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
 |
| Mock Orange. |
Oh it’s a scorcher today.
There is a chance for severe weather today and tomorrow so keep an eye
on the sky or weather radio. The whole
week is supposed to be warm and unsettled. I am pleased to say that I had an
inch of rain last week and it did wonders for the garden.
The mock orange is blooming; most of my shrub roses and at
least one clematis is in bloom. Weigelas
are in bloom. Ox eye daisies and yellow
rocket are coloring the roadsides. The peonies and poppies are fading however.
Garden produce is pouring into the farmers markets. You should be able to find all sorts of
greens, peas, green onions, radishes, baby beets, broccoli, and
strawberries. Some young yellow squash
and zucchini are available and some cucumbers will shortly be ready. A few hoop
house grown tomatoes may be available but if you see someone with lots of
tomatoes, especially large tomatoes, it’s a good sign they weren’t grown
locally. Also suspicious are peppers,
melons, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and sweet corn.
The problem with these crops is that Farmers Markets are
meant to feature local foods, fresh foods.
If someone is trying to deceive you with these crops as being grown
locally then they are probably deceiving you in other ways such as if the crops
are organic or fresh or even what country it was grown in. They buy these out of season crops in the same
place supermarkets do- and if you want that stuff you might as well buy it in
the supermarket where it will probably be cheaper.
Bob Tritton from MSU is reporting some unusual “collapsing”
of apple trees this spring. Trees show
wilting branches and die back. I have
just such a tree, it is usually my heaviest bearing tree and it had no blooms
this year. It leafed out but lower
branches are dying. Unfortunately he believes it is winter injury to the tree
trunk and that the trees will completely die.
I will hope my tree survives but it doesn’t look healthy.
The apple and cherry crop both look like they will be
lighter than usual this year, in some places much lighter. Peaches and plums are also having poor crops. This is primarily due to winter damage. Raspberry crops may be small until fall
raspberries ripen.
A safe natural pesticide for Poison Ivy?
Gardeners hate poison ivy.
Once the plant invades your property it’s hard to get rid of without
using lots of dangerous pesticides. But
leaving the plant alone risks a painful rash even if the plants oils just get
on a garden tool.
 |
| Poison Ivy |
When John Jelesko, a gardener and also a researcher at Virginia
Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences got a nasty rash from poison ivy while
gardening and decided to do some research on how to destroy the plant. He and a colleague were trying to develop a
strain of poison ivy for lab studies when some of their plants began dying of a
fungal disease. They isolated the fungus
and found it to be Colletotrichum fioriniae, a fungal disease that was known to
infect and kill some insect pests.
Jelesko found that when this fungus was sprinkled on poison
ivy plants it killed them. It causes
plants to wilt, lose their chlorophyll and die in a few days. The fungus also
keeps poison ivy seeds from germinating.
There is great hope that this fungus will soon be formulated into an all-natural
granular product that can be sprinkled on poison ivy. Let’s hope this product soon makes its way to
stores near us!
Culinary Uses of the rose
Continuing the
theme of roses this month is a discussion of using rose parts for foods. When you consider using roses for food remember
to use only roses that have not been treated with pesticides. Avoid collecting rose hips or petals from
roadsides because the plants may be contaminated with pesticides or heavy
metals from pollution.
The hips or
berries of roses have been used as food for thousands of years. They can be eaten fresh or turned into jams
and jellies. They are fairly high in
pectin, depending on the variety of rose you may not need to use jelling agents
to get a good jelly or jam. Follow a
recipe for apple jelly and substitute rose hips. Rose hips vary in size and sweetness depending
on variety also. Rose hips were also
fermented for wine in Russia and Sweden.
Rose water
has been used in cooking in the Middle East and India for hundreds if not
thousands of years and is still used in many dishes. Before vanilla became a common, affordable
flavoring agent rose water was also used in European dishes. Marzipan was a
rose flavored confection. Rose water is used to flavor pastries, candies,
milk products, and cold drinks. The red
coloring in rose petals was often used to tint foods pink.
You can
experiment by using rose water in many dishes.
