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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

April 2, 2013 Garden newsletter


April 2, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


These weekly garden notes are written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other individual, group or organizations opinions.

Dutch Iris will bloom later in the month.
Hello Gardeners

Well it’s April and spring should be here.  I woke up to snow covered ground the last two mornings and it wasn’t a pleasant sight.  Boy, have the Farmers almanacs been wrong with their weather predictions this year!  I have heard that the lack of a definite weather system in the Pacific, neither El Nino or La Nina conditions, have brought us to this tottery, late start to spring.  Enough already.   At least a slow warm up is predicted, although the weekend looks like it will be rainy.

I was able to get some work done this Saturday, which was actually a nice sunny spring day.  My husband and I worked on making a new wood chip path across the front yard, so that his wheel chair doesn’t tear up the lawn.  His electric chair has wide wheels and will run over the wood chips.  We carried the chips one muck bucket at a time on a hand cart which is the easiest way for both of us to work, with our health limitations.  The path is 42 inches wide and 70 feet long and we have almost finished filling it so we haven’t done too bad.  Eventually our narrow front yard will have no lawn, I am slowly converting it to flowers and shrubs.

Plants that I ordered from various nurseries are arriving and the weather hasn’t been great for planting them.  I have 4 inch pots on the kitchen window sill and larger pots on the porch, all waiting for the right weather.  My crisper drawer in the refrigerator is storing strawberry plants as I am re-doing my strawberry bed.  I am hoping to get some of the still dormant stuff planted outside this weekend and I want to get an early planting of snow peas and lettuce done.

I saw that the nurseries and garden centers have pansies for sale and they will stand even a bit of snow if you need color. If you didn’t plant bulbs this fall many places are selling blooming flats of them.  I do have a patch of crocus blooming when the sun shines, by the back door, although the crocus further from the house are still not blooming.  At my mom’s house in Pontiac Sunday the crocus were in full bloom and the early daffodils were showing a bit of color. 

Robins, red-winged blackbirds and turkey vultures are all back and Sunday I heard the slow croaking of a few frogs down by my pond.  Poor things.  I hope the hummingbirds and orioles take their sweet time getting back.

A neighbor stopped by and gave me some exciting news.  He lives about a half mile down the road on a large piece of property with a small lake and mature forest.  He has had 3 Bald Eagles hanging around for a few weeks.  He goes out and drags road kill into a field by his house so he can watch them feed.  He said one picked up a large dead groundhog and flew off with it.   I am keeping an eye on the sky hoping to see the eagles as they aren’t far away at all.  I have a large flock of vultures that live in my wooded area and I have read that eagles often follow vultures to their feeding areas and drive them off to eat.  So now I am spending a lot of time watching vultures, hoping to see eagles.  And I warned my dogs to run for cover if a big bird flies over.  Some of them weigh less than a ground hog.

April almanac

April is probably my favorite month, or maybe tied with May.  It means the beginning of spring for most of us, even though officially spring began back in March. In earliest recorded times April was the second month, the Roman calendar changed it to the fourth month.  The name April either was derived from Greek words for Easter (see last week’s newsletter) or from the Roman word Aprillis which means “to open”.   April always begins on the same day of the week as July, every year!

The full moon in April is called the Pink Moon, green grass moon, egg moon or fish moon, depending on what’s important to you I guess. Pink moon comes from the pinks that begin blooming this month or some say that the spring moon has a pink glow, grass begins growing, birds begin nesting, and fish begin biting. For people in earlier times April meant the times of hunger and cold would soon be over, the signs of tiny green sprouts for their animals to graze, the increased eggs in the hen house and the fish jumping in the creek were beautiful to the eye.

The moon is new on the 10th in 1st quarter the 18th and full on the 25th.  Plant below ground crops on the 6th and 7th and above ground crops on the 16th and 17th, if you plant by the moon.  Good days for setting eggs are the 4th and 22-24th and fishing will be good from the 10th through the 24th.

April’s flowers are the sweet pea and the daisy and the birthstone is the diamond. April is National Gardening Month, National Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, Frog Month, Humor Month and Straw Hat Month.  This first week of April is Be Kind to Spiders week so be careful when you are doing that spring cleaning.

In April Florida was discovered by Ponce De Lyon and claimed for Spain ( 1513), the Revolutionary and Civil wars both began and ended in April, and the US entered WWI in April. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, (1865), and the Titanic sank and the first McDonald’s was opened on April 15.  Dandelion Day is April 4th, Garlic Day is April 19th, Earth Day is April 22th, Arbor Day is April 24th and Oatmeal Cookie Day is April 30th

Planting precautions- poisonous plants
As you get out there buying plants and working on your garden remember that some plants are poisonous to pets and children.  The ASPCA  publishes a list of plants poisonous to animals at this site http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/  The plants In the paragraph below are listed on the site along with many others including house plants and weeds.

