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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

November 3, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

November 3, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis
http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

Hi Gardeners


Milkweed ready to fly.
This weather is so gorgeous and it just makes me feel goodI am hoping this record setting warmth is truly predicting the weather we will have this fall and winter.  Anyway every nice sunny warm day now is appreciated and gets us closer to spring.  My doors and windows are open letting in the warm air. 

I have been able to get all my bulbs planted and the summer bulbs dug up.  I emptied the ornamental water feature. I collected some more garden seeds.  I still have carrots to harvest and a nice crop of romaine lettuce.  I am hoping to get some more garden cleanup done as I am behind on that.

Some pansies came up from seed and are blooming in various parts of the yard.  Calendula and marigolds are blooming with the mums.  One of my hardy hibiscus popped out a new flower. The woodland nicotiana is still blooming which amazes me since I consider it a warmth loving plant.  And the landscape roses continue to bloom quite happily.

Last week the robins gathered in large groups around the pond and autumn olive berries.  Then one day I went out and the red winged blackbirds were everywhere around the pond making their raspy little song. A flock was migrating through.  Both groups are gone now though and so are the turkey vultures.  I sat outside yesterday evening and it was very quiet.  Just the occasional cawing of a crow and the beeping of a chick a dee could be heard.  I miss the bird songs but that’s why I have canaries and parakeets inside.

The leaves are going fast too.  I’d say only a week or so more for any leaf color.  A lot of my trees are already bare.  The grass is nice and green though.

Asian Lady Beetles 

I have been hearing from a lot of people about these pesky lady bugs.  I was trying to work outside and they kept landing on my face.  It seems like we are having a boom year for these lady beetles.  As the soybean fields get harvested the little buggers move to our houses to hibernate for the winter. This is what makes them much more hated than our native lady beetles.

Even though it seems they are more of a pest than a help, these lady beetles do eat a lot of aphids and other insects.  So we should still consider them beneficial. They may cover the side of a house outside, particularly on the sunny side, and that alarms people but they aren’t really harmful to humans. They can give you a little nip but they are not poisonous and carry no human diseases. They don’t eat your food. They don’t breed in your house. They don’t destroy wood or clothing.  They do smell bad if crushed and can leave a stain.  And they taste awful if you have ever swallowed one accidentally.  


The Asian lady beetle is highly variable in color and markings, they can be orange, yellow or brownish with various numbers of black spots.  But they all have a black w or m marking on the back of the head, depending on how you are looking at them.  And unlike native lady beetles they cluster in large groups to hibernate.

But do try to keep them out of the house.  Brush yourself off before you go in the door and seal up all the little cracks if you can.  Let them hide under the siding outside or in the shed or barn.  They’ll disperse in spring.  It isn’t wise to spray them with pesticides, especially inside.  Few pesticides kill them easily and you do more harm to yourself spraying inside than you do to them. You can vacuum them up if you have large numbers inside, a hand vac works well.  There are no products that effectively repel them so don’t fall for things being sold as such. 

November almanac

This month’s full moon occurs on November 25th.  It’s called the full beaver or full frost moon.  In earlier times beaver traps were set about this time and of course a large part of the country has now received killing frosts. 

Speaking about the skies a piece of space junk called WT1190F is supposed to hit the earth on Friday, Nov. 13th.  Wow what a coincidence a piece of junk with the letters WTF in its name crashes on Friday the 13th.  But this isn’t a joke.  The junk piece may burn up in the atmosphere.  But if it doesn’t NASA says it will fall in the ocean off Sri Lanka.  The object is thought to be hollow and maybe 6 foot long.  Its unusual that it is returning to ground and that a path for it could be predicted.   Most space junk can’t be tracked or a path predicted.  This was only found in early October by chance. Scientists are actually hoping some of it will survive entry and they can get a look at what it is and what it came from.   They think it’s from one of our many space explorations but what if it was from another world’s exploration or worse – a pod of alien life?  OHHH SPOOKY.

Back to more mundane things. Both topaz and citrine are considered to be birthstones for November. November's birth flower is the chrysanthemum.  It’s National Adoption month, Native American Heritage Month, Peanut Butter Lovers month, American Diabetes Month, National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, and Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

In England November 5th is known as Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire night.  It originally celebrated to commemorate what was known as the gunpowder revolution but has become known as a day to burn effigies or pictures of hated people and things.  If you have an anger issue that night may be your chance to burn some anger.

