Tuesday, March 17, 2015

March 17, 2015 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

March 17, 2015 Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hello Gardeners

Happy St. Patrick's Day
It’s a beautiful day even if the wind is strong.  It looks like our weather is going to get a little cooler, but not terribly so.  On this date last year the temp fell to -2 overnight.  I hope you have had a chance to examine your gardens and see what looks bad, what has animal damage and what looks like it might be starting to come up. I have just a few bulbs peeking through and some day lilies are also coming up.  I have green grass showing actually.  Besides the deer damage to my evergreens I spoke of last week, I have some rabbit damage to an apple tree.  I hope the rabbit that chewed it was the one the cats dragged into the barn last week.

I am happy to announce that my lettuce has sprouted inside.  I planted a tub of it and it has come up quite well. It’s in the living room instead of on the porch so the squirrels don’t eat it.  I received my first mail order plant shipment yesterday, two potted plants from Gurneys. The plants looked green, fully leaved out and healthy but inside the box was an instruction sheet telling me what to do with my “dormant” plants.  If I had been a novice gardener and popped these potted, growing plants into cold storage they would have been very unhappy.  Instead I watered them and set them in a sunny windowsill. 

The red winged blackbirds and killdeer are back but I have yet to see a robin.  I was privileged this week to see a pair of osprey, beautiful big, birds. I don’t know if they were just passing through or are going to stick around.  I also got to watch a red tailed hawk bringing his mate sticks in a mating ritual.  My bird feeders only need to be filled every 2-3 days now instead of everyday.  My chickens are busy tilling the soil so I guess spring is finally coming.

Time to check those houseplants
As it gets warmer in those sunny windows and plants begin putting out new growth, pots may dry out faster.  You may now need to water more than once a week, sometimes several times a week.  Keeping houseplants from getting too dry helps prevent insect problems like spider mites, which like stressed plants.

If you have flowering houseplants and patio plants over wintering inside you’ll need to begin fertilizing them. Whether you want to fertilize foliage houseplants depends on whether you want them to grow larger or not and whether they look healthy green or pale and yellow. Because potted plants have a tendency to accumulate salts from the fertilizer which will eventually burn their roots, only fertilize with every other watering. Follow the directions on the fertilizer box for potted or houseplants and don’t overdo it.

As the days get longer and warmer it’s also a time when insect problems in houseplants and over wintering plants may quickly escalate. Check your plants over carefully looking for fine spider webs, tiny red insects (spider mites), tiny white flies that fly off the plant when disturbed, sticky droplets and fat round bugs at plant tips (aphids), sticky droplets and brown bumps on stems and leaves (scale) and white fluffy looking clumps in leaf axils, (mealy bugs).  All of these damage and may even kill houseplants.

You can buy and use houseplant insecticides if you like but if you use a spray take the plant to an unused room or outside on a warm day to spray them so the spray isn’t dispersed in the air and on surfaces in the house.  If you use systemic products that you mix in the water and pour on the soil don’t let pets and kids eat the plants.  You may not want to use systemics on flowering plants you will be taking outside when it’s warmer because they may then poison pollinators.

To avoid using insecticides move each plant to a table under a bright light and carefully clean off scale, mealy bugs, aphids and the like with a rag or paper towels dipped in a mild soap and water mix. This takes a little time and some insects will be missed but it will reduce populations to where plants may be able to handle the infestation until you can move them outside and let nature help you. Giving plants a warm shower can also help. Wrap the pots in a plastic bag tied around the stem or crown of the plant.  Set the plant in the shower and turn the shower on with a light, mildly warm to the touch spray and give it 5 minutes or so per plant.  This washes some insects off, cleans the plant, increases humidity and generally makes the plant “feel better” and when it feels better its better able to deal with insects.

If you need to repot houseplants or patio plants now is a good time to do it.  You can work outside on the project when days are above 50 degrees and it isn’t windy.  Just remember to bring the plants back inside before it gets colder.


Growing Chocolate Vines- Akebia quinata

Chocolate vine.
Credit Jeff DeLong wikimedia
Do you need a hardy vine for a sunny or partly shaded spot that’s unusual?  Do you want something pretty that covers an eyesore or arbor quickly? Try a Chocolate vine or as it’s sometimes called, Raisin vine or Five Leaf Akebia.  Chocolate vines grow quickly, have sweet smelling flowers and produce an edible, decorative fruit.  They are hardy in planting zones 4-8.  The plant is native to Japan and other parts of Asia.  There are several species in cultivation.  Named varieties include “Silver Bells”, “Violet” and “Purple Bouquet”.

