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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

December 30, 2014 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

December 30, 2014 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim 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

My Christmas gift.
Happy New Year- you may think tomorrow ends the old year but really the natural year ended back on December 21 and we are now 9 days into the new natural year.  Ever so slowly the days will lengthen, that’s the good news.

It started out gloomy with flurries this morning but the day has become at least partly sunny.   I can take winter cold if the day is sunny.  We have had a few days in a row where we have seen the sun, let’s hope it’s a trend.

My Christmas cactus – at least the one in the kitchen, synced its bloom beautifully with the holidays.  My son bought me a beautiful blooming orchid for Christmas.  The geraniums are blooming on the porch and the Chinese hibiscus has big fat buds that should open soon.  It’s so nice to have flowers in the winter.

What to do if you got a poinsettia for Christmas and want to keep it.

You can just enjoy the poinsettia until it starts looking bedraggled and then throw it out. Or if you can’t stand to see a plant die you can keep it as ahouseplant. First remove the foil wrapper around the pot and make sure it has drainage holes.  If it does, get a saucer for the plant.  If it doesn’t have drainage re-plant the poinsettia in a pot that has good drainage. 

Poinsettia
Place the poinsettia in bright light – it doesn’t have to be in a south window but the brighter the light the better.  Let it dry slightly between watering’s but keep it from wilting.  Dry air may cause the plant to lose leaves.  Misting isn’t recommended anymore but since dry air is also bad for you adding a humidifier to the room may help you both.  Rooms with lots of plants or a fish tank are generally humid enough.  A jar of water over a heating vent can also help. 

Hopefully you keep your home between 55 and 70 degrees.  Cooler nights are helpful for almost all species of plants, including poinsettias.

Some people recommend chopping the plant back by one third immediately, I don’t.  The plant will stay pretty a long time, so enjoy it.  In March begin fertilizing the poinsettia when you fertilize other houseplants.  After all danger of frost has passed move the plant outside- and now cut the plant back by one third. Move the poinsettia to a shady location first, then gradually into full sun.  Don’t forget to water it.  It’s probably best to sink the pot into the ground, but not plant it directly into the garden. Fertilize the plant at least once a month.

In the fall, before frost, bring the plant inside to a place where it gets bright natural light but little artificial light at night.  Don’t forget to water it.  If you are lucky the leaf bracts will color up again.  They need a natural rhythm of shortening days to start the color show.  Once the color has come you can move the plant to a more visible location if you want. Even without much color the poinsettia can be a pretty houseplant if it’s grown well.



My New Year gardening resolutions

I will resolve to thin, cull, divide, move and prune before I buy more plants.

Like many of you I tend to put off dividing perennials, moving plants or just getting rid of plants that aren’t preforming well.  My resolution this year is to thoroughly overhaul two big beds in my yard that are crowded and messy.  I need to dig out some hardy roses that popped up from root suckers, divide huge clumps of day lilies, get rid of some goldenrod, comfrey, phlox and Maximilian sunflowers and move some plants that have been buried by other plants. 

The problem will be to find a suitable place for things I take out of the gardens that I want to keep.  I have enough land - but I am not sure I want to begin new beds. I have some shady areas that could still be added to, but the beds I need to do over are beds of sun lovers.  So some things just have to go I guess. 

I am glad I took plenty of pictures this year so I can see how things look when they get to mature size.  It’s so easy to look at small plants in the spring and think that everything is perfectly spaced. I know that I can’t even see the oriental lilies after the baptisia and phlox grow up, that the roses are buried in peonies and hydrangeas by mid-summer and while butterflies like the goldenrod that there is just too much of it. 

Only after I have culled and pruned and divided and re-planted will I buy new plants this year, or so I resolve now, in winter, while looking at all the new catalogs.  That’s my garden resolution what’s yours?

All American selections announced

The 2015 All American plant selections have been announced.  This year the committee that makes the selections has also announced some regional winners, plants that are outstanding in some areas of the country.  Here are the national selections and selections for our region. You will be able to find at least some of them in garden stores and catalogs this spring.

Salvia Summer Jewel White 2015 National AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
 This is a dwarf, pure white salvia that blooms prolifically.

Petunia Trilogy Red F1 2015 AAS National Bedding Plant Award Winner
The Trilogy series petunias have a great dome shaped habit.  This is a new color for the type- a true scarlet red.

Impatiens Bounce Pink Flame.  Credit-allamericanselections.org
Impatiens Bounce™ Pink Flame PPAF 'Balboufink' 2015 National AAS Flower Award Winner
Bounce is a new hybrid impatiens with complete downy mildew resistance that looks just like the formerly well-loved Impatiens walleriana.  Let’s hope other colors will soon be introduced, (this is hot pink).

