May 10,
2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter © Kim Willis
Hi Gardeners
It’s a cool
and breezy day here although we haven’t had rain yet. It looks like a wet week ahead though. But its spring- my tulips are beautiful right
now. I have made one trip this month to
the greenhouse ( so far) and came home with a few things. I keep telling myself to wait – there will
still be frost- but it’s hard. It’s
nice having that small greenhouse even if it’s unheated, to store things I
couldn’t resist buying. I even bought a
huge Early Girl tomato plant with little tomatoes on it to put in there. Maybe this year I will get tomatoes with the
lettuce!
I found some
new plants to try. One is Lemon Cypress
‘Goldcrest’, a small lemony colored dwarf evergreen in a pyramidal shape. It’s not winter hardy here but can be
overwintered inside I am told. The
leaves smell lemony when bruised although it’s not edible. I am going to use it in a large pot with a
new hardy cranesbill geranium ‘Dark Reiter’ which has purple foliage and a rose
colored double flowered calibrachoa.
I also bought
variegated St. Johns wort, Hypericum calycinum ‘Fiesta” , which has a sprawling
habit and leaves of pink, white, lemon and green. Some of these plants and others are going in
around a water feature I am working on.
I took my stock tank I used last year and surrounded it with the
gnarled, curvy pieces of wisteria wood that Edison trimmed off our large
wisteria earlier this spring. I am
filling crevices with potting soil and planting it. It’s still a work in progress. I’ll post pictures as it starts looking more
finished.
I like hosta
and have quite a few of them although I don’t have any special interest in
them. I know that when I worked retail
hosta collectors would come and go through our shipments of hosta looking for
unusual “sports” or mutations. I guess
that’s how a lot of new varieties are found. Well in my greenhouse trip last week I
spotted what I think could be a sport of the hosta Praying Hands so I snatched
it up. It could be two plants in the
same pot though. Praying Hands is a
small dark green hosta with narrow upright leaves with a small lemon edge. This pot has that and a part of the plant, or
maybe another plant, that has lighter, lemon variegated leaves, some with a
darker green center streak. It has the
same narrow wavy leaves but isn’t as tall as Praying Hands. I am
going to post a picture- and if any of you are hosta knowledgeable tell me what
you think. Did I make a great find?
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| Do I have something special here? |
The flowering
quince and redbud are blooming this week and my trillium bloomed – at least one
did. Another is showing foliage. Many years ago in another yard I had a good
patch of trillium and as a child I planted some in my mom’s yards, which are
still there. The perennial Forget -me -nots are blooming, the clove viburnum, and creeping phlox. I got onion plants planted this week. Peas and lettuce are up.
I saw the
hummingbirds this week- get your feeders out there. The orioles have been quite busy at the jelly
feeder too.
Flowering Quince
The lovely flowering quince we grow in our gardens is a
member of the Chaenomeles genus. These
spring bloomers are grown for their pretty flowers. They sometimes make fruit but are primarily
ornamental. There are other types of
quince which have better fruit for consumption.
Horticultural Flowering Quinces are generally hybrids of 2 quince
species; the most common one offered for sale is labeled Chaenomeles × superba. Chaenomeles is native to Asia.
The flowering quince is a shrub about 3-4 feet in height and
width when mature. It has oval leaves with
serrated edges that are alternately arranged.
The leaves are reddish in the spring and turn dark green later. The stems of the plant are covered in
spines, which makes the flowering quince excellent for a barrier hedge and
keeps deer from totally destroying them.
They are good specimen plants for spring color and can be mixed into
large borders for spring color. Hummingbirds visit flowering quince flowers in
early spring and birds like to nest in its thick thorny center.
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| Flowering Quince |
In zone 5-6 flowering quince has pretty rose-red flowers in
May. They are hardy from zones 5-9. The
flowers are shaped like apple blossoms, although a bit larger, and cover the
stems for a beautiful floral show. After
flowering some of the shrubs may produce some fruit, tiny, very hard, greenish
yellow apple shaped fruit. After a frost
the fruit softens a bit and can be used in jams and jellies. It’s very tart and high in pectin. Most flowering quinces don’t produce very
much fruit however and yours may never have fruit. Fruit is more likely if there are several
flowering quince shrubs in close proximity to each other.
