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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

June 30, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

June 30, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hello Gardeners

Shasta daisy Banana Cream 
I am sad to see June go; it’s always such a pretty month.  I hope everyone has a safe, happy 4th of July. 

My rainfall this month has been about average although many people, some only a few miles away, had a lot more rain than average.  I am fine with the cooler weather too, although I have heard some people grumping about that.  I heard a weather forecaster saying we are about at the end of the cooler weather cycle that we here in Michigan have been experiencing the last 2 years.  They are predicting a warmer drier fall, and I hope a warmer winter.

The perennial gardens are about to enter their prime, with daylilies, lavender, bee balm, coreopsis, shasta daisies, rudbeckia, hydrangeas and many other things in bloom.  My hollyhocks are shorter than they normally are, but they are beginning to bloom.  See the article about growing them below.  The yucca is starting to bloom; it’s shorter this year too.

The annuals are really looking nice now, don’t forget to use some flower fertilizer on your hanging baskets and containers to keep them blooming.  I have cleome and cosmos from garden sown seed beginning to bloom.  The cleome is everywhere- I had 4 plants last year that I planted among my dahlias but they must have shed seed lavishly and this year I have closer to a hundred probably- if I bothered to count. 

Many people are remarking about the abundance of white clover in the lawns that is blooming right now.  Some want to get rid of it but they may want to change that plan.  White clover is even added to some grass mixes.  It’s a legume that adds nitrogen to the soil.  Bees love white clover, and we want to keep them happy.  Also some studies found that rabbits prefer to eat white clover rather than your garden plants.  Leave the clover in the lawn to keep them away from your flowers.  Besides, when you mow clover it looks as nice as grass.  It’s so silly to use pesticides on a lawn to make a monoculture of boring Kentucky bluegrass when a varied palette of grasses and broad leaved plants is so much more natural and good for the environment.

 In the vegetable garden

The flowers of heritage pea Carouby De Maussane
Lettuce seems to be slower to bolt this year and the harvest continues.  Pull up and discard any lettuce that goes to seed.  My early cabbage has small heads. Late cabbage is just beginning to head up.  Onions are starting to bulb up.  Use some for green onions if you need to thin rows.   Carrots may need thinning again and keep them weeded.  I am getting lots of peas right now, and pea harvest should be about over, with bean harvest soon to begin. 

Potatoes should be blooming, or just finishing bloom.  You should be able to harvest new potatoes soon.

Sweet corn should be about knee high (18-24 inches) by now.  It’s time to side dress sweet corn with some high nitrogen fertilizer.  Simply sprinkle a slow release fertilizer along the rows.  One that says “vegetable fertilizer” will work but a grass fertilizer that doesn’t contain any weed killers is also good.  Corn uses a lot of nitrogen during growth.

The conditions are right for a number of fungal garden diseases and they are showing up in Michigan gardens.  Insect pests are also affecting gardens.

Tomatoes
I have had a few ripe tomatoes already from the variety Early Girl.  Tomatoes should have green fruit by now.  My plants are about 3 feet in height.

Many gardeners are already seeing early blight on tomatoes.  Early blight causes dark brown spots with a yellow area around them on tomato leaves and stems.  Green fruit can also get spots.  If you look at a spot under a microscope you may notice rings of darker color.  Leaves turn yellow, then dry up.  The problem begins at the bottom of the plant and works upward.  While the plant continues to grow and set fruit, the plant doesn’t produce as well as a healthy plant and the taste of fruit may change, although they are still fine to eat. 
Experts do not recommend the canning of any tomato fruits affected with early blight.

After the disease is on the plant, in the case of early blight, spraying with fungicides can offer some protection to new foliage.  Spraying before you get any infection is the best method to protect plants though.  Several fungicides are on the market, some are considered organic, but most testing has found commercial “organic” sprays and home brewed remedies have little effectiveness.  Fungicides with chlorothalonil are probably the best ones for home gardeners to use – read and follow label directions and make sure the spray you pick lists vegetable crops as suitable for spraying.

If you don’t want to use fungicides be vigilant in removing any yellowing or spotted leaves you see and dispose of them away from your tomato plants.  Keep plants off the ground and remove leaves that touch the ground.   Pruning off the bottom leaves and lower stems helps the ground dry out and reduces fungal spread too.  Keep plants weeded, some weeds harbor fungal diseases and pass them to tomatoes. Water at the base of the plants if they need it and don’t use organic mulches under tomatoes, this keeps the ground wet.  Plastic mulch is said to help keep fungal disease down.  Feeding the plants with a fertilizer designed for tomatoes according to label directions will help keep the plants healthy and producing.  By the way potatoes also get early blight, although it doesn’t affect production as much.

MSU is warning that late blight may become a problem for tomatoes and potatoes this year, although it hasn’t been diagnosed here yet.

Cucumbers, squash and other vine crops-

Most cucumbers and some squash and melons are beginning to vine out and blossom.  Some people are harvesting cucumbers, although I have yet to get one.

Downy mildew, a serious fungal disease has been diagnosed in Michigan fields already this year.  It cannot be cured, only prevented with fungicidal sprays applied regularly.  If home gardeners don’t want to use fungicides they must pull up and dispose of any plants as soon as they notice symptoms on them.  Downy mildew causes yellow to brown spotted leaves with a fuzzy gray to purple growth on the undersides of leaves.  Leaves may curl upward.  Cucumbers are the plants most likely to die from infection, but other vine crops that are affected will not grow well or produce very many fruits.

