Tuesday, January 27, 2015

January 27, 2015 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

January 27, 2015 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


When the sun shines in the winter it doesn’t feel nearly as dreary and cold as when it’s gray.  Aren’t we lucky we aren’t getting socked by the big snow storm on the east coast?  This is said to be the coldest time of the year, so let’s just get through it and move on to spring.  Already I can see the sun is higher and moving north on the horizon.  The days are just a bit longer too.  There’s some promise there.

I made my first garden catalog order this week.  I bought some garden seeds and a new apple tree- HoneyCrisp- I love those apples.  I also bought some Chocolate vines- you need two different ones for pollination.  They don’t produce chocolate of course, the fruit is said to smell like it but taste like custard- which is the fruit term for it tastes like chicken when referring to a strange meat.   The flowers look pretty and it’s something different.

There are lots of early bird sales going on in the catalog- on line- stores right now.  It’s a good time to garden shop.  All of the gardeners I meet are telling me about their plans and dreams for the garden this year- it’s that time.

I saw aphids on my Chinese Hibiscus a few days ago and was upset because I don’t like to spray insecticides inside.  I was smashing them by hand on the buds when I noticed a couple of lady bugs.  Yes, there is a good reason for them to be inside over winter!  Looking at the plant today I only found aphids in one spot – which I destroyed.  Looks like those Lady bugs have been eating well.  I won’t complain about them being inside again.

Savory- 2015 Herb of the year

Savory
 Credit:commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
bgiu.
Savory, an herb much used in English, Canadian, German and Bulgarian cooking, is the 2015 herb of the year.  There are two forms of savory; Summer or annual savory,(Satureja hortensis), and Winter savory, (Satureja montana). They are native to the Mediterranean region. Both taste alike, (although some swear that summer savory is sweeter) and have similar uses in cooking but Summer savory is easier to grow and much more common.

Savory belongs to the mint family rand is a close relative of rosemary and thyme. It is similar to rosemary in looks with long narrow leaves and tubular pale blue flowers.  It is smaller than rosemary, with summer savory plants only reaching about 2 feet high with a floppy habit.  Winter savory is hardy to zone 5 but often a difficult plant to overwinter.  It looks similar to summer savory with a bit sturdier stems.

Savory is frequently part of dried herb mixes and is generally used in meat and mushroom dishes, as a sausage flavoring, in meat pies, and in stuffed cabbage rolls. It is also used fresh, leaves and small stems chopped finely in meat dishes and sometimes in bean or egg dishes. Savory is used as a salt substitute and it is also mixed with salt and paprika and kept on tables in Bulgaria and Romania as a seasoning called “sharena sol” or colorful salt. Savory is also used in sauces for meat and in stews and soups.  It makes a good “rub on” herb for grilled meats.  The flavor is somewhat like rosemary but more pungent and sharp.  Use it sparingly until you are sure you like the taste.

Medicinal uses of this herb are few.  It is said that rubbing young stems on insect bites eases the pain.  Ointments made with savory are said to relieve itching and pain of rashes.  A tea of dried leaves is used for sore throat and stomachache in some places.  Savory is also one of the “love” herbs with summer savory said to increase passion and winter savory to decrease it.

If you want to try this herb in your garden you can start the seeds of summer savory inside about 6 weeks before the last frost.  Garden stores often carry small plants.  Winter savory is generally bought as a plant and is harder to find.  Winter savory, like many herbs, does not like wet winters and often dies over winter.  You could try planting it in pots and wintering it inside an unheated space.

Plant savory in full sun in a well-drained location in the garden or in large pots. It likes to dry between watering but not go too long between watering.  No fertilization should be needed in the garden but light fertilization is needed for plants kept in pots.  The plants have few insect or disease problems.

You can trim the stems and leaves of savory at any time for cooking use.  Annual savory is usually cut at the base just before the first frost in fall and hung up to dry if dried savory is wanted for winter use.  Annual savory could be started in late summer from seeds for small potted plants on the windowsill in winter.

Death by chocolate – of bears

Too much chocolate?  Black bear at Great Smoky Mnt. Nat. Park
In 2011 Michigan became the first state to confirm that a black bear cub had died of chocolate poisoning.  Now New Hampshire has reported that last month 4 bears died from chocolate poisoning after consuming chocolate at a bait pile left by a hunter.  All the deaths were confirmed by lab and necropsy.  Many animals, including dogs are susceptible to poisoning by theobromine, an ingredient of chocolate.  The level of theobromine varies according to the type of chocolate, with dark chocolate having the most.  Theobromine kills by causing acute heart failure. Dogs can die from just a small amount of theobromine, its unknown how much kills a bear.  However in New Hampshire the bait pile the bears fed from was said to have 90 pounds of chocolate and doughnuts. 

Fish and Game Departments in many states are considering a ban on chocolate in the woods- at least in bait piles.  Deaths of raccoons from chocolate have also been reported.  Evidently many hunters use chocolate as bait, which seems like an expensive choice of bait material but maybe they get old or contaminated chocolate cheaply.  I am wondering if squirrels die from chocolate – or mice.  Worth a try anyway.  I just placed a piece of dark chocolate-coffee flavored chocolate - (nasty stuff) on the shelf next to my canaries where I think mice have been visiting.  Traps haven’t worked so we’ll see.

Emerald Ash Borers may be attacking other trees

Remember when we were assured that the Emerald Ash Borer beetle didn’t touch other types of trees, even ash relatives?  It seems that researchers at MSU may have been wrong or that because the voracious beetles killed all the Ash trees they have evolved the ability to eat other trees.

Research done at Wright University in Ohio by Dr. Don Cipollini and published in the Journal of Economic Entomology details how the Ohio researcher has found several places in Ohio where White Fringe Trees, (Chionanthus virginicus), a southeastern North American native tree often used as an ornamental, are infested and dying from EAB.  Larvae have been recovered from the trees as well as adult beetles and positively identified.  White Fringe Trees have pretty white flowers and purple fruits.  They and Ash trees are all in the “Olive” family.  Until recently there were no important insect or disease problems with this tree and it has been planted as an ornamental as far north as Wisconsin.  If you have this tree in your landscape you may want to protect it with insecticides recommended for EAB.  Purchase and planting of the White Fringe Tree should probably be avoided.  Now we will need to watch other close Ash relatives such as privet and lilacs to see if the EAB beetles adapt to them too.

Lemon Button Fern

Lemon Button Fern
If you like ferns as houseplants and want something easier to care for than the Boston fern, you may want to get a Lemon Button fern, (Nephrolepsis cordifolia), sometimes sold as a “Duffy” fern.   These are small, slow growing ferns that are content to remain in small pots or terrariums for many years.  At full maturity they are about a foot high and wide.  There is a double leaved variety.   Lemon Button ferns  have golden –green arching fronds with tiny rounded leaves alternately placed along the stem.  When the plants are handled they give off a faint lemon scent. 

Lemon Button ferns survive low humidity better than Boston Ferns but they do like to be continuously moist.  The pot should drain well, but make sure they don’t dry out.  Fertilize these small ferns once a month from March through November with a dilute houseplant fertilizer.  They prefer diffuse light, a spot in an east or north window or in a well lit room away from windows is a good location.  They are not hardy outdoors above Zone 8, but are sometimes suggested for rock gardens in shaded areas.  They could be left in pots and brought in to overwinter or treated as annuals.

Lemon Button ferns are great for terrariums and miniature gardens.  The plants are non-toxic and pose no threat to munching pets.   Mature plants can be propagated by division or spores.  Plants are easy to find in stores that sell houseplants.

