Tuesday, May 1, 2018

May 1, 2018 Kim’s Weekly Garden Blog


Hi Gardeners
T.humilis 'Helene" with wind flowers
Gosh it’s beautiful here today, sunny and 82 degrees, but dry and with a nice breeze so it doesn’t feel too hot.  The plants are popping up, trying to make up for lost time. In bloom today I have daffodils, corydalis, hyacinths and the species tulip T. humilis ‘Helene’, a beautiful rose pink which is mixed in with white and blue windflowers. 
The trout lilies and fritillaria have big buds.  Trilliums have popped up and one of them also has a bud already. The roses are getting little red leaves and are ready for their spring pruning now.  My clematis are getting green buds, so I know where to prune them too.  The honeysuckles and barberry have leafed out.  Apples are getting green tips and I see green coming on the lilacs.
Th farmers are out frantically planting the fields around here, trying to get done before the rain comes tomorrow night.  It’s very dry here, clouds of dust are billowing off the road and the fields churned by tractors.  It seemed so wet just a few days ago.  Now we are under a red flag alert, read more about that later in the blog.  I had to water the pansies on the deck- a few days ago it was almost too cold for them, now they are wilting in the heat.
I potted up dahlias and glads this weekend and put them in my little greenhouse and in just a couple days of this warmth they have sprouted. I’ll be moving the seedlings that are all around the house out tomorrow.  I have a new potted passion plant (maypop) and a Siberian iris to plant outside also.
I have lettuce coming up in the bed where it was planted last year, without me planting it this year. The rhubarb has leaves now too.  I transplanted about 25 strawberries out of my old bed to a new one and now we need some rain to get them growing.
Inside my experiment to bring in a bidens plant to overwinter has worked out, it’s blooming nicely. Bidens has tiny yellow daisy-like flowers and ferny leaves.  I have holiday cacti getting ready to bloom again too.
I hope this is the true start to warm weather now with no more sneaky tricks from mother nature.  I hope everyone out there reading this is finally getting some nice weather.
Corydalis

May Day
It’s the first day of May.  I vaguely remember in grade school one teacher had us dance around a Maypole.  There were ribbons involved but I’m not sure of the ceremonious relationship.  It was probably a beautiful May day like today is here and the teacher wanted to be outside.  She probably couldn’t stand a bunch of squirming kids bursting with energy any longer.
But the celebration of May Day is an ancient tradition throughout Europe and in Scandinavian countries.  It was once celebrated here in the US too.  Originally it was a ceremony meant to invoke fertility, good crops, lots of baby goats and sheep, and children for beautiful young virgins, after marriage of course.  Catholics celebrated the Virgin Mary on this day.  It was often a day of courtship and marriages.  The May pole dance was done by feverish young men and women in hopes of a match. Ah, spring, when the blood runs hot, and joy seems imminent.  
Later in history communist and socialist governments celebrated May Day as “Workers Day” and workers got a holiday from working in the fields.  It’s still celebrated in that way in some countries.   
The flowers of May Day
May brings flowers, even in the cold north and flowers were always part of May Day celebrations. In France lilies of the valley were often exchanged, leading back to 1561 when King Charles IX passed them out to ladies of the court. 
In Italy alder tree leaves, golden rain tree flowers, violets and roses were traditional May Day gifts.  In Greece wreaths of wildflowers were made and hung on doors, where they stayed until Mid-summers eve, when they were burnt.
In Germany women made wreaths of roses fashioned into a heart shape and after dusk placed them on the windows or doorsteps of people they loved.  They also flavored wine with sweet woodruff and strawberries as a celebratory drink. (See recipe at the end of the blog.)  In Romania wine was flavord with mugwort (not the same as sweet woodruff) and drunk to protect against disease in the coming year.  Men wore lilacs and mugwort in their hat bands.
In Portugal the yellow flowers of broom were collected on the eve of April 30 and on May 1 they were placed on all windows, doors and gates.  In the Czech Republic it was tradition for lovers to kiss under a blooming apple, cherry or birch tree.
Hawaiians call May Day Lei Day. Flower necklaces are worn.  In England and in early American and Canadian history little baskets of flowers and sweets were made and left on doorsteps secretly. At first this was only for people who were lovers- or wanted to be.  But later, the custom was expanded to include people you liked and admired, such as neighbors, preachers, teachers and so on.  The little baskets were handmade, usually of paper and the sweets inside homemade.  Local flowers were added.  
The custom of May Day baskets was followed into the 1950’s in some parts of the country but has been largely abandoned. It’s interesting that it wasn’t commercialized like Valentines day.  May Day baskets would be an interesting project for kids, making sure to follow the homemade/handmade theme.