Cucumber beetles are now out and heavy in some areas.  They eat the flowers of cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins and prevent fruit from forming. They also eat holes in leaves, fruits and damage stems. The beetles carry viral and fungal diseases to plants also.  Cucumber beetles are ¼ inch long and yellow and black striped.  You can use insecticides safe for food gardens or hand-pick them to control them.  Rotate where you plant your vine crops each year.

Spruce budworm

If you have property up north – upper Lower Michigan or the UP or you are a reader who lives there you may be interested in the latest news release from Michigan DNR.  It seems that spruce budworms, a native insect that primarily feeds on white spruce and balsam firs (sometimes other spruce, pines or tamarisk) were particularly abundant this year and the DNR is going to assess and map their damage.  In the Lower Peninsula Huron County is probably the southern- most county that has reported widespread spruce budworm damage in the past.

Spruce budworm, like many insect pests, has boom years when it is particularly abundant.  Every 30 years or so there is a large outbreak that kills many mature trees  over a 2-3 year span. The tiny brown and black caterpillars have white dots on each segment and spin webs on the tips of spruce and balsam branches where they feed on new needles.  They are often seen dangling from a silk line as they move from branch to branch.  The needles turn brown and eventually fall off.  If a tree is heavily defoliated two years in a row it often dies, with older mature trees being the hardest hit.

Once the caterpillars are mature and feeding spraying does little good, but trees can be sprayed in spring just as the new needles are emerging to control the caterpillars when they first emerge from dormancy.  The caterpillars spin cocoons and turn into small copper colored moths, which lay eggs on spruce and balsam needle clusters.  These hatch in a few weeks but do little damage the first year.  They overwinter on the trees and in the spring develop ravenous appetites for new needles and do a lot of damage. This is generally in May and June.

While trees may be suffering this year from the budworms birds like warblers and other forest dwelling birds may have a banner breeding season because caterpillars are abundant for feeding their young.  The loss of large trees opens up the forest canopy and provides new habitat for several other species of wildlife.  It’s the cycle of life, Nature compensates.

How to make a bouquet garni

Do you have herbs but don’t know many ways to use them? If you read cookbooks you may come across the term bouquet garni.  This is an assortment of herbs used to flavor cooking, usually soups and stews.  Since this is the season for fresh herbs here’s how to make a bouquet garni from the garden.

Combine 1 tablespoon of washed and chopped leaves from these herbs, sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon and marjoram.  Place them in a spice ball or tie in a cheese cloth packet and drop them into soups, sauces and stews.  Discard the herbs after cooking. 

Another good use for the bouquet garni herb mixture is to mix it with 1/2 cup of melted butter or olive oil and spread it over chicken to be baked.  This oil/butter/herb mix can also be brushed onto bread just before it finishes baking.

Happy is the garden with hollyhocks

Tall and stately, hollyhocks have graced gardens for hundreds of years. Although not as popular now as they used to be, hollyhocks are a country charmer for gardeners who admire the cottage garden look or who are nostalgic for the old fashioned flowers that Grandma grew. Hollyhocks are so easy to grow to grow even a child can grow them and children love to play with hollyhock flowers. No country garden should be without a few hollyhocks in the back of the border, or against the barn wall.
Hollyhocks 

Hollyhocks are often used as a screen to hide undesirable views. Indeed, hollyhocks are sometimes called outhouse flowers because they were often planted to hide outhouses. A polite lady didn’t need to ask where the outhouse was- she looked for hollyhocks. Hollyhocks could be planted around children’s playhouses to make them a little more secluded. If you never made dolls from hollyhock flowers you missed out on a wonderful childhood experience. 

If you don’t spray your hollyhocks with fungicides the flowers make edible decorations for salads and baked goods.

Hollyhocks are bi-annuals, which means that they make a rosette of foliage the first year and then send up a long flower spike to bloom in the second year. There are some varieties of hollyhocks that will bloom the first year, especially if started early indoors. Some gardeners believe that if you deadhead the flowers, the plants will come back to bloom in the third year. Hollyhocks re-seed quite freely, and once established in the garden you should have some in bloom every year. Hollyhocks will grow in zones 3-9.

Hollyhocks have large, rounded, rough looking and feeling leaves that may have 3-5 lobes. The first year the leaves form a large clump up to 2 foot across and 2 foot high. In the second year hollyhocks send up one or more flower stalks, these have smaller leaves on them and may shoot up to 9 foot high. Along the flower stalk, buds develop which open starting from the bottom. As the season goes on the hollyhock bloom stalk gets longer, producing more flowers near the top. Hollyhock flowers open up like colorful saucers, up to 5 inches across. There are also some double flowered varieties that look like large pom-poms. Colors range from nearly black to white. Although there is no scent to hollyhock flowers, bees and hummingbirds like to visit them. Hollyhock seedpods look like a fat button, with a neat circle of flat seeds inside.

How to grow hollyhocks

Hollyhock seed can be sown where it is to grow up to 2 months before your first frost in the fall. Or you can start the seed indoors about six weeks before your last frost in the spring for flowers the second summer. Some varieties will flower the first year if started inside about 10 weeks before your last frost. Plants are often available in garden stores. If you are going to transplant seedlings from a friend’s garden, choose smaller, first year plants. These seem to establish easier. Pot grown plants can be transplanted even in bloom, although they may need a little extra attention.

Hollyhocks like full sun and deep rich soil, but they will grow in less accommodating environments. In windy areas the tall flower stalks may need to be staked or the plants can be grown against a wall or fence that supports them. In the second year, to promote good flowering, fertilize hollyhocks with a slow release flower fertilizer in early spring.

