November
24, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter
© Kim Willis
Hi Gardeners
We got 8 inches of snow Saturday but its melting fast. I know some of you got more and some less but
it was a heck of a first real snowfall for everyone. Let’s hope it was the largest snowfall of the
season. By Thanksgiving they are
predicting rain and 50’s so we may be rid of all of this. It was the warmest November on record and it
may now be the snowiest.
I am hoping the coming thaw will allow me to get the Million Bells out
of the planters on the deck and pop in some evergreen branches. I wonder if the
poor pansies that had come up in the planters are still blooming under the
snow. Even the million bells was still blooming a little before the snow.
Last year I decorated the evergreen branches with clusters of red
nightshade berries and they lasted a long time.
I may use bittersweet this year because the vines are loaded. I’m not worried about spreading it a
bit. To my view it’s no worse of a plant
than many native vining plants, like wild grapes, and much prettier.
While you are out shopping don’t forget to check the houseplant sections
of the local store. Some Christmas
plants like the Kalanchoe (article below) and the Christmas cacti make great
all year round houseplants and also good gifts.
How to
keep cats out of houseplants
One thing that people use an excuse not to have plants in the house is
that their cats use the pots for a litter box.
Here are two ways you can keep the buggers from fertilizing the plants
for you.
First you can use netting over or in the pot. This works best on smaller pots and plants
that have a trunk-like growth habit but can be adapted to plant types other
than that. You can save netting from
orange or onion sacks – or use the netting many Thanksgiving turkeys are
packaged in. You may want to purchase
netting in a color that is easier to hide like brown or green.
If the plant is small, cut a hole in the side opposite the opening just
big enough for the plant to pop through and stretch the netting with its open side
down over the pot. If the plant is
larger you may want to place the pot inside the net bag and pull it up around
the plant. Gather it together around the
plant stem with a piece of string or a tie.
You can also use netting balls inside the pot. Go to the dollar store and buy some cheap nylon
netting balls used to scrub pans or make your own. Then stuff the balls in the pot around the
plant. Netting allows air and water to
pass through and doesn’t add weight to the pot unlike other solutions for
covering soil like using rocks. Light
weight “wiffle” balls with slotted openings can also be used.
Catalogs sell squares of plastic bristles that you can place on a pot
surface, bristles pointed up to discourage cats from digging in them. You can duplicate that by once again going to
the dollar store and purchasing cheap hairbrushes or scrub brushes. Remove the handles and place them in the
pots. You have to bit more careful when
watering the pots as some of these may hold water and prevent it from getting
to the potting soil.
Don’t cover the soil in pots with solid things like plastic, wood or use
a deep layer of rocks. The soil surface
must be able to breathe, roots need air.
And the surface needs to be able to evaporate off excess water and
absorb needed water.
What can
you grow in a north facing window?
People sometimes tell me they can’t have houseplants because the only window
space they have available is at a north window.
But a north facing window that isn’t obstructed by an overhang or evergreens
can grow an astonishing number of houseplants and overwintering tender
perennials. In my house every window has
plants. In the north windows I currently
have 4 types of cacti and succulents (yes cacti can grow in north light), these
are jellybean sedum, a large jade plant, Haworthia Pearl plant, and a rhipsalis
cacti. I also have peperomia, sansevieria,
rex begonia, spider plants and a staghorn fern.
Abutilon, setcreasea and polka dot plants will overwinter well in north
light. Other plants that can thrive in
north light include Chinese evergreen, philodendrons, pothos, Birds nest fern,
Rabbits foot fern, Arrowhead plant, Prayer plant and peace lily. I have even had orchids do well in north
windows if kept on the warm side. It
doesn’t hurt to try other plants in these windows. Some won’t grow as well as in sunnier places
but will survive so that you can move them to a sunnier spot outside in the
spring.
North facing windows are often cooler than other windows and for plants
that need a cool dormancy period they can be excellent habitats. Poinsettias that you want to “re-bloom” can
be kept in north windows from mid-September to near Christmas with no
artificial light and this will generally cause them to color up. If your north windows aren’t well insulated
you may want to keep plant leaves from touching the glass.
The
difference between sweet potatoes and yams
At Thanksgiving some people say they are eating yams and others say they
are eating sweet potatoes. The two terms should not be interchangeable as they
do refer to different plants. But in
America people often call deep orange colored sweet potatoes yams. Chances are very good that the “Yams” you
think you are eating at Thanksgiving are actually sweet potatoes.