Violets
May almanac
May is my second favorite month, almost as good as June.  The full moon is May 29th and appropriately enough it’s called the flower moon. Perigee is the 17th and apogee of the moon is on the 5th.  Other names for May’s full moon are mother’s moon and milk moon- because new mothers and their milk are everywhere. The month name of May is derived from the name of the Greek goddess Maia, associated with fertility.
There are two sets of notable days in May folklore. The first is Chilly Saints days, named for the Saints Mameritus, Pancras, and Gervais.  The days are the 11th, 12th, and 13th and it is said that these days will be cold and frosty. In 2017 these days were warm and rainy in Michigan.  Let’s hope for the same this year.
The second set of folklore days is the Ember days.  May Ember days are the 22nd, 24th and 25th.  On the 22nd the weather predicts the weather for June, the 24th predicts July weather and the 25th predicts the August weather.  Example: if it’s cold and wet on the 22nd of May the month of June is supposed to be cold and wet. Let’s see how that worked out here.
In 2017 May 22nd was sunny and average in temperature.  June 2017 was pretty average in sun and average in temperature.  May 24th 2017 was rainy and mild.  July 2017 was hot and wetter than average.  May 25th, 2017 was rainy and cool.  August 2017 was rainy and cooler than average.  So the folklore predictions were pretty good last year, let’s see about this year.
Mother’s Day, 13th, and Memorial Day, 28th, in May are some of the biggest sales days that greenhouses have and May is almost synonymous with a trip to buy flowers. May is planting month around here.  Plant something every day!  May’s full moon is said to be a great time to harvest any medicinal herbs that are growing for their maximum potency. It’s good that Memorial Day is late this year because it’s a date many people use to signify it’s safe to plant everything.  But beware- frost can still happen, although it isn’t likely.
May Day, May 1, is today, Cinco de Mayo is May 5th, May 6th is No Diet Day which is great.  It’s also National Teachers day so hug a teacher.  May 8th is World Red Cross day and Iris day.  The 16th is Love a Tree day.  The 29th is Learn about Composting day and the 30th is Water Your Flowers Day.
May is National Barb-b-Que month, National Salad Month, National Egg month, National Hamburger month and National Date your Mate month. May is also Older Americans month, Bike Month, National Skin Cancer Awareness month and Blood Pressure Awareness month.
May’s birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.  It signifies sweetness and humility. (But remember its poisonous).  It also means a return to happiness and you are supposed to give them to people you find complete happiness with.  The birthstone is the emerald which is a symbol of re-birth.