There are numerous named cultivars in the nursery trade with
flowers of red, orange and pink. Once in awhile white flowered varieties are
offered. There are also double flowered
varieties and thorn-less varieties.
Varieties include ‘Texas Scarlet’, the ‘Double
Take’ series ( Red Storm, Orange Storm
or Pink Storm ) with doubled flowers, ‘Cameo’ double peach pink and ‘Dragons
Blood’, deep red and thorn-less. Usually
however the gardener will find flowering quince listed in catalogs as an
unnamed variety.
The flowering quince prefers full sun and fertile, moist but
well drained soil. It prefers a neutral
to slightly acidic pH. In alkaline soils
the plant may look chlorotic (pale green) but some acidic fertilizer will
generally correct that. The plant will
tolerate dry conditions for moderate amounts of time after it’s
established. For good bloom fertilize
with a slow release general purpose fertilizer in early spring.
Flowering Quince is related to apples and shares many apple
diseases and pests such as rust, scab, and fireblight. They can be treated for those problems in the
same manner as apples, with either preventative sprays or spot treatments of
pesticides. Usually however there are
few problems when they are grown in the landscape. Deer avoid the plants (they may eat
thorn-less varieties) but rabbits will eat them, and the base of the plant
should be protected in winter with a wire guard.
Flowering quince can be pruned to maintain shape and size
any time after they flower to mid-winter.
Avoid pruning from mid-winter through flowering or you will lose the
blooms. In zone 5 severe winters may
kill the blooms but the plants usually survive.
The flowering quince was a favorite of earlier gardeners and
still deserves a place in home landscapes if you have a sunny place for
it. Your neighbors will want one after
they see yours in bloom.
Trilliums
Trilliums are beginning to bloom in some of our woodlands
and gardens in May. This lovely native
was once common on the edges of woodlands but is no longer found in many
places. Trilliums are a favorite deer
food and they have a complicated life cycle which leaves them vulnerable in
many places. They are sold by nurseries
however and a gardener can add them to the partly shaded garden.
Trilliums come in several species, the Large White Trillium,
Trillium grandiflorum, sometimes
called Wake Robin, which turns pink as the flower ages, Trillium
erectum, a reddish marron flowered (sometimes
yellowish) with a bad odor to justify the name Stinking Benjamin, Trillium sessile, or Toadshade, with mottled leaves and a reddish flower
that never opens fully, Trillium
undulatum, Painted Trillium which has small white flowers with purple
centers, and Trillium cernuum,
Nodding Trillium, whose tiny white flowers dangle beneath the leaves. All of these are Eastern North American
species which can be found from Florida to Canada. There are a few other species in North
America and in Asia.
Trilliums are named that because everything about them comes
in three’s, 3 leaves, 3 petals, 3 sepals, 6 stamens (3 pairs), 3 stigmas. Occasionally a trillium will have double
flowers. The trillium puts up a single
stalk with 3 dark green, long oval shaped leaves with prominent veins arranged in a whorl at the top of the stem. In most
species the single flower appears in the center of the leaves. The flowers are glossy and also have
prominent veins. The Large White
Trillium has flowers 3-5 inches across, other species have smaller
flowers. Flowers are pollinated by
flies and small native bees. Trilliums
are not self-fertile so 2 or more trilliums must be close together to get
seeds. The flowers, if pollinated, turn
into 3 chambered seed pods. Each
trillium only produces a few seeds.
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| Large White Trillium |
Trilliums also reproduce by slowly spreading from
rhizomatous roots. They will, after many
years left undisturbed, produce large colonies of plants. However if a plant loses its leaves early, by
deer grazing or people plucking them with the flower, the plant may die. Since the plant is endangered or scarce in
many places it’s not ethical to pick the flowers or disturb the plants. Trilliums are not easy to transplant, with
many plants dying in the process so don’t dig them from the wild either.
Trillium seed has an oily coating called the elaiosome,
which is attractive to ants and yellow jackets.
They carry the seeds to underground nests and eat off the coating. The hard seeds are then in a protected place
for the 2 years required for them to germinate. Deer also move trillium seeds when they eat
the plants and seed pods. The elaiosome
is removed by the deer’s digestive system and the seed passes out in deer poop,
which will hopefully land in deep forest litter to shelter it for two years.
