Kim’s
Weekly Garden Newsletter March 4, 2014
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
Will spring ever come?
It’s unbelievable that we had temperatures well below zero at the
beginning of March. Every time the snow
starts to melt we get more. By this time
in most springs I can at least get out and walk around the yard and garden,
seeing how things are looking and making plans.
Not this year. Many years I have
had crocus in bloom at this time, if they are blooming this year it’s below the
snow.
Daylight savings time starts this weekend. (Spring ahead
those clocks.) We gain an hour of
daylight at the end of the day. I used
to really appreciate the change when I was working because in the spring it
gave me another hour of light after I got off work to do gardening. This
year it doesn’t really seem to matter- why not postpone daylight savings until
we can actually do something outside.
It’s snowing again as I write this but it looks like we
are in for a gradual warm up this week.
I just hope the warm up continues and doesn’t slide back into a polar
vortex next week. The only good thing
about this month so far is the paczkis, especially those Bavarian cream filled
ones.
The birds are starting to sing outside so that’s something
hopeful
Please
note: Beginning April 1 of this year
this newsletter will only be published on my blog. I will no longer be sending
an attachment with the email notification. It’s much easier to put pictures on the blog,
and I can add reference material, articles etc. to the site. I will still be sending you an email notice
every Tuesday and it will have a link you can simply click on to get to the
newsletter. Feel free to give the link
to anyone else you feel will be interested.
You can visit the blog site any time you want and look at back issues of
the newsletter there too.
March Almanac
The full moon in March (March 16th ) is called
the Worm moon, because earthworms once more make worm casts on the soil
surface or Sap moon because the trees
begin to produce sap again. If we get lucky those things may occur this
March. Good days for planting above
ground crops are the 10th and 11th and good days for planting below ground crops
are the 19th, 20th, 28th, 29th. If you are going to set some eggs for
hatching try the 16th, 17th, and 29th.
The most important date for all gardeners in March is, of
course the first day of spring. It’s
March 20th. That’s the date
when the length of the day and the night are the same, the spring equinox. Of course Mother Nature does not follow our calendar
and this year it looks like it will not be very spring like by that date although
I fervently hope I am wrong.
Other important dates and holidays in March are: 7th
– Employee Appreciation Day, 8th International Women’s day, 12th
– Girl Scout Day and Plant a flower Day, the 13th is National
popcorn day and the 14th National Potato chip day. The 14th is also Learn about
Butterflies day.
 |
| March's flower is the daffodil. |
The 15th is the Ides of March. In ancient Rome this was the beginning of the
New Year and also of spring. The 17th
is St. Patricks Day and the 18th is the Goddess of fertility day. The 19th is poultry day, the 20th
is Earth Day although beware-it’s also Alien Abduction day. The 25th is National Agriculture
day as well as National Pecan day and National Waffle day. The 30th is National Doctors day.
March is Irish American month as well as National Women’s History
month, National Nutrition month, National Peanut month, National Craft Month
and National Frozen Foods month.
March’s birth flower is the daffodil or jonquil, the birthstone
is aqua marine.
Artificial leaves
Scientists have studied the process of photosynthesis, the
process in which plants produce simple sugars from the suns energy for a long
time. Producing simple sugars or food
artificially is one goal but another is to harness the by-products of
photosynthesis such as hydrogen gas to produce electricity. A rudimentary artificial leaf has been around
for a while and scientists are working hard to make it less expensive and more efficient.
Recently an article in the online edition of Nature
Chemistry described some advances in the artificial leaf that may soon
translate into a cheap, available source of personal electricity
generation. The new artificial leaf is a thin wafer of
silicon coated with a catalyst. When
dropped into a quart of water in the sun, the wafer releases hydrogen gas
bubbles, which can be converted by a battery into electricity. The wafer can produce 100 watts of
electricity for 24 hours. The first
models needed very clean water to work well but the newer models are “living”
catalysts which heal themselves from damage caused by contaminants in
water.
Eventually these artificial
leaves will be able to provide power in remote places and even in modernized
areas cheaper and much cleaner than conventional electricity generation.
Herbs for lice
If you have kids in school you have probably had an
infestation of head lice or at least a scare concerning them. Lice can come home in even the cleanest hair-
in fact they actually prefer clean hair.