Woodchucks, groundhogs and whistle-pigs

Groundhog Day is fast approaching, (Monday, February 2) and according to legend if the groundhog sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter.  There are several groundhogs kept in captivity around the country that are hauled out of their dens to be weather prognosticators each year.  In 2014 New York Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped the groundhog kept at the Staten Island Zoo on Groundhog Day, resulting in her death about a week later from internal injuries.  The zoo kept the death quiet, probably fearing a backlash from animal rights protectors.  But in January of this year the zoo made an announcement that no one would be allowed to handle the groundhog this Groundhog Day, and it will be shown in a plexi-glass enclosure instead, a victory for groundhogs everywhere.

Groundhogs or woodchucks are members of the marmot family, rodents closely related to ground squirrels.  They occur in Eastern North America from Canada to Georgia.  Since they are an animal of forest edges and clearings, there are more groundhogs now in the US than there were before European settlement and the clearing of vast amounts of forested land.  The Algonquian name for the groundhog is wuchak, which is where we get the common name of woodchuck.  Woodchucks are also called whistle-pigs for their shrill whistle.

The name groundhog probably comes from the short legged, tubby body of the woodchuck and its insatiable appetite.  The woodchuck’s average weight is about 10-15 pounds on maturity but heavier animals have been recorded.  Woodchucks have broad, round bodies and short legs.  There are 4 toes on the front feet and 5 on the back.  The front feet have thick long nails for burrowing in the ground.  They have short round ears that can fold down over the ear channel when they are burrowing.  The fur is a thick gray undercoat covered with stiff outer hairs of dark gray tipped with brown or red. 

Woodchucks are diurnal animals and usually active in early morning and evening, although if the area has few humans or dogs they can often be seen out eating at any time of the day.  They often stand on their hind legs or climb up on a mound or low branch to look for danger.  If danger is spotted they move quickly into a tunnel, which they are seldom far from. Groundhogs are not aggressive to humans, livestock, or pets but they will defend themselves if cornered and their teeth are long and sharp.   Females will also protect young by trying to drive predators away.  Groundhogs are pretty solitary animals and when adults meet outside of mating season there are often battles.  Males also defend territories, which may contain the tunnels of one or more females.

The woodchuck often eats its body weight in vegetation each day.  In the fall they need to put on a thick layer of fat to survive the winter hibernation and may eat all day long in preparation.  They are primarily vegetarians, as many gardeners and farmers know. Groundhogs eat grass, weeds, garden vegetables and food crops, berries, seeds and nuts. They love alfalfa.  They will eat things like hay, chicken feed and bread scraps put out for other animals.  Groundhogs have also been seen eating grasshoppers, other insects and snails on occasion.  In turn woodchucks are food for wolves, coyotes, eagles and large hawks, bobcats and fox.  In some areas groundhogs are also eaten by humans, the top predator.

Groundhogs make a variety of noises, grunts and squeals and the high shrill whistle that signals alarm.   That short squat body can move remarkably quickly.  Groundhogs can swim well and they also can climb, often sunning themselves in low branches of trees.  They have a remarkable ability to build elaborate tunnel systems underground complete with rooms for sleeping, having babies and eliminating.  They keep the toilet areas clean by pushing wet or dirty soil out of the tunnel.  Some rooms are lined with dry leaves or grass, although the woodchuck does not store food. There are winter hibernation areas and summer bedrooms.

The main entrance of a tunnel usually begins in a brushy area, or an area where it’s disguised by a fence or building foundation.  Openings will be 6 inches to a foot or more in diameter. There’s usually a mound of soil at this opening.  The tunnel generally has several smaller “escape doors” along its route and these often have no soil mounds around them.   Tunnels go straight down at first, up to 6 feet deep, and then may stretch as long as 50 feet or more. There are built in turns or wider areas that allow a woodchuck to back in and defend a tunnel from a predator as it proceeds along it.   Tunnels are often built where soil has recently been disturbed by cultivation or for example, putting in fence posts.  Some woodchucks have several tunnels in their territory but a tunnel is usually only occupied by one woodchuck, except at mating time or when a female has young.

Groundhog tunnels are frequently used by other animals for shelter after being abandoned by their builders.  Fox, rabbits, feral cats, skunks, opossums and raccoons, none of which dig their own shelters, take over groundhog dwellings.  This makes the groundhogs important in protecting the diversity of animal life in an area, although people are often not too fond of those tunnels, which can undermine floors and foundations, destroy tree roots, break axles on farm machinery and legs on horses and cattle.

Groundhog life cycle
Groundhog really do sneak out in mid-winter, at least the males do.  It may not be February 2, depending on how far north the groundhog is living, but it’s usually late February into mid-March.  The male comes out of hibernation briefly to search for tunnels of females, one or two of which he will enter and mate with the females inside,( who must wake up briefly don’t you think?)   He will then stay in a tunnel with a female for about a month, until she kicks him out just before the babies are born.  From 2 –to 6, sometimes more, baby groundhogs are born in early spring usually just as its getting warm enough for the female to emerge and begin eating.  She’ll come out briefly to eat and then return to nurse and warm her babies until they are big enough to follow her.

Baby groundhogs or woodchucks.
 Credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Births are timed so that when the baby woodchucks come out to eat in 5-6 weeks the weather is warmer and food has become plentiful.   For a few weeks they will follow mom around and she will teach and protect them.  By late summer, however they will be scattering and building their own tunnels for winter.  A female groundhog generally does not breed until her second spring.  Groundhogs have just one family a year.  The life span of a woodchuck in the wild is 3-5 years.

How to prevent woodchuck damage to gardens, yards and livestock
Woodchucks do not normally attack people or other animals unless they are cornered or protecting young.  However they do get rabies and any woodchuck acting strangely or aggressively with no reason should be avoided and reported to your health department or animal control agency.   If you kill it save the carcass until the health department has told you what to do with it, especially if a human or domestic animal has been bitten.

Usually woodchucks cause concern when they are destroying gardens or their tunnels pose a danger.  If the animals aren’t causing damage they should just be left alone.  Check your state game laws and county regulations before shooting or trapping woodchucks.   If you trap or kill animals do it in late summer so that babies are able to fend for themselves.  Apples and carrots make good bait for live traps.  If you do trap and release you will need to take the animal a few miles away.  Realize that a great majority of live trapped and released animals will die in their unfamiliar environment anyway.

If woodchucks are eating your garden fence it with wire fencing that is loosely attached at the top so that it sways if it is climbed.  The fence should be 3-4 feet above ground in height and turned into an L shape at the bottom and extend out about two feet to help prevent burrowing.   This may not stop all groundhogs however.  A “hotwire” (electric fence), however is usually quite effective.  Place one wire a few inches off the ground and another at about 18 inches off the ground and your garden will probably be safe.  Many people do not even need wire fencing behind the electric fence. (Just make sure there are no tunnel entrances inside the fenced area.)  Small electric fence systems with battery power are available.  For some reason woodchucks rarely decide to tunnel under electric wires.  A garden inside a fenced yard that a dog regularly patrols will usually be avoided by woodchucks.  

Woodchucks will be temporarily deterred by flashing pie tins, balloons, radios, and other such scary things, but like birds they soon learn to ignore such things.  A motion detecting water sprinkler that turns on when animals come into the garden is sometimes effective with woodchucks.  If shooting is allowed for nuisance woodchucks in your area you can dispose of them this way, but it does take a good shot and patience to get them.  There are no poisons registered for woodchuck control.

To discourage woodchuck damage from tunneling, find all the tunnels you can and mow or trim any vegetation away from the entrances.  Exposing the tunnel openings may make them abandon them.  Look for all the side tunnel openings too.   Filling tunnels with dog feces or used kitty litter is sometimes effective. Several people have had success with pouring ammonia into tunnels.  Using wire, large stones or cement to fill tunnels may also be helpful.  Please don’t fill tunnels until July or later, so babies aren’t trapped inside.  It’s probably best to leave one tunnel opening until a day later, so animals inside the tunnel can get out.  You are trying to make the groundhogs or some other animal in the tunnel leave, rather than burying it alive.