If rainfall is less than 1 inch a week, hollyhocks should be watered. Try to water at the base of the plant and avoid wetting the leaves since hollyhocks are prone to fungal disease.

The major disease problem that hollyhocks face is rust, a fungal disease. It starts as orange, powdery looking spots on the bottom leaves. These spots turn into holes on the leaves. The plants continue blooming but begin to look very ugly. To control rust you can use a floral fungicide beginning as soon as the weather gets warm in your area. Some newer varieties of hollyhocks are being bred to be rust resistant. Keep hollyhocks thinned out so that there is good airflow around them and water at the base of the plant if possible.

Some varieties

Single flowered hollyhocks are often sold as Old Fashioned mix or Barnyard mix. Sometimes single colors are offered but after a few years you will find your re-seeded plants will be a variety of colors.

‘Indian Spring’ is a single variety that will bloom the first year if started indoors. ‘Happy Lights’ is a hybrid variety with single flowers about 3 inches across, that is rust resistant and will bloom the first year if started inside. ‘Creme de Cassis’ has single and semi-double flowers of rich plum red in the center that shade to pink on the edges. ‘Summer Carnival ‘ has semi-double to double blooms in a variety of colors and it will bloom the first year if started indoors. ‘Peaches and Dreams’ has lovely, huge double flowers in a blend of yellow, peach and pink. ‘Queeny Purple’ is a dwarf hollyhock with huge flowers of rich purple.

How to make Hollyhock dolls

If you are an adult of a certain age, one who was sent outside to play as a child, you may remember making dolls out of hollyhock flowers.  If hollyhocks are abundant in your Michigan garden why not introduce a child to the joys of gardening and playing outdoors by teaching them how to make hollyhock dolls, or as the young boys say hollyhock “people”.    And if you never made hollyhock dolls here are the simple directions.
Hollyhock dolls

First choose some hollyhock flowers of various colors in various stages of opening.  You’ll need some buds for heads, some half opened flowers for torso’s and fully opened flowers for skirts.  The flowers don’t wilt too quickly but don’t pick them too far in advance of assembly.

You can have the children find straight thin sticks for connecting the flowers or you can furnish them with some toothpicks.  Start by choosing heads for the dolls.  Round hollyhock buds, with just a bit of color showing work well.  If the child has a marker or pen they can draw a face on the head. 

Next find the half opened buds that will form the middle of the doll and one or more pretty fully opened flowers for the skirt.  Make sure to leave the green sepal leaves on the back of each flower.  They keep the flower together and are tough enough to hold the fasteners securely.  Single flowered, not double flowered hollyhocks, make the best doll parts.

Stick a head on a toothpick or stick and then through a torso flower.  If the toothpick or stick is long enough you can stick it through the skirt flowers next, or you can use another toothpick to connect head and torso to skirts.  One or more layers of open flowers for the skirts in layers of different colors makes a pretty effect.

The open skirt flowers will generally hold the dolls upright, especially if a few layers of flowers are used.  After children get the hang of it, they can let their imaginations roam, combining colors, layering flowers, making arms and legs out of sticks and hats for the heads from single petals or other flowers.  Next they can imagine scenarios like weddings and fancy parties to enjoy playing with the dolls.

Older adults often enjoy making hollyhock dolls too. It might make a clever shower or party activity, making hollyhock dolls, and then having someone pick the most attractive or unusual one as the winner.

Unfortunately there’s no good way to preserve the dolls.  But hollyhocks flower abundantly and all through the summer so more makings are always there.  You may want to supervise children as they collect flowers, so that plants aren’t completely denuded of their glory.  But if you allow a group of hollyhocks to grow in a special place, just for doll making, children will always have a source of flowers.  They’ll learn to ration the picking if you explain how plants form flowers and how long it takes.

In the age of TV’s in cars, the internet and oodles of cheap plastic toys an activity that gets children outside and into a garden and using their imagination is priceless.

Crown vetch- is it a weed or desirable plant?

Crown vetch, Securigera varia or alternately Coronilla varia, is often included in weed books, but it’s also still sold as a ground cover for difficult, sunny places and for erosion control on banks and ditches.  It’s another plant that conservationists imported and once promoted but are now wringing their hands over.  While it’s not native, (it was imported from Europe) crown vetch is related to our native vetches and has a similar growth cycle and pattern, but it is a little more showy and admittedly aggressive in growth.  It’s a perennial plant that is quite winter hardy, to zone 5 or lower, although it may die back to the roots in harsh winters.

Crown vetch.
Crown vetch was once widely planted along roadsides for erosion control and it is widespread across the Eastern US.  It’s still a good use for this plant.  However some conservationists believe that crown vetch crowds out native vetches and other plants and often spreads where it’s not wanted.  They believe this factor outweighs its benefits to pollinators and wildlife.

You probably won’t want crown vetch in the garden, since it does spread quickly and thickly and its lax, sprawling stems might bury other plants.  But if you have a bank, ditch or other patch of exposed ground that you need to cover quickly crown vetch may be the plant for you. A pasture with compacted, poor soil can be improved with crown vetch- (unless it’s for horses). Like most legumes, crown vetch improves the soil over time by adding nitrogen, contributing lots of compostable foliage that improves soil structure and its thick fibrous roots keep valuable topsoil from washing away.  It’s also a magnet and great food source for bees and other pollinators, a patch of blooming crown vetch will usually be buzzing with bees.

Crown vetch has compound leaves consisting of 15 -25 pairs of tiny oval leaflets, and vining, sprawling stems.  Plants grow about 2 feet high and can spread to cover 10 square feet or more.  The flowers are small, typical “pea” flowers of lavender pink, (sometimes more rosy pink or white), that are arranged in circular clusters, hence the “crown” part of the name.  Blooming begins in late June in zone 5 and continues through much of the summer.  The flowers turn into small “pea pods.” 

