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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

December 27, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

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



Hi Gardeners

Fuchsia Eruption
The blog is late this week die to the holiday – I was exhausted when it was over- and some internet problems we had yesterday caused by the storm Monday evening.

It seems the January thaw has come early.  All the snow has pretty much melted.  Some sun this morning and 36 degree temps lured me and Gizzy out for a bit of a walk but the wind was strong and cold so it was quickly shortened.  I was amazed to see what was still green when the snow melted.  Arum italicum was green and perky looking; the sweet woodruff was also green.  My hardy bamboo is still mostly green and the newly exposed grass is green.  I have a lamium in a container that looks like it did 2 months ago. 

Inside my Christmas cacti are blooming away and the dwarf pomegranate has buds.  My braided Chinese hibiscus is still blooming nicely as is a fuchsia (Eruption).  This is the second winter inside for this small flowered fuchsia and I am surprised how well it blooms inside.  The canna’s on the porch are still going strong and actually putting out new leaves.

Some plants I brought inside are struggling though.  The lemon cypress is browning a bit.  The two sweet potato vines are straggly looking.  One coleus was dismantled into cuttings.  The brug is still dropping leaves.  I’m hoping as the days get longer they’ll improve.  Michigan struggles with gray gloomy weather in winter and even with supplemental lighting some plants don’t get quite enough. 
We have gained a minute of daylight since the winter solstice last week.  It will inch along a minute a week or so for a while but soon the speed of the lengthening will increase.  By the end of January we’ll have almost 10 hours of daylight, 55 more minutes than at solstice. By the end of March we’ll be up to 12 hours and 42 minutes of daylight.

New plants

I have been getting plant catalogs for weeks now and I am sure the pace will pick up now the holidays are over.  For the next couple of weeks I’ll be mentioning new plants that caught my eye.  They may be relatively new to the plant trade, or new cultivars (varieties) of well-loved plants.  I hope I can include photos of many but sometimes copyrights will prevent that and you’ll have to look them up.

I get a lot of catalogs and email notices about plant sales because I write about gardening.  I love looking through print catalogs on a cold winters evening. The best print catalogs are full of handy plant information and can be saved for reference.  I also spend way too many hours browsing internet plant catalogs. Many companies are moving to on line catalogs only, as this saves money.

If you would like to get more print catalogs you can generally send an email request to the nurseries who issue them.  Some places charge for print catalogs, but generally refund the cost when you make an order.  On the right side of this blog you’ll find a page that lists many, many plant and seed nurseries.  I am adding to it all the time.  There are links you can click on and go right to the site to request a catalog or browse their on line offerings.

Ever wish you could grow grapes but don’t have room to try them?  Maybe Pixie® Grapes could be your solution.  These vines can be grown in a container and grow only about 20 inches tall.  They produce mini clusters of grapes, starting the first year.  They are not cold hardy however and must be brought inside to a cool room in the winter.  There are 2 varieties, Pinot Meunier Purple and Riesling (white).  Find them at R.H Shumway www.rhshumway.com

Monrovia Nurseries is offering through retailers a new hardy schefflera Schefflera taiwaniana 'Yuan Shan'.  This plant has the typical schefflera pinnate foliage, is evergreen and since it comes from the highest elevations of Taiwan it’s hardy to planting zone 7.  It’s suitable for partial shade to full sun in the north.  Something different for an accent plant or foundation planting and makes a good container plant.

A new Magnolia soulangeana developed by North Carolina State University is on the market through J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.  It’s called Mercury™ magnolia.  It features deep pink buds that open to fragrant lavender pink flowers.  The foliage is reddish in spring, deep green in summer and yellow in fall.  It’s hardy to zone 5. Mercury™ has superior disease and pest resistance and blooms slightly later than other magnolias which avoids frost damage.   Mature height about 25 feet.   You’ll need to ask for the plant at nurseries as J. Schmidt & Son is wholesale only.
 
Magnolia Mercury
J. Frank Schmidt & Company
Heuchera ‘Primo Black Pearl' is a Proven Winners introduction you’ll be able to find at many retailers.  It has glossy deep black scalloped foliage, and white flowers for a stunning combination.  Zones 5-8.

