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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

August 4, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

August 4, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

Hi Gardeners
My first flower from an unnamed Cajun Hibiscus.

I was checking back over the weather records for the last 2 years and it seems that the start of August is prime time for big storms and wet weather.  We got 2 inches plus rain on Sunday evening and had to clean up lots of small branches downed by the wind.  We also lost power in our barn, although the house has power and we can see no damage to the lines going to the barn and no signs of a lightning strike.

I have finally seen a few monarch butterflies - I’m glad they managed to get this far this year.  The Giant Swallowtails have been around also.  Birds are again flocking to my feeders, the babies are out and trying to feed their selves.  Frogs and toads are everywhere this year.

Lots of my tall lilies have been toppled by the wind and rain.  The garden phlox is also very tall this season and it’s falling over too. In the fall I’m going to dig a lot of the phlox out- they take over large areas and smother everything else out.  Right now I’m wishing I had dug them out in the spring.  Some plants just get way too carried away with reproducing and need planned parenthood.

My lettuce is going to seed and getting bitter.  I’ll be planting the fall crop any day now.  I made sure to but extra seed this spring because it’s hard to find in the late summer.  Our popcorn is starting to make ears.  I planted Japanese hull-less to try as I love popcorn but don’t like the hulls in my teeth.   We now have baby pumpkins and melons.  They are a bit later this year and I hope they make it to maturity.

I have garden mums showing color right now – guess what that means?  And the hardy hibiscus and sweet autumn clematis are just about ready to bloom too.  I had a new “Cajun” hibiscus bloom for the first time- see photo.  These aren’t hardy but over winter inside well.  I bought a special from Logee’s where they had some unlabeled varieties and you took a chance on what you got.  I’m really pleased with the one I got.  I wish I could collect more of these but my inside space is limited.

Here’s a tip for those who live in the Marlette - North Branch area.   Ben’s Superstore in Marlette has 5 pound bags of organic, slow release fertilizer on sale for $1.25 each. I have never tried the brand but the price is right.

Book Review- Fastest Things on Wings- Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood by Terry Masear- Published June 2015- $16.95 print edition, $11.95 kindle edition.

I loved this book about a woman who rescues hummingbirds in California.  She spends 4 months a year feeding baby hummingbirds every 30 minutes, healing adults and releasing them and rescuing trapped hummingbirds.  California has 4 types of hummingbirds and she handles hundreds of hummers in her rehab center every summer.  Here in Michigan with our 1 species of hummingbird rehab places rarely get 50 birds in a season.

The book was an enjoyable, easy read. You’ll learn a lot about these tiny birds.  What it takes to rehab hummers will amaze you and the efforts of a few people to care for these birds is truly heart-warming.  How Terry Masear finds time to write with her teaching career and work as a hummer rehabber in the summer is hard to imagine but the book is well worth reading. 

August Almanac

This August 2015 an event determined by mathematical odds will occur.  The month has 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays and 5 Mondays.  But it doesn’t happen every 800 years or so as some internet urban legend wants you to believe.  Rather the same set of 5 days happens every 6- 11 years per month depending on where the leap year occurs in the sequence.  Any month that has 31 days will have a string of 3 sets of 5 weekdays in a month.  For example May 2015 had 5 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.  And last month had 5 Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  October will have 5 Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  December will have 5 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  But next year in 2016 each of those months will have a different string of 5 weekdays in a month.  And those days are not called “moneybags” in China either- all of that blarney is internet rumor.

The Great Lakes Native Americans called this month's full moon (August 29th ) Sturgeon moon, because that was when these large tasty fish were easily caught in the Great Lakes.  In other places this month’s full moon is known as the Green Corn moon or the blueberry moon. August‘s full moon is also a super moon, being 30% brighter than normal moons and looking larger and closer. 

The Perseid Meteor showers peak will be August 12th and 13th and the moon barely visible so viewing should be good providing the weather cooperates.  At the peak you should be able to see 100 or so “falling stars” an hour.  The meteor showers continue to be visible until August 26th.    Look straight up and give your eyes a chance to adjust to the dark when watching for meteors.  At the peak you can see meteors at any time of the night but pre-dawn viewing will be the time for maximum sightings.

