Regarding Landscaping: http://alllandscapingmalta.blogspot.com/
Capers - Kappar
How To Cultivate Capers
Growing Capers From Seed
A. Really fresh caper seeds have about a 95% germination rate. The germination rates decline as the seeds get older (duh, true for all seeds), year old seeds still have pretty good rates of 75 to 80%.
B. The seeds, whether fresh or dry need to be chilled (cold stratification) but you don't need to take up precious space in the refrigerator if you live in a Mediterranean climate (like I do). Capers are native to the Mediterranean and the seeds sprout and produce plants in the darnedest places there - most notably stone walls. Winter temperatures provide all the chilling that the seeds need, naturally. Just how much cold the seeds need, or can withstand, I haven't figured out. I also didn't find any difference in using seeds that were soaked in warm water first.
C. Caper seedlings really do not like to have their roots disturbed. One of my first experiments resulted in a pot full of seedlings (yeah!) that I tried to separate and pot up. Lots of root disturbance and lots of mortality (oops!).
So, this is not the definitive guide to growing capers from seed, this is what works for me. If you don't live in a Mediterranean climate, well, this may not necessarily work for you, but perhaps the lessons I've learned can help.
Sow the caper seeds in 6 packs, 1 seed per cell for fresh off the plant seeds, 2 seeds per cell for older seeds (lessons A & C) about 1/4 inch deep. I use regular bagged potting soil, not seed starting mix, although I suppose seed starting mix would be fine also.
Start sowing seeds anytime from September through November (lesson B). Set the sown 6-packs in a shady protected place outside (lesson B again). I like to put them in a black square nursery flat (the ones with the large meshed bottoms) with another flat over the top to keep birds and other critters out. At this point you can almost forget about them until late February or March, just don't let them dry out.
In late February or early March, move the flats to a warmer spot where they will get some sun, not too much, that drying out thing again. The seeds should start to germinate in 2 to 3 weeks. I've even brought some of the packs indoors to my seed starting setup with heat mats and grow lights, which works quite well.
Do not attempt to pot up the seedlings until they have a couple or more true leaves and the roots have developed enough to hold the soil together (lesson C). It can take a couple of months for the seedlings to get large enough. If there are 2 seedlings in a cell you need to cut one of them off at the soil line, don't pull it out (lesson C). When it's easy to pop the plants out of the cells without having the soil crumble too much you can pot the seedlings up into 4-inch pots and grow them on for the rest of the year or longer.
The next winter or spring they can be planted out or potted up into large pots. I've found that pot grown capers bloom best in pots that hold at least 15 gallons of soil. The first flowers may appear as early as year 2. Capers are drought tolerant plants but pot grown plants need regular water and fertilizing. During the hottest months I water my plants almost every day, although their need for water will vary depending on how much sun they get. My pots get full sun almost all day so they dry out quickly. I fertilize almost weekly during the summer, less in the fall, none after October and resume occasional fertilizing in the spring when new growth appears.
Caper plants are partly to fully deciduous, depending on weather and exposure. A hard freeze a couple of years ago knocked all my plants completely down to their crowns but they resprouted beautifully. Don't hard prune the plants until they are at least 2 years old. I've found the best time to prune is in the winter when the plants are dormant. Often times the shoots will die back a couple of inches from the pruning cut if the pruning is done later.
My current experiments involve growing the capers in the ground. So far, I've not had a lot of success. My best plants are the ones that are planted atop a high south-southwest facing retaining wall. Look for a future post (not soon) about my experiments growing capers in the ground.
Fig Tree
Sigra tat-Tin - ritratt ta' Stephen Gatt
Din sigra ta' daqs medju li rari jaqbez l-ghaxar metri. Tinza' l-weraq fix-xitwa. Il-weraq ikunu maqsumin f' numru ta' swaba' u l-fjuri rqaq ikunu maghluqa fil-frotta (tina). Din ghandha toqba zghira fit-tarf
Tinstab f'hafna varjetajiet. Il-frott ukoll ivarja skond is-sigra u jista' jkun tond jew zengul, ahdar car, isfar, iswed, vjola skur, jew tahlita ta' dawn il-kuluri. Is-sigra li taghmel il-fjuri rgiel (dukkar) tissejjah dukkara. Minbarra d-dukkar gieli taghmel zewg tipi ohra li jissejhu c-carru u l-barru. Tikber fil-makkja u f'ambjenti mimsusa. Tikber ukoll fl-irdumijiet u s-sisien, anke ta' fuq il-bahar, fil-hitan u fis-swar. Iddahhlet mal-migja tal-bniedem. Komuni.