Cupcake cosmos
Pinetree seeds
Cupcake cosmos is a new form of cosmos, an easy long blooming annual.  Cupcake has its petals fused and shaped into a “cup”.  Most are a pure dazzling white but an occasional pink flower will surface. I’m going to try this – it looks pretty. Seeds are being offered  by Pinetree seeds or Park seed https://www.superseeds.com  or http://parkseed.com/flowers/


Pepitas  pumpkin is  another thing I intend to try this year.  These small pumpkins, 9-12 pounds, are beautiful with yellow and green splotches and streaks but they are also packed full of “naked” or hull-less seeds for snacking on (after roasting). The vines also have superior disease resistance and were a 2016 All American Vegetable Selection. 90 days to maturity, seeds offered by Park seed http://parkseed.com
Pepitas Pumpkin
Park seed

 Cypripedium, Sabine Pastel (Lady’s Slipper) If you have some spare cash this spring and like woodland gardens you may want to try this beauty.  It’s a rare white Lady’s Slipper with larger than normal flowers.  Zones 5-7 and partial shade. Plants at White Flower farm are $145.00 each. http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/
 
Sabine Pastel Lady's Slipper
White Flower Farm
Candy Cane Cocktail™ Rose (Rosa'Meiriansois’PPAF)  This rose has swirls of deep pink on white petals with red edges. It’s a re-blooming shrub rose developed from the Knock Out® series of roses and has very good disease resistance.  It’s hardy to zone 5 and grows on its own roots.  Offered by Star Roses and Plants- http://www.starrosesandplants.com/

Amaryllis Alasca® is a gorgeous white double flowered amaryllis that’s being offered this spring by White Flower Farm. It’s a house plant or hardy in zones 8 and above. http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/
Amaryllis Alasca
White Flower Farm

Watermelon Mini Love F1 is a 2017 All American Selection being offered by a number of seed companies.  It’s an Asian type watermelon with compact vines suitable for small gardens or even containers.  The melons are small – a personal sized melon and plants produce about 6 melons per vine.  The melons have thin but very crack resistant rinds and deep red, juicy sweet flesh.  They have a high disease resistant rating.
Mini Love

Look for the Petunia, Giant Dijon at nurseries this spring or you can buy seeds from   Burpees  http://www.burpee.com/.  I love the huge very yellow ruffled flowers, sometimes flushed with a bit of pink.  Very vigorous and great for bedding or baskets.
 
Petunia Giant Dijon
Burpees
Tomato Pink Bumblebee is a flavorful cherry type tomato that’s part of the Bumblebee Tomato series developed by Artisan Seeds™ and being offered by Pinetree Seeds https://www.superseeds.com   It’s disease and crack resistant, extremely prolific in fruiting, but richly flavored from its heritage tomato ancestors.  This is a deep pink selection.

Cosmos, Capriola  Here’s another cosmos I really like the looks of and want to try.  It’s a semi-dwarf, compact plant loaded with 3’ flowers that are white with red streaks and a red center.  Early blooming, and neater looking in the border than other cosmos, it’s offered by Burpees http://www.burpee.com/

I’ll feature more new plants next week.


Frankincense and Myrrh- the power of spices and herbs

Throughout time the pursuit of rare and coveted spices and herbs has led to amazing discoveries, spurred exploration and incited world changing wars.  Fortunes were made and lost in the trade of spices and herbs. The continent of North America was “discovered” because people were looking for a shorter, easier trade route to the East, to gain an advantage in the spice trade. Until rather late in world history spices and herbs were considered more valuable than gold or other precious minerals.

Frankincense and Myrrh are two “spices” that are typically associated with Christmas because of the bible mentioning that they were brought as gifts to the baby Jesus.  What is ironic is that during the early centuries of Christian worship the burning of incense, the traditional way of using the scents of Frankincense and Myrrh, was prohibited because it was associated with pagan and Jewish traditions.  It somehow snuck back into Christian rituals and even now incense is burned in Catholic and Greek orthodox religious ceremonies.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri is the most prominent species of Boswellia used) and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha is the most harvested species) are both woody plants that grow in the same desolate dry areas of Northeast Africa where the countries of Ethiopia and Somalia are now located and along the coast of the Red Sea in Yemen.  There are actually several species of both plants that are harvested, with some yielding a better product than others.

Frankincense trees grow right on rocks with a special kind of adhesive roots.  Myrrh plants are typically shrub like. Both plants resist transplanting to more favorable climates, although it’s been tried since the times of the Romans, with potted plants appearing in various ancient murals.

Both frankincense and myrrh are harvested by wounding the trees or shrubs trunks and collecting the sap that oozes out after it has hardened.  It takes a lot of labor and many months to do this in the inhospitable areas that the plants grow in and the plants were never terribly abundant, which accounts for the value that was placed on both spices.  The lumps of resin were graded by their color and purity and assigned value accordingly.

