Tuesday, November 27, 2012

November 27, 2012 Garden Newsletter

Well it looks like winters here. We got about 2 inches of snow on Sunday and it is still on the ground. It’s pretty and now that the sun is out today I think I can bear it, although I rather hope it melts today and my hose at the barn works. We are supposed to get a gradual, modest warm up.

Don’t be afraid to go out and cut those evergreens for winter decorations now. If you buy greens they were probably cut weeks ago. If you are using the evergreens for outdoor decorations they will probably remain fresh through the holidays unless we get a real warm up. You may want to hold off on indoor decorations with cut greenery for a couple weeks. Keep the cut evergreen pieces outside in a shaded place, in water if possible.

Go ahead and pick a fresh cut Christmas tree while the selection is tops and the weather decent. Just don’t bring it inside until a week to 10 days before Christmas. Keep it outside in a bucket of water in a shaded area. It’s ok if the water freezes. Cut an inch off the trunk bottom to reopen capillaries that sealed up just before plunging it in water. Make a fresh cut on the trunk again when you bring the tree inside.

If you are going to buy a potted live tree get the hole dug where you intend to plant it. I think you can still dig in the ground as it’s only lightly frozen. Save the soil you take out of the hole in buckets or on a tarp. If you can cover the soil or put it where it won’t freeze, so much the better. After the holidays you can plant your live tree outside in the hole.

New Plants- AAS selections

Well I promised to talk about new plants this newsletter and here are some I have discovered. All America Selections have announced these winners. Geranium ‘Pinto Premium Rose to White’ is the bedding plant winner. It was introduced by Syngenta Flowers. It has dark green zoned leaves with sturdy stems. The flowers begin rose pink and shade to white, giving the plant a look of having two colors of flowers.

One of the AAS vegetable selections is ‘Melemon’ bred by Known-You Seed Co., Ltd. It is a hybrid melon, described as rather like a honeydew in taste but tangy and crisper. It has greenish yellow small fruit with pale green flesh. It’s early and vigorous.

Another melon was also chosen as a vegetable winner for 2013. ‘Harvest Moon’ is a triploid, seedless watermelon developed from the old heritage watermelon Moon and Stars. It keeps the dark green rind with odd yellow markings but is earlier, more productive and better tasting than its parent. Bred by Seeds By Design.

A cherry tomato, ‘Jasper’ was chosen as a vegetable winner because of its vigor and resistance to many tomato disease including good resistance to late blight. It holds well on the vine after harvest. Very vigorous and productive, rarely needing fertilization, it is also said to have a good tomato flavor. Bred by Johnny’s Selected Seed.

A canna that can be grown from seed and bloom the same year, ‘South Pacific Scarlet’ is a AAS flower winner for 2013. This is a compact, basal branched canna that thrives in heat and humidity.

The last winner, Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirits’, is being featured prominently in many 2013 garden catalogs. It’s an Echinacea that blooms from seed the first year, making it very affordable for mass plantings. It comes in all colors from purple, through reds and pinks, yellows and whites. The flowers are produced on sturdy stems that don’t need staking and the plants don’t need dead heading to bloom freely for a long season. Drought tolerant and loved by bees and butterflies, this one looks like a hit.

MSU annual trials top picks for 2012

Michigan State University plants hundreds of bedding plants each year to trial them under Michigan conditions. It has announced the plants that did the best in its 2012 trial gardens and has rated all the annuals grown. You may want to look for some of these top five bedding plants when you shop for plants in the spring.

Bidens 'Goldilocks Rocks' submitted by Proven Winners stood up well to the heat and drought this year and bloomed profusely. It has light yellow flowers on compact plants, good for bedding or containers.

Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ also by Proven Winners also held up well in the heat, producing its’s white fragrant flowers all season.

SunPatiens 'Compact White' - by Sakata was a top sun loving impatiens. Its one drawback is that it is attractive to Japanese beetles.

Torenia 'Summerwave Large Violet' - by Suntory has blue flowers that do well in heat and humidity in sun or partial shade.

and MSU is suggesting it may be used as a replacement for bedding impatiens if you had problems with downy mildew this year.

Gomphrena 'EZ Gro Gomp Purple' - by Grimes Horticulture. This Gomphrena has violet purple ball shaped flowers that show up well in mass plantings. It blooms all summer and can be cut for dried flowers which hold their color for a long time. Other colors of this variety also did well in the trials.

You can view all the ratings and descriptions at http://trialgardens.hrt.msu.edu/

I will talk about new roses and some other specialty plants next week.

Garden catalogs

I like to look at plants on line but I also enjoy sitting down with new seed and nursery catalogs to look at in my comfortable chair. Amazingly enough, many companies who used to require a fee for catalogs now offer them for free. Printing is easier and cheaper than it used to be and companies are doing all they can to compete with a proliferation of new plant companies.

Print catalogs can give you tips and ideas and good cultural information on plants. Even if you buy most of your plants locally, as I often suggest, studying the catalogs will give you an idea of what to look for and what it should sell for. And for those who like the newest, rarest or most unusual plants catalog shopping is the way to go.

