Tuesday, July 7, 2015

July 7, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

July 7, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hello Gardeners

Hydrangeas
I am quite pleased with the rain we are getting today.  It’s a nice soaker and we needed it.  I know some of you reading this didn’t need more rain- but our area was getting quite dry.  A few miles can make quite a difference in the amount of rainfall you get.  And the rain will wash some of that smoke from those Canadian wildfires out of the sky.  That haze we had the last few days wasn’t all from fireworks being set off and what we were breathing in wasn’t exactly healthy.  Washed air is a good thing. 

The water hyacinths in my new little pond are blooming.  They progress quickly from bud to bloom; buds were only noticeable two days ago.  I have some beautiful Asiatic lilies in bloom although they are not the color I thought they would be.  They are called “Dutch Red” but are really a kind of smoky pink.  I planted them where a lot of orange and scarlet flowers are blooming and it’s a bit of a clash but they sure are pretty. 

White cleome
Lots of white flowers are blooming in my garden now.  Yucca, hydrangeas, yarrow, elderberries, cleome, begonias and lobelia to name a few.  But I have plenty of color too, lots of day lilies and bee balm, rudbeckia, lavender, roses, buddleia, hollyhocks, and so on.  Annuals are looking good this time of year too.  We have more tomatoes ripening and I expect to get cucumbers this week- we have tiny ones.  I have some scarlet runner beans blooming, more for the hummingbirds than for eating.

According to some internet rumors today is the day a meteor is supposed to crash into the earth, causing widespread damage and panic, causing chaos and collapse of our society.  I probably should be cleaning a gun or something.  But I think I will still be here next week to write another newsletter.

July almanac
This month’s full moon is called the buck moon or hay moon, depending on whether you are a farmer or hunter I guess.  It’s called buck moon because the buck’s antlers begin to show this month.  Hay has already been cut at least once around here as it normally has been – so I don’t get that name.  The first full moon in July this year  was the 1st and we have a second one this year on the 31st so I guess one can be buck moon and one can be hay moon.
  
This month’s flower is the sunflower- very appropriate and the birthstone is the ruby.
 
It’s National Blueberry, Eggplant, Lettuce, Mango, Melon, Nectarine and Garlic month as well as National Hotdog and Vanilla Ice Cream month.  Why isn’t it National Cherry month?  And for those secret bare naked gardeners out there the second week of July is nude recreation week.  Have fun.

If all goes well the first space ship to orbit Pluto will arrive July 14th.  Exciting pictures may be sent back to earth.  The ship was launched in January 2006. There are the Delta Aquarids meteor showers on July 28-29th.  Best viewing will be after midnight but the moon will be nearly full and they may not show up well.

The dangers of St. John’s Wort

I had an elderly gentleman stop by my house to show me a plant he had collected to ask if it was St. Johns Wort.  It was.  He then proceeded to tell me he was going to dry it and make an herbal tea with it to help his depression.  He also confided that he was taking prescription anti-depressants, pain killers and several other medications for a host of ailments.  I advised him not to use the St. John’s Wort.

Just because something is “natural” or an herb does not make it safe.  St. John’s Wort often causes serious side effects even in people who do not take other prescription drugs.   It can cause sun sensitivity and bad sunburns, rash,  severe high blood pressure, restlessness and anxiety, racing heart, nausea, diarrhea and other problems.   

Mixing St. John’s Wort with prescription anti-depressants and other medications is a recipe for disaster.   There are so many drug interactions with St. Johns’s Wort that can be serious or fatal that it should never be used when you are taking any prescription meds.   It can cause birth control medications to fail, which is a serious side effect.  St. Johns Wort causes the body to speed up the elimination of many drugs, making them ineffective and also interacts with liver, heart and blood pressure medications to cause serious, even deadly consequences.  It should never be used with prescription medications for depression as this can cause heart and blood pressure problems.   St. Johns’s Wort should never be used by pregnant or nursing women.
Since plants have different concentrations of active ingredients when growing in different places and locations, and since the way herbal medications are prepared can affect the amounts of active ingredients using a standardized, commercial preparation of dangerous herbs like St. Johns Wort is probably safer than mixing up your own brew.

