Tuesday, July 14, 2015

July 14, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

July 14, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hi Gardeners

Hybrid lily Olina Tango
I watered most of my gardens last evening because I didn’t think it would rain but we had a nice 3/10th inch of rain along with some mild thunder.  The lightning was quite showy too.  The weather service is saying that more people have died from lightning strikes this year than any other recorded year.  I like staying outside and watching storms approach but that may be a habit I should reconsider.

This is a pretty time of year for the gardens.  The phlox and trumpet lilies are beginning to bloom.  Bee balm, daylilies, roses, daisies, Asiatic lilies, Echinacea, lavender, buddleia, ligularia, astilbe, hydrangeas and hostas are in bloom and probably many other things. The annuals are in full bloom, my seed grown nasturtiums, zinnias and cosmos are blooming.  Even though I have been ripping them out right and left the morning glories are also blooming.  I try to keep them from totally overrunning everything else.  The trumpet vine is in bloom and the hummingbirds are happy.
  
I harvested a nice early cabbage from the garden last week.  No worms, the trick with the butterfly net worked wonders.  I had to remove the nets when the heads started getting bigger but it seemed I had  them on at the right times and avoided the moths laying their eggs on them.  My late cabbage won’t be quite as worm free I think- as I didn’t have nets for those plants.  I am also harvesting lettuce, early girl tomatoes, peas and green onions.  My sweet corn is starting to tassle.  I have large green berries on the blackberries and raspberries and a handful of blueberries that are almost ripe.

While checking the raspberries last night I noticed a lot of Japanese beetles.  It’s a bit late for their emergence and I am hoping they stay way down in that part of the yard.  Those buggers can do a lot of damage to all kinds of plants. 

What to expect at the farmers market

Vegetable and fruit crops are progressing quite nicely in our state but everything is not ready for harvest yet.  When you go to the local farmers market you are looking for fresh, locally grown food and not produce bought in distant states and transported here.  While you cannot tell which produce is produced organically by looking at it you can talk to the seller about how the produce is grown.  Knowing what produce should be available locally helps you decide whether the farmer you are talking to is a real grower or just buys from a wholesaler.  Produce that’s grown in hoop houses will be a bit earlier to come on the market but there are limits to everything.

Early cabbage.
Here’s what produce should be available in Lower Michigan right now. Blueberries are beginning to ripen, one of our earliest seasons yet. You should find them in some markets this week. Raspberries are also coming on the market and there are still some cherries available.  In Lower Michigan strawberry harvest has finished.  Local growers may be offering early cabbage, beets, kale, lettuce, green onions, cauliflower, early summer squash, a few early tomatoes, and peas.  Large slicing tomatoes, especially in quantity, are probably not locally grown.  There may be a few cukes on the market if they are hoop house grown.  Cucumbers are struggling from early disease and cool weather this year.  Squash is also from hoop houses. The southern counties may be producing green beans.

Probiotics for plants?

We talked about probiotics for humans last week but plants can benefit from probiotics too.  Beneficial fungi and bacteria called endophytes often exist on plants roots and in other plant cells and these organisms help the plant absorb nutrients from the soil and improve the plants immune functions.  Some plants have more endophytes than others and this may help them grow in hostile environments.

Gardeners have long known that inoculating the seeds of legumes, (peas and beans) that will be growing where other legumes haven’t grown in a while with helpful bacteria gets them off to a better start.  You can dust the seeds with a bacterial mixture, usually purchased where you buy the seeds. These crops need the helpful organisms to “digest” organic material in the soil and produce nitrogen for their growth.   When the nodules in legumes roots are fully functioning they are also leaving nitrogen in the soil which benefits other plants.  But if there are none of these helpful bacteria and fungi in the soil when you plant legumes they may struggle for a while before they can produce enough of their own.

Researchers at the University of Washington found that other plants can benefit from endophytes too.  They took endophytes from poplar and willow trees, trees that grow quickly in less than ideal conditions, and inoculated other plants like rice with them.  The inoculated plants grew more quickly, had larger root systems and appeared healthier than plants which did not receive the inoculants.

