Garden notes December 18, 2012

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

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

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

http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/

Hi Gardeners

What an incredibly sad weekend this was.  I had to turn off the TV after a while because there are only so many hours that you can spend watching and crying.  We know we shouldn’t but we seem drawn to immerse ourselves in such tragedy as the Newtown shootings.  Grey days seem to intensify the sadness.  The sun is out today and perhaps our nation will begin to heal.   I find peace in beautiful music with green things around me and chocolate.  May you feel peace too.

I had a beautiful peaceful early morning last Friday.  At 2 am I went outside to watch the meteor shower.  The night was cold and clear and the stars were so beautiful. (My husband wasn’t interested in going out in the cold from a warm bed.) I did not see 100 falling stars in the hour or so I was out there, maybe 30-40, but some of them were quite big and bright.  Even my dogs stayed inside and it was as quiet as could be outside.  The whole time I was outside only 2 cars passed my house.

I was sitting there with a cat on my lap when from about 100 feet away the howl of a coyote started up.  He was somewhere over in the neighbors pasture.   His yip, yip, yoweeeel was answered by what sounded like a larger group somewhere to my east on a bigger farm.  The cat dived under the car; they know to hide from coyotes.  He called a few times then was silent again.  Amazingly neither my dogs or the neighbors barked or howled back.   I have heard coyotes before but this was so unexpected and close it was really startling but I also thought it was beautiful.

Cat lover needed

Speaking of cats a beautiful, long haired black and white female cat turned up in my barn. She is quite large for a female cat and has been declawed, so there is a good chance she is spayed also.  She was probably dumped here.  I have to stop sitting outside with cats draped on neck and across my lap.   She would like to be an indoor cat very badly, which she cannot be here. I have given her the very original name of Fluffy.  She is very friendly. She looks like she was well taken care of before turning up here. Would anyone like a cat for Christmas?

Well it doesn’t look like our chances for a white Christmas are really good. That’s ok, I’m sure we will get some more snow this winter, but I enjoy not having to wade through it, or shovel it, although the mud is pretty messy too.  It is nice to be able to run the hose each day at the barn but I do think we need it to be just a bit colder.  I noticed that one of my landscape roses up next to the house on the south has a set of new shiny leaves and a cluster of tiny buds forming.  They are not hardening off as they should and when we do get that cold snap they will be damaged.

My Christmas cactus is blooming beautifully right on cue.  I also have several colors of geraniums in bloom and an African violet.    I hope there are flowers in your life, they make winter bearable.

Next week there will be no weekly newsletter and the next one will be January 2, 2013- a new start in a new year.  I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with your family and that all of us have a blessed and bountiful New Year.

Really Green batteries

Lithium-ion batteries power many of the gadgets we all use in daily life.  The trouble with them and with many other types of batteries is that they are environmentally and financially costly to both make and re-cycle.  Lithium batteries require cobalt, which is a mined ore that is getting scarce and the mining process negatively affects the environment.  The process of producing or re-cycling the lithium batteries requires high heat, requiring lots of fuel, and releases toxins as waste products. 

Scientists have been working to produce a greener battery and they may have found it.  Commercial trials of batteries produced from a plant, Madder, (Rubia species) will soon be conducted and it looks very good that we will soon have a non-toxic, environmentally sound battery. 

Madder is a plant that grows on several continents and in a range of climates.  It is a sprawling perennial plant that grows up to 8 feet long or high if supported.  It has small yellow flowers that turn into blue-black berries.  The plant spreads by rhizomes and also produces a larger, heavier central root that is generally used for dye production.

Madder has been cultivated as a dye plant for at least 5,000 years.  The dye is made from the boiled roots or a powder made from them and produces a red-purple color.  Traces of madder dye have been found on textiles and leather from the tombs of pharaohs and in the graves of Norsemen.  Ancient Celtic lasses soaked their fingernails in madder solutions to give them a rosy tint and madder root was fed to white animals to tint their skin, hooves or nails.