Religious uses of frankincense and myrrh

The golden lumps of hardened resin were often worth more than gold and widely traded.  The ancient Egyptians bought boatloads of the spices and camel caravans carried them vast distances. These spices were often used as currency and taxes were paid with them.  Every deity imaginable was given frankincense and myrrh as a sacrificial offering.  From pagans to Christians the practice of using frankincense and myrrh in religious ceremonies was passed along.

The lumps of spice resin can be ground and used in incense and other products or the lumps can be soaked in oils or alcohol to leach out the scent and medicinal properties.  The scents of the two spices are hard to describe, frankincense seems to have a warmer, woodsier scent with myrrh seeming to have a smoky pine scent.  The two are almost always combined in incense for religious ceremonies.  You either like or dislike the aroma it seems.

Our early ancestors were adept in finding plants that altered the mind and or mood.  Both frankincense and myrrh contain chemicals called sesquiterpenes that are released when the resin powder is burned.  When inhaled, sesquiterpenes act on a part of the brain that controls emotions.  They were used to alter emotions – particularly to ease stress, grief and despair, and to allow the mind to focus and become introspective.  It helps that the scent of these spices is also pleasing to most people and could cover the not so pleasant smells of early communal gatherings.

Medicinal uses of frankincense and myrrh
Frankincense tree
commons.wikimedia.com

Both frankincense and myrrh also have traditional medicinal uses.  Myrrh was often used for diseases of the teeth and mouth and is still used in some toothpastes and mouth washes.  Myrrh was often mixed with wine and used as a pain reliever.  It has a bitter taste and is believed to be the “gall” that was mixed with vinegar and offered to Christ on the cross.  It was not a Roman cruelty as so often taught; rather it was traditional for Romans to offer a pain sedative to those they crucified, most often myrrh mixed with cheap wine.

Myrrh is also used in ointments to smooth and heal chapped and inflamed skin and was used to prevent wrinkles.  It, along with frankincense and other spices and herbs, is part of the embalming fluid Egyptians used on the dead “mummies”. 

Myrrh was also used to bring on menstruation, possibly to induce abortions.  It was given to purify women before they were “given” to a new man.  The book of Ester in the bible gives instructions to purify a woman by giving her oil of myrrh for 6 months and then for another additional 6 months she was given sweet oil treatments.  This would effectively mean that she would not be pregnant with another man’s child and was probably thought to cure any sexually transmitted disease she might also have.

Frankincense has been used since ancient times to cure arthritic pain and modern research has found that it is indeed helpful in some forms of arthritis.  It is also being used today for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, and there are studies that prove it’s quite effective.  In older references oil of frankincense was referred to as oil of Olibanum or just as Olibanum.

Egyptian women used burnt frankincense ashes to make kohl- the original black eyeliner and mascara.  Even today many expensive cosmetics and perfumes contain either frankincense or myrrh as ingredients.

Frankincense was also thought to cure sexual diseases and inhaling the smoke was thought to cure asthma and other bronchial conditions. The smoke of both Frankincense and myrrh repels insects and the smoke was thought to purge a room of disease or malevolent spirits and thoughts.  And of course it made a room smell better in most cases and would alter the emotions in a positive way. 

By the middle ages the disruption of trade routes made the use of both frankincense and myrrh too rare and expensive for most people and the use of the spices receded to mostly religious ritual.  Today however you can find frankincense and myrrh, most often as incense or as essential oils to use in cosmetic and craft products.  They are still harvested in traditional ways and still more expensive than some other spices.

Making the world better next year

It’ s that time of the year when we all start thinking about resolutions for the new year and what we want to do with our lives as well as our gardens.  It’s human nature to want to move forward, to have things safer, healthier, nicer and easier.  We can improve things in our own lives and also for those around us, and for the whole of humanity and this planet.  Everyone has different ideas about what constitutes improvement of course, but here are some things to consider, ways that you may be able to help the world.

Stop using antibacterial products

Many people don’t even notice how many products they buy that contain antibiotics. Soap, shampoo, body washes, toothpaste, mouthwash,  cosmetics, cleaning products, clothing, toys, cookware, and pet products all may contain antibiotics.  One of the most common antibacterial products added to cleaning products and personal care products is triclosan.  Triclosan enters the water system where it causes birth defects and reproductive problems in a number of organisms.  It is also known to be a hormone disrupter in animals and is being studied as a cause of skin cancer in humans.   Here’s the FDA’s information on Triclosan, which tries to remain impartial as some studies are on-going.   This was updated in 2016.  