True yams are the fleshy tubers of plants from the Dioscorea genus, and
native to Africa and Asia. They are related to lilies and grasses. They aren’t seen too often in US supermarkets. They are starchier, less sweet and drier in
texture than sweet potatoes although some think they taste similar. They have a
rougher dark skin and don’t have as much Beta carotene and other nutrients as
sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are in the Morning Glory family. They are native to Central and South America
and widely grown and available in the US. We eat the swollen roots of these
plants. Sweet potatoes come in a wide
range of flesh colors from creamy white to red orange but generally have a thin
golden tan skin. The orange varieties
have the most Beta carotene. Sweet
potatoes have less calories than yams. Sweet potatoes are not related to the
white “irish” potato either.
For some reason early in US settlement people began to refer to orange
fleshed sweet potatoes as Yams, probably because they looked similar in shape
to yams, which some cultures were familiar with. The term yam also distinguished
a type of sweet potato, one that was softer, sweeter and darker colored in the
flesh than other varieties. The US
government now requires that sweet potato packaging be labeled as sweet potato,
even if the label may also call the product “Yam”.
By the way the many varieties of ornamental sweet potatoes also produce
those swollen edible roots the way commercial crop varieties do. However the roots are not nearly as large,
sweet, or numerous as those of crop types and you probably won’t want to raid
the flower pots for dinner.
 |
| Remember when we were the immigrants? |
The foods
you’ll be eating for Thanksgiving-are they invasive species?
As you sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner you should give thanks for
all those non-native species you are about to consume and all of the non-native
cultures that brought them to you. Yes,
most Thanksgiving meals will consist of plants and animals not native to North
America. But then we humans are not
native to North America either- even if we have the blood of the first people
who crossed into North America from Siberia. We are all immigrants and our Thanksgiving
meal reflects the mingling of foods and cultures across time.
The meat course
Take that turkey, crispy brown on the outside and juicy inside, the
traditional centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table. You might remember stories of the early immigrant
Europeans sitting down to eat turkey with the original inhabitants of the land.
Turkeys were a native species; at least Eastern North America had turkey
populations before Europeans arrived.
Those turkeys may have migrated from Central America early in
history. Turkeys were first domesticated
in Central America by the Aztecs and southern North American indigenous tribes
such as the Anasazi. The Spaniards took
turkeys back to Europe from their early explorations and by the time the first
English colonists celebrated Thanksgiving there were a few flocks of turkeys in
Spain. But the colonists did not bring
turkeys here.
Food historians tell us that turkey probably wasn’t on that first
menu. Yes there were turkeys in the
Eastern woodlands at that time. But just
as they are hard to hunt today they were probably equally hard to hunt then and
not as common as other “fowls” in the area – such as ducks and geese and
passenger pigeons.
The fowl described on
the menu by early writers was most likely waterfowl of some sort and since
passenger pigeons were so abundant and so easy to kill they were probably part
of the meal. And we do know that the
Wampanoag residents of the area brought 5 deer to the feast so “fowl” was
probably only a small part of that first Thanksgiving meal in 1621. Fish and shellfish were also part of the
feast. A true North American
Thanksgiving meal would include venison, pigeon, wild goose, fish and clams.
Side dishes
But let’s move on to other parts of the now traditional Thanksgiving
meal. Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes
are both crops that would not have been at that first Thanksgiving. Both potatoes come from Central and South
America. (Yams are native to Africa.) Columbus brought sweet potatoes back to
Europe from one of his early trips. Neither was being grown or collected in the
eastern woodlands in 1621. But these
immigrant potato crops are certainly very important in the world now. Potatoes are grown in nearly every temperate
area of the world and sweet potatoes in the tropical and semi-tropical
areas.
If you are enjoying either one of these potatoes be thankful that these
immigrants have been so thoroughly inserted into our culture. The first Thanksgiving was celebrating a good
first harvest so it’s likely that European root crops like turnips, parsnips
and rutabaga planted that year may have been present. None of these crops are native to North
America.