After two years the trillium seed germinates and produces a
leaf stalk. They will not bloom for
several years; about 5 years in gardens and 7-10 years in the wild. Once they begin blooming they will bloom for
many years, (its believed plants can live for at least 20 years), one bloom per
year, if they are undisturbed. This slow
rate of reproduction is what causes many colonies of trilliums subject to deer
grazing and human mishandling to disappear.
Trilliums in the
garden
Despite what some nurseries claim, most trilliums offered
for sale are not grown by the nursery, rather they are collected from wild
colonies, maybe on the nurseries property or property where they purchase the
rights to harvest them. In a few cases,
double flowered or other unusual trilliums may be grown in nurseries, but due
to the slow reproduction of the plants these varieties will be scarce and
expensive. If the species is not listed
as endangered in that state trilliums are legal to collect and sell. And if you purchase them legally you do not
have to worry about planting them in your garden.
Before you purchase trilliums make sure you have the right
conditions for them. Trilliums like deciduous
wooded areas. That means they like areas
where they will get full sun early in the spring before the trees leaf out and
then shaded conditions in the heat of summer.
They like moist but well drained soil with a high amount of organic
matter and good fertility. The soil pH
should be neutral to slightly acidic for most species. Preferably the leaves
the trees shed each fall will be left in the bed to make a “duff” or organic
mulch. The area they are planted in
should not be disturbed often, certainly not mowed. Trillium leaves need to remain on the plant
until they die of their own accord, in late summer.
A woodland type garden with plants that have similar needs
such as May apples, bloodroot, trout lilies, anemones, lily of the valley, Jack
in the Pulpit, toad lilies, and so on
would be the best fit for them. They would
not do well in containers, rock gardens, and heavily cultivated garden beds.
Trilliums should be sold and planted in the fall. You will generally receive bare root pieces
to plant. Plant them as soon as you
receive them in moist soil with the rhizomes about an inch deep in the soil and
about 6 inches apart. Cover with a light
mulch of leaves. If fall is dry water
the trilliums occasionally. Make sure
to mark the location well. You don’t want to plant on top of them or cut
through their roots.
In mid to late spring foliage should emerge. Sometimes trilliums will not emerge the first
season after you plant them so don’t be too quick to think they are dead. Keep the spot marked and undisturbed until
the second spring. Some trilliums will
bloom the spring after you plant them but some will just make foliage for a
year or two. Be patient and they will
flower eventually.
You may have to protect the trilliums from deer. Deer love the taste of trilliums and will
bypass other plants to eat them. One or
two years of the foliage being eaten will kill the plants. They often eat them just as they start to
bloom. A fenced woodland garden may be
needed.
As mentioned above, do not remove the trilliums foliage
until it dies down of its own accord. They have few leaves and each one is needed to
produce food for the plant as long as possible.
If you want the trilliums to spread by the roots don’t cultivate the
ground close by the plants. The only
other care they may need is to water them if it gets very dry. A light application of slow release garden fertilizer in early spring may help blooming.
Native Americans had herbal uses for the plant but it’s not
recommended that trilliums be used for herbal concoctions. They are mildly toxic, but the main reason to
just leave them alone is that the plants just don’t compete well with humans
and deer and are becoming rare in many places.
There are no herbal uses for them that other more common plants can’t be
used for. Please just enjoy them where
they are. Beauty is as good a purpose
for trilliums being there as any other reason.
Planting tips and tricks
May is planting time in Michigan. Whether you are plant
planting the vegetable garden or flower beds here are some tips to make
planting easier. None of these tips
involve Epsom salt or dish detergent.
Redneck seed tapes. Roll out some cheap 1 or 2 ply toilet
paper. Put a thin smear of paper glue-
just cheap school paste glue- around a seed in spots along the middle of the
toilet paper, spaced as seed packet directs for that kind of seed. ( Don’t
cover the seed with paste.) Cover with another section of toilet paper and
press down to glue layers together. Let
it dry, roll up and take to the garden.
Roll out in the garden row.
Lightly cover with soil and water well.
Pre- sprouting seed-
Seeds with hard coats like morning glory and moonflower seeds may not sprout
well outside, especially if it’s dry.
Speed up germination by finding a plastic container like a clean deli
container, plastic serving saver or even a glass jar. Soak a section of paper towel in water and
wring out. Place in the container and lay seeds on it, spaced so they aren’t
touching. Cover with a similar damp
towel. You can make several layers in
one container.
