Garden newsletter May 7, 2013

May 7, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

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

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

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.

Hi Gardeners

It’s a beautiful day out there.  I love  this weather, it’s just perfect and we so deserve it.  The flowering trees were so beautiful in Lapeer this weekend, all the magnolias and cherries and the Bradford pears.  My redbud is just starting to open; the sour cherry is blooming, and the flowering quince.  Along the roads and woods the trout lilies and bloodroot are blooming.  Hensbit or deadnettle is coloring the grass edges purple along with the violets.  The bees are feasting on dandelions.  I have tulips, daffodils, forget- me-nots, bleeding hearts, grape hyacinths, violas, azaleas, and my clove currant blooming in the garden. 

I love the clove currant, it’s a native plant and I had a huge bush it below my bedroom window when I lived in Pontiac.  I brought a piece of it to my new garden here although it didn’t “take” and I had to get another start of it some years later from my mother, who had started a plant of it by her house.  I now have a good sized plant. 

Clove currant.

The clove currant is covered in tiny yellow flowers in spring about the time forsythia blooms although the clove currant flowers smell delightful and perfume the spring air far from the plant.  If you have male and female plants the flowers turn into black, edible berries. It has lightly lobed pretty leaves, and makes a rangy shrub about 6 feet high, but you can prune it into a more desirable shape and it responds well.  The only bad thing about it is that it is an alternate host for white pine blister rust.  It is a native plant however so I allow it to grow even though we have many white pine.

I saw the orioles this week, but I have yet to see hummingbirds.  I have their feeder waiting and it’s only a matter of time I hope.  The birds and frogs are singing quite happily, I hear my tree frogs all around the house.  A baby crow or two are making their weird calls from the woods.  They sound like a combination of a human baby and a cat crying.  I snuck up on one to see what was making the noise one year because I was worried something was hurt in the woods.  Now I know the what the noise means, it’s a begging baby crow.

Don’t be too quick to plant the tomatoes and put out the hanging baskets.  A cold front is due this weekend, and there will probably be a heavy frost or even a freeze this weekend.  Let’s hope that will be the end of that kind of weather.  However the moon is full on the 18^th and it’s been my experience that until we pass the full moon in May there can still be frost.  Sometimes after that too, the end of May is a surer bet for planting the tender plants.

It’s May, plant something every day.

That’s my May motto, and so far I have planted something each day. There is plenty that you can plant now.  Almost all perennials can be planted.  Potatoes, onions, beets, cabbage, chard, lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots can all be planted before the last frost.  Later in the month we can get the early sweet corn, beans, even tomatoes, peppers and melons planted.  As far as the annuals, geraniums, marigolds and petunias may be planted mid-May if you are willing to cover them if a hard frost threatens.  But wait until late May to plant things like begonias, coleus and impatiens.

If you like green onions buy a bag of onion sets and plug them in where later crops are not using the room right now.  I have tucked some around my new Saskatoon plantings as I know the bushes won’t be very big until later in the season, when I will have pulled the onions.   The sets will also make larger onions for cooking if left in the ground until fall.  Any time you have nothing to plant in May pull out the onion set bag and plug in a few.

The seeds of many annual (and perennial) flower plants can also be planted now, because it takes 10 days or more for most of them to germinate. By that time it will be mid-May and most things will not have problems with light frost after that.  Try sowing marigolds, zinnias, calendula, cosmos, snapdragons, Bachelors Buttons, and sunflowers about mid-May.  Don’t plant dahlias, cannas, and callas outside until later in the month, but it’s good to start them inside in pots right away if you haven’t done that.  Glads can be planted outside beginning in mid-May.  Plant small bunches of them 2 weeks apart so they don’t all bloom at once.

Make it your goal this May to plant something every day.  If your yard and garden get full do some guerilla gardening and “bomb” a vacant lot with flower seeds.  Or help out at a public garden, school planting or senior citizens garden. 

The lovely and useful dandelion

Did you know that the dandelion is not a native plant?  They were brought here by early European colonists as an herbal plant and escaped to live happily ever after.  I personally like to see the lawn lit up with golden flowers.  I think more people would tolerate dandelions “naturalized” in the lawn if they didn’t turn into those white fluff balls of seed. 

The bees appreciate dandelions too.  They are an important source of nectar and pollen in early spring, and get bee colonies off to a good start.  Birds like the seeds of dandelions even though they are small.   Some farm animals don’t care for dandelion foliage as it’s rather bitter and the plants are often left to flower in pastures to the delight of the bees.   However my canaries love dandelion leaves.

Dandelions are interesting plants.  The leaves are grooved and arranged to funnel water to the roots and the root itself is a long sturdy taproot capable of storing water so the plant survives drought well.  The dandelion begins flowering when the day length is slightly below 12 hours, stops flowering when the day gets to its longest point and then begin flowering again in autumn when the day length is about 12 hours again.  

Dandelion flowers are actually masses of small flowers bundled together and these flowers do not need pollination to set seed, although they appreciate and reward bees for helping with pollination.  Dandelion flowers close at night and when rain is coming.  The dandelion seed floats away on a tuff of fluff to start new colonies.  Dandelions are perennial and if you dig down beneath the snow you can find the leaves still green in winter.

All parts of the dandelion are used in herbal remedies or for food.   Young dandelion leaves are used for salads and are grown for that purpose to include in “green mixes.”  The buds of dandelions and even open flowers can be used in salads also.  The young greens are cooked like spinach, although they are best mixed with other greens as they are bitter when cooked. 

Dried dandelion leaves are used as a tea to aid digestion.  Dried dandelion leaves, dried nettles and yellow dock are turned into an herbal beer once popular in Canada.  The leaves are high in calcium, boron, and silicone and modern herbals suggest them to aid in treating osteoporosis. 