Why this vine is called Chocolate vine is unknown.  The vine has leaves consisting of 5 rounded leaflets. There is a variety with white variegated leaves but it is hard to find. The vines can keep their leaves all winter in warmer zones but usually shed them in the fall in colder zones.  In hard winters the vine can die back to the ground but will quickly recover in spring.  The vines can grow 40 feet in a year and quickly cover a trellis, fence or out building.  They will grow in sun or partial shade.

Some southeastern states are labeling the Chocolate vine as invasive, but in colder zones it is no more invasive than wisteria or trumpet vine.  If you are a gardener who has either of those vines you can guess that Chocolate vine is a vigorous grower and it is when it’s in a good spot. It can spread by runners and will cover a lot of ground if unchecked but in northeastern states it rarely spreads to the wild.  Vigorous pruning and keeping runners mowed or chopped down will contain the plant.  In northern zones plants rarely propagate naturally by seed.

Chocolate vine flowers and fruit

Chocolate vine has tiny flowers in mid-spring to early summer in dangling clusters.  The sepals of the flowers look like petals and can be white, pink, yellow and shades of purple. Older plants in full sun are loaded with flowers in spring and quite attractive. Depending on the weather and species chocolate vines can flower before leaves emerge or when the leaves are still small. They have a sweet scent but its more lilies of the valley or lilac smelling than chocolate.  The smell isn’t overpowering but will pleasantly scent a garden or yard.

If the flowers of Chocolate vine get pollinized they turn into fat, sausage shaped blue or purple seed pods about 5 inches long which are attractive on the vine.  These ripen in late summer-early fall. The pods are filled with a creamy white roll of thick jelly-like material studded with tiny round black seeds.  The jelly is edible, but once again it doesn’t taste like chocolate. It’s the texture of marshmallow or custard and is sweet but bland.  In Japan jelly is made from the pulp.  The pods are sometimes filled with rice and meat and deep fried.
Fruit pods of Chocolate vine.
Credit Alpsdake, wikimedia commons

Pollination of the Chocolate vine can be a problem. Some gardeners get tons of fruit pods, others none.  Bees don’t seem too interested in the plants. It may be that beetles or some other insect pollinate the chocolate vine in Japan. In the north the flowers may occur before many pollinators are out or be frost damaged. It may also be that some plants are just more fruitful than others.

While each Chocolate vine flower has both male and female parts they don’t self-fertilize and at least two plants are needed to get fruit. Many growers recommend two different varieties or species for best pollination and offer two species in pairs to buyers. However other growers feel that two plants, whether the same species or not will be enough for pollination.  If you aren’t getting fruit pods it’s suggested that you can pollinate flowers with a paintbrush, moving pollen from one plants flowers to another plant’s flowers. 

Planting Chocolate vine

Chocolate vine will grow in most places but prefers a light or sandy loam soil. Best flowering and fruiting occurs in full sun but Chocolate vine will grow in partial or even full shade in some cases.  Indirect bright light such as on the north side of buildings is fine.  Chocolate vine doesn’t need fertilization unless your soil is very poor.  It prefers moist but well drained soil but can withstand dry periods.

Plant your Chocolate vine next to a sturdy support as it can overwhelm and topple flimsy supports.  The different vines needed for pollination can be at least 20 feet apart perhaps more.  Some people have used Chocolate vines as a sprawling ground cover for preventing erosion with great success. 

Prune Chocolate vine after it flowers if you want flowers and fruit pods.  You can prune it hard to keep it in bounds or shape it.  If it gets too large and ungainly you can prune it right back to the ground and it will recover quickly.  Watch that Chocolate vine doesn’t climb into trees as it can quickly smother them. 

Chocolate vine has few pests or diseases and deer and rabbits seem to leave them alone.