With a long cold winter involving lots of hats, scarves and hoods often
being shared among kids, lice can pop up anywhere. Usually the cure for head lice involves some
very toxic chemicals and a lot of hand “grooming.” Less
toxic, safer alternatives do exist for lice treatment however.
I ran across an interesting study that proved that mango,
rosemary and tea tree oil repel human head lice. In the study the oils of these plants were
mixed with carrier oil such as olive oil, either separately or in combination,
and combed through the hair. Subjects
with treated hair were far less likely to acquire head lice when exposed to
them than people whose hair was not treated. Now these oils did not kill existing lice,
but kept them away. This study also
stated that research had proved that any type of hair conditioner would remove
lice nits (eggs) attached to hair shafts just as effectively as commercial nit
removing products.
Further reading led me to some interesting herbal remedies
for head lice. (Warning-
before using any herbal mixture on a person’s head put a small amount on some
exposed skin to test for an allergic reaction.
And keep all herbal products out of the eyes.)
There is a patent
for a head louse repellant/ insecticide that contains essential oils of anise,
tea tree and lemon with research to prove it’s effective. In other studies these essential oils were
also considered to have effective repellant or insecticidal properties: tea
tree, anise, lavender, rosemary, neem, clove, geranium, lemon, eucalyptus, peppermint,
clove, thyme and nutmeg. The first 4 are
the most effective.
A study done at Harvard found that plain olive oil worked
into hair and left overnight under a shower cap was a fairly effective way to
kill lice. They found that olive oil was
the best carrier oil if you wished to try mixing up a repellant/louse killer
with essential oils yourself. The common
mixing ratio is 2 ounces of olive oil to 10 drops of essential oil. After you kill adult lice the eggs or nits must
be combed of the hair shafts they are stuck to.
Add some essential oil to any hair conditioner and work it through the
hair. Then comb with a fine tooth comb.
Herbalists suggest adding 10 drops of essential oil to your
favorite shampoo and conditioner bottle and mixing well to use as a louse preventative. Adding a few drops of tea tree, lavender or
rosemary essential oil to a hairbrush before brushing yours or your child’s
hair may also help. Washing clothing and bedclothes with hot water, soap and
with some essential oils added is suggested if there is a louse outbreak. You can mix essential oil with some rubbing
alcohol and put it in a spray bottle to use to spray items that can’t be
washed.
Herbal products for lice are on the market but experts warn
these are unregulated and vary tremendously in effectiveness. A heat treatment for lice done in a salon setting
is also available in some places. Now
after reading this your head is probably itching and you are ready to look
through your essential oils to see what you have!
Potatoes
Potatoes are one of the crops you can plant fairly early in
the garden and it’s time to order those seed potatoes. While the farmers and gardeners of South
America, where potatoes originated have more than 5,000 varieties to choose
from, most gardeners outside of that
country choose from about 12 commercial varieties and a few more home garden
varieties.
 |
| My potato patch last June. |
Many gardeners think potatoes take up a lot of room in the
garden or are too hard to grow, but the fact is that while you probably won’t
grow your total year’s supply of potatoes unless you have a huge garden, potatoes
yield remarkably well for the space you give them. Potatoes even grow well in containers. And they are not that hard to grow unless you
are unlucky enough to get late blight.
Little baby potatoes are so tasty that you won’t regret giving some
garden space to them.
Yes you can start potatoes from sprouted supermarket
potatoes but you will have better luck and less chance of disease if you buy
certified seed potatoes. Seed potatoes
are sold as cut pieces, each with an “eye” or two, as whole potatoes you cut
yourself, or as small tubers that you plant whole. The eye is actually a leaf node, where a stem
and leaves will sprout. Garden shops
sell some common varieties but you can purchase many other varieties through
the mail.
I suggest growing one or two common commercial varieties and
also trying a new type of potato each year.