Dandelion

Dandelion flowers are used to make dandelion wine.  Fresh flowers are picked and fermented with sugar and yeast, usually flavored with a little lemon and orange to make a wine that is said to taste good and provide you with lots of vitamins and minerals.  Dandelion flowers contain high levels of lecithin and choline, two substances modern herbalists use for treating Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders.

Dandelion roots are dried and ground and used in a number of medicinal ways.  They are a mild diuretic and laxative and are said to help the liver.  The dried roots are also used as a coffee substitute.  The chopped, boiled and mashed roots are an old remedy for sore breasts and mastitis. 

When you pick a dandelion flower the stem leaks a milky sap.  That sap is an old remedy for warts and other skin conditions.  As you can see a lawn full of dandelions is like a giant herb and vegetable garden rolled into one!  Of course when you pick dandelion parts for eating and herbal use pick them from areas that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

May Almanac

In May the full moon is appropriately named the flower moon.  The moon is new on the 9^th , full on the 18^th.   There are two sets of notable days in May folklore. The first is Chilly Saints days, named for the Saints Mameritus, Pancras, and Gervais.  The days are the 11^th ,12^th and 13^th and it is said that these days will be cold and frosty.  It sure looks like that may be the case this May.

The second set of days is the Ember days, which I have discussed before.  May Ember days are the 22^nd , 24^th and 25^th.  On the 22^nd  the weather predicts the weather for June, the 24^th predicts July weather and the 25^th August weather.

If you plant by the moon good days to plant above ground crops are the 13-14, and 23-24.  Below ground crops are best planted on the 31^st  ( and 4-5 which have passed).  Best days to control pests and weeds are 6-7 – better get out there with your weed killers tonight.  Best days to mow to retard growth are said to be the 25-31^st.  ( Don’t wait that long to mow.)

The month May is derived from the name of the Greek goddess Maia, associated with fertility.  The May birthstone is the emerald and the May flower is the lily of the valley.  Its National Salad month, National Egg month and National Date your Mate month.

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness month and it’s also Zombie  Awareness Month.  The first Saturday in May is Kentucky Derby Day.  The second Sunday in May is Mother’s Day,( that’s this Sunday).  Armed Forces day is the third Saturday of May and Memorial Day is the last Monday in May, the 27^th this year.  May is Asian Pacific American month. 

Today is World Laughter Day, laugh out loud and sing praises for the day!

Dead nettle or hensbit, a common May weed.

Kim

Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent

More Information

USDA Press Release – A Report on Honeybee Health

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2013-The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

"There is an important link between the health of American agriculture and the health of our honeybees for our country's long term agricultural productivity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "The forces impacting honeybee health are complex and USDA, our research partners, and key stakeholders will be engaged in addressing this challenge."

"The decline in honey bee health is a complex problem caused by a combination of stressors, and at EPA we are committed to continuing our work with USDA, researchers, beekeepers, growers and the public to address this challenge," said Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "The report we've released today is the product of unprecedented collaboration, and our work in concert must continue. As the report makes clear, we've made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done to protect the honey bee population."

In October 2012, a National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health, led by federal researchers and managers, along with Pennsylvania State University, was convened to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding the primary factors that scientists believe have the greatest impact on managed bee health.

Key findings include:

Parasites and Disease Present Risks to Honey Bees:

·  The parasitic Varroa mite is recognized as the major factor underlying colony loss in the U.S. and other countries. There is widespread resistance to the chemicals beekeepers use to control mites within the hive. New virus species have been found in the U.S. and several of these have been associated with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Increased Genetic Diversity is Needed:

·  U.S. honeybee colonies need increased genetic diversity. Genetic variation improves bees thermoregulation (the ability to keep body temperature steady even if the surrounding environment is different), disease resistance and worker productivity.

·  Honey bee breeding should emphasize traits such as hygienic behavior that confer improved resistance to Varroa mites and diseases (such as American foulbrood).

Poor Nutrition Among Honey Bee Colonies:

·  Nutrition has a major impact on individual bee and colony longevity. A nutrition-poor diet can make bees more susceptible to harm from disease and parasites. Bees need better forage and a variety of plants to support colony health.

·  Federal and state partners should consider actions affecting land management to maximize available nutritional forage to promote and enhance good bee health and to protect bees by keeping them away from pesticide-treated fields.

There is a Need for Improved Collaboration and Information Sharing:

·  Best Management Practices associated with bees and pesticide use, exist, but are not widely or systematically followed by members of the crop-producing industry. There is a need for informed and coordinated communication between growers and beekeepers and effective collaboration between stakeholders on practices to protect bees from pesticides.

·  Beekeepers emphasized the need for accurate and timely bee kill incident reporting, monitoring, and enforcement.

Additional Research is Needed to Determine Risks Presented by Pesticides:

·  The most pressing pesticide research questions relate to determining actual pesticide exposures and effects of pesticides to bees in the field and the potential for impacts on bee health and productivity of whole honey bee colonies.

Those involved in developing the report include USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as the EPA and Pennsylvania State University. The report will provide important input to the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee, led by the USDA, EPA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

An estimated one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honey bees. In the United States, pollination contributes to crop production worth $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture reliant on commercial pollination services. This is evident from reports of shortages of bees available for the pollination of many crops.

The Colony Collapse Steering Committee was formed in response to a sudden and widespread disappearance of adult honey bees from beehives, which first occurred in 2006. The Committee will consider the report's recommendations and update the CCD Action Plan which will outline major priorities to be addressed in the next 5-10 years and serve as a reference document for policy makers, legislators and the public and will help coordinate the federal strategy in response to honey bee losses.

To view the report, which represents the consensus of the scientific community studying honey bees, please visit: http://www.usda.gov/documents/ReportHoneyBeeHealth.pdf