January 5, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

January 5, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

Hi Gardeners

Too many phlox 

When the sun comes out winter is bearable.  I can see my houseplants smiling; the dark days are hard on them even though I have supplemental lights here and there.  One more sunny day I guess then it’s back to clouds- with a warm-up coming again next weekend.  The sun is charging up my solar Christmas lights nicely today, they’ll flash all night tonight.  I should take them down soon, maybe on a warmer day. 

I have a miniature rose blooming on the porch with the geraniums now.  And my Christmas cacti are all in bloom, along with the Chinese hibiscus, and there are buds on the jasmine.  I like having something in bloom all the time. 

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions regarding gardening this year?  I made one- no new gardens this year.  I said that last year and then my husband removed some vines and rocks from around the electric pole, leaving a big bare spot.  He suggested I could plant some of my “extra” plants there.  So another garden was born- and since I had the bare spot I used it to plants some things  I didn’t have rather than old boring plants.  But not this year- no more gardens to care for. 

But I will be digging up a big long perennial bed in the center of the yard that has become overrun with phlox, goldenrod and hollyhocks.  I have several plants in there that don’t even get seen once the phlox is up.  I need to clear the phlox and other bullies out so I can see them and have room for new plants I covet.  That’s a resolution- clean up that bed.

And another clean up resolution is the narrow bed that runs beside the path from the house to the barn.  It’s only about 2 feet wide and has a chain link fence as its back.  Last spring I painstakingly cut and pulled nightshade from the fence and under it but by summers end it was back, as well as a ton of volunteer morning glories that completely smothered everything in that little bed.  It’s nice to have stuff growing on the fence to cover it but by the end of summer it’s a mess.  This year my resolution is to pull every darn piece of nightshade and every morning glory plant up as soon as I see it.

And I have decided this year to try growing some plants I have never grown. (Well I do this almost every year but I’m stepping up my game.)  After all there aren’t too many years left for me to discover new plants. But that means finding room to put them- hmmn – maybe that no new gardens resolution will have to be altered.

If you don’t have any garden resolutions for the New Year may I suggest some?  If you don’t have any houseplants – get some.  If you have some get more.  If you don’t grow any of your food- resolve to grow some this year- you can grow some food even in containers.  If you don’t have a compost pile, make this year the year you begin one.

Look through a garden catalog and find one new plant you have never grown before and try growing it.  And if you don’t take regular photos of your gardens for planning purposes, start this year.   

This week’s newsletter is a reference type.  I have compiled lots of lists for you to look through.  As the dull days of winter start to settle in it’s time to think about next year’s garden, dream over plant catalogs and connect with other snow bound gardeners.  I hope this issue helps with those things.

January almanac

January’s full moon, on the 24^th  is called the Wolf Moon or Old Moon.  The comet Lovejoy may also be visible in the night sky, if it isn’t cloudy, starting January 7 and continuing until the 24^th.   It is barely visible to the eye as a greenish star with a tail near Orion’s Belt, high in the eastern winter night sky just before dawn.   Using binoculars or a telescope will give you a better view.  The comet Lovejoy is interesting because this year researchers discovered it gives off ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar.  It releases 20 tons of water a second in its travels and within that water is the alcohol equivalent of 500 bottles of wine.  So don’t watch with your mouth open.

The January birth flower is the carnation.  In the language of flowers the carnation is supposed to portray love, fascination and distinction. If you send a striped carnation to someone it means your regret that the love isn’t shared. A white carnation means pure love, a red carnation “carnal” love.  A pink carnation means friendship and a yellow one means rejection. An alternative birth flower is the snowdrop.  It has a lot less colors to worry about.  The birthstone is the garnet.

January is National Blood Donor month, National Hot Tea month, National Oatmeal Month, and National Soup Month to name a few.  The 10th is Houseplant Appreciation day, the 15th is National Hat day, the 13th is International Skeptics day, the 18th is Winnie the Pooh Day, the 19th is National Popcorn day, the 20th is Martin Luther King Day as well as Penguin Awareness day and National Buttercrunch Day.  The 22nd is National Blond Brownie day and the 23rd is National Pie day.  The 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day and the 28th is Fun at Work Day.  The 31st is Backward day and Inspire Your Heart with Art day. 

2016 Gardening trends

So what are your fellow gardeners thinking about this year?  Here are some garden trends that will be popular this year.

