Tuesday, April 26, 2016

April 26, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

April 26, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hi Gardeners


I’m sitting here chilly but looking out at green grass and flowers.  We got about 8/10s of an inch of rain last night as storms passed over. Once again Tuesday is weather change day.  I spent yesterday doing some transplanting and weeding but today I’m staying inside writing.  Spring is progressing nicely, early tulips are in bloom here, anemones, hyacinths, Spanish bluebells, daffodils, pansies, the apricot, the honeybells, and I can see color on the lilacs, redbuds and apple buds.  Once our weather warms up a bit again lots of things will burst into bloom and leaf. I even saw small buds on the strawberries I weeded this weekend.

I was cleaning weeds out of the vegetable beds to prepare them for planting and came upon a patch of strawberries where I had tomatoes last year.  My strawberry bed is about 100 feet away across the lawn so they didn’t spread from there.  I am guessing they came up from seed either from birds or where I spilled some of a harvest last year.  There were 16 plants there though, of pretty good size.  I had just transplanted a bunch of strawberries that came up in the aisle near the main strawberry bed and I knew that bed was full.  So I planted some of the volunteers in a bed in the back of the veggie garden and I potted some up to donate to the Lapeer hort club plant sale May 7th.   So if you stop by you may be able to buy some mystery strawberries.

I potted up all my cannas, dahlias, and glads last week because they are starting to sprout.  It looks like everything survived winter pretty well.  My tuberous begonias I leave in the pots they grew in over the winter and store them inside. I began watering the pots again about a month ago.  They are all coming along nicely.  I am constantly shifting things around to make room in the windowsills.

I am longing to go back to the greenhouses and purchase plants but experience has taught me it’s too early.  Let the greenhouse care for them a bit longer.  I have my little unheated greenhouse pretty full of seedlings, cuttings and divisions and I have some plants on order yet to arrive so I need to be patient.  But it’s almost May, the planting month. 

I thought I heard orioles last week so I have my jelly feeder out but I haven’t seen either orioles or hummingbirds yet. Saw a hummer May 3 last year.  I have seen birds picking up dog hair in the yard so I know some of them are building nests.

Those wild spring greens

Back several generations ago people were running out of stored food as spring approached and the gardens hadn’t started to produce yet. They hadn’t had fresh food in months and out of season foods weren’t sold in local stores. They may have been a little anemic and short on Vitamin C.  They scoured the fields and yards for anything edible not because they liked the taste of it, but because they needed it.  It’s hard to imagine people eating some of the bitter, sour, tough, or bland plants they ate in spring just because they liked the taste.  But if you cook something to a soft state and add butter or bacon grease and seasonings it can taste better, especially if you are hungry.  If you are hungry you might even cook some plants in several changes of water so that they are safe to eat. If you are really hungry you even eat some of those plants raw, although salads weren’t on the menu of our early ancestors that often.  Even in the early 1900’s people rarely ate salads.

As with many “sustenance” foods some people did develop a taste for certain “greens” and wanted to eat them even when they didn’t need to.  Nostalgia can make things taste better. For some it seems close to a religious experience to eat certain plants.  It’s also become kind of a status symbol to say you eat weeds or forage for food. You are the mighty forager, the person somehow saving the environment by eating weeds, the person eating what nature provides because nature somehow knows what’s best for you, the survivor of all kinds of imagined disasters because you know how to forage. And don’t forget it’s free!

The truth is “weeds” or “wild” plants are actually in the eye – or traditions- of the beholder. One persons weed is another’s garden plant.  Many “weeds” were brought here as garden plants and escaped.   You can grow garden plants that are every bit as healthy as “wild” plants and even buy “greens” that are healthy and taste just the same or better than weeds. And most people today don’t need to eat weeds to survive another few weeks. 

The incessant cry of “can you eat it?” when people observe or hear about a new plant is annoying and alarming. A plant has value whether it’s edible or medicinal or not. Foraged plants are not any healthier than garden grown plants, and in some cases much less healthy. Eat common weeds if you want, but leave rare and unusual plants alone. People foraging when they don’t need sustenance and don’t know how to do it sustainably can disrupt the environment and sometimes endanger species of plants. And just because you could eat it, and it’s “free” and in front of you doesn’t mean you should eat it.

There are always people who use their mouths for exploring. This could get you in serious trouble or kill you when it comes to eating plants so never eat anything unless you absolutely know what it is and that it’s harmless.  Even a small taste of some plants could make you very, very sorry.  Once you can identify plants that are safe to eat you can decide whether it’s worth it to eat them or if you should leave them alone.  Don’t pick or gather plants before you know if you are going to consume them except for a small sample to use for identification.  Then if you gather, use what you gather.  Learn how to forage responsibly, so you don’t destroy populations of plants.

I just read a post on line about a man who liked to eat trout lilies as he hiked.  He was hiking on public land. He wasn’t lost and starving. If everyone did this there would be no wildflowers for people to see after the first few moochers passed through.  And the pollinators are denied their food and possibly the plants are denied the ability to reproduce their population. If you are starving, (not hungry because you forgot your trail mix), eat, if you need medicine, use, but don’t do it just to do it.  Use some common sense and consideration.

Please don’t forage for plants in the wild unless it’s on your own property or somewhere you have permission to forage.  Most state and federal lands have some restrictions on foraging, in most places things like berries and mushrooms are fine in personal use amounts but you can’t pick wildflowers or certain other plants for eating. It’s not fair and generally not legal to collect plants (like ramps) for resale or use in restaurants. Even on your own property you shouldn’t pick and consume endangered plants and it could even be illegal.   

Weeds (wild plants) you can sensibly eat

There are weeds you can eat if you like the taste and if they are on your property  that won’t be a loss to the environment and your consumption of them may even be admirable.  Instead of pulling some unwanted plants from the garden and lawn and discarding them you may want to eat them. If you can’t plant garden greens or buy them at the farmers market it may make more sense to eat weeds rather than greens shipped in from long distances.  

Weeds aren’t always better for you than common garden plants and if you don’t like the taste don’t feel guilty about not eating them.  Most plants eaten as greens fall into one of these groups, green tasting and bland, bitter, or sour. Many are indistinguishable in taste if you can’t see them. Technically most would be better for you if eaten fresh, but many of them need to be softened by cooking or have their flavor disguised with seasonings to be edible.  Never eat any weeds that have been treated with pesticides and always wash before using.  Here are a few common weeds you can eat safely and without guilt.