Researchers say that this research is going to start the development of a whole new class of plant products – plant probiotics- that can help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and maybe plant pesticides.  You may want to try some experiments of your own.  It’s already been established that soaking cuttings in water where crushed willow twigs have been soaking helps them root faster.  You could try crushing poplar or willow roots and steeping them in water, then using the water to soak seeds of other plants or even to water transplants.  Bacterial products are on the market to use on plants and this is what the concept of compost tea is probably based on, but a more direct route using the roots of plants with large colonies of helpful microorganisms might prove interesting.  You might try the roots of Autumn Olive too, which has been shown to improve the growth of other trees when it grows near them.   Who knows, you could develop the next big plant product in your own backyard.

A natural way to control mosquitoes discovered?

A research team working at the University of Illinois found that when native blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis), leaves were added to water they attracted lots of mosquitoes, particularly Culex pipiens mosquitoes, (which frequently carry West Nile virus), to lay eggs in the water.  The eggs however, did not survive well and the mosquitoes that did hatch were smaller and less healthy than mosquitoes from untreated water.  American elderberry leaves had a similar but not as strong effect.

Blackberry
Some plants, such as multiflora rose, (Rosa multiflora), kept most mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water where their leaves were soaking.  Two other common plants, Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) both attracted mosquitoes to the water and seemed to actually produce larger numbers of healthy mosquitoes when their leaves were in the water. 

Leaves in the water are broken down by colonies of bacteria and mosquito larvae feed on bacteria.  Once again it seems that bacteria can be very useful if you know how to use them correctly.  It might be wise to find some blackberry leaves and add them to any standing water you have around the home.  I am going to try adding both elderberry and blackberry leaves to my ornamental pond.  And it would probably be wise to keep the Amur honeysuckle and Autumn Olive away from water.  

If the bacteria which affect mosquitoes can be isolated we may soon have a natural pesticide to control mosquitoes.  Since all common plants were not tested, other plants, like some herbs, may have similar effects on mosquitoes.  One thing that the research study did not mention and maybe they didn’t test for- was whether the leaves rotting in water also affected other things in the water, like fish.  Elderberry leaves do contain some toxins, and that might be the harmful to fish whether the bacteria colonizing the leaves does or  does not harm them. 

Water hyacinth

Water hyacinths, Eichhornia crassipes, are common ornamental pond plants that are relatively safe to grow in the north, but that can spread to natural ponds and waterways in the south and become invasive. They don’t survive cold winters in the north.  For northern gardeners who want plants in a small water feature, water hyacinths may be ideal.  The water hyacinth produces showy flowers that are lightly fragrant; its roots filter water and provide hiding spots for tiny fish after hatching. Having water hyacinth in a water feature also helps control algae growth.  In northern water features water hyacinth is an excellent, easy to grow addition.

Water hyacinth.
Water hyacinths are native to South American, from the Amazon basin. They grow only in fresh water.  Most sources say they cannot grow at temperatures below 50 degrees and are killed by frost or freezing. There are some reports that the plant can survive short freezes and some people believe that seeds of the plant might survive the cold in the right conditions.  No known cases of it over wintering in native waters that freeze have occurred.  However the water hyacinth has spread around the world where the water stays warm year round and has caused considerable trouble.  It chokes and shades out native plants, impedes boating and fishing and can become a major problem in warm areas with its aggressive growth.

Food for hippos and manatees?
After water hyacinths were introduced to the US in the late 1800’s they quickly became horrendous invaders of natural waters in Florida and other warm places.  A bill was even introduced into Congress to import hippos to eat them.  That bill didn’t pass. However, just this spring researchers in the Sacramento, California delta area released a herd of hippos in an isolated area to munch on the plants.  Hippos can be very dangerous to humans so that solution won’t work everywhere. 

One of the favorite foods of the endangered manatee is the water hyacinth.  It may be keeping some of the manatees from disappearing in the south.  Manatees have also been imported to California and other places to deal with the plants.  The water hyacinth can also be eaten by humans and is sometimes used in place of other salad greens.