Purpose gardens

More and more gardeners are growing plants for a specific reason.  It could be hops for beer making, heirloom apples for cider making, vegetables for stir-fry, plants for making home dyes, plants to weave baskets, make paper or tea herbs.  These gardeners research, hunt out and buy plants developed or ideal for the purpose they have in mind.  They design the landscape around the plants or make dedicated garden spots for them.

Back to nature

The native plants movement is still there, but it’s getting a bit more sophisticated.  Messy wild meadows are out and well-designed native plant gardens are in.  Gardeners are finding they don’t have to give up orderly beauty to go native.  Native plants in containers and small water features utilizing rain water run-off are popular.

Dog gardens

Yes it’s a trend, designing gardens around the fur babies.  That includes gravel potty areas, doggie sand boxes for digging, fun doggy tunnels as well as making sure there are no harmful plants in the environment.  Include a comfy bench for dog parents to watch their babies play.

Small space and container gardens

This is a trend that gets bigger each year as more people who want to grow something search for ways to optimize their limited growing space.  All kinds of attractive planting boxes are on the market as well as trellises and other vertical growing aides. Small compact varieties of vegetables and fruits are coming on the market, developed specifically for confined gardening.  People are learning to espalier fruits. Indoor food gardening using grow lights and either container or  hydroponic is growing by leaps and bounds.

Memory and sensory

Hollyhocks and ladybells

People are searching for plants that grew in their gardens as a child and plants that have sentimental meaning.  Cottage gardens and heirloom plants are hot.  Older flavorful vegetable varieties are big sellers.  Gardeners are also planting fragrance gardens and gardens with plants that can be touched and played with, such as hollyhocks, bush balsam, snapdragons, lambs ears, sensitive plants and so on.

Techno advanced

Gardening may get us outside but we aren’t leaving technology behind.  Many gardeners are adding apps to their phones or pc that help them with designing, locating plants, diagnosing problems and other gardening tasks.  They are buying gadgets to measure rain, temperature, soil moisture, pH and so on.  And gardeners are adding lights and heat to outdoor spaces to be able to enjoy them later in the day.  Solar and low cost LED lights are a big item, whether for decorative reasons or security. The lighting choices have exploded.  And don’t forget those blue tooth speakers, now being hidden in planters and fake rocks.

Fire pits

One of the really big trends in gardens is the addition of fire pits.  These range from small portable units to large elaborate stone structures. Some burn wood but others use propane, gas, or electric flames.  Everyone enjoys relaxing around a campfire. Just don’t get the plants too close.

Darker colors

In Europe people are painting houses and fences black, slate gray or deep purple and the trend is spreading here.  The dark backgrounds can make a colorful palette of flowers really pop. Especially pretty are white and pastel flowers against a black fence. Neon and bright colors are out and soft, deep colors are in for garden backgrounds and accessories.

2016 award winning plants

Various organizations pick the top plants for the new season.  In general these are new varieties except some organizations pick a general category to feature during the year.

Herb of the year – 2016- Peppers (Capsicum ssp) picked by the International Herb association.

Ornamental alliums, begonias, delphiniums, and carrots are the plants of the year for the National Garden Bureau.

Rose of the Year 2016: ‘Sunny Sky’ (Koraruli) as determined by the Royal Horticultural Society, UK.  And it’s being featured in many US catalogs this year too.

2016 Hosta of the Year is 'Curly Fries' (Solberg  2008) by the American Hosta Growers Association.

Daylily of the year chosen by me-  ‘LEFT MY CAT IN SAN FRANCISCO’ bred by Bret Clement 2016 Clement daylilies http://www.clementgarden.com/  $100.  I just couldn’t resist the name and the daylily is spectacular also. 

'Left my Cat in San Francisco', Clement gardens

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' has been selected has been selected as the perennial of the year by the Perennial Plant Association.