It’s the plant molecules that produce the color, purpurin, that’s the basis for the new batteries.  Purpurin easily binds to lithium and conducts and stores electricity quite efficiently.  Purpurin binds to lithium salts without high heat, with other natural ingredients such as alcohol, and the new batteries will require little energy to produce or re-cycle. Actually the batteries will probably be disposable as they will decompose into a natural, harmless product.  Researchers say the new batteries are just as efficient as the current ones and devices will not require any modification to use them.

Madder is a renewable, perennial crop that requires little fertilizer and is easy to harvest and as it grows it sequesters carbon as most plants do, actually helping the environment.  Madder stems and leaves can be used as livestock food. This exciting research was recently reported in the journal Nature's online and in Scientific Reports, on December 11, 2012.  Anyone out there ready to start a Madder farm?

Its official- ultrasonic devices don’t work for pest control

The Journal of Economic Entomology will soon publish the complete results of scientific tests on several commercial ultrasonic pest control devices.  A group of researchers was interested in recent claims that the products would deter bedbugs and began research to test the products.  The products also claim to deter (chase off) most other pest insects and even mammals like rats and mice.

You don’t have to be a scientist to be skeptical of these devices but now the evidence is in- they are snake oil products, made to relieve people of their money.  The preliminary report released from the study found that the ultrasonic devices were not effective in repelling bedbugs or any other insects or mammals.

The world’s oldest tree

This report fascinated me.  In the remote Dalarna province of Sweden a group of living spruce trees were found of very ancient origins.  Carbon dating placed the oldest spruce at 9,950 years old and several other trees were more than 8,000 years old.   Think of that tree standing through snow and wind through all of those centuries, the changes in the world, the rise and fall of civilizations.  The oldest human remains in the general area (Norway) are dated only to about 9,200 years.

Before this find the oldest trees were thought to be some pines in North America that are about 5,000 years old.  There are about 17 species of plants that can live to be more than 1,000 years old.  Most of the long lived plants are conifers- evergreens.  Recent genetic research has found that most evergreen species are little changed genetically from pre-historic times.  They evolved into their niche so well that little change has been needed for them to survive for the hundreds of thousands of years they have been on earth.

Scientists in Sweden are just beginning an ambitious program to unravel the entire genetic code of a spruce but we already know that your Christmas spruce tree has about 7 times more genetic material- (DNA) that you do.   Perhaps that is the secret to their longevity.

Lock up your spices

You’ve heard of the exotic chemical concoctions that idiots are using to get high that were dubbed “spice”.  But it seems that real spices in your kitchen cabinet are also inspiring some risky behavior in silly kids.  A new fad, spread by the internet, is called the cinnamon challenge.  Kids try to swallow a tablespoon of dry cinnamon without anything to wash it down. This causes explosive coughing and burning of the throat and has resulted in several hospitalizations. 

Worse is the practice of smoking, snorting or eating large quantities of powdered nutmeg.  Nutmeg does contain a hallucinogenic called myristicin.  No deaths have been reported yet but there have been several people who required medical treatment.

At least 2 recent deaths in pre-teens were caused by an even more seemingly safe item, marshmallows.  Another fad called Chubby Bunny gets kids to stuff as many marshmallows in their mouths as they can and then say “Chubby Bunny”.  Choking requiring medical treatment has occurred in many places and choking caused the two deaths mentioned.  Marshmallows lodged in the throat are very hard to remove, even by experts.   So keep an eye on those kitchen cabinets while kids are home for the holidays and bored.

Celebrate the winter solstice with an ancient tradition

On December 21 the longest, darkest night of the year occurs.  After this night the days slowly start to lengthen.  I myself always feel happy when the longest night is over and we begin our journey to renewal.  I understand completely why this day was so important to early people and why they rejoiced that it had come. 

In earliest times the lighting of the Yule log celebrated the winter solstice.  A large oak log was brought into a city square or a person’s home.  On the eve of the winter solstice, as darkness approached the log was lit.  All other light is extinguished and everyone concentrates on the fire.  First sprigs of holy are thrown into the fire and a person gives thanks for the good things that happened during the past year.  Then acorns and pieces of oak twigs are thrown into the fire and people wish for good things in the New Year. 