Place the container, lid on, in a sunny window. The seeds should show roots peeking out in
just a few days. Carefully lift each
paper towel sheet, and plant the sprouted seeds. Plant as soon as you see a
swollen seed with a root emerging. If
root hairs cling to the towel tear off a piece of it around the seed and plant
it with the seed, instead of pulling it off. After planting make sure to keep
the planting site moist, at least until the seed leaves pop above the surface.
All seeds can be pre-sprouted before planting. It works best with larger seeds like melons,
pumpkins, squash and beans. Don’t let
the seeds sit long after they begin to sprout, plant them quickly into soil and
keep the planting site moist.
Seed/plant spacer- Do you
like evenly spaced plants in the garden and hate thinning? Get a
piece of board a few inches wide and 3-4 feet long. Measure the board and mark it at 1 inch
intervals. Drill holes in the center of
the board at your inch marks. Holes
should be about a ½ inch wide for seeds
and if you want to use it for transplants make the holes an inch or more
wide. Holes should be in a straight
line. Place your board on a prepared bed
and simply place a seed or plant in each hole. Skip a hole for 2 inch spacing and so on. You
could use heavy cardboard for a spacer too, but a board will last for years.
Seeds can be pushed into a soft prepared seed bed through
the hole. You may want to poke a hole in
the soil with a stick or piece of dowel through the drilled holes for
transplants. For transplants you’ll want
to carry some soil to fill in around the plant and some water to water each
transplant. With practice and maybe
using the no-stoop planter below you can quickly and neatly plant a long row or
bed.
No stoop seed planter. Use a piece of pipe- plastic PVC pipe is
fine, just the right height for you to drop seeds in from a standing position
as you hold it over the row. You can use
this with the seed spacer above by putting the piece of pipe into or right over
your hole in the spacer.
Bird protection- Are
birds eating seed as fast as it’s planted?
Keep limbs pruned from roses and other shrubbery and lay them over
planted rows. Remove them soon after
plants emerge so that seedlings don’t tangle in them. This also discourages
chickens scratching in the beds.
Better bird protection - Spun row cover can protect the seeds while
allowing air, water and light through. It
looks rather like the spun fabric softener sheets you put in the dryer. You can
also use black or green plastic netting sold in rolls. You can purchase these
in most garden centers.
To hold netting or row cover off the soil or plants you’ll
need supports. Ideas are paper towel or
other cardboard rolls, paint stirring sticks, Styrofoam blocks used in shipping
boxes, small pop bottles, plastic cups, or pieces of PVC pipe. Drape the row cover or netting over them and
hold edges of the row cover down with soil or small rocks. The supports should lift the cover just a
little to keep it off emerging plants. You could also use sticks. If you use
sticks with netting you’ll need to slip something on top of them like a plastic
cup, lid, or small can to keep the netting from sliding down on them. Row cover also provides a bit of added warmth
and frost protection. Remove when plants
are up and growing well. An alternative
would be to staple row cover or netting strips onto two boards placed on either
side of the row.
For longer term bird protection, like for strawberries,
netting is the best. It needs to be
supported well above the top of the plants.
It also needs to be easy to move so you can harvest the berries. You can make hoops of stiff wire to hold the
netting off the plants. Or put together
a frame of light PVC pipe. Attach the
netting to it with plastic slip ties.
This lifts off easily if you don’t make it too long - make several
shorter lengths if you have to. For
single plant protection you could save netting from fruit or vegetable
purchases and re-cycle it.
Keeping the cats out- Cats can dig up newly planted seed
beds and even transplants. They can get
in flower pots and containers and dig up plants or smash them by laying on
them. To protect your seeds and plants
use plastic forks handle down into the soil and tines up, spaced among your
plants or around seed beds. You can also
use sturdy sticks you have collected, just space them every few inches through
your bed or around a row to make it hard for a cat to walk there or find a spot
to dig.
After the plants are larger and the soil settled you can
usually remove the forks or sticks. If
cats continue to lay in pots and containers you may have to leave them. Painting the forks black or green, (or buying
that color) helps disguise them.
Another trick is to lay a piece of unpainted lattice in your
bed and plant through the holes in it.
You can use a knife to cut out additional space if needed. You can cover this lightly with mulch to
hide it. This works well to keep fall
planted bulbs from being dug up too.