If you are thinking of planting a fall vegetable garden and plant by the moon phase, August 20-22 are good days to plant above ground crops. 

The August birth flower is the gladiolus.  When glads are given to someone they signify remembrance and integrity, perhaps that is why gladiolus are frequently found in funeral arrangements.  The August birthstone is the peridot- a beautiful green gem.

August is National Peach month, National Picnic month, Family Fun month and National Catfish month.  The 9th is National Book Lovers day and the 10th is National Lazy Day.  The 13th is Left Handers day, the 14th is Creamsicle day and the 26th is National Dog day.  The 29th is More Herbs day. August 31st is International Bacon day.

Finding salad dressings without soy oil

Soy oil isn’t good for you- that’s been pretty well proven in a number of medical research trials.  It’s implicated in obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and higher incidences of several cancers.  Almost all soybean oil is produced from genetically modified soybeans, and that may also have health implications for humans as well as for pollinators and other animals.  So why is it found in so many foods?   Salad dressings are a good example- search any store shelves and try to find a salad dressing made without soy oil.  You need some sort of fat to best absorb the nutrients from the vegetables in your salad.  But pouring soy oil based dressing on your salad, especially if it has high fructose corn syrup added as many do, is negating all the good a salad can do you.

I found one dressing locally Olde Cape Cod vinaigrette that was made with olive oil.  An on-line search turned up only a few others, very expensive and often made with canola – which is almost as bad as soy oil for your health.  Soy oil is cheap and abundant and pushed hard by the soybean producers many promotion groups.   Don’t be fooled by dressings that say “with olive oil” – check the label and you will find they are mostly soybean oil with a little
Why spoil it with soy oil?
added olive oil.  Even “real” mayonnaise is made with soy oil.

Here’s what you can do to dress your salads with some healthy fats, make your own dressings.  Yes it’s not convenient, but it’s not that hard and you can use much healthier ingredients.  Most Italian style dressings use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil with some seasonings.  You can even buy packaged salad seasonings, just use a healthy oil to mix with them.  The best oils to use are olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, peanut oil, walnut oil, hemp oil, (hard to find), sesame oil and grapeseed oil.  Some of these are very expensive and may also flavor your salad dressing.  Olive oil, extra virgin or cold pressed, is probably your best bet.  Besides soy oil, avoid canola- a very nasty oil that’s produced with lots of chemicals, and corn oil.   Sunflower and safflower oils can be used sparingly as they aren’t properly balanced in the “omega acids”.

Homemade Italian Dressing
½ cup balsamic (or other) vinegar
1 ½ cups olive oil
½ teaspoon salt – or to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning  (find in the spice department of any store)

(Additions can include a bit of dry or wet mustard, a small amount of sugar or honey, lemon juice, onion powder or minced onion, tomato juice, sundried tomatoes finely chopped, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, bacon bits, garlic juice or finely minced garlic or other spices and herbs you enjoy.  Experiment.)

Put this in a jar with a tight lid and shake until mixed or whisk together or use a blender.  After mixing store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

In dressings like ranch, mayonnaise and other creamy dressings you can even use butter or bacon grease, which is quite good in some dressings.  The small amount of saturated fat you consume in these dressings will hurt you far less than soy or canola oil.  Ranch dressing uses buttermilk or sour cream also.

A problem with homemade mayonnaise type dressings is the safety of the raw eggs, which could cause salmonellosis if not handled and stored properly.  Usually the acids and salt in the dish will make the raw egg yolk safe as long as it’s kept cold but you may want to use pasteurized eggs which can be found in some stores.  People with poor immune systems or children should not use dressings made with raw eggs that aren’t pasteurized.