The oak log is kept burning through the hours of darkness and only allowed to go out as dawn breaks.  Through the night people sing, eat and dance to celebrate the ending of the old year.  As morning comes people gather pieces of unburned oak for good luck in the New Year and these are often used to start the Yule log fire the next year.

This year let us pray that when the longest night ends we enter a year filled with peace, joy and good luck for everyone and that we leave the violence, heartbreak and fear of the past year behind us. Luck and love to all of you in the coming year and may God bless you and yours.

More Information

Cinnamon rolls

This cinnamon roll or bread recipe takes a little time and you must pay attention to details but its well worth the effort. This is the kind of kitchen gift you can be proud of and you’ll want to make some for yourself too. This sweeter dough also makes good dinner rolls and the variation for making them will be given.  Read more,

http://www.examiner.com/article/gifts-from-the-kitchen-cinnamon-rolls?

 Growing Rex Begonias

Rex begonias are a great plant to brighten up Michigan winters. As a houseplant their colorful foliage will add zest to the windowsill. And they can be moved outside in summer to bring color to shady containers and baskets.  Read more,

http://www.examiner.com/article/growing-rex-begonias

Looking for a good garden book? -

Check out the American Horticulture Society garden book awards

http://www.ahs.org/awards/book_awards/2012_AHS_Book_Award_Winners.pdf

December 11, 2012 garden newsletter

We had some freezing drizzle last night and this morning I drove to town down a road lined with glittery trees and diamond sprinkled tall grasses.  The sun was shining and the roads were fine so it was beautiful.  By the time I returned later today the clouds had returned and it was snowing lightly, not so beautiful.

There’s a Geminid meteor shower that should be spectacular this week.  The moon will be new, which means barely visible, and as we are expected to have clear skies viewing should be great, but cold.  You will be able to see up to 100 shooting stars an hour, a sight worth watching, after 1 am on Friday, December 14, although some falling stars will be visible soon after dusk on Thursday, December 13.  This is the best meteor shower this year and probably for a while to come.  Why not set the alarm and go outside and sit in your car to watch?  Or better yet bundle up and sit in a lawn chair.  Shut off all the outside lights and listen for owls calling.

New garden trends

What’s hot in gardening this year?  Terrariums are back in fashion along with dish gardens designed similar to bonsai as miniature landscapes.   Catalogs are featuring both retro and modern terrariums and lots of figurines and miniatures for designing your own fairyland, medieval farm, or desert landscape.  Small plants suitable for dish landscapes are also being offered.

Moss is also popular this year both as specimens to be planted in pots indoors and as a wrap for the roots of small houseplants.  There are many unusual plants in the moss family that make unique houseplants. Sheets of green moss are tied around the root balls of small plants and then suspended in twine hangers or sat in decorative trays.  Sheets of moss are also being sold for those miniature landscapes mentioned above.

Oddly shaped decorative pots or planting containers are also hot, often in bold colors with metallic trim or designs.  The pot is meant to be an art statement as well as a holder for a plant.  Pots for indoor plants are being featured which hopefully means a return to popularity for houseplants.

Old trees dying in record numbers

Scientists around the world are alarmed at the number of huge old trees that are dying.  Trees that have stood for centuries are dying at an alarming rate, probably 5 times more than the average losses twenty years ago.   A combination of warming climate, drought, severe wildfires due to drought, insect attacks, and increased logging and land clearing all seem to play a part in the loss.

Each large, ancient tree represents thousands of square feet for habitat for wildlife and even other forms of plants, lichens and mosses.  It’s estimated that 30% of the world’s bird species require large older trees as part of their habitat either for nesting or roosting.  All continents are losing the large old trees, including North America and all types of trees are being affected.  Trees sequester carbon, provide cooling, return nutrients to the soil and actually influence the environment in their location.