There are other antibiotic/antimicrobial products in use. All of these products have safety issues as well as their use contributing to the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, which has become quite concerning to health experts.

Other than benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and chloroxylenol, which are still being evaluated, the FDA has labeled all the other common antibacterial agents used in consumer personal care products, which are not labeled for medical use, as not generally safe or effective.   A rule stating that will go into effect September 6, 2017 but you would be wise to stop using those products now. Here’s the ruling link. 


Check ingredient labels for these products: Cloflucarban, Fluorosalan, Hexachlorophene, Hexylresorcinol, Iodophors (Iodine-containing ingredients), Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate), Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol), Nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanoliodine, Poloxameriodine complex, Povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent Undecoylium chloride iodine complex, Methylbenzethonium chloride, Phenol (greater than 1.5 percent), Phenol (less than 1.5 percent),Secondary amyltricresols, Sodium oxychlorosene, Tribromsalan, Triclocarban, Triclosan, and Triple dye.  These are the ingredients being listed as neither safe or effective. 

Experts, including the FDA, say almost no one needs to use soap with antibacterial products in it, either hand, body or dish soap.  Soap and clean hot water will effectively clean your hands, body and dishes.  Antibiotic toothpaste or mouthwash is only needed for those who have gum disease or immunity problems.

Antibacterial air sprays, floor and counter cleaners are also not needed. The FDA has not addressed these products but the same concerns remain. Antibacterial products are different from disinfectants. Bleach (chlorine) and ammonia are two effective, germ killing products that aren’t technically antibiotics although they will kill bacteria and some viruses.  They don’t cause bacteria to develop immunity to them and aren’t used in human medicine to any degree.  If you worry about “germs” go back to using these products for cleaning in modest amounts.

Reduce your use of soy products

Yes, fermented soy products have been used by Asian countries for thousands of years.  But the current way we consume soy is neither natural nor healthy. People are not meant to consume soybeans, they have to be highly processed to remove some of the toxins and that processing leaves behind other toxins.  Soy contains saponins, soyatoxin, phytates, protease inhibitors, oxalates, goitrogens and estrogens, hemagglutinin, genistein and daidzein, and often toxic levels of aluminum and manganese.  You can look up the health effects of these things.

90%, at least, of Soy grown is genetically modified for pesticide resistance and is heavily contaminated with pesticides.  It only became a crop of economic importance in the 1900’s and its use has been heavily promoted by the industry.  This resulted in soy becoming a commercial crop of great importance that is widely grown and needs a good market for the amounts produced so more and more uses are being invented for it. 

Fermentation removes some of the harmful effects of soy and modifies other effects.  And fermented soy was only eaten in small quantities in ancient times anyway.  Now soy – unfermented although processed- is found in thousands of food products and people consume way too much of it.

Soy consumption has been linked to breast and other endocrine cancers, colon cancer, reproductive problems, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, growth abnormalities in infants, lung cancer (when people are exposed to molecules in the air released from frying with soy oil), impairment of protein digestion and impairment of absorption of vitamins to name a few things.

The soy industry has funded hundreds of studies trying to prove that soy has health benefits but they are also working feverishly to develop soy varieties through genetic manipulation that are lower in certain toxins that contribute to metabolic syndrome and diabetes, a sign that they acknowledge that risk anyway. 

The evidence is driving more and more companies to remove soy from their products.  But it’s still hard to find products (which 30-50 years ago had no soy in them) without that cheap, available soy.  Soy is in things that really have no need for it.  Do yourself and the planet a favor and try to avoid it.  Consciously choose products without it.

Soy is also used to feed livestock and it seems that animals also have problems with soy consumption.  It would be far better if we converted most of those millions of acres devoted to raising soybeans to pasture, and took animals out of confinement, stopped feeding them soy and grain, and put them on pasture. And that leads me to my next point.

Buy pasture fed meat, free range eggs, antibiotic, hormone free milk and meat

I firmly believe humans are meant to consume meat and there is nothing wrong with apex predators like us doing so.  However what is wrong is how we raise animals.  Factory farming, confinement farming, is bad for animals and bad for us.  It’s inhumane and unhealthy.  Many countries are banning some of these awful farming practices but the US is slower than other countries to do so.  Farmers will only adopt humane practices if consumers demand it and pay for it because farmers face tight profit margins and problems finding people willing to work with animals.