Crown vetch can be toxic to horses and other non-ruminant animals if consumed in quantity so you won’t want it in horse pastures.  Most horses avoid grazing it anyway.  However crown vetch is eagerly consumed by cows, goats and sheep (ruminants), and is not toxic to them.  The feed value is nearly the same as alfalfa and hay can be made from crown vetch for ruminants.  Deer and elk are highly attracted to crown vetch and will dig through snow to eat it in winter.  It is often sold in forage mixes to attract deer.

Crown vetch spreads by both rhizomes and seeds.  If after careful consideration you want to grow this plant you can sow seeds or start with small plants called plugs. While it will survive some drought when mature, keeping it well watered when young will insure the best growth.  The plant grows best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade.  It will grow in poor dry soils to moderately wet soils.

If you want to get rid of crown vetch repeated mowing is a safe, non-toxic method.  It can also be killed with herbicides.  But before you destroy it consider whether it’s providing a valuable resource to pollinators and wildlife.  It’s often growing where other native plants won’t grow well anyway.

Do the world a favor and buy plants instead of fireworks this week.
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.

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/875574275841637/

Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area


Here’s a link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road, North Branch.  Now open.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in Michigan.

Here’s a link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston and Brighton locations

Here’s a link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan  | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/

Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI

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/

Here’s a link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580

Garden Day 2015, August 1, 2015, 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Veterinary Medical Center / Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg., MSU campus, East Lansing, MI
This is MSU’s horticulture departments annual garden seminar.  The public is welcome. Key note speaker is Rick Darke, a widely published author, photographer, lecturer and consultant focused on regional landscape design, planning, conservation, and enhancementYou get a choice of 2 other classes and a closing speaker also.

Cost is $85.60 for non-2015 Garden members prior to July 24, $95.60 on and after July 25th this includes lunch but not the evening reception.

Please visit www.hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2015/ for a full schedule, workshop descriptions and more. Contact: Jennifer Sweet, CMP, CTA, at 517-355-5191 ext. 1339 or hgardens@msu.edu.

MSU Plant Trial Field Day, August 4, 2015, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. 1066 Bogue Street, Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg. (1st floor), East Lansing, MI 48824

Commercial growers, landscapers and advanced gardeners are invited to this annual event to learn about some of the superior new plants and how they perform in mid-Michigan in the MSU Trial Gardens. Plant performance, ornamental characters, and special needs of plants will be covered. We will also host presentations on the most recent research on the development and spread of impatiens downy mildew and up-to-date discussions on the evolving ethics of American gardeners. For this important and timely topic, Entomologists and Horticultural Extension Specialists will bring us up-to-date on the latest news in pollinators, native insects, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids.

The $42/person registration fee (by July 30) includes morning refreshments, lunch, parking, trial booklet, and the program.

For more, please visit http://planttour.hrt.msu.edu/fieldday.
Contact: Jennifer Sweet, hgardens@msu.edu


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.
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, June 23, 2015

June 23, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

June 23, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hello Gardeners

Evening primrose.
I am grateful that we were spared the worst of the storms last nightBut about 10 miles north of us a large dairy farm (DeVor Dairy) was hit by a tornado and the damage is horrific.   I am told there are hundreds of roaming and confused cows, with maybe 40 cows from the 3,500 they had dead.  They are asking for other dairy farms to house some cows and for experienced cow people to help them with the round up, confine, and milk cows.  However no contact info is being given that I can find- the farm is at 3157 Decker road, Decker MI. 

It was a scary night and throughout Michigan people are dealing with messes left by the storms.   If you had tree damage trim off the damaged limbs neatly.  Don’t use tree paint on the stubs unless the tree is an oak.  Any latex paint can be used to seal the stubs of oak trees and prevent beetles from feeding on them that spread oak wilt disease.  On other trees it’s better to leave the paint off as it seals in moisture and can result in wood rot.  If a tree is split down the trunk it probably should be cut down.  If your tree was hit by lightning it may or may not live.  You can give it some time to see if it recovers before removing it.

In more cheerful news I harvested two ripe tomatoes yesterday, which will be used in a salad today.  I can’t wait.  I start with one good sized Early Girl tomato plant each year so I can get some early fruit.  I have young fruits on the rest of my plants too.  We will harvest snap peas and lettuce this week too.  We have some cherries to harvest and the birds are harvesting the mulberries. 

The hydrangeas are beginning to bloom, along with oriental lilies, daylilies, Shasta daisies helenium, ladies bells, evening primrose, borage, and cardinal flower.  My canna in the new little pond is blooming and so is my Meyer lemon tree- (not in the pond). Maybe since its outside where it can be pollinated I’ll get lemons this year.  Wild roses and elderberries are blooming along the roads.   

To Mulch or not to Mulch, that is the question

Mulching a garden, especially with bark chips, is a trend that has developed relatively recently in gardening.  A hundred years ago few ornamental gardens used mulch except to protect plants over the winter.  Even 50 years ago mulch was generally something like straw placed on the rows in vegetable gardens.  Now one seldom sees a public landscape without mulch around some plant or another.  Most homeowners now buy mulch every year to place around trees and flower beds and garden mulch is a multi-million dollar business.  But is mulch really necessary or good for all garden areas?