Impatiens SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink 2015 National AAS Flower Award Winner.
Another hybrid impatiens that has good downy mildew resistance, this one is a softer pink.  It’s not the same breeding as the one above.

Basil Dolce Fresca 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
A basil with sweet tender leaves and a compact shape.

Lettuce Sandy 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
This is an oakleaf type lettuce with frilled deep green leaves.  It has very good disease resistance and is slow to bolt.

Pak Choi Bopak F1 2015 AAS Regional Northeast, Great Lakes Vegetable Award Winner
This Pak Choi matures early and has soft, tender leaves.

Peppers were very popular with the judges this year it seems.

Pepper Emerald Fire F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
This is an extra hot, extra-large and extra tasty jalapeno pepper

Pepper Flaming Flare F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
An early maturing chili type pepper with a high yield of brilliant red fruit.

Pepper Pretty N Sweet F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
A compact sweet pepper with multi-colored fruit that’s great for containers.
Radish Roxanne F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
A red colored radish that doesn’t get pithy even when large.

Squash Bossa Nova F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
A zucchini with light and dark green mottled skin that’s very prolific.  (Do we really need more prolific zucchini?)

Squash Butterscotch F1 2015 AAS National Vegetable Award Winner
A small, sweet butternut type squash.

Tomato Chef's Choice Pink F1 2015 AAS Regional (Southeast, Great Lakes) Vegetable Award Winner
This is a pink beefsteak type tomato with large yields and a great flavor.

Where trial gardens are located in Michigan

Frankenmuth All American Selections trial garden.
 Credit allamericanselections.org
You may know that MSU has an annual trial garden where growers donate plants for MSU to grow and rate.  Some All American Selections were trialed there.  But did you know there is an All American Selection trial garden in Frankenmuth?  It’s located on the grounds of Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance, 1 Mutual Avenue- which is just off W. Genesee, in Frankenmuth.  If you go to Frankenmuth this summer stop by and have a look. 

Other trial gardens are located in the Dow Gardens in Midland, Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles, Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton and the Raker Trial Gardens in Litchfield, which is southwest of Battle Creek. 

Raker trial gardens, Litchfield MI
The Raker Trial Gardens are some of the largest in the country.  This company grows plants that private and commercial breeders send to them from all over the world.  They provide an independent and objective evaluation of new cultivars that breeders hope to sell to consumers.  You can visit this display garden from July 15th to August 28, 2015 between 9-5.  Rakers also hosts what they call the Connection a two day event that brings growers, breeders, professional and home gardeners together.  There are tours, networking, speakers and so on.  Kids are welcome.  This year’s event is July 30-31st.   For more information go to  http://trialgardens.raker.com/

Raker’s is also a huge wholesale producer of plugs and small nursery plants that are sold throughout the country.  They have a partnership with Hort Couture- which brings out the newest and choicest varieties of plants. If you want to see some of the plants that are being offered this spring there are two links below.   You’ll need to find these plants in local nurseries or catalogs.


Japanese Knotweed, friend or foe?

Japanese Knotweed has three Latin names, depending on what system of classification you choose to use: Polygonum cuspidatum, Fallopia japonica, or Reynoutria japonica.  Other common names include Fleeceflower, American or Mexican bamboo and various names unfit to publish.  While the plant is native to Japan, China and Korea it can be found all over the world, where it was often introduced as an ornamental plant, and then became a very unwanted and invasive pest. 

Japanese Knotweed in flower.  Wikimedia.commons.otr
Japanese Knotweed occurs in 39 of the 50 US states.  In most, like Michigan, it’s listed as invasive.  In the UK Japanese Knotweed is considered so invasive and destructive to the landscape that mortgages may not be issued for properties that have it.  The plant will grow in almost any soil, in wet or dry areas, in sun or shade.  It survives northern winters. 

The plant does have its charms; it has large rounded leaves on tall bamboo like stalks with prominent “knotty” leaf joints.  In late summer it has small clusters of dainty white flowers that give off a sweet scent.  The plant can grow from dormant roots in the ground to 6 feet high and wide in just a couple months and forms an impressive screen.  But its drawback is also that phenomenal growth.  Japanese Knotweed roots can extend 10 feet deep into the soil and spread over 30 feet away.  The roots are always popping up new sprouts and one plant quickly becomes a hundred, choking out anything in its path.

Gardeners are usually horrified when they find out they have introduced a such a bully into the garden. I was the culprit who introduced the pretty plant I found in the ally to our backyard when I was a kid.  It’s still there 50 years later, forming a screen across the back of my parent’s yard.  It’s growing in shade, in the root space of black walnuts and doesn’t miss a season.  It gets mowed regularly to just where it pops through the fence and that keeps it from taking over the rest of the yard.  But if it wasn’t mowed enough I have no doubt it would spread everywhere.

