|
Melon - Charentais
Melons prefer light well drained soil. You will not find Charentais in the grocery store because its thin skin and high sugar content make it too fragile to ship when ripe. Fertilize lightly every six weeks after initial sowing. It has a mouth watering aroma and a succulent honey-sweet taste. Charentais have thin smooth skin with light green stripes that mature to a creamy yellow. What Americans call cantaloupes are actually muskmelons. Charentais are an annual warm season plant and they are very sensitive to frost. The orange flesh is fine-textured, delightfully scented and very sweet. Charentalis is a type of true cantaloupe from Europe. The Melon Charentais, 'Cucumis melo', is the favorite melon in France. Melons are heavy feeders. Plant in the spring, 1 to 2 weeks before the last frost or when soil temperatures begin to warm up. ... more information
Clary Sage The soil must be well drained and not overly fertile. In addition to its numerous panicles of flowers, the entire plant releases a pleasant garden fragrance. Clary Sage is used for tea, and the fresh or dried leaves are used the same way as sage. The Clary Sage blooms in summer through early fall. The leaves are also used to make sachets and potpourri. This Sage is a great plant for dry, rocky soils. The Clary Sage, 'Salvia sclarca', is a truly spectacular plant with fountains of 3' tall flower stems. The flowers are pale lilac, 1 inch long tubular blooms, with very prominent rose-red bracts on 2 to 3 foot tall square stems. Plant this easy-to-grow plant in the spring after the last average frost date. Clary Sages prefer full sun and average garden soil. |
