Harvest & Use
The alpine strawberry is less productive than commercial strawberries; the fruit is smaller, wilder tasting, and borne throughout the growing season (most abundantly in spring). The flowers attract butterflies. Yellow-fruited varieties are less attractive to birds, probably a Good Thing since the plants are far from prolific.
Appearance
The alpine strawberry is a compact and often tidy (for a strawberry anyway) ground plant; many varieties are runnerless. Flowers are white, fruits cream or red depending on cultivar.
Cultivation
All strawberries loses productivity quickly, but are easily uprooted and replaced. Alpine will grow in a 6" pot. Propagate by dividing the crown.
Comment
The origin of the alpine strawberry is usually attributed to the western and southern Alps of Europe. So, with some surprise I read a USDA publication describing F. vesca as native to North America. I emailed the Authority in Charge, whence came this reply:

Sir,

Evidently you're correct, it does occur in Europe though I don't know it there. Also broadly distributed in North America, where native. It's circumboreal, very widely distributed.

Thanks for using PLANTS,
Mark Skinner

The alpine strawberry is found in all the best French restaurants (sniff). It was probably the first strawberry to be cultivated, sometime during the Rennaissance. It is a species of wood strawberry, a featured symbol of fertility and transient delight in Hieronymous Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Peter S. Beagle writes:

...Fray SigŸenza's History refers to the entire triptych as The Strawberry Plant, stating that it centers around "...a picture of the transient glory and the fleeting taste of the strawberry, and its pleasant fragrance that is hardly remembered once it has passed."

A narrow interpretation of a complex object, but at least it has something to do with edible landscaping.
Cultivars of Repute
Most varieties taste alike. Cream- or yellow-fruited cultivars include 'Yellow Alpine' and 'Pineapple Crush'. 'Alpine White' is like 'Alpine Yellow' but puts out runners. Red varieties (more easily spotted by birds) include 'Alexandria' and 'Fressant'.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Grigson [R,L]
* Reich [C, L]
* Simmons [C]

Harvest & Use
Musk strawberries are less productive than commercial strawberries. The flowers attract various butterflies.
Appearance
White flowers, yellow or red fruits, depending on cultivar; puts out runners which will turn a spaced planting into a ground-cover. The musk strawberry is semi-evergreen in the warm end of its range.
Cultivation
Like all strawberries, the musk is shallow rooted. The plant loses productivity ater a few years, but is easily uprooted and replaced (civilization's most ancient form of "renewal"). The self-fertility of the musk strawberry is the result of breeding: wild ones are dioecious. Musk strawberries tolerate shade better than other species of strawberry.
Comment
The musk strawberry is native to central and eastern Europe and Scandanavia.
Cultivars of Repute
Profumata do Tortona, Prolific
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Reich [C, L]

Harvest & Use
Tarragon is delicately flavored. The sprigs are used to flavor vinegar and salad dressing, and in egg, cheese, and fish dishes. They can be harvested in June and thereafter. Tarragon is often described as a salt substitute because of its value in mild dishes (e.g., eggs). It is a characteristic flavoring of sauce bŽarnaise, which the French like to dump on meat.
Appearance
An upright plant growing to 2'. The dark, shiny, bluish, fine-cut, blade-like leaves grow on woody stems. The flowers are small, and greenish-white.
Cultivation
Tarragon can't stand wet feet. The roots are spreading and shallow. It does stand poor soil, and exposure to heat and the elements inlcuding car exhaust. The optimum (but inessential) pH is 6.7. The plants lose their flavor after about 4 years. Propagation is usually by division, rarely by seed.
Comment
Tarragon was one of the "simples" used by Hippocrates. It was common in continental Europe during the Middle Ages, but didn't reach England until the reign of the Tudors. Waverly Root argues that invading Mongols brought tarragon to Asia Minor, where it was picked up by the Crusaders and introduced to western Europe. The plant's popular name is a corruption (via French) of its Latin name dracunculus, meaning "little dragon," perhaps because of its serpentine roots. Russian tarragon is a different plant--what you are likely to get if you purchase seeds--and less highly recommended. Some Caucasian and Asian Indian people are taste-blind to anethole, an active ingredient in the flavor of tarragon (also fennel and aniseed). (Atkins:137)

Harvest & Use
Shoots, leaves and flowers can all be used in cooking. They are traditionally used to flavor meat dishes, and one hears they aid the digestion of fat. Thyme oil is anti-bacterial, and finds its way into a number of products related to oral hygiene, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. Thyme prevents fatty foods from going rancid (as do sage and and rosemary). Thyme and mint are sometimes planted in paths so that they will release their scent when trod upon--a practice popular among Elizabethans. Lemon thyme has a more delicate taste than common thyme.
Appearance
A 1' tall groundcover with tiny, oval, gray-green leaves and lavender flowers. Lemon thyme has pink flowers and slightly larger leaves.
Cultivation
Thyme likes a light, well-drained, soil; it's subject to root-rot in soggy soil. Ideal pH is 6.5. Full sun makes thyme put on a happy face. Propagation is by seed, division, layering of side-shoots, or soft-wood cuttings. Lemon thyme is less hardy than common thyme, and even common thyme will require protection in the cold end of zone 4.
Comment
Thyme is native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. The name probably comes from the Greek "thyos" meaning incense. Thyme has antioxidant properties which help preserve fatty food, like meats (which doesn't mean it acts as an antioxidant in your body, however).
Cultivars of Repute
Most, if not all, cultivars of thyme were selected for ornamental purposes. 'Argentus' has silver-variegated leaves. There are several ground-hugging species.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Atkins [L]
* Bryan [A]