Basic Mayonnaise recipe
2 egg yolks, pasteurized
1 ½ cups of olive oil or use 1 cup olive oil and ½ cup bacon grease
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt

You can add your own seasonings such as a bit of mustard, pepper, garlic or onion.  Some people prefer to use vinegar in place of lemon juice but you must use an acidic ingredient for food safety.
You place all of this in a food processor and blend until creamy.  It makes about 1 ½  cups. Keep it refrigerated.  Keep dishes made with homemade mayo refrigerated too.

Here’s a homemade way to pasteurize egg yolks.  It may not be quite as safe as buying commercially pasteurized eggs.  Place 2 egg yolks- or the amount for 1 recipe- in a small metal pan with a bit of water.  Try to slide the yolks into the pan and don’t break them.  Place that pan inside another pan filled half way with cold water. (Double boiler) Put a candy or other food thermometer in the pan with the water.  Slowly heat the water to 140 degrees and hold it at 140 degrees for 5 minutes.  It takes careful watching.  This should not cook the yolks, but if they do cook just a bit it won’t hurt.  Use the eggs in your recipe right away.

Ranch dressing

½ cup homemade mayonnaise
½  cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
½  teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon minced garlic or amount to your taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt to your taste and diet needs
You can shake this up in a large jar with a tight lid, use a blender in short pulses or whisk it together.  It makes about a cup of dressing.  Keep refrigerated.

Recording your garden in pictures

When I look around my garden in August, when most plants are mature and full sized I often think about how crowded it is and what I need to move or remove.  But in May when things are young and small there I am, plugging the “gaps” with new plants.  I started recording my garden in pictures every week late last year.  Before that I had sporadic pictures I could review but I sometimes wondered why I had planted something in a certain spot, or even where I had planted something, my memory being somewhat “older” now.  In winter I was trying to remember what colors were prominent at a certain time or where and when I needed color.  This year, every week or so, I have been taking a picture of each garden bed from several angles.  I also photograph pot groupings.  I download the pictures to a file on my computer.  I can review the progression of my garden beds and it really helps me make decisions on where I need color at a particular time, what gets overpowering late in the season or looks ratty and where I could place new plants. 
Deck potted collection July 30, 2015

From my pictures last fall I knew I didn’t need any more hostas in the bed in front of the handicap ramp, even though it looked bare when the hostas were first leafing out.  From my pictures this spring I could see where I need some more tulips or other spring bulbs.  I probably wouldn’t have been able to visualize where to place them this fall with all the huge hostas and other plants at full maturity.  Now I will sneak them in under the hostas at the west end of the handicap ramp bed. 

With weekly pictures you can see when things bloom and compare them to when they bloomed last year, to see if the season is earlier or later than normal.  Most cameras date stamp the picture in the file label, if yours doesn’t and you want to do this, simply re-name your file with a date.  You can even open the picture with a program such as “paint” and add notes to your pictures.  I sort my pictures by the flower bed, such as “triangle bed” or “birdhouse bed” and then put them in order by date.  I’ve included older pictures I found in my computer from previous years.  If you do this you could even print the pictures so you can have them at hand when shopping garden catalogs this winter.

I call this the handicap ramp bed, July 11, 2015
Your pictures don’t have to be great artistic things, and you don’t have to show them to anyone if you don’t want to.  Just make sure to snap them at regular intervals.  With today’s digital cameras and everyone having a cell phone or some other device that takes pictures this is easy to do.  I have found that the pictures help me immensely in planning and they are great to show off when the week’s pictures are unusually good.  Gardens change so fast through the season, one day your beds are blazing with color, the next rather dull and drab.  How many times have you told someone; “You should have been here last week when my peonies, roses, tulips or whatever were in bloom”?  Photo’s help you capture the great moments.

Buddleia or Butterfly Bush

For late summer color and fragrance, and a beautiful feeding station for butterflies, nothing beats the Butterfly Bush.   Even smaller gardens can now enjoy this easy to care for plant, as dwarf varieties have been developed.   Hummingbirds and bees also appreciate the buddleias and they add color and structure to the garden as well.

Buddleia is also known by the common name of Summer Lilac.  Butterfly Bush is a much better name because it truly draws a circus of colorful butterfly species.  Some books may spell the Latin name of Butterfly Bush as Buddleja.