Many serious ornamental gardeners believe mulch is over used.  Mulch does have its place of course.  It is good to mulch around trees and larger shrubs if they are in a lawn because it keeps someone from getting too close to the trunks when mowing or weed whipping and damaging them.  In this case the mulch should not touch the trunks of trees or shrubs and should not be more than 3 inches deep.  Mulch deeper than that may keep moisture and air from getting to tree root systems.  And spread it evenly – nothing looks more amateurish than volcano like mounds of mulch around trees.  If your trees are in a natural setting or set among groundcovers and smaller shrubs they don’t need mulch.
Mulch on vegetable garden paths.

Mulch is also good on path areas, such as in vegetable gardens, where you don’t want something like paving stones.  It’s environmentally friendly to use something that absorbs water on paths rather than something that causes it to run off into storm drains or other areas.  Organic mulches do break down and improve the soil over time too.  Even shredded rubber and gravel mulches on paths allow water to percolate through them.  Mulches help keep weeds down in paths but unless you lay down landscape fabric before putting on the mulch you’ll have weeds popping through.  Even on landscape fabric some weeds will start growing but they are easy to pull.

Mulching around plants in the vegetable garden has advantages and disadvantages.  In the spring you want the vegetable garden soil to warm up and dry out so applying mulch then isn’t a great idea.  Young plants heavily mulched in early spring may be slow to grow.  Applying mulch in early summer, when the soil has warmed up, will help keep weeds down and keep the soil from drying out as fast.   It can keep some crops cleaner.  However if your area is seeing a lot of rain and you have clay soil you may want to skip the mulch so soil drainage is helped.  Don’t pile mulch too deeply as it may keep water from actually reaching the soil in drier conditions.  Three inches is a good depth.  Put the mulch down when the soil is moist.

Use mulch that decomposes quickly in vegetable gardens so it will improve your soil by adding organic content.  Straw, hay, grass clippings, shredded leaves and finely shredded bark are better than large wood chips.  Since mulch uses up nitrogen as it decomposes you will want to give your vegetable plants some nitrogen fertilizer if you use mulch on them.

Sometimes mulch in the vegetable garden can harbor slugs and snails, which damage plants and it can even harbor pests like mice and voles, which may then cause snakes to frequent the garden.  Snakes are harmless to humans 99.99 % of the time, but for some gardeners the idea of mice or snakes in the garden will make them want to leave out the mulch.

Mulch in flower beds
Mulching around and in perennial flower beds is probably the most controversial mulch application.  When bare ground is showing around perennials in early spring and weeds are growing rapidly gardeners are tempted to improve things with mulch.  However many things should be considered before adding that mulch.

Just like in the vegetable garden, mulch added early in spring can slow down the growth of plants by keeping the soil cool and wet.  Once plants reach their mature size there will be less bare ground to see and weeds may be smothered by heavy foliage in many cases.  Add mulch later- in early summer- and just pull weeds for a time in the spring and your plants may grow better and be healthier. In the shade you may want to completely skip the mulch.  It gives pests like slugs and snails a moist place to hide and multiply and come out to destroy your plants.  And like the vegetable garden it may conceal other critters as well.

The type of plants growing in your garden and your soil type can figure in when you are deciding to use mulch or not.  If you have sandy soil and are trying to grow plants that need constant moisture then mulch is probably a good idea.  However if you have clay soil and are trying to grow plants that like drier conditions, such as most herbs, you would do well to leave off the mulch.  And remember that while mulch can preserve soil moisture, mulch that is too deep may keep plant roots from receiving any water from light rains or irrigation.

Some flower gardeners compromise and use a strip of mulch between the plants and the edge of the garden and don’t mulch between plants.  This looks nice and still allows the soil to breathe and air out and water to reach plant roots.  However if you have problems with slugs and snails eating your plants you may want to go mulch free.

Mulch can be helpful in protecting the crowns of certain perennials in the winter and in keeping plants from freezing and thawing cycles that lift them from the ground. (Some plants don’t like winter mulch – check your cultural suggestions.)  In this case you should apply the mulch after the plants have gone dormant, the dead leaves have been pruned off and the soil is frozen or soon will be.  You can apply mulch generously then - 5-6 inches in depth.  Just make sure to gradually remove it from the plant crowns in early spring.

While many gardeners have been trained to think that gardens require mulch, they really don’t, and in some cases adding mulch to the garden is actually detrimental.  Think of what your plants need and require before giving in to the impulse to apply mulch as a “beauty treatment”.  That’s the sign of a great gardener.

Displaying the flag this holiday

credit wikimedia commons
With the Fourth of July approaching many people like to decorate with the US flag and decorations of red, white and blue to show their patriotism. But did you know that there are laws on how to display the flag that should be followed? There is a proper or legal way to display the flag or use it in decorations. There is even a correct way to display red, white and blue bunting. In Michigan not displaying the United States flag properly, desecrating or even talking improperly about our flag, ( yes, defaming the flag is a crime) are considered misdemeanors and you could be fined.

If you accidentally make a mistake and use the flag incorrectly you probably won’t get charged with anything. But you may annoy and dismay some neighbors and passerby’s so flying the flag correctly is always a wise move. People can be very passionate about our flag and you may get some complaints or angry comments if you don’t use care displaying the flag. Here are some guidelines for displaying the United States flag properly and not spoiling your party with a political debate.

The United States flag should be flown on its own pole and not combined with other flags.  Never fly any flag above the United States flag.  It is always the highest flag in a group of flags on poles or if all the poles are equal in height no other flag should be to the right of the United States flag. It is all right for flags of other nations to be flown at the same height as the US flag but not to the right of it, the US flag is always the far right flag in any group. It is considered correct to fly state, religious or organizational flags below the level of the US flag. If it is higher, the US flag can be in the center or other position in a group of flags.