Japanese Knotweed will take over the property unless it is vigorously fought.  And it’s hard to kill with pesticides, mowing it makes it sprout faster and digging out all the roots is nearly impossible.  Any piece of root, however small, will soon grow a new plant.  Sprouts will slice through landscape fabric and plastic.  As I mentioned above regular mowing in lawn areas will keep it from spreading.  In flower beds it must be cut back the moment it begins to grow, over and over again.  Weed killers will work, glyphosate is probably the best bet, if they are applied each time the stems begin to grow, which will be often.  It can take two years – or never- to eradicate it.

However, like many plants there are many good things that can be said about Japanese Knotweed.  In Japan the sprouts are eaten in early spring.  It has oxalic acid and is prepared much like rhubarb.  And bees love Japanese Knotweed flowers, producing a honey flavored like mild buckwheat honey.  The roots have been used in traditional medicines for a long time.  They are a mild laxative, a blood thinner and are said to ease the pain of arthritis.   

Japanese Knotweed roots have become far more valuable lately though. It was discovered that the roots are a very good source of resveratrol, that miracle chemical first discovered in grapes and red wine.  Japanese Knotweed roots produce much more resveratrol than grapes, are much easier to grow, and grow all year round.  They are now being harvested for the supplement industry and chances are if you buy a resveratrol supplement in the aisles of a local store it will have been made from Japanese Knotweed root.

Resveratrol has been found in recent studies to thin blood as well as commercial drugs, it has suppressed lung and breast cancer tumors, and it is being used in studies to combat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and to promote weight loss and improve blood glucose control.

Modern herbalists are using tinctures of Japanese knotweed root to help cure Lyme disease, as an antiviral and antimicrobial, as an anti-aging compound, as an estrogen supplement, and for the diseases and conditions listed above.

Before you go out and dig up some Japanese Knotweed roots to dry and consume be aware that the root can be a strong laxative.  Pregnant and nursing women should not use it.  If you are using blood thinners, aspirin or other over the counter pain relievers, are on cardiac or diabetes medicines you should consult your doctor before using Japanese Knotweed. 

I don’t think you’ll want to rush out and plant Japanese Knotweed in the garden for its medicinal qualities.  But if you have the plant already at least you know it isn’t all bad.   

Winter’s back- bundle up out there.
Kim Willis
 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero


More Information

Mistletoe- Steal a kiss, strangle a tree

Kim Willis- Plant Guides- 2010

Mistletoe is not a plant most Michigan gardeners can grow.  However it figures prominently in American and European holiday decorating and has some fascinating history.  Mistletoe is presently either collected from the wild or semi-cultivated for seasonal use.  Mistletoe is best known today for the Christmas tradition of allowing lovers and strangers to kiss without censor if they are standing under a clump of it.

Mistletoe as it grows.  Wikimedia.commons.org
The common Mistletoe of Christmas decorations grows wild throughout Europe and parts of North America.  There are related species that grow in South Africa and Australia. Most mistletoes prefer deciduous trees, (those that lose their leaves in the winter), but a few species such as Dwarf Mistletoe, will grow on pines and other conifers. 

Mistletoe is a true parasitic plant.  When a seed from a mistletoe plant, usually deposited in a bit of fertilizer from a bird, or wiped off a bird’s beak, lands on the trunk of a tree it begins to grow.   The seeds germinate best on soft barked trees; they are quite sticky even when birds don’t deposit them.  A wide range of host species is used.  Some trees such as apple and ash trees seem to be attacked more frequently and others, like Bradford Pear and Ginko are seldom attacked.

Mistletoe sticks a root into the cambium layer of a tree and gets its water and minerals from the tree.  The plants thick, shiny green leaves are oval shaped and they do provide some food for the plant, particularly in winter, when the host tree goes dormant.  Mistletoe eventually makes a bushy plant, 3-5 foot in diameter hanging from the host tree.

Mistletoe has small whitish flowers that turn into waxy white berries in early winter.  The berries hang in clusters at the branch ends.  These fruited branch ends are what is collected for Christmas decorations.  Mistletoe branches become thick and woody over time and place a considerable burden on the host tree.

The evergreen mistletoe is quite obvious when the trees have lost their leaves in winter.  It greatly weakens its host and often kills it.  Mistletoe may grow back from the root for several years after being cut out.

Still, mistletoe has its place in nature; many birds feed on the berries and take shelter or build nests in its bushy mass.  Northern Spotted Owls often roost in clumps of mistletoe. Hairstreak butterfly larvae feed on mistletoe.  Mistletoe was the state flower of Oklahoma until 2004.

