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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

November 15, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


 © Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used without permission.

Hi Gardeners

It’s another one of those nice fall days, really nice for November.  Gizzy and I went for a walk earlier to visit the neighbor’s horses a minute and see what was blooming still. I still have an iris blooming, a few roses, mums, and bacopa.  I can hope that the weather will continue all winter but I sense the end is near and more traditional November weather will soon be on us.

Super Beaver moon
I have been doing little winter prep things, taking plastic nozzles and fixtures off the hoses and putting away some hoses. I have been putting plastic on spots in the chicken coop, putting away lawn furniture and tomato cages.  Steve has been using his new chain saw to cut down sapling trees in bad spots and trim the oaks.

In the last few years we had deer eating up one side of our arborvitaes, the side away from the road they border. They also devour an evergreen euonymus bush on one side each winter.  This year we put up some deer netting around the trees and shrubs.  I added some tiny blinking red solar lights around the arborvitaes.  They cost less than $20 and won’t cost anything to operate.  I don’t know if they will be a deterrent but deer are said to not like flashing red lights as they remind them of predators.  I’ll report later this winter and tell you if they helped the problem.

My neighbors probably think I’m nuts what with the blinking red lights and the purple and multicolored lights I have strung up in other places.  They are all solar lights. But I like them.  I’ll probably add more.  They don’t give off enough light to disturb the plants and they light the paths for me if I’m out at night. 

Did you get out and look at the super Beaver moon?  If you go out tonight you’ll still get a pretty good show. The moon won’t look this large again until 2034.  I got some pictures as you see in the opening picture.

I stole this picture from a site offering rose
seeds.  This rose doesn't exist.
Should you grow roses from seed?

I am seeing posts on line again from people asking about planting rose seeds, usually this involves seeds sold on some internet site filled with vividly colored but fake rose pictures. Here’s the scoop on rose seeds.

Yes you can grow roses from seed.  That’s how we get many new varieties.  But it isn’t easy and what you get from the seeds is a wild card.  If you want a particular type of rose you are much better off buying a plant or starting a cutting.  People who breed roses and plant the seeds to develop new varieties wait 2 -3 years for them to bloom, and then evaluate the young rose bushes, choosing the best ones and disposing of the rest.  Any roses that have potential are then reproduced from cuttings so the new plant will look like the parent.

Roses don’t come true to type from seed.  That is they won’t look like the rose the seeds were gathered from most of the time.  Most roses don’t self-pollinate- they need pollen from another rose to make seed.  If you plant two American Beauty roses next to each other they may pollinate each other and the plants grown from the seeds may have flowers that look like American Beauty roses- or they may not - because the parents are hybrids and there are some hidden genes in there that allow a variety of flower colors and types to come up.

So what, you say.  I’ll take whatever rose grows.  And that may work if the seeds were gathered from a rose grown on its own roots that is hardy in your area.  But a great many roses on the market, especially tea roses, (the types with the pointed bud you buy from a florist), are grafted onto hardy rootstock. The seedlings you plant may not survive the winter in your area. 

Sure you could also grow some hardy roses, picking varieties that are compatible for grafting and graft your seedling roses on them – maybe before you even see them bloom and decide if you like them- but that’s a lot of work.  It could be a fun hobby, but if you just want some pretty roses buy plants.

If the roses the seed is collected from are usually grown on their own roots and those roots survive winter in your area, then you may successfully grow rose plants from seed.  Roses grown on their own roots are usually noted in catalogs and they include some of the landscape type roses and some older heirloom roses.  If you don’t see the words- “grown on own roots or root hardy” in a rose description chances are pretty high it’s a grafted rose.

If you think you need those rose seeds because you can’t find roses with that beautiful blue color or that lovely rainbow blend of colors in the catalogs or stores think again.  Those colors don’t exist.  The pictures are photo shopped or the roses dyed. 

The short story is it’s not practical or smart to buy rose seeds on line. Plants and even cuttings are much more likely to give you what you want.  Roses are not that expensive. I don’t think I have ever seen a reputable nursery selling rose seed.  If you want to experiment and the seeds are cheap go for it.  Just know what you’re getting- probably not a rose like the picture- and that it may be a year or two before you get a small plant to bloom if it survives the winter.

Rex Begonias

Rex begonias are a great plant to brighten up the winter.  As a houseplant their colorful foliage will add zest to the windowsill.  And they can be moved outside in summer to bring color to shady containers and baskets.

Rex begonias have large leaves, generally pointed, although rounded and other shaped leaves are not uncommon.  The leaves are thick and wrinkled looking and come in a variety of stunning colors and patterns.  Some plants can reach a foot high and some plants have been bred that stay quite small.

Rex begonias are great collectors plants because there are hundreds of varieties for sale.  You’ll have a hard time picking just one plant to grow.