If you are searching for a Christmas gift for a gardener why not get them a gift certificate to one of these nurseries. Most offer gift certificates and some have delightful gifts you can order- although you probably won’t want to wait for a catalog for that.

I have compiled a list of links to companies that offer free catalogs. Click on the links and go to “request a catalog” if necessary from the link. Fill out the basic information and you will be mailed a catalog. Hey, it helps the post office stay in business too. Please remember that you may get mailings or emails in addition to the catalog. Sometimes there is a spot where you can remove the option for additional mailings/emails if you un-check the box.

http://rareseeds.com/requestcatalog (Bakers Creek Heirloom seeds)

http://parkseed.com/catalogrequestpopup.aspx - seeds, perennials

http://www.forestfarm.com/catalog.php trees, some perennials

http://springhillnursery.com/catalog_request_qas.asp flowers

https://www.plantdelights.com/inforequest.asp many unusual plants

http://www.waysidegardens.com/ perennials, some trees, shrubs

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/cgi-local/cataloguerequest.pl flowers, some trees, shrubs

http://www.burpee.com/about/catalogrequest.jsp flower and vegetable seeds

http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=./requst2.html&cart_id=6454852.30086 herbs

http://www.millernurseries.com/signup.php fruit

http://www.egardenersplace.com/catalog/catalogrequest14j.asp At this location you can check boxes to receive catalogs from these companies; Edmunds roses, Vermont bean, McClure and Zimmerman, Jung, Shumways, Roots and Rhizomes, Totally Tomatoes

https://www.musserforests.com/catalogrequest.html trees

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/catalog_request.html perennials

http://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/PGCatalogRequest.aspx vegetable and flower seed

http://www.botanicalinterests.com/heirloom-seeds-catalogs heirloom seeds

https://www.tomatogrowers.com/inforequest.asp tomatoes

http://www.territorialseed.com/catalog_request?gclid=CPf46Kmk7bMCFctcMgodFxkA6g vegetables

http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/052563.1.066097902712049392 bee flowers

http://www.willhiteseed.com/catalog_request.php melons, vegetables

http://www.raintreenursery.com/Catalog_Requests.html trees, shrubs, rare fruit

http://www.starkbros.com fruit

http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/ roses, perennials

If you have a favorite catalog that isn’t listed here and they offer a free catalog send me a note and I’ll look it up and include the email in another weekly newsletter.

One more site you may want to visit is this Mother Earth News Magazine Sweepstakes site. You can register to win a number of prizes, including an $11,000 homestead package that includes a cow, beehive, chicken coop, sawmill and other things. You can also win a wood cookstove, solar generator and other things.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/sweepstakes

Check out these videos

With my new high speed internet I am now able to see video clips with ease. I enjoyed these two videos and want to pass along the links. The first is from a group of agriculture students from Colorado University. They won first prize in a Farm Bureau contest with their parody of a Justin Bieber song. Here’s the lyrics and the link. It’s really cute and the singing isn’t bad.

If I was your farmer, I’d never let you starve
I’d feed you all your protein, calcium and carbs
I could be conventional – anything you want
If I was your farmer, I’d never let you starve

http://kdvr.com/2012/11/21/video-csu-agriculture-students-use-bieber-parody-to-sing-praises-of-farming/

The other video is actually produced with the help of two MSU journalism professors, Geri Zeldes and Troy Hale and details the story of two woman farmers who are trying to start a farm in Flint. It’s not only the city council of Detroit that is ignorant about the benefits of urban farming; it happens in other blighted Michigan cities also. This video really illustrates the frustration of people who want to do good things and have to deal with abject ignorance in city bureaucracy.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/11/flint_river_farm_documentary_p.html

Detroit and farming

It is interesting to note here that MSU is trying to promote urban agriculture in Detroit by building a research center called MetroFoodPlus Innovation Center, if they can get Detroit to approve their plans. It will re-purpose some old buildings for indoor gardening and maybe use about 10 acres of the 40 square miles of vacant land in Detroit to garden outside.

Did you know that Detroit still has a law on the books that says it’s illegal to sell fruit and vegetables in Detroit that were grown in Detroit? That’s in addition to laws against farming/agriculture. There are actually hundreds of small illegal vegetable gardens or farms now in Detroit but they can’t really put a lot of money into the endeavors because of their illegal status. So called community gardens get a pass from the laws but anyone who wants to make growing fruit or vegetables or even nursery plants a business is at risk.

MSU tried to influence the people of Detroit into supporting the research center by inviting a bunch of them to a 2 day meeting at the Novi Research Farm in July. They played touchy-feely games pinning up little notes - what I want -what you want- lets get together, Jumbaya, and that sort of thing. That was so sweet but let’s see if anything ever really gets accomplished in Detroit except the waste of a lot of taxpayer money.