Mistletoe has a long association with magical or religious rites and herbal medicines.The druids were said to cut mistletoe from oak trees and bring it inside to bring good luck to the New Year.  Mistletoe is never supposed to touch the ground or it will bring bad luck.

Medicinal uses of mistletoe centered on curing nervous disorders, it is often cited as a cure for epilepsy.  In Europe mistletoe is currently being studied and used as a cure for some cancers and for respiratory problems.

Another old use for mistletoe was to cure sterility and perhaps that is where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe came about.   Good luck and fertility are associated with it.  Mistletoe ripens its berries at the time of the winter solstice, when most other things are barren.  If a man and woman meet under a hanging clump of mistletoe they are supposed to kiss and then pluck a berry from the cluster.  When the berries are gone, the mistletoe is no longer of value. 

Be careful with those plucked berries and any mistletoe you bring into the house.   Never consume any part of mistletoe. Mistletoe is poisonous and can cause convulsions and/or death in people and pets.  Even the dried plant is toxic and should be kept out of the reach of children and pets.


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.

Free- 5 male Muscovy ducks, young, mostly black feathered.    Excellent eating, less greasy than other duck- taste like beef.  Or great for decorating your pond.     Kimwillis151@gmail.com

A Note to readers- Garden classes will be less frequent during the next few months.

MSU offered a variety of on line seminars for those who were interested in beginning farming topics of various types.  Some of those are now available free to watch at the address below.  Gardeners may be interested in topics like organic pest controlGet the list of topics and links here.

New- Designing Your Garden for All Five Senses- January 13, 2015 11 am – Rochester Garden Club - Rochester Community House, 816 Ludlow, Rochester, Michigan.
 Janet Macunovich, well known local professional gardener, author, columnist, garden designer and dynamic speaker will present Designing your Garden for all Five Senses.  Janet is always informative as well as entertaining and will add some interesting ideas for your garden.
 Cost is $5 and pre-registration is required.  To register or for more info- Pat (586-337-0897) or Rosemary (586-739-5337).


New- Indoor Succulent Gardens- a class and make it and take it workshop Saturday, Jan 17, 2015, At all locations of English Gardens. See below.

The class at 1 pm is free and discusses varieties of succulents and how to care for them.  The workshop begins at 2:30 pm and requires a $24.99 fee.  You’ll make a mixed container of succulents that you take home.

Sign up in-store or on-line: www.EnglishGardens.com. Locations:  Ann Arbor, Maple Village Shopping Center, 155 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor, Phone: (734) 332-7900, Clinton Township, 44850 Garfield Rd. at Hall Rd., Clinton Twp., MI, Phone: (586) 286-6100, Dearborn Heights, 22650 Ford Rd., Dearborn Heights, MI  Nursery: (313) 278-4433, Eastpointe, 22501 Kelly Rd., Eastpointe, MI, Phone: (586) 771-4200, Royal Oak, 4901 Coolidge Hwy, Royal Oak, MI , Phone: (248) 280-9500, West Bloomfield, 6370 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, MI, Phone: (248) 851-7506

New- Introduction to Unusual Houseplants, January 24th , 2015, 1 pm at all English Garden Nurseries.  See locations below.

Learn about some unusual houseplants and how to care for them at this free class.

Sign up in-store or on-line: www.EnglishGardens.com. Locations:  Ann Arbor, Maple Village Shopping Center, 155 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor, Phone: (734) 332-7900, Clinton Township, 44850 Garfield Rd. at Hall Rd., Clinton Twp., MI, Phone: (586) 286-6100, Dearborn Heights, 22650 Ford Rd., Dearborn Heights, MI  Nursery: (313) 278-4433, Eastpointe, 22501 Kelly Rd., Eastpointe, MI, Phone: (586) 771-4200, Royal Oak, 4901 Coolidge Hwy, Royal Oak, MI , Phone: (248) 280-9500, West Bloomfield, 6370 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, MI, Phone: (248) 851-7506

New - Made in Michigan Sunday, January 25, 2:00 pm SEVEN PONDS NATURE CENTER- 3854 Crawford Road Dryden, MI  (810) 796-3200

Farming has been the second largest industry in Michigan for many years. We will discuss many topics from, but not limited to, organic farming to composting and recycling. This will be a unique program featuring live goats, chickens, doves, geese, and more as we discuss farming in Michigan. This will be fun for all ages.  Speaker-Dynamic West. Free to members, $3 non-members.

New-Signs of Insects -Sunday, February 1, 2:00 pm SEVEN PONDS NATURE CENTER- 3854 Crawford Road Dryden, MI  (810) 796-3200

Insects of all sorts leave signs that they are building, chewing, crawling, and “having families” around us. Join Naturalist Nancy Kautz for a closer look at a variety of shelters, galls, eggs and webs that might be found in your backyard. Free to members, $3 non-members.