Dandelions are eaten in salads when very young and as cooked greens when older.  Flowers are turned into wine and there are many purported medicinal uses.  If you are new to foraging and munching weeds this is probably one to start with as most people can id it. Dandelions are in the bitter category. It’s so numerous you won’t cause a decline no matter how much you eat but you may be depriving pollinators of an early food source if you consume flowers.

Garlic mustard.  wikimedia commons
Garlic mustard, (Alliaria petiolate) is one of those hated “invasive” plants that was actually brought here because in some places it’s a garden plant and someone was nostalgic for it.  It’s eaten fresh and used as a seasoning and supposedly has a garlicy, sour taste. It’s one of the oldest seasoning plants known.  Eat as much as you want because it really hasn’t established its place in the North American ecology yet and its loss won’t be missed.

Chickweed, (Stellaria media) is eaten as a fresh salad green. It’s bland, soft, and tastes “green” but if you feel you need something green go for it.  It will probably give you a bit of Vitamin C.  There are several types of chickweed but common chickweed doesn’t have hairy stems and leaves and may make the better edible.
Chickweed

Purslane-(Portulaca oleracea) has fleshy plump leaves on sprawling stems and is a common spring weed.  It could be eaten fresh or cooked and falls into the bland and green tasting category.  Eat it when it’s young and more tender.
Purslane

Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) looks like a clover in leaf and has a small yellow flower.  You can eat the leaves and flowers in salads or cook it.  It supposedly has a sour taste. It’s often called pickleplant. (Some people describe sour as tangy.) It’s common in lawns and along roads.
Wood sorrel

Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum,) is another plant people will praise you for eating as it’s a much hated “invasive.”  The young shoots are eaten, generally steamed or boiled.  It’s in the bland and green category.
Japanese knotweed

Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) also called goosefoot, comes up everywhere in gardens and waste places.  When young it is boiled and eaten like spinach and is mildly bitter like spinach.
 
Lambsquarters
Broadleaf plantain, (Plantago major) a very common lawn weed, is eaten by cooking the new, young leaves. It’s in the spinach tasting category.  If it gets very big it’s too tough and fibrous to be good.  Other types of plantain are safe to eat but said to be too tough and fibrous.
Broadleaf plantain

There are lots of other weeds that people consider to be edible.  Some weeds considered edible but that have some big drawbacks are pokeweed and stinging nettles. While pokeweed is sung about and revered in some circles it’s a plant that requires several changes of water during its cooking to make it safe to eat.  If you like plants that could kill you and at the least are a strong laxative, then go ahead and eat it.  Stinging nettles lose their sting when cooked but can really make you sorry when you gather them to cook. The flavor is unremarkable and there are so many easier plants to deal with that I can’t imagine why people bother.

Five best annual flowers to grow from seed

Annual flowers live for one year.  Many modern gardeners don’t want to bother with the ones that generally are started from seed, but instead buy things like petunias to fill in spots in the garden that need color.  You can buy some of the annual flowers on this list in garden stores in the spring too, but these plants are easy to start from seed and provide an economical way to fill up those bare garden areas.  All of these plants in the list can be sown directly in the garden where you want them to grow.  They grow quickly and will bloom in only a few weeks.  All of these plants prefer full sun locations.

Calendula
This lovely flower will get you started in the spring as it can be sown outside very early and likes to bloom when things are still cool.  If you are lucky you’ll also get an encore performance in the fall.

calendula
Calendula comes in shades of yellow, orange, and sometimes pink.  The flowers are daisy-like.  Plants grow about 18 inches tall, with a sprawling habit.  Calendula flowers are edible and were once used to color butter as the petals lend a yellow dye to food products. Cheerful and pretty they are liked by bees and butterflies also.

You can plant the seeds of calendula where they are to grow as soon as the soil is thawed and workable.  Or you can start the seeds inside about 8 weeks before your average last frost and put the plants out when the soil is thawed and workable, and only light frosts are predicted – about a month from your predicted last frost chance.

Calendula may go dormant and stop blooming if the weather gets hot and dry.  You can either remove the plants to make way for summer bloomers or let them sulk until fall when they will spring back and keep blooming until a hard freeze.

Cleome
Cleome is often called spider flower.  This tall and graceful flower looks good in masses at the back of flower beds.  It lends an airy elegance to large pots also.  The foliage is attactive and the flowers are arranged in circular clusters.  Each flower has a long slender tendril which accounts for the spider name.  Cleome comes in white, lavender, purple and pink shades.

Sow cleome seeds where they are to grow after the soil has warmed – about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost. Or start plants inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost.  Cleome shoots up quickly and in good soil can get 4 feet high or more.   The plants begin blooming about 6 weeks after they sprout and will bloom continuously until frost.  One thing about cleome that puts some people off is the smell of the foliage, which many describe as cat pee smell.  It’s only notable if you brush or crush the foliage and you won’t smell it if you are just admiring the tall, beautiful flowers.
Cleome

Cleome plants are prolific seeders and from one planting of cleome you may have plants for many years, without having to plant them again!  If you don’t want them to re-seed themselves you can cut the narrow seed pods off as they form.  Don’t cut the bloom stalk as the plant keeps getting taller and putting out more flowers at the top.

Cosmos

Cosmos
Cosmos is a versatile and lovely garden flower and makes a great cut flower too.  The foliage of the 3-4 feet tall plants is light and ferny looking.  The flowers are daisy-like and come in just about any color from white to scarlet except true blue. There are varieties with double flowers and flowers that have rolled, quill style petals.  Cosmos looks good in the back of the border and coming up through other tall flowers.  In good soil the plants can be a little floppy and benefit from stakes or being supported by other plants.

Cosmos is sown where it is to grow when the soil is warm, about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost.  Or like the other flowers mentioned you can start it inside about 6 weeks before the last frost.  They will start blooming about 6 weeks after sprouting and bloom until a hard frost. Cosmos will sometimes come back from seed in the area you planted it also.

Marigolds
Marigolds are common at garden centers in the spring but this plant is so easy to grow from seed it’s often used as a children’s garden project. If you want lots of marigolds the economical way to grow them is from seed. By choosing seed you can often grow varieties you won’t find as plants in stores.  Plant the seeds where you want them to grow around the time of your last predicted frost or inside 6 weeks earlier.  The small varieties may be in bloom only a month after planting and the larger varieties take 6-8 weeks.  Marigolds bloom all summer until a hard frost.