Propagating Chocolate vine
Akebia 'Silver Bells'
Credit Alpsdake, wikimedia commons
Chocolate vines are easily propagated from soft new growth cuttings about 6 inches long, generally taken in late spring- early summer.  The seeds can be saved from ripe pods but they must be planted immediately as they don’t store well.  Plant them in a fine potting medium inside, in a warm area.  They will need to grow overwinter in a warm bright area.  This is probably why Chocolate vine does not spread well by seed in northern areas as the seedlings would be killed by cold.

Medicinal uses of Chocolate vine
Akebia is used in Chinese/Japanese herbal medicines as a diuretic and to increase the milk flow in nursing mothers.  For this purpose stems are chopped in fine pieces, dried and powdered then used in teas and decoctions.

Sources for Chocolate Vine


Thinking outside the box- or flower pot
How about taking one of those upside down hanging pots and using it for orchids, epiphytes, a staghorn fern or other exotic plant instead of a cherry tomato this summer?

If you are into hypertufa containers why not make some hypertufa bird houses?  Use a ball or plastic container for a mold.   Make a proper size hole in one spot for the birds you want to attract.  Poke some small drain holes through the cement in the bottom.  Cut a groove in it near the top all the way through the cement mix and all around the house so that you can lift a portion off after it dries to pull out the mold.  Then you can re-connect the pieces by either screwing in tiny hooks and latches or by running a wire or band around the bird house to hold it together.  A ring or hook for hanging the house can be set into the cement mix as you make it or screwed in after it dries.

Have lots of black plastic nursery pots but want pretty pots?  Simply paint them.  There are nice spray paints on the market now that will cover plastic.   After you have a good base color you can hand paint or stencil on a design.  How about dipping your babies feet or your kitties toes into some paint and pressing them on to the pot?

And if you want some of the glow in the dark pots simply spray glow in the dark paint on them!

Garden chores you can do in March
March in Michigan is a tricky month, while we are enjoying very spring-like weather recently some of our biggest snow storms have come in March.  The gardener is outside, walking the grounds, maybe seeing some early crocus in bloom in sheltered areas and hearing the robins sing as the males return to Michigan.  The urge is to get out there and do something in the yard; it’s amazing how anxious we are this time of year to jump into gardening.  There are things gardeners can be doing, but doing some things can do more harm than good.   Here are some safe things to do in your garden this month.

Bad bunnies did this.
Check for and repair winter damage (if possible) from rodents and deer.  Look at the bottoms of trees and shrubs to see if the bark has been chewed.  If a tree or shrub is totally girdled, (the bark is eaten off all around the tree) it may die.  Some shrubs and even trees may return from the roots.  You’ll want to give damaged shrubs and trees extra water and fertilizer as new growth begins to help them recover.  Grafted trees such as most fruit trees, will not respond with growth like the old tree, they come back from rootstock that is generally undesirable for fruiting.  You’ll want to remove those trees.

Pruning fruit trees and grape vines can still be done.  Get a good pruning manual and follow the directions or better yet, attend a pruning class.   Pruning your fruit trees and grape vines makes your plants healthier and more productive.  Don’t prune fruit trees that are kept just for spring flowers, such as ornamental cherries and crabapples at this time.

Apply dormant oil sprays.  A dormant oil spray is part of the good pest management program for fruit trees.  It can be applied when the weather is above 40 degrees but below 80 degrees.

You can prune some ornamental trees.  It’s a good time to prune oaks, yews, poplars, willows, honey locust, katsura, sycamore and some other trees.  Don’t prune maples, birch, beech, or walnuts if the temperature is above freezing as it will cause heavy sap loss. Do not prune pines.  Do not prune trees you want spring flowers from, like redbuds and magnolias.  Take out all winter damaged limbs, crossing and rubbing branches, and thin and shape if needed.

Seed grass - yes even if it still snows sowing grass seed is fine.  Just make sure that your ground is dry enough you don’t leave large footprints or spreader ruts in the soil.  The ground should not be frozen when you apply the seed and you should be able to prepare a good seed bed before sowing the seeds.

Build new garden beds.  If your ground is dry enough to walk on and use equipment without making deep imprints and ruts you can start new garden beds.  Mix your soil and amendments and get everything ready to plant.

Apply manure and compost.  If you use manure now is the time to apply it to empty flower beds and lightly on occupied ones.  Don’t apply fresh manure to vegetable beds, do that in the fall. Compost is good for all beds but don’t add it until the ground is thoroughly thawed and don’t make it too deep over existing plants.