Meijer Gardens’ 20th annual “Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World”, Now through January 4, 2015, 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE in Grand Rapids, Mi.

This year’s holiday exhibits will include New Year traditions from Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China, including the Japanese kadomatsu, or gate pine. This is a display of pine, bamboo and plum blossoms. There will also be a display from Ghana that includes brilliantly woven kente and printed adinkra cloths.

There will also be more than 40 international trees and displays, a Railway Garden that features model trains running through four indoor garden spaces and more than 30 miniature buildings representing Grand Rapids landmarks.

Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, $6 for ages 5-13, $4 for ages 3-4 and free for museum members and kids 2 and younger. Check out the entire schedule of holiday events at www.meijergardens.org.

Capital Area Master Gardeners - Mixing It Up Garden symposium - January 31, 2015, 8:15-4 pm. MSU Plant and Soil Sciences Building ,1066 Bogue Street East Lansing, MI.

This symposium features a variety of garden classes to lighten the winter blahs.  Registration fee includes lunch.  A garden marketplace will be available for shoppers. Fees are $35 for local club members, $45 for other Master Gardeners, $55 for all others. 

To get a description of classes and register online go to: https://mgacac.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/brochure2014_11-14.pdf


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


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

December 16, 2014 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

December 16, 2014 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim 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
This picture is of Mt Rainier National park - Justin Marx

Once again Tuesday dawns foggy and wet.  Our weather pattern has been shifting pretty reliably on Tuesday for the past month or so.  Maybe we can predict the weather by the day of the week.  It’s supposed to get colder but no major storms are near, according to the weather service today anyway.  Last year at this time we already had several inches of snow on the ground so it’s an improvement – maybe hope for the rest of winter.

December was named by the Romans for being the 10th month, (which it used to be before the modern calendar) but I am beginning to think it should have been named as the gray or dark month.  In Latin there are dozens of words for gray, each denoting a particular shade (50 shades of gray?).  Griseus sounds right- that’s pure gray or pearl gray.  Or maybe Plumbeus, that’s sort of Christmassy sounding and means lead colored.  Or maybe we should just call December Sordidus, which means any dull and unpleasant color.   

On Sunday when it was 50 degrees I went out and searched our property for dried flowers and weeds to make some new arrangements.  The great thing about dried flower arrangements is that you don’t have to worry about the container you put them in being able to hold water.  I had an old lamp “shade” that I had removed the light fixture from and I decided it would make a great dried flower ”vase”.  I found some dried grass seed heads, some dried hydrangea flowers, and some dried anise hyssop seed heads and created an arrangement I really liked.  I also found some dried sedum flowers, dried asters and dried goldenrod seed heads for a second arrangement. 

Dried flower arrangement.
Being in the crafty mood I also decided to make some soap.  I am not making my usual fudge this year after nearly 40 years of making fudge and cookies for Christmas so I decided soap would be my creative outlet.  I used a pre-made base for simplicity and since I wanted to make hemp oil based soap it was a little more legal than trying to distill oil from pot seeds.  Just kidding, I could have bought the oil (Hemp oil is legal and not a drug.) and made soap but it’s simpler this way.

So back to the story.  I also wanted to use natural dyes so I choose some spinach powder for green and alkanet powder from a catalog that promised pink to maroon color in the soap.  I should have done some research.  After successfully melting my base, adding essential oils (pine, frankincense and myrrh) and spinach powder to make a pretty green soap I confidently went on to my second batch.  I wanted it to smell like roses and Valencia (a citrusy mix) so I thought pink or red color would be perfect.  So I added the alkanet powder.  I was very dismayed to see the soap change to an ugly tan mud color. 

But as it cooled the color changed to a deep purple, which I thought wasn’t too bad. When I took the soap from the mold however, I noticed lots of little black speckles on the bottom-where the alkanet powder had settled.  It was actually kind of pretty looking, almost glittery but I had a feeling it might not be the best thing that could happen.  Sure enough when you lather with the soap the little black specks are a tiny bit abrasive and come out of the soap looking like bits of dirt. 

Now I did some research.  It seems alkanet should be dissolved in a little olive oil or alcohol for a few days before being strained out and then the colored oil or alcohol is added to the soap base after its melted.  Alkanet also makes many different colors, depending on what the pH of the base soap is.  With an alkaline base, as I assume most soap would have, you get brown to purple colors, sometimes if lucky, a pretty blue, not pink or red as the catalog suggested.  I guess I am going to try and salvage this batch by labeling them citrus pumice soap.  The smell is great anyway.

