The Refuge Permaculture Center
At Tara Farm and Nursery
Category: Hardy Plants
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Special Order Plants: Just Breathe…. Elderberry for Heart and Respiration
From the rich, deep blue-black of the ripe berries to jam simmering on the stove…from full, lacy umbrellas of tiny, creamy white flowers steeped for tea, this native is so beautiful in texture and color and grows amazingly well even in the Wyoming salty clay soil. The Elderberry shrub is native to the entire northern…
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Special Order Plants for 2024: A Healthy Heart
Tens of thousands of people have participated in research of this plump, sweet, juicy fruit, and what were the results: one significant study showed that two teaspoons (10 mL) of pure grape juice every day for two weeks increased serum antioxidant activity and increased the resistance of bad cholesterol to oxidation. (1) And here we…
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The Heart of the Garden
If you could snack on blueberries all day long, would you? Maybe add some blueberry pie or blueberry selzer water? Most people would say “Of course!” Why? Because that deep, complex flavor is so satisfying, and besides they are a “super-fruit”, right? Every year I have clients call to ask “Please help me get these…
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New USDA Zone Map: Critical Thinking and Your Observations Are More Important
New USDA Zone Map: GIS and 30 years of data and over 30,000 collection points still requires that you use your elegantly evolved powers of observation. This map is “general” within the millions of years of the planet, and general to your personal portion of the landscape. But it is important for a trend, a…
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Wood’s Rose: Winter Wildlife Food, Pollinator Pantry…Hot Tea by the Fire for You
Wood’s Rose ~ the most beautiful sight in my early fall garden. This is the wild native rose from the Mississippi to the Pacific, from Mexico into Alaska. The hips are the best source of vitamin C in native fruit. They will turn deep red when ripe. I’m going to eat this one right off…
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Everbearing: Time and Space
A humid, wet spring ends your hope for Red Currants, but a few warm, clear days gives you baskets of Black Currants. A monsoonal down pour destroys the Native Plum blossoms, but the tiny, hidden green flowers of the Valiant Grape give you pounds of grapes in August. Honoring diversity of plants and temporal and…
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Observe Nature: Currant Patch and Bumble Bees
Observe Nature… that’s the class title for a class I’ll be offering later this year. But for now here is such a great example. That heavy spring snow bent the lower branches of the black currant down to the ground. With the thaw, and melt, the snow got heavier and pushed them into the mud……
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Special Order Plant 2023: Hardy Grape Vines
Homemade Wines, Cordials, Juice, Jam, Jellies. Canning is not necessary as long as you have a freezer. North American, native-based grape vines producing up to 20 pounds on a mature vine. Deep purple richness, full of immune support and home-grown flavor. Read on… I have stopped buying commercially made fruit juice. Every week I make…
The Refuge Permaculture Center 