June 28,
2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter © Kim Willis
Hi Gardeners
 |
| Asiatic lily hybrid 'Black Eye' |
I apologize for the newsletter being a day later than usual. It may be just a hobby but I like to keep a
schedule. My husband was hospitalized over
the weekend and my schedule vanished. He’s
home and doing well today. It’s amazing how life can change in just
minutes. We should always keep that in
mind and learn to enjoy life.
The drought here in Michigan is starting to make plants suffer. Even our back yard is brown now. I have been spending lots of time trying to
get water everywhere. You water and
weeds also grow but you don’t have time to weed because all your time is spent
watering. It’s a vicious cycle. (There are watering tips at the end of the
newsletter.) We may get rain late Thursday and early Friday but I am thinking
the chances don’t look good for any good soaking rain which we really
need. And by mid-week next week
temperatures are expected to get hot again.
In the garden my lilies are starting to make lots of color, the
hydrangeas are beginning to bloom, beebalm is starting to bloom. The blueberries are actually starting to
ripen, which seems very early. I also
have raspberries almost ripe. Blackberries however are just beginning bloom
and setting fruit. The corn is knee high, at least. Tomatoes are ripening well, getting several a
week now. The catalpa tree is beginning to bloom and I see elderberries are blooming
everywhere.
I love to take flower pictures and when my camera broke I had to get a
new one. I don’t like to use cell phones
for picture taking. My new camera is a
more professional one and it has a nice large zoom feature which will let me
take more pictures of birds and wildlife from farther away. I am still getting used to it though. I think the color of flowers looks different
than with the old camera - I don’t know how that can be- but I will keep
working with it. It doesn’t slip in my
pocket like the old camera but I’m hoping the other features will make up for
that. Here’s a practice picture of a
starling eating mulberries.
I have had an epic fail in gardening this year. I have planted lettuce- butter head and
romaine 4 times this year and I still do not have lettuce. I have never had trouble with lettuce. Usually I have lettuce way before tomatoes. I used seed from 3 different sources too,
several varieties, all fresh. I planted in 4 different spots. They just didn’t sprout. The first batch was in a container in my
little greenhouse, the rest in the garden.
I think the soil was too warm for germination but in all my years of
gardening- and there are many of them- I have never had lettuce fail to sprout
after 4 attempts. It just goes to show
you that gardening is always a gamble and even old timers can have garden
failures. I’ll try again in the
fall.
Snapdragons- Old fashioned Fun
Snapdragons are colorful old fashioned flowers that deserve
a place in your garden. They make colorful bedding plants, and the trailing
types make wonderful additions to containers and baskets. Snapdragons also make
excellent cut flowers. Grow a few rows
of long stemmed varieties if you like flower arranging.
Snapdragons are favorites for children’s gardens. If you pluck a flower off a snapdragon and
pinch the sides of the blossom, you can make the dragon open its lips and
snap. Even the name delights children.
Snapdragons are really short lived perennials but in
northern areas are usually grown as annuals.
In a protected area or when mulched, some snapdragons will surprise you
and return for another year even in zone 5.
Snapdragons come in every color of the rainbow from white to
almost black, and in every combination imaginable. Most snapdragons have the familiar pursed
lips look, but some newer varieties have open, funnel shaped flowers. There are
also double flowered varieties. The flowers grow on spikes and the plants will
bloom for a long time if they are prevented from going to seed. The leaves of the snapdragon are long and
narrow.
Growing Snapdragons
Snapdragons are easy to grow from seed. You can sow the seed where you want them to
grow or you can start plants inside for faster flowers. Sow the fine seed in flats or pots about six
weeks before your last frost is expected.
The seeds need light to germinate so they should just be sprinkled on
the soil surface and pressed down lightly.
Snapdragons started inside should not be put outside until the danger of
frost has passed. Most garden centers
sell snapdragon plants but a wider variety is available from seed.