About alkanet

Alkanet is another name for plants of the borage family also known as Anchusa or Bugloss.  It’s the dried roots of Anchusa tinctoria that has been used as a dye for thousands of years.  The dye plant, true Anchusa tinctoria is perennial, but some ornamental Anchusa’s are biannual.  Borage family members typically have pretty true blue flowers on lanky, rough, hairy leaved plants.  Roots of the plants are large and thick.  It’s the roots that are dried and ground into a powder for dyeing purposes.

By the time Greeks began writing about it, people had been using alkanet root powder in dozens of formulas meant to produce a wide range of colors from brown to red to blue and purple.  The powder was used to color fabric, wood, wine, and the faces of Greek and later Roman women.  Unlike me, those early civilizations knew what to add to alkanet to produce the colors they wanted.  Red colors are typically made by adding alkanet to an acidic substance- such as wine.  Blues and purples were made by combining alkanet with alkaline substances and browns and tans by substances such as water that have a neutral pH.
Anchusa- alkanet

Alkanet used to have some medicinal properties assigned to it.  It was used in ointments to heal wounds, bruises and snakebite.  Used as a strong concoction with wine it was said to kill intestinal worms.  It was taken in vinegar to help with kidney and liver problems.  The flowers of borage are pretty in salads and perfectly safe to eat.  Bees love borage flowers and the honey they make from it is said to have a very pleasant taste.

Frankincense and Myrrh

Frankincense and Myrrh are two “spices” that are typically associated with Christmas because of the bible mentioning that they were brought as gifts to the baby Jesus.  What is ironic is that during the early centuries of Christian worship the burning of incense, the traditional way of using the scents of Frankincense and Myrrh, was prohibited because it was associated with pagan and Jewish traditions.  It somehow snuck back into Christian rituals and even now incense is burned in Catholic and Greek orthodox religious ceremonies. 

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri is the most prominent species of Boswellia used) and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha is the most harvested species) are both woody plants that grow in the same desolate dry areas of Northeast Africa where the countries of Ethiopia and Somalia are now located and along the coast of the Red Sea in Yemen.  There are actually several species of both plants that are harvested, with some yielding a better product than others.

Frankincense trees grow right on rocks with a special kind of adhesive roots.  Myrrh plants are typically shrub like. Both plants resist transplanting to more favorable climates, although it’s been tried since the times of the Romans, with potted plants appearing in various ancient murals.

Both frankincense and myrrh are harvested by wounding the trees or shrubs trunks and collecting the sap that oozes out after it has hardened.  It takes a lot of labor and many months to do this in the inhospitable areas that the plants grow in and the plants were never terribly abundant, which accounts for the value that was placed on both spices.  The lumps of resin were graded by their color and purity and assigned value accordingly.

The golden lumps of hardened resin were often worth more than gold and widely traded.  The ancient Egyptians bought boatloads of the spices and camel caravans carried them vast distances. These spices were often used as currency and taxes were paid with them.  Every deity imaginable was given frankincense and myrrh as a sacrificial offering.  From pagans to Christians the practice of using frankincense and myrrh in religious ceremonies was passed along.

The lumps of spice resin are either ground and used in incense and other products or the lumps are soaked in oils or alcohol to leach out the scent and medicinal properties.  The scents of the two spices are hard to describe, frankincense seems to have a warmer, more woodsy scent with myrrh seeming to have a smoky pine scent.  The two are almost always combined in incense for religious ceremonies.  You either like or dislike the aroma it seems.

Our early ancestors were adept in finding plants that altered the mind and or mood.  Both frankincense and myrrh contain chemicals called sesquiterpenes that are released when the resin powder is burned.  When inhaled, sesquiterpenes act on a part of the brain that controls emotions.  They were used to alter emotions – particularly to ease stress, grief and despair, and to allow the mind to focus and become introspective.  It helps that the scent of these spices is also pleasing to most people and could cover the not so pleasant smells of early communal gatherings.

Both frankincense and myrrh also have traditional medicinal uses.  Myrrh was often used for diseases of the teeth and mouth and is still used in some toothpastes and mouth washes.  Myrrh was often mixed with wine and used as a pain reliever.  It has a bitter taste and is believed to be the “gall” that was mixed with vinegar and offered to Christ on the cross.  It was not a Roman cruelty as so often taught; rather it was traditional for Romans to offer a pain sedative to those they crucified, most often myrrh mixed with cheap wine.

Myrrh is also used in ointments to smooth and heal chapped and inflamed skin and was used to prevent wrinkles.  It, along with frankincense and other spices and herbs, is part of the embalming fluid Egyptians used on the dead “mummies”. 