Growing conditions

Rex begonias are relatively easy to grow except for one requirement.  They need humid conditions to keep leaves from getting crispy edges and eventually falling off.  If you have a well-lit bathroom rex begonias may thrive there.  They may also do well over the kitchen sink. 

If you don’t use a humidifier in the house in the winter you can place the rex begonia in a shallow tray of water with stones or marbles in the bottom to keep the pot bottom above the water line.  Grouping rex begonias with other plants also helps with humidity.  Misting the plants doesn’t work well as rex begonias will get spots on the leaves from water sitting on them.



Rex begonias like bright light but not direct sunlight.  An east or north windowsill will generally work or place them about a foot away from a south or west window. Good, strong light brings out the best leaf color.  In the summer outside they need partial shade.  Rex begonias can also be grown under artificial light.

Plant the rex begonia in good, light potting soil or use an African violet soil.  Keep the soil moist but don’t let the pot get waterlogged. While Rex begonias like moisture and humidity their roots also need some air.

Fertilize lightly beginning in March through September, maybe once a month. Don’t over fertilize, as foliage plants, rex begonias don’t need much fertilizer. Keep dead leaves picked off.  Plants may go through a period of adjustment when moved, especially from a humid greenhouse or from outdoors into a drier indoor location.  Some plants will even go dormant.

If the rex begonia does seem to drop all its leaves and die down to soil level all may not be lost.  Put the pot in a clear plastic bag and set it out of direct light for a few weeks.  Check from time to time to see how moist the soil is and add a little water if it is very dry.  After a month or so- or sooner if you notice new growth, take the plant out into bright light and resume watering.

Like most begonias, rex begonias flower.  However this species of begonia does not have very showy flowers and you will probably want to clip out the flower stems that peek out from the center so the plant concentrates on producing its showy leaves.  I am a lazy person when it comes to trimming flowers however and I still have nice plants.

Rex Begonia propagation

Rex begonias are one of the few plants that propagate readily through the leaves.  You can remove a young leaf and stem and insert the stem into a moist pot of planting medium.  Place the pot in a clear plastic bag in bright indirect light and keep moist.  Wait for a new plant to form at the leaf base. Or you can get many plants from one leaf using this method.

Find a wide container that a large leaf can lay flat on.  Flip a rex begonia leaf over and make small cuts across several of the large veins.  Don’t cut all the way through the leaf.  With a cotton swab rub some rooting powder- found in houseplant supplies- on each cut. 

Fill the container with moist potting medium.  Place the leaf on it cut side down and weigh down the leaf with small pebbles, metal nuts or some other small item so that the cut vein contacts the soil.  Place in a clear plastic bag in bright indirect light and wait for new plants to form at the leaf surface by each cut.

These wonderful plants are a great way to share plants between several plant lovers.  Each gardener can buy a different variety and start new plants to trade with other gardeners.  Even if you keep all of your plant babies you’ll enjoy the color the rex begonia brings to dull plant collections.



Cattails, the world’s most useful plant

What better plant to talk about than cattails during Native American recognition month and a month when we see Native Americans and other Americans fighting to save the water, the home of cattails? Cattails are also protectors of water, filtering out heavy metals and other impurities, stabilizing banks and shorelines and are heavily invested in the food cycle of wetlands. Muskrats and other aquatic animals feed on cattails and birds use the fluff in nests. Fish, frogs, aquatic insects and other small pond critters use cattails for hiding places, food and homes.  Over time cattails will help nature in her work of succession, turning wetlands into dry lands but wherever there is fresh water you will find cattails.
Cattails, the swamp supermarket

The cattail is found throughout North America, wherever there is a wet spot. There are three species of cattails in North America: common cattail, (Typha latifolia),  Narrow Leaved Cattail, T. angustifolia, and  T. domingensis a southern species that ranges down to South America. Cattails are also found in almost every corner of the world in the form of one species or another. Cattails have a long, long association with humans; archeological evidence shows us that humans used cattails 30,000 years ago.

The cattail has many common names throughout the world.  Common names on this continent include: bulrush, tule, punks, reedmace, and corndog plant.

Plant Description

Common cattails, (Typha latifolia), are perennial plants that develop large root systems, but die to the ground each winter.  The cattail root or rhizome is a series of bulbs connected by underground stems.  The leaves are long, 6 feet or so, and strap-like, spongy and fibrous, arranged alternately and basal (arise from the base of the plant).  There is a central stem from which the flower head will arise.  When leaves are pulled a white jelly like substance will weep out.

Most people have learned to identify this plant by its “fruit”  the firm brown cylindrical mass on a tall stem, that when ripe and  broken open yields massive amounts of white fluff. Narrow Leaved Cattail has very small, pencil sized seed wands, (as well as narrow leaves), and is favored in floral arrangements. 