When you fill up a tunnel keep an eye out for new tunnels being dug where you don’t want them.  Promptly deal with them to prevent the groundhog from getting established.  Also fill any tunnels even if you don’t think they are being used. People who own livestock should frequently check pastures for tunnels that animals could step into.  Generally however woodchuck tunnels run along fence lines, through tree lines or brushy areas where animals aren’t running through.  Groundhogs rarely tunnel through closely grazed or mowed pastures.

Some people enjoy watching the antics of woodchucks and have even tamed them enough to eat out of their hands.  Wildlife experts warn that baby woodchucks may be tame when young but as adults with no fear of humans, they can be quite aggressive so woodchucks aren’t recommended as pets.  It’s also unkind to get woodchucks used to a friendly dog, because most dogs they meet won’t be quite so friendly.  All animals have a place in the environment.  Whenever possible try to live with other creatures instead of trying to eliminate them.

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

More Information

Can hybrid seeds be organic?
By Kim Willis- first published in 2011
As you look at seed catalogs and plan your garden for this spring you may want to consider this.

One of the problems with the organic growing movement is how people define organic.  If you take the word organic for what it means in the agricultural sense - growing things without synthetic chemicals, then certainly hybrid seeds can be grown organically.  Recently some people have begun to assert that the label organic should also mean food that was produced by plants or animals that were not “genetically modified” as well as being grown without synthetic chemicals.  

The term genetically modified should be applied to plants or animals whose genes are altered in some way that can’t happen naturally such as when we  put bacterial genes- (Bt) into plants or insert genes from plant species that can’t cross naturally into each other.  These genes will then carry into future generations if similar plants are bred together and could be carried to other similar plants in a natural cross. That contamination of plants by stray pollen from genetically modified plants can happen to all varieties of plants not just hybrids.

There are many field crops on the market that have been genetically modified, wheat, corn, soybeans and such.  But very, very few garden plants have been altered in this manner.  Your hybrid sweet corn, cabbage, marigolds and so on, generally are the result of good old fashioned plant sex.  The very few genetically modified garden crops are expensive and generally available only to large commercial growers.  

A hybrid seed is the result of crossing two purebred varieties of plants.   This usually happens in the old fashioned way, by insects or wind carrying pollen from one type of plant to another.  Plant sex.   If you plant a row of Blue Lake beans next to a row of Straight Arrow beans and bees carry pollen from one to another, the beans produced on those plants are hybrids.  The purebred parents and the resulting seeds can be grown without synthetic chemicals so yes again, hybrid seeds can be organic.  

Hybrids happen between plants all the time, without man interfering at all.  Every time you plant 6 varieties of tomatoes in the same garden you are creating hybrid tomato seeds.  You probably don’t save and grow the seeds the next year and there is a good reason for that.   Those six types of tomatoes pollinated each other and produced all kinds of hybrid seeds. Some of the combinations are great, some mediocre and some awful.  If you planted those seeds next year you wouldn’t know what you would get, although it certainly would be tomatoes.

When man discovers two purebred varieties of plants that when crossed produce something good, he may set out to deliberately re-create it by hand pollinating the plants or by removing the anthers, (pollen producing parts) from one variety so it can only be reproduced by the other.  He can discover which plants combine well by experimenting with hand crosses and carefully keeping records of the results.  Then when he finds combinations or hybrids he likes, he can re-create the cross.

Hybrids usually have something known as hybrid vigor.  The offspring of that first cross of 2 purebred parents are generally more vigorous and healthy than the offspring of pure bred parents.  This happens because when we mate purebred animals or plants to one of the same pure breed for generation after generation we start concentrating certain genetic material and genetic variability, the thing that lets plants or animals adapt to changing conditions, is lost. Over time a purebred strain tends to become less able to reproduce successfully, loses vigor and is more susceptible to disease.

Just as we know what we are getting when we mate a purebred plant to a purebred like it, save the seed and plant them, we can know what to expect when we cross 2 different varieties of the same plant.  Thus we can name these crosses and people can confidently plant them and know what to expect.  Sometimes we can even successfully cross two more distantly related species, such as the plum and the apricot and get good results.

Purebred varieties of plants are often called open pollinated.  The only advantage they have is that you can save the seeds ( if you have carefully isolated that variety of plant from other varieties) and the seeds you plant next year will produce plants like the parents.  Open pollinated plants don’t always taste better than hybrids nor are they more nutritious.  They may be less vigorous than hybrids and more susceptible to disease.

If you save the seeds from hybrid plants the third generation will recombine genes in many ways and you will get all kinds of plants, and probably not ones like the parents.  But you could get something better than the parents, you never know.   Most home gardeners don’t save food plant seeds from their own plants to grow the next year anyway.  They don’t have room to separate plant varieties and can’t generally control what the neighbors are planting and plants can spread their pollen some distance with the help of the wind and insects.

It’s a great thing to save old breeds of open pollinated plants. We need the purebred lines to produce new and better varieties of plants and preserve genetic diversity.  But if you are just a gardener trying to grow good, safe food you don’t need to worry about whether your seeds are open pollinated or hybrid.  If you don’t use synthetic chemicals in your garden then you are growing organically, regardless of what seeds you planted.

Some organic purists, and people who want to be certified as growing organically, insist that the parent plants that produce the seeds they are going to grow were also grown without any synthetic chemicals. Most pesticides used on growing plants would not affect their seeds when they germinate and then become new plants in your garden.  But the parents of hybrid seeds can be grown organically so the word hybrid should not determine the organic status of any seed. You may want to make sure that your seeds are not treated with some chemicals to help store them, because some of those chemicals do remain in plants grown from treated seeds in minute amounts.  Fungicide treated seeds are not very harmful but seeds treated with insecticides pose more of a risk.  Seeds treated with clay or some other harmless substances so that they are easier to handle do not pose risks to your health.

So choose the hybrid seeds that appeal to you and don’t worry that you are violating some great organic principal.  If you look, you can find hybrid seed that was grown organically if that’s important to you. Expect to pay more than for hybrid seeds grown conventionally.   If people choose organically grown seed more often then more will be grown and less pesticides will be used over all.  But if you follow good organic garden practices any seed you buy could only contribute minute, undetectable pesticide residue to the food you are going to produce.

The final answer is yes, hybrid seed can be organic.

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. Kimwillis151@gmail.com

New - Growing Bee Friendly Plants Workshop February 12, 2015, 1:00pm - 3:00pm- Tollgate Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi, MI

Are you concerned about all of the media hype around pollinator health or buyer restrictions on growing plants without neonicotinoids? Do you want to ensure that the plants you produce will be bee-friendly? Dr. Dave Smitley will share his research results from recent studies on the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on bumblebees and share best management practices in order to grow bee-friendly plants. Topics to be covered include: • Overview of neonicotinoid and bee issue • Biorational products • Alternatives to neonicotinoids • Biological control as an alternative pest management practice • Bee-friendly insecticides • Safe use of systemic drenches • New products available • Best management practices for producing bee-friendly plants Cost: FREE! But it does require an RSVP* by February 9, 2015 to Kristin Getter at 517-355-5191 x1341 or getterk@msu.edu *If fewer than 10 attendees are registered by February 9, 2015, this workshop will be canceled.

New- MSU Horticulture Gardens’ Spring Program: Can You Dig It?, May 2, 2015 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Plant and Soil Sciences Building, 1066 Bogue Street, East Lansing, MI

Sessions include: Woodland wonders from the wild, Art of Gardening, Joy of Propagation, Cultivating the recipe garden, lunch from Grand Traverse Pie Company included.  Rare plant sales.  Early registration (on or before April 21) for MSU Horticulture Garden Member $69 Early registration (on or before April 21) for non-MSU Horticulture Garden Member $79 Registrations received after April 21 $89

Contact: 517-353-0443, hgardens@msu.edu.