Different potato varieties have different tastes and different levels of
starch and sugars, which make them better for different methods of
cooking. Some varieties to try are - Russian Banana,
French Fingerling, [small, finger sized tubers, unique nutty taste] Yukon
Gold, German Butterball, [yellow skin
and flesh, buttery taste], Red Gold, Desiree, [ red skin, yellow flesh], Kerr’s
Pink, Adirondack Red [red skin, pink flesh], Red Pontiac, Red Norland, [red
skin, white flesh] Adirondack Blue, Michigan Purple, [blue, purple skin, blue
flesh]. Potatoes with brown skin and
white flesh include, Green Mountain, Anoka, Superior, Kennebec and Butte.
Last year I ordered some mini-tubers of an improved variety
of Yukon Gold called Yellow Gem. They
were extremely productive and very tasty.
I also planted red Pontiac, always tasty, Swedish fingerlings, and some russet potatoes
of an unknown variety that the grocery had out for seed potatoes that grew huge,
very good baking potatoes. I planted
them all in one bed – 4 feet wide and 20
feet long intensively and harvested at least 100 pounds of potatoes.
Potatoes will grow fairly well in any soil, but prefer sandy
soil with a PH of 6.5 or lower. If your
soil is alkaline, (PH above 7), you can still grow potatoes, although they may
be more susceptible to disease. I always fertilize my potatoes with an acidic
fertilizer made for azaleas or blueberries because I know my soil tends to be
alkaline.
Potatoes require lots of water so may not be a good choice
where it’s dry. They will not grow well
where the soil doesn’t drain well either.
Potatoes need full sun.
It will take about 1 lb. of potato pieces to plant a 10 foot
row. Potatoes can be planted outside as
soon as the ground is ready to be worked.
They will withstand light frosts with no damage. To plant potatoes make a trench in the soil
3-4 inches deep. Place the seed pieces 8-12 inches apart and cover with
soil. Rows should be about 3 foot
apart. When the potato plants are about
6 inches tall, mound up soil or mulch until just the top leaves are
showing. The mounding is done again when
the plants are about 6 inches above the first mound.
An alternative to mounding with soil is to use straw, dry
leaves or other mulch to cover the plants as they grow. This allows you to harvest clean potatoes
from down under that mulch very easily.
The disadvantage is mulch may be blown or washed away which leaves the
tubers exposed to sunlight. Mice like to
hide in mulch to nibble on potatoes also.
Keep your potato patch well watered. Potatoes do not grow well when it’s hot and
dry. Potatoes may suffer from Potato
Beetles, Flea Beetles and other insects.
The easiest way to deal with those pests is to cover the plants with
floating row covers. This light material
allows light, air and water to pass through but keep insects out and potatoes
do not need to be pollinated to make tubers.
Potato beetles look somewhat like lady bird beetles and their larvae,
which do the most damage to potatoes, are soft bodied, multicolored worm like creatures
with legs. They can be picked off by
hand. However I find that mild to moderate
infestations of flea or potato beetles do little harm to the potato crop.
Fungal diseases, particularly late blight, can also be a
problem with potatoes. Once plants get a
fungal disease there is no cure. Crop rotation and using certified seed
potatoes help prevent disease. Non-organic growers can use preventative fungal
sprays, sold in garden stores.
 |
| Potato flowers. |
Potato flowers are quite pretty and can be white or shades
of purple. Depending on weather and the
variety, plants began blooming about 2 months after planting. As soon as you see your potato plants
blooming, dig down carefully and harvest some new potatoes. If you cover the stems back up and don’t take
all the little potatoes, the remaining ones will mature to full size.
A few weeks after flowering the potato plants die. This is a signal that mature potatoes are
ready. You can dig them now or wait a
while, but they must be dug before a hard freeze. Any tubers that you damage should be used
right away. Let them dry in a warm, dark
area for a few days, then brush the soil off and store in a dark, warm
place. Don’t wash potatoes until just
before you use them.
Stems, leaves and all green parts of the plant are
poisonous. Green areas on tubers are
also poisonous and should be trimmed off before cooking.
Filter your water
with pine wood
A recent article from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology talked about how a piece of pine branch could filter contaminants
out of water and make it safe to drink.