2 liter frost protection –
remove the labels and fill two liter pop bottles with water and place around
tender plants like tomatoes to help protect and warm them. The water heats up in the sun and releases
heat at night. Put some stakes around
the plants or tie the bottles together with twine to prevent them from falling
over and squishing plants. Since red
reflected light is said to enhance tomato plant growth you could add red food
dye to the water to bottles placed around tomato plants.
More 2 liter frost protection - Cut the tops of two liter plastic bottles and
place the bottom part over tender plants in the evening to protect them from
frost. Or cut the bottom out and leave
the cap off. Remove when the sun comes
up or you will cook the plants. Plastic
milk jugs are also good for this.
Better plant stakes- For
supporting heavy plants metal fence posts would be fine and generally cheaper
than plant stakes. However if you are
just marking rows or plant positions, use the fiberglass electric fence rods
found at farm stores that are very cheap and never rot like wood stakes. You can paint the tip for better visibility
or to designate certain plants. You can
spray paint them black or green and use them for sturdy plant supports for
smaller perennials. Wear gloves when
handling fiberglass rods as they leave splinters. Plastic
fence rods are a little more expensive but don’t splinter.
Quick trellis or support system-
Farm stores sell feedlot panels, ( sometimes called hog panels), - heavy wire
panels 16 feet long and 34-48 inches high.
Usually these are about $20 per panel.
You can cut them into smaller pieces with bolt cutters or a saw. Supported by a post or two they are great for
trellising tomatoes, or they can be placed vertically to trellis cucumbers or
other vines. They can be bowed and
secured at the bottom to form an arched trellis.
Join two 8 feet pieces on one side and set them up like an
inverted v for an excellent support for any vine crop. They can be bowed and covered with plastic to
make temporary greenhouses or high tunnels.
They make nice large gates. The
uses for these sturdy panels are endless.
Quick water feature- If you want a small pond or water
feature consider another farm store find, stock tanks. These come in galvanized metal or heavy duty
plastic. Look for used ones at yard and farm
sales. They come in various depths and
sizes and generally have a built in drain.
You can paint the outside of these tanks and if you don’t like the looks
of a galvanized tank inside or if you have a leaky one you can line it. You can buy pond liners or for an economical
solution buy vinyl shower curtains to
line some sizes of stock tanks.
Growing Lemon Balm- A Light and
Lively Herb
Lemon Balm is an herb so easy to grow that anyone can grow it in the garden. With its lovely lemony flavor it complements
many dishes. It has many medicinal uses
and is currently being studied for use in suppressing tumors, and in HIV,
Herpes, and Alzheimer’s treatment. Lemon
Balm is so easy to grow that many people consider it invasive.
Lemon Balm, (Melissa
officinalis), is a member of the mint family. Several species are native to
Europe. It will happily grow anywhere in
zone 3-9. It is commercially grown in
many areas.
The plant has square stems like most mints; the leaves are
dark green, broadly oval with toothed edges.
Lemon balm grows to about 2 foot tall when it is in a spot it
likes. In midsummer Lemon Balm begins
blooming, with small spikes of pale yellow flowers arising from where the leaf
joins the stem. The flowers are tiny but
are loved by bees which flock to the plants.
The Lemon Balm plant is not very attractive as garden plants
go, but it does have that delightful aroma of lemon when the leaves are
handled. It spreads quickly through the
garden by seed and by runners and you will soon have many plants to share with
friends.
Growing and
Harvesting Lemon Balm
Most gardeners will start with Lemon Balm plants; anyone who
has the plant should be able to give you a seedling in the spring. Seeds are easy to sow if you find them for
sale. You can start them inside or
simply sow them where you want the plants to go. They are perennial, dying back
to the ground each winter. Large clumps
of Lemon Balm can also be divided.
Lemon Balm prefers full sun although it will tolerate
partial shade. It will grow in almost
any soil. For the best plants a well-
draining, moderately rich soil in full sun, and watering when conditions are
very dry is preferred. After frost has
killed the foliage cut off the stems to the ground.
The leaves of Lemon Balm can be harvested at any time. Most of the active ingredients are found in
the leaves, although flowers are also good as a dried herb. The flowers are edible. Simply remove the leaves needed from the
plant or if you have an abundance of plants you can pull whole plants. Leaves
and flowers can be used fresh or dried.