New- Gardening and All That Jazz – Innovation and Sustainability For Your Garden, Saturday, April 25, 2015 – 7 am – 4:15 pm, Oakland Schools Conference Center 2111 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford

Sessions include: Will Allen – Growing Power and the Good Food Revolution: A visual story of how Growing Power came to be and of Will Allen’s personal journey, the lives he has touched, and a grassroots movement that is changing the way our nation eats., Will Allen – How To Put “Growing Power” in Your Backyard: How to make your own compost bin, outdoor and indoor worm bins and raised beds. Matthew Benson – Growing Beautiful Food: Cultivating the Incredible, Edible Garden - Kerry Ann Mendez – Gardening Simpli­fied for Changing Lifestyle: Exceptional Plants and Design Solutions for Aging and Time-pressed Gardeners

Lunch and snacks included in cost.  Garden marketplace and jazz musicians. Early Bloomers Registration Fee: $70 After March 14, 2015 Fee: $80 Registration at the door is not available. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2015  Registr by going to http://www.mgsoc.org/2015Conference_registration.pdf   For more info:  Nancy Strodl, Phone: 248-552-5095, E-mail: nancy_strodl@comcast.net

Horticultural Therapy: Connecting People and Plants-March 13, 2015 - March 14, 2015 Plant and Soil Sciences Building, 1066 Bogue St., East Lansing, MI 48824

The Michigan Horticultural Therapy Association is excited to present two events 36th Annual Conference ‒ Friday, March 13, 8:30 a.m. ‒ 4 p.m. and a workshop ‒ Saturday, March 14, 8:30 a.m. ‒ 12:30 p.m. in conjunction with Agriculture and Natural Resources Week at Michigan State University. Join us for presentations, networking, vendors, books sales and more as we learn more about using horticulture as therapy.

For complete program and registration information, go to www.michiganhta.org or contact Cathy Flinton at cathy@michiganhta.org.

Michigan Herb Associates Annual Conference- March 13, 2015 - March 14, 2015 Eppley Center and Business College Complex/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, MSU Campus, East Lansing MI.

The theme of the 28th annual Michigan Herb Associates (MHA) Conference is “Sensational Savory.” The Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Horticulture and Michigan Herb Associates sponsor the conference. The two-day MHA conference is filled with programs of interest to beginning and advanced herb gardeners and crafters who enjoy growing and using herbs as a hobby.

Lectures and demonstrations will take place at the Eppley Center and Business College Complex. A market of vendors will offer herbal plants and topiaries, herbal food-related items, decorative garden ornaments and jewelry, and many other gift items. MHA will have a small gift shop along with speaker book sales and signings. A live plant auction will take place Friday and Saturday.

Visit the MHA website at http://miherb.org/ to register online or download the registration form.

Organic Farming Intensives Initiative Classes March 12, 2015 - 9 am- 4 pm - Michigan State University, Brody Complex, East Lansing MI.
The Organic Farming Intensives Initiative will offer three to four all-day classes of single topics with a focus on organic farming. Possible topics include vegetable production, fruit tree management, soil health, transplants, pest management, farm-plan building and organic certification.

For more information, contact Vicki Morrone at sorrone@msu.edu or 517-282-3557. To learn more about the Organic Farming Exchange, visit http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/.

Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring Conference Friday, March 13, 2015 and Saturday, March 14, 2015 at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus, East Lansing, Mi.

There will be break-out sessions on both days covering a wide range of topics that should be of interest for both the beginner and advanced beekeeper alike.  And, of course, the ever-popular vendor area will be back so that you can see all of the latest beekeeping equipment in one place.  Also, this year we will be expanding the vendors to include a “beekeeping” trade show.  The trade show will feature major manufacturers of beekeeping equipment and gear.  Here will be your opportunity to see what’s new in the beekeeping world and meet the folks who actually make your stuff!

Pre-registration is available on-line and we encourage all attendees to do so.  When you pre-register you get a discount too!  We encourage all conference attendees to pre-register.  If you pre-pay when you pre-register, your conference material will be available for immediate pick-up… no waiting in line.  For more information go to http://www.michiganbees.org/2015-spring-conference/

MSU Tollgate Maple Tapping and Pancake Celebration March 15, 2015-10 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 1 - 3 p.m. 28115 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI,

Celebrate the Maple Tapping Season with Pancakes at MSU Tollgate! With a full-on pancake breakfast or lunch!

Identify and tap a maple tree, tour the sugar shack with ongoing evaporation, take a wagon ride, taste maple syrup, and tackle historical tools! Prior to the 2-hour program, enjoy a pancake celebration in the historic, 19th-century barn. Pancakes, coffee, cocoa, and of course, real maple syrup will be provided!

Eat your fill of yummy food and grab a cup of coffee 9 - 10 a.m. before your 2-hour program. Enjoy entertainment in the 19th century barn while you eat and relax.

Need to sleep in? Join us at 12 p.m. for a pancake lunch before heading out to the sugar bush at 1 p.m.

Cost is $12.00 per person. If cancellations are needed, please do so before March 11, 2015, to avoid cancellation fee of $5 per person registered.

The last day to register online is March 11, 2015.
Contact: tollgateprograms@anr.msu.edu or call Mandy Jacobs at 248-347-0269 ext. 238.  

Landscape Design Workshop Sat, February 14, 1 pm at All English Gardens locations- see below.
FREE. We provide the supplies & suggestions you need to plot an area & create a successful design. www.EnglishGardens.com.

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

Grand Rapids Smart Gardening Conference March 7, 2015- 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monroe Meeting Rooms DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan

 Classes include: “Smart Design of the Living Landscape-Putting back the Layers”, Rick Darke, “Tapping the Smart Gardener’s Work Force—Predators, Parasitoids and Pollinators!”, Elly Maxwell, Entomologist, Dow Gardens, Vegetable Potpourri for the Smart Gardener”, Rebecca Krans, “Grow More with Less-a Smart Approach to Gardening!”, Vincent Simeone Horticulturist, Author, Lecturer, Oyster Bay, New York.

Cost:  Early Bird Registration by Feb. 13 - $59  Late Registration - $70 Must pre-register. Enrollment deadline is Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 or until full. More info and online registration       http://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder=smartgardening2015 or  Contact: finneran@msu.edu, 616-632-7865

28th ANNUAL MICHIGAN WILDFLOWER CONFERENCE- Sunday March 8 and Monday March 9, 2015- Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center , MSU campus, East Lansing MI.
Landscape Design: Where Art and Nature Meet.  For full agenda please see http://wildflowersmich.org/

$65 for one day, $120 for both until 2/25/2015, after that $75 and $140.  WAM membership required, add $15.    Laura Liebler, Registrar Phone: 734.662.2206

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.

Dow Gardens winter beekeeping series at Dow Gardens, 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI
Discover the amazing world of honey bees and beekeeping in this 3-part winter series.  Spots are limited! Call (989) 631-2677 to register or email entomologist Elly Maxwell maxwell@dowgardens.org with questions.
February 12, 6-8PM Snelgrove Board and Advanced Frame Workshop
At Dow Gardens, we use the Snelgrove method to manage our hives in the spring. The Snelgrove method was designed to prevent strong hives from swarming, to cull old frames, make splits, to replace mature queens, and other benefits. Join us in this workshop to construct a Snelgrove board and learn the technique. Additionally, we’ll explore the option of harvesting comb honey from your hive. Cost of equipment $25, per board. Signup deadline: February 2, 2015
E-mail Elly at maxwell@dowgardens.org for more details. Call 989-631-2677 to signup.
Dow Know and Grow Seminar February 21, 2015 Bullock Creek High School, 1420 Badour Rd. Midland, MI
This seminar consists of 3 classes,  “Creating Your Perennial Plant Community:The Know Maintenance Approach”,  “Living Soil: How it Works”, and “Year-Round Vegetable Gardening”.  There will be a vendor’s area.  Lunch is included.  The early registration fee is $60.00. Registration after February 6, 2015 is $75.00.
To REGISTER BY PHONE call Dow Gardens at 631-2677 or 1-800-362-4874. Please have your credit card information ready.
To REGISTER BY MAIL send the form in this brochure with a check or credit card information to: Dow Gardens, 1018 W. Main St., Midland, MI 48
To look at a brochure, get more information and register on line please use this link.

