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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

November 24, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

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. 
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


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

November 17, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

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

Hi Gardeners

Osteopermum 'Lemonade' is still blooming.
I used yesterday’s bright beautiful weather to finish doing some important garden tasks before winter.  The cement birdbath is turned over, the garden art brought inside.  The lawn chairs went to the shed.  Most of the hoses were drained and nozzles removed.  I leave one hose going to the barn so on nice days I can sometimes run water to the barn.  It’s suspended off the ground.  I moved the birdfeeders closer to the windows.  I moved the last pot inside- a pot of rain lilies.  I’m ready for winter although I hope my preparations weren’t really needed because this winter will be so mild.

Amazingly enough there are still a few flowers in bloom.  Osteospermum is one hardy plant.  Pansies popped up in several places and are in bloom. Roses are still blooming.  In the garden a patch of peas came up where I threw some vines after they quit producing this summer.  They are beginning to bloom.  The romaine lettuce is still nice.  A mild winter and we may eat from the garden right through it.

I am looking around at the garden and vowing that I will be much more aggressive removing morning glories that come up from seed next year.  I thought I left few plants but looking at the brown mess on the fence I wish I had left even fewer. 

The wind is strong and the clouds are moving in.  They say we’ll have snow showers this weekend.  My bones say winter is coming.  If it’s not too cold and cloudy tonight you may be able to see a meteor shower in the eastern sky.

Are you a plant collector?

Some of us collect certain types of plants.  Some of us want to have one of every type of plant.  But plant lovers often turn into plant collectors.  After you have gardened for a few years you often develop favorites among plants. These can be garden plants or house plants (or in my case both). Soon you may find that you have to have more and more of them.  Yes, plants can be addictive and I confess-I am addicted.

Even in the grocery store I find myself drifting over to the counter where small plants are displayed next to the cut flowers. I get mailboxes full of garden catalogs and surf plant nurseries on line.  The only thing that restrains my addiction- and my husband would argue that it is not restrained- is my budget and the space I have.  This year I added several grow lights to give myself more growing space but I think I may need more space after looking at all the luscious tropical hibiscus pictures as I was writing the tropical hibiscus article you will find below.

Hosta collection.
Although I have some favorite plant species, lilies, streptocarpus, and hibiscus among them, I also covet any plant I have never grown before.  I want to see it, feel it, smell it, know it. You can’t really know a plant until you grow it.  I haven’t counted the species I have around here- maybe a job for a cold winter day- but I know there’s quite a few.

I grew up in a plant collecting environment.  One grandfather collected roses, from tea types to landscape and species roses.  When a new rose variety came out he was among the first to buy it.  His wife, my grandmother, collected bearded iris and hybridized her own new varieties.  My other grandmother collected dahlias, she seldom could be found outside except to plant and tend her dahlias. She rarely purchased new dahlias; her wide assortment came from friends and relatives she traded with.

So what are the plants most commonly collected?  In the garden daylilies, hosta, roses and bearded iris are probably the species most collected, which means a gardener grows multiple varieties within the species or family.  Inside orchids, African violets, streptocarpus, tropical hibiscus and rex begonias are popular for collecting.  But many, many other plants are popular with plant collectors.

Plants that have many color or shape variations, usually in the flowers, are the most often collected plants.  Popular species for collecting can come and go.  Tulips were once enormously popular with collectors, people spent fortunes on new varieties.  Yet I would say that tulip collectors are few any more. So are dahlia collectors.  Heurchera and Echinacea are relatively new species for collectors.  

I’d like to hear what plants you collect.  Share your stories of how your plant addiction has changed you.  Write me and I may include your stories in this newsletter.

Houseplants dropping leaves

If you brought your house plants inside and they are rapidly dropping leaves don’t worry, even if some of them look like sticks.  If you didn’t let them get frost bitten they are probably just going through a wardrobe change.  Plants develop leaves with cells adjusted to the type of light they are receiving.  When plants are brought inside to lower light levels they get rid of some leaves or all of their leaves to make room for new leaves better adjusted to low light levels.