There are tall, short and intermediate varieties of marigolds.  There are double and single flowered varieties and small one inch flowers and huge fluffy 6 inch flowers.  Marigolds come in shades of yellow, orange and red.  There are some marigolds now that are a very pale yellow that looks white.  Marigolds are used as short border edging plants, in containers, and as tall garden plants for color.  It’s very common to plant marigolds among garden vegetables for a bit of color, to attract pollinators and some people believe the marigolds deter harmful insects, although there’s little proof of that. The roots of some of the “African” type marigolds are said to repel nematodes, little soil creatures that harm plant roots.
Marigolds

Like cleome, marigold foliage also has a scent that some people find unpleasant, but once again it needs to be brushed against or broken to smell.  Some people actually like the smell of marigolds.  There are varieties of marigolds that have been developed to be almost scentless.

Zinnias

Every respectable gardener used to plant zinnias in the garden for garden color and to use as cut flowers.  They were often exhibited at state fairs.  Now gardeners seem to have forgotten these beauties.  Zinnias do have the unfortunate predilection for getting powdery mildew, a white powdery fungal disease of the foliage that makes the plants look bad.  However many powdery mildew resistance varieties now exist.  When not crowded and grown in sunny, drier areas with good air circulation zinnias will bloom their heads off for you and make a wonderful garden plant.
Zinnias

Zinnias have daisy-like flowers and come in all colors and color mixtures except true blue. There are small flowered plants, and plants with 6 inch or larger blooms.  There are short, sprawling type zinnias, compact uprights and tall stately zinnias.  Plant zinnias where you want them to grow after the last frost or 6-8 weeks before the last frost inside. Small flowered zinnias begin blooming in about 6 weeks, larger ones start in mid-summer and bloom until frost.  Keep the dead flowers picked off zinnias to encourage prolific blooming.

All of the above annual plants need to be spaced about 6-8 inches apart for small varieties and 8 -12 inches apart for larger plants. They should be watered if it’s dry for a week or so.  And they benefit from a good flowering formula, slow release fertilizer worked into the soil at planting time.  Annual flowers are great for kids to grow as they bloom quickly and for long periods of time.  Your garden will look great this summer if you mix some of these popular annuals into it.

Toads in the garden

If you are of a certain age you’ll probably remember when after a rain toads covered the lawn, sidewalks and roads in the spring and summer, hopping everywhere.  Toads were once numerous and common but sadly they have decreased vastly in number and are no longer common.  In some areas they are still around in small numbers but in others toads are rarely seen.

The US Geological survey reported that amphibians are declining in the US at the rate of 3.7 percent each year.  That’s an average, some species are declining much faster and in some areas the decline of all species of frogs, toads and salamanders is much more than that.  Almost unnoticed frogs and toads are slipping away.  At the rate of decline we have now frogs and toads will be extremely rare in 20 years.

The reason frogs and toads are declining is complicated.  Habitat loss is one factor, but even in protected and pretty pristine environments the numbers of frogs and toads are slipping.  Water contamination is another factor, some studies have indicated that it’s not only pesticides that wash off lawns and farm fields into the water shed but contamination of water by medications humans use and secrete in their urine, such as hormones and antibiotics that affect them. Frogs and toads spend the early part of their lives as tadpoles in water and need access to water throughout their lives.

Common toad
Climate change is another factor.  There have been droughts in many areas and when there is no water in the spring frogs and toads can’t reproduce.  They die for lack of water later in the season also.  Warm winter spells induce frogs and toads to lay eggs only to have cold snaps freeze the tadpoles, or even kill them.  The seasonal cycles of insects have changed and that also affects the animals who consume them.

The toad most often seen in the upper northeast is the American toad, Bufo americanus, although in some areas the Common toad or Woodhouse toad, Bufo woodhousei is still found.  The American toad ranges from 2-5 inches long as an adult.  The color is variable from brown to tan-orange, with darker spots.  In the darker spots are 1-2 raised spots or warts. It has bulging eyes, a raised line in an L shape behind each eye called the cranial crest and two kidney shaped lumps behind the eyes called paratoid glands.

The toads belly is a lighter gray-white color and the skin under the chin can inflate in males as they sing for mates in the spring. The outer skin looks and feels rough and is not slimy.  Toads do not have webbed toes.  The Common toad is darker than the American toad and has a distinct light colored line running down the back.  It usually has 3 or more warts within each dark spot on its body.

Toads spend the winter buried in moist soil or under rocks and logs hibernating.  When spring arrives they emerge and look for a body of water to congregate by and mate. Hundreds of toads may gather in a good spot and they sometimes travel long distances to reach them.  The males sing to attract females and the couple mates in shallow water.  The female releases a string of eggs as they mate which are fertilized by the male. 

In a few days the eggs hatch into tadpoles which eat vegetation such as algae as they grow. The tadpoles slowly lose their tails, gain legs and eventually crawl out of the pond as teeny, tiny toads which then disperse through the area. The adult parents have long gone back to dry land where each lives a solitary life outside of breeding season. Toads can live many, many years and like to remain in the same general area if it can support them.  A large fat toad is generally 5 years or so old.

Toads don’t need as much water as frogs and are often far from water as adults.  They do appreciate shallow puddles and plant sprinklers when the weather is hot.  Most of the day they rest out of the sun, although they can be seen hunting in the day in cooler cloudy weather.  They are most active at night, they eat slugs and snails and a wide variety of insects in the garden. After a rain they come out to look for earthworms and other things washed up by the rain.  Toads have been seen eating soft, ripe fruit on the ground and also moist pet food in dishes left outside.

The toad catches insects by quickly unfurling its long tongue, grabbing the insect and rolling the tongue back into its mouth.  They also stalk their prey, slowly moving up on it and grabbing it.  A few toads in the garden can do a great deal to keep pests down.  A toad generally moves by hopping but it can also move in a slow, awkward “walking” motion, especially when stalking something.

Toads have glands which secrete a very nasty tasting fluid if a predator grabs them.  This comes from those “warts” and the parotoid glands behind the eyes. This fluid is toxic and animals like dogs will get very sick if they try to eat a toad.  Usually one experience with a toad will keep them from trying again.  Toads will also pee on someone if they feel threatened and are picked up. Neither the gland fluid or the pee will cause warts on humans however, that’s an old wives tale.

Toads are great helpers to the gardener and should always be protected. Teach children to respect them.  A toad makes a good pet although children should not be encouraged to keep them anymore because they are scarce. A toad can seem to recognize certain people and some enjoy a light scratching or tickling along their sides once they get familiar with you. They will close their eyes and lean towards your finger in bliss. Toads have been taught to take food from people’s hands also.