Livestock, particularly cows, belong outside whenever the weather allows them to be comfortable and for most livestock that’s most of the year in most of the country.  Feeding dairy and beef cattle on well managed pasture does a great deal to mitigate their so called belching problem- which adds methane to the atmosphere.  Pasture should replace corn and soy fields, all heavy users of fertilizer and pesticides and really unnecessary for beef and milk production. Grass fed meat is better for humans and cattle don’t have the need for large quantities of grain and are healthier without it.

Pastures prevent soil erosion, help keep fertilizer/manure out of the water cycle, act as a carbon sink and benefit many species of wildlife. Poultry and hogs would also benefit from pasture/outside exposure.   These animals would need less grain if they had access to pasture and be healthier for it.

Biosecurity and disease prevention is not a major excuse for confinement farming, as some claim.  Disease epidemics are far more likely to happen in closely confined animals, deprived of sunlight, immune deficient from stress  and overfed than in  animals allowed to be outside in uncrowded conditions.  All of the major outbreaks of serious animal diseases in the last 20 years or so have been in confined animals, some with high levels of biosecurity.  Confinement indoors does little to stop viral diseases.

And there is no shortage of land to raise animals naturally in this country.  That’s another excuse of confined animal producers. It may take many more acres to pasture raise 5, 000 broilers than keeping them packed in one large metal pole building but then the farmer wouldn’t need as many acres for grain either.  And the meat would be healthier and the animals happier.

There is a shortage of workers in the livestock industry and that’s why a lot of the confinement practices exist.  Paying a living wage to workers would raise the cost of food a bit.  But it would also help stop the flow of illegal immigrants, which comprise much of the labor force in animal production now.  No one else is willing to work in the unhealthy, unsafe environments of confinement farms for minimum wage or less.  Americans say they want illegal immigration stopped- putting confinement farms out of existence would certainly help.

While US standards defining organic animal production and things like cage free leave a lot to be desired they are a start.  You vote for healthier food and happier animals by choosing pasture/grass fed meat, cage free eggs, pastured milk, antibiotic and hormone free animal products even if you have to pay a bit more.  Better yet you buy locally from small farmers who care for their animals in a humane way.

We must also put pressure on our university researchers to study and develop non- confinement /factory farming methods and promote sustainable, natural methods of animal production.  We must demand our legislators pass laws that assure humane treatment of animals both in the raising and slaughter of them.

Grow your own or buy locally

Everybody should try to grow some of their own food, even their own meat and eggs.  When you take responsibility for producing some of your own food you immediately reap benefits.  You gain experience and knowledge of how food is produced and you gain healthier food.  Using a yard for vegetable, fruit, even egg production, is far preferable to using it for a lawn.

If you can’t grow your own food try to buy it locally from someone who produces food in a sustainable natural way.  Buy seasonally and learn how to store produce and meat for times when it’s not in season.  If everyone just grew their own greens – things like lettuce, cabbage, kale or bought them from a local producer we’d save millions of gallons of water, millions of gallons of fossil fuels used to transport food, decrease carbon emissions and improve the local economy.  We’d also be decreasing illegal immigration once again because illegal immigrant labor often harvests and handles that produce in the mega farms that produce it.

Waste less food

Resolve to stop wasting food this year. It almost goes hand in hand with growing your own, because you then realize the effort, time and money that goes into producing food. In a world where millions go without food and children die of starvation it makes no sense that we discard about a third of all the food we buy or produce. 

We all waste some food, it’s inevitable.  I don’t have much food waste because it’s recycled through my chickens into eggs.  If we have too many eggs they are given to others or fed to pets.  If you can’t recycle your food into eggs at least recycle it into compost.  But compost is a last resort.  Learn how to buy what you need when you need it.  Use less than perfect food. Learn how to safely store excess food. Consciously think of your food decisions.  When food is cheap we often buy more than we need.  A food budget might help you make better decisions.  Donate the money you save to a food bank, or soup kitchen.

Don’t plant more garden than you need either, unless you have a good place to donate produce.   An unexpected abundant harvest can be donated to a senior citizens center, neighbors, soup kitchens, women’s shelters or other worthy places instead of being thrown out.

Conserve and protect water 

Water is fast becoming the issue of this century and how we protect and conserve it now may well define how our children and grandchildren live in the next century.  Everyone can take steps to conserve and protect water.  It’s simple, use less and pollute less. 