The researchers said that pouring water through a piece of pine wood
removed 99% of the solids and bacterial contaminants. (Wood can’t remove viral
particles though.) They suggested doing
this if you were in a survival situation and needed clean water. The wood has to be fresh, living wood, not a
dried dead piece. According to the article,
the water flows through the xylem tubes or “pores” and contaminants stayed in
the first few layers of cells. They
said wood from conifers was best because flowering trees had smaller, shorter
tubules.
I was intrigued by this but when I visualize pouring water
through a piece of tree branch I have some problems. How do you do this? We are not talking about a hollow piece of
wood, but a “solid” piece. Maybe a slice
of tree wood, say a disk a couple of inches thick would work. But how would you keep water from just running
over the sides? And water actually
pours through wood?
In the article they talked about gluing 1 inch long by ½ inch
thick pieces of pine with the bark removed into a tube with epoxy cement. Then they poured water into the tube through
the tree pieces. Now that might work,
the epoxy would keep the water from flowing down the sides of the pieces and
not being filtered. But would you be
able to do this in an emergency situation?
I want to try this but all my pine trees are where it would require me
to wade through snow to get a fresh piece and my curiosity hasn’t pushed me to
that yet. If you have ready access to pines or other
evergreens why not try an experiment?
There’s not much else to do in this weather.
Remember to set your clock ahead 1 hour Saturday night (or
early Sunday) and eat a paczki !
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
More Information
More than
‘The Peanut Man’
 |
| George Washington Carver |
Posted by Justice Wright, Public Affairs Specialist for
Research, Education, and Economics, on February 25, 2014 at 3:00 PM
Born a slave on a Missouri farm in 1865, George Washington
Carver became the first black student and the first black faculty member at
what is now Iowa State University. The
well-respected botanist led the bacterial laboratory work in the Systematic
Botany Department. But at the urging of Booker T. Washington, Carver moved to
Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to serve as the school’s director of agriculture. He used his agricultural research to help
black farmers become more self-sufficient and less reliant on cotton, the major
cash crop of the South.
When the boll weevil threatened to eliminate cotton in 1914,
Carver developed numerous products and processes that expanded the range of
Southern agriculture. At Tuskegee,
Carver developed his crop rotation method, which alternated nitrate-producing
legumes such as peanuts and corn with cotton, which depletes the soil of its
nutrients. His innovations have been
credited with the South’s economic survival in the early part of the 20th
century.
During World War I, there were shortages of crops and food
and Carver began developing alternative uses for sweet potatoes, soybeans, and
yes—peanuts. From the peanut–primarily
used at that time to feed livestock–he developed hundreds of products,
including plastics, synthetic rubber, and paper. From soybeans, Carver invented a process for
producing paints and stains, for which three separate patents were issued. Among Carver’s many synthetic discoveries:
adhesives, axle grease, bleach, chili sauce, creosote, dyes, flour, instant
coffee, shoe polish, shaving cream, vanishing cream, wood stains and fillers,
insulating board, linoleum, meat tenderizer, metal polish, milk flakes, soil
conditioner and Worcestershire sauce. In
all, he developed 300 products from peanuts and 118 from sweet potatoes, in
addition to new products from waste materials including recycled oil, and
paints and stains from clay.
Along with his duties at Tuskegee, Carver was appointed a
collaborator at USDA’s Division of Plant Mycology and Disease Survey of the
Bureau of Plant Industry. Refusing
several high-salaried job offers, Carver remained on the Tuskegee faculty until
his death in 1943, working for $125 per month.
When he died, his entire savings of $30,000 was bequeathed to Tuskegee
Institute for the study of soil fertility and continued creation of useful
products from waste materials.
( Slightly edited for length)
Events, classes and other offerings
Please let me know
if there is any event or class that you would like to share with other
gardeners. These events are primarily in
Michigan but if you are a reader from outside of Michigan and want to post an
event I’ll be glad to do it.
Master Gardeners if you belong to an
association that approves your hours please check with that association before
assuming a class or work day will count as credit.