In a study published this month in the journal, Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, St. Johns Wort had as many adverse reactions reported as the most common prescription anti-depressants, proving it is not safer.   Because deaths have occurred when St. Johns Wort is used with other medications some countries have banned the sale of it.  Since scientific studies of St. Johns Wort has found it has only modest effect on depression and little other medicinal value you may want to skip this herbal remedy altogether.

The garden in your gut

A gardener is someone who tends an ecosystem to make it perform in a certain way.  Your body has a whole garden inside it, composed of hundreds of species, an ecosystem of microbes that perform astonishingly complex things for our bodies.   The research into the gut garden is new and fascinating.  It is becoming obvious that the garden within us is extremely important to our health.  Modern researchers are saying that our gut, with its garden of microbes is at least as important as our brain.

I try to read at least one “educational” book each month, learning about something new.  I just finished “Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ”  by Giulia Enders.  It’s a well written, easy to understand book about the gut and what it does for us. It covers a lot of things- like what’s the best way to sit to have a bowel movement.  But what interested me was some of the new research on what the gut garden does for our health. 

Your gut may actually influence your moods, thinking, and health just by what types of microbes you are tending in it.  You tend your microbe garden primarily with what you eat; although you are bound to pick up microbes from your environment.   Your mother confers precious microbe garden “seeds” when she gives birth to you. But you can work with what you are given and improve your gut garden.

Different microbes prefer different “foods” and cause different reactions in the body.
Jerusalem Artichokes are considered to be prebiotics.
Prebiotics are substances you eat that contain things that beneficial microbes like.  They are substances in foods that enter the gut after food digestion and that certain microbes use to perform beneficial tasks, like synthesizing vitamins and making hormones.  Onions, garlic, leeks, sunflower seeds, and Jerusalem artichokes are some foods that provide good prebiotics to the gut.  Probiotics are actual beneficial microbe cultures you eat, like in yogurt, which then may transfer to your gut. 

There is too much information to go into in this newsletter but I highly recommend people learn more about gut microbes and the garden within you.  This book is a start but we are learning more every year about our internal gut biome so keep looking for new information.  Learning how to tend the gut garden may one day cure problems like obesity, diabetes, cancer, neurological diseases, depression, autism, and other mental diseases.

Another reason to give up bread and pasta- back to that gut garden

New research published in Food Research International explains how digesting wheat products like bread and pasta leaves behind particles called exorphins A5 and C5- prebiotics- that enter the intestinal gut garden and feed what we believe to be undesirable microbes that some people have.  This results in what is known as gluten sensitivity, (not gluten intolerance).  This condition affects many more people than gluten intolerance, which affects less than 1% of the world’s population.  Gluten intolerance is more serious than gluten sensitivity and involves an allergic reaction to gluten.  Gluten sensitivity produces symptoms of tiredness, “slow” thinking, decreased pain tolerance, mild digestive problems and a general “unhealthy” feeling for some people and they feel better when they give up grain products. These people may tolerate small amounts of gluten. 

But the exorphins A5 and C5 may do more than make you feel tired.  They are also found in large quantities in people with schizophrenia, autism and many neurological diseases. It could be possible that bad “weeds” in the gut garden are using these prebiotics to cause these health problems.  Research is continuing.  Giving up grains may not cure these diseases entirely but if the gut microbes which are suspected of contributing to or causing these problems have less to eat; they will have less successful colonies in the gut, and will have less opportunity to affect your physical and mental health.
   
Growing and using elderberries

Elderberries are used for food, herbal remedies and as an ornamental plant.  With the current interest in plants that are both ornamental and edible, elderberries have much to offer the gardener.  Folklore is filled with references to elders, depending on the culture and the century they were either the witch’s friend or her mortal enemy. There are native species of elderberries in Europe, North America and Asia.