Not all plants lose a noticeable amount of leaves; some species are more likely to do so.  Weeping Figs, brugmansia, and hibiscus, are some species that are more likely to drop most of their leaves when moved inside.  But many other species may lose some of their leaves also.  In this case just leave the plant alone.  You should notice leaf buds along the stems in about 2 weeks and new leaves soon after.  You may need to adjust your watering schedule as plants without leaves or with fewer leaves don’t use as much water.  But don’t let the pots dry out.

Other reasons for plants dropping leaves may be improper watering and or temperature.  If your plants got too cold or they are in a cold area now, or your house is much warmer than where the plants were previously they can drop leaves.  Fall and spring can be tricky times for watering.  A spell of warm sunny weather may dry out pots faster if they are in a sunny window.  A period of wet cold weather may leave them soggy.  Both plants that are too wet and plants that are too dry will lose leaves.  Feel each pot and check the saucer for standing water before you water a plant. 

Cold drafts from being near doors or warm drafts from furnace vents may also cause leaf drop.  You may need to move the plant to a better location.   If you left a plant outside until late fall you may have triggered a dormancy period in some plants.  It may take a bit before they resume new growth.  The branches should still feel springy and not brittle in woody plants.  These can be left where they are to see if they recover quickly or moved to a cool frost free place for a rest.  Plants like tuberous begonias that die back to the ground should be put in a cool area and allowed to rest for 2 months before being brought back to bright warm areas.  

Oregano and eucalyptus essential oils used to prevent fungal disease
Fruits and vegetables in storage are often spoiled by fungal diseases.  Typical fungal sprays can be toxic to humans.  Research done at the National University of Mexico and recently published found that oregano or eucalyptus oils that were vaporized and blown through stored produce was a safe way to prevent spoilage by fungal disease.

Researchers are developing packaging that would allow the oils to vaporize slowly and keep produce from spoiling for longer periods of time.   

Victoria’s Secret “Bombshell” perfume repels mosquitoes

Mosquitoes with the product DEET remain the best products for repelling all types of mosquitoes but a study by New Mexico State University found that a perfume- Victoria’s Secret Bombshell - also did a pretty good job.  The perfume repelled mosquitoes in the study as well as DEET products for about two hours.  The tests were conducted by having volunteers place their arms in tubes with mosquitoes. 

The volunteer’s hands were heavily sprayed with the perfume. Researchers think that the scent basically overpowers the normal human scents that mosquitoes use to locate a meal.  (My husband, who keeps up with everything Victoria Secret, said this has been rumored for some time.)  The true Bombshell perfume and not a knock off, costs around $30 for a tiny bottle, which is pretty pricy bug spray.

In the study other non- DEET products were also tested.  Cutter’s Lemon -Eucalyptus Insect repellant was also good at repelling mosquitoes for a short time. Avon’s Skin So Soft products only worked on a few mosquito species for a short time. Cutter Natural Insect Repellent and EcoSmart Organic Insect Repellent did not repel mosquitoes.  B1 skin patches, often touted by organic companies also had no effect on repelling mosquitoes.

The tropical hibiscus

If there is one plant that a plant collector or gardener could love it’s the tropical hibiscus.  Just as outrageously gorgeous as the hardy hibiscus that grace our late summer gardens, the tropical relatives come in a dizzying array of colors and color blends rivaled only by the rose or daylily.  And while these hibiscus are not winter hardy in most of the United States they are easy to overwinter inside and can liven up your sunny window with their colorful blooms throughout the colder seasons.
Chinese hibiscus

Tropical hibiscus are often called Chinese Hibiscus, although todays varieties are often hybrids of several hibiscus species, including those native to Hawaii.  Other names for tropical hibiscus are Hawaiian hibiscus, China Rose, and Shoeblack plant (because the flowers were used to shine shoes in India.)  The species from China, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, has been domesticated for thousands of years.  Like several of its relatives in Hawaii, it is no longer found in the wild but very old domesticated plants can be found in many tropical countries.  There are many plants in China known to be more than a hundred years old and there is also a centenarian red hibiscus in a monastery near Brisbane, Australia.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was known to the Greeks and Romans and grown in their gardens. It is widespread throughout tropical Asia, India, and is the Malaysian national flower.   Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is also widely grown in Australia, tropical America and the Pacific Islands.