Cattails are wind pollinated. The cattail plant develops a two tiered flower in late spring; the familiar brown, rounded cylinder that persists into fall is a compacted group of the female flowers.  On top of that is a similar looking yellowish cylinder of male flowers that produces abundant pollen in early summer.  The male flowers dry up to a “ stick” at the top of the plump brown cattail ‘wand” that develops.  The “wand” is a compacted mass of tiny seeds, each connected to a bit of fluff.  Late in the fall and winter the weather will break up the mass, dispersing the seeds on their bit of fluff in the wind or floating on the water.

Cattails grow in full sun in areas where there is standing water or very wet soil.  They can grow up to 10 foot tall (T. angustifolia about 3 feet tall) to get their flowering parts out of the water, but if the water is much deeper than 6-7 feet they generally don’t colonize that area. They are capable of surviving even if all the standing water around them dries up for several months.

The plants spread by the root system to make huge stands of cattails and also reproduce from seeds.  The seeds are attached to bits of fluff that float in the wind and on the water.  In bare mud and shallow water cattails may be the first plant to colonize.

Uses of cattail

Cattails were of great importance to almost all tribes of First People from coast to coast.  Every part of the plant has a use.  Europeans arriving on this continent also knew of uses for the plant and must have been pleased to find an old friend. Different tribes and peoples may have had slightly different uses but most indigenous peoples used cattails in one way or another. There are few plants that can rival the usefulness of cattails.

To describe the usefulness of this plant I will go plant part by plant part.

Roots

Even in the winter the cattail roots can be dug and used for food if one braves the cold water and ice.  First People often dug them in fall, dried and stored them, especially if other harvests had been scarce that year. Cattail roots contain 10 times as much starch (fat) as potatoes, and almost as much protein and more minerals.

Roots can be roasted and eaten, or dried and ground into flour.  The flour can be fermented to produce ethyl alcohol. Roots can also be boiled into a jelly like substance.  This jelly was used as a poultice for wounds and often mixed with other herbs in medicinal preparations as it made them easy to swallow.  It has antiseptic properties.  Roots were also burnt and used for face painting and tattoo ink.

Leaves and stems

In the northeast cattail leaves formed the basic building material for many First People.  The leaves were woven into mats that covered a foundation of curved poles to make a home.  These mat covered homes amazed early European explorers who found that they excluded wind and rain better than many of their wooden homes with thatched roofs.  Mats covered the inner walls and floors of dwellings also.  Even tribes that used large skins for home covering often used cattail mats on the floor.

Leaves were woven into baskets, trays, toys, and hunting decoys that looked like various birds and animals. In some tribes a square mat (or male) was used on one side of a home and a round mat (or female) was used on the other side and this was said to protect against lightning.

Leaves and stems of cattails have long tough fibers similar to hemp or jute.  The leaves and stems were crushed and soaked to extract the fibers which were rolled against the thigh and turned into twine. The twine made fishing nets, snares, fishing line, ties for packing up bundles and was used to sew mats together and even in clothing.  Some tribes collected dog hair or mountain goat hair and mixed it with the twine to make a form of cloth for clothing and blankets.

Leaves and stems were eaten in early spring either raw or lightly boiled.  They are said to taste like cucumbers.  Also the white base of the leaves can be eaten at any time as a vegetable.

The jelly like juice produced by leaf ends was much prized for medicinal use. It was used on wounds, for sore throats, as a toothpaste, and as shaving cream. The gel has antiseptic and analgesic properties.  It is also used as a glue and caulk.  

A crude paper was made from cattails by early European settlers.

Pollen

The pale yellow pollen of cattails was eagerly and carefully collected in early summer.  Women carefully cut the flower heads just before the pollen was to be released into the wind and shook them in skin bags or other containers to collect the fine pollen.  Cattail pollen was a valued commodity and early in the 20th century it was still being put up in glass bottles and sold.  It is still found in Chinese medicine.

Cattail pollen can be baked into cakes.  This is how it was generally done.  A fire was built on the ground and let to burn down.  The ashes were swept back and many layers of pollen were patted down in the spot.  The pollen was sprinkled with water, just the right amount, and then hot coals were heaped over the pollen layers.  The cake was allowed to cook until golden brown.  It could be eaten then or stored.  It is said to have a sweet taste and was sometimes made sweeter by adding maple sugar or syrup.

Cattail pollen was also mixed with other types of flour, such as that made from cattail roots or corn. It was used to thicken stews and soups.

Cattail pollen is diuretic and used to cause vomiting.  It is astringent and was used to stop bleeding of wounds.  Taken internally it was used to stop internal bleeding, excessive menstruation and for chest/heart problems.  