Lilies of the valley
The basics of planning new landscaping
You may be working with a blank slate, where a home has no landscaping at all or ripping out old landscaping, but all landscaping requires planning.  Some people have an artistic knack for getting the look they desire without a whole lot of detailed planning but others of us need much more in depth planning to make things work.  Even the “instinctual gardeners” should do some planning though.
First you must decide on the look you want - keeping in mind the reality of the site conditions that you have.  There are “styles” of gardening, formal, informal and now what is known as “natural” or wildscaping.  I suggest visiting public gardens and looking at lots of garden books and magazines to get a feel for what you like in a garden.
The style of your house should also be considered, although its my opinion that you can blend any kind of garden with any house if you wish to do so.  For example, formal gardens with their straight lines, clipped hedges and blocked, massed color schemes might look better with large, tudor style homes.  A small cottage style home suits an informal garden with curved lines, naturally shaped shrubs, and a mixed color scheme.  A log cabin might look best with minimal, natural landscaping with native plants.
There’s nothing that says you can’t have several styles of gardening on the same property, the front landscaping can be formal and the back informal for example.   Many people enjoy creating different garden “rooms” if they have the space, so they can experiment with various garden styles.
Don’t forget to consider how you may want to use the property.  Do you entertain outside a lot? Do you have kids who need a play area or pets that need a potty area?  Will you want a pool? Or all of the above?  Look ahead to long term plans for the property if you plan on staying there for many years. Will you be building a garage or shed?   Will you be putting on an addition or remodeling soon?  Will you need to add fencing?
Consider the neighbors and neighboring uses of the property too.  You don’t want a garden right next to the neighbor’s basket ball court.  You may want to block the view of cars on blocks in the next yard.  You might not want to block a neighbor’s scenic view- as this as caused many a lawsuit.  If people use your yard for a short cut a fence might be a good idea.
Don’t plan intensive landscaping, especially with large trees and shrubs if you know you will be making major changes within a year or two. You may want to plant annuals or use potted material in those areas.  And don’t forget that some changes will require access for machinery – so don’t plant things in the path that machinery will have to take.
Second you must study the limiting conditions of your property. This includes knowing where power lines, pipes, septic fields, wells and any right of way passages are. You shouldn’t plant large trees under overhead power lines or anything over buried cables or pipes.  Don’t build up the soil to make a flower bed around a well pipe.  Septic fields can’t have deep rooted plants over them and right of ways must be kept passable.  If you don’t know where buried lines or pipes are most places have services, often called “Miss Dig” that will find and mark them for you. 
Limiting conditions also includes knowing the ordinances and rules of your particular municipality, subdivision and so on.  Can you have a garden in the front or is lawn and shrubbery the only option? Are certain species of plants banned?  What are the rules for hardscaping and things like sheds?