About corn
What about corn –you may ask- isn’t that a native North American
crop? It’s true that some Eastern
woodland natives cultivated corn and they showed the early settlers how to
plant and harvest it. Corn was at the
first Thanksgiving, probably in the form of a coarse meal made into cakes or as
parched corn. But corn was developed
from wild grasses 7,000 years ago in Central America. Corn does not occur naturally in the wild.
Through trade, corn reached the northern parts of North America and some
indigenous people adopted the cultivation of it. Despite the propaganda of corn producers corn
was not the staple diet of most indigenous tribes in North America. Some tribes grew it; other tribes didn’t
although they traded meat and other goods for it on occasion.
If you are enjoying corn, either
as cornbread stuffing or sweet corn on Thanksgiving you are closer to enjoying
a native food than most other items on the menu but it’s debatable whether it
could be considered a true North American crop.
Bean beginnings
If your Thanksgiving feast includes green bean casserole, peas or
lentils you are also eating immigrant crops.
Green beans and beans such as navy, lima and kidney beans come to us
from Central and South America. The
tribes of the northeast had obtained beans from trading by the time of the
first Thanksgiving and they may have been part of the feast. Early European immigrants probably grew peas
in their gardens, which originated in the area of Asia now called
Thailand. They were in Europe for
centuries before the immigration to the new world. Lentils are an immigrant from the Mid-East.
Those immigrants from
the Mideast
Wheat may have been on the first Thanksgiving menu but it’s doubtful
that the first harvest produced much of it and stores carried over from Europe
would have been low or non-existent.
Wheat originated in the Mideast – the area around Syria and Turkey. If you are eating rolls, bread stuffing, pie
crust and other assorted goodies made from wheat flour then you should be
thankful for these immigrants from Syria.
All of your salad ingredients are probably immigrants or non-native. Tomatoes and peppers from Central and South
America, carrots and greens of various sorts are native to Europe, the
Mediterranean, Africa and Mid- East.
Lettuce is another important Mid-eastern immigrant, originally being
domesticated in Egypt. Onions were
either from Asia or the area now called Iran according to which food historian
you reference. Onions were probably grown for that first harvest and used
abundantly. Of course some native greens may have been included in the first
Thanksgiving but in those times greens weren’t often served at feasts for
primarily men.
There would have been no beef, pork or cow’s milk or cheese at the first
Thanksgiving. There may have been some
goat’s milk or cheese. But all of these
animals are not native to the Americas.
Cattle were first domesticated in Iran, although wild species ranged
across Europe and Asia. Hogs were
domesticated in Asia and China. Goats, maybe the first animals domesticated
after dogs, were domesticated in and are native to Iran, Irag, and Turkey. Goats are one of the most successful
immigrant species – occurring almost everywhere in the world now, but there
were no goats in the New World before Europeans arrived. (There were some species of wild sheep.)
Sheep were also domesticated in the Mideast.
Chickens came from Southeast Asia. The colonists brought them to the new
world. We don’t know if there were any
egg dishes and whether the eggs were from domesticated hens (not native to
America) or collected from wild birds such as ducks. Since it was autumn eggs were probably not on
the menu.
The true native foods
What would native foods eaten traditionally at Thanksgiving
include? Pumpkins or squash originated
in Mexico and what is the southwestern part of the United States. They were spread by trade to northern
America. At the first Thanksgiving these would not have been sweetened with
sugar, unless a Native American offered the cooks some maple sugar. Cane sugar is native to India, beet sugar to
Europe. Honey wasn’t a product found in
North America until Europeans brought honeybees here. Pumpkins and squash were roasted and made
into soups.
Cranberries are a true North American native food you can be thankful
for. They would not have been sweetened
with sugar and its really unknown if they were present at the first
Thanksgiving meal. Nuts like black
walnuts, pecans, and hickories, which are North American natives, may have been
eaten in various dishes. Blueberries are
also native and may have been eaten at the meal.
When people of various cultures mingle new foods and methods of
producing food are exchanged. This is a
significant help to both cultures. Even
today the mingling of cultures opens our minds and mouths to new ways of
thinking and eating.
That first Thanksgiving meal brought together two cultures, one that had
been on the land for a long time and one newly arrived. While both parties would go on to commit many
wrongs against each other at that time the original occupants were willing to
help and feed the immigrants. At that
first meal silent partners across the globe and through time contributed to the
meal.