According to the ASPCA this begonia is poisonous.
Amaryllis, alocasia, apple, apricot, American bittersweet, Andromeda, arum, Asian lilies, azalea, babies breath, begonias, bishops weed, black walnut, , bracken fern, buckeye, burning bush, buckwheat, buttercup, caladium, calla, cardinal flower, castor bean, carnation, chamomile, cherry, chrysanthemum, clematis, coleus, crocus, cyclamen, daffodil, dahlia, daisy, daylilies, delphinium, English Ivy, foxglove, hyacinth, garlic, geranium, gladiola, gloriosa lily, heliotrope, hellebore, hibiscus, holly, hops, hosta, hydrangea, Iris, lantana, larkspur, lilies(all), lily of the valley, lobelia, locust, morning glory, milkweed, moss rose, mountain laurel, nicotiania, oak, oleander, onion, Oregon holly, peach, peony, periwinkle, pinks, plum, portulaca, potato (foliage), primrose, privet, red maple, rhubarb, rhododendron, rose of Sharon, St. Johns wort, sweet potato, sweet William, sweet pea, taro, tomato, tulips, vinca, yew, wisteria, yarrow, yucca.

If this list makes it seem like there are no safe plants remember that it’s your call as to what to plant and most people have these plants in their gardens without any ill effects.  However always keep an eye on pets and children in the garden, especially very young ones of either species.  I helped many people in my time at Extension identify plants that had killed their pets or made pets or children ill.  One case involved a woman who tied a young dog to a large yew in her backyard for long periods of time each day.  The dog was bored and chewed on the roots of the yew where it had dug a hole and died from poisoning.  I myself had a Yorkie pup that ate a daffodil bulb as he followed me around while I was planting them and it almost killed him.  Just last year a woman had a very sick cat after it ate some plants in a cut flower bouquet in which there were several types of poisonous plants.

In case you want some “safe” plants here are some the ASPCA says are non-toxic.  Remember there are many new plants out there where the toxicity is not known.  (This is not an endorsement of certain plants; some of these may cause problems also, but just haven’t been tested.) 

Here are some plants considered to be non-toxic; astilbe, ajuga, beebalm, blackberry, bleeding heart, blueberry, borage, buddleia, candytuft, calendula, canna, clethra, coreopsis, cosmos, dogwood, echincea, forsythia, gaillardias, grapes, heuchera, honeysuckle, impatiens, kiwi, lavender, lilac,  lupine, marigold, ninebark, ostrich fern, pachysandra, pansies, pears, petunia, phlox, poppy, quince, raspberry, rudbeckia, Russian sage, salvia, snapdragon, sedum, snowdrops, strawberry,  spirea, trumpet vine,  violets,  viburnum, weigela, zinnias.  There are probably many more non-toxic plants- including most herbs and vegetables.

One more poison note: Do not use fresh daffodils and narcissus flowers in salads or as decorations on cakes, etc.  I saw this done in a magazine recently – obviously some editor goofed.  These flowers are toxic, even though you would probably have to eat a lot of them to kill you.  But we don’t want children or vulnerable adults to associate these flowers with food. Also daffodil and narcissus flowers in mixed bouquets may cause the other flowers to wilt faster, as the stems exude a toxin.  The water in vases may also become toxic.

The future begins today
Wieger Wamelink, an ecologist at Alterra Wageningen University Research Centre, in the Netherlands will be doing some planting today, April 2, 2013, that may be the beginning of a brave new world.  The Dutch are planning to build a manned space colony on the moon in the near future and in preparation for that adventure Wamelink will be sowing the seeds of wild plants and crop plants in soil formulated and supplied by NASA to match the soil found on the moon.  He will also be planting seeds in soil formulated to match the soil of Mars.

The plants will be grown indoors as they will have to be grown on the moon or Mars and the assumption will be that water will be available for the plants.  Control crops planted in earth soil will also be grown.  The plants will be evaluated to see if they grow, and to see if they need supplemental minerals or other things to prosper and a data base will be developed for use by other researchers.  As soon as plants can be successfully grown they will be evaluated for safety when consumed, as the soil from the moon and Mars contain many heavy metals.

It is hoped that future colonies on the moon and Mars will be able to grow their own food and that plants will also supply oxygen that such a colony will need. This is fascinating research.  I wonder if I will hear that there are gardens on the moon in my lifetime.  Think of what a plant will cost if it was grown on the moon!  All of you advanced thinkers out there should make your plans to get rich with a greenhouse on the moon.