Make sure you make your own rose water (see last week’s newsletter) or
purchase food quality rose water. Use
rose water to flavor tea or lemonade. You
could make rose water ice cubes to drop in drinks. Use rose water in rice
pudding, sherbet, yogurt, or ice cream.
Cookies and other pastries can have rose water added for a subtle floral
taste. Rose water has also been used as
a substitute for red wine in cooking.
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Rose petals
can be thrown in salads or used as garnishes.
Use roses with a strong fragrance for best flavor. Slightly crushed rose
petals can be layered with sugar and stored for a few days in the refrigerator. Sift out the rose petals and the sugar will
taste faintly of rose. Use the sugar on
cookies or in tea. Rose petals can also be used to flavor
butter. Layer clean fresh rose petals
with soft butter, layer of butter then one of overlapping rose petals, repeat, and refrigerate overnight. Remove and discard the petals before using
the butter. The butter can be used in
cooking and baking or try the elegant tea sandwiches below.
Rose tea
sandwiches
Cut bread
into shapes, round, heart and so on with cookie cutters. Butter the shapes with soft rose butter, then
add a layer of fresh rose petals and top with a piece of cut bread. Allow the fresh petals to peek out between
the bread for a pretty look. Serve at
once or store in refrigerator, wrapped tightly, for a few hours. I have heard of the sandwiches being
sprinkled with pink tinted rose sugar.
White bread helps you stay healthy
You must
have seen this coming. Every food that
has ever been dismissed as bad for us eventually gets something good said about
it. And now its white breads turn to
see a little improvement in its image.
Research done in Spain and published last week in ACS' Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that people who often ate white bread had
higher levels of good gut microbes, Lactobacillus in their intestines.
Exploring
the gut microorganisms has led to some astounding findings on how they affect
our health. Many diseases and chronic
conditions are being linked to the wrong kind or lack of microorganisms in our
gut. This research also found that pectin from citrus fruits like oranges
actually led to lower levers of good gut bacteria. So skip the orange juice, eat the toast.
Eat some fat with your salad or lose
the benefits
It’s the
best time of the year for salads, with all kinds of vegetables and greens appearing
in the garden and farmers market. In
fact it’s the only time of the year when you should eat salads, when everything
is grown locally. Vegetables have many
nutritional bonuses for people in the form of vitamins and antioxidants such as
carotenoids. But here’s something you
may not know. Without adding some fat to
that salad your body will absorb very few of those vitamins and healthy
compounds. Your intestines won’t absorb the helpful nutrients from salad unless
they are connected to fat molecules. You
are basically flushing away any benefits the salad had if you eat it without fat.
That
non-fat dressing you like to use won’t help your body pull nutrients from the
vegetables and greens. You would be
better off just to skip the salad.
Instead research done at Purdue University and published in Molecular
Nutrition & Food Research shows that to obtain much benefit from vegetables
and greens in salad you need to add the right kind of fat. And the right kind of fat is saturated or
mono-saturated fat not the poly-saturated fat found in most salad dressings.
Saturated
fats will help you get the most from vegetables and greens and mono-saturated
fats are a close second. Saturated fats
include butter, lard (bacon grease), coconut and palm oil. Mono-saturated fats include olive, peanut, sunflower
and sesame oils. Poly-saturated fats don’t
help as much as the first two categories and in addition there is now some
research that these types of fats may be harmful, causing an increase in
cancer, inflammation, obesity and diabetes.
Unfortunately commercial salad dressings are full of these unhealthy
oils which include soybean, corn, safflower, canola and cottonseed oil.
Your best
bet is to getting the most from your veggies is to make your own salad
dressings using one of the better fat choices.
A nice wilted salad of greens and tomatoes with a bacon dressing will
actually be better for you than a salad with non-fat dressing poured over
it. And those non-fat dressings usually
have more calories – check it out- per teaspoon than fat dressings- because
they add sugar or corn syrup (another unhealthy food).
Is road salt harming the Monarchs?