Most buddleias are native to China and Japan, although there are a few from other semi-tropical areas of the world, including the southern United States.  Most Butterfly Bushes on the market are selections of Buddleia davidii, but there are a few other species on the market. The plants form woody stems in warm climates but die to the ground in most of Michigan.   Butterfly bush is classified as a semi-shrub, or semi- woody, and most varieties get quite large and tall, 3 foot wide by 6 foot or higher, in one growing season.

The leaves of buddleia are long and narrow and range from deep green to silvery green.  There are some varieties with variegated leaves.  Smaller varieties have been developed that suit small spaces better. 

Buddleia has numerous plumes of tiny colorful flowers, which begin opening at the bottom and continue to open for several days to the tip. The flowers are tube shaped with 4 or 5 petals.  Colors ranges from white to nearly black, many flowers have orange or yellow throats. Many varieties of buddleia are fragrant, but it is not an over-powering scent.  

Cultivation of Buddleias

There are varieties of butterfly bush that are hardy in zone 5, but before purchasing check the zone hardiness, as some varieties may not be hardy in Michigan. Those in the far southern Michigan counties may be able to grow varieties rated to zone 6, particularly in protected areas.  Although some of what was formerly Zone 5 has been re-classified as zone 6, be careful as our last few winters have killed a lot of buddleias.  Buddleia is usually purchased as a plant and starts blooming at a very young age.  It can be started easily from seed however, and will bloom the first year if started early in the year.

Pink buddleia or butterfly bush
Buddleia is slow to get growing in the spring so mark the plant location and give it time.  Once it starts growing it grows very quickly and makes a large shrub in one season.  Make sure you allow plenty of room for the plant when it is at its largest in late summer. 

In zones 5 and 6, Butterfly Bush usually dies to the ground each year.    Since buddleia forms its blooms on this year’s wood, cutting the plants back to a foot above the ground each fall is a good idea.  This encourages the plant to put out more stems, and that means more blooms. The stubs will mark the spot so you won’t damage the roots before the plant begins growing in early summer.    Buddleia alternifolia, or Fountain Butterfly Bush, is an exception to this.  It blooms on old wood and only winterkilled wood should be removed in late spring.  If Fountain Butterfly Bush needs pruning to shape or control growth, it should be done immediately after flowering.

When buddleia begins to grow in the spring, fertilize with a slow release fertilizer for flowers.   The Butterfly Bush needs full sun and well-drained soil.  It is somewhat drought tolerant, but appreciates some watering during lengthy dry spells.   Buddleia blooms over a long period from late summer to late fall or the first hard frost.  Be careful working around buddleia as it is often full of bees. 

When each truss of flowers has finished blooming cut it off.  This conserves the plants energy, keeps them blooming longer, and keeps the plants from spreading vigorously from seed.  In areas where it is happy, Buddleia can become invasive, with seedlings popping up everywhere.  Politically correct gardeners will take care that Butterfly bush doesn’t spread into natural areas, although the butterflies and bees might argue for its proliferation.

Some varieties of buddleia

Selections of the common Butterfly Bush, Buddleia davidii include ‘Black Knight’, a deep purple, ‘White Ball‘, ‘Pink Delight’, ‘Santana’, which has variegated foliage and red-purple flowers, ‘Silver Anniversary’ which has silver foliage and white flowers, ‘Ellen’s Blue’, which is true blue, ‘Attraction’, which is magenta red, and “Adonis Blue’ which is only around 3-4 foot tall.   There are dozens of other varieties.  Butterfly bushes with yellow colors such as ‘Honeycomb’ and ‘Sungold’, [ball-shaped flower clusters], are selections of Buddleia weyeriana.   ‘Nanho Blue’ about 4 foot tall and ‘Petite Purple’ only 2 foot tall, are selections of B. nanhoensis.  Many new, compact buddleias are on the market, many of these are hybrids of several species. 

