring. DO NOT MISTAKE with the Air Potato, an Inedible relative that's gone feral in much of the South. Not only are the tubers nasty tasting(hence the Inedible instead of Poisonous), they're the plant source for Estrogen manufacturing. Man-boobs anyone!
Again, peel and cook like Potatoes.
Cheers,
Pat
Cheers,
Pat