Harvest & Use
Black walnut shells are notoriously tough to crack. A hammer works and is tedious; driving over the nuts with a car is a popular approach. The shells are encased in a mushy greenish-yellow husk that stains. The husk is supposedly useful in ridding oneself of tapeworms: Try it and get back to me. The Navajo blended the shells with alum to make a dark brown dye. Black walnuts are more strongly flavored than Persian walnuts, and higher in protein. They are commonly used in cookies, and can be used as a meat substitute in many dishes. The wood is extremely valuable--there are cases of thieves felling street trees in the night--and widely sought by woodworkers for its hardness and fine straight grain. Ideal commercial spacing for timber production is 10-15' apart, thinning every other tree after 20 years. Mature trees create a fine filtered shade; they should be 20' from any house foundation. Walnut oil tastes good.
Appearance
The tree often grows over 100 ft. tall. Black walnuts have lacy compound leaves, arching limbs and deeply ridged, dark grey bark. The leaves can be up to two ft. long, with 15 to 20 leaflets. The nuts are yellow, green, or in-between.
Cultivation
Seedlings and some cultivars are not self-fertile, or not significantly so. Plenty of water, nitrogen, and sun are needed for maximum vigor and cropping. Black walnuts tolerate wet soil exceptionally well (better than Persians), but won't grow in a swamp. The trees will grow in some shade, but prefer full sun (and, reaching 140' at maturity, know how to get it). There are some reports that deer ignore walnut saplings.
Comment
The black walnut is native to alluvial soils of the Mississippi drainage basin. Black walnuts, and to a lesser extent other walnuts, are alleopathic: the roots and nuts contain a chemical (juglone) that is toxic to some other plants (it's thought to inhibit respiration). Many plants grow stuntedly if within a black walnut's dripline, and some, such as members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers), grow not at all. The toxicity appears to decrease with distance from the canopy, and in well-drained soils; shallow-rooted plants may do better beneath black walnuts than deep-rooted ones; frequent watering and nitrogen fertilizing may also mitigate the allelopathy. Plants in this database reportedly susceptible to juglone are: asparagus, apple, blueberry, pear, and rhubarb; some experts list blackberry as susceptible, while others list it as resistant. A list of plants known to grow well within the dripline of walnuts is around here somewhere. Black walnut foliage is reportedly toxic to horses.
Cultivars of Repute {best pollinized by}
The nuts of most cultivars have thinner shells than those of seedlings.
1. Cooksey {self-fertile}
2. Emma K {3, 4}
3. Hare {4}
4. Sparrow: heavy bearer, slightly self-fertile, best in zones 5-7 {2}

For a walnut that will grow in zone 2, see "butternut" in the entry for "Persian Walnut."

Harvest & Use
Shelled nuts must be refrigerated to keep for more than a few weeks. The northern oriole nests in walnut trees.
Appearance
The Persian walnut possesses a stately figure with smooth light gray bark, and compound leaves. The leaves usually have five to seven leaflets, and decent fall color.
Cultivation
The Persian walnut comes in varieties which leaf out early, midseason, and late. New foliage and the flowers are susceptible to frost, and blights spread by moisture such as spring rain, so it is important to match varieties with regions. Varieties that leaf out late should be chosen for areas with rainy springs. Also, varieties differ dramatically in cold-hardiness; those bred in the Carpathian mountains are the hardiest Persians, surviving in zone 4. (For a walnut species that will live in zones 3 and 2, see 'butternut' below.) Sustained temperatures over 100” F have a deleterious effect on nut quality. The walnut has a deep taproot, making it drought tolerant and unsuited to shallow soil. Best production is achieved by cross-pollination. Most varieties require 700-1500 chill hours. There are some reports that deer ignore young walnut trees.
Comment
Primitive members of the walnut family were among the first angiosperms (flowering plants), dating back to the Cretaceous when dinosaurs chatted back and forth through the tree tops. They were the weeds of the prehistoric, able to grow rapidly in areas disturbed by heavy saurian activity. The Romans dedicated the stately modern tree to Jove, and used the nuts as fertility symbols (Friedlander: 168). It is native to Persia. The 1769 entry in Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book describes the membership of the first orchard at Monticello: almond, apple, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, pear, pomegranate, quince and walnut (probably Persian grafted on black). The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "wealhhnutu": "wealh" meaning "foreigner" (literally, "Welshman," i.e. an uppity Celt, not an Anglo-Saxon) and "hnutu" meaning "nut," so named because the walnut is an import to England (unlike the Anglo-Saxons, of course...pfft).
Cultivars of Repute
Persian walnuts are only partly self-fruitful: plant two to maximize yield.
* Adams: very hardy Carpathian type popular in the eastern US. [4-6]
* Chandler: late-blooming, heavy bearing, high-quality kernel; popular west of the Rockies. [8-9]
* Chico: early-ripening, heavy bearer, excellent pollinizer but somewhat susceptible to early frosts. Californians often plant Chico. [8-9]
* Hansen: smallish, disease-resistant tree with thin-shelled nuts; widely adapted. [6-7]
* Spurgeon: A late-starting variety good for regions subject late spring frost and rain, e.g., the Pacific Northwest. The highly rated nut ripens late. [5-8]
* Other species of Juglans with tasty nuts include the butternut (Juglans cinera) and heartnut (Juglans sieboliana cordifolia), which will pollinize each other. Butternut, also known as "white walnut" is the hardiest of the walnuts, withstanding lows near -50” F ("warm" end of zone 2), and has ornamental white wood. Heartnut is shorter, still wide spreading, and very ornamental. See also "Walnut, Black."
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Kourik [C]