The United States flag is always flown with the “stars” up. A flag can be flown upside down to signify that there is an emergency that requires immediate aid, as a distress signal when there is no other way to summon aid.

A flag is flown at the top of a pole or mast unless there is a government call for flags to be flown at half mast, such as when a local serviceperson dies. The exception is Memorial Day when the flag should be flown at half-mast until noon, then raised to full mast.

Most flags should only be flown in dry weather in the daylight hours.  Special all weather flags can be left through wet weather.  If it is lighted a flag can be flown through the night.  Otherwise flags should be taken down at night.  Flags that are very dirty, tattered, or ripped should be taken down.

A flag that is hung against a building or suspended in the air should have the “stars” up if hung vertically. If hung horizontally the “stars” should be to the viewers left.

The bottom of the flag should not touch the ground, a table, other decorations, etc. Flags should not be draped or bunched up when displayed.

The flag should not be used as a tablecloth or cover, awning, curtain, chair cover, floor cover or for any other purpose.  Clothing can have US flags on it if the flag is depicted correctly but clothing should not be made of a flag. A t- shirt with a properly depicted flag on it is fine but a skirt made out of a flag is not. If that t-shirt had profanity on it or disrespected the flag in some other way though, it would be considered an illegal use of the flag.

Things that are used and disposed of, like napkins, cups, paper table cloths, and so on, should not have flags on them.  Because most of these items are made in foreign countries and many retailers are unaware of the law or don’t care, some of these things are sold for the holidays every year. Please don’t buy them. Find items with red, white and blue decorations other than the flag.

The flag cannot be used to advertise things; nothing should be written or stamped on a flag. This too, is often violated. A small flag on party invitations would be ok, but to print the invitation on a picture of a flag would not be. Advertising flags or signs should not be on the same pole as a United States flag either. Don’t put a garage sale sign on a post with a US flag on top, for example.

And that bunting mentioned earlier? Bunting should be hung so the blue band is on top, then white, then red. But that is something few friends and neighbors would know or care about, so don’t worry if you slip up there.

And hey, watch that complaining about the flag while you decorate. Michigan is one of the few states that count talking disrespectfully about the flag as a misdemeanor offense.

Calendula – old fashioned beauty for the garden

Calendula is an ancient garden plant and was commonly known as the marigold or Pot Marigold, and was grown throughout Europe, both as a medicinal plant and as an ornamental. Then the other type of marigold was discovered in the New World, the bedding plant that Americans commonly refer to as the marigold. It was confusing to have two common garden plants with the same name, so now we use the name marigold for the species Tagetes and calendula for the wonderful, but almost forgotten, plant formally known as the marigold.

Calendula
For a long time the beautiful little calendula has taken a backseat in ornamental gardens as the other marigold was developed into hundreds of varieties and sold by the millions in every garden center. As heritage flowers become popular again, calendula is finally getting some attention from plant breeders and new varieties that are coming on the market are sure to spark interest in its use as an ornamental.

Calendula flowers seem to glow or shine, in clear shades of vivid orange and yellow, and they are wonderful in flower arrangements. For a long time calendulas were always a solid color but recently plant breeders have introduced varieties with blends of colors and some softer pastel colors. Calendula flowers open in the day and close at night or in bad weather

Calendula is an excellent plant to spice up the late summer and fall garden. It enjoys cool weather and will handle several rounds of frost before quitting for the year. Calendula is also a good plant for late spring color in Michigan gardens.

Calendula culture

Calendula is extremely easy to grow. The seeds are usually planted where they are to grow, but they can be started inside. Outside, plant seeds 2-3 weeks before the average last frost in your area. If planting inside, start them about six weeks before your expected last frost. Cover the seeds lightly and keep them moist. They bloom quickly from seed, often as soon as six weeks after planting. The flower is daisy-like and 2-4 inches in size. You can sometimes find calendula plants in nurseries in the spring for immediate color, but sowing seed in early July in the garden will give you beautiful fall flowers as well.

Calendulas need to have the flowers picked off as they fade, or they will quit blooming. They are an annual plant, but they will re-seed freely in the garden, and you will get new plants each year if you let some go to seed. Calendula grows to about 18 inches high and branches freely. Calendula prefers full sun and average soil moisture. Little or no fertilizer is needed. They prefer cool weather and tend to sulk or die in hot humid weather, although newer varieties handle heat better.

Choosing Varieties

Good ornamental varieties of calendula are ‘Citrus Smoothies’, very double flowers in pastel blends of apricot and lemon with a light outer edge, ‘Orange Porcupine’, which has a quilled look to the bright orange petals, ‘Geisha Girl’, which is a another deep orange with a very full look, almost like a small mum, and ‘Neon’, a deep orange edged in burgundy. The ‘Flashback’ strain has maroon on the back of each flower petal and the front of the petal is a contrasting color, including peachy pinks. The ‘Pacific Giant’ strain has been around a long time and is a blend of many shades of yellow and orange. It has some resistance to heat. There are other improved varieties of calendula and new varieties are coming on the market every year.

Using calendula

Calendula flowers are edible and can be added to salads for a colorful touch. The petals of calendula have long been used to impart a golden color to soups, egg dishes, rice, cheese and even butter. Calendula flowers are fed to chickens to make egg yolks a deeper yellow and to give the skins of broilers a golden color. (If you use calendula flowers in food make sure they have not been sprayed with any pesticides.)

