Kim's Weekly Garden Newsletter September 10, 2013

September 10, 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

Fall weather has its ups and downs that’s for sure.  From fans to furnace in one week is kind of hard to tolerate but there is nothing we can do about it.   What I really wish for is rain- it’s getting pretty dry around here, yesterday we just got traces of rain from time to time.  The garden is looking faded, dry and dusty.  Sunflowers, dahlias, cannas, marigolds, geraniums, petunias, salvia, hibiscus and mums are providing some color.  The cooler nights are coaxing the snapdragons and laurentia back into bloom too.  This is the time of year when you are grateful for those annuals, which are at their peak.

Heritage glad Bibi.

Be on the lookout for a frost advisory this weekend.  It looks like the temps just might go that  low. With a first, early frost just covering your tender plants will probably be fine.  Remember not to use plastic when covering plants, it conveys the cold right to the plant if it touches it and if the sun comes out before you remove the cover in the morning you can cook your plants.  Old sheets are great for frost protection.  Newspaper and row cover you purchase are other options.

Start thinking about bringing the houseplants in, as some plants are susceptible to cold nights even if it doesn’t frost.  I am leaving mine out for at least a week or two because it isn’t going to be much warmer in my house as we are having our furnace replaced and the old one isn’t working.   They are under the cedar trees and off the ground so they should be fine.

You may want to look over your tender perennials and see what you want to bring inside to save for next year.  You can leave them outside a bit longer if you cover them before a frost.  Geraniums are one of the best tender perennials to bring inside.  They will often bloom all winter in a sunny window.  Or they will survive in a dormant state in a cool, dimly lit place. 

Rex begonias and fibrous begonias can make great houseplants.  Tuberous begonias and the cane type begonias will go dormant for a while if brought inside in pots but they will re-bloom again next spring.  Hold them in a place just above freezing in the pots they were growing in after the foliage dies down.  Don’t water the pots.  In late February bring the pots out into a warm room, with good light and water them regularly and they’ll start growing again.

Other tender perennials to over winter are abutilons, lemon verbena, coleus, sweet potato vines, the “spikes” in pots (dracaena), fuchsia, polka dot plants, Chinese hibiscus, firecracker plant and other cuphea’s and rosemary.  There are many tropicals being sold now for summer containers and many of those will survive over winter if brought in and cared for properly.

Fragrant tulips

I love tulips in the spring and I just finished ordering some new ones for my garden.  Tulips don’t always return as well as daffodils and some minor bulbs but to me they are worth planting.  I like the fragrant varieties as they give double pleasure in the spring.  Many fragrant tulips are orange or orange-red blends but there are a few other colors.  There are some fragrant doubles and fragrant tulips come in early, mid and late season bloomers.

This is tulip Estella Rijnveld.

Here are some fragrant tulip varieties that I know of, there are others out there: Abigail, Abba, Aafke, Ad Rem, Angelique, Apricot Beauty, Ballerina,  Beauty Queen, Brown Sugar, Christmas Marvel,  Coleur Cardinal, Dillenburg, General de Wet, Keizerskroon, Little Beauty, Monsella, Moulin Rouge, Oranjezon, Orange Favorite,  Orange Beauty, Orca, Peach Melba, Peach Blossom, Prince of Austria, Princess Irene, Purissima, Rococo, Schoonoord, West Point.

Good places to find these tulips – and now is the time to buy them- are Old House Gardens, http://www.oldhousegardens.com/  McClure and Zimmerman, http://www.mzbulb.com/  and Van Bourgondien http://www.dutchbulbs.com/   Order soon to get the best variety.  You can plant tulips until the ground freezes but in zones 5-6 early October is a good time to plant them.  You need to order them soon to get them by then.

What’s in your forest?

A recent study of forests from North Dakota to Maine found that only 1/3 of the forested areas had no non-native species.  Even that amount seems high as invasive species seem to be everywhere.  The most often encountered non-native plants were multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle and garlic mustard.  In total there were 305 non-native plant species identified.