Do you
have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share? Post them here by emailing me at kimwillis151@gmail.com
New-
Dessert and Discover : Composting Sunday,
March 23, 2:00 pm- Seven Ponds Nature Center, 3854 Crawford Road Dryden, MI
It’s time to start
thinking about getting our gardens into order, and this afternoon we will learn
all about composting while enjoying a delicious dessert. Come on out and let’s
get your soil situated. Please call to pre-register. (810) 796-3200
New-
Tea Time and Tannins-
Sunday, March 30, 2:00 pm- Seven Ponds Nature Center, 3854 Crawford Road, Dryden, MI
Try out some
natural teas and munch on a scone before we explore the uses of tannins in
nature on a walk. Please call to pre-register. (810) 796-3200
New
- Gifts from the Herb Garden, April 5, 2014, SMITH FLORAL, 1124 E. Mount Hope Ave, Lansing, MI from 10am
until noon.
Coleen French will be
showing you how to make Layered Fragrant Bath Salts, Personal Perfumes, Herbal
Dryer Sachets, Room Sprays, Car Fresheners, and More! Recipes and handouts
included. $10 per class, pre-registration is REQUIRED. Sign up by calling
484-5327 or 484-6085 or stop in and register in person.
New
-Growing Great Gardens! March 15, 2014, 8 am-4 pm-Wayne County Community College,
21000 Northline Road, Taylor, MI
Are you ready for
spring? Raring to get your hands in the dirt? Come spend the day with us and
learn about the latest in garden trends, reconnect with garden friends, shop
for tools, plants and more at Growing Great Gardens! Pre-registration required. $45. This outstanding value includes four exciting
presentations, shopping in the Garden Marketplace, a tasty GMO-free box lunch,
live music and a chance to win many beautiful door prizes. In addition to our
regular raffle, we are offering a special chance to win a trip for two to the 2nd
Annual Grand Garden Show, on Mackinac Island in August.
Get registration
packet:
For more info,
contact Pattie Kehr at: pk48180@yahoo.com or 313-715-8316
New-
“Gardening and All That Jazz!” Saturday, April 21, 2014, 7am to 4:15pm-Oakland
Schools Conference Center, 2111 Pontiac Lake Rd., Waterford, MI.
Speakers include
Allan Armitage "Buying the Right Plants", Stephanie Cohen "Native
Plants", David Perry, Garden Photo Magic" and Stacy Hirvela
"Shrubs, Making your Dream Garden Reality". Sponsored by the Master Gardener Society of
Oakland Co. Jazz concerts at morning check in and lunch.
$70 before March
15, $80 after March 15. Pricing includes
continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, and program materials.
Register at. http://www.mgsoc.org/registration.htm
Direct conference registration questions to: Registrar Phone: 248-770-0524 E-mail: registrarmgsoc@gmail.com
New-
Captivating Combinations How to Artfully Combine Plants March 29th 2014, 9 am
-noon. Oakland County Executive Office Conference Center - 2100 Pontiac Lake
Rd, Waterford MI
Stunning plant
combinations are the building blocks of a great garden. Join us to explore the
basics of successfully combining plants, discover how creative plant
combinations can perk up an existing garden or provide the foundation for a new
garden. View many captivating combinations appropriate for a wide variety of
Michigan garden conditions. Carol Lenchek, MSU Extension Educator, Barb
Near, Advanced Master Gardener- Cost: $20 (Includes handouts and snacks) Space
is limited. Advanced Registration Only. Contact:
Linda Smith at 248-858-0887.
New-
Naturalizing the Home Garden: A Native Garden Design Workshop for Beginners, Monday
March 31, 2014- 6pm t0 7:15 pm
Cranbrook Institute of Science, 39221 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills
Help improve the
Rouge River by gardening with native plants. Learn how to design a garden with
native wildflowers. The workshop is intended for those with little to no
experience gardening with native plants. Optional Assistance: Experts will be
available to assist a limited number of workshop attendees immediately
following the workshops. Preregistration is required for this one-on-one
session. Participants are encouraged to bring a Google map or sketch of their
yard and photos. Questions? Please call
313.792.9621. to register go to therouge.org
New- Spice
Up Your Garden with Herbs April
9, 2014: Oakland County Executive Office
Conference Center - 2100 Pontiac Lake Rd, Waterford MI
Come join us to
learn how to use herbs to spice up your garden! Janet Downey will teach you how
to grow and use herbs to flavor your meals. Cost is $15 and advanced
registration is required.