Snapdragons are a cool weather plant. They will survive light frosts and continue
to bloom until hot weather arrives in late spring. In most areas snapdragons will bloom in the
spring and early summer, then as the weather gets warm, cut them back to a few
inches. In fall they should bloom again
for a second show. Cool summers will
keep snapdragons blooming all season.
In the garden old-fashioned long stemmed snapdragon
varieties may need to be staked so they don’t flop over. These types are the
best for cut flowers, so you may want to go to the trouble. Some pieces of brush can be stuck in the
ground that the plants can grow up and through, which will help support them. There are shorter, more compact varieties on
the market for gardeners and even some dwarf varieties that make colorful
bedding plants. There are also trailing
varieties of snapdragons for containers and baskets.
Plant your snapdragons in full sun. Space plants about 8 ’’ apart for compact
varieties and a little further for long stemmed types. Snapdragons do best in light soil and suffer
in heavy clay soil. Keep them well watered.
Fertilize snapdragons with a slow release flower fertilizer when you
plant them, and if you want a second round of flowers after you cut them back,
fertilize them again as new growth starts.
Keep the developing seed pods plucked off if you want a long season of
bloom. If you do let them go to seed
they will often spread freely.
When selecting snapdragons for cut flowers use scissors and
don’t tug on the plant. The plants break
off at the base quite easily and you may lose the plant.
Snapdragons may get aphids, which stunt growth and distort
the flowers. Look for small, fat bodied
insects which hide in flowers and in leaf joints. The leaves may look yellow and ants may be on
the plants to feed on the aphid’s secretions.
Wash them off with insecticidal soap or use an insecticide. Snapdragons can get several fungal diseases,
especially in warm, humid periods. Water
only at the base of plants if possible, and always early in the day so plants
dry quickly. If the problem is severe, cut back the foliage to a few inches and
hope conditions have improved when the plants re-grow.
If you want to try and over-winter snapdragons, wait until
the temperatures are falling to the 20’s at night, cut the foliage back to a
few inches, and mulch heavily. Remove the mulch when the danger of hard frost
is over in the spring, the plants will withstand light frost.
Some varieties
The Rocket series produces wonderful snapdragons for cut
flowers in the home garden. Cascadia series produces the trailing snaps for
baskets and container planting. Sonnet
hybrids have compact, wind resistant plants.
Frosted Sunset offers variegated leaves as well as a range of warm,
vibrant colors. Black Prince is an old
variety with dark foliage and crimson flowers.
Night and Day has deep red-black lips and white outer parts.
How to Grow a Catalpa or Catawba tree
You may know it as catalpa, Catawba, Indian Bean, Cigar
tree, or Fish Bait tree but chances are if you live in the United States, you
have seen this unique tree. Catalpa is a
true tree of the people, surviving in all kinds of conditions from polluted
cities to windswept prairies. Native
Americans utilized the Catawba long before settlers arrived in the New
World. But the settlers soon recognized
the value of the catalpa and carried it with them across the country. With catalpa’s ability to survive most
conditions and grow rapidly, and it’s bonus of beautiful, fragrant flowers, it
was the pioneer’s choice of trees to plant on a new homestead.
For fast shade in rough conditions, catalpa is a good
choice. Farmers plant catalpa for the
wood, which makes strong, lightweight, rot-resistant fence posts. It makes a nice specimen tree with showy
flowers at a time few other trees are blooming.
There are two recognized species of catalpa or Catawba tree
in North America, Southern Catalpa, C. bignonioides, and Northern Catalpa, C.
speciosa. There are only subtle
differences in the two and they have both been planted far outside their
natural ranges. Both catalpas are hardy
in Michigan to zone 4, both have large, heart-shaped leaves, fragrant white
flowers splashed with yellow and purple, and long skinny seed pods resembling
bean pods. The Southern Catalpa is a slightly
smaller tree, with the leaves growing in a whorled pattern rather than opposite
each other as in the Northern Catalpa.