Conifer Propagation Seminar at Hidden Lake Gardens, March 7, 2015 – 9am – 4pm, 6214 Monroe Road (M-50),Tipton, MI

Join us as we share what we know about some of the rare plants of the Harper Collection of Dwarf and Rare Conifers. Now condensed into one day!

Learn the art and science of making more conifers (cone-bearing plants). Staff and volunteers will share their extensive knowledge and experience on the nuances of propagation. Seminar includes:

Hands-on grafting of 6 different plants*
Cuttings of at least 16 plants*
Lunch, and
Tour of Harper Collection or propagation facility
* Species will likely include Thuja, Juniperus, Pinus, Picea, and Abies. Extensive care instructions provided.

Designed for the beginning propagator, this seminar will share techniques even experienced propagators will appreciate. Advance registration is required, but experience is not.  
                  
Cost: $100 per person early registration ($90 per person for Friends of HLG) $125 per person after Feb 21. Registration is limited and will close on March 1st. Registration is required. Hidden Lake Gardens - www.HiddenLakeGardens.msu.edu (517) 431-2060


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.

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, January 20, 2015

January 20, 2015 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

January 20, 2015 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
Remember spring?

It’s a somewhat dreary, snowy day but relatively mild so I won’t complain. There were more sunny days than usual last week and the houseplants enjoyed the basking as did my dogs.  I have been perusing seed and plant catalogs, making lists and checking them twice.  If you are interested in new or unusual plants make sure to get mail orders in early so you’ll get what you want. 

Unless you want something that’s new or quite rare I suggest you shop at local garden shops for plants.  You’ll get bigger plants for the same money spent and you will get to choose the plant, not some warehouse worker.  Seeds and bulbs, however, are often better purchased through the mail.  You’ll get a better selection, they are stored and handled better, and you won’t have to stand in a store reading packages to choose them.  Order them early too, so you get what you want.

You can start seeds for impatiens, petunias, coleus and other slow growing plants indoors now. You can also pot up tuberous begonias for blooming plants by last frost date. 

If the weather is mild get outside and prune those fruit trees.  You might want to bring inside some pussy willow branches or forsythia for forcing too.


Interesting facts about Rattlesnakes

There are 13 species of rattlesnakes in the US.  Many are now rare and the government is indicating that the Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake will soon be listed as an endangered species. Rattlesnakes have live young and they hibernate in cold times of the year. They are an important part of the ecological system helping to keep rodent populations in check.
Massasaugas rattlesnake

The rattlesnake species that Michiganders are most likely to encounter is the Massasaugas. The Massasaugas rattlesnake is found in about 79 areas of Michigan and is in severe decline. This small, (up to 3 feet) secretive snake may not occur outside of Michigan any longer, so we must protect it in Michigan. Massasaugas rattlesnakes return to the same place each year to hibernate, which may make them particularly vulnerable.  They are a protected species and you cannot legally kill, harm, trap, relocate or otherwise disturb this snake.  Timber rattlesnakes are sometimes said to be found in Northern Michigan, although this is disputed by some naturalists. 

Rattlesnakes get their names because these pit vipers have hollow segments on the end of their body ( tail) that vibrate, producing a buzzing sound when the snake is disturbed. The segments are composed of keratin, a horn like material. When a rattlesnake is going after prey it does not “rattle”, it reserves that noise for warding off would be predators.  While rattlesnakes will generally buzz before striking a human or dog, they don’t have to give a warning.

While the rattlesnake adds a new rattle segment each time it sheds its skin you cannot determine the age of the snake by how many “rattles” it has.  That’s because a snake may shed its skin more than once a year and rattles are often knocked off by accident, even though a rattlesnake carries this portion of its tail off the ground when it moves.

Rattlesnakes inject venom into their prey to subdue it before they eat it through two hollow teeth in their mouth, commonly called fangs. The venom has two major components, one works to interfere with blood clotting and causes internal hemorrhaging and tissue necrosis. The other part works to paralyze the nervous system. There are several minor variations of each major component as well.

Different species of rattle snakes have different mixes of the venom components. Recently researchers in Florida also discovered that rattlesnake venom also varies within the same species and varies greatly among different geographic locations, populations of the same species a few hundred miles apart will have different venom characteristics.  Venom with more effects on the nervous system is the most deadly.

The researchers believe venom in rattlesnakes evolves quickly and changes over a few generations in a population of snakes.  This is because prey animals (rodents, other small animals and birds), and predators of rattlesnakes are always evolving resistance to the venom.  Predators of rattlesnakes include King snakes, whip snakes, crows, ravens, roadrunners and opossums. Researchers studied opossums and found that their resistance to rattlesnake venom was based on the area they lived in.  If the opossum was moved hundreds of miles away it might not have much resistance to rattlesnake venom from snakes in the new area.  

The evolving, changing nature of venom probably explains why some medical institutions are claiming that current antivenins don’t always seem to work as well as they used to. It means, say researchers, that antivenin needs to be developed for each geographical location of rattlesnakes to be the most effective.

Every year the CDC estimates that between 6,000 and 7,000 people are bit by a rattlesnake and the number of dogs and livestock bitten is much higher.  A very venomous bite causes extreme swelling around the puncture wounds, redness, great pain, and will eventually cause nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, weakness and heart failure. Not all bites cause major symptoms because venom varies as mentioned, and if the snake has just discharged venom into something else the venom amount left to be injected may be small.  

While an adult probably wouldn’t die from most rattlesnake bites, the bite is often extremely painful and can cause a lot of damage in the area bitten.  Adults can die though, especially smaller ones, and children are especially vulnerable.  When someone is bitten by a rattlesnake immediate medical attention is needed. Here’s what to do if bitten by a rattlesnake.  First start for, or call for, medical care immediately. It is best to get to medical help within 30 minutes if possible. Keep the victim calm and quiet. Remove any rings, or other jewelry or things like tight boots, in the area of the bite that could be hard to remove if the area swells up.  

Elevate the area bitten so that it is higher than the heart.  Do not apply ice.  Wash the punctures with soap and warm water if available. Do not cut an x or otherwise cut around the wound. This makes things worse, not better. If you have a suction device in a first aid kit for snakebite you can use that but don’t suck on the wound with your mouth. This causes infection and could cause you, the rescuer, problems too. Don’t apply tourniquets, these too cause more harm than good. With administration of antivenin and supportive care victims usually recover.     


Eating and medicating with trees and shrubs - Part 2

Hickory
As a child I remember eating hickory nuts from a big tree across the street.  There was also a hickory tree in my grade school yard.  But do you know where there is a hickory tree now? The trees do not start bearing nuts until they are about 40 years old and then only produce nuts every other year or so. This makes people reluctant to plant them.  The lumber of hickories is very hard and produces the most energy of any firewood. It was prized for tool handles and the Native Americans used it for their bows.  The slow growth and admirable qualities of hickories are what probably makes them scarce today.

Shagbark hickories were, however, once common across the eastern US.  They are large, majestic trees with bark that curls off the tree in long strips. Like walnuts, the roots of hickories produce juglone, a toxic substance that keeps many plants from growing in their root zone. 