In the lower 48 States New Hampshire had the highest percentage of land with tree cover and surprisingly North Dakota had the lowest percentage of tree cover.  In urban areas there was more tree cover in Connecticut than any other state.  New Jersey has the highest percentage of paved areas.

And how have forests changed over the last 4 hundred years of European settlement?  A joint research study between Harvard and the Smithsonian found that while the species of trees in Eastern forests have remained basically the same, the percentages of different types of trees has changed dramatically.  There are 20% more maples of various species and far lower numbers of beech, oak and chestnuts than there were in pre-colonial times.  The amount of pine is the most variable, in some areas there is a higher percentage of pines than before colonization, in others it is less. 

In the Northeastern part of the country the amount of land covered in forest is now much similar to what it was before colonization.  In the 18^th and 19^th century most of the northeastern states had drastically reduced forest land due to farming but as farms were abandoned forests have returned.

Mulch your leaves for fewer weeds

Speaking of trees I hope you have a mulching blade on your mower.  We have known for many years that mulching tree leaves on the lawn and leaving them there decreases the need for nitrogen fertilizer and improves soil texture.  Now research done by MSU says that mulching your maple and oak leaves into the lawn will result in 53-80% less dandelions growing in the lawn when spring comes.  The research team used only leaves from trees not treated with pesticides to avoid herbicide residue affecting the results.

So don’t rake your leaves unless you want them for the compost pile or covering the garden.  They will do far more good if you mow them into tiny pieces and leave them on the lawn rather than sending them to the landfill or being burning them.  Mowed leaves blow around less and quickly disappear into the lawn.  Even a mower without a mulching blade will do a pretty good job cutting up leaves. 

Watch for a new moth

With the loss of most of the Monarch butterflies this year gardeners may be pleased to know that a new species of Hawk moth has been sighted in Michigan.   This moth, the Spurge Hawk Moth, is beneficial so if you see it be happy.  Hawk moths are the large bodied moths sometimes referred to as hummingbird moths.  Not all of them are beneficial; tomato hornworms are the caterpillar of two species of hawk moths. 

The Spurge Hawk moth is a lovely soft gray and brown and has white antennae and white lines on the wings as well as pink areas near the wing centers.  It is similar to the white lined sphinx moth.  It feeds on nectar from a number of flowers.  The caterpillars feed on leafy spurge, an invasive weed.  They are the size of tomato horn worms and do have a small red “horn.”  However they are black and white spotted with a distinct red line running down the center of their back.

The Spurge Hawk Moth is native to Europe and was released in some western states to control leafy spurge.   It has slowly spread to wherever spurge is growing. It can be seen hovering over flowers during the day and in the early evening.  So far it has been spotted in Western Michigan, but biologists think it may be more widespread in Michigan.

What’s at the farm markets

Sweet corn harvest in southern Michigan is almost over so if you want it, get it now.  Most other types of vegetables are available, including tomatoes for canning.   Summer apples are on the market and fall varieties will be there very soon.  The apple crop looks good, although in some places apples are smaller than normal.  Peaches are still available in some places.  Pears and plums are on the market.  Blueberry harvest in the south is pretty much over.  Some fall raspberries are on the market.  Table grapes are now starting to come to market.

Corn and soybeans feeling the drought

Although the crops looked great earlier in the year the recent dry spell in a good deal of Michigan is affecting the corn and soybean crop.  Some farmers are actually irrigating crops. I have seen it around my area.  The degree of yield that will be lost depends on many factors but it is expected that yields may be down 10-15%.  Much depends on when the crops got planted; the more mature the crop the less drought will affect it.   We had some wet fields early in the season that delayed planting and a cool start to the season, so some crops are late maturing.   Some areas got more rain than others and averaged overall the crop may still hit normal yields.

Everybody get outside and do a rain dance.

Honeyrock melon from our garden.

Kim

Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent