page links

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

January 15, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter




From Kim Willis
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 has white variegated leaves. Fiesta is another old variety.  Both calendula and nasturtiums are annuals.

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., and former ARS entomologist Michael Seagraves were part of a team of ARS and university scientists who are studying lady beetles, which haven’t actually been studied much despite their pest controlling abilities as well as their reputation for sometimes becoming pests.

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 garden and will bloom and provide color for you through much of the summer. With a little care a small packet of seeds can produce dozens, if not hundreds of flowers for you.  Read more:


No comments:

Post a Comment