Grow plants that are suitable for your climate.  Save rain water to use on them.  Water individual plants, not the paths and space between them and water slowly so it doesn’t run off.   Don’t water lawns unless you need a green fire break. Use gray water, its fine for non-edible plants.  Gray water is laundry and dish water. 

Take showers instead of baths, they generally use less water.  Turn off water while brushing teeth, while lathering your hair and between other tasks.  Don’t wash your car as much.  Teach children not to waste water, make wading pools and playing in the sprinkler occasional treats, unless they can serve a dual purpose.

Keep pollutants out of water.  Dispose of medications, pesticides, paint, and cleaning products as the label directs.  Watch what you flush down the toilet to dispose of it; it goes directly into the water system.  Don’t overuse pesticides and fertilizer, including manure. Never dump pesticides, oil or gas on the ground, it works into ground water.

Your water conservation and protection efforts must be matched by government efforts.  Please support and lobby for regulations that protect and conserve our precious water resources. 

Plant trees- and other things

Of course it goes without saying that as a devoted gardener and plant lover I am going to suggest planting more plants as a way to help the planet.  As our climate changes we may need to bring in plants from other areas to maintain a green and growing environment around us.  Plants are our source of life. 

While all plants are important and valuable, trees are one of the things we plant that often are of more use to our children and grandchildren than ourselves.  It’s important now more than ever that we continue to plant them.  We need to research what trees will thrive in our changing climate in the area we live and get them planted now.

The greener our environment the healthier we will all be.  Keep it green and growing.

     
Best Blender quick bread

It might be more appropriate to call this food processor bread but blender bread sounds better.  I am always experimenting with recipes and this is one I developed this Christmas season that makes delicious quick breads.  Quick breads are those loaves made without yeast and in general they are sweeter than regular bread but not as sweet as cake and with a firmer texture.

You can vary the flavors of this basic recipe quite easily.  This holiday season I made four different breads, apple cinnamon, lemon poppy seed, banana, and coconut, pineapple-blueberry.  Use about 2 cups of any fruit, drained and chopped, if desired. (For banana bread use about a cup of mashed banana.)  Use about a cup of chopped nuts if you want nuts in the bread. 

You’ll need a large blender or food processor to hold the batter this recipe makes.  Alternately you can use a mixer, but don’t overmix quick bread.  This recipe will make 2 really large loaves, or 3-4 smaller ones.  Fill the loaf pans about half full.  You could also make muffins with this recipe.

Ingredients

1-   3.4 oz. instant pudding mix, choose the pudding flavor to enhance your desired flavor, for example lemon pudding makes good lemon poppy seed bread.
    2   cups cream (best taste)or half and half or milk
1  1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs
3½ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla, or lemon extract, or maple or other flavoring

About a tablespoon of dry spices may be added such as cinnamon, apple or pumpkin pie spice, or ginger or poppy seed or other spices, adjust to taste.

2 cups of drained chopped fruit such as apples, pineapple, cherries, zucchini  or whole blueberries.  Or 1 cup of mashed fruit such as banana or crushed pineapple or pureed pumpkin.

Optional 1-2 cups of chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Notes: For my apple cinnamon bread I use vanilla pudding, ( butterscotch might be good) 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon apple pie spice and 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 2 cups finely chopped apple.  For lemon poppy seed I use lemon pudding, 1 tablespoon lemon extract and 2 tablespoons poppy seed. For banana I use banana pudding, banana flavoring, 1 cup mashed banana and 1 cup chopped walnuts. For coconut – pineapple blueberry I use coconut cream pudding, vanilla extract, 1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained, and 2 cups whole blueberries.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom of pans only. (2 large, 9-10 inch, or 3-4 smaller ones.)

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  If you have dry spices such as cinnamon or poppy seeds add them to the flour mix.

Put the pudding mix and cream in the blender and blend about a minute, until the mix thickens slightly.

Add the melted butter and sugar and blend a few seconds until it looks well mixed.  Add vanilla or other liquid flavoring, blend a few seconds.

Add eggs and blend just until well mixed.  If using mashed/soft fruit add it now.  Blend just until mixed.

Add flour mix in 3 stages, blending a few seconds after each addition.  The batter will get quite thick.  Don’t over blend, but make sure the flour is thoroughly mixed into wet ingredients with no dry pockets of flour, you may need to scrape sides.

Fold in/ mix in by hand any chopped fruit, nuts or chocolate chips.