Example of a garden plan
Measuring
The third thing to do is measure and map.  Go out with a good tape measure that can measure larger areas, say 100 feet. You may have to borrow it.  For really large areas you can rent or borrow a surveyor’s wheel, which you roll across the space to measure it.  Record all your measurements.  Measure twice for accuracy.
You’ll want to measure everything- the width and depth of the property, the distance from the road to the house, the distance to each side and end of the house from the property line, the length and depth of the house, porches and deck dimensions.  You’ll need to know the dimensions of the space between house and any free-standing garage, barn or shed.  
Measure the width and length of driveways and walks, the space from the house to any trees, well access, poles, fences and so on.  Measure the diameter of any trees and shrubs and the distance between them. Measure the space between the road and the walk, the house and walkways.  If there are existing landscaping beds measure the width and length.
After you think you have measured everything you’ll be able to make an accurate map of the property with the dimensions on it. You’ll need some graph paper. That’s paper with tiny squares on it that you will assign a value to, such as one square equals 3 square feet. Using that value is good in the first landscape mapping, but you may need to divide the property into sections if it’s a large property, so you’ll have room on the graph paper to go into more detail. 
Count out how many squares represent the property dimensions and mark them, then locate the house and other major structures from the property line and draw them on the map.  Now accurately place the walks, drives, trees, well, septic field, and any other landmarks.  Make sure to correctly mark where underground lines and pipes run.  If you have overhead wires mark where they cross the property too.
Do a good job with this so you can keep it for reference years down the road.  Make some copies, maybe scan it into a computer, so you can work with a copy and not mark up the master map.  (Some people know how to map like this in a computer program.)  It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s the best way to plan a good landscape.  You don’t have to be an expert artist but try to be neat and accurate.
You have one more factor to consider and that’s the environmental conditions on the property.  You need to know what areas are shady and which sunny, if there are areas with poor drainage, or that are wetlands. A soil test to see what the soil pH and nutrient levels are and what type of soil you have is a must.  Gardeners should also know their gardening zone before choosing plants for the landscape.
What landscape designers do next is map out where they want gardens or features and what they want to accomplish at the spot.  Does there need to be a tree here for shade?  Does this area need upright, vertical interest or low masses of color?  Draw these things to the best of your ability on your map, just using shapes, like a large circle for a tree, small circles for shrubs, rectangles for formal beds or curved areas for informal.  Make notes on the shapes to remind you of their intentions.
These shapes should be in scale.  For example, if you want to give a tree 10 feet of space, make it so the large circle is 10 feet in diameter using the values you assigned to the graph squares. If the vegetable garden is to be 20 feet by 50 feet, make a rectangle to scale.
Make sure to include any changes to “hardscaping” you intend to make on your map.  That includes decks, water features, paths, fences, sheds and large statues or other garden art.  Small art pieces don’t need mapping.
Choosing plant species
Now here’s where we get into more complex diagramming.  Until this point you still aren’t choosing plant species, just tree or shrub or flower bed generically.  It’s time to pull out the garden catalogs and references or your wish list now.
Take each shape you defined on the large map and draw it on its own piece of graph paper.  This time make 1 square equal one foot of real space.  Mark next to the shape whether its sun, part sun, shade, wet or very dry.  Now look through your plant references and lists to see what will grow in your planting zone and conditions.  Then check the dimensions given for a mature plant and any directions as to how far apart the plants should be spaced.
You can now place the plants in your space on the graph paper, allowing each the space your references say a mature plant needs.  Some people like to use colored pencils for this, shading in a red area for beebalm, yellow areas for daylilies, pink for a rose and so on.  Make a key so you don’t forget what each color stands for.  Now you can see just how many plants you can fit in the space.  Remember to place taller plants behind shorter ones, or in the middle if the area is an “island” where it will be viewed from all sides.
For best results choose plants that will thrive in the conditions that the space on the map has in real life.  Shade lovers shouldn’t be put in full sun and vice versa.  Plants who like good drainage shouldn’t be put in wet soil areas. Also, if you have a color scheme in mind make sure the species of plant you are choosing comes in that color. Despite many doctored pictures you aren’t going to get true blue roses for example.
The color of foliage as well as flowers should be considered in landscape design.  Don’t add too many plants with purple or gold foliage.  They are meant to be accent plants.  A variation in foliage color is nice in informal gardens as is a variation in plant textures, such as ferns, broad leaved hosta, narrow leaved hosta, spiky Japanese forest grass, and small leaved Jacobs ladder for a shade garden.  Formal gardens tend to use plants in blocks or rows of the same color and texture, with the occasional odd specimen as an accent plant.
For those circles on your larger map indicating trees and shrubs which will stand alone in the landscape you can simply look up the mature size of the tree or shrub that you want to use and give it the space on the bigger map that it will occupy. Make sure it won’t affect any of the other beds or objects on the map.  Label the circle with the species name.