Emilie
Snell-Rood a behavioral and evolutionary biologist with the University of Minnesota's
College of Biological Sciences wondered whether the massive amount of salt
placed along roads in winter would have any effect on animal species that
frequented roadside areas. Her study published
in the June 9 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
suggests that road salt may indeed affect animals such as the Monarch Butterfly.
 |
| Monarch on milkweed. |
Monarch
butterflies often feed on milkweed beside roads and that milkweed often has a
higher sodium content than milkweed found in other places, because of road salt
that runs off from winter applications. Butterflies also use a behavior called “puddling”
where they take up minerals from mud puddles.
Mud puddles along roads have higher sodium levels. Monarchs were found to have higher sodium
levels in the blood when they ingested higher sodium milkweed.
Interestingly
some additional sodium actually helps Monarchs, giving the males stronger wing
muscles and the females’ bigger brains. But
when sodium levels increase too much the Monarchs experienced a much higher
mortality rate. Because urban roads are
more highly salted Snell-Rood suggests that populations of Monarchs feeding on
roadsides in those areas may be experiencing greater mortality. However their country cousins may actually be
a bit better off, feeding on plants with only a slight sodium increase.
Have some
rose flavored lemonade and kick back today.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
More
Information
Calming with Chamomile
By Kim
Willis
 |
| German Chamomile. Wikipedia .com |
Chamomile
has been used as a remedy for calming the nerves and the stomach, and easing
sleep, since herbal remedies were recorded. Chamomile is one of those herbs
that even beginners can grow and it is hardy through much of the United States. Chamomile is also used in a variety of beauty
products currently on the market from shampoo to skin cream.
Modern
medical research has determined that chamomile has anti-bacterial, anti-viral
and anti-fungal properties, good for use on minor wounds, and skin conditions
and as a gargle for sore throats and inflamed gums. Chamomile also relaxes the smooth muscles,
particularly in the intestines and is used to calm upset stomachs, and to
relieve gas pain, cramping, and minor diarrhea.
The most
common herbal use of chamomile however, is to calm the nerves and aid in
getting a good night’s sleep. Research has confirmed that it has sedative
properties. It can be used alone or with other herbs with sedative properties
such as valerian and catnip. Chamomile
is widely available on the market as a tea, capsules, powdered herb, or
essential oil. It is easy to grow your
own chamomile for herbal use also.
Growing Chamomile
There are
two types of Chamomile grown by herbalists, German , [ Matricaria recutita],
and English or Roman [Chamaemelum nobile].
Both are easy to grow, similar in appearance, and are used for the same
medicinal uses. German Chamomile is the
plant used to grow commercial crops. It
is the most studied, but most experts believe the medicinal qualities are very
similar between the two types of Chamomile.
German
Chamomile is an annual plant that needs to be planted each year; Roman
Chamomile is a perennial, hardy in zones 3-9.
German Chamomile gets about 2 feet tall but Roman Chamomile is a
groundcover plant that rarely gets more than a foot high.
German
Chamomile is started from seed or small plants can be purchased. In cold climates it would be wise to start
the seeds inside about 6 weeks before the last frost. Transplant them outside after your last frost
as they are not frost hardy. Seeds can
also be sown in the garden when the soil is warm.
Roman
Chamomile can be started from seed but germination is less reliable than German
Chamomile. Roman Chamomile produces
runners, little plants that can be separated from the main plant. New gardeners will probably want to buy
plants or get a start from a friend.
Both types
of Chamomile have tiny, narrow gray-green leaves that give them a ferny
appearance. German Chamomile grows
upright as a single plant. Roman
Chamomile grows as a tangled mat of plants produced by rhizomous roots. The leaves of both types have a
characteristic smell when crushed, somewhat like apples.
It is the
daisy like flowers that produce the medicinal qualities. The flowers are white, with 15-18 petals
drooping down from a raised yellow cone.
They are about an inch across. Plants begin blooming in mid summer. A double flowered variety of German Chamomile
has been grown since the 16th century
Chamomile
likes a sunny spot, with sandy soil. It
tolerates dry conditions but will bloom more freely if watered regularly. It will not grow in wet areas. Unless the soil is very poor chamomile does
not need fertilizer. If you are growing
Roman Chamomile do not cut the plants back in the fall. Wait until spring to carefully remove the
dead branches from the previous year.
Growing
chamomile near other herbs is said to make those herbs have stronger medicinal
qualities and make the neighboring plants stronger and healthier.