Questions? Call 248-858-0887
New-Garden
Design 1-2-3
May 3, May 17, May 31, June 7, 2014:
Oakland County Executive Office Conference Center - 2100 Pontiac Lake
Rd, Waterford MI
This is a 4-week
how to series on garden design. The
workshop will present the basic elements of design used in formal and informal
gardens.
Participants will develop the
necessary skills to layout garden beds and small landscape areas using the
principles of design. There will be
plenty of hands on exercises to help you understand the steps necessary to end
up with a pleasing design for your landscape beds. Questions? Contact Linda Smith at
248-858-0887.
Oh Deer! Saturday, March 22nd Bordines Rochester Hills & Clarkston
locations at 10:00 AM Rochester- 1835 S
Rochester Rd • (248) 651-9000 or Clarkston 8600 Dixie Hwy • (248) 625-9100 Free
Wildlife in the
garden is part of nature. We enjoy
watching the rabbits hop across the lawn or the deer trot through the
yard. But when they start using the
landscape as their personal salad bowl something has got to give! Our expert Purple People will provide you
with the tips and products you will need to protect your landscape from the
munching of these cute little critters so you can, once again, enjoy their
presence in your yard.
Bring Your Lawn to Life- March 29
Bordines Rochester Hills & Clarkston locations at 10:00 AM Rochester- 1835 S Rochester Rd • (248)
651-9000 or Clarkston 8600 Dixie Hwy • (248) 625-9100 Free
After such a harsh,
cold winter you are probably wondering if you will ever see a blade of green
grass again. Fear not! The warm weather of spring is coming. Let our
lawn care experts give you the tools and knowledge to bring your lawn back to
life. We will cover fertilization,
watering, insect and disease control and even how to keep those pesky Moles
away! You will leave with all the
information you need to have the greenest lawn on the block!
Spring Into Gardening Sat., March 29 Sat., March 29 Knights
of Columbus Hall Knights of Columbus Hall 1038 S. Van Dyke (M- 1038 S. Van Dyke
(M-53), Bad Axe, MI
Day-long gardening
classes including a catered lunch, Goodie bag and door prizes Also includes
Free admission to Yard & Garden Expo.
$50 registration/person ($60 after March 1) For details on this seminar you need to
request a flyer from Marie at 989-859-1294
Michigan Beekeepers’ Association Spring
Conference: The Wonder of Honeybees- Friday,
March 7 and Saturday, March 8 Kellogg Center, Michigan State University, East
Lansing Mi
Why are bees
important to us? What is local honey? How can I become a beekeeper? What do I
need to get started? Are there any beekeepers near me? Find out the answer to
these and many more questions at the Michigan Beekeeper’s Association Spring
Conference. If you’d like to talk to a beekeeper, become a beekeeper or just
find out about honeybees, this is the place to get started.
Beekeeping supply
vendors will be on hand, and breakout sessions will cover the many aspects of
beekeeping.
The public is
welcome. Register online or at the door. For further information, please
contact us at Michigan Beekeepers’s Association. http://www.michiganbees.org/
Horticultural Therapy: Connecting
People and Plants
-Friday, March 7- 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Plant and Soil Sciences Building,
Michigan State University, East Lansing
Mi
The Michigan
Horticultural Therapy Association’s (MHTA) annual conference is an opportunity
for those interested in learning about using horticulture as therapy to gain
understanding and skills.
Nancy Chambers,
HTR, and Gwenn Fried will present the keynote address “Horticultural Therapy: A
Continuum.” Breakout sessions will cover a variety of topics related to
horticultural therapy practices. This event includes displays, exhibits and
door prizes. Registration: Early Bird Special (postmarked by Feb. 27): $60 for
MHTA members, $80 for nonmembers. Regular registration (postmarked after Feb.
27): $70 for MHTA members, $90 for nonmembers.
Registration includes lunch.
Membership is $20 per year and is open to all.