The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) is calling for an urgent global response to the loss of ancient trees, including locating and cataloging ancient trees as well as working out plans to preserve them.  Each tree can represent hundreds of years of history in their location.  It’s vital that we understand what is happening to them and work to stabilize the losses.

Why the frogs are dying

When I was young I remember the yard and sidewalks being filled with hopping toads after a summer rain.  I could sit in my warm, stuffy school room on a bright spring day and hear a chorus of frogs from the swamps several blocks away.  Now the sight and sound of frogs and toads is becoming increasingly rare.  I still see frogs and the occasional toad in my yard and here in the country we still get serenaded in the spring but even in the twenty years we have lived here I have noticed fewer and fewer frogs and toads, even though we provide plenty of good habitat.

It seems that across the world frogs and toads have declined to alarmingly low population rates and many rare species have disappeared.  Researchers have proposed several causes, including chemicals in the water, stronger UV rays from diminishing ozone layers, loss of habitat and climate change.  There is no doubt that all of those things contribute to the loss of amphibians but now researchers have determined that a fungal disease may be the primary cause of frog death worldwide.

The severe decline of frogs was first noticed in Australia and South America in the 1980’s.  It wasn’t until 1998 that a fungal disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was identified as a possible cause of frog decline.   We know now that frogs in every corner of the world have the disease.  Recent research suggests that Bd is causing much of the decline in the world’s frogs and toads.

Studies by the University of California, Berkley and San Francisco State University found a 95% decline in frog populations after the disease hit the Sierra Nevada area. They found that infected frogs had skins up to 40 times thicker than normal and the thickened skins prevented them from absorbing water and electrolytes through the skin.  The frogs basically died from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Frogs in captivity are easy to treat with common veterinarian fungicides and generally recover.  However it is impossible to treat frogs in the wild this way.  Frogs that are treated and released soon get the disease again.  Researchers are hopeful that a treatment they are developing from normal skin bacteria that live on frogs will eventually be helpful.

It seems amazing that a disease which seems to have emerged in South America could spread across the globe so easily.  Frogs don’t migrate or travel great distances.  I guess they must hitchhike on plants and on boats.  Frogs are the food of other species of animals both as adults and tadpoles and their loss also affects other species of animals.  Frogs also help control insects. Gardeners should do everything they can to protect the frogs and toads in their gardens because they may soon be gone.

137 new species discovered this year

Enough of dying.  This year’s scientific journals have announced that 137 new species of animals and plants were discovered and named this year.  The new species include 83 insects/arachnids, 41 fish, 7 plants, 4 sea slugs, 1 reptile and 1 amphibian.   In 2011 there were 144 new species discovered.  One of the species or actually a new Family of arachnids discovered this year is a clawed spider found in caves in our Pacific Northwest which has been named Trogloraptor, or “cave robber”.

The down side to this is the new species announced may have been identified from specimens locked up in cabinets for up to 20 years waiting to be studied. One of the new species identified this year actually came from a frog specimen collected in the 1930’s.  That’s tragic considering that frog populations are quickly being decimated by the fungal disease discussed previously.   In some cases the whole species may have gone extinct while waiting to be identified since the specimens are often from isolated pockets of territory that were opened up for exploration by being logged or developed for farming and other uses. 

The scientific community really needs to step up their efforts to identify specimens thought to be distinct and new to science.  This is being discussed in many scientific circles and soon we may see a greater focus on quickly identifying collected specimens so populations at risk of extinction can be protected.  By the way specimens discovered by amateur naturalists are often identified much sooner than those collected by professional zoologists and botanists.  That’s because the amateur collector is more eager to identify the specimen, however lowly, and possibly get credit for discovering it.

A good reason to keep cats out of the garden

I spent several hours this week researching and reading about some fascinating new discoveries that link a common cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii with mental illness and suicide in humans.  The protozoan parasite can only complete its life cycle in cats and is shed in cat feces.  People acquire the parasite by eating vegetables and fruits contaminated with it or pick it up when cats contact surfaces where food is prepared or eaten or when humans change litter boxes and handle cats.