A rough example of filling in species
Things to remember: shrubs should not be right against the house, there should be 2-3 feet of space between house and shrub after the plant is mature.  That may mean planting it 6 feet from the house now.  Unless you are going to keep things trimmed regularly, and the plant you choose is amenable to frequent trimming, don’t place shrubs where at maturity they will block windows, or hang too far out into paths, walks or driveways.  Trees that get more than 15 feet high should not be placed under power lines, leave a 10 feet wide space under power lines free of large trees.
Trees and shrubs should not be planted over septic fields or tanks. Edible plants should also be kept away from septic fields. Grass and groundcovers, and annual flowers can be placed over septic fields or tanks. Some perennials without deep tap roots could be used over the septic fields, but not over the tank as it needs to be pumped from time to time.  Its also wise to keep trees away from water and sewer pipes as they can damage them.
If you have a well pipe in the yard do not make a raised flower bed around it. Ground water is supposed to flow away from the well and the pipe is supposed to remain above any flooding.  Don’t do anything to block the vents under the well cap.  You don’t want to hit the well pipe with a mower or other machinery, so a mulched area, posts or big stones could be used around it.  A piece of lattice or picket fence with flowers on the front side could be used to block the sight of the well pipe.
When you place trees close to flower beds or vegetable garden areas remember they may shade the bed too much at maturity.  Consider if you want fruiting trees close to a patio or outside living area where they may drop messy fruit.  Don’t place delicate plants next to children’s play areas.  Sit there and study your maps, try to imagine any problems before you actually get out there and start planting.  You can change things later, but it’s easier to start out right. 
Another thing you may want to do is outline bed shapes with garden hose or rope outside, where they are to go, before you plant.  This gives you a better feel for the space.  And you can place plants in their pots in a space before you plant them to see if what you imagined in your head really works. (Just make sure to remove the pots before planting.) 
At first it may look like your perennial beds are rather sparse, and you’ll be tempted to stuff some more plants in there.  Resist the urge until the things you planted have reached mature size.  You can fill in with annuals for a year or two. Inevitably you will need to make some changes in the landscape down the line, but with proper planning early the changes will be easier.
This has been the most basic explanation of landscape planning.  You may want to take a garden design class if its offered in your area.  There are nuances of artistic design that can’t be covered here.  Sometimes a friend will have an artistic knack or some drawing skills that you can utilize.  Planning a garden is fun actually, so jump right in and do some.


Hummingbird and oriole feeders
I haven’t seen either the hummers or the orioles yet, but they are getting closer.  The hummingbird migration map says hummers were seen in lower Michigan, so I expect them as the weather gets a little warmer this week.  I have two feeders out and as soon as I see them the other two feeders will go out.  By mid-May hummers have usually spread to most of their northern breeding range as have the Baltimore orioles so if there’s not snow on the ground in your area get out those feeders.
Hummingbirds are actually present in almost all of the eastern half of the US, except for the most desolate city canyons, even though you may not see them.  Put those feeders out and keep them full and fresh and sooner or later they will find you.  Once they do, they’ll be back.
Baltimore orioles are orange and black, about the size of a robin and they have a pretty song.  They too are present over much of the eastern US and if you have what they like they will certainly visit your property, whether in the city or country.  They prefer mature trees and orchards so are more likely to be found in areas with older trees.
Hummingbirds are creatures of habit and once they find an area where food is plentiful and there are areas to nest they will come back each year and the babies they raise tend to come back to the same area too.  When you put your feeder out in the spring try to put it close to where it was last fall.  When the hungry migrants come flying in they’ll buzz right to that spot.
Once you see hummingbirds put a couple feeders out.  Hummers are territorial, and they fight over feeders.  Having several feeders allows more hummers to utilize your property.  Feeders are sold in many stores.  Look for ones that are easy to fill and clean.  Feeders don’t have to be red, a small amount of red around the feeding ports is all it takes.