The leaves of some Northern Catalpas may be lobed. Catalpa ovata, Chinese Catalpa, is a small
tree, with lobed leaves. The creamy
yellow flowers are also a bit smaller, and produced later in the summer. They are hard to find.
The white flowers of the Northern and Southern Catalpa tree
are large, frilly and orchid-like. They
are marked with purple dots and yellow patches, no two seemed to be marked
quite alike. When catalpa trees bloom in
June or July, the sweet scent of the flowers can be almost over powering. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds flock to
the flowers. It’s quite a show for a
week or two, and then all of the flowers are shed, making the ground under them
look like a summer snowfall has occurred. The flowers turn into purple, then
green, and then brown narrow pods, up to a foot long. They may hang in the trees all winter. In the
fall or following spring the pods release hundred of flat seeds. If birds do not eat them they turn into more
catalpa trees in every corner of the yard.
The catalpa tree is slow to leaf out in the spring, but when
it does, it produces a deep shade. The leaves of catalpa are large, up to a
foot long in some cases. Usually they
are medium green, slightly lighter and downy on the underside. Purple and golden leaved varieties
exist.
Growing Catalpa
While catalpas seem to pop up everywhere when you have a
tree in the yard, the seeds seem to be a little tricky to germinate. If you cannot find a small catalpa tree to
purchase and have access to seeds, sow them in an outside bed of well prepared
soil in late fall or very early spring, cover lightly, and let nature do the
work. Catalpas transplant fairly easily
when small. Catalpas will grow almost
anywhere, in any kind of soil, but they need full sun and fairly regular
moisture. They will not grow in poorly
drained areas. They grow quite rapidly
when young. A catalpa tree in a good
spot may add 2 foot of growth a year and trees bloom young, as early as six
years of age.
Catalpa trees do have some disadvantages in the home
landscape however. The trees are messy,
shedding flowers, large leaves, and seed pods abundantly. Some people are allergic to the pollen of
catalpa flowers and the scent really bothers some sensitive people. In the south catalpas are also host to large
green and yellow caterpillars in great numbers, the larvae of the Catalpa
Sphinx moth, the reason for one of catalpas folk names. Many a southern fisherperson has planted
Catawba trees just to get the bait worms.
But for other folk these caterpillars are a big disadvantage, raining
down green droppings and defoliating the trees.
They can be controlled with insect sprays when they first hatch. These worms have not been a problem in
Michigan.
Catalpa trees often become infected with verticillium wilt,
a fungal disease that causes large parts of the tree to die. Catalpas tend to shoot up suckers from the
roots, and side shoots from the trunk, and few ever totally die, but they look
unsightly and need constant trimming of dead areas. There is no real cure, but fertilizing with a
high nitrogen fertilizer helps the tree keep growing. If you remove the tree, don’t replace it
with another catalpa tree in the same area as the disease remains in the soil.
If people in the household frequently suffer from seasonal
allergies, a catalpa tree might not be a good landscape choice, as the flower
pollen is quite allergenic. The roots of
catalpa are poisonous. The sawdust from
working with catalpa wood can cause inhalant and skin allergy symptoms. For that reason it would probably not be good
to use catalpa wood chips or shavings as animal bedding. The seedpods and seeds of catalpa contain a
mild narcotic and sedative and should not be put in the mouth or consumed.
Diatomaceous earth in the garden
Diatomaceous earth is another product that like Epsom salt
has gained almost mythical status, a magical product that is at once completely
harmless and yet miraculously effective against a wide range of garden and home
pests. There are also claims that
diatomaceous earth can perform human and animal medical miracles. While diatomaceous earth is not a miracle
product, unlike Epsom salts it does have some good uses in the garden and home. It’s important to understand what
diatomaceous earth is, and what science has shown to be effective use of it
before using it.
What diatomaceous earth is
Diatomaceous earth is soft rock formed from fossilized
remains of small algae called diatoms.
It’s mined and ground into various sized particles. Diatomaceous earth deposits occur in many
places around the world and each site may produce diatomaceous earth with
slightly different mineral contents but all diatomaceous earth is about 80% silica,
which makes it a close cousin to sand.