Reminder to Independent Master Gardeners

Get your hours entered into the old record keeping system by December 15 to re-certify for this year. After this the site will not be available and whether or not your 2012 hours will be excepted in the new system when it is finally up is unknown. Also if you want a copy of what you have done to date print it off the site before December 15. Only the total number of hours will be transferred to the new site.

Go clip those greens and make a wreath.

Articles you may want to read

Around the holidays stores often feature Norfolk Island Pines for sale as they look like miniature Christmas trees. The Norfolk Island pine, (Araucaria heterophylla) however, is a houseplant, despite its name. It will continue to grow well indoors long after the holidays if it’s given the correct care.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving garden notes

This weather we have had the last few days has been nice. It’s pleasant enough to be outside in the middle of the day but not warm enough to mess with the plants life cycles. I finally finished planting some daffodil bulbs I had dug out of an overcrowded bed. I admit some of the last few plantings were basically holes with bulbs dumped in them - but hey - they got planted. There will be daffodils everywhere in the spring if all the bulbs I planted make it.

I noticed something else that the unusual weather this year must have caused. My euonymus bush which is 6 feet high and wide is covered with tiny red berries this fall. It blooms every year but this is the first time I have seen more than a handful of berries. Since it is evergreen it may make some good Christmas decorations. (Yes, its time to start thinking of that.)

Thanksgiving comes first though and the mild weather should let everyone roam the woods and fields for some interesting table décor. There are abundant grass seed heads, milkweed pods and interesting seed pods of every type out there. Pine cones, nuts, gourds and even fruits like apples also have uses. You can use them as they come from nature or add glitter or a frosting of metallic paint. (Metallic colors are “in” this year.)

Add a potato

A large potato can be the base for a centerpiece or even a swag or wreath. It will help keep greens from wilting if the stems are stuck in a fresh potato. They will take moisture from the potato. To make a swag or wreath with a potato first drill a hole in one end or the center, depending on your desired finished product, to insert a hanger if you are going to hang the item. Use a small paring knife or a screw driver and slowly carve a small hole through the spud. Insert a ribbon or soft rope for a hanging loop, not wire as it will cut through the potato.

If you are going to use the potato to make a centerpiece you may need to slice off a thin section of the potato on one side so that it sits flat. It works best if you let this cut area dry for a day or so before finishing the centerpiece. You may want to add a piece of felt or cardboard to the cut side after it has dried a bit.

Cut evergreens or woody plants like Sweet Annie and lavender so that the ends have sharp points and insert them into the potato. For some pieces you may need to make a starter hole with an ice or nut pick. Usually the potato itself will not show much in the finished decoration but if the thought of a bit of skin peeking through bothers you paint the potato or cover it in cloth or colored foil.

Whitehouse Thanksgiving menu

The President is inviting his extended family for Thanksgiving dinner at the Whitehouse. The Whitehouse chef Cris Comerford says that many of the vegetables served will come from the Whitehouse garden, which is said to still be producing many things. On the menu is multiple 20 pound turkeys which have been soaked in thyme laced brine before roasting as well as honey baked ham.

Two types of stuffing, cornbread and oyster, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, kale salad and rolls will also be served. The kale salad recipe was released by the Whitehouse and I have included it below so that you can serve it at your Thanksgiving feast if you would like. The President loves pie and 6 kinds of pie will be served at the white house Thanksgiving, including huckleberry.

It makes you wonder if the diners at the Whitehouse loosen their belts after eating and light matches in the bathroom. Do kids slide on the marble floors and run screaming through the rooms? Is there an argument about politics at the table? At least with a full staff there should be no complaining about who does the dishes every year. Ah, Thanksgiving meals.

Whitehouse Kale Salad

2 bunches young kale, washed and dried, cut into thin slices
1 bulb fennel (fronds, stems and outer layer removed) cored and thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green onion, white and light-green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved or cut into slivers
4 ounces spiced Marcona almonds, about 1 Cup

Marcona almonds can be purchased in some stores or you can make them. Combine 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika in a bowl. In another bowl beat an egg white add about a cup of almonds and toss to coat. Then toss the almonds in the bowl of spices to coat them. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until lightly browned. Cool before use in the salad.

Dressing for salad

· 1 Cup olive oil

· 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar

· Juice of 2 medium lemons, about 6 Tablespoons

· 1 medium green onion, minced

· Salt

· Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice and onion together and gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put the kale in a bowl and pour the dressing over the greens about 10 minutes before you will be serving the salad and toss well to coat. Just before serving add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss. This recipe is enough for 6-8 servings.

Some food statistics

254 million turkeys were raised in the

this year and we still had to import some from

Canada

! The top turkey producing state was Minnesota.

768 million pounds of cranberries were produced this year in the

, with Wisconsin being the top producer.

2.7 billion pounds of sweet potatoes were produced, North Carolina is the top producer.

1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins, Illinois is the top producer.

73.1 million pounds of tart cherries, normally Michigan would be the top producer but this year Pennsylvania took the honors.

2.27 billion bushels of wheat were produced in the

this year with Kansas, North Dakota and Montana being top producing states.