Clean up- but go cautiously here.  Don’t remove protective mulches too early.  Trim off dead herbaceous (upper growth that dies to the ground over winter) perennial parts that you left last winter carefully.  Some of it is protecting the crowns of the plants; you may want to stop a few inches above ground for now.  Mums for example, need to be leafed out before all the old stems are removed. Don’t prune off dead areas on semi-woody shrubs and roses for a bit longer.  The dead area protects living tissue below it.  If a cold snap comes and you have already pruned back to living tissue the cold may kill additional areas of the plant. You can prune buddleia right to the ground but mark where it is as it is slow to start growing in the spring.

Start seeds in cold frames or indoors.  It’s a great time to start things like tomatoes and peppers, which need a long time to grow into large transplants. Perennial flower seeds and herbs are also good to start early.

Pot up summer bulbs for a head start.  Use planting medium and start things like cannas, dahlias, and calla lilies.  Tuberous begonias should have been started already, but do it now if you haven’t.  Don’t start glads- they will bloom way too early. You could also start cuttings of things you have wintered inside, such as geraniums, coleus, cane begonias and others. The potted bulbs should be placed in full sun inside or use a grow light over them.  Don’t move them outside until all danger of frost has passed.

Turn the compost pile or start a new one.  Turning the pile will help it warm faster and get it cooking again after winter.  If you don’t have a compost pile, find a good spot to start one and get going.

Clean and sharpen garden tools.  Check mowers for any needed parts, and sharpen the blades or replace with new ones.  Clean out your garden shed.  Check your garden hoses; see if you need new nozzles or connections.  Stock up on potting soil and buy your seeds while the selection is good.  Better to spend a day shopping for garden supplies while it is still brisk and wet outside, rather than a warm sunny one when you would rather be working!

Plant your peas and lettuce, maybe.  Peas can be planted as soon as the ground thaws.  Lettuce, radishes and beets can also be planted around the end of the month, if the ground is bare and thawed out.  You could start these crops in cold frames.

Clean out, repair and replace bird houses.  The birds are returning from the south and looking for nesting spots. Keep your feeders full, there’s not much native food left this time of year.  It’s too early for hummingbird feeders, the fluid may freeze and crack the feeder, and the hummers probably aren’t coming back until mid-April at the minimum.  If you do see a stray one, put up the feeder, and bring it in on cold nights.  Orioles probably won’t be back until April either, but if you see them grape jelly in a dish is a good alternative to nectar.
Growing cabbage
Since cabbage is a big part of St. Patrick’s day celebrations and it’s an extremely healthy as well as easy to grow crop here’s how to grow cabbage. There are tips for growing cabbage in containers here too.

Cabbage grows best in the cool times of the year and late spring and early fall make ideal times to grow cabbage.  Cabbage comes in shades of green and red.  There are round heads and pointed heads, smooth leaved and crinkled or savoy leaved varieties. If you want cabbage for fresh eating you should choose varieties with small heads on maturity. If you are thinking about making sauerkraut you may want to grow some of the jumbo sized cabbages.

Cabbage also comes in early, midseason and late maturing varieties and for a continuous supply you may want to plant several varieties with different maturation rates.  You can also start some plants later than others or plant both seeds and transplants to lengthen the harvest season.  

Some good cabbage varieties
Round early green modest sized heads include ‘Parel’ or ‘Quick Start’  medium maturing greens-‘Stonehead’, ‘Derby Day’ or ‘Charmant’, late maturing larger green heads, ‘Late Flat Dutch’  or ‘Megaton’  red heads, ‘Primero’, ‘Ruby Ball’ or “Ruby Perfection’  savoy types ‘Purple Savoy’ or ‘Alcosa’ and pointed heads- ‘Caraflex’ orCour Di Bul’.

Savoy cabbage.
Chinese cabbage doesn’t make a head; rather you use the thick stems that grow in a tight cluster for fresh eating or cooking.  Chinese cabbage actually does better in the fall and in the northern half of the country should be planted in August as transplants.  You’ll often find it listed as Pak Choi or Bok Choy. 