As we sit down to a bountiful feast or even a meager meal this
Thanksgiving we should be thankful for the migration and immigration of
species, both plants, animals and humans. We should be thankful for the
opportunity to try new foods and learn new things from people that come from
far places. Change, assimilation,
sharing information, tolerance and empathy serve to advance civilization. Be thankful that so many cultures and
civilizations contributed to your meal and the country we live in.
Kalanchoes
make great houseplants
Around Thanksgiving you may notice a plant with cheery, bright flowers
and thick glossy green leave s popping up in the houseplant displays of retail
stores. These are Kalanchoe blossfeldiana,commonly known as Flaming Katy, for the
hot orange- red color of the original species or Christmas kalanchoe. You may even notice Kalanchoe with clusters of
what appear to be tiny roses. This is a
very double flowered form of the original kalanchoe and is sold as Calandiva®. Kalanchoe in bloom are also sold in some
nurseries in the spring for patio containers.
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| Calandiva |
Christmas Kalanchoe flowers come in a wide variety of colors from
including, red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and white. The flowers have 4 petals and are clustered
at the end of flower stems. Even a small
plant will flower profusely. The leaves
are dark green, thick and glossy, with scalloped edges. The plants are attractive even when not in
bloom.
The newer Calandiva is considered to be a new species by some and simply
a double flowered version of Christmas kalanchoe by others but in either case
it is quite stunning. The flowers look
like tiny cabbage flowered roses in clusters.
They also come in a variety of colors including blends of colors. The leaves of this kalanchoe seem to be a bit
broader than Christmas kalanchoe.
Other species of Kalanchoe you may occasionally come upon are Kalanchoe synsepala ‘Gremlin’, 'Kalanchoe Tormentosa' or Kalanchoe beharensis. These are
primarily grown for their striking succulent foliage. ‘Gremlin’ has thick,
broad green leaves with a red edge and produces “pups” on long stems. K.tormentosa, also called Panda bear plant,
has smaller fuzzy, gray green foliage edged in red and K. beharensis has blue-green foliage.
Culture of kalanchoe
Kalanchoe are warmth loving succulents and do not tolerate frost. While a summer outside is much appreciated and
often initiates bloom, they must be brought inside before temperatures fall
into the lower 40’s at night. And they
should not be put outside again until after all danger of frost has passed. When buying a kalanchoe in colder weather
make sure that the plant is protected by a bag going to the car and don’t leave
it in the car while you shop.
Kalanchoes need good drainage in the container they live in and a good,
lightweight potting soil. Clay pots are
excellent but if your watering is careful any pot with good drainage will
do. The pots should be allowed to dry on
the surface a bit between watering but don’t let the plant wilt. Don’t overwater; plants that are kept too wet
either get root rot or are more likely to pick up fungal diseases.
Most kalanchoes are bought as small plants but if they are happy in
their new homes they grow quickly. You
may need to transplant the plant into a bigger pot several times. Pots that are wider than they are deep work
well. Happy plants can fill a 12 inch container in a
year or two.
Indoors kalanchoe likes bright light, the Christmas kalanchoe does well
in a south window but Calandiva should not be placed in strong southern
exposures unless they are a foot or so from the window. In the winter west
windows are fine but watch the exposure as late spring approaches and move the
plants if they seem to be drying out on the leaf tips. East facing windows or
even unobstructed north windows that aren’t too cold are fine. Supplemental lighting can be used if your
natural daylight is limited.
 |
| Kalanchoe synsepala |
Kalanchoe
synsepala plants respond to the amount of light they receive by adjusting the
angle of their leaves. In lower light conditions
the leaves will flatten out to give leaf surfaces maximum exposure. In bright sunlight the leaves will be in a
more upright position, so less leaf surface is exposed. The leaf edges of this plant will be redder
in moderate light.
When you move your kalanchoe plants outside in the spring do not place
them in direct sunlight immediately, even if they were in a southern window. This may scorch the leaves and even cause
death. Place them in a shady location
and over the space of two weeks or so move them gradually into brighter
light. They will thrive in partly shady
locations outside or after acclimatization, in a sunny area. Plants will need
more watering in sunny areas.
Kalanchoe have moderate fertilization needs. Fertilize through the summer and through the
bloom time in late fall and early winter with a fertilizer formulated for
blooming plants as directed on the label.