Encourage toads to take up residence in your garden. Build toad houses.  A half buried clay pot, small piles of loose rock to form caves, even plastic margarine tubs half buried in loose soil or leaf litter can provide a home for a toad.  Kids love to construct toad houses.  Leave a shallow dish of water out when you know toads are around. Watch for toads when mowing and weed whacking. Allow a few spots at the lawn and garden edges to grow a bit longer and wilder to attract insects and provide a shady hunting ground.  If you dig up a toad by accident when it’s hibernating quickly re-bury it. 

As a gardener you should try to do your part to save the toads. As a garden helper they are invaluable.

Growing cabbage

Do you grow cabbage?  It’s an easy crop to grow but fewer gardeners are growing cabbage lately.  If you enjoy coleslaw, sauerkraut, cabbage soup, or stuffed cabbage you can grow your own.  Cabbage stores fairly well and our ancestors often stored it through much of the winter.  It was often the only source of winter greens. Cabbage can provide a lot of food from a small space and there are varieties that can even be grown in containers.

Cabbage grows best in the cool times of the year and late spring and early fall are ideal times to grow cabbage.   Chinese cabbage actually does better in the fall.  Regular cabbage will withstand light frost but oriental varieties should be protected from frost. You can start cabbage early in the spring and harvest it before warm weather plants need more space, effectively double cropping an area.

Cabbage care

Young cabbage
Cabbage needs 5 or more hours of sunlight each day.  It’s not fussy about soil, although like most plants it likes loose, loamy fertile soil. Plant your cabbage in a different spot in the garden each year. You can start cabbage from seeds inside about 8 weeks before your last frost is predicted or direct sow seeds in the ground about a month before the last frost. Cabbage can be planted in the ground when light frosts may still happen although a hard freeze may kill it.

Cabbage either needs to be grown and harvested before the summer heat or after it.  It comes in early, medium and late maturing varieties.  Early and midseason varieties are generally harvested before the hottest part of summer.  Late season maturing plants planted in the spring will sit and grow slowly until late summer when they will then rapidly resume growing. You can also plant a second crop of early maturing cabbage in mid-summer and it will be ready to harvest in the fall. All cabbage should be harvested before a freeze.  

Cabbage seed starts easily but many gardeners prefer to buy started plants.  Your choice of varieties will be smaller this way but if you only have room for a few plants it’s an easy way to go. If you start from seed, add about a month to the length of time to maturity listed on the package. If you have a small family and don’t make kraut or can cabbage look for varieties with small heads so you don’t have too much cabbage at a time.  Stagger your planting dates and choose early, mid and late developers to spread your crop out over a longer time.

Cabbage likes even, consistent watering.  A general garden fertilizer can be used at planting time. Space small varieties a foot apart, mid- sized heads 18 inches apart and large headed varieties 2 feet or more apart.  Remember early maturing cabbage can be planted in the same area as something like tomatoes, which won’t be very large before the cabbage is harvested.  Or you can plant early maturing cabbage after a crop like green beans has been harvested and have it mature before a hard freeze.

Cabbage doesn’t have many pests, but one pest is the cause of many peoples dislike of growing their own cabbage and that’s the cabbage worm.  Those pretty white butterflies that fly around in spring and summer lay eggs on cabbage that develop into green caterpillars that chomp away at the cabbage head and are disgusting to remove before using the cabbage. 

Cabbage worms are fairly easy to prevent.  The exclusion method is safe and doesn’t involve pesticides.  When you plant your cabbage into the garden simply enclose it in netting so that butterflies can’t lay their eggs on the plants.  Small, cheap butterfly nets can be used; handles removed, and placed over the plants or buy some netting in a craft store in a light color, cut it into squares, drape it over the plants and loosely tie around the stem. The lightest weight of woven fabric row cover can also be used on the plants. Make sure the cabbage heads have room to grow. 

Harvesting
Harvest your cabbage when the heads are firm and of mature size but before they begin to split, which they will do if left too long.  Split heads should be used first as they don’t store well. If more than one head must be harvested and you can’t use it immediately, pull the whole stem and hang the plants upside down in a cool, dark area, like an old fashioned root cellar.  Or you can cut the head, clean off some of outer leaves and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate.  Cabbage can be canned or fermented but doesn’t freeze well.  

A trick to slow splitting and delay harvest is to give a mature cabbage a half turn in the ground, breaking some roots. This disrupts water uptake and is helpful in wet weather when cabbage is maturing rapidly.

Some cabbage varieties

If you enjoy cabbage but don’t have a lot of garden space, don’t despair.  There are several varieties of cabbage that can grow in container or fit in among other plants. These varieties are all small and mature quickly.  Each head will make 1-4 servings of cabbage, depending on the size it is harvested and how well you like cabbage.   ‘Alcosa’ is a savoy cabbage, meaning it has crinkly leaves.  It is green and makes about a 2 lb. head in around 62 days.  ‘Gonzales’ is a green cabbage that makes a 2 lb. head in 60 days.  ‘Primero’ is a red cabbage that makes a 1-2 lb. head in 72 days.  ‘Parel’ is a deep blue green cabbage that makes about a 2 lb. head in only 50 days.  ‘Red Express’ will also grow quickly, making a red, 2 lb. head in about 55 days.  ‘Earliana’ is a fast maturing green cabbage, making a 2 lb. head in 57 days.  A 2 lb. head is just a bit larger than a softball.

Early maturing cabbages are generally smaller than later varieties. Slightly larger at 3-4 pounds, but an extremely flavorful, gourmet, Italian heirloom variety is the pointed head, green cabbage ‘Cour Di Bul’. ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ and ‘Golden Acres’ are also medium sized, early maturing heads.

If you prefer Oriental types of cabbage ‘Soloist’ is a pointed Chinese cabbage that makes a compact 1-1/2 lb. head in only 50 days.  It is best grown in the fall. Toy Choi, Ching Chaing and Bonsai are miniature forms of pak choi cabbage that will make single servings of greens in 30-40 days.   Several plants can grow in a 2 gallon pot.

Good medium and larger late varieties of cabbage include: ‘Excalibur’, ‘Danish Ballhead’, ‘Perfection Savoy’ (crinkled leaves), ‘Stonehead’, ‘Ruby Perfection’ (red) and ‘Deadon’ (red savoy).

If you enjoy cabbage you’ll enjoy growing it in your garden.  Why not plant some this year?