Planting cabbage

You can grow cabbage from seed, sown right in the garden a few weeks before the last spring frost, usually early May in zone 5, or start it inside in pots in late March.  Most gardeners who just want a few plants can pick them up in a local nursery and they are some of the earliest nursery plants offered. Look for short, stocky deep green (or red) plants.

Cabbage should be planted in full sun.  Get the transplants into the garden early. The transplants will withstand light frost but cover them if a heavy frost or freeze threatens.  Thin cabbage plants that come up from seed after they have several leaves and leave them 18” apart for small headed varieties and 24” apart for large headed varieties, which is also good spacing for transplants.

Like most vegetables cabbage prefers slightly acidic soil of 6.5 pH but it will grow in slightly more acidic or alkaline conditions.  Cabbage will grow in sandy or clay type soils but they must be well drained. The soil should be fairly fertile before planting. Cabbage should not be fertilized when it is in the early stages of growth, it will make it go to seed instead of forming a head. If you suspect the soil is not very fertile you can work in some 5-10-5 or similar formulation around the plants when they start to form heads.

Cabbage needs even, consistent watering.  Too much water near harvest can cause the heads to split, although that will happen if they get too mature anyway. Keep cabbage weeded, weeds often stunt growth. Make sure to rotate cabbage into a new area of the garden each year to avoid root disease problems.

The biggest problem gardeners have with cabbage is the Cabbage moth, a pretty white moth that lays eggs on cabbage that turn into tiny green worms that eat away at the cabbage heads. You can dust the heads with a garden safe pesticide such as Sevin or rotenone, or better yet- cover the plants with the very thinnest row cover material available either by suspending it over the whole row or covering each plant.  Do this very early in the growing season, around the time of the last frost.  Some people slip an old nylon over developing cabbage heads but the nylon is more likely to cause growth problems than the row cover material.

Harvesting cabbage
Harvest cabbage as soon as the heads are large and firm.  Don’t wait too long or the heads will split.  Split heads can still be eaten, but they won’t store very well.  If you have many heads maturing at the same time and can’t keep up with eating them fresh you may want to twist each plant a half turn in its garden space.  This breaks some roots and slows the uptake of water and slows maturity. 

Cut the cabbage head off the stalk with a sharp knife, leaving several thick outer leaves on it to protect the head until ready to eat. It will store like this in a cool place for a couple weeks.  You can store cabbage longer by cleaning the head and wrapping it in plastic, then keeping it about 40-45 degrees.  A whole cabbage plant can be pulled out of the ground and hung upside down in a root cellar, or other cool dark, moist place.  Some cabbage varieties store better than others and the conditions at harvest and during storage influence the keeping time.

Cabbage can’t be frozen for storage but it can be canned or turned into sauerkraut. Regular cabbage will withstand light frost before harvest but oriental varieties should be protected from frost.  All cabbage should be harvested before a freeze.

Some container cabbage varieties

If you enjoy cabbage but don’t have a lot of garden space, don’t despair.  There are several varieties of cabbage that can grow in containers, as long as you have a spot that gets 5 or more hours of sunlight each day. 

These varieties are all small and mature quickly.  Each head will make 1-4 servings of cabbage, depending on the size it is harvested and how well you like cabbage.  ‘Gonzales’ is a green cabbage that makes a 2 lb. head in 60 days.  ‘Primer’ is a red cabbage that makes a 1-2 lb. head in 72 days.  ‘Red Express’ will also grow quickly, making a red, 2 lb. head in about 55 days.  ‘Earliana’ is a fast maturing green cabbage, making a 2 lb. head in 57 days.  A 2 lb. head is just a bit larger than a softball.

If you prefer Oriental types of cabbage ‘Soloist’ is a pointed Chinese cabbage that makes a compact 1-1/2 lb. head in only 50 days.  It is best grown in the fall. ‘Toy Choi’, ‘Ching Chaing’ and ‘Bonsai’ are miniature forms of pak choi cabbage that will make single servings of greens in 30-40 days.   Several plants can grow in a 2 gallon pot.

Your containers should hold a minimum of 2 gallons of planting medium for each cabbage.   If you are using large containers for multiple plants, each mini cabbage should have about 8 square inches of space.  Use planting medium not garden soil.  Planting medium is composed of peat moss, vermiculite and other things.  It is lightweight, drains well and is free of weeds and disease.  Try to find a planting medium that does not contain fertilizer. 

Since cabbage likes cool growing conditions light colored pots rather than black ones, may reflect the sunlight and not heat the roots as fast. Moisten the medium before filling the pot.  It’s a good idea to set small blocks of wood or stones under the pot so that it drains better.  Pots sitting on a flat surface with drainage holes in the bottom may drain slowly. 

Drink some green beer and march down your road- Happy St. Patrick’s day

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

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

A new herb group is forming!  The Lapeer Herb Circle will meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Rebekah’s Health and Nutrition Store, 6 pm. at  588 S. Main, Lapeer ( next to Office Depot).  March’s topic will be herbs for bees.  They also have a facebook page you can join.

Attention Beekeepers!!! We are looking for individuals to participate with a state-wide apiary registry. We are currently developing the website/database for this project and we are looking for beekeepers who will come in on the ground floor of this project and help us get it launched. Not asking for any money, only your time and/or input. Please send us an e-mail if you are interested in helping the bees or want to know more.

In specific, we are looking for people with beekeeping experience to be board members for the organization, inspectors for different areas around Michigan and volunteers to help us get the word out at different clubs, festivals, etc. Please consider helping us and the bees too! Visit our website and let us know if you can help! www.MichiganApiaryRegistry.org

Here’s a link to all the spring programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/education/progs/springprograms/
New-Saginaw Valley Nursery and Landscape Spring garden show March 21-22, 2015 at the Ryder Center, Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Rd, University Center, MI
Visit this Lawn and Garden show for a wide variety of garden vendor displays and some great educational opportunities.  Admission is $5 adults, kids under 17 free.
Saturday, March 21 free programs (with admission)
11:00 am Diagnosing Plant Problems in Your Landscape by Dr. Robert Schutzki, Michigan State University Department of Horticulture
12:00 pm Creative Container Gardening – Fast, Fun & Easy! By Clay Johnson, Ball Seed
1:00 pm Adding Color To Your Landscape by Dr. Robert Schutzki, Michigan State University Department of Horticulture

New- Lansing Home and Garden Show, March 19 – 22, 2015,  MSU Pavilion, MSU, East Lansing MI.
Incredible gardens, extensive landscaping projects, a Standard Flower Show and four free seminar stages surround hundreds of exhibits featuring construction, remodeling, kitchens & baths, retail garden centers, pools and spas and home services.
Don Engebretson, The Renegade Gardener will give seminars as will several MSU horticulture educators on the garden stage each day.  Adult admission – $9 , Children (6-14) – $4 - 5 & Under – Free

New-Smart Gardening Apple Tree Pruning & Care Workshop, March 28, 2015, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 9558 AA Lane, Rapid River, MI

Attend this apple tree pruning and care workshop to learn about basic pruning techniques, apple selection, care, and management. Dress for the weather as we will be outside. Bringing your own, clean pruners is optional. $5 fee per person for registration; please send fee with name and contact information to: MSU Extension, 2 South 6th St., Ste. 14, Crystal Falls, MI 49920 by March 27th. Contact: Rebecca Krans, kransr@anr.msu.edu, 906-875-0606

New-Spring Into Gardening Conference, Saturday, April 25, 2015, 9:00am to 4:00 pm, Mt. Pleasant, MI

A day-long Master Garden Conference held in Mount Pleasant, Michigan at the Comfort Inn and Suites.  Sponsored by the Master Gardener Association of Isabella County.  This conference is for the beginner to advanced gardeners who love to learn about gardening.  Please invite a friend to come along for a fun filled day! Public welcome-Not restricted to MG

Speakers:
Barb Balgoyen, topic - Perennials
Jason Erickson, topic - Water Features
Chuck Martin, topic - Divine use of Vines
Mary K. Hausbeck, topic - research on diseases of ornamentals, herbs and vegetables
Requires pre-registration. $60.00 cost includes - Four Speakers, Lunch, Vendors and door prizes
Phone:  (989) 400 – 1391 contact email:  b.laughlin@cmich.edu

New-Behind the Scenes at Hidden Lake Gardens- Thu, April 16, 2015, 6:30pm Hidden Lake Gardens,6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI

April’s topic: Harper Collection
Explore behind the scenes with HLG’s Managing Director, Paul Pfeifer. This is an opportunity to enjoy a behind-the-scenes perspective on different areas of HLG’s collections. Bring your questions and learn a few tips and secrets.