Contact Cathy
Flinton, HTR, at 517-332-1616, ext. 16238 or John Murphy at 269-345-6039 for
more information; or visit the Michigan Horticultural Therapy Association for a
brochure, registration form and membership information. http://www.michiganhta.org/index.php/35th-annual-conference
Michigan Herb Associates 27th Annual
Conference: A Sensory Approach to Herbs Friday, March 7, 8:15 a.m. ‒ 5 p.m.- Eppley Center and
Business College Complex -Michigan
State University, East Lansing Mi
The theme of the
27th annual Michigan Herb Associates (MHA) Conference is “A Sensory Approach to
Herbs.” The Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Horticulture and
Michigan Herb Associates sponsor the conference.
A market of vendors
will offer gardening tools, herbal topiaries, herbal oils and vinegars,
decorative garden-related jewelry and other garden-related items, and many
other gift items. MHA will also have a gift shop featuring a variety of items.
A live plant auction will take place Friday and Saturday.
On Friday morning,
Janet Macunovich will open the conference with “Designing for All Five Senses.”
She is a professional gardener, author and educator, recognized for her
engaging how-to presentations, innovative hands-on workshops and down-to-earth
writing and speaking style. She will be followed by ethnobotanist, garden
author and lecturer Sharon Ackland, who will present “Aromatic Plants: The
Power of Scent.” She will explain and demonstrate how to extract fragrant and
healing plant chemicals for at-home perfumery, medicine and cosmetics.
On Friday
afternoon, two concurrent sessions will take place: 1) Susan Betz, a charter
member and past president of MHA, will present “Native Treasures: Tales from
the Plant Kingdom,” a research project she’s conducting with the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It focuses on land owned by Susan and
her husband, a virtually untouched historical landscape located in southern
Hillsdale County. 2) Coleen French, owner of French Garden Creations in
Portland, Mich., and the MHA membership chairperson, will present “Herbal
Housecleaning.” Coleen will demonstrate how to make at-home “green” cleaning products
while having fun doing it.
Friday’s daytime
program will conclude with Dr. John Biernbaum, professor of horticulture and
faculty director of the MSU Student Organic Farm (SOF), lecturing on “Culinary
Herbs at the Liberty Hyde Bailey Greenhouse and Urban Farm.” He will explain
this new SOF project: how it supplies fresh organic herbs and produce to the
Brody Cafeteria, and how it helps students learn more about herbs. Friday
night’s banquet address, “Myths, Mugs, Worms & Green Fairy!” will be presented
by Carolee Snyder, owner of one of the Midwest’s largest retail herb farms
where she grows more than 2,000 varieties of herbs, perennials, everlastings
and old-fashioned flowers. She will briefly introduce the lore and members of
the artemisia family, and the history and uses of artemisia.
Saturday’s program
will begin with “Hot Herbal Trends,” Carolee Snyder’s take on the hottest and
latest herbal trends. She’ll let us know which plants and herbal topics are
getting the most attention now and promise to be “hot” in the coming year.Later
in the morning Sharon Ackland will present on “Aromachology: The Power of
Healing Herbs.”
On Saturday
afternoon, two concurrent sessions will take place: 1) Susan Betz will present
“Landscaping with Herbs,” detailing how to incorporate herbs into the landscape
for greatest impact and enjoyment. 2) Physical therapists Mary Thiel and Gayle
Durnin of the MSU Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic will present “Don’t Let Your
Green Thumb Feel Blue: Gardening Shouldn’t Hurt!” They’ll show techniques to
prevent injury and increase tolerance for gardening.
Saturday’s program
will conclude with “Every Gathering Should Have a Theme.” Annie Gruber will
give expert advice on planning a relaxed, meaningful and fun gathering for
family and friends. Annie, long-time MHA member as well as creative and expert
cook and party planner, will demonstrate favorite recipes with tastings all
around.
Nonmembers of MHA:
$75 for one day or $110 for both days MHA members: $50 for one day and $85 for
both days. ALL walk-ins will be charged
an additional $10 fee over the pre-registration rates.
The fee for the
Friday evening banquet and program is $35. A delicious lunch provided each day
is available at $12 each. Advance registration is required for all meals and
must be received by Friday, Feb. 28.