Remember these April showers are supposed to bring May flowers.
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.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me. You can also ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com

An interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook

Invitation
If you are a gardener in Michigan close to Lapeer we invite you to join the Lapeer Area Horticultural Society. The club meets once a month, 6:30 pm, on the third Monday at various places for a short educational talk, snacks and socializing with fellow gardeners. No educational or volunteer requirements for membership, all are welcome. Membership dues are $20 per year. Come and visit us, sit in on a meeting for free. Contact susanmklaffer@yahoo.com  Phone 810-664-8912

Lapeer Area Horticulture Society, Plant and Garden Sale, May 7, 2016- 8 am - 4 pm at Siciliano's,  1900 North Lapeer Road, Lapeer.  A variety of plants and garden items from LHS members will be for sale.  Please stop and shop.

6th Annual Plant & Flower Sale Fri, May 6, 9 am-5 pm, Culver's, 4963 Interpark Drive North, Lake Orion, Michigan.
Habitat for Humanity- Oakland County sponsors and benefits from the sale at  Culver's. Annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, hanging baskets & more.  For more info call 248-338-1843, ext. 303.

Plant Sale Sat, May 7, 10am-2pm, Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI
Offering a wide selection of plants, including annuals, perennials, hostas & companions, herbs & more.  For more info contact;  www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

South Lyon Plant Exchange Sat, May 7, 9am-11am Witch's Hat Museum Depot Pk. Area. 300 Dorothy St, South Lyon, MI

Come swap with other gardeners. More info call 248-437-0154  Sponsored by the 4 Seasons Garden Club.

Project Grow Plant Sale Fri, May 6,through Sunday.  Dawn Farm, 6633 Stony Creek in Ann Arbor.
         
By Project Grow at Dawn Farm. Wide selection of heirloom tomatoes, basil, sweet & hot peppers. Advance orders: www.ProjectGrowGardens.org.

44th Annual Spring Plant Sale Tue, May 10, 10am-7pm, and 10am-2pm, Wed. May 11,  Cranbrook House and Gardens, 380 Lone Pine Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
Herbs, tropicals, perennials, native plants/wildflowers & more.  For more information www.housegardens.cranbrook.edu.

New-Kitchen Favorites Herb Sale Sat, Sun.,  May 14,-15,  10am-4:30pm,  Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor.
Herbs, containers & heirlooms. Herb study group on hand to answer questions. More information- www.mbgna.umich.edu.

New- Harnessing Mother Nature’s Workforce—Beneficial Insects Fri, May 20, 9:15 am, Meadow Brook Hall, 480 S Adams Rd, Rochester, MI
Learn to recognize & maximize Mother Nature’s natural pest control. Sponsored by MBGC at Meadow Brook Hall. Cost $5. For more info call  2483646210, or MBHGCMembers@gmail.com.

Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area.  This link has a lot of events listed on it.

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

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

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


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

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

April 19, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

April 19, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hi Gardeners
Apricot

Well that warm spell we had over the weekend was quite pleasant and quite a contrast to the weekend before.  But it’s Tuesday and that means the weather is changing.  We’ll be cooler for the next few days, with rain, not snow, Thursday, but the weather will actually be normal for April.  That’s a good thing because we don’t want the fruit trees to bud out too early and get blasted by frost and that heat was pushing things along quickly.

I have hyacinths, windflowers, Spanish bluebells, daffodils and a few early tulips in bloom.  The apricot tree is blooming and was covered with bees.  Magnolias and forsythia are blooming.  The honeybells are blooming. The dandelions, chickweed and purple deadnettle are blooming like crazy.  We mowed part of our lawn for the first time.  I saw both barn and tree swallows this week.  No hummers yet but I know they’ll be here soon.

My pansies quickly recovered from being snow covered and are starting to bloom again.  Several people have mentioned to me that their daylilies look bad, yellow and bleached out looking from frost damage.  I have damage here too but those plants will recover.  The common daylily or ditch lily is especially hard to kill, but even garden daylilies should be fine.

I was able to get lettuce and peas planted, both in the garden and in a box in my little greenhouse.  I divided and transplanted some leeks that came up in the garden.  There are also some onion volunteers almost big enough to eat.  I have moved many seedlings from the house to the greenhouse.  I have started digging up and dividing plants in my biggest flower bed which was overcome with garden phlox.  There’s an article below about which garden perennials can be divided in the spring below.
windflower

One disappointing finding this week, or maybe I should say maddening finding was that the deer have come up in two of my garden beds and eaten daylilies and tulips right to the ground.  I really, really hate deer. The daylilies will probably recover but the tulips won’t bloom this year and may not return.  I had spent several hours last fall planting some 300 new tulips in one half circle bed and was just waiting for my pretty show.  Now half the circle is gone, and the other half is draped in black netting.  There’s an article about tulips, one of my favorite plants, below.

Last night I spoke to the Lapeer Horticultural Society about a new perspective on non-native plants.  I have put the outline of that talk on this blog site with a suggested reading list if you are interested.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on previous blog post.

Dividing perennials in spring

Early spring is an excellent time to divide and thin some perennial plants.  Plants recover from transplanting much easier in cool, damp weather.  Dividing your perennials is often necessary to keep them healthy and blooming and keeps the flower beds from becoming a tangled mess.  You can start new beds or give away the divisions.

Some species of plants need dividing more frequently than others.  A few species do better if divided in the fall.  And there are species of plants that you don’t divide unless it’s the only way to get a new start of the plant and others you shouldn’t divide at all.  While there are guidelines for the amount of time between dividing different species of plants the gardener should always use their own judgement.  In general if the plant has numerous crowns, (crowns look like individual plants) looks like it’s packed into its space and has stopped blooming well it’s probably time to divide it.  You may want to divide and thin out some species of plants if they are encroaching on other plants space.

Echinacea
You may not want to divide plants if they have grown little since you planted them, even though as a species it’s common to have to divide them frequently.  Each plant in its unique environment has a different growth pattern.  Keeping records, especially photo records, helps the gardener remember which plants looked overcrowded the previous season and need to be divided.

You can do the division as soon as you see new growth or even before if you know the location of the plant.  It’s easier to work with plants when the foliage is still small. Decide in advance if you are going to keep and re-plant the divisions or compost them.  Be prepared to either pot up divisions or re-plant them in another garden bed soon after dividing them, the sooner the better, if you want to keep the plants.

You’ll need a good spade and possibly a heavy duty knife, to dig and divide your perennials.   First dig around the perennial clump and lift the whole clump out on a tarp or piece of cardboard.  Gently wash away most of the soil with a garden hose if you have access.  Study the clump and decide where you can easily divide the plants and how many divisions you could make.  Usually 2-3 crowns and root sections are kept together.  Sometimes you may want to divide the plant into individual crowns and roots.  You want a good healthy looking clump for each new plant.

You can sometimes separate the plants with your fingers, gently pulling the clump apart.  Other times you may need to use a knife or even the shovel to divide the plants.  Some plants like ornamental grasses may need a saw to divide them. Some roots and foliage may be damaged when divisions are made.  This is unfortunate but necessary in certain cases.  Most perennials are pretty tough and recover quickly, especially in early spring.  In some species the center of the plant or other portions may have dead areas.  These should be cut out and discarded.

Keep your divisions moist and out of the direct sun until you re-plant them.  After planting keep them watered unless it’s a wet season so they can quickly establish new roots.  A little slow release fertilizer mixed into the soil also helps. Do not use Epsom salts on new plants.  Most divisions will bloom the same year, but smaller divisions may skip a season while they establish themselves.

Here’s a list of perennials that can be divided in early spring and notes on how often and other considerations.
Aster 1-3 years
Astilbe – 3-5 years
Beebalm (Monarda) 1-3 years
Campanula
Bellflower (Campanula) 3-5 years
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) 3-5 years
Catmint (Nepeta) 3-5 years
Chrysanthemum (hardy mums) 1-3 years
Common Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) 1-3 years
Coneflower (Echincea) 3-5 years
Coralbells (Heuchera) 1-3 years
Cornflower (Centaurea) 1-3 years
Cranesbill (Geranium) – may never need, divide infrequently or to get new plants
Daylily (Hemerocallis) 3-5 years
Delphinium – 1-3 years
Dianthus/ Carnation - 1-3 years
Fernleaf Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)    1-3 years
Foamflower (Tiarella) 1-3 years
Gay Feather (Liatris) 3-5 years
Goatsbeard (Aruncus) after many years
Gooseneck Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia)  3-5 years
Hosta varieties vary- some never need dividing, some are divided only when new plants are wanted, others get very crowded in a few years.
Heliopsis – more than 5 years or never
Japanese Anemone (Anemone x hybrida) 5 plus years
Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla) many years to never
Lemon Balm 1-3 years
Lungwort (Pulmonaria), 5 years plus, may take a year to recover
Mallow (Malvia) 3-5 years
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum) after 5 plus years
Meadowsweet (Filipendula) more than 5 years or never
Mints of all types 1-3 years
Obedient Plant (Physostegia) 1-3 years
Oregano- 3-5 years
Painted Daisy (Tanacetum) 1-3 years
Penstemon 1-3 years
Phlox- upright(Phlox paniculata) 3-5 years
Rudbeckia 3-5 years
Sea Thrift (Armeria) 3-5 years
Sedums, tall upright species every 3-5 years, creeping species every 1-3 years
Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum) 1-3 years
Speedwell (Veronica) 3-5 years
Spiderwort (Tradescantia) 1-3 years
Tall Phlox (Phlox paniculata) 1-3 years
Tickseed (Coreopsis) 1-3 years
Yarrow (Achillea) 1-3 years

Divide in fall

Here are some plants that do better if divided in the late summer or fall.  Bearded iris, every 3 -4 years, Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium), every 3-4 years, Creeping phlox 3-4 years, and Siberian Iris- infrequently, as needed.

Bulbs including lilies, tulips, daffodils and so on are divided in the fall.  (Dig in fall, separate bulbs and re-plant).  Peonies can be divided in the fall but only after many years, when they have reached large clumps and it’s necessary only if you want to propagate them.

Don’t divide

Plants that shouldn’t be divided include anything with a single, woody stem.  Also these plants do not care for division : Baby's Breath (Gypsophila), Balloon Flower (Platycodon), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias), Cimicifuga, Clematis, Evening Primrose (Oenothera missourienis), False Indigo (Baptisia), Flax (Linum), Gentian, Lavender,  Lupine, Monkshood (Aconitum),roses, rosemary, Russian Sage (Perovskia), garden sage and yucca. 
Evening primrose

If a plant suckers - produces new plants from the roots a short distance from the parent plant- those new plants can be dug in either the spring or fall and transplanted.  Some examples are lilac, trumpet vine and some older roses.  Sever the connecting roots to the parent plant and move the young plant either when the leaves are still small in the spring or after it goes dormant in the fall.

Tulips

Tulips are a sign that spring has arrived.  If you want to tiptoe through the tulips in your own colorful tulip patch, or just admire their beauty, tulips are easy to grow. Tulips bloom from early spring just after the crocus to late spring.  There are tulips for every garden bed from rock gardens to large open beds.  Tuips are also excellent cut flowers.
Tulip Schoonard

Choosing tulips
Tulip flowers open in the morning and close at night, and each flower lasts for several days. Tulips come every color except true blue.  Tulips come in bi-colors, and streaked or flamed.  Chose some early, mid and late season bloomers if you want a long color show.  Species tulips usually bloom early and are shorter than other varieties.  They may have several blooms on one stem.  Most garden tulips, however, produce one flower per bulb. There are lily flowering tulips that have long, pointed flower petals, tulips with fringed petals, and tulips whose blooms look like peonies.  There are even tulips that are fragrant.  There are thousands of named varieties of tulips.  A good bulb catalog will help you make decisions. 

While daffodils and narcissus are long lived in the garden, tulips often fade out and disappear after a year or two, especially in warmer areas.  This is because they prefer a dry area after they go dormant and our flower beds are generally kept watered.  Species tulips are not as fussy as the hybrids.  They may actually spread slowly in the garden if they like the site.

Look for varieties of tulips that promise perennial lifestyles.  Some varieties are more likely than others to become long term garden residents. In zones 5-6 many tulips will return for years.  If tulips seem to disappear in your garden, you can dig and store tulip bulbs after the tops have died, to replant in the fall, or treat them as annuals and buy new ones each fall.  It’s a good practice to add new tulip bulbs each fall anyway.

When choosing tulip bulbs, look for plump, firm, clean bulbs that have most of their papery brown covering attached.  Bulbs that are soft, have moldy areas or look shriveled up, should not be purchased.  Species tulips generally have smaller bulbs.   Economy mixes with small bulbs may have some bulbs that will not bloom the first year after planting.

To prolong the tulip blooming period pay attention to the bloom period listed in catalogs such as early, mid-season and late, and chose varieties from each blooming period.  