Cost: $5 per person / free for Friends of HLG
Registration is required. Approximate class length is 90 minutes. www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

Woodland Treasures for the Shade Garden Fri, March 27, 10am, Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, MI       
How to use shade plants to extend the flowering season. Sponsored by Meadow Brook Garden Club. $5.  MBHGCMembers@gmail.com.

Trees for Tomorrow: Planting & Maintaining Healthy Trees, beginning March 30, 6:30-8:30pm, Pleasant Ridge Community Center , Pleasant Ridge, MI

This is a 5 week series sponsored by SOCWA. The $40.  Fee includes a class reference book.  You must register by Feb 23rd  by calling  248-546-5818.

Great Lakes Region American Hosta Society / Hosta College 2015, Friday evening, March 20th  and Saturday March 21st , Upper Valley Career Center, 8811 Career Drive, Piqua, Ohio.

At this conference there is a rare plant auction starting at 6 pm Friday evening and on Saturday, beginning at 8 am participants will attend 5 classes from a list of 70 to choose from.  There is a big vendor’s area and a buffet luncheon is included.  In the evening there is a banquet.  Cost is $42 for members, $55 for non-members.

    
Backyard Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop Saturday morning, March 28, 2015 from 10am to 12:30pm, Greater Holy Temple C.O.G.I.C. , 6702 N. Dort Hwy, Flint, MI

Bob Tritten, MSUE District Fruit Educator will give an outdoor demonstration workshop at two community orchards. We will also visit the Uni-Corn Community Garden to cover pruning of older fruit trees. Participants will learn the basic methods of pruning young and bearing fruit trees. Pre-registration required by 3/25/15. Workshop to be held rain or shine (walking required)

Contact: Deb Hamilton at 810-244-8547 or email: hamiltod@anr.msu.edu Cost per person: $10.00 Make check payable to edible flint Mail to: MSU Extension, 605 N. Saginaw Street, Suite 1A, Flint, MI 48502.  Please include NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE # AND EMAIL ADDRESS.

Spring 2015 Symposium by the Master Gardeners of St. Clair County, Saturday, March 21, 2015 - 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Cornerstone Church, 4025 North Road, Clyde, MI 48049 - (Two miles west of Port Huron, MI)

Keynote speaker Sean Hogan Portland, OR. Cistus Nursery.  Class topics: Richard Bitner-  “Designing with Conifers”, Panayoti Kelaidis, “Rockgardens”,
 Susan Betz: “Magical Moons & Seasonal Circles”, Sean Hogan: “More Than Meets the Eye”.

Early bird registration: $80.00, includes all speakers, continental breakfast, lunch, and snack break. Late registration,(after February 20, 2015), $90.00. Make check payable to MGSCC (Master Gardeners of St. Clair County) Checks or money orders only, to be cashed upon arrival in the mail – no refunds can be made after February 20.

Mail registration to: Sandy Billings, 99 Richman Rd., St. Clair, MI 48079, call Sandy at (810) 367-3399; E-mail: sanderan51@yahoo.com or Lisa Sharrow at (810) 329-3722. More information and Registration forms are also online at www.mgoscc.org

The MSU Hort Club 2015 Spring Show and Plant Sale Saturday April 18th 2014, 9am-6pm and Sunday April 19th 2014, 10am- 4pm located in the head house of the Plant and Soil Sciences Building (PSS) at Michigan State University, 1600 Bogue St, East Lansing (located on the corner of Wilson and Bogue.)

No information is given about what the show entails or whether there is a fee to enter but if you want to see the list of plants they are selling you can go here.

There is parking in the 4H Children’s garden parking lot just south of the PSS bldg, in the vet med lot across Bogue and the Horticulture Department lot to the west of PSS. (*Note: locations are marked on the map with 'Parking') Be sure to read parking signs as parking tickets are common on MSU's campus. Please enter through either the south door of the head house or through the greenhouses.

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.

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

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.


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If you would like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to me. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly notes. You must give your full name and what you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish what I want.
Once again the opinions in this newsletter are mine and I do not represent any organization or business. I do not make any income from this newsletter. I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with local people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive these emails have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com


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