http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis
Hi Gardeners
Well we had a taste of spring, now its back to winter. I sat outside Saturday afternoon on a bench
without a coat, just long sleeves, enjoying the sun. Then of course we all woke up Monday morning
to snow. I was noticing how many of my
plants around the yard were still green Saturday, things we don’t normally
think of as evergreen. The bamboo, my
lavender and sage were all still green as was the oregano where it had been
snow covered. The heuchera were still “green”
too. The landscape roses by my house all
had red swelling buds along the stems.
Spring is there waiting for us.
There are gardening things to do as we near mid January
besides flipping through catalogs to order plants. It’s time to start saving and washing those
plastic deli and bakery trays for starting cuttings and seeds. Look over your seed starting supplies if you
are going to start seeds and get what you need before the stores sell out. You can make paper pots if you need to. You may want to actually start the seeds of
plants that take a long time to bloom such as impatiens, seed geraniums, coleus,
petunias and other tender perennials.
Cuttings from geraniums wintered inside can be taken and started now too
as well as potting up tuberous begonias.
You can do your fruit tree pruning any time you feel like
braving the weather. Prune oak trees now
if they need it. It’s a good time to
check for any tree damage from deer, rabbits and rodents and protect the trees
if needed.
Give your houseplants a good checking over and treat for
pests like scale if needed. Dust and wash plant leaves. Some plants may appreciate a warm shower as
our homes are very dry now. The best way
to do this is to cover the pot with a plastic bag, set it in the shower and use
warm water on a gentle spray cycle for a few minutes. Do this early in the day
so the foliage has a long time to dry before evening. Let them drain well before returning to their
spots. They will love you for this. You
can start houseplant cuttings now.
Anything that’s blooming can be fertilized, but hold off fertilizing the
rest of the houseplants until March.
It’s time to take care of yourself too. Get a flu shot if you haven’t had one. If you get a cold or flu chicken soup is
scientifically proven to help relieve congestion and sore throats. Stay away from doctor’s offices and hospitals
because that’s where sick people go and that’s where you will catch viruses if
you don’t have them. Cancel non-essential appointments until flu season is
over. Wash the handles of shopping carts
before use and wash your hands often.
What bees like
New research has determined that iridescence, the shiny
flashing colors seen in certain light on some flowers, attracts bees just like
neon lights attract bar hopping humans.
The colors are caused by folds in the waxy cuticle layers on the flower
petals. The folds have ridges on top with “diffraction gratings”- which bend
light and cause the glittery colors. These folds also help bees get a grip on
flower petals and help them obtain the rewards they are seeking.
Bumble bees, one of our top pollinators, are also attracted
to red flowers and flowers which have their veins outlined on a flower petal in
a contrasting color. Usually the veins
are outlined in red shades because in some plants where the tissues of flower
veins touch the dermal tissues of a flower petal a line of reddish pigment
forms. In general plants with vein
patterns are highly attractive to bees and reward them with generous amounts of
pollen or nectar. Research has found
that bees learn and memorize colors and patterns that lead to food
rewards.
When humans breed plants to modify their flower colors and
forms they may inadvertently be breeding plants with flowers that fewer bees
find and when bees find fewer flowers - well they make fewer bees - and that will
eventually cause pollination problems across the garden - and world. Do our
pollinating bees a favor this spring and grow some plants with flowers that are
iridescent, red or that have prominently marked vein patterns so the bees can “bee”
all that they can “bee”.
Heritage Flowers
When I was growing up my grandmother who lived next door had
an extensive flower garden as well as a food garden. I can vividly remember some of those flowers
and their cultivar names today. I saved
my babysitting money to purchase little packets of seeds from the back of magazines,
which advertised sample packets for 10 cents or 3 for a quarter. My grandmother also gave me seeds and plants
to grow in my own garden.
While many of us are familiar with the movement to grow more
heritage food plants to preserve genetic diversity and discover better taste,
fewer people seem to be interested in preserving heritage flowers. Many heritage flowering plants are annuals
and our gardening tastes have shifted to perennial plants. What annual plants we do grow are restricted
to some flashy new varieties of familiar bedding plants like impatiens,
petunias and marigolds.
There are two types of heritage flowers, heritage species
that are seldom grown any more and old varieties or cultivars of plants that
are now represented in our gardens by newer, “better” cultivars. It’s true that in some cases newer hybrids are
easier to grow and more disease resistant, but just like heritage tomatoes we
miss some of the benefits that older varieties of plants can provide if we stop
growing them.
This year why not set aside some space to grow some charming
old fashioned flowers? Many make good
cutting flowers, some make good dried arrangements and many are more attractive
and more rewarding to bees and other pollinators than their newer counterparts.
I am going to list some flowers and some older cultivars that I remember and
that I know you can still find on line and in some catalogs. It makes me laugh a bit that flowers I grew
as a youngster are now heritage varieties.
Sweet Peas (annual) used to be the rage and gardeners grew
hundreds of cultivars. They are seldom
grown today. They can be planted in
early spring, when you plant regular garden peas, right in the garden. The scent and colors of old varieties are
wonderful. Look for “Spencer” hybrids, Cupani and Old Spice mix.