The nectar in hummingbird feeders is simple to make at home and you don’t have to buy the red stuff sold in stores.  Simply bring some water to boil and stir in white sugar until it dissolves.  The best ratio of sugar to water is 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.  This approximates the sugar in flower nectar.  Let the syrup cool and fill your feeders.
Don’t add red food color to nectar, and don’t use anything but plain white sugar.  Some people think hummers prefer cane sugar over beet sugar and it’s known they can tell the difference, even though we can’t.  However, I think it’s a matter of what they get used to, since I use beet sugar and I have plenty of hummingbirds at my feeders. Just use the sugar prevalent in your area.
Don’t use turbinado sugar (raw sugar), it has bacteria and other impurities that can harm hummers.  It’s also high in iron, which can kill hummers over time.  Honey mixed with water ferments quickly and will kill hummers.  Corn syrup is also not recommended. Never use any artificial sugars or stevia to make nectar as those can harm hummers.
Many things (including orioles) like the nectar in hummingbird feeders.  Bees and wasps will be less attracted to feeders if you use the proper sugar to water ratio and if you remove any yellow color on the feeders.  Those yellow bee guards on some actually attract bees.  Remove them or better yet paint them red with a non-toxic paint.  If you can occasionally move the feeder a few feet, this confuses the bees but not the hummers.  Keep spills cleaned up and realize that feeders which leak, sometimes because they are in a windy area, attract more bees and wasps.
Ants are also a problem with hummer feeders.  Once again try to clean up spills of nectar.  There are feeder stands with moats, you put water in them and ants can’t cross them.  Never put anything but plain water in moats because birds sometimes drink from them.  Some people advise putting something sticky like Vaseline on the pole holding a feeder.  Be very careful that anything you put on the pole doesn’t get on the birds.  This can prevent them from flying or snare them if you use something like tanglefoot.  If you do this put the substance down close to the ground on the pole, never close to the feeder.
Its safer to make a cone of light but rigid aluminum.  This is put on upside down, so the narrow part of the cone is tightly against the pole and the flare is at the bottom. You may be able to cut it from an aluminum cake or pie pan. On the inside of the cone, near the pole, put a layer of something sticky to trap ants.  The trick is to get the cone opening tightly against the pole so ants can’t climb the pole and squeeze through.  You may have to glue it there. It doesn’t have to be very wide at the bottom.
Beside nectar feeders, hummingbirds like to have natural flowers they can feed on.  Hummingbirds like red or orange tubular flowers but they will feed on other types and colors of flowers too. Good hummingbird flowers are trumpet vine, all types and colors of salvia, abutilon, bouvardia, honeysuckles, beebalm, (monarda), callistemon,  delphinium, jewelweed, foxglove, hollyhocks, lupines, columbine, day lilies, penstemon, cardinal flowers, agastache (hyssop), Blazing Star (Liatris), Bleeding Heart (Dicentra),fuchsia, kniphofia ( red hot poker), tecoma, petunias, lobelia, Indian pink, (Spigelia marilandica), Canada lily, canna, dames rocket, four o clocks, flowering tobacco (nicotiania), cypress vine, abelia, mimosa, weigela, azaleas, yucca, nasturtium, and zinnias.