November 11th is Veterans Day, the 13th is Sadie Hawkins Day, World Diabetes Day is November 14, World Toilet Day, whatever that means, is November 19th, November 26th is Thanksgiving. Black Friday, which is an actual holiday in some states is the 27th.  The 28th is a busy day, Abe Lincoln and Robert E Lees birthdays,(isn’t it odd they share a birthday?) and American Indian Heritage day. 

Native American Crops to give thanks for

North and South America are the source of some of the world’s best or most important food crops.  Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, (most edible bean types are from the new world),tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant, sunflowers, Jerusalem artichoke, amaranth, quinoa, wild rice, (a different family of plants from Asian rice), avocados, pecans, peanuts,(no, they did not originate in Africa but in South America), brazil nuts, cashews, black walnuts, cranberries, blueberries, papaya, pineapple, passionfruit, pawpaw,  chocolate, vanilla, chives, sage, wintergreen. 
American food.

Turkeys are native to the Americas.  While there were certainly maple trees in other parts of the world maple syrup was not utilized until after contact with North American people using it.  There were grapes and strawberries in other parts of the world but species from the new world greatly improved these crops. And of course two very important non- food crops that came from the new world were tobacco and cotton.

If the history of where food crops come from, how they were domesticated and used interests you I recommend reading the book - GLORIOUS HISTORIES: Tales from the Traditional Kitchen Garden by David C. Stuart, July 2012.   The 237 page book covers most plant food crops, including how to prepare each item with recipes often given.  The author claims to have grown and eaten all of the 120 crops described. There are lots of pictures and illustrations.  The electronic version is a great value at only $3.00 (Amazon) – I don’t know if it’s available in a paper edition. 

Why shouldn’t we ban celery instead of bacon?

Ok, I just had to weigh in on the issue of bacon causing cancer- and red meat being suspected of it.  It seems the nitrites that are used to cure bacon and many other meats such as ham, sausage, corned beef, bologna, and so on, are said to be the culprits for what a panel of experts believe is an increased chance of colon cancer.

But here’s the thing.  Our bodies require nitrites for the proper digestion of foods and to maintain a healthy cardio-vascular system. Athletes take nitrite supplements to help their performances. In fact nitrites are so important that our bodies actually produce most of the nitrites we need from protein we eat.  The salivary glands begin producing nitrites the minute you put food in your mouth, whether its bacon or not.  Most of the nitrites found in the body are produced by the body, only a small percent comes directly from food we eat.  And here’s the surprise – MORE THAN 90% of DIETARY NITRITES COMES FROM PLANT FOODS. And that’s 90% of the 20% or so of nitrites not produced by your body itself.  Our water supplies often have nitrites in them also.

These foods are higher in nitrates than bacon.
Even if you ate a lot of processed meat unless you ate no fruits and vegetables at all, you would get most dietary nitrites from plant based foods. Things like leafy greens, spinach, celery, beans, potatoes, onions, wheat, corn, oats, oranges, tomatoes, apples, and all plant foods have lots of nitrites.  Of course some plant food sources have more nitrites than others.  Take celery for instance.  It’s so high in nitrites that celery juice and celery powder are now used to –CURE BACON.  Celery is used as a preservative because of its high nitrate content.  Yep that delightful taste of processed and smoked meats is now frequently caused by celery. That’s so manufacturers can say it’s all natural, but the nitrite salts used by people for thousands of years to preserve meat were actually naturally occurring too.  There is no chemical difference in the nitrites in celery and the nitrites in nitrite salts.

In the body nitrites are changed to several forms of nitrates by binding to amino acids in foods.  It always occurs to some extent, but the conversion is limited by the presence of vitamin C and some other nutrients.  It’s an overabundance of nitrates and certain types of nitrates that MAY lead to an increased cancer risk.  The supposition is that cooking meat, particularly processed meats, produces more of those bad nitrates.  To date however, there is no real proof of this.  The increased risk of cancer is all based on a relationship between eating processed meats (and to some extent any red meat) and having a higher incidence of colon cancer. 

Some studies show that the more processed meat you eat the higher your risk of colon cancer is.  And it’s important to say that some studies found no increased risk. The increased risk, if it occurs, is actually pretty small.  But why 9 or more people on the recent WHO panel that declared processed meat to be carcinogenic declined to vote in favor of that recommendation is that just because people that eat more processed meat have more colon cancer does not mean the processed meat was the actual cause.  That’s not scientific proof.