In commerce diatomaceous earth (DE) is given various labels
depending on its particle size and whether it’s from freshwater or saltwater
diatoms and whether it’s been exposed to high heat and crystallized. When you are using DE around the home and
garden you should always choose food grade DE.
This is DE that has not been exposed to high heat.
How DE affects other living things
DE is classified as a pesticide. That means it works to kill or repel insects
and some other invertebrate animals, it has no effects on disease or weeds. For vertebrate animals such as humans
consuming small amounts of DE is harmless. (Consuming a lot of DE can cause
bowel blockage.) The USDA lets stored grain be treated with DE and any residual
passed into products made from that grain is considered totally safe.
However breathing in DE dust can affect the lungs of people and
other animals exposed to it. The type of
DE that has been exposed to heat and crystallized is the most harmful, that
type is often sold for pool filters and should never be used in the home or
garden. But there are some crystals in
all DE and over time or after heavy exposure to DE lung damage can occur from
any DE. When using DE one should always wear a face mask.
How DE works as a pesticide
DE works to dehydrate soft bodied insects and other
invertebrates. It does this by absorbing
the waxy coating insects have on their bodies that prevents water loss. There is also some mechanical damage by the
sharp corners of the DE particles. Breathing may be made harder for pests by
being covered in DE dust. Most soft
bodied insects, slugs, worms and caterpillars are also repelled by DE- they
avoid contact with it.
Many hard shelled insects such as beetles have a larval
stage that is soft skinned and so DE may work to control those insects
too. Gardeners should remember that DE
is non-selective, that is it kills or repels beneficial insects and invertebrates
as well as pests. Pollinators, including bees, are often repelled or killed by the use of
DE. Using DE on blooming plants
often decreases pollination and may decrease crop yields.
DE is much less effective as an insect killer or repellant
in humid, moist conditions. It does not dissolve or soften in water but water
coating it makes it less able to absorb oils from pests and critters with
plenty of access to moisture do not dehydrate quickly. It also blows away from
treated areas easily.
DE that is applied to plant foliage has been shown to decrease
photosynthesis and can decrease plant vigor and growth. That is especially true if the DE has been
mixed with things to make it stick to the plant foliage.
What are effective uses for DE
In the garden the best use for DE may be as a barrier. A two inch band of DE around plants will help
keep away snails and slugs although any on the plants when the DE band is
applied probably won’t be affected. Research
results have been mixed on the snail/slug repellant or killer actions of DE on
these pests. If conditions are very
moist DE won’t be as effective.
A band of DE could be placed around plants at the base to
deter cutworms. Bands of DE can be
placed around fruit tree trunks to deter some caterpillars that migrate from
soil to tree. Tree trunks have been
coated with a band of sticky material which is then coated with DE to deter
climbing insect pests. These bands on
soil or trunks must be re-applied frequently. DE works best in dry weather and
in humid rainy conditions will be of little use.
DE can be used as a dust on non-blooming plants to control
some caterpillars and other insects like aphids. It probably shouldn’t be used on blooming
plants because it may kill pollinators attracted to the plants and if pollinators
are repelled by DE it will cause a loss of fruit or seeds if that is desired
from those plants. It has been proven
that the DE dust can be carried back to hives and nests on insects where it
will affect immature stages of insects. Once
again DE as a dust works best in dry conditions.
Home remedies often involve recipes that mix DE with other
substances to make it stick better to plant foliage. While this could make it a little more effective
these mixtures often inhibit plant respiration and photosynthesis. And they are also likely to increase the
chances of beneficial insects being killed.
In the home DE has been found to be somewhat effective in
helping- in conjunction with other pesticides- to control fleas, cockroaches
and bedbugs. The DE dust is added to
cracks and crevices, under rugs and mattresses to help kill and repel these
pests. It flushes them from hiding
because they are uncomfortable and need to find water and makes them easier to
kill with other pesticides. It may kill
some larval stages. It takes a long time
to decrease a population of fleas, roaches or bedbugs with DE and using DE
alone has not been found effective to totally eliminate a population.
