Winter fun in Marin gardens
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Anne-Marie Walker
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Crabapples are by definition any apple smaller than two inches. Skewer them and dip in caramel. Photo: Anne-Marie Walker
Daisies, parsley, mint, and roses are still blooming in Marin. Harvest a leaf, flower, fruit, stem, and seed from each and play a game comparing plant family characteristics. For example, mints have square stems and fragrance. Daisies have composite flowers with disks and rays. In the rose family, look up into crabapple trees and climbing roses. Harvest their fruits and sample for fun; crabapples are tasty dipped in caramel, and rose hips make a delicious tea. Parsley and herbs can be picked and chopped to mix with butter for herbed popcorn.
Rose hips make a Vitamin C rich tea. Pour 1 cup of hot water over ¼ cup of hips. Steep 20 minutes. Photo: Anne-Marie WalkerLook all around your garden to better understand the dynamic between plants, soil, and wildlife. Do you see lichens, galls, or cones? My two-year-old granddaughter happily gathered and assembled some in a dish after a garden walk in West Marin. Lichens gather moisture and nutrients from the air and produce acid, which in turn breaks down the rock to form soil. Soil builds up when plants move in, followed by decomposers and other organisms that further break down plant material. You may see squirrels and birds pick apart ripened cones that have fallen to the ground, an important, nutritious source of food to lots of wildlife. Collect and compare the size of cones to their trees; you may be surprised. California’s tallest tree has one of the smallest cones. If you are lucky enough to have an oak tree in your garden, it is fun to watch jays pilfer in granaries made by acorn woodpeckers. By observation, scientists have discovered that woodpeckers prefer large acorns while jays prefer smaller acorns. Both birds stay year-round in Marin, avoiding the dangers faced by animals that have to migrate in search of food habitats.
Lichens, moss and cones collected in a West Marin garden walk. Photo: David S Walker