Next week the garden notes will be back to more traditional garden topics. I am going to discuss the AAS selections for 2013 and MSU’s annual trial results and tell you about some new plants I have heard about for 2013. And I will keep you updated on any other garden topics I find interesting that have popped up in the news.

I would like to mention that a reader sent me this link to an amazing story about Japanese farmers turning their rice fields into works of art. The art, huge designs in the field, many extremely complicated, is all done with rice that has different colored leaves. I was unaware that rice came in so many leaf colors. You learn something every day. The farmers used to make simple designs every year but now of course they have computer technology to guide them. Anyway it’s pretty amazing. You can see their work at this link http://www.kawaiikakkoiisugoi.com/2010/02/12/amazing-rice-field-art-at-japanese-farms/

If you have rotenone in your storage shed please read this.

Now that the garden season is winding down it’s time to clean up your garden supply storage area. It’s particularly important to examine all your pesticides to see what needs to be discarded and that everything is stored correctly. Gardeners use more pesticides than farmers and even those who garden organically often have organic pesticides on hand. These organic pesticides need to be handled just as carefully as conventional pesticides. Read more by clicking on the link.

http://www.examiner.com/article/it-s-time-for-gardeners-to-clean-out-their-pesticide-storage-area

Here’s a new herb article I wrote you may want to read.

If you are a cook you know that the best tasting herbs are fresh ones, plucked right from the plant just before using. But if you live in a spot where herbs aren't available in the garden during the winter your source of fresh herbs is limited to what you can purchase in a store- and those herbs are never the same as fresh picked. The good news is that some herbs can be grown indoors during the winter either on a sunny window sill or under grow light.

I hope everyone has something to be thankful for this year. I am thankful that my family has made it through some serious trials this year. I am thankful to have known so many of you wonderful people and thankful that I can keep writing this newsletter to you. Thank You so much to all of you who write to comment and tell me interesting things. I enjoy hearing from you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

November 13 newsletter

I really loved Sunday even though the wind was howling here. Yesterday was miserable and bleak and I think today, even though it is cold, is much nicer with the sun shining so nicely. The barn roof was dusted with snow this morning and I know it was snowing quite heavily last night around 10 pm.

Before today I had some garden phlox blooming in the garden. It may have frozen overnight. I also found some nicotiana - flowering tobacco- that had come up from seed and was starting to bloom. I transferred that to a pot and brought it inside on the porch. It has red flowers and is a short variety. I will see just what kind of houseplant it makes.

I also saw that my bronze fennel was putting out a lot of sprouts at its swollen base so I potted it and brought it inside. I missed getting seeds from it earlier when it flowered. I am curious to see if it flowers again or if it even lives inside. Normally I treat fennel as an annual, it is probably better classified as a bi-annual so we will see what happens inside.

I have a nice yellow abutilon blooming on the porch. Abutilons, sometimes called flowering maples, make wonderful houseplants whether they are tree forms or basket forms. Mine are both basket types, one has large yellow flowers and the other small red and orange flowers. That one also has pretty yellow variegated foliage which makes a pretty basket whether it’s blooming or not. I included my article on abutilons below under information if you’d like to know more about them.

Flower of the Year

There are many organizations that nominate plants or flowers of the year. The National Garden Bureau has nominated the “wildflower” as the flower of the year. This is odd because wildflower isn’t one type or even species of flower. Supposedly many nurseries will use this as a theme for spring plant offerings so expect to see many wildflowers offered in catalogs. They also nominated the gerbera daisy as annual of the year and the watermelon as “vegetable” of the year. Vegetable?

Other organizations will be nominating plants for flower of the year and other awards. I’ll let you know about them as I come across them.

Why bees prefer some flowers more than others

Over the centuries flowers have devised all sorts of attractive lures to interest pollinators. Scientists using electron microscopes have discovered that the petals of most bee pollinated flowers contain surface cells with a cone shaped texture. When a bee lands on these petals its claws are able to grip the surface better than when it lands on a petal with surface cells in another texture.

Experiments have shown that the extra gripping power the cone shaped cells give bees allows them to pry open flowers such as snapdragons to get pollen and nectar and it keeps them on flower petals when the wind blows. When the surface cell shape is modified as it occasionally is during selection for other traits, bees may be less inclined to visit those flowers.

Chocolate Research

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the agency's Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory (SPCL) and Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory (SMML), both in Beltsville, Md., have been searching in South America and Africa for different varieties of cacao plants, which chocolate is made from. They are collecting specimens to do research on the genetics of cacao, which has proved to be a hard plant to domesticate and farm.

Cacao has many subtle flavors or tones among different varieties of the plant and different flavors of edible chocolate are produced from these subtle nuances, just as different wines are produced from different forms of grapes grown in different areas. On a trip to Peru they discovered specimens of a chocolate variety called Pure Nacional, an old chocolate cultivar that high end chocolate companies greatly covet. It was growing at altitudes that most cacao plants don’t grow in, giving hope that its genes could produce a top quality cultivar of cacao that could expand the range of chocolate production.

