Dear Helen: Purple potatoes we were given to plant 12 years ago seem to sprout a few more volunteer plants each year. They have lovely purple flowers followed by smooth, round, seed-bearing fruit, and potatoes with deep purple flesh. Someone told us the plants are invasive weeds that are toxic and the potatoes should not be eaten. I'd appreciate your opinion, because I'd be very sorry to have to get rid of these potatoes.
Dear D.H.: I've been growing and eating purple potatoes for many years. I love them. In my garden they are the easiest potatoes to grow in less-than-ideal conditions. I would certainly not give them up. I, too, often have volunteer plants in the spring from tubers I have missed digging.
The purple potato is native to the Lake Titicaca region within the high plains and mountain slopes of Peru and Bolivia. These potatoes have been cultivated for nearly 8,000 years. Because of its resistance to disease and ability to grow in harsh conditions, the purple potato has evolved successfully over time to become an ideal food crop for us now.
Unlike white-fleshed potatoes, purple potatoes are rich in the antioxidant anthocyanin, an immune system booster found most often in blue, purple and red foods. Purple potatoes have dry, starchy flesh with an earthy, slightly nutty flavour. Left to mature into large, oblong tubers, these potatoes are excellent for baking and mashing. A friend grows them for her grandchildren, who have become fond of the "pink" mashed potatoes they create.
There are dozens of heritage varieties of purple potatoes, but the one commonly available in garden centres in the spring is Russian Blue. The tubers have deep violet skin and flesh.
I was introduced to purple potatoes many years ago when a man appeared at my door bearing a gift of them. A retired airline pilot, he had brought some out of South America years earlier and grown them ever since.
Most of the potatoes we know and grow are Solanum tuberosum. Purple potatoes are a subspecies - S. tuberosum subsp. andigenum.
Dear Helen: This unusual flower appeared in my garden last month. I moved into the house in the spring. The blooms appeared in a large cluster of bright pink double flowers, close to the ground, with no leaves. The rain that arrived after Thanksgiving ruined them.
N.H.
Dear N.H.: This is a double-flowered colchicum called Waterlily. Colchicums grow from large corms that flower in late summer and early autumn.
Because they bloom without leaves, the flowers are sometimes referred to as "naked ladies" or "naked boys." The foliage, which is large and rather untidy, appears in the spring and disappears quickly. All parts of this plant are poisonous.
The corms are commonly available at garden centres in late summer. Other varieties include The Giant, a large, classic, goblet shaped single flower in pink.
Album is pure white.
GARDEN EVENTS
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet on Thursday at 7: 30 p.m. in the Shoreline Community School, 2750 Shoreline Dr. Speaker Brian Russell of Russell Nursery will show photos and share stories of his recent trip to the World Horticultural Expo in the Netherlands. As well, there will be a sales table and a judged mini-show from members' gardens. Visitors and new members are welcome. For more information, call 250-220-5212.
Chrysanthemum meeting. The Victoria Chrysanthemum Society will meet on Thursday at 7: 30 p.m. in St. Matthias Church Hall, 600 Richmond Ave. (at Richardson). The meeting will feature a presentation on flower arranging.
HCP courses. The following courses are being offered by the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich. For more information or to register phone 250-479-6162. hcp.ca.
? Growing Nuts on Vancouver Island,
Saturday, Nov. 3, 1 to 4 p.m. Jens Keifer from the Capital Nut Project will cover how to select nut trees, cultivate them, protect them from rodents, and grow the plants from seed. Cost to HCP members $25, others $35.
? There's a Mushroom in my Garden,
Sunday, Nov. 4, 1 to 5 p.m. Shannon Berch will provide a basic introduction to mushrooms found in local gardens, lawns and forests. There will be two hours in a classroom and a one-hour field trip followed by one classroom hour examining collections. Cost to members $35, others $50.