In people the parasite often travels to the brain and makes a cyst in brain cells and there is now proof that those cysts secrete a substance that affects mood and emotion.  Research at Michigan State has found that people with Toxoplasma are 7 times more likely to commit suicide than people without the parasite.  The parasite is also linked to bi-polar disease, schizophrenia and other mental illness.   You can read more about this in an article I wrote on Examiner which also has links to scientific articles. http://www.examiner.com/article/common-cat-parasite-is-linked-to-mental-illness-and-suicide-humans

Gardeners should try to keep cats out of gardens, especially if they use them as a giant kitty litter box.  And always keep children’s sandboxes covered to prevent them from being contaminated.  I like cats, I own at least 7- more keep being dropped off- and I don’t intend to let this scare me about keeping them.  But I will be a little more cautious about washing my hands after handling them.

The fascinating history of poinsettias

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. The day was set in 2002 to honor Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, who died on this date in 1851. Poinsett was an interesting man, trained as a doctor; he had an avid interest in botany and natural history. While serving as Mexico’s US ambassador (1825-1829) he often wandered the countryside looking for new plant specimens. In southern Mexico the plant we now call poinsettias grew as tree-like weeds up to 10 feet tall. Read more at the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-fascinating-history-of-poinsettias

December 4, 2012 Garden notes

We sure are having a gray fall.  I keep telling myself that the rain is good for the plants but it sure doesn’t help my mood.  People have been telling me that odd things are still happening related to the unusual weather.  Someone from the mid-south told me that down there some trees that lost leaves are already starting to bud out again.  I noticed that my bulbs are already poking above ground. 

The National Weather Service has issued their meteorological winter (December through March) forecast.   Because of the jet streams, ocean water temperature and other markers, they predict “normal” winter weather for Michigan and most of the nation.  So now we have normal weather, milder and drier, and wetter but colder winter predictions if you add the Weather Service forecasts to both Farmers Almanacs predictions.  Well, someone will be right.

If you are one of the people who worry about the thinning of the ozone layer over us a new finding will get you even more worried.  Recently research has discovered that some of our massive storms that supposedly come from global warming are actually shooting water into the stratosphere, where we think it doesn’t belong.  There it mixes with pollution and forms chemicals that degrade ozone.

Now no one knows if storms have always pushed water into the stratosphere on occasion and whether this was a problem before we added certain chemicals to it from fluorocarbons and other things.  But we do know that wherever large storms with powerful updrafts have been there is a thinning in the ozone layer for several months over that location.  Ozone protects us from harmful radiation.

On to more scary stuff.  Do you believe the world will end on December 21?  I personally expect to be here on December 22nd and maybe a few years beyond that.  There are dozens of scenarios from the rapture to a massive meteor strike being thrown about.  But I planted lots of bulbs this fall and as a gardener I expect that when winter is over, however the weather turned out, spring will return. 

Christmas presents for gardeners

Gardening books and gift certificates to nurseries are welcome gifts for the gardener in your life but here are a few more suggestions. 

Guerilla gardening, where you sneak in and plant things on abandoned land or public spaces has become a popular pastime.  Seed bombs are the weapon of choice.  You lob these bombs into the space you want to re-claim and hopefully plants grow.  One company has made gift baskets that contain various seed mixtures in bomb form combined with slingshots in re-cycled gift boxes.  You can purchase these for about $40 or you can purchase the seed bombs by the pound (about 30 bombs) and make your own kits.  Find the bombs and kits here http://www.greenaid.co/guerilla-gift-box-critters/

How about a quality shovel engraved with the gardener’s name?  You can purchase those at www.diannebbest.com/shovel.php.

Nancy Szerlag has an excellent idea for giving garden magazine gift subscriptions in a recent Detroit News article.  Read the article and get a list of garden magazines to subscribe to at http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121130/OPINION03/211300313/Winter-s-housebound-gardeners-will-enjoy-gift-magazine?