Chocolate production is suffering because of changing conditions in South America and Africa, and a number of diseases that affect the crop. The ARS has an ongoing program to improve cacao cultivars hoping to ensure that the world has enough chocolate for the future, which is not only good for us lovers of fine chocolate, but ensures a good livelihood for the small farmers who produce the crop and a better economy for their countries. You can read more about the research at;

http://phys.org/news/2011-09-flavors-emerge-peruvian-cacao.html#jCp

Archeologists and soil

Soil scientists have given archeologists a new tool to learn about ancient civilizations. With a tool called a spectrophotometer and other new research tools soil scientists can tell what grew in various layers of soil even when no human artifacts remain. Corn and other cultivated plants leave different chemical signatures in the soil than native vegetation, and these signatures persist for thousands of years. Soil archeologists can also tell when erosion occurred, another sign of cultivated land.

Archeologists working in Guatemala’s Tikal National Park were able to map out where corn ( maize) was grown in ancient times by the Mayans. It is estimated that around 60,000 people lived in this area between 250 and 900 AD. The soil tools allowed archeologists to find traces of phosporus which indicate the presence of grain based foods, in areas known to be ancient homes. The traces were heaviest at the edges and doorways of where old structures were known to be and in kitchen areas. It’s very likely the homes were swept clean freguently and the food particles would settle at the edges of the structures.

Archeologists have always speculated at the purpose of the wide, flat “plazas” found near the temples of ancient Mayan cities, which rarely contain any artifacts. The presence of large amounts of phosporus at the edges of these plazas may indicate that they were market places, where food was bought and sold. The plazas were probably swept clean at the end of each market day or period.

The new archelogy of soil is giving us a clearer understanding of how our ancestors ate and lived. Scientists are eager to explore more areas with this new field of archeology.

How to Grow Abutilons

(first published in Examiner.com)

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

Maybe you noticed the beautiful Abutilons in a greenhouse this spring. If you didn’t you missed a chance to see and own some of the most exotic and interesting container plants you can grow in your Michigan garden. They aren’t winter hardy here- but will over winter indoors, continuing to bloom through much of the winter. Other common names for Abutilons include Chinese Bell Flower, Chinese Lanterns, and Indian Mallow.

Abutilons have been around as houseplants for at least a century, commonly seen as a shrubby house plant known as Flowering Maple. The abutilons however, are a genus of about 150 species growing in sub tropical areas of South America and Asia. They grow as small trees, shrubs and vines. Recently plant breeders have worked with the various species of Abutilon, improving and hybridizing them to create many exotic, easy to grow varieties you can now find at the greenhouse near you.

Abutilons are evergreen- like most tropical plants they keep their leaves all year. The stems turn woody over time. Most species are perennial but annual varieties exist. Some hybrids from South American species will survive temperatures into the teens and growers are working to produce even hardier plants.

The older tree forms of abutilon still exist but the newer abutilons produced for gardeners tend to form smaller shrub-like plants or spreading hanging basket plants. There is a wide variation in leaf size and shape and even flower shape among the recent introductions. In some the large, colorful hibiscus-like flowers are the show, in others the beautiful foliage, often variegated, is as showy as the smaller dangling ‘lantern” type flowers. All Abutilon flowers are attractive to hummingbirds.

The large flowered varieties usually have leaves that are lobed- sometimes looking like a maple leaf. They can be various shades of green and may be variegated with yellow or white. Some large flowered varieties though, have smaller, fuzzy blade like leaves with serrated edges. The large flowered types have 5 tissue paper-like flower petals shaped like a saucer or cupped ranging in size from 1½ inches to 5 inches across.

The large flowered abutilons have a prominent pistil and stamens in the center and resemble hibiscus or mallow flowers. Flowers usually dangle, facing downward. Flower colors are usually warm colors such as reds and yellows, but white, pink and lavender varieties exist. There are some hard to find double flowered abutilons on the market.

Small flowered abutilons are usually hybrids of Abutilon megapotamicum. The flowers have a large calyx- (a thicker version of sepals) - on the back of the flower from which the flower petals protrude beneath, producing the “lantern” look. The calyx is often a contrasting color from the petals. Usually the colors are reds, yellows and oranges but some pastels exist. The lantern type flowers are 1-2 inches long.

Small flowered varieties of Abutilon usually have small leaves but at least one large maple leaf type variety exists. Many small flowered Abutilon have leaves that are heavily variegated with gold or white. The lantern types tend to have wiry, arching stems from which the leaves and flowers dangle and make beautiful hanging baskets.

Growing Abutilon

Gardeners will generally start with plants. Abutilons can be started from seeds, although Michigan grown plants rarely produce them. It takes two years for most Abutilons to bloom from seed. Abutilons will also grow from cuttings.

Do not put Abutilons outside until all danger of frost has passed and bring them inside in the fall before frost. They can be planted directly in the ground and treated as annuals; however you can bring potted plants inside in the fall for a blooming houseplant. The larger flowered varieties hold their blooms better if protected from wind.