When the plant goes through a pause in bloom in late winter – early spring
you can quit fertilizing until growth resumes in warmer weather. Since some kalanachoe are manipulated to
bloom at other times of the season – such as for late spring for container
plant sales- you may have to adjust your fertilization schedule. Fertilize when in bud and bloom and during
active growth periods.
Getting kalanchoe to
bloom again
Kalanchoe is a short day bloomer.
That means they typically bloom in late fall and early winter if natural
daylight conditions are used. A summer
outside with gradually decreasing light and temperatures is usually all that’s needed
to start the plant blooming. Nurseries
manipulate light conditions to have kalanchoes in bloom at several times during
the year.
If your kalanchoe doesn’t spend a summer outside you may need to put a
box or cover over it in fall when natural darkness falls (take the box off each
morning) or keep it in a room where artificial lights aren’t used often. Plants
need about 14 hours of darkness for about 6 weeks to initiate buds. Cooler
temperatures at night than during the day are also helpful but don’t drop the
temperature below 50 degrees.
 |
| Kalanchoe blossfeldiana |
As soon as buds appear on the plant you don’t need to worry about day length
anymore and once blooming begins plants may bloom for 6 weeks or so. Some plants are less attuned to day length
than others and will have several cycles of bloom each year. Keep kalanchoe flowers trimmed off as they
finish blooming.
Propagation of
kalanchoe
Kalanchoe can be started from seeds but gardeners will have a hard time
finding seeds for sale. But kalanchoe
are pretty easy to start from cuttings.
Take stem cuttings of a few inches long and let them dry for a day. Rooting
hormone can be used but isn’t necessary. Then insert the cuttings in a seed
starting mix and keep the pots moist but not overly wet at a temperature around
70 degrees. The cuttings will usually
root within 3 weeks.
It’s a good idea to start cuttings in early summer so by fall the plants
will be blooming size, but cuttings can be taken at any time. The “pups” or aerial plantlets that form on Kalanchoe synsepala can also be rooted
to make new plants.
Kalanchoe problems
The most common problem with kalanchoe is keeping them too wet. In too moist soil or high humidity kalanchoe
can develop powdery mildew. In
kalanchoes this takes the form of yellowish spots and rings on the leaves,
stunting and no flowering. Increase air circulation, drop humidity and let
plants dry between watering and use a plant fungicide to correct the problem.
Occasionally kalanchoes develop scale or mealy bugs. Scale looks like brown bumps on leaves and
stems and mealy bugs are white, fluffy bits in the stem joints. These insects
cause yellowing leaves and poor growth and flowering. Plants with scale may leave a sticky residue
around them that comes from the insects droppings. In many cases these insects can be removed by
hand, scales can be scrapped off with your fingernail, wipe off mealy bugs with
a soapy cloth. If the problem continues use
a systemic houseplant insecticide on the plants.
Whenever you see a nice Kalanchoe plant snatch it up. These tender perennials make an excellent
houseplant and K. blossfeldiana are in
bloom for months. They are easy to care
for and grow into large, attractive plants with just a little care. In the summer they make excellent container
specimens and some gardeners have even used K. blossfeldiana, as bedding
plants.
Help- the
turkey is still frozen!
Maybe you forgot to unthaw the turkey and it’s the night before you want
to serve it. Or maybe you didn’t plan on
cooking a traditional Thanksgiving feast and it’s suddenly sprung on you. Either way you have a frozen, rock hard
turkey that needs to be cooked fairly soon - what can you do?
First - you cannot get a frozen turkey to the table much quicker than 8
hours even if it’s small. (And here’s a
hint- if you still have to buy the turkey you may want to choose the smallest
one or buy two small ones if you are feeding lots of people. You could also purchase just the breasts
which are smaller and defrost faster.)
Serve snacks all day or make it a late dinner until you can get the bird
defrosted and cooked.
Second- turkeys do not defrost well in most microwaves. Check your manual to see how many pounds of
food can safely be thawed in your model.
But most home microwaves aren’t large enough for even the smallest
turkeys. Even if the microwave you own
could defrost it, this way of thawing turkey often results in a dry, tough
finished product.
There are two good ways to deal with the frozen turkey problem. The first is cold water thawing. Leave the turkey in its original wrapper or
if that isn’t a waterproof plastic wrapper you’ll need to get it into a sealed,
waterproof wrapper. Some stores sell
large zip close bags. If you can’t find
one a sturdy plastic trash bag can be used, one without any scent added. This will require that you carefully keep the
top out of the water and the turkey should be in a paper wrapper or something
else inside the bag. Tightly twist the
top of a garbage bag and secure it.