New poinsettias

Thinking about buying a poinsettia for a gift or to decorate your home?  The last few years have seen an increase in the colors of poinsettias that you can buy, although the familiar red poinsettia is still the top seller. 

“Polar Bear” is white with beautiful green veins. “White Glitter” is red with white flecks.  “Ice Crystal” is white with red edges.  Picasso is red with cream streaking.  “Maren” is peach colored.  “Ice Punch” is bright pink with cream centers.  Poinsettias can be saved from year to year although they rarely look as pretty as they did when they came from the greenhouse at future Christmas’s.  A summer outside and being exposed only to natural daylight through fall and winter will help the plant to “flower” again.

Of course plant lovers know that poinsettia flowers are really colored bracts.  The true flower is the yellow tubular shaped objects in the bract center.

New Roses

I promised to talk about new roses for 2013 this week and here are a few I have come across in my reading.

Francis Meilland™ is a tall, very disease resistant hybrid tea rose.  The flowers are large, well formed, pale pink and very fragrant.  It has won many awards in Europe.

Tequila Gold™ is a new shrub rose with beautiful golden flowers.  It is a continuous bloomer with excellent disease resistance.  It could be used as a specimen or as a hedge.

Wollerton Old Hall is an English type rose.  The blooms are cream with a blush of peach and the flowers have an intoxicating myrrh scent.  While not a continuous  bloomer it blooms abundantly for many weeks.  It is almost thornless which makes picking the blooms easy.

Lady Salisbury is a continuous bloomer of pretty pink flower clusters that are excellent for cutting.  It is an English type rose.

Fighting Temeraire is another English rose. It has semi-double flowers of rich apricot with a splash of gold in the center.   It has strong, tall stems and can be trained as a climber.

England’s Rose is striking cerise pink with a strong spice fragrance.  It blooms in waves throughout the summer.  The small to medium size blooms drop their petals cleanly and never look like blobs in damp weather.

Other new plants of note

A Fantastic Foliage® Selection, Flashlights is a new seed grown Milium effusm, that gives gardeners another shade tolerant ornamental grass.  Flashlights makes arching clumps of chartreuse leaves to light up the shade.   It’s excellent for bedding or containers and gets about 10 inches high by 8 inches wide.

The new Jams 'N Jellies Blackberry vinca provides another fantastic bedding plant that could be used in place of impatiens.   It has a velvety purple, almost black flower with a light pink center and would be beautiful paired with light pink, lavender or white flowers. 

Jade Princess is an ornamental millet that has chartreuse leaves with upright purple flower heads that when they are mature, give off a molasses smell.  It would be a neat choice for a sunny container planting on a patio or porch.

Reading the genes of wheat

It may not seem like a big deal to the average person but scientists are excited that the genome of wheat has finally been sequenced, that is we have a map of the genetic make up of wheat.  Did you know that wheat has 94,000 to 96,000 genes which is about 5 times as many genes as a human has?  We think of ourselves as extremely complex organisms but some living things that seem less complex than us have a much more detailed set of building blocks. 

Wheat is the most valuable crop in the world and is facing an emerging disease threat  that poses a serious threat to global food security.  A disease called Ug99, a stem rust disease, has popped up in wheat growing areas of Africa and has spread to the Middle East and Asia.  Ug99 causes almost 100% loss of a crop when it hits an area and current controls for other types of wheat stem rusts are not working well on Ug99. 

Our ARS (Agricultural Research) scientists are working with international groups in a research facility in Turkey to find a cure or treatment for Ug99 before it spreads to the US.  They hope that now they have a map of wheat’s genetic makeup they will be able to identify what genes are involved in resistance to the new disease and develop varieties of Ug99 resistant wheat.  Yes this is genetic modification but it’s a good thing.  If wheat was wiped out across the globe millions of people would starve.

Scientists discover why hybrid plants grow better

It’s long been suspected but researchers have recently confirmed that the reason that hybrid plants (and animals) are more vigorous and productive is that the crossing of two individuals that are not closely related provides back up copies of genes that may have become defective or have gone missing from genetic lines that have been inbred for long periods of time.  Every inbred generation loses some genes through mutation or destruction. When the cell DNA divides during sexual reproduction so that each parent provides half of the chromosomes to an individual many mistakes can happen that damage or destroy genes on those chromosomes.