Pour or scoop batter into loaf pans, (don’t fill pans more than ¾ full, ½ full is generally fine,) and bake about 40 minutes for small loaves, 45-55 minutes for large loaves.  When done the sides will pull away from the pan, the top will be lightly browned and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool about 10 minutes in pan.  Remove loaves from pan if desired.  Make sure loaves are thoroughly cool before wrapping or putting tops on pans.

You can make a glaze for loaves if desired by mixing powdered sugar with a little milk and a few drops of vanilla extract.  Drizzle glaze on loaves with a spoon.

Be careful out there celebrating the New Year.  Back with a new blog next year.

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

And So On….
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

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Newsletter/blog information

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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


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

December 20, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

December 20, 2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter 
 © Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used without permission.

Hi Gardeners

Bromeliads are looking like Christmas
The last few days have been very cold here, but today is looking better.  The temperature is climbing to the upper 20’s – low 30’s with sunny skies, but the wind is making it feel much colder.  I was just outside to feed the birds, get the mail and collect the trash cans and it was brutal out there.  Gizmo my little dog misses his daily walk so I let him go with me for these quick chores.  He loves it outside and plows through the snow with glee.  It’s me that’s the sissy.

I’m hoping for good weather through the holiday weekend.  Good weather here means not snowing or raining and above freezing.  This last arctic cold front or polar vortex was quite amazing, 48 states had temperatures below freezing at one point.  Lots of cold records were set.  At one point I would have been joking that this is some global warming but I now understand that these cold abnormalities are caused by global warming.  The loss of polar ice has disrupted the normal weather patterns, allowing the Gulf Stream to dip far to the south, dragging the cold air down. The artic was as warm as some places in the states however.   

Our weather will have more and more extremes in the next few years.  No matter what we do now to try and limit climate change, it’s here.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying to limit the warming, but we should also expect and adapt to erratic weather. 

I have been baking and making candy all week.  Since Steve and I avoid wheat and sweets much of the year it’s been a big temptation to over-indulge in these things but after all – it’s the holidays. They will soon be over and it’s back to healthy eating. Since I try to limit sugar it’s amazing how sweet some things taste to me after not having them for a while. The no bake cookies I made were almost too sweet for my taste. (You notice I said almost.)   I am making most of these treats for gifts so most of it will be gone after the holidays. 

This week’s blog is focused on traditions around winter solstice, which is tomorrow, and Christmas and the plants associated with these celebrations in the northern hemisphere.  I hope everyone has a great holiday, whatever you celebrate.  And next week when I write the longest night will be over and the sun will be moving toward spring – Hooray!

The tradition of Christmas trees and wreaths

Why do we celebrate Christmas by bringing a tree inside and decorating it? Green is the color signifying everlasting life in many cultures.  At the time of winter solstice in early civilizations evergreen plants that were still green in winter were considered somewhat miraculous.  The Greeks, Romans, Chinese, early European and Scandinavians all brought sprigs of greens inside around solstice.  Winter solstice celebrates the continuation of life.  Evergreens were often woven into wreaths- a circle- because a circle represents the unending cycle of life.
Wreaths at Arlington National Cemetary

The Christmas tree itself may have early beginnings in Roman Saturnalia celebrations when small evergreens were decorated inside.  The druids ( ancient Celtic peoples) also brought trees inside at winter solstice and decorated them with red apples, which signified fertility, as part of their spiritual ceremonies.

But the traditional Christmas tree as we know it is attributed to Martin Luther, a German Christian reformer in the 16th century.  He is said to have brought a tree inside around the Christian celebration of Christmas because it symbolized the beauty of nature.  He put candles on it because he saw stars shining through evergreens on a winter’s evening walk and liked the look.  German trees were also decorated with apples and other fruits, cookies and candies and flowers made from paper, particularly red roses.  The trees were lit with candles, a very dangerous practice.

Christmas trees were primarily a German tradition for many years, spreading slowly to France. Then in 1841, England’s Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s German-born husband (why wasn’t he a king?) decided to set up a Christmas tree in the castle for his son. The tradition was copied by many of the court members and eventually spread to the rest of the population.

However when the pilgrims came to America they had no Christmas trees, indeed they didn’t celebrate Christmas at all.  Christmas was celebrated in French settlements in Canada, with all the trappings, including trees, and crèches but until the late 1800’s Christmas was not widely celebrated in the northern states.  Pockets of German immigrants celebrated but Christmas and winter solstice were barely marked by most of the population.

