Marie Viljoen

Brooklyn

Writer at Freelance

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Articles

Spring Phlox Species Offer Flowers from Early Spring to Early Summer

6 days ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Well before summer hits its often-humid stride, three enchanting spring phlox species offer months of flowers, from the beginning of that budding season through early summer. Woodland phlox, creeping phlox, and moss phlox are distinct spring phlox species that offer bursts of color in tricky places. They precede (by months) the more stately garden phlox—tall and showy in late summer and early fall, but often prone to mildew in muggy climates.
Bright and Beautiful

1 week ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

The sunbirds of Cape Town are to the local flowers (and humans) what hummingbirds are in the Americas: Small, bright, enchanting, and impossibly photogenic, but less impossible to photograph (thankfully, sunbirds perch to feed on nectar, rather than hovering, like their American counterparts). A sunbird safari is my only-slightly-tongue-in-cheek answer to the great safari quest of so many tourists in South Africa. The only people who say they are going on safari are tourists.
A Gluten-Free Bread Recipe that Is Dense with Seeds

2 weeks ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Picnic weather is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. That means portable food that travels well, that is as good to look at as it is to eat, and that is as versatile as possible in terms of suiting diverse dietary needs. Have a gluten-free guest but want everyone else to enjoy the spread?
Like Green Gold in the Kitchen

3 weeks ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Whether you are foraging for your owns ramps—the native North American onion that is all the rage in spring—or buying them at a market, extending their fleeting and precious season by making ramp leaf oil allows you to enjoy their intensity for many months. The vivid, verdant oil can be frozen in jars and scooped out as needed. Ramp leaf oil brightens humble dishes like and eggs and toast, and elevates soups and casseroles to culinary stardom.
How to Grow the Shade-Tolerant Groundcover

1 month ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Too often, the term “groundcover” elicits a yawn. These low-growing plants are viewed dismissively, either as an obligatory filler for blank spaces, or as an institutional camouflage for exposed soil. But with a little attention and the appropriate choice for your growing conditions, the right groundcover can be a source of exquisite horticultural interest in its own right.
Feral Goddess Dressing: Rewilding a California Classic

1 month ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

When ramp leaves and garlic mustard and field garlic meet in a blender, feral goddess dressing is born. With a herbal backbone based on the green goddess dressing that was named in San Francisco in the 1920s, this wild spring iteration is an intuitively delicious riff that relies on local, seasonal greens.
How to Grow Your Own Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads in a Shade Garden

1 month ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

For the shade gardener who wants to grow edible plants, this shadowy designation of how much—or how little—direct sunlight a space receives is often perceived as second best. “I have a garden, but…it’s very shady.” There is a respectably long list of edible plants you can grow in shade, and in springtime ostrich ferns stand out: These native perennials are the source of edible fiddleheads.
Brunsvigia Lilies Bloom Three Weeks After Late Summer Rain in South Africa

1 month ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

If it begins to rain in the Hantam in March, and if the rain measures more than 10mm, you can almost set your timer: After a long, dry, and very hot summer, the Brunsvigias will bloom, three weeks later. You have those weeks to plan a visit to see the sight of a lifetime. In the baked red earth of this high escarpment region of South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the Brunsvigia bulbs sense the moisture and begin to develop buds.
Our Favorite Blooming Trees

2 months ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Trees with white flowers have a way of lifting and lightening a garden’s mood—as well as soothing the mood of the gardener. In the evenings, their glimmering nocturnal presence is a comfort, and by day their pale petals, augmented by bare branches or the textural contrast of foliage, are an elegantly calming balm. For the final chapter of our series, here are some of our favorite trees with white flowers for you to consider as sentinels among your perennials and shrubs.
Durian Ice Cream

2 months ago | gardenista.com | Marie Viljoen

Have you ever eaten a durian? If you have, or if you have met one and hurried on by, you might be conjuring up the huge, spiky fruit’s famous smell—or perfume—right now. I can only say, hand on heart, that durian ice cream is one of the best I have ever eaten or made (the other is pawpaw, Asimina triloba). One of the perks of living in a culturally rich megalopolis like New York City is that you have access to the world’s appetites and to the foods that feed them.