Many of those faulty or missing genes don’t make substantial differences but sometimes even a single gene that becomes damaged or that is lost can cause great differences.  Usually however the constant loss of a few genes here and there just cause a decline in vigor and productivity over the generations of inbred (purebred) lines.

A hybrid plant, a cross between two varieties of plants that are not closely related, often has 350 or more genes than one of its parents.  These extra genes can replace missing or damaged genes inherited from one parent with healthy ones from the other parent. And sometimes two sets of a certain gene bolster health and production.

Researchers in Israel produced 50 different varieties of tomato plants that had just one genetic mutation after the tomato genome was sequenced so that researchers had an idea where to look for gene mutations.  Crossing these tomatoes with each other provided a variety of enhancements to plant vigor and productivity.  They found that just one gene can increase the sweetness in tomatoes and one gene controls the numbers of flower clusters that form. 

Research on the tomato genome has produced some other interesting things.  A tomato gene was discovered that when injected into cancerous tumors of animals caused the tumors to “die”.  Trials on human cancer will begin soon.  Other tomato genes may become helpful in controlling or preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Gardeners who avoid hybrid seeds may be missing out on plant varieties that are healthier and more productive than those grown from “open pollinated” or purebred lines.  And it is important to stress that hybrid seeds can be produced organically.  Just because a variety of seed is open pollinated does not mean it is organic.

Here are some articles you may want to read.

Poisonous Holiday plants you may want to avoid

Plants have been brought into the home to decorate it around the winter solstice for hundreds of years. They have become part of the tradition and lore of the holidays and the practice persists even today. But not all holiday plants are safe for children and pets and knowing which ones are poisonous is important for a happy holiday.

http://www.examiner.com/article/poisonous-holiday-plants-you-may-want-to-avoid

Using Ginger

Ginger is commonly associated with ginger bread and other pastries but ginger root is a staple of Asian cooking, especially in stir fry. Ginger is often used in sauces and marinades for fish. Ginger also combines well with fruits like peaches and apples as well as vegetables like squash. Ginger is also well known as an herbal remedy for nausea.

http://www.examiner.com/article/preparing-and-using-fresh-ginger

November 27, 2012 Garden Newsletter

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

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

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

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

New Plants- AAS selections

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

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

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

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

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

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

MSU annual trials top picks for 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

Garden catalogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.starkbros.com fruit

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

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

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

http://www.motherearthnews.com/sweepstakes

Check out these videos

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

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

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

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

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

Detroit and farming

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

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

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

Reminder to Independent Master Gardeners

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

Go clip those greens and make a wreath.

Articles you may want to read

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

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-care-for-a-norfolk-island-pine

Thanksgiving garden notes

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

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

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

Add a potato

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

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

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

Whitehouse Thanksgiving menu

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

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

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

Whitehouse Kale Salad

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

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

Dressing for salad

·       1 Cup olive oil

·       1/4 Cup red wine vinegar

·       Juice of 2 medium lemons, about 6 Tablespoons

·       1 medium green onion, minced

·       Salt

·       Freshly ground black pepper

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

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

Some food statistics

254 million turkeys were raised in the US this year and we still had to import some from Canada!  The top turkey producing state was Minnesota.

768 million pounds of cranberries were produced this year in the US, with Wisconsin being the top producer.

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

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

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

2.27 billion bushels of wheat were produced in the US this year with Kansas, North Dakota and Montana being top producing states.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more here - http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-grow-herbs-inside

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

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

November 13 newsletter

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

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

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

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

 Flower of the Year

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

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

 Why bees prefer some flowers more than others

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

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

 Chocolate Research

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

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

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

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

 Archeologists and soil

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

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

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

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

 

How to Grow Abutilons  

(first published in Examiner.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Growing Abutilon

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

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

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

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

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

 Some varieties

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