And just as we have discovered that many invasive plants can have valuable traits, it was recently discovered that water hyacinths can filter heavy metals and other pollutants out of water.  China is using them for this purpose.  They can also discourage algae by absorbing nutrients and preventing algae blooms.  Ironically some areas of Florida that had nearly eliminated water hyacinths are re-introducing them under controlled conditions to clean water and remove algae overgrowth.

What water hyacinths look like
Water hyacinths are floating plants; their roots do not need soil.  They have thick, glossy green rounded leaves with a bulb like base.   The bulbs act like a balloon or life preserver and keep the plants floating.  Leaf stems may be reddish.  The roots are long and feathery and a deep reddish or purple color, sometimes black looking, that dangle in the water. Roots will grow into natural muddy bottoms if they reach them but they don’t need soil.  The plants can grow up to 3 feet above the water in ideal conditions but in most ornamental situations they remain much shorter than that, generally 12 inches or less.

It’s amazing how quickly the water hyacinth grows.  One plant can easily become 600 plants in four months if conditions are right.  It reproduces by seed, but most of the quick multiplying of the plant is done by daughter plants being developed along the root system.  Pond owners may need to periodically thin out water hyacinths to keep some open water surface in their ponds.

The plant is equally quick in how fast it blooms, one day it suddenly develops a bud stalk and the next it blooms, and the flower dies in a day or so.  The flowers are produced in a cluster on a stalk held above the water and are pale blue or lavender.  One petal of each flower has a small yellow spot on it.  They are lightly fragrant with a pleasant smell not unlike their namesake.  The flowers attract water insects and bees and may produce seed pods.  Flowering occurs on and off throughout the warm months. 

Growing water hyacinths
Many northern garden stores sell water hyacinth plants.  You’ll only need one or two plants even for fairly large ponds as they spread so quickly.  Simply throw the plants in the pond.  Water hyacinths will grow in any fresh water a foot or more deep.  They prefer calm water but adapt to fountains and pool filters.  If you want them to bloom the pond must get 6 or more hours of sunlight a day.

If the leaves of water hyacinths turn yellow while it’s warm they probably have exhausted the nutrients of your pond.  If you don’t have fish in the pond you can add a water soluble fertilizer occasionally.  If you have fish you can remove some of the plants to a large bucket with some liquid fertilizer for several days, and then rinse the roots and return them to your pond, removing some other plants for their fertilizer treatment.  There are also some pond plant fertilizers that are said to not harm fish.

While water hyacinths provide some food for goldfish and koi and give them some shade and hiding spots they may also hide mosquito larvae.  Periodically moving the plants around helps dislodge hiding mosquito larva for the fish to eat.  You can also use a floating mosquito briquette with BT mosquito control in your water feature.

If you want to share your water hyacinths, simply cut or break off daughter plants.  Transport the plants in water.    

Saving water hyacinths through winter
You can over winter water hyacinths if you have the space and dedication.  You’ll need a warm room (70-90 degrees) with bright light, or a warm space where you can suspend grow lights over your water container.  Choose just a few small, very healthy plants to bring inside.  It’s probably best to keep them separate from fish inside, since they will need frequent fertilizing.  A room where dumping water, water spills and high humidity isn’t a problem is best.

Water hyacinths need very bright light to thrive inside; you may need to suspend grow lights, full spectrum lights, only a few inches above the water.  Buy an aquatic plant fertilizer if you can and use it according to the label directions.  You could use a water soluble fertilizer for other plants but you may have to experiment a bit.  You will need to change the whole water container about every other week using water that is not chlorinated or softened and that has been brought to room temperature.  This is to avoid a buildup of waste products and salts.

Water hyacinths are interesting and helpful plants in the right situations.  Please don’t dump your unwanted plants in natural water ways.  Compost them on dry ground.  That way we avoid any unwanted invasive behavior and keep the plants available for ornamental gardeners.