Gardening reduces crime
The trees are blooming too.  This is poplar.
Two studies have popped up in recent research reports that correlate areas that have well-tended landscapes, with mature trees and tidy gardens with lower rates of crime.  Despite the thinking of many people who feel that removing trees and shrubs from the landscape will give people fewer places to hide and do bad things, researchers found that groomed landscapes tend to promote lower crime rates.  It is speculated that the calming nature of pleasant landscapes, as well as the obvious sign that people in the area care about their surroundings and that being outside caring for the landscape connects them to neighbors are the factors that result in lower crime rates.  Even areas with low income inhabitants had less crime if there were gardens, and well cared for trees and shrubs.

Lower crime rates do not hold true for areas like Detroit, where weedy trees grow up untended and areas are “green” with weeds, tall grass, invasive shrubs and crowded sapling trees.  In fact these areas with neglected landscapes have more crime.  This should be a clear sign to Detroit and other blighted cities to manage their landscapes and allow more agriculture, tree farms, orchards and gardens to be developed if they want to lessen crime rates.

Watch out for the poor spiders and don’t start any wars.
Kim
Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent

More Information

The Great Divide
Susan H. Barrott, Horticulture Technician, University of Minnesota ( April 2012)

Perennials that are overgrown, have gotten out of control, are declining in overall growth, haven't bloomed quite as nicely as they should, or have died out in the center of the clump should be divided to improve health, growth, and appearance.  A good rule of thumb is to divide perennials opposite of their bloom time.  However, most perennials can be divided just about any time of the year providing that one provides extra care to get the plants established after dividing, especially during warm weather.  It's easier to divide perennials in the early spring when they are smaller and easy to handle.  Now is a great time to divide those that bloom in the summer or fall.

Begin by digging out around the edge of the plant and lift the entire plant, leaving as much of the root system as intact as possible.  Or, if one just wants to "share" a portion of a perennial, dig around the outside edge and lift a segment of the plant.

If the perennial has fibrous roots (e.g. coreopsis, daisy), one can use a spade, pitchfork, or knife to divide these.  This type of root system can be pulled or teased apart.  Make sure that there are at least 2-3 shoots and a good mass of roots.  If the plant has fleshy, thick roots (e.g. peony, daylily), use a sharp knife or even a hacksaw to cut pieces of the root, making sure that there are a few buds or "eyes" remaining on the fleshy root.  If one is dividing ornamental grasses, well, the best recommendation is to call a neighbor to do it!  

Ornamental grasses can quickly become thick and woody and are sometimes quite difficult to divide.  People have been known to use axes and even chainsaws to cut through the root mass!  Try to divide these early before they get so difficult. 

After digging, discard any roots that are dead, rotted, or mushy.  Plant the divisions immediately or as soon after dividing and water to keep the roots moist.  When dividing, take advantage of the empty root space and add organic matter prior to replanting. 

DIVIDE IN EARLY SPRING: Every 1-3 years
Aster
Beardtongue (Penstemon)
Beebalm (Monarda)
Carnation (Dianthus)
Common Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa)
Coralbells (Heuchera)
Cornflower (Centaurea)
Delphinium
Fernleaf Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)    Foamflower (Tiarella)
Garden Mums (Dendranthema x grandiflora)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia)
Painted Daisy (Tanacetum)
Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
Tall Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Yarrow (Achillea)

DIVIDE IN EARLY SPRING: Every 3-5 years
Astilbe
Bellflower (Campanula)
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
Catmint (Nepeta)
Coneflower (Rudbeckia)
Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Gay Feather (Liatris)   Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides)
Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium)
Mallow (Malvia)
Sea Thrift (Armeria)
Speedwell (Veronica)
Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata)

DIVIDE IN EARLY SPRING: Infrequently, 5-10 years
Cranesbill (Geranium)
Goatsbeard (Aruncus)
Hosta
Japanese Anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla)     Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula)
Oxeye (Heliopsis)
Siberian Iris

DIVIDE IN LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL
Asiatic Lily
Bearded Iris
*Daylily (Hemerocallis)
*Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium)          *Peony (divide infrequently)
*Tall Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
*Siberian Iris
*Can also be divided in early spring.

DO NOT DIVIDE
Baby's Breath (Gypsophila)
Balloon Flower (Platycodon)
Bugbane (Cimicifuga)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias)
Clematis
Evening Primrose (Oenothera missourienis) False Indigo (Baptisia)
Flax (Linum)
Gentian
Lupine
Monkshood (Aconitum)
Russian Sage (Perovskia)

DIVIDE ONLY TO PROPAGATE
Bugbane (Cimicifuga)
Globeflower (Trollius)
Yucca
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