Place the turkey enclosed in plastic in a pan of cool water. Do not use hot water. Either let water trickle in the pan as it
sits in a sink and overflow down the drain or dump the pan and add more cool
water every 30 minutes. This method will
take at least an hour for every 3 pounds of bird.
The second method is to actually cook the bird from a frozen state. First remove any wrappings. Place the bird in a roasting pan with a cup
or two of chicken broth or water and set your oven at 325 degrees. Cover the turkey and place it in the
oven. It will take about 5 hours for a
10 pound turkey to cook from a frozen state and roughly 10 hours for a 20 pound
turkey. The times will vary, depending
on how frozen the turkey was and other factors.
You may want to go the cool water way of defrosting for an hour or two
then start cooking the half frozen turkey in this way.
About half way through the expected cooking time you must check the bird
and remove any giblet packages or the neck if they were tucked inside. Be careful as they may be hot. At this time if the turkey feels pretty
defrosted you can set the oven temperature to 375 and shorten the remaining
cooking time a bit. Do not stuff this
turkey- cook the stuffing separately.
You can begin basting the turkey with pan fluid or melted butter about
half way through the cooking time.
About an hour before you expect the turkey to be done, remove any
covering to let it brown. It’s important
to check these cooked from frozen birds with a meat thermometer, even if it had
a pop up timer. The long cooking time
may have made the pop up timer inaccurate.
The temperature of the turkey should be 165 degrees internally. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part
of the breast and at the thickest part of the inner thigh to test it for
doneness.
If you can start the night before your frozen turkey will still make it
to dinner at a reasonable time. And if
you got up early maybe you can get Thanksgiving turkey on the table by
evening. If it’s just a few hours until
dinner you’ll probably want to get some sliced deli turkey and add hot gravy.
Please stay home or
visit family or take a walk somewhere other than a mall this Thanksgiving. Let’s make it a holiday for everyone. Retailers will close if people don’t shop.
Have a
great Thanksgiving and count your blessings.
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.
Free seeds
I have
these seeds that I collected from my garden that I am willing to share
free. Look at the list and if you would
like some contact me at kimwillis151@gmail.com
I will tell
you where to send a stamped self-addressed envelope for the seeds. If you want
popcorn or black walnuts it will take several stamps. I have published this list on the seed swap
sites also. I’ll try to give everyone
who asks some until they are gone.
Lilies, a
seed mixture of assorted hybrids, oriental- Asiatic- trumpet- Casa Blanca, Stargazer,
La Reve, purple tree, yellow tree, Silk Road, more
Anise
hyssop
Morning
glory – common purple
Scarlet
runner bean - few
Japanese
hull-less popcorn
Hosta asst.of
seed from numerous varieties- lots
Ligularia desmonda
(daisy–like flower)
Ligularia
rocket – spires of flowers
Yucca
Glad mixed
Zinnia
mixed
Foxglove Dalmation
peach
Calendula
mixed
Baptisia
blue
Jewelweed
Cleome
white
Columbine
mixed- small amount
Nicotiana
small bedding type- mixed colors
Nicotiana
alata ( woodland tobacco, Only the Lonely)
Daylily
mixed
Kangaroo
Paws orange
Hollyhock
mixed
Black
walnut- few hulled nuts
The Metro Detroit Hosta Society
presents 50 Shades of Green,
Monday, November 23, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church of
Birmingham, 1589 W. Maple Road, Birmingham, MI.
Hosta
hybridizer, Ron Livingston will debut his latest PowerPoint "50 Shades of
Green." Ron will present the provocative theory that plants have coerced
animals and insects like bees to do their bidding by spreading pollen and
seeds. He suggests that they have also "used" people to spread their
offspring worldwide and to improve species through hybridization and selective
breeding. Featured will be five plants that have tapped into the human desires
for sweetness, beauty, sustenance, intoxication, and the need to belong. Do
plants have us right where they want us? This unique presentation will put a
whole new twist on the way we look at our gardens. It is sure to be an
informative and fascinating program. Guests are always welcome. Light
refreshments served.
For further
information: Hgold2843@comcast.net
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 nature 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
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