Elderberry flower
There is a lot of confusion about the classification of elderberries.  While the European elder is classified as Sambuccus nigra, North American black elderberries are said to be a sub-species by some botanists Sambuccus nigra ( S. nigra ssp Canadensis); and by others as a separate species Sambuccus canadensis.  While the leaves, flowers and berries are very similar the plants have different growth characteristics.  American elders are more bush-like than European elders and sucker readily.  European elders look more like a small tree and rarely sucker.  There is a lot of variation even in North American wild plants however, as you can see by driving around the countryside and observing roadside elderberries.

Black elderberries, as the two species above are informally called, are the elderberries that we eat and make into herbal remedies.  Other species of elderberry exist and some of those have been turned into the many forms of ornamental elderberries that are available for the garden.    These also have berries but not all elderberries are edible for humans, the birds however enjoy all of them.

What elderberries look like
Elderberries have compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets with serrated edges.  In some ornamental varieties the leaves are very finely cut and look like fern fronds or the leaves of Japanese Maples.  In North America native elderberries are a multi-stemmed bush that can get to 20 feet in height.  European elderberries have a more tree like appearance.  Ornamental elderberries or sambuccus have varying forms, there are even dwarfed varieties.  The plants leaf out very early in the spring.  In June they are covered with flat lacy umbels of white or pink flowers with a lemony scent and are loved by bees and butterflies. The flowers usually turn into clusters of  blue-black berries, but some species and some ornamental selections have berries of other colors.
Wild elderberries are blooming now.

Berries, flowers, leaves and roots are all used for herbal remedies but it is the berries that probably get the most use.  The plants are part of traditional medicines for both Europeans and Native Americans. In Europe berries and flowers are turned into wine, and jellies and pies are made from the berries. There is increasing interest in the US in using the berries in a number of food and medicinal products.  It is important to know that raw elderberries are poisonous.  Chemicals in them are converted to cyanide in the human body and can make someone very ill or even cause death.  Cooked well however, they are safe to eat and delicious as well as very nutritious. Elderberry flowers are sometimes dipped in batter and fried.

Health benefits of elderberries
Recently elderberries have been extensively studied as alternative medicinal plants and a lot of data is supporting claims of medicinal value.  Of course we are all aware now of the value of anthocyanins, those pigments in plants which have antioxidant qualities and support healthy immune systems as well as eliminating free radicals that cause cell death.  Elderberries are also sources of vitamins A and C and a good source of calcium, iron and vitamin B6. They also contain sterols, tannins, and essential oils.

Elderberry plant parts have stimulatory effects on the respiratory and circulatory system, diuretic properties and when used topically have anti-inflammatory actions.  They are used in digestive complaints for both diarrhea and constipation.  Currently they are being sold as a remedy for the symptoms of colds and flu.  (They do not cure colds or flu, they make you more comfortable).  Elderberry extract, teas, or lozenges are used to ease sinus congestion, sore throat and other cold and flu symptoms and the medical community supports this use.

Research is ongoing to see if chemicals derived from elderberries can lower cholesterol and inhibit tumor formation as well as help in several other medical conditions. 

Elderberry varieties
If you want to grow elderberries for the berries several cultivars have been developed that have superior fruit production.  You can find them in many garden catalogs.  ‘York’, ‘Adams’, ‘Kent’, ‘Johns’ and ‘Nova’ are some varieties.  Like many fruits elderberries will produce much better if two different varieties are planted fairly close together for proper pollination.

Elderberries are being developed for beautiful ornamental plants both by selection and by crossing several species of elderberries.  When sold for ornamental use they are usually referred to as Sambuccus.  The varieties ‘Black Beauty’, ‘ Thundercloud’ and ‘Black Lace’ have delicate divided leaves of a dark maroon black as well as pink flowers.  They are often used as a substitute for Japanese Maple as they are hardier and will grow well in the sun.  The dark leaved sambuccus are wonderful combined with golden or chartreuse leaved plants. 