Harvesting
and Using Chamomile
Harvest the
flower heads as they bloom. You can just
clip them off the plant. You can use them fresh or dry them for later use. To
make an herbal tea, steep about a cup of fresh flower heads in a pint of boiling
water. Use about 2 tablespoons of dried
powdered flower heads to a cup of
boiling water. Keep a lid on
steeping chamomile as some of the medicinal qualities may be lost if it is left
open. Strain before drinking.
To calm the
nerves and bring on restful sleep, drink a about a cup of warm tea. Cooled tea can be used as a gargle for sore
throats or inflamed gums and cold sores.
Tea is often mixed with ginger ale to help upset stomachs.
Adults
should drink no more than 2-3 cups of tea a day. Children under 5 no more than half a cup and
ages 5-18, about a cup. See the other cautions below.
For use externally, as a poultice for skin
problems or minor wounds, make the tea much stronger, about 3-4 cups of fresh
flowers to a pint of water or 6-8 tablespoons dried herb to a cup of water. Cool before using. This can also be used as a rinse for blond
hair to restore highlights. Cool
chamomile tea is also used as a spray for seedlings, to prevent fungal disease.
The flowers
can be crushed and then slowly steamed, which will produce pale blue oil. When such oil is produced at home it is hard
to judge the quality and strength. It’s
also hard to produce a sizable quantity.
If you would like to use chamomile oil for herbal lotions or remedies it
might be wise to purchase a standardized extract at a health food or drug
store.
If you
don’t like tea and want to try chamomiles soothing properties you can purchase
capsules and tinctures in many stores.
Follow the label directions for dosage.
Warning
Chamomile
should not be used by people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, or
asters. It should not be used by persons
with asthma or pregnant women before consulting a doctor. People on blood thinners should not use
chamomile. Chamomile reacts with many
drugs. If you are on ant-depressants,
sleep medicines, birth control pills, sedatives, anticonvulsants, some allergy
medications, statins or pain medications you should talk to your doctor about
using chamomile. In fact, you should
always consult your doctor before mixing herbal and other medications. Alcohol use with chamomile should be avoided.
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- Third
Annual Bee Palooza from 1 to 4
p.m. on Sunday, June 22, MSU Horticulture Garden, East Lansing Mi. Note:
This was just posted on line.
In celebration of National Pollinator
Week, Michigan State University is hosting the Third Annual Bee Palooza from 1
to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, 2014. This interactive event is for people of all
ages to learn more about pollinators by visiting a series of seven stations set
up in various parts of the beautiful MSU Horticulture Gardens. Learn about the
400 bee species found in Michigan, view the inner workings of both honey bee
and bumble bee colonies, learn how to build your own solitary bee nesting box,
and learn about bee-friendly gardening. In addition, there will be
pollinator-themed face painting and a scavenger hunt for the young at heart.
Pollinators play an important role in
the production of many seed, nut and fruit crops, including almonds, apples,
blueberries, cherries, coffee, melons, squash, sunflowers and tomatoes. Some
people think only of allergies when they hear about pollen, but pollination —
the transfer of pollen grains to fertilize the seed-producing ovaries of
flowers — is essential to plant reproduction. Many trees, shrubs and wildflowers
depend on bees and other pollinators to move this pollen between flowers.
This annual event is free and open to
the public, and more details are available on Bee Palooza’s Facebook page. Maps
to the MSU campus and to the MSU Horticulture Garden on the west side of Bogue
Street south of Wilson Road will help you find the gardens and nearby parking.
For more information, contact
Julianna Wilson at jkwilson@msu.edu or Rufus Isaacs at isaacsr@msu.edu.
New- The Busy
Gardener- June 24, 2014 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Oakland County
Executive Office Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI
Tips for the gardener who wants to
make the best use of precious time and money. Janet will present ideas and answer
questions to help you get your garden, shrub and lawn work done in the spring
in ways that will make summer more relaxing and beautiful. Cost $20. Contact Linda Smith, 248-858-0887, smithlin@oakgov.com
Rochester
WNF&GA- Garden walk Thursday, June 19, 2014, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Rochester Hills Museum, 1005 Van Hoosen Road,
Rochester Hills.