The studies don’t adequately account for other factors in the processed meat eaters diet and lifestyles that could have also caused the increased incidence of colon cancer.  For example – did the people who ate more bacon also eat very little foods with vitamin C- which helps prevent nitrate formation?  Do people who eat more processed meat come from certain ethnicities more genetically inclined to colon cancer?  Or did something that people eat more of when they eat processed meat eat cause the increased risk?  Let’s use white bread/wheat as a good, realistic cause.  People who eat processed meats tend to consume them with wheat products of some kind.  Toast with that bacon, ham and sandwich bread, crackers and sausage, biscuits and sausage, peperoni and pizza dough, in fact processed meats are very frequently eaten with a wheat flour product. Maybe it’s the extra wheat/ processed flour consumed with processed meats that’s the real culprit.

We have erred in our dietary recommendations before with some serious health consequences because of faulty science.  We now have pretty good proof that dietary fat- the fat in bacon, eggs, and butter- does not cause heart disease nor does it convert into body fat more than other foods.  A generation of people that switched from natural saturated fats to trans fats margarines and vegetable oils like soy oil on the governments dietary recommendations are reaping some serious health consequences like obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and certain cancers.  And those studies which prove this are based on more than a causal relationship.

Where is a study to determine if people who eat more celery whether it’s raw, cooked, or incorporated into processed foods as a preservative or flavor enhancer, have more colon cancer?  Bacon is no worse for you than celery.  It’s just more delicious. 

Bee “bits”

Bees may not be able to find as many flowers as they once did because of pollution from diesel engine fumes.  The nitrous oxide in diesel fumes masks several types of floral scents, making it hard for bees to find flowers.  Scientists at University of Southampton and the University of Reading, (Britain) published findings from research in the Journal of Chemical Ecology that shows diesel fumes are just one more thing that is leading to the decline of bee populations.

A study published in in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology found that wildflowers growing around conventionally grown crops may be a source of neonicotinoid poisoning in bees.  This may be even more important since current agricultural research has been urging farmers to leave pollinator strips, areas of natural wildflowers around crops to attract pollinators.  But when pesticide are sprayed on crops they frequently drift into those little pollinator strips.  Neonicotinoids also leach into soil and get taken up by wildflowers. These pesticides have known detrimental health effects on bees and other pollinators.  Instead of encouraging pollinators wildflower plantings near crops may lead to their decline.

Another study on bees found that the queen bee is probably the most susceptible to neonicotinoid poisoning.  She may be weakened and produce few healthy offspring or die.  When the queen dies the hive goes into disarray.  Eventually the hive will fail.

Another report on bees published in Cell Press journal Current Biology last month found that nature is unkind to bees sometimes too.  Researchers found that some plants produce caffeine in their flowers, instead of nutritious nectar or pollen.  Bees are highly attracted to caffeine and become addicted to it.  Once they find flowers with caffeine they will ignore plants with better food sources to feed on the caffeine laced flowers.  They will also dance more to show other bees where the caffeine sources are then they do for regular flowers.  Caffeine has been shown to actually improve bee memory and activity- maybe like in humans- but too much caffeine can be deadly – just as it is in humans.

Flowers that produce caffeine then have an advantage over flowers that just provide nectar or pollen. It’s estimated that about 50% of flowering plants may produce caffeine but all of them aren’t known.  Besides coffee plants, citrus plants produce a lot of caffeine in their nectar.  I couldn’t find a list of any plants that might flower in our area.  And it’s not just honeybees, bumblebees and other bees also prefer caffeinated flowers. It’s good for the flowers but not so good for the bees or their colony – or a beekeeper wanting some honey.

Uncommon Trees for the Landscape

Does your Michigan garden have trees? Trees are important elements in the landscape.  Even if you only have a small lot, a small tree will make a large statement.  If you are tired of seeing the same old trees that all landscapers seem to plant, here are some uncommon landscape trees that may give you inspiration for your Michigan home site.  The kinds of trees a gardener has in the landscape tell much about what kind of gardener you are.  Good gardeners seek out great trees.

Remember to check the hardiness zones of the trees mentioned to see if they are suitable for your Michigan site.  Trees hardy to zone 4 should cover most of Michigan. Trees hardy to zone 5 will grow well in southeast Michigan.  With some of the rarer and more unusual trees it is better for the tree and your wallet to start with a small tree.  Make sure to keep the tree watered in its first year.