Myrrh was also used to bring on menstruation, possibly to induce abortions.  It was given to purify women before they were “given” to a new man.  The book of Ester in the bible gives instructions to purify a woman by giving her oil of myrrh for 6 months and then for another additional 6 months she was given sweet oil treatments.  This would effectively mean that she would not be pregnant with another man’s child and was probably thought to cure any sexually transmitted disease she might also have.

Frankincense has been used since ancient times to cure arthritic pain and modern research has found that it is indeed helpful in some forms of arthritis.  It is also being used today for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, and there are studies that prove it’s quite effective.  In older references oil of frankincense was referred to as oil of Olibanum or just as Olibanum.

Frankincense plant.  Credit: Scott Zona, wikimedia commons
Egyptian women used burnt frankincense ashes to make kohl- the original black eyeliner and mascara.  Even today many expensive cosmetics and perfumes contain either frankincense or myrrh as ingredients.

Frankincense was also thought to cure sexual diseases and inhaling the smoke was thought to cure asthma and other bronchial conditions. The smoke of both frankincense and myrrh repels insects and the smoke was thought to purge a room of disease or malevolent spirits and thoughts.  And of course it made a room smell better in most cases and would alter the emotions in a positive way. 

By the middle ages the disruption of trade routes made the use of both frankincense and myrrh too rare and expensive for most people and the use of the spices receded to mostly religious ritual.  Today however you can find frankincense and myrrh, most often as incense or as essential oils to use in cosmetic and craft products.

Bee propolis may help grow hair

Propolis is a substance bees make from resins and saps collected from plants.  It’s not honey, and isn’t used for food.  The dark brown resin is used to seal openings in the hive, repair the hive or wall off things that got into the hive and can’t be carried out.

Propolis has long been used in folk medications for a wide range of things.  You can buy it in health food stores and on line.  Researchers have been doing various studies on propolis to see if there is any true medicinal value.  A recent study published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found one interesting use for propolis.

When researchers applied propolis to the skin of mice that had been shaved or that had their hair removed with wax they found that hair grew back much faster on the treated mice than on a control group.  They found that the treated mice had more cells that caused hair growth.  They also found that the propolis had anti-inflammatory properties that could help with inflammation of hair pores that often causes hair loss. 

While researchers are not yet saying that they have a cure for baldness they say that it looks like propolis might help in some cases.  So if you are going bald and aren’t happy buy some bee propolis and do your own experiment. 

Prescription drugs in the water affect food crops growth

It’s another good reason not to pee on your garden.  Researchers have found that many medications that humans take and then excrete in their urine and feces get into the soil and water.  Even the common over the counter drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen and a common ingredient in pain medications called diclofenac are excreted from our bodies and remain in the environment.     

Most municipal sewage systems don’t effectively remove drugs from the water nor do water purification plants.  Using municipal water to water your plants or sewage sludge for fertilizer –or peeing on your garden as some organic “experts” recommend-  means your soil will soon contain these chemicals too.  And when plants are grown in soil contaminated with these chemicals their growth can be affected.

Research recently published in the Journal of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety found that even in very small amounts the chemicals ibuprofen and diclofenac caused growth problems in radish and lettuce plants in an experimental study.  The plants absorbed the chemicals through the root system from contaminated soil.  The root systems of the plants didn’t grow as well as those in uncontaminated soil and the rate of growth and photosynthesis wasn’t as good.

There’s no hope that people are going to quit using these medications so the gardener must make a decision as to what he or she puts on the garden.  Using rain water or at this point well water,( eventually that too will be contaminated)  on the garden and avoiding sewage sludge as a fertilizer will be your best bet to avoid disrupting plant growth.  And certainly don’t pee on your garden if you take any medications.  We don’t know what effect eating the plants that took up the chemicals will have on our bodies yet - maybe we will all be pain free!

Notice:  The next newsletter will be published Dec. 30th, 2014.

Wishing you a great winter solstice celebration( 21st) ( No worries about whether you prefer Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays) And a great New Year.

Kim Willis
 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero



National Bison Range Refuge- Dave Fitzpatrick


More Information
Discouraging deer year-round in your yard: Facts versus fantasies
Give your landscape and garden a fighting chance from hungry deer by knowing the facts.
Posted on December 8, 2014 by Gretchen Voyle, Michigan State University Extension

Landscape and garden damage caused by deer is a common issue many homeowners have, and Michigan State University Extension horticulture educators and Master Gardener hotlines receive questions year-round on this topic. It’s usually after the event and there may be little to offer other than sympathy. However, smart gardeners are those who think ahead. If this happened one year, it will probably happen another. Having a plan and carrying it out is important to limiting deer damage, but what will discourage deer will also work on rabbits and woodchucks. These ideas could be called a “three-fer” by discouraging other mammal munchers at the same time.