The Garden Walk is an intimate look
at the unique and private gardens in our community. It is co-hosted annually on
the third Thursday of June by the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm and
the Rochester Garden Club. You are
invited to attend a program at 2:00 pm in the newly renovated Calf Barn. Kathy
Miller from Fogler’s Greenhouse will present, Creative Container Gardening.
This is your opportunity to learn how to spice up your containers with
interesting combinations of flowers.
The Open Aire Garden Market will
feature vendors on the grounds of the Rochester Hills Museum from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. And don’t miss the Cookie Room
in the Dairy Barn for delicious refreshments. Tour tickets can be purchased at the Rochester Hills
Museum Dairy Barn Wed-Sat 1:00-4:00 p.m. in advance and on the day of the
Garden Tour - In advance – $10 for
Museum members, $12 for non-members, $14 the day of the Tour. Museum Phone: (248) 656.4663
Crocker
House Garden Walk Saturday, Jun
21, 2014 9am-4pm, Crocker House Museum, Union Street, Mount Clemens, MI,
Sponsored by the By Macomb County
Historical Society at Crocker House Museum. Cost is $15.which includes the walk,
breakfast & presentation. More info
contact www.crockerhousemuseum.com.
Monarch
Butterfly Conservation Kickoff Saturday, Jun
21, 2014 1-3pm, Leslie Science &
Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road, Ann Arbor, MI
Help us develop our "Monarch
Waystation" & learn how to create your own. Register: 734-997-1553. Cost is $38/family, $11/person.
Summer Solstice Concert- Sun., June
22, 3 pm Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1800 N.
Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor
Join us for a free outdoor concert of
live music at Matthaei in celebration of the year’s longest day. Headed by local
musician and composer Robert Spalding Newcomb. Free.
Walking Tour of the Herb Garden, Mon.,
July 7, 7 pm Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1800 N.
Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor
Description: Presented by Evening
Herb Study Group July is a peak month for the Alexandra Hicks Herb Knot Garden
at Matthaei. Meet outside in the Gateway Garden prior to 7 pm. Free
What
is Popping in the Ponds?, Sunday, June
29, 2:00 pm Seven Ponds Nature Center, 3854
Crawford Road, Dryden, MI (810) 796-3200
Wetland plants will be blooming and
birds will be singing on our walk to see what is popping.
Build
a Hypertufa Leaf Birdbath, Saturday,
July 5, 10:00 am Seven Ponds Nature Center,
3854 Crawford Road, Dryden, MI (810)
796-3200
A hypertufa birdbath nestled into a
garden space will attract a myriad of bird species. In this class we will learn
the process using a real leaf as a mold. Please bring a blanket to cradle your
project on the way home and a bag lunch. Please call to preregister for this
adult (12 and up) class. Fee $15.00 (members $12.00).
The
Lapeer area Horticulture Society is looking for new members. There are no
education or experience requirements to join; only a love of gardening is
needed. The Horticulture Society meets
the third Monday of each month for socializing, networking and a brief
educational presentation. Next meeting
is at Swoish’s Greenhouse, North Branch, May 19th 6:30 pm. Everyone is invited to join. Dues are only $15 a year. For more information on joining or meeting
locations contact Bev Kobylas at bkobylas@yahoo.com
The
3rd Annual Michigan Honey Festival- Saturday, July 12, 2014 10am - 5pm at The Harvey Kern Pavilion in Frankenmuth,
Michigan.
Attend educational seminars and learn
all you need to start beekeeping! Purchase all
your beekeeping supplies from a variety of vendors. Lots of Michigan honey for sale. Learn how to
brew honey beer and mead and attend the many cooking with honey
demonstrations. There is a children’s
craft area and a demonstration garden done by Master Gardeners. Watch a bee beard demonstration. There will be lots of interesting products to
sample and buy made from honey or bee’s wax.
This year’s festival is all indoors,
so no weather worries. Admission is $5
for adults, children 12 and under free.