Buddleia alternifolia, Fountain Butterfly Bush, is a shrub with weeping branches covered with tiny lavender flowers in late spring.   It blooms on old wood, and should not be pruned to the ground each fall.

No garden is complete without a butterfly way station like buddleia.  Even those who garden in containers can now enjoy this plant in its compact versions.  Do the bees and butterflies a favor and plant lots of Butterfly bushes.

Why don’t I have any squash, cucumbers, melons etc?

Every year new gardeners ask this question when it seems like their vining crops are blooming and blooming but they aren’t getting any “fruits”.  Most vining plants like squash, pumpkins, melons and cucumbers need a long growing season and warmth to do their best.  They also need full sun.  But by August they should be flowering and here is where the confusion begins.  All of these plants produce two types of flowers, male and female.  They look similar except that the female flowers have a baby “bump” at the stem end.  This looks like a tiny quash, pumpkin and so on.
Winter squash - female bud.  Credit; commons.wikipedia.org

Male flowers usually begin blooming first on a plant.  They will bloom and die, because they can’t produce a fruit.  But if conditions are right female flowers will soon start appearing along with the male and if there are pollinators around, the baby bumps will begin growing.  The withered blossom often hangs on the developing fruit for a short time.  Most of the vining crops grow their fruit at a fast rate.  Some like cucumbers and summer squash will be ready to eat in just a couple weeks, as these crops need to be picked when they are still small for the best eating.

The fruit of vining crops may not look like what you expect when they first begin developing but don’t panic.  Cantaloupe develop the netting on their skins later in development.  Many squash, melons, gourds and pumpkins have a different color from when they are mature- melons and gourds may develop spots later for example.  Pumpkins start out green like many squash and then they develop color later.  Cucumbers should be green when picked unless you are growing one of the rare white or lemon varieties.  They will change color to orange, yellow or brown when mature but those mature fruits don’t make the best eating.

It’s not unusual for plants you thought were one type of squash or melon to turn out to be something else.  Plants that look similar like pumpkins and squash sometimes get mislabeled in nurseries.  Also pumpkin, squash, and gourds can hybridize and the saved seeds may produce something unusual.  Different melons may also hybridize. You may get one of these seeds in a seed packet.   When you are growing them close together in a garden the fruit they produce this season should be as expected,( unless you got that odd seed),  pumpkins or hubbard squash or cantaloupe but if you save the seeds next year’s offspring could surprise you.
Young muskmelon August 2

Mature muskmelon August 30.
So when you see both types of flowers on a vining plant you should expect to see the fruit begin developing soon.  Some melons, squash, gourds and pumpkins can take a long time to begin blooming – they need long seasons to make fruit.  So check the maturity dates on these types of plants when you buy them or seeds for them and in Zones 5 and 6 stick to those that say 120 days or less to maturity.

Have you gone swimming yet this summer?

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.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me.

An interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook

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

Wild Summer Tea Party with Cassey Mieslik and Jeanette Farley, Saturday, August 8, 2015,  10am - 12pm and 1pm to 3pm
The day begins taking a walk to harvest teas followed by trying out teas made from wild mint, bee balm and having a few sips of Sumac lemonade. Also learn how to infuse Queens Ann Lace into Apple Jelly. Yum!

At 1pm there are salve and lotion demonstrations and each person will receive a sample of both the salve and lotion. Bring a sack lunch too.
Enter the driveway at 4107 Columbiiaville Road, Columbiaville Michigan. Dress for the weather. $5.00 donation.


Change of the Season – A Guided Nature Walk, Monday, August 17, 2015      9:30AM to 11:30AM
Take a  tour of the Hilton and Marjorie Tibbits Nature Sanctuary, a Lapeer Land Conservancy property. Entrance and parking is located directly across from 4090 Columbiaville Road, Columbiaville, Michigan.

Bring water bottle, binoculars, camera and field guides. Dress for the weather. Donations accepted. Please call 810-969-1023 at least 1 day prior to the event date to reserve your spot! For all programs children 17 and younger must be accompanied by a registered adult. Please park in the designated parking areas! Thank You!

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


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