Ficus carica (Fig Tree)
Fig Tree - photo by Stephen Gatt
This medium sized tree rarely exceeds a height of 10m. It sheds its leaves in winter and its minute flowers are enclosed within the fruit (fig). The fig has a tiny pore at its base from which a wasp belonging to the genus Blastophaga enters in order to pollinate it.
Several varieties exist. The shape and colour of the fruit vary as well. They may be spherical or slightly elongated, pale green, yellow, black, dark purple or a mixture of these colours. The fig tree can be found growing on maquis ground, in disturbed habitats, as well as on cliffs and bastions. Common.
Il-futloqqom
Il-Fuqtoqqom
More Info to follow!!
This plant was mainly used by doctors to heal influenza and feaver!
Safi Takeaway
Safi Takeway
Tuna & Spinac
1. cook in boiled water the spinace with a pinch of salt for app 15 minutes
2. mix a can of tuna and olives
3. mix also artichokes with it.
4. serve it warm
Tuna Mix Veg.
1. Cook the centinaria , wraped in aluminum foil with some salt and herbs
2. Do the same for the onions and the large peas ( ful)
3. Experiment with garlic in cooking will make the taste more better.
4. Served cold or warm.
More info by request on safifields@gmail.com
Narcis
Narcis -Narcissus (plant)
"Daffodil" redirects here. For other uses, see Daffodil (disambiguation).
"Daffodils" redirects here. For the Swedish musical group, see The Daffodils. For the poem by William Wordsworth, see I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.
Narcissus ( /nɑrˈsɪsəs/) (commonly called daffodil) is a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, herbaceous perennials in the Amaryllisfamily, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.[1]Their native range includes Europe, North Africa and West Asia—their center of distribution is in the Western Mediterranean .[2]The number of distinct species varies widely depending on how they are classified, with the disparity due to similarity between species and hybridization between species. The number of defined species ranges from 26 to more than 60, depending on the authority.[3]Species and hybrids are widely used in gardens and landscapes, with various common names—daffodil, narcissus, jonquil— that are used variously to describe all or some of the genus.
Names
There are several possible derivations of the name. One of the most common relates to the story of the young man of Greek mythology named Narcissus, who became so obsessed with his own reflection that as he knelt and gazed into a pool of water, he fell into the water and drowned. In some variations, he died of starvation and thirst from sitting by the edge of the pool, transfixed by his own reflection. In both versions, the Narcissus plant sprang from where he died. Plinywrote that the plant was named instead for its narcoticproperties (ναρκάω narkao, "I grow numb" in Greek).[4]
There are several plurals in common use: "Narcissuses", "Narcissi", and "Narcissus". This last is common in American English but is very rare in British usage. The American Webster's Third New International Dictionarygives plurals in the order "Narcissus", "Narcissuses", and "Narcissi", but the British Compact Oxford English Dictionary lists just "Narcissi" and "Narcissuses".
The name Daffodil is derived from an earlier "Affodell", a variant of Asphodel. The reason for the introduction of the initial "d" is not known, although a probable source is an etymological merging from the Dutch article "de," as in "De affodil." From at least the 16th century, "Daffadown Dilly", "daffadown dilly", and "daffydowndilly" have appeared as playful synonyms of the name.
Description
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A daffodil closeup showing the various parts of the flower in detail
All Narcissus species have a central bell-, bowl-, or disc-shaped corona surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves called the perianth which is united into a tube at the forward edge of the 3-locularovary. The seeds are black, round and swollen with a hard coat. The three outer segments are sepals, and the three inner segments are petals. Though the traditional daffodil of folklore, poetry, and field may have a yellow to golden-yellow color all over, both in the wild species and due to breeding, the perianth and corona may be variously colored. Breeders have developed some daffodils with double, triple, or ambiguously multiple rows and layers of segments, and several wild species also have known double variants.