The nuts of hickories are popular with both humans and animals. They have a hard green husk that needs to be removed and then the tan nut shell needs to be cracked to get at the meat.  Native Americans and early Europeans pounded the nut meats into flour and used it in breads and for thickening and flavoring soups.  The nuts can also be pressed for their oil.  Native Americans used hickory nut oil mixed with bear fat and applied it to the skin as an insect repellant. Early colonists often used hickory nuts in candies and cakes.

Small twigs of hickory were placed on hot stones in sweat lodges and the steam was inhaled for treatment of headaches and arthritic pain. The bark of the hickory is boiled in water and made into warm poultices for aching joints.

Sassafras
Sassafras is a small tree native to North America with orange brown bark and oddly shaped, mitten like leave which vary in shape from leaf to leaf.  The leaves have a delicious spicy smell when crushed.  The trees produce inconspicuous greenish flowers that are loved by bees and followed by small blue berries.  The trees have large extensive roots covered with a corky bark.  It is the roots that make sassafras a difficult tree to transplant and get established, although once established it will sprout back from the roots if the trunk is destroyed.  It is a pretty tree with an interesting history if you can get it established in the landscape.
Sassafras leaf.   Credit: commons.wikimedia.org

 It was the roots of the sassafras tree that quickly became the first plant product to be imported from North America to Europe.  Large quantities of sassafras root were transported to Europe in colonial times where it was hailed as the cure for almost everything.  The early economy of the Plymouth colony was very dependent on the exportation of sassafras root.  Even prior to that Spanish explorers of Florida and the southern coastline brought small trees and berries back and trees were growing in England by the mid-1600’s.  In North America and Mexico the leaves, berries, twigs and bark were also used in various concoctions by indigenous peoples.

Native Americans and later European settlers used the dried leaves of sassafras as a flavoring and thickener for soups and stews as well as drinks.  Filѐ powder, a spice mix used in Cajun cooking, is made from ground sassafras leaves.  The powdered leaves have a scent and flavor somewhat like cinnamon. Twigs, leaves and pieces of root bark are steeped for teas and cold drinks.  Sassafras tea was a common tonic used in spring for general malaise, (often caused by scurvy), and for colds, both for Native Americans and early settlers.  Root beer (both alcoholic and not), was once flavored with sassafras.  A drink made with milk and sugar and sassafras tea called 'Saloop,' was once popular in Colonial America and Europe. It was said that if twigs of sassafras were chewed that the addiction to tobacco could be cured.

The corky bark from the roots is also used as a much stronger remedy. All parts of the plant contain a potent drug called safrole, but it is most concentrated in the root bark.  A concentrated oil can be distilled from the roots. CAUTION:  Safrole can cause the heart to stop and cause destruction of the liver and kidneys so in 1973 the FDA banned the sale of sassafras tea and use of the drug medicinally, although folk remedies still exist.  Safrole, natural or synthetic, is used to make the illegal and dangerous drug MDMA or Ecstasy. Safrole is also known to cause genetic mutations and has been linked to cancer of the throat and esophagus. If you experiment with sassafras remedies please do so very carefully.

Native Americans gave women a tea from sassafras root bark during labor, probably to increase contractions, as the root bark tea has been known to cause abortions. It was also used for urinary tract infections and kidney stones. Usually they used the bark teas externally, on sores, insect bites and for arthritic pain.  A tea was also used on the hair to kill lice.  The Spaniards brought sassafras root bark teas back to Europe and claimed they could cure malaria and venereal diseases. This sparked a century or so where sassafras teas were a cure-all for everything and the potent oil and bark tea was used in all kinds of elixirs, which may have done more harm than good.

The essential oils from sassafras bark are still used in perfumes and cosmetics to a small extent.  A yellow dye can be made from sassafras root.  There are no known modern medical benefits of sassafras.

Sumac
There are 3 common members of the Rhus family or Sumacs that are edible and they occur throughout the eastern US.  Staghorn and Smooth sumac are very similar and it takes an expert to differentiate between them.  They are small trees or shrubs with many stems up to 10 feet or so tall. They have compound leaves consisting of 11-31 narrow leaflets that turn beautifully scarlet in fall.  They have inconspicuous flowers of greenish white that turn into clusters of hairy scarlet seeds in the fall.  The other species, Fragrant sumac, is a bit smaller than Staghorn or Smooth sumac, has only 3 leaflets and yellow flowers.  Poisonous sumac, which is quite rare here, grows in swampy areas and has white berries.  It should not be eaten of course- or handled as it produces a painful rash.

Sumacs are related to cashews and can cause allergic reactions in some people.  If you are allergic to cashews don’t use sumac for eating or medicine.  Also use sumac sparingly until you see if you are allergic.

Many people have heard of making  “lemonade” from sumac drupes (they are not berries though often called that). The red drupes are covered with fine hairs and it is these hairs that impart a tart, pleasant citrus taste to water.  To make “sumacade” pick fresh red sumac drupes in early fall. Use several large clusters of drupes to a quart of water. Soak them in cold water overnight, strain the liquid through cheesecloth, sweeten if desired and drink. It has a citrusy taste. This liquid can also be used in cooking, such as poaching fish. Do not soak sumac drupes in boiling water as heat causes a bitter taste. Sumac drink is high in vitamin C as well as pleasant tasting.

Native Americans had another use for sumac drupes.  They were gathered, dried and crushed then mixed with tobacco or with other herbs to smoke.  This was another plant that had economic value to early colonists. The dried sumac drupes were once more popular than tobacco in Europe for smoking and the colonists exported large quantities of them. Dried sumac leaves were also smoked. Native Americans also made pipe stems from sumac.

The leaves and young peeled stems of sumac were often eaten in early spring by Native Americans and early settlers.  Native children would strip a sumac stem of bark and chew on the twig as a treat. Leaves, stems and roots of sumac are used to make various dye colors.
Staghorn sumac.

Sumac roots are used in a number of folk remedies.  A sumac root tea was used for sore throat and diseases of the mouth, teeth and gums.  Sumac root tea was also used as a douche for female problems and externally on wounds and rashes.  Sumac root tea was also a common remedy for diarrhea.

Sumac makes a pretty hedge with an edible component in the landscape but beware that it spreads rapidly by suckering and seeding.  Some ornamental species of sumac are now offered, some of them are natives of other countries.  Use care in eating these species from other countries as little is known about their properties.

Oaks
There are a number of species of Oaks that are native to North America and the seeds of oaks, called acorns, have always been important to humans and animals as food.  Other parts of the oak from leaves to roots were also part of folk medicine and food.  Oaks are long lived, majestic trees and were often sacred trees to various indigenous people on this continent and others. 

As far as oaks go, each tree has a different tasting acorn. The white oak was the preferred species of oak to gather acorns from in the Eastern US and certain trees had better tasting acorns than others. These better trees were marked and remembered by native people from year to year. Oaks usually bear acorns heavily one year and then sparsely or not at all the next year.

Acorns are gathered when they fall and stored for winter use. Underground caches of acorns stored by Native Americans have been found that date back 3,000 years. The outer shell is removed and the inner meat is first leached in several changes of water to remove tannins that would make the taste bitter.  The acorn meat is then dried and ground and pounded into flour. The work is labor intensive but this flour is quite nutritious, high in protein and fat.

Native Americans and the early colonists used acorn flour to make flat cakes cooked over the fire, in soups and stews and they mixed it with fat and dried berries to make the survival or travel food called pemmican.  Acorn flour was often used to extend wheat or corn flour.

Acorns are also an important feed for hogs. Colonists herded hogs into oak forests in the fall to fatten them and collected acorns for winter feeding.

The inner bark of oak trees was carefully collected as to not damage the tree, ground and used in teas for various ailments. The inner bark of oaks was also eaten as a survival food in times of scarcity.  Powdered oak bark was used for colds and sore throats, for cancers and tumors, for diarrhea and externally as a poultice for hemorrhoids, boils, and skin conditions. A poultice of oak bark powder and boiling water cooled just enough not to burn the skin is said to draw out splinters and other foreign bodies. It is the astringent tannins that probably make these cures useful.  