My grandmother always had a big patch of Bachelors Button’s which helped cover
the iris bed after it quit blooming. These
have gray-green leaves and small tufts of pretty flowers, mostly in blue shades
but with occasional pink, red and white colors. They are annuals but re-seed freely. We used to search for different and unusual
colored flowers and my grandmother would save the seeds to keep the patch
diversified. A “Boy” series sold back
then actually had true breeding colors, such as Blue Boy, Black Boy, (I
bet that’s not sold anymore) and Red Boy. Polka Dots is another cultivar name.
Hollyhocks ( perennial or bi-annual) are still grown by some
gardeners. Try these older cultivars Chaters Double, Watchman, and Indian Spring. China Asters are annual asters that are great
for cutting and have large flowers. An
old variety, Giants of California, is
still good. Heliotrope is still offered in garden centers. (It’s not hardy in Michigan .)
But if you want good old fashioned blue heliotrope with that amazing scent,
look for the variety Marine.
Four O’ Clocks ( annual) open their tubular flowers in the
late afternoon and the flowers are often multicolored. Marvel
of Peru is the old cultivar name.
The modern nicotiana varieties ( annual, tender perennials) do have their place but try one of these old
favorites for something different; Only the Lonely ( N.sylvestris), Louisiana Pirogue, Langsdorf, Aztec Sweet,
or Delaware Indian Sacred.
Morning Glories are great for covering fences and trellises. New varieties are on the market now but these
old ones are still beautiful. Try these
varieties; Heavenly Blue, Grandpa Ott, Flying Saucers and Scarlett O’Hara.
While Morning Glories are annuals they
often reseed- and cross breed and you’ll have them forever.
Calendula or pot marigolds are edible flowers that bloom
best in early spring and then again in the fall. They were used to color butter and the petals
are fed to chickens to produce deep yellow yolks. Pacific
Beauty and Radio are good older
varieties. Nasturtiums are another
edible flower that all old gardens used to contain. Tall
Trailing was a sprawling mixture often grown in porch boxes. Alaska
Marigolds have many older cultivars. I remember how proud I was of the size and
beauty of the Cracker Jack marigolds
that I grew as a kid. An old smaller variety of marigold is the Signet series. Cosmos, Bright
Lights, Seashell and Sensation make colorful tall bedding
plants and are good for cutting.
Zinnias (annual) used to be very popular. I remember growing State Fair, Cut and Come
Again, and California Giants. All are still available. Snapdragons were an old favorite for bedding
in mass. Some are actually short lived
perennials. The Rocket hybrids were all the rage.
If you like to dry flowers then try strawflowers, statice,
Bells of Ireland, Love Lies Bleeding, Kiss me Over the Garden Gate, and other
amaranths, Canterbury Bells, Lunaria, and Chinese Lanterns. Some are annuals, some are perennials.
These plants don’t have many variety names but are
interesting older flowering plants perfect for cottage gardens and a bit of
nostalgia. Maybe you remember some of
them; Stocks, pyrethrum ( Painted Daisies), Candytuft, Scarlet Flax, Feverfew, Digitalis,
Sweet William, Ipomopsis ( Standing Cypress), Bush Balsam ( Touch Me Not)
Tassel Flower ( Emilia javanica), Flanders or Corn Poppy, Larkspur, portulaca (
Moss Rose).
Herbs for hot flashes
If you are a woman suffering from post-menopausal symptoms
you’ll be happy to learn that research published January 11 in The
Obstetrician and Gynaecologist has determined that these herbs or plant
products, soy, red clover and black cohosh are just as effective in treating
post menopausal symptoms as hormone replacement therapy, without the risks
associated with artificial hormones. The
plant products are generally used together and can be found in most places that
sell herbal products. However women who
have had breast cancer or are at high risk for it because of genetics are
advised not to use the herbs.
How to keep ladybugs
home
Did you know that ladybugs eat nectar and pollen as well as
devouring bad insects? One of the
problems people have when they purchase lady bugs for their gardens is to keep
them from flying off. Other people hope
to attract more of them to the garden to eat aphids and other bugs.
Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) entomologist Jonathan Lundgren at the agency's North Central Agricultural
Research Laboratory in Brookings , S.D.
The researchers found that
spraying soybean fields with a sugar solution kept the ladybugs in the fields
longer and made the female lady beetles more successful at reproducing. The
larvae or young of ladybeetles are avid eaters of aphids. The sugar solution also attracted lady beetles
from other places to the field.
Research determined that lady beetles which ate a varied diet were
healthier.
Another bit of research
information that has come out lately is that the redder in color a lady beetle
is, the healthier it is and the more toxins it carries to prevent birds and
other predators from eating it. The
predators avoid the redder insects.
So here’s an idea for those
gardeners who want to attract beneficial lady beetles to the garden. Mix up a sugar solution and spray some plants.
More Information
Make those resolutions
It’s a new year and if you are a gardener you have probably started
thinking about your next gardening adventure, even if it’s cold and snowy
outside. Maybe with all the other resolutions you've
made for the new year and a new start you've made some resolutions considering
your garden. Here are some resolutions you may want to consider making if they
aren't already on your list. Read
more :
Growing annual flowers from seed
f you are a frugal gardener who wants masses of annual flowers for color or for
cutting, you’ll be happy to know that many annuals can be directly seeded in
your Michigan
No comments:
Post a Comment