There is a variegated green and white leaved Sambuccus known as  ‘Pulverulenta' but it’s often just sold as ‘variegated’.   ‘Madonna’ and Aureomarginata' are Sambuccus with golden variegation of the leaves. ‘Frances’ has leaves variegated with light green, cream and yellow, with purple berries.  'Maxima' has very large flower heads of white with rosy-purple stalks that remain after the flowers drop. ‘Goldbeere’ has light green foliage and golden berries.   Selections of Red-berried elder, Sambucus racemosa, have produced the beautiful golden foliaged plants  'Sutherland Gold' and ‘Golden Locks’ which have red berries.

Sambucus caerulea- blue elder- has white flowers and powder blue berries and is hardy to zone 5.  There are some dwarf varieties on the market 'Tenuifolia' is one with fine fern-like leaves and a mounding habit.  It is important to remember that while some ornamental Sambuccus have edible fruit (if cooked) some do not.  Most varieties which have black fruit are edible, ‘Goldbeere’ fruit is said to be edible also, but pay attention to the description of the plant which should state whether the fruit is edible. 

Growing elderberries
Elderberries will grow in a sunny location in almost any soil, although they prefer a rich soil with a slightly acidic pH.   They will also do well in part shade or dappled shade.  Fruit production is heaviest in full sun.  While they need good moisture, especially in the first year of establishment, elderberries do not thrive in poorly drained areas.   They have shallow roots and you need to be careful weeding and working around them not to destroy roots.  Mulching around the plants is a good idea.  Fertilizing with some 10-10-10 formula fertilizer each spring as they green up, about ½ pound to a mature plant, will increase plant vigor and berry production. Elderberries have few insect pests or diseases.  They may be eaten by deer but are not a favorite plant.

Young ornamental elderberries benefit from pinching back the growing tips of each shoot several times each season which will make the plant fuller and more attractive in shape. All elderberry plants need some selective pruning to remove the oldest wood and keep the shape and size of the plant in bounds. Elderberries being managed for fruit production need to more extensively pruned to keep younger, more productive stems in the majority.

Even “wild” elderberries are attractive if you have room for a large bush and are very good at drawing bees, butterflies and birds to your property.  Elderberries are easy to start from hardwood cuttings so you may want to take a winter walk before they break dormancy and collect some cuttings to start your own elderberry patch.  

Elderberry syrup
You’ll need 4 – 16 oz. canning jars and lids and a water bath canner for this recipe.  Use this syrup when you feel a cold coming on or sore throat, its pleasant tasting and can be diluted with cold water for a drink or consume it by the tablespoon.

You need 1 quart of elderberry juice for the syrup.  To get it pick ripe elderberries – probably a large bucket full.  You can use cultivated or wild elderberries.  Clean and wash the berries carefully, remove all pieces of stem, green berries and leaves as these are poisonous.

Place your clean berries in a large pot and smash them until you get some juice.  Using low heat let the pot come to a simmer while you keep mashing the berries.  After 5 minutes pour the contents of the pot into a jelly bag, (muslin or cheesecloth bag).  You can use a thin, clean pillowcase or even a t-shirt as a substitute. (It will turn permanently purple.) You suspend the bag over a container to collect the juice. Leave it drip for 30 minutes to an hour until you get the juice you need.  Measure out 1 quart.  DO NOT consume the juice raw! It will make you sick.

Here’s the recipe.
Elderberry fruit.  en.wikipedia.com
1 quart of elderberry juice
4 cups of white sugar
The juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed
15 whole cloves

Sterilize your canning jars and lids and keep them hot.  Fill the water bath canner and get it started heating.  I am assuming you know a little about water bath canning.  If you don’t, consult a canning book.

Combine all the recipe ingredients in a large pot. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Then bring to boiling and boil for 10 minutes.  The juice should look thickened.  Strain out the cloves.

Ladle the hot syrup into the canning jars.  Leave ¼ inch at the top of the jars.  Wipe the rims and screw on the lids.  Process jars in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.  Remove jars; let cool, check for sealing.  When you open a jar store the remainder in the refrigerator.

Preventing Blossom End Rot in tomatoes

In July home gardens begin producing those luscious ripe tomatoes everyone craves.  But tomatoes can be tricky little devils when it comes to getting them to produce perfect fruit.  One of the problems home gardeners may face is blossom end rot.  This is a gray- black, leathery looking sunken area at the bottom of the tomato.  It can be cut off and the tomato is safe to eat but not to can.  But many people feel the rotted area affects fruit taste.