Other species of hibiscus include Hibiscus sinosyriacus/syriacus         (Rose of Sharon,) Hibiscus canabinus L, (used for fiber), Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Roselle),    and Hibiscus moscheutos, (Hardy Hibiscus).  There are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii and the pacific Islands, Hibiscus arnottianus, Hibiscus brackenridgei, (Hawaiian state flower) Hibiscus clayi, Hibiscus furcellatus,(also found in South America), Hibiscus tiliaceus (Sea hibiscus), Hibiscus kokio, and Hibiscus waimeae.  Some of the Hawaiian species are very rare and seldom found in natural settings.


Tropical hibiscus are evergreen, woody plants.  Most have a bush shape, some species are small trees. In their natural habitat some hibiscus can get 8 feet high or larger.  In the home or garden hibiscus can be shaped into small trees, called standards or allowed to take a bush form. They can be pruned to stay within your space needs.

The leaves of hibiscus are thick, with prominent veins and glossy dark green.  There are a few varieties with variegated leaves or purplish foliage.  Leaf shape can vary depending on what species are in the varieties background.  They can be lobed like oak leaves or simple broad pointed ovals.

The flowers of hibiscus generally consist of 5 broad, overlapping petals forming a saucer shape with a large central sexual organ consisting of fused stamens (male parts) around the stigma ( female part). Some flowers have a crinkly or lacy look to the petals.  However some varieties of hibiscus have double flowers, flowers with gaps between the petals, (called windmill types) or small dangling clusters of petals.  Flower size ranges from about 2 inches to more than 8 inches across.

If you have only seen red or orange tropical hibiscus, the common colors found in local retail stores, you might be surprised at what specialty garden stores can offer. The range of flower colors and combinations of colors in tropical hibiscus is enormous.  There is no true blue but there are all shades of red, orange, pink, apricot, purple, lavender, mauve, yellow, cream, silver, white, gray, tan, brown, olive, lime and chartreuse and unique combinations of these colors.  Some varieties have several bands of color or are splashed and streaked with contrasting colors.  Many hibiscus flowers open with one set of colors that slowly change into other colors as they age.  

The temperature and soil conditions can also affect hibiscus flowers.  Some are double at one temperature and single flowered at another temperature.  Soil pH can change the color of flowers somewhat.  The amount of moisture present can affect flower size as can temperature.  Flowers are often smaller in cooler and drier conditions.

Hibiscus flowers are short lived, with each flower open only a day or two, but well cared for plants can produce several flowers each day for long periods of time.  They generally bloom for a few months, take a short break, and begin blooming again.  Most hibiscus flowers have no fragrance, but a few Hawaiian species have a light fragrance and some modern hybrids have retained this.  When plants are kept outside the flashy flowers often attract hummingbirds.

Growing your own tropical hibiscus
Hibiscus have a genetic characteristic called polyploidy which means they have several sets of chromosomes to share during sexual reproduction instead of one set from each parent.  This means that offspring of any two plants will have numerous ways to recombine the genes resulting in all kinds of colors and forms even though the parents could look similar.  This makes producing new colors and types interesting but you can’t reproduce a particular variety from seed. Some of the plants produced during hybridization of various hibiscus species are sterile. If breeders find an awesome new hibiscus among seedlings they must reproduce it from cuttings. 

Gardeners will probably want to start with a small plant.  Larger plants can be purchased locally but these usually offer only a limited assortment of colors and types. Braided stemmed plants are often sold and plants pruned as small trees.  Most tropical hibiscus grow quickly and a small plant should bloom within the first year.  Some bloom when only a foot or so tall.  Hibiscus seeds sprout readily and sometimes you can find seed offered.  But remember there is no way to guess what the seed grown plants will look like.

Tropical Hibiscus are not cold hardy and most gardeners will want to grow them in pots so they can be moved inside before frost. Move them inside before temperatures drop into the low 50’s even if there is no frost.  They do make excellent patio plants and could have their pots sunk into the ground in flower beds after the danger of frost has passed.  Indoors they prefer moderately warm conditions about 65-70 degrees F.  Don’t sit them too close to heating vents.