All American plant selections for 2016

Geranium Brocade Cherry Night 2016 AAS National Flower Award Winner

Geranium Brocade Fire 2016 National AAS Flower Award Winner

Mustard, Japanese Red Kingdom F1 2016 National AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Pepper Cornito Giallo F1 2016 National AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Pepper Escamillo F1 2016 National AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Strawberry Strawberry Delizz® F1 National 2016 AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Tomato Candyland Red 2016 National AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Tomato Chef's Choice Green F1 2016 National AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Pumpkin Super Moon F1 2016 Great Lakes AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Radish Sweet Baby F1 2016 Great Lakes AAS Vegetable Award Winner

Salvia Summer Jewel™ Lavender Great Lakes 2016 AAS Flower Award Winner

New perennials of note

Filipendula 'Red Umbrella'
by Blooms of Bressingham

This is not the entire cast of new cultivars being offered in catalogs this spring, just some highlights.  Keep in mind when looking at catalogs that the term “new” may mean it’s new for their catalog, not that it’s a new variety.  Newer varieties are often more expensive than older ones and if they are truly new on the market they may not have been tested over a full range of garden conditions across the US.  Sometimes a new, widely hyped and sold variety will prove disappointing to a lot of gardeners.  You may want to wait a year or so for the price to fall and for more reviews of how the plant grows in various conditions.

Achillea 'Little Moonshine', a dwarf, compact achillea,   Agapanthus 'Dutchess of Dazzle', not hardy here but a tall, stately plant with pale blue flowers striped in darker blue,  Lavendar ‘Meerlo’,which is not hardy here but beautiful with white variegated foliage,  Filipendula ‘Red Umbrellas’, has stunning red marked foliage.

Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize' has small, double mum like flowers, Asclepias 'Monarch Promise' a milkweed with bright orange flowers and white variegated leaves, Baptisia 'Decadence Sparkling Sapphires' is a short, compact baptisia with deep violet blue flowers. Heuchera 'Forever Purple' will stay deep purple through the season, Heuchera 'Grape Soda' has red-purple leaves and light purple flowers.

Lavender 'Meerlo' by Southern Living/Sunset Western

Echinacea 'Butterfly Golden Skipper' a compact plant with golden flowers, Echinacea 'Butterfly Rainbow Marcella' the flowers change color each day on this compact Echinacea, Echinacea 'Double Scoop Lemon Cream' a puff top Echinacea of light yellow, Hibiscus 'Summerific Berry Awesome' has compact full form and purple-pink flowers, Lobelia 'Starship Deep Rose' is a deep pretty pink, Lychnis 'Petite Jenny'- this plant stays short and is filled with fluffy, double pink flowers. Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace', is a compact, sturdy Russian sage, with full flower spikes, Salvia 'Embers Wish', coral red is a very free flowering salvia.

Annuals

Ageratum 'Cloud Nine White' (Floranova), Alyssum 'North Face White' (Floranova), Antirrhinum( snapdragons) 'Legend Pink' and 'Legend White' (American Takii), Begonia Bossa Nova Series (Floranova), Begonia 'Little Lava' (Hort Couture), Bidens 'BeeDance Painted Red' (Suntory Flowers), Bidens 'BeeDance Red Stripe' (Suntory Flowers), Calibrachoa 'Caliplosion Purple' (Westflowers) a new color pattern, purple with a yellow star center, new vincas(Catharanthus) with unusual flowers include Soiree Crown Series (Suntory Flowers), Catharanthus 'Soiree Double' (Suntory Flowers), Catharanthus Soiree Kawaii Series (Suntory Flowers).

'BeeDance Red Stripe' Bidens- Suntory Flowers

Celosia 'Intenz Lipstick' a new violet color (Ball Ingenuity), Coleus 'Campfire' (Ball FloraPlant) deep orange, Coleus 'Under the Sea Copper Coral' (Hort Couture), Coleus 'Under the Sea Fish Net' (Hort Couture)very large with oddly shaped leaves, Geranium Glitter Series (Westflowers) in pink and orange appear to be speckled in glitter, Hemizygia 'Candy Kisses' (Hort Couture), a plant with leaves variegated in white and clusters of lavender flowers for sun or shade.

Impatiens 'SunPatiens Spreading Tropical Orange', ‘Clear Orange’ and ‘Lavender’ (Sakata) have yellow variegated leaves and a robust spreading form, Ipomoea SolarPower Series (BallFloraPlant) in black, rust and lime are sweet potatoes that stay compact, Lobelia 'Suntory Trailing Sky Blue' also in pink and white (Suntory Flowers) have a longer blooming period and stay full and compact, French Marigold 'Hot Pak' (PanAmerican Seed) will stay blooming through the hot days, Petunia 'Flamenco Ruffle Series' (HGTV) big double flowers in beautiful pastels, Viola 'Hip Hop Raz Bunny' (Hort Couture) violas with a bunny face look, Zinnia 'UpTown Frosted Strawberry' (Burpee Home Gardens) a pretty frosted pink.