To register for the
conference, visit the MHA website at http://miherb.org/
to register online or download the registration form. Send completed
forms with payment to Dolores Lindsay, Mid-Michigan Mechanical Contractors
Assoc., 901 S Cedar Suite 200, Mason, MI 48854 or call 517-676-0390 to pay by
credit card or contact one of the following to request a registration form:
Coleen French, 517-647-7814; Marilyn Ferguson, 616-754-9652; Karen Beekman,
517-349-1709. Note: the Friday night banquet is open to everyone; you do not
need to attend the conference sessions to attend the banquet.
A Matter of Balance: Approaches to Soil
Health and Water Quality
Friday, March 7 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Registration opens at 8:00 a.m.) Kellogg
Hotel and Conference Center, Room 103AB
Soil health and
water quality are intrinsically linked. Management of these resources faces
great challenges due to emerging ecological, economic and climatic pressures.
Now more than ever, we must support soil’s natural ability to filter water that
moves across and through a landscape. Establishing conservation practices that
support a balanced relationship between soil health and water quality is a
proven best management practice in agricultural production. Management choices
that fail to recognize and protect the physical, chemical and biological
attributes of healthy soil have the potential to jeopardize water quality and
ecological productivity.
For more
information, agenda, speaker biographies, presentation abstracts and
registration information, go to Michigan Chapter of the Soil and Water
Conservation Society at www.miswcs.org/Local_Events.html. Registration includes lunch.
Smart Gardening Conference- Saturday, March 8, 8:30 am – 4:00
pm Ballroom C/D DeVos Place, Grand
Rapids, Michigan
To bring home the
message about smart plants, nationally-known entomologist and author Douglas
Tallamy is lending his expertise to help gardeners choose plants that make wise
ecological sense as well as being easy on the pocketbook. Tallamy’s message
connects our everyday actions at home to the balance that sustains nature’s
food webs. Tallamy believes that humans generally think of themselves as
“outside” the system that keeps our planet green and yet our actions, no matter
how small, can affect just how green we are— and will be.
To get more
information about how to enroll in the 2014 Smart Garden Conference in Grand
Rapids, Mich., contact MSU Extension’s Ginny Wanty at wanty@msu.edu or download
the brochure.
Cost is $59
Enrollment Deadline is Friday, February 28, 2014 or until full
Perennial Gardening 101 Saturday, March 8 at 1 p.m. All
English Gardens stores Free In-store Presentation. Click
here for a store near you. http://www.englishgardens.com/shop-online/workshops.html
Make it & Take it Workshop: Kitchen
Herb Garden
Saturday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m All English Gardens stores FEE: $19.99
Enjoy fresh herbs
from your windowsill. Select your choice of four herbs to plant in a stylish
container. We’ll provide everything you need to make and take this garden home!
Container may vary.
Click here for a
store near you and to sign up on line http://www.englishgardens.com/shop-online/workshops.html
The Secrets to a Beautiful Lawn - Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m. All
English Gardens stores. Free In-store
Presentation. Click here for a store
near you. http://www.englishgardens.com/shop-online/workshops.html
How & When to Prune Trees &
Shrubs Saturday, March 29
at 1 p.m. All English Gardens stores- Free-
Keep the garden
healthy by regularly dividing perennials and pruning trees and shrubs. We’ll
tell you what needs to be done and when. Plus, we’ll show you how to do it. Click
here for a store near you. http://www.englishgardens.com/shop-online/workshops.html
"Practical Knowledge for the Avid
Gardener" St. Clair County Master Gardeners
Annual Spring Symposium Saturday, March 22, 2014, Cornerstone Church, 4025
North Road, Clyde, MI 48049.
Speakers include
Dan Heims, Pearl Fryar, David Culp & Fergus Garrett. Early Bird
Registration is $80.00 and includes all speakers, breakfast, lunch snacks and
shopping. After February 21 the cost will be $90. Contact sanderan51@yahoo.com.
for a brochure.
Newsletter information
If you would like to pass along a notice about an
educational event or a volunteer opportunity please send me an email before
Tuesday of each week and I will print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion
you’d like to share, send it to me. Please state that you want to have the item
published in my weekly notes. You must give your full name and what you say
must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas and
opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish what I
want.
Once again the opinions in this newsletter are mine and I
do not represent any organization or business. I do not make any income from
this newsletter. I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some
of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with
local people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If
at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you
know anyone who would like to receive these emails have them send their email
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