Using Lemon Balm
The active ingredients in Lemon Balm include terpenes,
tannins and eugenol. In traditional
herbal medicine Lemon Balm was usually a complementary addition to other
herbs. The lemony flavor helped make
other herbal medications easy to take.
Lemon Balm is mildly sedative and helps decrease anxiety and aid sleep. It is used to aid in gas and colic
relief. Lemon Balm leaves were also
crushed and warmed to use as a poultice on wounds.
A current popular use is a lotion or cream containing Lemon
Balm that is used on cold sores and other Herpes sores. Cooled Lemon Balm tea can also be used on
sores. It does not control pain but
speeds healing. Much research is being
focused on the anti-viral properties of Lemon Balm in Herpes and HIV
treatment. Other research is focusing on
Lemon Balms ability to aid memory and restore some cognitive function in
Alzheimer’s patients. Some research
suggests that Lemon Balm may destroy certain tumors. Lemon Balm is a mild mosquito repellant when
rubbed on the skin. Lemon Balm is also
used in potpourri.
Lemon Balm has many culinary uses, wherever lemon flavor is
required in cooking it can be substituted for lemon. The essential oils from the plant are used in
a wide variety of things from perfume and cosmetics to furniture polish.
To make a tea with Lemon Balm use about a cup of fresh,
crushed leaves to a pint of boiling water and steep. Use about a teaspoon of dried herb to a cup
of boiling water. Strain and sweeten if
desired. Adult dosage of tea should be
limited to about 4 cups per day, children about a cup. Lemon Balm is available
in the market place as dried herb, extract, essential oil, capsules and
lotions. Follow dosage directions on the
labels.
An old recipe for using Lemon Balm as a cooling drink
includes a bottle of claret wine, a couple cups of crushed lemon balm leaves, a
sliced orange, a half of a sliced, peeled
cucumber, and a half cup of sugar.
All ingredients are mixed together and allowed to steep for a day in a
cool place, then the liquid is strained and poured over ice.
Some Cautions
Before using Lemon Balm preparations on the skin test a small
area of skin for allergies. Pregnant and
nursing women should consult with a doctor before using Lemon Balm. Some medications may interact with Lemon
Balm, in particular thyroid medications, and if you are on any prescription medications you should consult with your
doctor before using Lemon Balm.
Garden myth busting- eggs in the
garden
Have you heard the folk remedy of burying an egg – some say
raw, some say hardboiled- by each tomato plant
to keep them from getting blossom end rot? Or planting eggs in other places for their
superior fertilizing capabilities?
Unfortunately eggs do little for the garden. Eggs break down very, very slowly in
soil. I can tell you from experience
that a whole egg buried in the soil will still be there years later unless
someone cracks it. Egg shells leach out
their minerals, even calcium at a very slow rate also, even if broken up. You would need many pounds of cracked
eggshells to release any significant amount of minerals into the soil.
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| My new St. John's Wort- 'Fiesta' |
Eggshells, even crushed, do not prevent blossom end rot in
tomatoes. We now know that blossom end
rot comes from watering fluctuations in susceptible tomato varieties, not a
calcium deficiency. Even if the shells could release significant
calcium it wouldn’t help the tomatoes.
Plants do not need protein or fats, the other ingredients in
eggs nor could they use them from buried eggs.
Plants make their own proteins and fats.
While it is fine to add eggs or eggshells to the compost heap there is
no fertilizer value to burying them around plants.
Buried eggs will rot and smell- and you will really, really
regret it if you bury a raw egg and it spoils, then bursts if you so much as
nudge it, spraying you with a smell that will send you puking your way out of
the garden. Animals will be attracted
to the garden if you bury eggs there, and can do a lot of damage digging the
eggs up. Egg shells that haven’t been
boiled or baked may also contain salmonella, which could transfer to your hands
or your garden produce and cause you much grief, even death.
Crushed egg shells do not deter slugs and snails. They may attract birds- yes birds love
eggshells- and while they are eating eggshells the birds might eat some snails
and slugs. But then again they may fill
up with eggshells. But crawling over
eggshells doesn’t kill slugs or snails.
They may even hide under your mess of shells.