Toxicity
All Narcissus species contain the alkaloid poison lycorine, mostly in the bulb but also in the leaves.[5][6]
On 1 May 2009 a number of schoolchildren fell ill at Gorseland Primary School in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk , England
One of the most common dermatitisproblems for florists, "daffodil itch" involves dryness, fissures, scaling, and erythemain the hands, often accompanied by subungual hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin beneath the nails). It is blamed on exposure to calcium oxalate in the sap.[7][8]It has long been recognised that some cultivars provoke dermatitis more readily than others. The cultivars 'Actaea', 'Camparelle', 'Gloriosa', 'Grande Monarque', 'Ornatus', 'Princeps' and 'Scilly White' are known to do so.[9]
Medicine
In the traditional Japanese medicine of kampo, wounds were treated with narcissus root and wheat flour paste;[10]the plant, however, does not appear in the modern kampo herb list. The Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus listed narcissus root in De Medicinaamong medical herbs, described as emollient, erodent, and "powerful to disperse whatever has collected in any part of the body". In one scientific study, the ethanolextract of the bulbs was found effective in one mouse model of nociception, para-benzoquinoneinduced abdominal constriction, but not in another, the hot plate test.[11]
Daffodils are grown commercially near Brecon in Powys, Wales
Selected species
Main article: List of Narcissus species
- Narcissus alcaracensis
- Narcissus assoanus
- Narcissus asturiensis
- Narcissus bugei
- Narcissus jonquilla (Jonquil)
- Narcissus longispathus
- Narcissus papyraceus (Paperwhite Daffodil)
- Narcissus poeticus (Poet's Narcissus)
- Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Wild Daffodil)
- Narcissus radinganorum
- Narcissus romieuxii
- Narcissus tazetta
- Narcissus triandrus (Angel's Tears)
- Narcissus × medioluteus
Cultural importance
The ancient Greeks believed the narcissus plant originated from the vain youth, Narcissus. He died after becoming so obsessed with his reflection in a pool he could not leave. The Greeks say that the gods turned his remains into the Narcissus flower. This also led to the daffodil's being a symbol of unrequited love.[citation needed]
The Narcissus flower is perceived in the West as a symbol of vanity, in the East as a symbol of wealth and good fortune.[citation needed]
The Narcissus is a national flower symbolising the new year or Newroz in the Kurdish culture.
In ancient China
In classical Persian literature, the narcissus is a symbol of beautiful eyes, together with other flowers that equal a beautiful face with a spring garden, such as roses for cheeks and violets for shining dark hair.
The daffodil is the national flower of Wales
In some countries the yellow variation is associated with Easter. The German for daffodil is Osterglocke, that is "Easter bell."
William Wordsworth's short poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud has become linked in the popular mind with the daffodils that form its main image.[citation needed]
Various cancer charities around the world, including the American Cancer Society,[13]New Zealand Cancer Society,[14]Cancer Council Australia,[15]and the Irish Cancer Society,[16]use the daffodil as a fundraising symbol. "Daffodil Days", first instituted in Toronto
Cultivation
Narcissus is a popular subject as an ornamental plant for gardens, parks and as cut flowers, providing colour from the end of winter to the beginning of summer in temperateregions. Thousands of varieties and cultivars are available from both general and specialist suppliers. They are normally sold as dry bulbs to be planted in late Summer and Autumn (Fall). Over 140 varieties have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
RHS classification system
Close-up photo of a daffodil's trumpet
For horticultural purposes, all Narcissuscultivars are split into 13 divisions by the Royal Horticultural Society,[18]based partly upon flower form and partly upon genetic background. Growers register new daffodil cultivars by name and color with the Royal Horticultural Society, with more than 27,000 names registered as of 2008. Registered daffodils are given a division number and colour code.[19]
Divisions
The divisions are:[20]
- Division 1: Trumpet Daffodil Cultivars One flower to a stem; corona (“trumpet”) as long as, or longer than the perianth segments (“petals”).
- Division 2: Large-cupped Daffodil Cultivars One flower to a stem; corona (“cup”) more than one- third, but less than equal to the length of the perianth segments (“petals”).
- Division 3: Small-cupped Daffodil Cultivars One flower to a stem; corona (“cup”) not more than one-third the length of the perianth segments (“petals”).
- Division 4: Double Daffodil Cultivars One or more flowers to a stem, with doubling of the perianth segments or the corona or both.
- Division 5: Triandrus Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of N. triandrus clearly evident: usually two or more pendent flowers to a stem; perianth segments reflexed.
- Division 6: Cyclamineus Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of Narcissus cyclamineus clearly evident: one flower to a stem; perianth segments significantly reflexed; flower at an acute angle to the stem, with a very short pedicel (“neck”).
- Division 7: Jonquilla and Apodanthus Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of Sections Jonquilla or Apodanthi clearly evident: one to five (rarely eight) flowers to a stem; perianth segments spreading or reflexed; corona cup-shaped, funnel-shaped or flared, usually wider than long; flowers usually fragrant.