Tomato end rot is caused by a number of factors but they all boil down to not getting enough water to tomato fruits.  This can be because of genetics; some varieties have less efficient root systems, it can be because the roots were restricted by a small container or root damage occurred.  Usually though, the cause of tomato end rot is simply not enough water. 

Calcium deficiency is often cited as a reason for blossom end rot but most soils are not deficient in calcium, plants just need lots of water to access the mineral.   It doesn’t hurt to use a liquid fertilizer for tomatoes which contains extra calcium if you follow label directions.  But your plants still may need additional water.

Blossom end rot.  www.flickr.com
In July and August tomato plants are growing quickly while trying to also support lots of fruit.  In hot, dry weather the plant loses water rapidly from its leaves in transpiration/ evaporation and in an effort to cool the plant and maintain turgor the tomato plant pulls water from developing fruit to send to the leaves and stems.  It can always make more fruit when conditions improve.  This results in the sunken, cell damaged area at the bottom of tomato fruits.

To prevent tomato end rot make sure your tomato plants have plenty of water.  They need an inch or more a week, on a regular schedule, perhaps divided into 2 or 3 waterings.  Plants should never be allowed to wilt, but damage to fruit can show up even before the plant wilts.  Put up a rain gauge and when there hasn’t been an inch of rain in seven days use supplemental watering. Water plants deeply, the first two inches of soil should be moist.  A large tomato plant with fruit can usually absorb 2 gallons of water if it has been dry.  If your plants wilt – water right away. Water tomato plants at their base and well before dark to help prevent fungal disease.

Tomato plants in containers may need watering once a day – even twice a day.  And the containers should be large enough to support a good root system.

This weeks weed- Venice Mallow (Hibiscus triomum)

Venice Mallow
If you are up early in the morning you may get to see this pretty weed that is a cousin to our garden hibiscus. The pretty flowers of Venice Mallow are open for only an hour or so each morning, hence the common name, Flower- of -an- Hour. The 1½ - 2 ½ inch flowers are white to pale yellow with purple markings at the base of the flower surrounding the bright yellow stamens. The flowers leave behind a small, green striped balloon-like seed pod.

The leaves of Venice Mallow are shaped a lot like watermelon leaves. They are long, deeply scalloped, 3 leaflet leaves joined at the base. The leaves, paired with the plump striped seed pod, often lead people to believe they are watermelon plants and they are left in the garden rather than pulled.

Venice Mallow blooms from late July until frost. The plant can grow upright or sprawl along the ground like a small vine. It grows at the edges of gardens and field crops with moderately fertile soil in full sun. Venice Mallow is an annual and spreads by seeds.

Go dance in the rain and embrace its beauty.  Without rain there could be no life.
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


New- 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

Wild Summer Tea Party with Cassey Mieslik, Saturday, July 11, 2015                       10am - 12pm
We will learn how to create tea with wild mint, try New Jersey tea and sample others with a light snack of clover corn bread with lavender syrup. Dress for the weather. $5.00 donation.

History of the Land Series - Intro to Land Stewardship Saturday, July 11, 2015    1pm to 3pm
In this history of the land series we will visit a wildlife habitat,  alternative lawns and backyard habitats, learn how to create a land inventory and manage your own properties for wildlife. Bring water bottle and binoculars. Dress for the weather. This is a walking tour on uneven terrain. $5.00 donation.

 Learn in the Garden Tour - Summertime Gardens Monday, July 13, 2015                 9:00AM to 11:00AM
Join us for a tour the gardens at Three Roods Farm and learn about growing food without the use of pesticides, herbicides while relying on the use of beneficial insects, plant diversity and crop rotation to supply soil nutrients. Three Roods Farm is located at 4821 Our Acre Drive, Columbiaville Michigan.  Dress for the weather. Class size is limited to 10, $5.00 donation. Call 810-969-1023 to reserve your spot.

 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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