Oak bark tea is also a diuretic and has been used for bladder infections and to relieve edema. Oak bark tea is also taken to kill intestinal worms. Modern medicine is studying various extracts of oak bark for cancer treatment. Modern herbalists recommend two gelatin capsules of powdered oak bark taken with a glass of water three to four times a day for diarrhea.

Oak roots are used to produce dye.  Some native tribes burnt pieces of oak root and had people who were going to undergo surgery (such as to cut out an arrowhead) inhale the smoke.  It was said to ease pain.  The lumber of oak trees is strong and durable and used for building and furniture.

White Pine
White pines once covered vast areas of the northeastern US.  These trees were ancient giants when Europeans arrived and began cutting them for lumber. Now white pine stands are few and virgin, ancient stands almost non- existent.  White pines have uses other than lumber however, and Native Americans used them much like other trees we have discussed as sources of food and medicine.  Note: other types of pine can usually be used much like white pines.

In the spring Native Americans gathered white pine needles and boiled them in maple sap for a restorative, nutritious drink.  White pine needles have 5 times as much Vitamin C as a similar weight of lemons and they are also high in Vitamin A.  Early colonists and explorers used this drink to prevent scurvy.  The needles were also boiled with water into a hot tea to treat colds and sore throats. When water wasn’t available the needles were chewed.

Eastern White Pine. Credit: en.wikipedia.org
The seeds of white pines are shaken from the cones when they fall and open up and the dried seeds are powdered and used as a spice in Native American dishes. The inner bark of white pines can be eaten as a survival food. If you have fat, the soft white inner bark can be cut in pieces and fried.  Native American and early settlers chewed hardened lumps of pine sap like we chew gum. Pine sap was useful as a “cough drop” and is still found in some cough drops on the market.  Pine pollen is high in a testosterone like substance and is gathered and used as a male “stimulative.”

Spruce
Many species of spruce are native to the US and spruce needles and bark are used much like pine.  The needles can be boiled in maple sap or water and used like pine needles.  A spruce beer fermented from spruce sap was once popular with early colonists.  Spruce sap makes a good chewing gum also.

Interesting fact: The word Adirondack is Iroquois for bark eater.  Native Americans in the Eastern forests often consumed tree bark. 

These are not all of the native woody plants that can be eaten or used medicinally but for the sake of space and time I’ll stop here.  I hope to discuss more native plants in other issues.

Flower Quiz

Here’s the flower quiz I promised in an earlier newsletter.  The answers will appear next week.

  1. Wide Brim, Venus and Red October are variety names of what popular perennial used for its foliage? 
  2. Rudbeckia is another name for what? 
  3. Meconopsis is the formal name of what rare blue flowered plant? 
  4. Wake Robin is a common name for what woodland plant? 
  5. Culvers root has what colored flowers?
  6. Thunbergia, Cathedral Bells, and Love in a Puff are all what? 
  7. Chrysler Imperial, Josephs Coat, and Mr. Lincoln are all named varieties of what? 
  8. From what garden flower was a common heart medication derived? 
  9. Aruncus has what common name? 
  10. Dinner plate, cactus and anemone are all flower types of what plant?


Only 60 days to spring!

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


More Information
Kitchen moths: Winged invaders in kitchen-land
Little, tan moths are a common thing to find in kitchens during the winter months.
Posted on January 8, 2015 by Gretchen Voyle, Michigan State University Extension

“I have little, tan moths flying aimlessly around my kitchen. How could they be coming in my house now when it is snowing, and what are they doing?” This is a familiar question many Michigan State University Extension horticulture educators and Master Gardener hotlines across Michigan have received this time of year. These callers are not experiencing an invasion of strange snow moths. The moths are already living indoors and enjoying the bounty of food found in the kitchen. There are two kitchen moths that can be feeding on a number of food products found in almost all kitchens: the Indianmeal moth, the more common species, and the Mediterranean flour moth.

They feed in a number of food products that are not refrigerated, canned or in airtight containers. Their food choices include grain-based foods like corn meal, pancake and muffin mix, flour, rice, barley, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, unpopped popcorn, corn starch, dry bread crumbs and instant mashed potato flakes. These moths prefer finely ground grains or little pieces because they are small larvae when they are feeding. They could also be found in dried fruit and nuts. Often, dry pet food and birdseed are how they make it into the house. Spices like paprika, spice rubs and red pepper wreaths, chocolate and powdered milk can be targeted. Sometimes they are feeding in grain-based rodent baits tucked away from sight.

The Indianmeal moth has about a half-inch wing span and is silvery-beige with the lower portion of the wings a coppery color. At rest, this moth carries its wings close to its body rather than over its back. The Mediterranean flour moth holds its wings in the same position and is the same size, except the silvery-beige wings have scattered dark flecks. Both moths are poor fliers and fly erratically. The larvae look identical and are smooth, segmented, cream-colored caterpillars with brown heads.

The story begins when someone brings a food product into the house with Indianmeal moth or Mediterranean flour moth eggs or larvae inside. The larvae feed in the food product until they get as large as they will grow. As they travel, they leave a characteristic dusty silken thread behind them. Often, people mistake the threads for spider webs. They then leave the food product to pupate in another location like in a box of coffee filters, napkins or drinking straws. They will spin a silken cocoon around themselves and in about a week, they will emerge as an adult moth with wings.

Adults have only one purpose: date and mate. The eating days are over. The fertilized female looks for a food product to wiggle into. Eggs are laid on the food surface and mommy exits stage left. The eggs hatch and more larvae are feeding in the kitchen. Another generation is born.

The solution to the Moths of Misery is not found with pesticides. It has to do with checking all possible products and either disposing of them if they have “guests” or putting all good food into other containers. Because the moths can chew through plastic bags and various wraps and wiggle into aluminum foil, more durable containers are needed. Plastic or glass containers with screw tops or snap down lids work well. You can recycle food grade containers and re-label them. Plastic containers that originally held basmati or jasmine rice is an example. Food can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Larger amounts of dry dog food and bird seed can be stored in its original bag in a clean garage container with a lid in the garage until the moth problem has been solved.

Protect your assets from these hungry food wreckers. Your falafel mix will thank you.
This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.
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. Kimwillis151@gmail.com

New- Horticultural Therapy: Connecting People and Plants-March 13, 2015 - March 14, 2015 Plant and Soil Sciences Building, 1066 Bogue St., East Lansing, MI 48824

The Michigan Horticultural Therapy Association is excited to present two events 36th Annual Conference ‒ Friday, March 13, 8:30 a.m. ‒ 4 p.m. and a workshop ‒ Saturday, March 14, 8:30 a.m. ‒ 12:30 p.m. in conjunction with Agriculture and Natural Resources Week at Michigan State University. Join us for presentations, networking, vendors, books sales and more as we learn more about using horticulture as therapy.

For complete program and registration information, go to www.michiganhta.org or contact Cathy Flinton at cathy@michiganhta.org.


New- Michigan Herb Associates Annual Conference- March 13, 2015 - March 14, 2015 Eppley Center and Business College Complex/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, MSU Campus, East Lansing MI.

The theme of the 28th annual Michigan Herb Associates (MHA) Conference is “Sensational Savory.” The Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Horticulture and Michigan Herb Associates sponsor the conference. The two-day MHA conference is filled with programs of interest to beginning and advanced herb gardeners and crafters who enjoy growing and using herbs as a hobby.

Lectures and demonstrations will take place at the Eppley Center and Business College Complex. A market of vendors will offer herbal plants and topiaries, herbal food-related items, decorative garden ornaments and jewelry, and many other gift items. MHA will have a small gift shop along with speaker book sales and signings. A live plant auction will take place Friday and Saturday.

Visit the MHA website at http://miherb.org/ to register online or download the registration form.

