That's right. We are happy to report that representatives from Africa and Asia have made their first appearances in our garden. They came quite well dressed and we believe that they will have a positive influence on our international vegetal community.
Representing Africa, we have the beautiful okra, whose lovely flowers and pods began to burst forth this week. The name "okra" is derived from an Igbo word, "okuru." The Igbo are a people living within the current boundaries of Nigeria in West Africa. It is likely however that the first okra were cultivated in East Africa, possibly the Ethiopian Highlands. So, okra has gone on a long journey to join us.
Our particular variety of okra is called "Alabama Red" and will grow to five to seven feet in height. It has deep red stems as well as red and green leaves. The pods also have a bit of red on them as well.
Representing Asia, we have our Japanese climbing cucumber, who arrived a bit later than our Parisian pickling cucumber, but has also decided to put on a beautiful showing. This cucumber is rare in the United States and was most likely introduced from seed in the 1890s.
This wonderful curcubit loves economy and has kindly saved garden space through weaving itself into our garden fence. Indeed, it has helped to create our Living Eastern Wall, which currently hangs heavy in cucumbers and is highlighted with small, star-like blossoms.
We hope that these new representatives will contribute their gastronomic diplomacy to our international garden community.
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