Stored food products such as grains can be protected from
insect pests with DE and as stated before this use is safe for human or animal
consumption. The reason that DE works
well to control grain insects is that these products are stored in very dry
conditions. If you dry beans and grains
you may want to mix in some DE. You can also
add DE to stored bird feed to help prevent grain moths and other pests. Seeds saved for planting can also be treated
with DE.
The best uses for DE are often when they are combined with
other pesticides such as pyrethrums. Of course this makes them no longer organic
or natural but these mixtures can be very effective, working with a one-two
punch, dehydration making the uptake of pesticides more likely. Some mixtures also contain attractants like
molasses or cornmeal to get insects to consume the mixture, and this can work
well with flying pests to control adults as well as the larval stages.
What DE doesn’t do
DE doesn’t control or cure plant diseases. DE is not fertilizer and does not help plants
grow. In fact as stated above it may
inhibit plant growth. It doesn’t work
well mixed in soil to prevent things like grubs, because soil is usually
moist. Therefore it does little to
control Japanese beetles and rose chafers.
DE does not control ticks, despite many internet claims;
research has proven it is not effective.
It does not control mosquitoes.
It does not control ants – ants have evolved in sandy locations- and
deal with dryness well. If fly larvae come in contact with DE they may be
killed but the idea of feeding DE to animals so that there will be DE in their
manure and that would kill fly larvae has been proven to be at the most, only
marginally effective.
DE will not deter snakes, rabbits or deer any more than sand
would. Spiders are unlikely to come in
contact with it or be deterred.
Here is another use of DE that is widely circulated and
believed but has been proven not to be effective. DE fed to animals or humans does not kill
intestinal parasites to any appreciable degree.
Most scientific studies found only a slight difference or no difference between
DE treated animals and control animals in the amount of parasites they had. And DE is not very effective for controlling
lice and mites on poultry or livestock either, unless it’s mixed with other
pesticides. And there is no evidence and
no logical reason that DE can do things like lower cholesterol, cure arthritis,
prevent baldness and cure disease.
When you consider using any product in the home or garden it’s
important to understand the difference between scientific proof and
testimonials. Testimonials are people’s
stories of something they used that seemed to work for their particular problem. Whether the applied product was what caused a
cure or change or some other factor was involved is rarely considered. If you
had a headache and ate some strawberries and it went away it could be that the
strawberries cured the headache but then eating any food might have helped. Any number of other things could also have
played a part in your cure. To then claim strawberries cure headaches is a big
stretch and an invalid assumption.
Testimonials are often fabricated by companies selling a
product and they also spread widely on the internet, often by people who have
no experience using the product, just passing along something they read. Testimonials
appear in many garden magazines and on line sites that seem responsible but
once again, the articles are just passing along personal experience or worse
repeating what they have heard from someone else. Over time an effective simple use for a
product gets misunderstood, mistranslated, exaggerated and has assumptions made
about it and suddenly it’s magic!
So that you can do some research on your own and to support
my own writing/ reasoning here are some links to research on DE.
Garden Watering Tips for a dry summer
For some of you reading this worrying about watering may
seem like a joke. I am sorry if you are flooded out; you have your own special
problems. But many parts of Michigan are experiencing a drought this
summer. Unfortunately there is an old
saying that drought brings drought. As
weather systems pass over dry land they lose strength and little rain falls. Your garden and lawn may be suffering and
need supplemental water. Here’s a review
of best watering practices for home gardens.
Flower gardens
Even plants that are said to be drought tolerant are
starting to suffer after weeks of basically dry conditions and high heat. If you are on sandy soil your garden is going
to suffer if you don’t have regular irrigation. Even clay based soils will become very dry
after weeks of inadequate rainfall.