The pollen was often used in rituals and was used as a body and face paint. It was combed through the hair to clean and condition it.

Seed heads

The wand of the cattail (or the corndog) can be boiled and eaten when it’s still young.  Cattail wands  were often dipped in melted tallow or fat and used as long lasting torches.  When they are burned without fat they are said to repel insects.

Of course the seed heads make good decorative touches in dried arrangements. Spray them with clear hairspray or craft sealer to keep them from falling apart quickly.

Seeds

Each tiny cattail seed is attached to a bit of fluff that helps it disperse.  But the tiny seeds themselves were also utilized.  They were tediously removed from the fluff and pressed for oil. It is similar to linseed oil. Wax can also be made from the oil.  The seeds can be also be ground into flour, very nutritious flour.  While small, seeds are packed into those seed heads and a small patch of cattails can yield many pounds of seeds.

Cattail fluff

An archeological site in Northwest Canada turned up the well preserved body of an infant from hundreds of years ago buried in a copper trade pot and lovingly cradled in a fluffy bed of cattail down and herbs.  Cattail down was often used in infant care, as a “diaper” as it is absorbent, for cleaning babies as a wipe, to cushion the baby and keep it warm. 

Cattail fluff was stuffed into bedding, clothing and moccasins for insulation and cushioning. Women used it for menstrual pads.

In WWII cattail fluff was used in place of down and kapok for military clothing and life preservers. At home it was used to replace down and cotton in furniture and bedding.  It has been used as attic insulation and pressed into insulating boards.

Fluff could be used as good tinder to start fires and a bit was often carried in small pouches with flint for starting fires.  It was used in rituals, usually as a cleansing ritual.  It was stuffed into the mouths of the dead and sprinkled on their faces in some tribes.

Whew- I am sure I missed some uses of the cattail but you get the picture.  It’s a valuable plant and should not be cursed for blocking ponds and streams.  I am lucky to have some growing in my pond so I can experiment with them.  If you want to try cattails for edible uses make sure you get plant parts from plants growing in clean, unpolluted water.

If you wish to start cattails growing in a wet area take a wand in early fall and break it open on a muddy area, letting the fluff disperse a bit, then tamp it down with the feet so it doesn’t blow off.  Or you can take root pieces and plant them in wet areas.

Good books on Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the study of plants in relationship to people and their use of them. It’s a subject I like to read about and I’ll share some good book titles here to get you started reading about this fascinating science.

Strength of the Earth: The Classic Guide to Ojibwe Uses of Native Plants February 1, 2006, Frances Densmore   Note: this book is very expensive and is only a slightly expanded version of the next book listed, which is much cheaper.

How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine and Crafts Revised ed. Edition by Frances Densmore  

Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings, June 22, 2015  by Mary Siisip Geniusz  

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Great Lakes Region  – November 8, 2004 by D.O. Thomas A. Naegele (Author)

Braiding Sweetgrass; indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants- by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden published in 1918 by Gilbert L. Wilson

Glorious Histories: Tales from the Traditional Kitchen Garden by David Stuart

Some of these books are old and you may find them in an ebook edition only.  I have reviewed some of these titles and you can see those reviews by clicking on the page link "book reviews" on the right side of this blog.  There are many more such books out there too. 

Cream biscuits

On a cold fall day nothing tastes better for breakfast than biscuits and gravy.  I found this cream biscuit recipe and I love it.  It’s a small batch recipe and makes 6-9 biscuits depending on how you cut them.  This recipe has only 3 ingredients, although you can embellish it. 

The recipe uses self-rising flour, not all purpose flour.  You can find self-rising flour next to regular flour in the store.  You could also sub a baking mix like Bisquick but the taste is slightly different.  Use whipping cream, not milk, the fat content is important to the biscuits texture.

You’ll need

2 cups self-rising flour

1-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (not milk)

1-3 teaspoons of sugar depending on your taste

Mix together the flour and sugar and then add the cream a little at a time mixing well until you have a stiff dough.

Pat the dough evenly into a greased 6x6 inch pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.


Variations: brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle on finely chopped rosemary, or add 1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese and about a ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste) to dough. Or make the biscuits sweet ones by brushing on melted butter then sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar or adding orange zest and a teaspoon of orange juice to the dough, then brushing the tops with orange marmalade

A hot buttered biscuit melts away the sorrow of a wintry day

Kim Willis

 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero

Events, classes, free items and sales

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



I have 5-6 large size, young roosters I will give away free.  They are Rhode Island Red and some are a cross of Australorp and “Easter egg” chickens.  Shoot me an email for more information Kimwillis151@gmail.com 





Garden events have pretty well ended for the year in this area.  But if I come across any they will be posted.

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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/blog 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 or you can comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly note if you email me. 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 people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com


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