Abutilons prefer partial to full sun in the garden and a sunny window indoors. Use a loose, light potting soil. For best bloom Abutilons need regular feeding. Use an extended release fertilizer for flowers or fertilize with a liquid fertilizer every two weeks. In the house stop fertilizing November through January and let the plant rest a bit.

Abutilons need regular watering, particularly large plants in hanging baskets. If they get too dry they may drop their leaves but may recover if watered in time. Do not over water in the winter, soggy soil will kill them.

Trim off any damaged or spindly growth. Abutilons can be pruned to control size as some plants will get as large as 6 foot high and wide. If you want the plants to grow larger replant in a slightly larger pot each spring.

Some varieties

‘Canary Bird’ is an older, small shrub form with large, canary yellow flowers and large leaves. ‘Cannington Peter’ is similar but has dark red flowers and yellow variegated leaves. ‘Violetta’ is a large - 6 foot - plant with large violet to indigo blue flowers. ‘Voodoo’ has 2 inch blood red flowers. ‘Hawaiian Ma’o’ is a large upright with 1 inch golden yellow double flowers. ‘Tennant’s White’ has huge white flowers.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

garden newsletter Nov 6, election day

This is the part of Michigan fall and winter I dislike the most, the days without any sunshine and we sure have had a stretch of them. Hopefully we are going to see an improvement in the weather by the end of the week. Even though the temps have went down below freezing several nights my hose at the barn is still running and I don’t call it winter until the hose quits running.

There are 2 almanacs that call themselves farmer’s almanacs - one is the plain Farmer’s Almanac and the other is the Old Farmers Almanac. One predicts a cold and snowy winter, the other a mild and dry one. It should be interesting to see which is closer to what really happens with our weather. So far both have been way off on the weather predictions for the first part of November.

I actually picked a bouquet of roses this weekend, peach, red and white from the landscape roses and I have mums, dianthus, marigolds, salvia and petunias still blooming. My rosemary is blooming inside on the porch along with geraniums.

I am so glad the elections will be over today. I don’t really care who wins as long as it’s over and all the politicians get back to the jobs we elected them to do. Let’s get the farm bill passed and other important work done in Washington.

All of the billions of dollars that are spent on election ads and campaigning are such a waste. Think of all the glossy cardboard mailers filling the landfills. If you are like me you tossed them before even looking at them. I considered putting a trash can by the mailbox with a sign that said “deposit election mail here”. Instead I settled for a trash can by the back door where I dumped the flyers, all unread.

Consider investing in stevia

I have seen several articles advising investors to buy stock in American companies that are growing or processing stevia, the herb used to make a sweetener that does not affect blood sugar like traditional sugar. Most stevia is now grown in China and most processing is also done there. There are parts of the United States that are ideal for growing stevia and new large scale growers are beginning to pop up, especially in California. We need investors to back growers and to invest in processing facilities.

This is a crop with lots of potential and American farmers need to jump on the opportunity. The demand for stevia is growing in the US and is quite high in Europe and Japan. It’s not that hard to grow and harvest on a commercial scale but the US lacks processing facilities to turn the herb into sweetener. We need research here in the US on growing, harvesting and processing stevia by our major agricultural Universities.

Plant names

Have you ever picked a plant because you like the name? My husband once insisted on a pricy collection of bearded iris that had names like ‘Street Walker’ and ‘Jezebel’ because he liked the names. A name can mean the difference between a hot selling plant and a dud, even though the plant itself can be a stunning addition to horticulture or a lackluster copycat of another variety.

One of the best selling Austin roses is ‘Wedding Day’ although it is a fussy and weak rose that doesn’t thrive in most gardens. In fact the top selling roses often have celebratory names like ‘Diamond Jubilee’ or ‘Birthday Girl’. Names of athletes, singers and movie stars are also popular with the plant buying public. Different names are more appealing in different countries and the same plant is sometimes sold under different names in different countries.

When growers develop new plants they want to market they register them with one of the worldwide networks of International Cultivar Registration Authorities or (ICRA). Each registry works with one or several species of plants. A grower gives each new plant cultivar( variety) a code name, often abbreviations or series of numbers and registers it with a ICRA. They now own the rights to market that plant. They then give the plant its’s “marketing” name or they sell it to another company with the rights to give it a marketing name.

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) has had rules for naming new plants with those marketing names since 1959. The name must be unigue, must be in a modern language and not look or sound like a Latin name, must not be more than 10 syallables or 30 characters, and a plant must must not be named after a living person without their permission.

Like dog and horse breeders naming their animals with kennel or stable names, many plants have a “house” name, such as Proven Winners before a common name. You will often see a ® or ™ by plant names to protect the name. Other plants are named for birds, whimsical features, states and other themes, like my husbands “lady of the night” iris’s. Most plant names are devised for marketing appeal.

Some plants are donated to charitable causes for naming, with all or part of the profits from the sale of the plant going to the cause. Hence we have an increasing number of pink flowered plants being marketed with themes related to breast cancer, whether those varieties are anything special or not. People also buy the rights to name a plant after family members or those they wish to honor. Some growers produce numbers of plants with barely discernable differences to sell to other nurseries and companies for naming and marketing.