Calendula can be used as a tea for stomach upset by steeping 5 teaspoons of fresh flower petals in hot water. If this mixture is allowed to cool it makes an excellent mouthwash, especially for sore and bleeding gums, because of its antiseptic properties. Crushing a calendula flower on an insect sting will ease the pain. Calendula is used in soothing salves, foot baths, and facial care products. If you want the variety used for most commercial herbal preparations look for ‘Erfurter Orange’.

FDA bans use of trans-fats

Last week the FDA finally did what they should of done years ago and banned the use of partially hydrogenated fats in all food.  Food manufacturers have 3 years to remove trans fats from all foods but it will probably happen before that as most companies were expecting the ban and have been re-formulating recipes.  Although Americans have been eating less trans-fats since the FDA required foods to be labeled with trans-fat content, they still are common in processed foods.

Trans fats are linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, memory impairment, and many other health problems.  They are found in many margarines, vegetable shortening, artificial coffee creamers, microwave popcorn, most prepared cookies, cakes, and other snack foods and refrigerator doughs.  They are often used to fry foods. In particular creamy fillings like those in Oreo cookies and ready to spread frostings may be the hardest products to re-formulate.  What’s better to use?  Actually butter and lard will cause fewer health problems in baked goods than trans-fats and some plant oils (not soy or corn) are better for frying. 

This week’s wildflower- Queen Anne’s Lace

Flowers sometimes get fanciful names but this wild carrot does have a pretty flower that looks lacy. It’s a common sight and the subject of many a child’s bouquets for mom. Queen Anne’s Lace is also known as wild carrot or sometimes bird nest flower.

Queen Anne’s Lace, (Daucus carota), is truly the ancestor of the common garden carrot and it does have a yellowish-white thick taproot. But it’s not advisable to eat the roots of those plants found growing wild as it often hard to distinguish Queen Anne’s Lace from some very deadly forms of Hemlock.

Queen Anne's Lace.
Queen Anne’s Lace is a bi-annual plant. The first year it sends up a mound of feathery fern-like leaves that smell like carrots when crushed. In the second year tall, tough spikes- up to 5 feet high come out of the mounds of foliage. These support flat, umbrella shaped clusters of white flowers. There can be many stems and flowers from each plant.

In the very center of most flower clusters is a single dark red or purple flower. As the flowers die they curl upward, forming a brownish cup or “birds nest”. Seeds mature inside the cup and are eventually shaken to the ground by the wind. Plants die after the second year.

Queen Anne’s Lace is in flower from June through the summer. It is found in sunny, well drained soils of all kinds in fields and along the roads. It makes an excellent cut flower.

Growing Squash  (It’s not too late to plant some)

There’s an old saying that you only need one zucchini plant in the county to provide everyone with enough zucchini.   That holds true of most types of squash, they are very prolific.  In Michigan, most types of squash are fairly easy for the gardener to grow. 

There are two main types of squash, winter and summer.  Summer squash varieties are generally eaten when they are immature.  They are usually cooked with the thin skin left intact.  Winter squash have a harder skin or rind and are generally allowed to mature before being harvested. Pumpkins are actually a form of winter squash.  Within those two categories there are hundreds of squash varieties waiting for the home gardener to try. 

Varieties of Squash

Zucchini is probably the most frequently grown summer squash.   There are the familiar long green types of zucchini and there are golden long types and round ball shaped zucchinis.  ‘Black Beauty’ is an old variety that is still loved by gardeners.  It’s long and dark green.  ‘GoldRush’ is a long yellow zucchini. ‘Spacemiser’ is a long zucchini that grows in a bush form that takes less space. ‘Perfect Pick’ is a zucchini that is nearly seedless.   If round zucchini interest you try ‘Eight Ball’ a dark green, ‘Cue Ball’ a light green or ‘One Ball’ which is bright yellow.

Crookneck squash are another summer squash.  ‘Horn of Plenty’ will give you plenty of baby squash to eat.  ‘FancyCrook’ is another prolific crookneck variety.  It has pale yellow skin and white flesh. ‘Enterprise’ has no crook; it is a straight necked, crook neck – what a tongue twister.  It has long slender yellow fruit.

Pattypan or scalloped squash are another type of summer squash.  ‘Sunburst’ is a golden pattypan with a bush type growth habit, perfect for small gardens.  ‘Balmoral’ bears white fruit and is compact enough to be grown in patio pots. 

In the winter squash category we have acorn, buttercup, butternut, hubbard, spaghetti and many unusual and heirloom varieties.   There are many hybrids between varieties also.  Some types of squash will also cross with pumpkins.

Table Ace’ is a well known and prolific acorn squash.  ‘Cream of the Crop’ is an acorn squash with creamy white fruit.   ‘Sweet Mama’ is a buttercup squash with compact vines and dark green skin.  ‘Mooregold’ is a orange buttercup that is very prolific.   ‘Waltham Butternut’ is the old favorite of butternut varieties, with tan skin and orange flesh.  ‘Really Big’ is a butternut that produces huge, sweet fruits with deep orange flesh.

If you like hubbard type squash you’ll enjoy ‘Baby Blue’ with its space saving compact vines and fruit size just right for small families.  It has blue-gray skin and orange flesh.  ‘Golden Hubbard’ is an heirloom hubbard that is very prolific and bears huge golden fruit.

Spaghetti squash have flesh that shreds into pasta like pieces.  ‘Pasta hybrid’ is a creamy yellow tasty spaghetti squash.  ‘Small Wonder’ is a prolific producer of single serving size spaghetti squash.