- Division 8: Tazetta Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of Section Tazettae clearly evident: usually three to twenty flowers to a stout stem; perianth segments spreading not reflexed; flowers usually fragrant.
- Division 9: Poeticus Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of the Narcissus poeticus group: usually one flower to a stem; perianth segments pure white; corona very short or disc-shaped, usually with a green and/or yellow centre and a red rim, but sometimes of a single colour; flowers usually fragrant.
- Division 10: Bulbocodium Daffodil Cultivars Characteristics of Section Bulbocodium clearly evident: usually one flower to a stem; perianth segments insignificant compared with the dominant corona; anthers dorsifixed (i.e., attached more or less centrally to the filament); filament and style usually curved.
- Division 11: Split-corona Daffodil Cultivars
- a) Collar Daffodils: Split-corona daffodils with the corona segments opposite the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in two whorls of three.
- b) Papillon Daffodils: Split-corona daffodils with the corona segments alternate to the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in a single whorl of six.
- Division 12: Other Daffodil Cultivars Daffodil cultivars which do not fit the definition of any other division.
- Division 13: Daffodils Distinguished Solely by Botanical Name Hybrids distinguished solely by botanical name are also assigned to this Division.
Colour code
Narcissus 'Geranium'
Daffodils may be self-colored—i.e., both perianth and corona identical in color and shade—or the colors between the perianth and corona may differ widely. Some perianths and some coronas also may contain more than one color or shade. Prevalent colors are all shades and tones of yellow, white, orange, pink, red and green. Pinks vary from apricot to rose in shades from pale to deep, and some more recent cultivars have hints of lavender or lilac. Reds vary from orange-red to salmon red to near scarlet. Pink, red, orange and green tones are mainly confined to the corona. However, breeders are currently working against the genera's natural pigmentation and genetic barriers to create cultivars in which pink, rose, red, orange and green tones suffuse or "bleed" from the more highly colored coronas onto the perianth segments of white or yellow. There are an increasing number of commercially available varieties which display this enhanced coloration.
- RHS Color Classification:[19]
- W = White or whitish
- G = Green
- Y = Yellow
- P = Pink
- O = Orange
- R = Red
The color classification lists the perianth color and then the corona color. In the case of multiple colors, the perianth colors are assigned from the outer edge of the perianth segments inward to their juncture with the base of the corona, while the corona colors are assigned from the base of the corona outward to the rim. Thus, Actaea, a Poeticus (Division 9) Daffodil, is officially classified as 9 W-GYR, while Accent, a Large Cup (Division 2) Daffodil possessing a white perianth and a pink corona, is officially classified as 2 W-P.
References
1. ^ Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards), Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Amaryllidoideae, http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/orders/asparagalesweb.htm#AllAma
2. ^ Mark Nesbitt (2005). The Cultural History of Plants. Taylor & Francis. pp. 267–268. ISBN 978-0-415-92746-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=5JXBN7fqg0MC&pg=PA267. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
3. ^ Gordon R. Hanks (18 April 2002). Narcissus and Daffodil: The Genus Narcissus. CRC Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-415-27344-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=4_kH_BffGDgC&pg=PA30. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
4. ^ Nigel Groom (30 June 1997). The New Perfume Handbook. Springer. pp. 225–226. ISBN 978-0-7514-0403-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=UYrDPqLVD-kC&pg=PA225. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
5. ^ Food and nutrition Daffodil dinner David Trinklein, Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri, Accessed March 2008
6. ^ ab "Pupils ill after bulb put in soup". BBC News. 2009-05-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/8031344.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
10. ^ Carmen Altomonte. "Kampo — The Japanese Art of Herbal Healing". http://www.ittendojo.org/articles/general-8.htm.
11. ^ "Antinociceptive effect of some amaryllidaceae plants in mice". J. Pharm. Pharmacol.49 (8): 828–30. August 1997. PMID 9379365.
18. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom
19. ^ ab "Introduction to The International Daffodil Register and Classified List 2008". Royal Horticultural Society. http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-science/Plant-registration-forms/daffregister2008. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
20. ^ "Horticultural Classification of Narcissus". Royal Horticultural Society. http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-science/Plant-registration-forms/daffhortclass. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- American Daffodil Society - ADS
- DaffSeek - Database of daffodils with photos
- Daffodils at the Royal Horticultural Society
- Wildflowers of Israel
- Daffodil Festivals, Gardens, & Fields 2010
- Narcissus perennialization Research Newsletter Number 3. (April 2004) Flower Bulb Research Program Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
- International Bulb Society
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