Use a good, light weight, water retentive potting mix for hibiscus. The pot must have good drainage.  Tropical hibiscus like moist rich soil but water logged soil will quickly cause root rot and death. Hibiscus grow rapidly and you may have to transplant them into larger pots at least once a year. 

Use a slow release fertilizer for flowering plants in pots or use a water soluble fertilizer every other week or as directed on the label.  Keep fertilizing as long as the plants are growing or blooming.  Stop fertilizing when plants are taking a rest, usually mid-winter. 
Tropical hibiscus Cajun series.

Water your tropical hibiscus before the soil gets very dry unless it’s in a resting stage, when it can be allowed to dry out slightly.  The leaves of the hibiscus will lose their shine just before they start to wilt, and that is the time to water.  Tropical hibiscus that are allowed to get too dry will often drop their buds and/or leaves.  They may recover if proper watering is resumed.   Watering is crucial when plants are moved outside in sunny dry weather.  Check them at least once a day.

Inside tropical hibiscus need the brightest light possible, such as a south window to keep blooming.  Supplemental light from grow light bulbs can keep them blooming when you don’t have good southern light.  When you move them outside in the early summer however, don’t place them immediately in full sun.  Place them in a lightly shaded location and give them two weeks to adjust if you want to move them to a brighter location.  They will often bloom quite well in a partly shaded location outside.

Tropical hibiscus will often drop their leaves and stop flowering when moved to a location with different lighting.  This is normal and plants should quickly grow new leaves.  Inside under lower light levels flowers may be smaller or a slightly different color.

Tropical hibiscus can be pinched – removing the tip of stems- to encourage bushy growth when the plants are young- which will also encourage more flowers. They can also be pruned to keep them within your available space. 

Usually tropical hibiscus have no disease problems but greenhouse insects like white fly and spider mites can bother them inside.  Use a houseplant insecticide if you have insect problems.  Treating plants before you bring the inside each fall is a wise idea.

Tropical Hibiscus varieties

Suggesting varieties of Hibiscus to grow is a difficult task.  Just like varieties of other common plants like daylilies and hosta, many hibiscus varieties are almost indistinguishable from each other.  The blend of colors in hibiscus flowers are almost impossible to describe and each plant can also have some slight variations, even when grown from a cutting.

When choosing a variety beginning hibiscus owners should look for those varieties described as easy to grow, and that flower abundantly.  Plant size can also be a factor if you have limited space indoors to overwinter the plants.  Some varieties are larger than others. More and more compact varieties are being offered for space limited gardeners.  There are some varieties of tropical hibiscus that while having some special quality are harder to grow, less vigorous or produce fewer flowers.  Add these to your collection after you become familiar with growing the “easy” varieties.

Some easier varieties include Hula Girl and Double Hula Girl, which have large bright yellow flowers, Black Baron, large, very dark red single flowers, Romeo, a pretty blend of lavender gray and pink with a deep wine red center, Amber Suzanne, double flowers of a glowing pink with white edges and splashes, The Path, several blended shades of pink with orange to yellow edges, Cajun Blue one of the closest to true blue hibiscus with gorgeous silver blue flowers, and Creole Lady, silver white with apricot edges.

Don’t be afraid to choose tropical hibiscus marked as mixed un-named seedlings if you can get a good price.  These will often develop into stunning plants.

Here are some on line sites where you can drool over many, many colorful pictures of tropical hibiscus:

Herbal and other uses of hibiscus
One type of hibiscus, Roselle, is often used as a tea ingredient.  It’s also used in cooking in Asian and Indian dishes.  The flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis have some uses in Chinese herbal medicines.  The flowers are considered to be a female aphrodisiac and were banned in some countries.  They are also used for menstrual and childbirth problems.  Flower pastes were also used to grow hair.  Leaves were used as a laxative; roots were dried and ground as a substitute for marshmallow in cough medicines and other preparations. 

Flowers were used to polish shoes in India and China and the juice of hibiscus flowers was used as mascara.  Flowers were also used as cloth dyes and to tint hair.   Larger hibiscus plants grown in tropical climates can be used for fiber, making paper and other items.   

Get your 30 minutes outside every day.  It’s good for mental and physical health.

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




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