Fact: Use deer or animal repellants regularly on plants during the growing season. Begin applying early in the season when the tulip flower buds are beginning to emerge and hosta leaves are just in the bullet, or rolled up, stage. In the spring, apply twice a week and repeat after a rain, especially if it is more than 0.5 inches. It’s the same deer that are frequenting your yard. Start training them early. Deer are not going to ride the bus to your yard from another area. By late summer or fall, you may be able to reduce your repellent applications to one a week or maybe less. You can purchase repellants or look to the Internet for some mix-your-own recipes to try. By using repellants during the growing season, deer become programmed to stay away from the stinky yard. They are less likely to change their habits in the winter.

Fantasy: You only need to apply a repellant once a month for good results. You have to consider yourself an animal trainer and be consistent in your message of “don’t eat here.”

Fact: Add or replace some plants in your landscape with some that are considered deer-resistant. Many of these have very distinctive odors. The reason is to give you fewer plants to protect from the hungry horde. For more information on deer-resistant plants, see “Deer-Resistant Plants For Homeowners.”

Fantasy: Planting deer-resistant plants in your landscape will protect the ones that are being eaten. Planting deer-resistant plants does not stop deer from sorting through the rest of the garden for a tasty treat. They just avoid eating the smelly ones.

Fact: Give deer as few reasons as possible to visit your yard. This might involve using fences in the winter. See “Deer damage to woody ornamentals” for more information.

Fantasy: Feeding deer in the winter will give them “good” things to eat instead of your landscape plants. Many well-meaning people have created problems by feeding deer cracked or whole corn. This leads to a too common problem called corn toxicity. This can cause acidosis where the influx of high carbohydrate, low fiber, readily digestible food goes into the deer’s system that is calibrated for high fiber, woody browse plants. The pH drops in the deer’s rumen and gut activity stops and the animal suffers from indigestion, dehydration, diarrhea and eventual death. The other problem is entrotoxemia which is an overeating disease. This can also cause the rapid death of animals in relatively good condition. Deer will also show up for any material they can get out of bird feeders or off the ground.

Fact: Using a fertilizer like Milorganite may help discourage deer. Some gardeners have found Milorganite fertilizer to be a useful tool in repelling deer. The product says it has up to five-week repellency. Other possible aids include hanging chunks of strongly scented deodorant soaps in mesh nets, sprinkling human hair on the ground from a barber shop, scattering blood meal, and getting rid of outdated spices and herbs like cinnamon, red pepper flakes, cloves and anything with a strong aroma.

Fantasy: Believing that any of the products will last the entire season or maybe a month. You have to consider that you are always on duty and are trying to think about deterring the invaders at the gate.

Any of these tips and techniques will have various amounts of success. It may be impossible in some cases to prevent damage completely. The number of deer in an area and available food will make results differ. In the winter, the longer there is continuous snow cover on the ground, the more desperate deer become. They can dig through a few inches, but if it is heavy, deer may be forced to venture to places they regularly don’t go. Think ahead to prevent deer damage; it’s so much easier than trying to repair it.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit

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.

I have several free roosters, bantam and full sized if anyone is interested.  Also free 5 male Muscovy ducks, young, mostly black feathered.    Excellent eating, less greasy than other duck- taste like beef.  Or great for decorating your pond.     Kimwillis151@gmail.com

A Note to readers- Garden classes will be less frequent during the next few months.

MSU offered a variety of on line seminars for those who were interested in beginning farming topics of various types.  Some of those are now available free to watch at the address below.  Gardeners may be interested in topics like organic pest controlGet the list of topics and links here.


Meijer Gardens’ 20th annual “Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World”, Now through January 4, 2015, 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE in Grand Rapids, Mi.

This year’s holiday exhibits will include New Year traditions from Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China, including the Japanese kadomatsu, or gate pine. This is a display of pine, bamboo and plum blossoms. There will also be a display from Ghana that includes brilliantly woven kente and printed adinkra cloths.

There will also be more than 40 international trees and displays, a Railway Garden that features model trains running through four indoor garden spaces and more than 30 miniature buildings representing Grand Rapids landmarks.

Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, $6 for ages 5-13, $4 for ages 3-4 and free for museum members and kids 2 and younger. Check out the entire schedule of holiday events at www.meijergardens.org.

Capital Area Master Gardeners - Mixing It Up Garden symposium - January 31, 2015, 8:15-4 pm. MSU Plant and Soil Sciences Building ,1066 Bogue Street East Lansing, MI.

This symposium features a variety of garden classes to lighten the winter blahs.  Registration fee includes lunch.  A garden marketplace will be available for shoppers. Fees are $35 for local club members, $45 for other Master Gardeners, $55 for all others. 

To get a description of classes and register online go to: https://mgacac.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/brochure2014_11-14.pdf


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