Oriole feeders
Oriole at jelly feeder
Orioles like nectar and sometimes try to feed at hummingbird feeders.  There are special nectar feeders for them with larger ports and perches.  You can use the same sugar water mixture as for hummers.  But the ideal substances to attract orioles are jelly and fruit.  A jelly feeder is just a simple roofed tray with a dish to hold jelly.  There are jelly feeders on the market.  Any flavor of jelly will do, but they like grape and it’s generally the cheapest.  Do not use any jelly with artificial sweeteners.
I slice open an orange and stick half of it over the end of my shepherd’s crook that holds the jelly feeder to attract them.  They love sliced oranges. The color orange or bright yellow also seems to attract orioles. Some people put nails in a board and stick orange halves on it. Orioles will also eat grapes, strawberries, cherries and many other fruits if placed in a tray for them.  I have seen orioles eat suet too, especially the orange and berry flavored suet.
Some people buy dried mealworms for attracting orioles.  They love them, but these are expensive and not really necessary to attract them.  They eat a more varied diet than hummers, with insects also a preferred food.  You want them to eat those insects, not dried mealworms. Occasionally orioles may feed on plant nectar or tree saps.  They don’t eat seeds, at least from a bird feeder.
Plants that attract orioles are fruiting plants, like peaches, apricots, grapes, oranges, mulberries, mountain ash, serviceberry, cherries, autumn olive, blackberries, and figs.  They prefer areas with mature trees for building their hanging nests.
Red Flag warnings- what they mean
Gardeners who are cleaning up in the spring should be aware of what a red flag warning is. Red Flag conditions or warnings mean that the surrounding area has conditions that make wildfires likely.  This is dry, warm weather with low humidity.  Windy conditions can heighten the risk. 
In my area of Michigan, we have had extremely low humidity the last few days- as low as 14%!  Rain hasn’t amounted to much since the last snowfall melted.  It’s starting to look green but if you look closely there’s a lot of dry, combustible material around.
While it may seem strange that in many areas as it gets greener we enter a dangerous time for wildfires, April and May have a high likelihood for fires.  There are lots of dry leaves, pine needles, dried twigs and other dead vegetation left from fall and winter that haven’t had time or the right conditions to turn into compost. 
Wildfires can start with someone burning trash or brush piles or burning ditches or edges of fields. They can start from a cigarette thrown from a window, hot mufflers on cars and motorcycles, campfires, someone dumping coals from the grill or even lightning strikes.  The fires get out of control and burn larger areas, and houses, barns, sheds and other things in their way can also burn.  Human lives as well as those of pets, livestock and wildlife can be lost. 
In rural areas a red flag is often hung outside fire stations as a warning when there is an increased risk for wildfires.  The national weather service puts red flag warnings on the weather map and local radio and TV stations may also announce red flag conditions.  During red flag conditions outside burning is usually banned.  If your area requires permits for any burning they may not be issued when there is a red flag warning.
Fighting wildfires is expensive and dangerous.  If you are the person whose fire got out of control you may be in for a large fine.  People also get bills where volunteer fire patrols operate if a fire is put out on their property, whether they called the fire department or not and even if the fire didn’t start on their property. Millions of dollars are spent each year fighting out of control field fires, money that could be spent in better ways.
Use special care in burning brush and leaves this time of year even if red flag conditions aren’t announced for your area.  Burn in open, bare areas, and never leave a fire unattended. Have a plan to control the fire if it starts getting out of hand, such as ready access to a working hose, or a fire extinguisher. Don’t make the fire too big – divide piles up to burn- and don’t burn on a windy day.
People who live in heavily wooded areas, especially if the woods consist of evergreen species, should develop a fire break of at least 50 feet around their homes.  This means excluding evergreen trees and shrubs from the area and planting only low growing deciduous trees and shrubs close to the house. (Many evergreen species are very flammable.) 
Lawns and flower beds are also good landscaping in a firebreak area. Keep dried leaves and vegetation well away from the house.  If you are in a wildfire prone area you should be able to hose your roof down on all sides of the house.  Make sure outside spigots and enough hose exists to do this.
For some readers drought conditions may make the threat of fire last much longer than those of us in rainier climates.  But as spring thunderstorms and lush spring greenery cover the landscape for some of us the threat of fire will diminish. Last winter’s dead leaves and debris will decompose with heat and moisture.  But until then use care in garden cleanup.  Good gardeners compost, and don’t burn.

May Wine or May Bowl recipe
Here’s the perfect drink for a beautiful day in May.  Traditionally this is often served on May Day, May 1. In southern Europe the sweet woodruff would be blooming and the strawberries ripening so they were a perfect match. But this year my sweet woodruff has barely started growing so if I want May wine it will have to be later.
You can make this recipe non- alcoholic by using sparkling water and one of the “fake” wines or some white grape juice.  It would be an excellent thing for kids to make on May Day or a day in May.
Sweet woodruff has a vanilla like taste.

Ingredients- adult version
1 bottle Riesling wine (or any white wine)
1 bottle champagne
1 pint of sweet woodruff leaves and flowers, washed
1 pint of strawberries, washed and sliced

Directions

Remove the sweet woodruff flowers and set aside.  With a rolling pin or other heavy object crush the sweet woodruff leaves and then place them in a large bowl.
Pour the wine over the leaves and let it sit for 1-2 hours.  The longer it sits the stronger the sweet woodruff taste gets.  You may want to start with an hour and see how you like the taste.
Strain the wine mixture to remove the herb pieces. Pour strained wine into a punch bowl.
Next add the champagne, then the sliced strawberries.
Garnish with the sweet woodruff flowers. 
A caution- Go easy with the sweet woodruff.  In large quantities it can cause vomiting and headaches.  (So does just drinking too much wine and champagne.)  People on blood thinners should not consume sweet woodruff, as it contains coumadin.

I saw a butterfly today, that means good weather is finally here.
Kim Willis
And So On….

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(This is the Lapeer County Gardeners facebook page)

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If you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to me or you can comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly blog if you email me. 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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com

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 people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com



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