Other winter squash you may want to try are ‘Delicata’ a squash that is said to taste like sweet potatoes and its bush variety, ‘Bush Delicata’  ‘Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato’ is an heirloom squash with the same flavor.  ‘Kikuza’ looks like a heavily ribbed tan pumpkin with orange flesh that has a sweet but spicy flavor.  ‘Sweet Dumpling’ is a round creamy white squash with green stripes that is excellent when stuffed like a pepper and baked.  ‘Kabocha Sunshine hybrid’ is a red- orange round squash, with a smooth texture and mild flavor.

What squash needs

One thing that all squash have in common is that like to be planted outside when the soil is warm and all danger of frost is gone.  They resent transplanting so if you decide to start them inside use peat pots and start them so that they are only about 3 weeks old before transplanting time.  Squash seed can also be sown directly in the ground when the soil is warm.  Sow seed about a half inch deep.  You can sow early maturing squash up to the end of June.

Many people plant squash in a mound, which warms the soil faster and provides deeper soil for the roots. Black plastic laid down over the soil will also warm it quickly.  Cut holes in it to plant squash seeds or plants.

If you are planting traditional vine squash make sure you plant the seeds where the plants will have plenty of room.  A squash plant can grow ten or more feet in a season.  Bush plants take less room but still require three to four foot of space per plant.

Squash appreciate some well- rotted manure mixed into the soil at planting or some slow release garden fertilizer.   They will need to be watered if there is less than an inch of rain per week or if they begin to wilt.  Try to water so that the foliage is dry by nightfall.

Squash produce male flowers first.  These do not produce fruit.  You’ll know the female flowers because they have a small swelling behind the flower which looks just like the fruit they are going to develop into.   After female flowers are fertilized they develop rapidly into squash fruits.  Summer squash may be ready to eat in two weeks.  Winter squash will take much longer.

Squash are insect pollinated so do nothing to discourage bees and other insects if you want fruit.  You can eat the male flowers and excess female flowers.  Some people stuff and bake them; others dip them in batter and fry them.  When it is about a month before your normal first hard frost, and your winter type squash plants have set some fruit, you may want to pick off the additional flowers before they set fruit.  This concentrates the plants energy into ripening the fruit that it already set.

Harvesting squash

Harvest summer type squash when the fruits are young and tender.  Summer squash do not store well.  Leave the fruits of winter squash until the skin is hardened and they seem mature.  Cut a stem with the squash and don’t remove it until ready to cook.  Don’t wash the squash before storage, just brush off excess dirt gently.  Store squash in a warm, 55-65 degree, dark place.

Most winter squash seeds can be roasted and salted for eating, just like pumpkin

Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.

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.

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/875574275841637/

Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area


Here’s a link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road, North Branch.  Now open.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in Michigan.

Here’s a link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston and Brighton locations

Here’s a link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan  | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/

Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI

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/

Here’s a link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580

Garden Day 2015, August 1, 2015, 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Veterinary Medical Center / Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg., MSU campus, East Lansing, MI
This is MSU’s horticulture departments annual garden seminar.  The public is welcome. Key note speaker is Rick Darke, a widely published author, photographer, lecturer and consultant focused on regional landscape design, planning, conservation, and enhancementYou get a choice of 2 other classes and a closing speaker also.

Cost is $85.60 for non-2015 Garden members prior to July 24, $95.60 on and after July 25th this includes lunch but not the evening reception.

Please visit www.hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2015/ for a full schedule, workshop descriptions and more. Contact: Jennifer Sweet, CMP, CTA, at 517-355-5191 ext. 1339 or hgardens@msu.edu.

MSU Plant Trial Field Day, August 4, 2015, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. 1066 Bogue Street, Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg. (1st floor), East Lansing, MI 48824

Commercial growers, landscapers and advanced gardeners are invited to this annual event to learn about some of the superior new plants and how they perform in mid-Michigan in the MSU Trial Gardens. Plant performance, ornamental characters, and special needs of plants will be covered. We will also host presentations on the most recent research on the development and spread of impatiens downy mildew and up-to-date discussions on the evolving ethics of American gardeners. For this important and timely topic, Entomologists and Horticultural Extension Specialists will bring us up-to-date on the latest news in pollinators, native insects, and pesticides such as neonicotinoids.

The $42/person registration fee (by July 30) includes morning refreshments, lunch, parking, trial booklet, and the program.

For more, please visit http://planttour.hrt.msu.edu/fieldday.
Contact: Jennifer Sweet, hgardens@msu.edu

Back Track To Nature offers the following programs to inspire you and deepen your relationship with nature! In partnership with the Lapeer Land Conservancy and Seven Ponds Nature Center these programs are a perfect way for families and adults to enjoy the outdoors.


Change of the Season – A Guided Nature Walk
Saturday, June 27, 2015               9:30AM to 11:30AM and 3:30PM to 5:30PM
Entrance and parking is located across from  4090 Columbiaville Road, Columbiaville, Michigan Join us for a guided nature walk on the trials of the Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary a Lapeer Land Conservancy property. Bring water bottle, binoculars, camera and field guides. Dress for the weather. This is a walking tour on uneven terrain. No Admittance fee. Groups of 5 or more please call 810-969-1023 at least 3 days prior to this walk.

Learn in the Garden Tour - Planting, Composting and Water Harvesting
Monday, June 29, 2015                 9:30AM to 11:30AM and 3:30PM to 5:30PM
In this tried and true garden tour you will learn basic techniques, of planting, composting and water harvesting to promote sustainability and keep your own garden growing in abundance. This farm and garden tour will be held at Three Roods Farm at 4821 One Acre Drive, Columbiaville Michigan. Dress for the weather. Class size is limited to 15, children 17 and under must be accompanied by a registered adult. No admittance fee. Call 810-969-1023 to reserve your spot.


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.
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