Planting and care

Tulips come from the colder, mountainous areas of the Middle East.  The bulbs need a period of cold weather to set flower buds. Gardeners in zones 3- 7 will be able to grow tulips without worrying about the chilling period.  Gardeners in zones 8 and higher will have to buy pre-chilled bulbs if they want spring tulips.  Tulips are planted in the fall before the ground freezes in your area.  They like a well-drained area and will not do well if their winter bed is water logged.  You can plant them in sunny areas or under deciduous trees.  They will get enough sun in the spring before the tree leafs out to complete their life cycle. 

Plant tulip bulbs with the pointed side up, in holes just big enough to fit the bulb and about twice as deep as the bulbs height.   You can mix some general purpose, slow release garden fertilizer, [5-10-5] with the soil around the bulbs. Don’t add bone meal, mice and squirrels love tulip bulbs and adding bone meal may actually attract them to the spot where the bulbs are buried.  In the spring, tulips are also a favorite of deer.  To keep deer from eating your tulips you can apply one of the deer repellant sprays, or put up fencing.   Planting tulips among allium and daffodil bulbs may help, as deer do not care for either of those bulbs. 

As tulip bulbs begin to emerge from the ground, apply a slow release fertilizer formulated for flower beds.  If mulch has matted down over the bulbs and they are struggling to emerge, gently remove some of the mulch.

Cold weather in spring seldom damages emerging bulbs unless the buds are fully formed and ready to open. At that time a quick covering with old sheets or newspaper might allow the flowers to bloom.
 
Parrot tulip
Keep flowers picked off as they fade.   Don’t allow them to go to seed as this takes  energy from the bulb which is forming next year’s flowers. The leaves of tulips must be allowed to yellow and dry up naturally if you wish the bulbs to produce new flowers next year. After the foliage has dried up it can be removed.  Planting bulbs among other perennials that will grow up and hide the drying leaves, such as daylilies and hosta, is recommended.

Using Tulips
Tulips are excellent for early color in perennial borders and beds.  They look best when planted in drifts or clumps of one color in formal beds.  In informal beds you can scatter clumps of mixed colors throughout the bed.  Tulips make excellent cut flowers.  Species tulips with small flowers are good for rock gardens and in naturalized areas.

Southern gardeners, of course, will have to plant pre-chilled bulbs each year.  In some areas, tulips are now being offered ready to bloom in flats, and you plant them out in the garden in the spring.  These are less likely to return the next year than those tulips which are planted in the fall.

A garden without tulips in the spring just lacks charm.  To keep your garden charming plant some tulips each fall.



Growing raspberries

What says summer more than a handful of tart-sweet raspberries?   Raspberries are the perfect fruit for Michigan gardeners to grow because fresh raspberries are difficult to ship and very expensive when found in grocery stores.  Raspberries are easy for gardeners to grow compared to other fruit, and don’t take much space.  The plants are inexpensive so buy enough to eat fresh and then freeze some for a delightful winter treat.

Some raspberry varieties for Michigan
Black raspberries.  en.wikipedia.com 

Raspberries come in red, purple, yellow and black.  There are summer bearing - [late June- July,] and ever-bearing, - small crops in June and again in August-September. Fall bearing raspberries are just ever-bearing varieties that are pruned so that they have only one heavier crop in the fall.   Summer bearing raspberries produce the heaviest crops; you can freeze or can the excess.  If you like fresh raspberries over a long season choose a few plants each of summer bearing and ever-bearing. Red summer bearers include Latham, Boyne, and Kilarney.  Royalty is a purple summer raspberry for Michigan.  Jewel and Bristol Black are black summer raspberries.  Polena, Caroline and Hertitage, are red ever-bearing raspberries.   Kiwigold is a yellow ever-bearing raspberry.

Planting raspberries

Raspberries should be planted in the early spring.  Buy certified, disease free raspberry plants from a good nursery.  Generally raspberries are sold as dormant roots, with a little stub of stem as a handle.  You can store these dormant roots in a cool place - [32- 50 degrees], for a few days until you are ready to plant them. Sometimes you will find potted raspberry plants in nurseries.  Even if you love raspberries, a small family will only need from 6-12 plants.   Raspberries spread, and a small row will soon be larger.  Plant raspberries about 2 foot apart in rows that are about 8 foot apart.

One of the best things you can do to ensure success with raspberries is to prepare your planting area in advance.   Clear the area so there is no grass or weeds left in the row.  To make raspberries easy to care for, they should be attached to a trellis system of some sort.  You can put sturdy posts at the end of each row and string heavy-duty wires or cables between the posts, or you can use fencing between the posts as support.   Mulch between the plants and mulch the paths or plan to mow the paths often.  Once weeds and grass take over a raspberry patch it is a huge undertaking to get things cleaned up again and the plants grow better without the competition from weeds.

Caring for raspberries

About two weeks after planting, or when you notice the plants are starting to grow, they should be fertilized with 12-12-12 or similar fertilizer.  Use about ½ pound per 25 feet of row or follow label directions.  Don’t let fertilizer directly touch the plants and water after fertilizing.  About 6 weeks later repeat the fertilization.   Every year after that your raspberries should be fertilized in early spring, just as growth starts, with about 1 pound of 12-12-12 per 25 feet of row.  Do not use Epsom salt on raspberries.

Raspberry plants do need lots of water, especially in hot weather and on sandy soils.  If dry conditions develop, watering your plants deeply once a week will keep them developing fruit.  Fruit that isn’t watered during dry spells may be small and crumbly.

Raspberries are prone to virus infections, especially if wild raspberries are nearby.  Always buy your raspberry plants from a reputable nursery who guarantees them to be virus free.  Symptoms of a viral infection can be yellowing, wilting leaves, curling leaves, mottled leaves, blistered leaves, leaves with orange powder on the back, stunted looking canes and shriveled canes with black areas along them.  Your county Extension office will be able to help you confirm a viral infection.  Viral infections cannot be cured. The plants need to be dug and destroyed.  Don’t plant raspberries in the same spot for several years.

Pests of raspberries include birds and Japanese beetles.  You can keep birds away with netting over the plants as soon as the berries begin to ripen.  Japanese beetles are harder to control.  They attack fruit as it ripens, making pesticide application tricky.  You can hand pick them or wash them off with a hose sprayer full of insecticidal soap.  Do not spray them with dish washing soap or other concoctions.