Petunia Flamenco Ruffles,  HGTV

Garden catalogs- updated with new listings

While I usually go to the website to order I still love to get garden catalogs in the mail. I got 8 catalogs yesterday.  I can sit and page through them leisurely and mark things I’m interested in.  And it’s easy to compare prices of plants I want to buy if I open each catalog to the page of the item.  Here’s a list of catalogs you may want to ask for.  Usually you can go to the web link and request a catalog.  .  Some of the links will go directly to the catalog request page, on others you will need to find the catalog request button on the site.  And I included some on line plant sellers at the end this year.

https://www.jungseed.com/ flowers and vegetables

https://www.veseys.com/us/en/catalogue vegetables and flowers

http://parkseed.com/catalogrequestpopup.aspx  - seeds, perennials

http://www.burpee.com/about/catalogrequest.jsp   flower and vegetable seeds

www.rhshumway.com vegetables, flowers, farm and cover crop seeds

http://www.henryfields.com/catalog_request vegetables and flowers

http://www.eburgess.com/ flowers and vegetables

http://www.forestfarm.com/catalog.php   trees, some perennials

http://www.millernurseries.com/signup.php  or  http://www.starkbros.com  Please note- Stark Brothers and Millers nursery have merged and sell fruit trees.

https://www.musserforests.com/catalogrequest.html -  trees

www.oikostreecrops.com/  hardy nut and fruiting trees for Michigan, unusual plants

http://www.raintreenursery.com/Catalog_Requests.html  trees, shrubs, rare fruit

https://www.onegreenworld.com/articles/2016-CATALOGS-NOW-AVAILABLE fruit and nut trees

http://springhillnursery.com  flowers

https://www.plantdelights.com/inforequest.asp   many unusual perennial plants

http://www.waysidegardens.com/    perennials, some trees, shrubs

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/cgi-local/cataloguerequest.pl  flowers, some trees, shrubs

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/catalog_request.html  - perennials

http://www.selectseeds.com -  rare and unusual flowers

http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/  roses, perennials

www.rootsrhizomes.com/ daylilies, hosta, other bare root perennial plants

https://www.edmundsroses.com/dc.asp?c=6   roses, a few other things

http://www.mzbulb.com/ McClure and Zimmerman – flower bulbs

www.OldHouseGardens.com  rare, antique bulbs 

www.dutchbulbs.com Van Bourgondien bulb company- flower bulbs

www.highcountrygardens.com/ interesting and drought resistant plants

www.brecks.com flower bulbs

www.johnscheepers.com flower bulbs

www.vanengelen.com flower bulbs

www.roycroftdaylilies.com daylilies

https://www.oakesdaylilies.com daylilies

www.schreinersgardens.com/ bearded iris

www.logees.com  tropical container and patio plants, unusual fruits

https://www.anniesannuals.com/users/mail/catalog.php interesting annual and some perennial flowers

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/resources/catalog herbs and spices

http://www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/catalogrequest.asp Horizon herbs, medicinal plants and seeds

http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=./requst2.html&cart_id=6454852.30086  herbs-plants and seeds

http://rareseeds.com/requestcatalog   (Bakers Creek Heirloom seeds) mostly vegetables

http://www.botanicalinterests.com/heirloom-seeds-catalogs  - heirloom seeds

https://www.tomatogrowers.com/inforequest.asp  - tomatoes, peppers

http://www.territorialseed.com/catalog_request?gclid=CPf46Kmk7bMCFctcMgodFxkA6g   vegetables

http://www.willhiteseed.com  - melons, vegetables

www.vermontbean.com/ Beans and vegetable seeds

http://sowtrueseed.com/ heirloom and open pollinated vegetables

www.totallytomato.com  tomatoes

http://www.ufseeds.com/Garden-Seed-Catalog_.html vegetable seeds- Urban gardens

http://www.seedsofchange.com/catalog_request.aspx  organic vegetables

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog.aspx vegetables

https://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/HGCatalogRequest.aspx vegetables

http://www.seedsavers.org/catalog?gclid=CIvj5JmAkcoCFQ-RaQodqqkL7Q heirloom and open pollinated seeds- Seed Savers

http://www.superseeds.com/ Pinetree gardens – vegetable and herb seeds, soap and candle supplies

https://www.bountifulgardens.org/catalog_requests/new vegetable seed, cover crop seed, home grains

http://www.groworganic.com/garden-catalog.html organic seeds, plants – some interesting catalogs can be downloaded on line too.