Trumpet vines

Trumpet vine, Campis radicans, grows happily through much of the United States and that’s good, because there are few plants more attractive to hummingbirds. If you need a sturdy, easy to grow vine for sun or partial shade, or want to attract hummingbirds to your yard, plant a trumpet vine. While there are some gardeners who consider the trumpet vine invasive, it has many good features if carefully managed.

Trumpet vine
You may know the trumpet vine, by one of its other common names, Trumpet Creeper, Hummingbird vine or Cross Vine. It is native to the Southeastern United States but has naturalized in many other areas. There are also Asian species that have been hybridized with our native species to produce different colors and forms.

Growing trumpet vines
Plant trumpet vine on a sturdy trellis or fence some distance from the house or flowerbeds. The aerial roots that the vine produces creep under shingles and boards and lift them; the heavy vines may collapse structures that are not sturdy. The regular roots of the trumpet vine will crack foundations, come up through asphalt and invade sewer lines. Plant it on a pole or dead tree in an area that can be mown around. Without support trumpet vine will form a large shrub. If it’s situated in an area that can be mown around this is often the best solution. Keep suckers mown or trimmed down and prune and thin aggressively to keep it in control.

Trumpet vine will grow in sun or partial shade. It will even grow in fairly deep shade, although it will seldom bloom there. It prefers loose, rich soil but manages to grow fairly well in most other soils too.

Gardeners usually buy trumpet vines as plants. The vines send out underground runners that develop into new plants that can be detached and transplanted. Trumpet vine resents transplanting however, and may sulk the first year. Potted plants from a nursery transplant somewhat better. Once it gets established though, watch out! Trumpet vine can grow 30 foot or more in one season. Trumpet vines can also be started from cuttings, which root fairly easily.  The vines do produce seeds and these can be started for new plants also.

The trumpet vine has compound leaves, consisting of 7-11 leaflets per stem. They are slow to leaf out in the spring so don’t forget where they are planted. Be careful handling the plant as some people have an allergic reaction to the foliage. Trumpet vine stems become thick and woody over time. These woody vines usually survive winter and then put out new growth. Where trumpet vines are grown as a bush they will die back to the ground in some areas, but will come back quickly from the roots in the spring.

Trumpet vine flowers consist of 5 petals fused into a long, tubular shape that flares out at the end. Most trumpet vines have orange flowers; the color can vary somewhat depending on the weather and the age of the flower. In full sun, with rich soil and even moisture the trumpet vine can be in bloom from early summer through fall. In dry or very hot conditions the trumpet vine may stop blooming for a while.

Hummingbirds love trumpet vines and a large plant may have several hummers on it at the same time. The flowers also attract bees and ants. Trumpet vine flowers eventually turn into bean-like seedpods full of flat, paper like seeds, if the hummers have done their work.

Keep trumpet vines well-watered as they get established. They do not need fertilizer and seldom get diseases or insect pests. If drought conditions develop in your area a deep watering may keep them in bloom longer.

Once it gets established the trumpet vine thrives on pruning. Thin and prune aggressively to control and shape the plant. Wait until spring growth has started, which may be quite late, before pruning out winter damage, as it is difficult to determine dead wood on these vines.

Some varieties
‘Mme Galen’ is an old selection that is very deep orange. ‘Apricot’ is a yellow-orange. “Indian Summer’ is a new variety that has a deep orange throat and lighter orange flare. ‘Summer Snowfall’ has red-orange flowers but the leaves are variegated with white.

You may be a plant hoarder if……

Monarda- or Bee Balm.
Some people garden because they want to produce their own food.  Some people garden because they want to beautify their surroundings.  These people are content to grow the plants they like to eat or the plants that produce the ornamental effect they desire.  They limit their plant collection to the space they have available and the time they want to devote to care for them.  Not me.  I am a plant hoarder.  Here are some signs that you may be a plant hoarder too.