Be wary when purchasing plants because you like the name. Make sure the plant is suitable for your planting zone and has the qualities you need in a plant, such as disease resistance, rather than just a charming name. And be warned that the colors used in a name such as ‘Blueberry Sunday’ may not really reflect the color of a plants flower or foliage. Terms like “Early Sunrise” may not reflect the growing habits of the plant either.

To make things worse some plants are re-named after a number of years or in different countries. Often in these cases you will see the original registered code name in small letters somewhere in the description, at least in good catalogs. The best advice when chosing plants is to read the description of the plant carefully before picking it because of it’s name.

Mosquitoes and triglycerides

Chemist Charles Cantrell at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Natural Products Utilization Research Unit (NPURU) in Oxford, Miss., has been studying a plant called Jatropha curcas whose seed oil has long been burned in lamps in

India

and Africa to ward off mosquitoes. Research indicates the oil does have repellant properties for insects.

Scientists were intrigued when they found that the free fatty acids and triglycerides in the oil were what caused the mosquito’s to avoid the area. While they knew from previous work that fatty acids repel insects this was the first time triglycerides were found to repel insects. Scientists are combing Jatropha oil with other products in hopes of producing a new insect repellant.

It makes you wonder though, if the amount of fatty acids and triglycerides in a person’s blood may be responsible for the difference in how attracted mosquitoes are to different people. Some people tend to attract mosquitoes more than others, which might mean they are healthier, since those with more fatty acids and triglycerides, a not so healthy condition, would be less attractive to mosquitoes.

Please read my new article on sempervivums (hens and chicks).

“Hens and chicks” are an old favorite of gardeners. Hardy and easy to grow these plants got their common name because the original plant or “hen” produces lots of little plantlets on long stems, dubbed “chicks.” These succulent plants are more properly called Sempervivum tectorum. They are native to Europe and in English gardens are often called houseleeks. In Europe Sempervivums often grew on thatched or slate roofs. The Latin name means “live forever on roofs”.

Sempervivums are rich in garden folklore. It is said when they grow on roofs that they protect the house from lightning and fire. This may have some basis in fact because something green and moist would make it harder for a fire to start, at least on a thatched roof. Grandmothers are supposed to give their grandchildren “chicks” to grow for good luck. Sempervivums are said to be a favorite of fairy gardeners.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween garden notes

Hi Gardeners

The winds have been wicked and make it very chilly outside but we have to be grateful this is all we are getting from that historical storm that is hitting the east coast. I hope you all have power at your house. If there were any leaves on the trees they are gone now. Make sure to fill your bird feeders for the poor birds who really struggle in this weather. But by the weekend things are expected to improve.

One of the things I just noticed that the odd weather this year affected was the bittersweet. I went out to get some and found no berries on my plants this year. I was also thinking that I saw no fall webworm tents this fall around here and there are usually a lot. And my ornamental kale is being eaten by an unusually late crop of cabbage worms. I thought the chickens were pecking them until I looked closely and found the little worms. No more kale chips for me.

We go off daylight savings time this weekend and the mornings will be lighter but it will be dark by 6 pm. The moon is full for Halloween- if anyone can see it through the snow clouds. It’s time to get really serious about finishing up those fall garden chores because you don’t have much time left.

Using oak leaves and pine needles in the garden

I have been asked several times lately if oak leaves and pine needles can be used in the garden. The answer is yes and it’s unlikely they would cause any acidification of the soil. Even if they did many areas of SE Michigan are alkaline and would actually benefit from a little acidic conditioning. Oak leaves are actually a good garden mulch because they don’t mat down as readily as other leaves. They do take longer to break down but that can be a plus too. The only thing to worry about when using pine needles is that they can be slippery when wet and they can wash away.

Jerusalem artichokes

I spent a lot of time last week harvesting my Jerusalem artichokes. If you have never tasted them you really should. Sunchokes as they are often called, are good eaten raw or cooked. You can use them in any recipe for potatoes or parsnips or raw like water chestnuts or jicama.

Sunchokes are high in fiber, iron, potassium and thiamine. They have a different starch from potatoes that does not make blood sugar rise and a beneficial effect on insulin production overall. They are also said to help digestion although I will warn you that until you get used to them they cause a lot of gas!

To me they taste more like a sweet potato with a light sweet taste. A good way to eat them raw is to soak them in a little salt and vinegar for an hour or so. You can fry them with onions, use them in pot roast or make soup with them. Their drawback is that they can be hard to clean as they are quite knobby in some cases.

Sunchokes are extremely productive and grow almost anywhere. They are perennial, look like small sunflowers and birds like the seeds they produce. In the attached picture you can see what I harvested from just a small spot in one of my raised beds. The area is about 2x 3 feet in size. We also have a bigger patch elsewhere.