https://www.potatogarden.com/pcatalog.html potatoes of all types

http://shop.wildseedfarms.com/inforequest.asp wildflower seeds

http://www.prairienursery.com/ wildflowers

Miscellaneous category- on line and paid catalogs of interest

http://www.reneesgarden.com/ no print catalog, antique and heirloom seeds and plants sold on line

http://www.tmseeds.com/ Thompson and Morgan- the premier British seed company – this is the US on line catalog link- you may be able to get a print catalog if you pay for it.

http://www.winterberryirises.com/ on line iris catalog

http://www.seedman.com/ unusual and rare seeds from around the world, flowers and vegetables, may not have print catalog.

http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=5 antique fruit trees- may not have a print catalog 

http://www.davewilson.com:8080/product-information/category/fruit-trees fruit- may not have printed catalog.

http://www.greatgardenplants.com/index.php?pageId=1 May not have a catalog but has many on line plant sales

https://www.americanmeadows.com/perennials may not have a catalog, sells wildflower seeds and perennials

http://www.alohatropicals.com/Books.html  charges $5 for catalog but you can shop on line – tropicals, unusual plants

http://toptropicals.com/index.htm may not have catalog, tropical flowers, rare flowers, unusual fruits

http://stokestropicals.plants.com/ tropical on line catalog, lots of info

http://www.glasshouseworks.com/plant-theme/terrarium-plants unusual terrarium and miniature plants – no catalog

http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/request-a-catalog/requestacatalog.html Gardening supplies free catalog

http://www.gardensalive.com/catalog_request some plants, natural garden supplies, beneficial insects

 

Garden at Suncrest, Lapeer MI.

Garden sites to explore

If you like plants and gardening you probably enjoy talking about them with other people.  Joining a Facebook discussion page can be lots of fun and connect you to gardeners all over the world.  Some of the sites are excellent for getting plants, insects and plant problems identified.

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

This is my site and its filled with over 300 garden articles on a range of topics.

http://davesgarden.com/

http://www.gardendesign.com/

http://gardenrant.com/

http://articles.extension.org/garden_science

Facebook communities (groups) you might be interested in joining.  I belong to a number of these groups and enjoy the interaction with plant lovers.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/The.Secret.Garden.2014/ Secret garden

https://www.facebook.com/groups/156706504394635/ plant Id

https://www.facebook.com/groups/247456462072417/  Just flower pic

https://www.facebook.com/groups/535599516572215/ plants are scary

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1501510066754356/ edible wild plants

https://www.facebook.com/groups/754578791256738/ whats wrong with my plant

https://www.facebook.com/groups/831467203592108/ house plant hobbyist

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2541811060/  Gardening

https://www.facebook.com/groups/118847598146598/ Lapeer county g

https://www.facebook.com/groups/623997204362467/ plant id and discussion

https://www.facebook.com/groups/337227553016178/ Michigan gardening connection

https://www.facebook.com/groups/875574275841637/ Michigan seed and garden swap

https://www.facebook.com/groups/351044475101643/ Lapeer Herb circle

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Insect.Identification/ insect id

https://www.facebook.com/groups/288505651342397/ free seed swap

https://www.facebook.com/groups/planteducation/ plant Id and education

https://www.facebook.com/groups/303259184298/ butterfly enthusiast

Ok – I have given you lots and lots of places to look at and things to think about through these cold winter months.  This article will remain on the blog so you can refer back to it later, just note the date or enter a search term in the box.\

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

https://www.facebook.com/groups/623997204362467/?fref=nf

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

https://www.facebook.com/groups/118847598146598/

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

http://campbellsgreenhouses.com/garden-center/classes-events/

Here’s a link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor

 http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/happening/calendar.asp?date=5/18/2015

Here’s a link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in Michigan.

http://www.englishgardens.com/events

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.

http://tellys.com/system/files/Tellys_WinterSpringGuide_Web-2015.pdf

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

http://www.bordines.com/events/

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

http://hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu/events

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

info@meijergardens.org

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