1.    You can’t pass a plant sale without stopping, even if the plants look terrible.
2.    You have a plant budget imposed on you by a spouse.
3.    You don’t need curtains on your windows because there are so many plants in them.
4.    You pinch off seed pods or a teensy cutting at public gardens.
5.    It doesn’t matter if it’s not hardy in your planting zone, you’ll worry about that later.
6.    You have to walk sideways on your porch or patio to avoid plants.
7.    You save all your geraniums and other tender perennials over the winter.
8.    You can always find space for another plant.
9.    You ask your neighbor for space to grow plants.
10. Only you can tell the difference between this iris/daylily/hosta variety and the next.
11.  You spend more time with your plants than your family.
12.  You have considered stealing a plant.

Do you know any more signs of a plant hoarder?  Write me and tell me your plant hoarder secrets.

Have a good mid-summer day and keep the umbrella handy.
Kim Willis
 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero



Events, classes and other offerings
Please let me know if there is any event or class that you would like to share with other gardeners.  These events are primarily in Michigan but if you are a reader from outside of Michigan and want to post an event I’ll be glad to do it.
Master Gardeners if you belong to an association that approves your hours please check with that association before assuming a class or work day will count as credit.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me.

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/875574275841637/

Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area


Here’s a link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road, North Branch.  Now open.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in Michigan.

Here’s a link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston and Brighton locations

Here’s a link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan  | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/

Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI

Here’s a link to all the spring programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/education/progs/springprograms/

Here’s a link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580

Back Track To Nature offers the following programs to inspire you and deepen your relationship with nature! In partnership with the Lapeer Land Conservancy and Seven Ponds Nature Center these programs are a perfect way for families and adults to enjoy the outdoors.
July 2015

 Change of the Season – A Guided Nature Walk Saturday, July 18, 2015       9:30AM to 11:30AM
We will tour the Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary a Lapeer Land Conservancy property. Entrance and parking is located across from 4090 Columbiaville Road, Columbiaville, Michigan. Bring water bottle, binoculars, camera and field guides. Dress for the weather. Free admission.

History of the Land Series - Intro to Wetlands Saturday July 18, 2015       1pm to 3pm
This History of the Land Series will spotlight the Klam Road Wetland. Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary, a Lapeer Land Conservancy property.  Entrance and parking is located across from 4090 Columbiaville Road, Columbiaville, Michigan. Bring water bottle and binoculars. Dress for the weather. This is a walking tour on uneven terrain. $5.00 donation.
 
Please call 810-969-1023 3 days prior to the event date to reserve your spot! For all programs children 17 and younger must be accompanied by a registered adult. Please park in the designated parking areas! Thank You!

Garden Day 2015, August 1, 2015, 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Veterinary Medical Center / Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg., MSU campus, East Lansing, MI
This is MSU’s horticulture departments annual garden seminar.  The public is welcome. Key note speaker is Rick Darke, a widely published author, photographer, lecturer and consultant focused on regional landscape design, planning, conservation, and enhancementYou get a choice of 2 other classes and a closing speaker also.

Cost is $85.60 for non-2015 Garden members prior to July 24, $95.60 on and after July 25th this includes lunch but not the evening reception.

Please visit www.hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2015/ for a full schedule, workshop descriptions and more. Contact: Jennifer Sweet, CMP, CTA, at 517-355-5191 ext. 1339 or hgardens@msu.edu.

MSU Plant Trial Field Day, August 4, 2015, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. 1066 Bogue Street, Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg. (1st floor), East Lansing, MI 48824

Commercial growers, landscapers and advanced gardeners are invited to this annual event to learn about some of the superior new plants and how they perform in mid-Michigan in the MSU Trial Gardens. Plant performance, ornamental characters, and special needs of plants will be covered. We will also host presentations on the most recent research on the development and spread of impatiens downy mildew and up-to-date discussions on the evolving ethics of American gardeners. For this important and timely topic, Entomologists and Horticultural Extension Specialists will bring us up-to-date on the latest news in pollinators, native insects, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids.

The $42/person registration fee (by July 30) includes morning refreshments, lunch, parking, trial booklet, and the program.

For more, please visit http://planttour.hrt.msu.edu/fieldday.
Contact: Jennifer Sweet, hgardens@msu.edu


Newsletter information
If you would like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to me. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly notes. You must give your full name and what you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish what I want.
I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with local people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive these emails have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com



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