What about mixing up a bunch of cracked eggs, letting the
mixture ferment and spoil and spraying it on plants to keep away pests? If the pests are human it will sure enough
keep them away. Other animals, not so
much. Many animals like nasty
things. Deer or other herbivores might
be temporarily repelled but the first rain will wash the smell away. And they get used to the smell and ignore
it. And you certainly won’t want that
smell- or taste- on food crops- it could even be hazardous to your health- and
I don’t think most would want it on ornamental plants near the house
either.
Starting seeds in half an egg shell is also a silly
idea. Not only is it difficult to crack
and remove the eggs contents in such a way as to leave a nice shell, the shells
are too small to keep a plant growing for very long. And when you plant the seedling still in the
shell into the ground the shell does not break down fast enough to prevent root
damage and restriction to the seedling.
Your seedlings might grow in spite of your egg binding them but it has
nothing to do with the “helpful” qualities of the eggs.
If you have eggs or eggshells to dispose of break them up
into small pieces and add them to a compost pile. They’ll eventually break down. If you don’t believe me that eggs don’t break
down quickly try an experiment. Bury an
egg in soil, in some way to prevent animals eating them, maybe in a covered
pot, let it sit for a year and then carefully dig it up. Re-bury it and dig it up each year until it’s
gone. Good luck.
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. You can also
ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com
An
interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook
Here’s a
seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
Invitation
If you are a gardener
in Michigan close to Lapeer we invite you to join the Lapeer Area Horticultural
Society. The club meets once a month, 6:30 pm, on the third Monday at various
places for a short educational talk, snacks and socializing with fellow
gardeners. No educational or volunteer requirements for membership, all are
welcome. Membership dues are $20 per year. Come and visit us, sit in on a
meeting for free. Contact
susanmklaffer@yahoo.com Phone
810-664-8912
New- Native Plant Sale, Sat, May 21, 9-11:30am, St Clair
Shores Library, 22500 E 11 Mile Rd, St Clair Shores, MI
Sponsored by
Yardeners at St Clair Shores Library. Attract birds, butterflies & bees
with natives. More information: scsyardeners@gmail.com.
New- MSU Annual Plant
Sale, Sat, May 21,
7am-2pm, MSU Horticulture Gardens, 1066 Bogue St, East Lansing, MI
Annuals, perennials,
shrubs, vegetables, herbs, houseplants, hanging baskets, & combo pots. For more info: www.hrt.msu.edu.
New- Annual Perennial Plant
Sale Sat, May 28, 10am-1pm,
1535 N Hickory Rd, Owosso, MI
Sponsored by
Shaiwassee Co. Master Gardeners. Plants for both shade & sun with expert
gardeners to answer questions. More
info: joannemkenyon@yahoo.com.
New- Novi Spring
Perennial Exchange Sat, May 28, 9am-Noon, Fuerst Park, 45175 10 Mile
Rd, Novi, MI
Sponsored by Novi
Beautification Commission at Fuerst Park. FREE. Perennial exchange. Bring
plants to share and make new gardening friends. 248-735-5621.
New- Mushroom
Cultivation Sat, May 21, 10am, 132 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI.
Sponsored by The
Greening of Detroit at Lafayette Greens. Take this 2 hour class to learn how to
cultivate mushrooms. More info: education@greeningofdetroit.com.
44th Annual Spring Plant Sale Tue,
May 10, 10am-7pm, and 10am-2pm,
Wed. May 11, Cranbrook House and
Gardens, 380 Lone Pine Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
Herbs, tropicals,
perennials, native plants/wildflowers & more. For more information www.housegardens.cranbrook.edu.
Kitchen Favorites Herb Sale Sat, Sun., May 14,-15, 10am-4:30pm, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor.
Herbs, containers
& heirlooms. Herb study group on hand to answer questions. More
information- www.mbgna.umich.edu.
Harnessing Mother Nature’s
Workforce—Beneficial Insects Fri, May 20, 9:15 am, Meadow Brook Hall, 480 S Adams
Rd, Rochester, MI
Learn to recognize
& maximize Mother Nature’s natural pest control. Sponsored by MBGC at
Meadow Brook Hall. Cost $5. For more info call 248‑364‑6210, or MBHGCMembers@gmail.com.
Here’s a facebook page link for
gardeners in the Lapeer area. This link
has a lot of events listed on it.
Here’s a
link to all the nature programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in
Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/
Here’s a
link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road,
North Branch.
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 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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