Katsura tree.  Wikimedia commons
The Katsura tree, (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is delightful in many ways.  It has rounded to heart shaped leaves, often tinged with red in spring especially in the cultivar ‘Red Fox’ There is a weeping variety known as ‘Pendula’.   Katsura has deep yellow to orange red foliage in autumn.  When the foliage begins to color in the fall the leaves emit a pleasant caramel smell.  Katsura makes an excellent shade tree, hardy to zone 5.

American Yellowwood, (Cladrastis lutea) is a native tree that deserves more attention.    It has compound leaves of oval, ribbed leaflets and makes a rounded, medium sized tree.    The Yellowwood has clusters of fragrant, white dangling flowers in spring which turn into flat brown pods in fall.   The fall color is brilliant yellow and the pale gray bark is attractive too.  There is a pink flowered variety known as ‘Perkins Pink’.  Yellowwood is hardy from zones 4-8 and will tolerate partial shade

You probably know all about Box Elders, (Acer negundo), a member of the maple family if you live in the East.  They are fast growing but often considered to be undesirable landscape trees.  A variegated variety, ‘Flamingo’, may change your mind.  It is shot with pink streaks in spring which gradually lighten to white as summer progresses.  It’s hardy to zone 3.

Franklin tree.  Wikimedia commons
An American native that is no longer found in the wild is the Franklin tree, (Franklinia alatamaha).  The trees had a very limited natural range in Georgia and were extinct in the wild by the early 1800’s.  The Franklin tree is rarely more than 20 feet high and is hardy to zone 6.   Those in the heat sink of metro Detroit can probably grow it.  It has long oval leaves.  In late summer the Franklin tree produces large, fragrant white flowers similar to camellias which persist until the leaves turn a deep orange-red in the fall.  The seed capsules that then develop may take more than a year to ripen.   The tree is a little tricky to establish and needs to be watered during dry spells.  Once it gets established it can live for more than a hundred years if undisturbed.

An unusual pine for landscapes is Pinus albicaulis, or White Bark Pine.  It is a small pine native to the American northwest, with satiny white peeling bark similar to a birch.  It often contorts and twists into interesting forms as it grows.   It has short dense tufts of needles.  It’s hardy to zone 4.
White Bark Pine.  Wikimedia commons

Another native evergreen worth mentioning is Port Orford Cedar, (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)  It has feathery, blue-green flat needles on drooping branches and the characteristic aromatic cedar wood.   While there are many dwarf cedars offered on the market this variety makes a large tree.  It likes moist soil and will tolerate shade.  It’s hardy to zone 5.

Lindens are known for their fragrant flowers but Tilia americana ‘Macrophylla’ or Big Leaf Linden, has interesting leaves as well as fragrant clusters of white flowers in the spring.  The leaves are huge- easily 10 by 10 inches, and heart shaped.  It has nice yellow fall color too.

For something really different try an American Persimmon, (Diospyros virginiana).   It is a small tree but attractive in the landscape, with nice yellow fall color. You need a male and female tree to get the orange persimmon fruits that ripen to honey sweetness.   The ripe fruit is used in a variety of ways from baking to pies and puddings.  Unlike the oriental varieties, American Persimmons should not be eaten raw unless very ripe or serious stomach upset can occur.  They should also be kept away from horses, which like the fruit but become ill from it.  American Persimmons are quite cold hardy and will thrived in zone 5 but the fruit rarely has enough time to ripen above zone 6. (Detroit area)

Western Soapberry, ( Sapindus drummondii),  while a common native tree in the Southwest, will also thrive as far north as zone 5 and will tolerate  drought or poor soil and resists wind damage.  It is an attractive small to medium tree.  The leaves are compound, composed of 8-20 long oval leaflets, glossy green above and lighter below.  Fall color is golden yellow.   In the late spring it has clusters of small white flowers that are attractive to butterflies.  The flowers turn into yellow fruits, like a leathery cherry, which will persist on the tree through winter as birds don’t like them.  The fruits and the hard seed inside are poisonous but Native Americans used the fruit as a soap substitute.

Get outside and grab some sun
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.
Four inch pots of spider plant (house plant) absolutely free.  If you want one contact me, (Kim)
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


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