More information ? http://www.michiganhoneyfestival.com/contact.html
Master
Gardener College (open to
public) June 20-21, MSU, East Lansing, MI
This year’s event features exciting
full day tours and hands-on workshops on Friday followed by a delicious dinner
at the University Club in East Lansing. Saturday features two entertaining and
educational keynote speakers, as well as eighteen exciting sessions to choose
from in order to feed your mind with science-based gardening knowledge. And, of course, there will be plenty of buying
opportunities.
Key note speaker Charlie Nardozzi will
speak on Foodscaping...A Growing Revolution
Almost a third of American households now do some kind of food gardening.
While everyone wants to grow their own
food, many are unwilling to give up precious yard space or have their yard,
perceivably, look unruly.
You do not have to be a Master
Gardener to attend. Re-certified MG get a discount. There is a wide variety of
pricing options for this event starting at about $65 for a single workshop to
about $200.00 for the 2 day event.
Please go to http://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder=mgcollege14 for more
information and to register.
You must pre-register. Registration
fees are refundable until May 31, 2014, less a $20 cancellation fee. After May
31, refunds are no longer available. For
more information, contact Betsy Braid at 517-884-7081 or braidbet@msu.edu.
Garden
Day August 2, 2014, 8 am – 4:15 pm,
Michigan State University Department of Horticulture, East Lansing Mi.
MSU’s annual garden day is on
Saturday this year. The keynote speaker
is Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants,
Flower Confidential, and The Drunken Botanist and other books. Ms Stewart is also the concluding speaker and
you can also stay for a reception after the event where she will discuss the Drunken Botanist. You can choose from a
number of excellent workshops/classes, 1 morning and 1 afternoon session.
Classes include Herbal housekeeping, Best Herbaceous perennials, Creative
Containers, Dividing Perennials, Herbs at Home, Pruning Basics, Gardening in
the Shade, Unusual Trees and Shrubs, Creative Edge, and Going Native.
Cost of the event is $85 until July
22nd , $95 after. Lunch and free parking
included. Additional $39 for evening reception.
Go to hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2014
for class
descriptions and to register.
2014
MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION - GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN GARDEN TOUR – June 22nd
2014.
Celebrate spring by enjoying a stroll
through beautiful gardens in Genesee County's east side. Each site has its own
unique features. The homeowner or a Master Gardener would be delighted to
answer any questions. Although each garden looks very different, all of the
homeowners share the passion of watching their garden grow and expand each
year. Much thought has been put into every loved plant or garden art. The
gardeners believe that the garden is an expression of them. Fortunately for us,
they want to share their masterpiece with us.
Please join us in touring nine
outstanding gardens on Genesee County’s east side Sunday, June 22 10:00AM -
5:00PM.and visit the For-Mar Truck Farm at one of the sites. Mark your calendar
for the easy self-guided tour. The total tour is 16.3 miles with easy access
from I-69 to start at site #1 and I-75 to end at site #10 home. There are no
rules where you start or finish, but the routemoves nicely goingfromnorth to
south or south to nor
Advance tickets will be available on
May 23rd at the MSU Extension office for $10.00, $2.00 for children under 12.
Advance tickets will also be available on May 23rd from the following
merchants:
Bordine Nursery 9100 Torrey Rd, Grand
Blanc - (810) 655-5588
Jenny B’s Garden Party 9063 Clio Rd.
Clio - (810) 687-7742
Piechnik Greenhouse,13172 McCumsey
Road, Clio - (810) 686-9211
Walker Farms & Greenhouse 5253
Atherton Road, Burton (810) 743-0260
Tickets may also be purchased the day
of the tour (Sunday, June 22rd) at any of the garden sites. Site addresses will
be posted on the web page the night before the tour. The photo on the ticket
cover was by a student that won the coloring contest at one of Swartz Creek’s
elementary schools.
Gardens will be open for viewing on
June 22 from 10A – 5P, Rain or Shine.
Visit the web site for driving
directions/questions: http://GCgardentour.weebly.com/
NOTE: Gardens open only on this
specific day and time. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE!
Accommodations for persons with
disabilities may be requested by calling Jim Harrow, Plant & Pest Hotline
(810) 244-8548 two (2) weeks prior to the event to ensure sufficient time to
make arrangements. Requests received after this date will be met when possible.
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 address to me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
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