If you notice plants wilting, you should water them. Initially plants may only wilt in the heat of
the day and then recover in cooler times of the day. But when you see wilting it’s time to
water. Water with a sprinkler or by hand
but give the garden about an inch of water each time. If watering is difficult
you may want to give 2 inches so it won’t have to be done as often. Use a rain gauge
or mark an inch on a small flat can to check for how long to run sprinklers.
Watering with a hose can be deceptive. You think you have given the plant a lot of
water if you stand there for a few seconds but only the top thin layer of soil
may have gotten wet. Try counting to 60
slowly as you water a larger plant, shrub or tree. It will seem a lot longer than you normally
water. Then check the soil. Is it wet at least 2 inches down? If not count again and repeat until you know
how long it takes. Deep watering will
not have to be done as often.
Perennial plants need a good soaking at least once a
week. Plants that are in flower may need
more to keep up a good bloom show. Perennials that prefer moist areas will need
watering more than once a week and when temperatures get over 90 degrees may
need watering every other day.
Annuals need watering more frequently as a rule than
perennials as their root systems are small and they grow faster and are
constantly blooming. In temperatures
above 90 degrees they may need daily watering.
Since their root systems don’t go deep, frequent shallow watering is the
most helpful for them.
Hanging baskets and containers will probably need watering
every day, twice a day may be necessary to keep them fresh and growing. Check before watering of course, because even
in the heat some containers can be over watered. When it is very hot, sunny and windy you may
want to pull containers and baskets into a shady area.
Vegetable gardens
If you want food crops to grow they need water. Try to avoid letting plants wilt, each time a
plant wilts and then recovers weakens it.
Corn leaves roll up instead of wilt when water deprived. Water content affects the flavor and quality
of many vegetables, without adequate water many vegetables get bitter or less
sweet. Nutritional value also decreases.
Water vegetable gardens regularly if it doesn’t rain. Try to give at least an inch of water to
gardens in clay soil, 2 inches for those in sandy soil. Mulch may help hold water, but make sure when
you water dry mulch that water is getting through that stuff to the soil. In some cases you may want to actually reduce
the depth of mulch on gardens so that water you give plants isn’t soaked up by
the mulch.
Lawns
If water is rationed lawns are the last place you should use
it. Cool season turf grass that we grow
here in Michigan can go brown and dormant and survive. However after a month when less than 2 inches
of rain have fallen, you should water the lawn deeply at least once to keep the
grass alive. If you are on sandy soil or
have little topsoil for the grass roots you’ll want to water at least every
other week. Give lawns an inch of water
when you do water.
If you want your lawn to stay green through the drought,
daily watering may be needed when temperatures are above 90 degrees. When you walk on the lawn and you can see
your footprints 15 minutes later the lawn needs water if it is to remain green. You may be able to water every other day in hot
weather if your soil is good.
Trees and shrubs
Trees and shrubs are often overlooked when we water other
landscape plants. Newly planted trees
and shrubs need to be watered if they wilt or at least once a week they need to
be soaked. But even mature trees and
shrubs suffer in drought and high heat.
Trees may yellow, wilt or drop leaves but sometimes they suffer silently
and the drought damage shows up when they fail to survive the winter or grow
poorly the next year.
Water stress in woody plants often leads to higher than
normal insect damage and feeding insects bring diseases. One way to water mature trees and shrubs is
to lay a hose somewhere under the tree canopy and let it run at a trickle for
several hours. You can also fill a 5
gallon or larger container with water, put a couple small holes near the bottom
and let it slowly water the plant.
Other considerations when watering
As far as harming the plants it doesn’t hurt to water in the
middle of the day if that’s when you can do it.
You will lose water to evaporation but the leaves of the plants will not
burn. Try to water early enough in the
evening so that the plants dry before darkness.
When plant foliage stays wet a long time in hot weather it’s a perfect
set up for fungal disease.
Areas near pavement, rocks and buildings or fences that
reflect light and heat need special consideration in watering. You may need to water these areas more
frequently than you water other places.