Pruning raspberries

Pruning and thinning correctly is the key to keeping your raspberry plants strong and productive.  The roots of raspberries are perennial, but the canes, or stems, each last only two years.  Each type of raspberry requires slightly different types of pruning.  If you have purchased a mixture of raspberry types it is best to keep the types together and labeled so you know how to prune.

Summer bearing raspberries should not be pruned at all the first year, just tie them to the supports you have put in. They won’t have a crop the first year.  In the second year, after they have had a crop and it has been harvested, cut off all the canes that bore fruit right to the ground.  Leave all the new young canes that have developed. New canes have green stems; old ones have brown, woody looking stems. 

In the third spring thin the canes of summer bearing raspberries you left to about 6 canes per foot of row.  Trim the ones you leave back to chest height- about 4 foot- and if they had winterkill, trim off any dead areas.  Do your pruning in early spring, just before growth starts, and make your cuts just above a leaf node, (joint). Repeat every year. Black and purple raspberries may have long side branches the second and following years that should be shortened to about 10 inches.

Ever-bearing raspberries may have a small crop the first fall.  Do not cut off any canes, they will fruit again early next summer on the same canes.  After those canes have produced fruit, cut them out.  Don’t prune any canes the third year, and thereafter, until they have produced fruit again, but you can thin them out in the spring if the rows are crowded and cut off winter killed areas.  After the second year you may also want to trim the canes back to about 4-foot high each year in the spring.


Fall bearing raspberries are fairly simple to prune. Fall bearing varieties are actually ever-bearers that are pruned differently.  In the first year you will get a small crop in the fall.  In early spring of the second year cut all canes right to the ground.  You’ll get a fall crop.  Repeat every year- cut all canes off in early spring.  You will have to thin plants in the rows in spring also. 

Harvesting raspberries

Keep raspberries harvested as they ripen to keep them producing longer.  Raspberries slip off the stem leaving a white cone shaped structure behind.  This is normal and you don’t need to cut those off.

Don’t wash raspberries until just before you are ready to use them.  Raspberries don’t keep well for more than a day or two.  Store them in the refrigerator and use promptly.  If you have excess berries you can freeze them.  Spread them out on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until firm.  You can then put them in freezer bags for long term storage.  You can also freeze raspberries in a sugar syrup. Another way to preserve raspberries is to make jam or preserves from them.

Lichens

Lichens, the usually gray-green scaly growths found on many trees and on other substances do not harm the trees. They are a symbiotic, (mutually beneficial), combination of an algae and a fungi and the only thing they need a tree for is support. All of their needs are met from the air or the photosynthetic processes of the algae. 

Many people who see lichens on a tree are alarmed and think that the lichen is killing the tree. If a tree is dead or dying and covered with lichen it is only a coincidence, the lichen is not the cause. Lichens may grow on anything that is standing still, including rocks and metal. Lichens help break rock down into soil, as they creep into tiny crevices in the surface and expand them.
Lichen

There are many species of lichens, the color and form may vary from the common gray - green lacy growths found on trees.  Lichens only grow where the air is not heavily polluted so if you have an abundance of lichens in your area be happy.

Lichens are eaten by many mammals including caribou, deer, antelope, moose and flying squirrels. Over 50 species of North American birds use lichens for food, nest building, or other uses.  Hummingbirds often stick lichens on their mud nests to disguise them.  Many species of insects, amphibians and reptiles use lichens as food, hunting grounds and homes. Lichens are a valuable and interesting part of natural systems and should be protected.

Get out and listen to the frog concert
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.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me. You can also ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com

An interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook

Invitation
If you are a gardener in Michigan close to Lapeer we invite you to join the Lapeer Area Horticultural Society. The club meets once a month, 6:30 pm, on the third Monday at various places for a short educational talk, snacks and socializing with fellow gardeners. No educational or volunteer requirements for membership, all are welcome. Membership dues are $20 per year. Come and visit us, sit in on a meeting for free. Contact susanmklaffer@yahoo.com  Phone 810-664-8912

New-Lapeer Area Horticulture Society, Plant and Garden Sale,  May 7, 2016  8 am - 4 pm at Siciliano's,  1900 North Lapeer Road, Lapeer.  A variety of plants and garden items from LHS members will be for sale.  Please stop and shop.

New- 6th Annual Plant & Flower Sale Fri, May 6, 9 am-5 pm, Culver's, 4963 Interpark Drive North, Lake Orion, Michigan.
Habitat for Humanity- Oakland County sponsors and benefits from the sale at  Culver's. Annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, hanging baskets & more.  For more info call 248-338-1843, ext. 303.

New- Plant Sale Sat, May 7, 10am-2pm, Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI
Offering a wide selection of plants, including annuals, perennials, hostas & companions, herbs & more.  For more info contact;  www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

New-South Lyon Plant Exchange Sat, May 7, 9am-11am Witch's Hat Museum Depot Pk. Area. 300 Dorothy St, South Lyon, MI

Come swap with other gardeners. More info call 248-437-0154  Sponsored by the 4 Seasons Garden Club.

New-Project Grow Plant Sale Fri, May 6,through Sunday.  Dawn Farm, 6633 Stony Creek in Ann Arbor.
         
By Project Grow at Dawn Farm. Wide selection of heirloom tomatoes, basil, sweet & hot peppers. Advance orders: www.ProjectGrowGardens.org.

New- 44th Annual Spring Plant Sale Tue, May 10, 10am-7pm, and 10am-2pm, Wed. May 11,  Cranbrook House and Gardens, 380 Lone Pine Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
Herbs, tropicals, perennials, native plants/wildflowers & more.  For more information www.housegardens.cranbrook.edu.

Heritage Peonies: Beautiful Then, Glorious Now Fri, April 22, 9:15am, Meadow Brook Hall, 480 South Adams Road, Rochester MI
A talk about heritage peonies and how to grow them, featuring guest speaker Dr. David C. Michener. Sponsored by Meadow Brook Garden Club $5. 2483646210.
2016 Educational Gardening Conference, Sat, April 23, 8 am – 4:15 pm, Oakland Schools Conference Center, 2111 Pontiac Lake Rd, Waterford Twp, MI
Keynote Speakers: Karen Bussolini,(Jazzing Up the Garden),  Ellen Ecker Ogden, (The Art of Growing Food), Barry Glick (Woodland Wonders from the Wild). Garden marketplace, entertainment and more.         
Sponsored by Master Gardener Society of Oakland County, Inc.  $80. No registration at the door.  Registration brochure at http://www.mgsoc.org/2016_ConferenceRegistrationColor.pdf


Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area.  This link has a lot of events listed on it.

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

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

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


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