New plants

I am excited to learn that Proven Winners will introduce a plum colored sweet autumn clematis in 2013. ‘Sweet Summer Love’ is reddish-purple, blooms a bit earlier than regular sweet autumn clematis but is still wonderfully fragrant and is hardy to zone 4.

Have you heard of goji berries? They are the newest fruit said to be a cure-all for everything and super nutritious. A new cultivar for home use will be on the market this spring called Big Lifeberry that is hardy to zone 5. The fruit grows in full sun as a lanky bush that will require staking.

If you like winterberries for their brilliant fall and winter display but don’t have room for the huge bush they tend to become, Proven Winners is introducing a new “dwarf” variety that is heavy fruiting and only 3-4 feet tall called ‘Berry Poppins’. It needs a pollinator for berries and suggested is ‘Mr. Poppins’. Winterberry likes moist soil, part shade to full sun and is hardy to zone 3.

Also new, at least to the scientific community, are two newly discovered ferns that Duke University botanists named Gaga germanotta and Gaga monstraparva, after the singer Lady Gaga. The Costa Rican and Mexican species have a life stage that looks like a Lady Gaga costume and their genetic sequence spelled out GAGA. Germanotta is because of Lady Gaga’s surname and monstraparva is because she calls her followers little monsters.

Japanese Knotweed

When I was a girl I often snooped along the ally behind our street looking for plants that had escaped through fences and which I felt I could safely liberate and take to my own garden. I admired a plant that grew in a yard at the end of the street for its bamboo like stems and fragrant white flowers and when it popped up on the ally side of the fence you can be sure I dug it up and brought it home. The plant happily thrived in the shade of black walnuts, which had stopped many of my efforts to make a garden like my grandmothers in our back yard.

Now many years later, how many will not be named, the plant still thrives in my parents yard. After many years of trying to eradicate it my dad decided it made a rather good screen to hide some new, noisy neighbors behind him and he lets a thicket of the stuff grow up along the back fence. This week however the Michigan DNR issued this statement about Japanese Knotweed, (Fallopia japonica, syn. Polygonum cuspidatum, Reynoutria japonica) which I guess some call Mexican Bamboo.

Michigan has a Prohibited and Restricted Species statute that prevents the possession of listed invasive species. The list includes known invasive species that both MDARD and DNR want to prevent from entering the state or further spreading throughout the state. Prevention of new invasions and the spread of existing invasions are considered top priorities in order to limit the impacts of invasive species to Michigan's ecology, economy and society.

Both departments have received numerous reports of prohibited invasive plant species, such as Japanese knotweed, being sold, purchased and intentionally moved. Japanese knotweed, also known as Mexican bamboo, forms dense stands and limits other plants from growing among their crowded stems. The plant's ability to penetrate through asphalt and the difficulty in eliminating this plant make it especially destructive to both the natural and built environment. Japanese knotweed, which flowers in late summer, was introduced into North America from Asia as an ornamental plant and it now threatens many natural areas as well as parking lots, sidewalks and foundations.

Any person or business who possesses a prohibited or restricted plant species should refrain from selling or moving the plant or plant fragments. Plants should be destroyed in a manner that prevents spread and further infestations. Cutting and moving plant parts to other areas will only make the problem worse. Fragments of stems and roots can produce new plants, so care should be taken to double-bag them for disposal at a landfill or to completely burn them.

More information about Japanese knotweed and the Prohibited and Restricted Species list can be found at www.michigan.gov/invasivespecies.

In my years at Extension I dealt with many people who were desperate to get rid of this plant and I would never recommend selling it or giving it to friends. However I still have a bit of a soft spot for it. The state won’t help you get rid of this pest but if you want to rid your property of it you need applications of weed killers like Round Up applied often, mowing frequently, and pulling and digging out plants. It grows from tiny pieces of root left behind and also spreads by seed so it can take years to totally remove.

Dahlia Hill

I recently heard of a Michigan garden that I was unaware of but maybe some of you have been there because it is near Dow Gardens. On Main Street in Midland, about a mile north of downtown, is a public garden called Dahlia Hill. Every year more than 50 volunteers, including many Midland area Master Gardeners plant some 3,000 dahlias of 250 varieties on a terraced hillside called Dahlia Hill. The garden was started by an artist who became fond of dahlias after his daughter gave his wife some as a present. Some of the artist’s aluminum sculptures are in the garden.

The garden has been a non-profit public garden for the past 25 years and you can visit free in season from dawn to dusk. Best times to visit of course would be late summer. On the last two weekends in May they hold a dahlia sale of what is left after planting. You can get more information and see pictures at http://www.dahliahill.org/

African Violets

African violets are popular houseplants in Michigan because they give us something blooming to look at in winter. Because they are small potted plants they fit easily into most living arrangements and one can have several plants on a windowsill. African violets are generally inexpensive to buy, although for serious collectors some varieties can get quite pricy.

African violets have the reputation of being difficult as a houseplant but new varieties are much easier to grow. While they don’t thrive on neglect as some houseplants do, with a little attention to their needs African violets will reward you with beautiful blooms in a wide range of colors.