New- Organic Farming Intensives Initiative Classes March 12, 2015 - 9 am- 4 pm - Michigan State University, Brody Complex, East Lansing MI.
The Organic Farming Intensives Initiative will offer three to four all-day classes of single topics with a focus on organic farming. Possible topics include vegetable production, fruit tree management, soil health, transplants, pest management, farm-plan building and organic certification.

For more information, contact Vicki Morrone at sorrone@msu.edu or 517-282-3557. To learn more about the Organic Farming Exchange, visit http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/.

New- Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring Conference Friday, March 13, 2015 and Saturday, March 14, 2015 at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus, East Lansing, Mi.

There will be break-out sessions on both days covering a wide range of topics that should be of interest for both the beginner and advanced beekeeper alike.  And, of course, the ever-popular vendor area will be back so that you can see all of the latest beekeeping equipment in one place.  Also, this year we will be expanding the vendors to include a “beekeeping” trade show.  The trade show will feature major manufacturers of beekeeping equipment and gear.  Here will be your opportunity to see what’s new in the beekeeping world and meet the folks who actually make your stuff!

Pre-registration is available on-line and we encourage all attendees to do so.  When you pre-register you get a discount too!  We encourage all conference attendees to pre-register.  If you pre-pay when you pre-register, your conference material will be available for immediate pick-up… no waiting in line.  For more information go to http://www.michiganbees.org/2015-spring-conference/


New- World of Vines- Friday, January 23, 2015 at 10:00 AM  at the Ballroom of Meadow Brook Hall, 480 South Adams Road, Rochester MI

Sue Grubba, Master Gardener and owner of Creative Scapes, will introduce you to the world of vines and demonstrate what they can add to your landscape while using very little space in your soil. In their own twisting, twining or clinging ways, vines offer privacy along with a variety of colors and fragrances while also attracting wildlife. Guests are welcome. Coffee and refreshments will be served at 9:15 a.m. with program to follow at 10:00 a.m. featuring guest speaker

There is a $5 non-member donation. Reservations are not required. For more information, contact 248-364-6210, or MBHGCMembers@gmail.com, or www.meadowbrookhall.org

New- MSU Tollgate Maple Tapping and Pancake Celebration March 15, 2015-10 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 1 - 3 p.m. 28115 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI,

Celebrate the Maple Tapping Season with Pancakes at MSU Tollgate! With a full-on pancake breakfast or lunch!

Identify and tap a maple tree, tour the sugar shack with ongoing evaporation, take a wagon ride, taste maple syrup, and tackle historical tools! Prior to the 2-hour program, enjoy a pancake celebration in the historic, 19th-century barn. Pancakes, coffee, cocoa, and of course, real maple syrup will be provided!

Eat your fill of yummy food and grab a cup of coffee 9 - 10 a.m. before your 2-hour program. Enjoy entertainment in the 19th century barn while you eat and relax.

Need to sleep in? Join us at 12 p.m. for a pancake lunch before heading out to the sugar bush at 1 p.m.

Cost is $12.00 per person. If cancellations are needed, please do so before March 11, 2015, to avoid cancellation fee of $5 per person registered.

The last day to register online is March 11, 2015.
Contact: tollgateprograms@anr.msu.edu or call Mandy Jacobs at 248-347-0269 ext. 238.  

New-Landscape Design Workshop Sat, February 14, 1 pm at All English Gardens locations- see below.
FREE. We provide the supplies & suggestions you need to plot an area & create a successful design. www.EnglishGardens.com.

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

Grand Rapids Smart Gardening Conference March 7, 2015- 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monroe Meeting Rooms DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan
 Classes include: “Smart Design of the Living Landscape-Putting back the Layers”, Rick Darke, “Tapping the Smart Gardener’s Work Force—Predators, Parasitoids and Pollinators!”, Elly Maxwell, Entomologist, Dow Gardens, Vegetable Potpourri for the Smart Gardener”, Rebecca Krans, “Grow More with Less-a Smart Approach to Gardening!”, Vincent Simeone Horticulturist, Author, Lecturer, Oyster Bay, New York.
Cost:  Early Bird Registration by Feb. 13 - $59  Late Registration - $70 Must pre-register. Enrollment deadline is Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 or until full. More info and online registration       http://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder=smartgardening2015 or  Contact: finneran@msu.edu, 616-632-7865

28th ANNUAL MICHIGAN WILDFLOWER CONFERENCE- Sunday March 8 and Monday March 9, 2015- Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center , MSU campus, East Lansing MI.
Landscape Design: Where Art and Nature Meet.  For full agenda please see http://wildflowersmich.org/

$65 for one day, $120 for both until 2/25/2015, after that $75 and $140.  WAM membership required, add $15.    Laura Liebler, Registrar Phone: 734.662.2206

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.

Dow Gardens winter beekeeping series at Dow Gardens, 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI
Discover the amazing world of honey bees and beekeeping in this 3-part winter series.  Spots are limited! Call (989) 631-2677 to register or email entomologist Elly Maxwell maxwell@dowgardens.org with questions.
January 24, 2015 10-2PM. Hive Building Workshop
Beekeeping is not just science, but art. Dan Keane will share his carpentry expertise with techniques on best assembling a 2-story hive from a kit. Come with 2 hammers (one heavy and one light) and leave with an assembled hive ready to be painted and placed outdoors. 10-frame or 8-frame option. Cost of equipment $150.00. Sign up deadline: January 16, 2015
February 12, 6-8PM Snelgrove Board and Advanced Frame Workshop
At Dow Gardens, we use the Snelgrove method to manage our hives in the spring. The Snelgrove method was designed to prevent strong hives from swarming, to cull old frames, make splits, to replace mature queens, and other benefits. Join us in this workshop to construct a Snelgrove board and learn the technique. Additionally, we’ll explore the option of harvesting comb honey from your hive. Cost of equipment $25, per board. Signup deadline: February 2, 2015
E-mail Elly at maxwell@dowgardens.org for more details. Call 989-631-2677 to signup.
Dow Know and Grow Seminar February 21, 2015 Bullock Creek High School, 1420 Badour Rd. Midland, MI
This seminar consists of 3 classes,  “Creating Your Perennial Plant Community:The Know Maintenance Approach”,  “Living Soil: How it Works”, and “Year-Round Vegetable Gardening”.  There will be a vendor’s area.  Lunch is included.  The early registration fee is $60.00. Registration after February 6, 2015 is $75.00.
To REGISTER BY PHONE call Dow Gardens at 631-2677 or 1-800-362-4874. Please have your credit card information ready.
To REGISTER BY MAIL send the form in this brochure with a check or credit card information to: Dow Gardens, 1018 W. Main St., Midland, MI 48
To look at a brochure, get more information and register on line please use this link.

Conifer Propagation Seminar at Hidden Lake Gardens, March 7, 2015 – 9am – 4pm, 6214 Monroe Road (M-50),Tipton, MI

Join us as we share what we know about some of the rare plants of the Harper Collection of Dwarf and Rare Conifers. Now condensed into one day!

Learn the art and science of making more conifers (cone-bearing plants). Staff and volunteers will share their extensive knowledge and experience on the nuances of propagation. Seminar includes:

Hands-on grafting of 6 different plants*
Cuttings of at least 16 plants*
Lunch, and
Tour of Harper Collection or propagation facility
* Species will likely include Thuja, Juniperus, Pinus, Picea, and Abies. Extensive care instructions provided.

Designed for the beginning propagator, this seminar will share techniques even experienced propagators will appreciate. Advance registration is required, but experience is not.  
                  
Cost: $100 per person early registration ($90 per person for Friends of HLG) $125 per person after Feb 21. Registration is limited and will close on March 1st. Registration is required. Hidden Lake Gardens - www.HiddenLakeGardens.msu.edu (517) 431-2060

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

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.

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.

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