No matter what kind of water we give plants, well water or
city water, it doesn’t seem as if it’s as good for them as rain. That may not
be scientific, but many gardeners feel the same way. Try to save any rain water that falls with
rain barrels and use it to water your plants.
If you only have small numbers of plants to water run water into a tub
or bucket and allow it to warm up before watering plants. Cold water may be part of the difference
between hose water and rain.
Try to water plants at their base if you can. Soaker hose and drip irrigation systems save
you money and water. Aim sprinklers so
that they water plants and not driveways and paths. Don’t let sprinkling
systems run longer than they are needed, if water runs off the area or stands
in puddles you are using too much water.
Consider diverting gray water if it is allowed in your area to water
non- food plants. Gray water is laundry
and sink water.
Don’t forget to top off water features and ornamental ponds
with fresh water often and keep the bird bath full.
Hopefully Michigan’s weather pattern will shift and normal
rainfall will return. Until then give
your plants a drink.
Keep watering, rain dances appreciate. Have a good 4th
of July celebration.
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
For Sale: After the 4th of July I will have
baby parakeets for sale, hatched this spring $15 each. They are not hand fed. Beautiful colors, lutino, (yellow) and shades
of pale green, olive green, and sea green.
Some I can sex now, others are a guess.
You’ll need to bring your own cage.
Parakeets are active birds that are a lot of fun to watch. Call after the 4th at
989-761-7609.
Also for sale after
the 4th Muscovy ducklings, black laced, about a month old, fine to
be without mom but you must buy at least 2.
Two for $20, each additional $8.
Can’t be sexed yet. Call the
number above after the 4th .
Muscovy are flying ducks, large sized and make good meat ducks. They do not quack- and are very quiet.
2016 MKPC Pond & Water Garden
Tour-Sat, July 16,
10am-5pm, The Village Workshop, 455 E Cady St, Northville, MI.
The
Michigan Koi and Pond Club tour starts at The Village Workshop. Tour at your
own pace. Rain or shine. More info: www.mkpc-se.com.
Master Gardeners of St Clair County
Annual Garden Tour- Sat,
July 16, 10am-4pm, Marysville, MI.
This tour
sponsored by Master Gardeners of St Clair County takes place at 9 diverse
gardens. Cost is $15. For more info: gina92pj@comcast.net.
Or 586-727-2563.
42nd Annual Troy Garden Walk: Poetic
Gardens- Wed, July
13, 9:30am-3pm and 5pm-8:30pm, Troy
Historic Village, 60 W Wattles Rd, Troy, MI.
Tour 7
private gardens and the Troy Historic Village for only $10. More Info: www.TroyGardenClubMI.com, 248-952-5938
Native Plants & Beneficial
Insects, Tue, July
19, 6:30-8:30pm, MSU Tollgate Education Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook
Rd, Novi, MI
Pollinator
Preservation Strategies for the Home Garden: Native Plants and Their Unique
Relationships with Beneficial Insects
Want to
help out our native pollinators and other beneficial insects? Through plant
selection, garden design and maintenance protocols, we can provide a haven not
only for our beautiful butterflies and moths but also other critical beneficial
species, from bees to beetles. Cheryl English, speaker, is an Advanced Master
Gardener of Wayne County, Michigan; a Master Composter of Macomb County; the
owner/operator of Black Cat Pottery/The English Landscape, a contributing
writer to Michigan Gardener Magazine; a board member of the Wildflower
Association of Michigan; she’s on the planning committee of the Detroit Garden
Center; and is President Emeritus of the Master Gardeners of Greater Detroit.
Cost is $25. More info: http://tollgate.msu.edu/events.
New- MSU
Garden Day Sat,
August 6, 8am-4:15 pm, MSU Horticulture Gardens, 1066 Bogue St, East Lansing,
MI
At this
conference you will be able to select your favorite garden-themed workshops and
enjoy two keynote presentations by David Culp. Pre- registration is $86 until
7/25 Go to http://www.hrt.msu.edu. To see
the class selections and register.
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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