Q: Are all varieties of salvia (sage) edible? I purchased May Night salvia and it smells elegant. Lee Glore, e-mail
A: There are hundreds of members of the salvia family but only a few are considered edible. Ornamental salvias, like 'May Night', tricolor salvia and annual salvia, are not edible. They're not poisonous, but they're nothing you'd want to put in soup. The edible salvias are usually referred to as sage, like the Salvia officinalis you use to flavor roasted chicken and turkey. Russian sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, despite its name, is not a salvia and is not edible but has a strong fragrance.
Q: We were outside after a rain in mid-December and found trillions of tiny insects that jump like a flea! They were about the size of a grain of finely ground black pepper. Do you know what they are? Tina Pickelsimer, e-mail
A: Remembering the warm weather then, my bet is that they were springtails. These tiny insects hatch in huge numbers when it is warm and damp. Each one has a spring-loaded appendage beneath its abdomen that it releases to jump high above the rest of the crowd. When they are in a mass, the surface looks exactly like hopping black pepper.
Q: Chinkapins used to grow wild in the Savannah area. Is there anyway to get them now? Elizabeth Guyton, e-mail
A: The chinkapin, Castanea pumila, is a shrubby relative of the American chestnut. It has the same spiny burs and a nicely edible nut. Unfortunately, it is also susceptible to chestnut blight. The plant does not tolerate shade and typically grows on hilltops or rocky ridgelines. It is not common at nurseries but contact Nearly Native Nursery, www.nearlynativenursery.com, to see if they can help.
Q: I recently purchased a pair of hardy kiwi, which have a smooth skin. This appealed to me for an experiment in making jam. How are they grown? Pat Griffin, Monroe
A: Hardy kiwi is different from the fuzzy kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa, commonly available at groceries. In fact, there are two kiwi vines that are completely hardy here. Actinidia arguta has hairless fruit about the size of a grape. 'Issai' and 'Anansnaya' are sold by mail order nurseries for garden planting. A. kolomikta, 'Arctic Beauty' kiwi, is grown as an ornamental vine for its pink and white variegated younger leaves. 'Arctic Beauty' is particularly cold-hardy, with small but sweet fruit, very rich in vitamin C. All need a lot of space. They are usually cultivated on a wire arbor like you'd build for grapes, with plants twenty feet apart.
Q: What is the difference in potting soil and potting mix? Which should be used on indoor plants and which in outdoor pots and which in the garden? Ray Fisher, Gilmer County
A: Potting mix is a blend of peat moss, pine bark fines, perlite, sand, and usually has a small bit of fertilizer. The mixes vary from brand to brand and a blend one company calls a potting soil might be called potting mix by another. In my opinion, you get what you pay for. Lower quality potting products have not been manufactured consistently and may break down faster than higher quality merchandise. I like to see a high percentage of peat, perlite and pine bark fines to use with container plants, both indoors and out.
Potting soil usually contains some native soil plus pine bark fines or composted wood fiber and perhaps some peat. When mixed with the soil in a flower bed you’ll get an excellent growing spot for outdoor flowers.
Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and 95.5 FM News-Talk WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Fan Page at xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