The southern states were more relaxed about religion and more likely to favor elaborate celebrations around Christmas.  After the Civil war, and with the migration north of people seeking jobs and slaves exposed to southern traditions, Christmas became more widely celebrated in the north.  The Christmas tree was a popular but dangerous tradition as were wreaths and greenery in the house.


Until the invention of electricity trees were still lit by candles.  Decorations for trees favored fruits, flowers, and birds, both real, (not birds), and artificial.  The round glass ornaments that became popular later were symbolic of fruits, particularly apples. Trees were also decorated with baked goods and candies, and other homemade decorations such as chains made of paper.

Why not try a traditional tree this year and decorate with candy, popcorn strings, cookies, apples and other fruit. A real tree, so you support American agriculture.  Then set it outside, decorations and all, for the birds to enjoy after Christmas.

History of the poinsettia as a Christmas decoration

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.  The day was set in 2002 to honor Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, who died on this date in 1851.  Poinsett was an interesting man, trained as a doctor; he had an avid interest in botany and natural history.  While serving as Mexico’s US ambassador (1825-1829) he often wandered the countryside looking for new plant specimens.  In southern Mexico the plant we now call poinsettias grew as tree-like weeds up to 10 feet tall. 

By the time Poinsett was ambassador in Mexico, poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) were already being used in Mexican celebrations of Christmas.  The plant was called Flower of the Holy Night (La Flor de la Nochebuena).  It was pretty, available in winter and had symbolic meaning for native populations and therefore priests were using it to decorate the altar.

Franciscan priests who settled in the area of  Taxco, Mexico in the 1700’s to convert natives to Christianity encouraged the natives to use the plant in Christian celebrations of Christmas, symbolizing the blood that Christ shed for us.  It was a common practice to incorporate “heathen” rituals into Christian ones to encourage natives to participate in Christianity.

The Aztec ancestors of the natives in southern Mexico had used the plant with its blood red flowers as part of ritualistic sacrifices and had cultivated the plant for medicinal and dye uses.  They called the plant Cuetlaxochitl, which has a number of translations.

A Christian legend

Poinsett probably heard the legend of La Flor de la Nochebuena from the locals.  According to the story a poor child, either a girl or a boy depending on who tells the story, had only the weedy plant to contribute to a crib where natives placed tributes to Christ on his birthday. Christ (or Mary in some versions) knew that the child’s gift was from the heart and caused the plant to “flower” in beautiful scarlet.  It is interesting that this legend had sprung up in only the 100 or so years between the arrival of Christianity in Mexico and the arrival of Poinsett.

Poinsett gathered some of the plants and had them sent to his home in North Carolina, where he had several glasshouses.  When he returned from Mexico he experimented with growing the plant and gave some to other interested horticulturists.  A historian, William Prescott coined the popular name to honor Poinsett.  Poinsett was also a distinguished congressman and went on to found the institution we now call the Smithsonian but we remember him for “discovering” the poinsettia.

From the late 1800’s to 1923 poinsettias were grown as cut flowers primarily in the area around Hollywood, California for Christmas sales.  In 1923 something happened to the poinsettia plant that made it much more suitable to growing in pots.  At least two people are credited with developing varieties of poinsettias that branched and made an attractive potted plant possible around this time.  Paul Ecke of California, whose family still has a vast poinsettia empire, is most often quoted as the developer of a branched poinsettia.  However a Mrs. Enteman of New Jersey is also said to have developed an early branched variety of poinsettia.

Design by disease

What no one knew until the mid-1990’s is that the branching of the poinsettia plant is not caused by artful breeding but by a disease organism, a phytoplasmal infection.  The infection causes auxillary shoots to form that turned the poinsettia from a lanky single stemmed plant to a more compact, multi-branched plant that looks good in pots.  Much like the streaking on tulip flowers caused by a virus, the phtyoplasmal infection allowed the poinsettia to become much more valuable to horticulture.

However it happened, the introduction of branched poinsettias caused an explosion of interest in growing the plants as a greenhouse crop.  In the 1950’s many Universities and the USDA Agricultural Research Station began programs to discover the best cultivation practices for poinsettias.  Methods of controlling the blooming and growth characteristics of poinsettias by controlling day length, spacing and temperature were discovered that catapulted poinsettias into a multi-million dollar industry.

Today poinsettias are either the number 1 or 2 potted plant grown in the world.  (Some sources say orchids have taken the number one spot in recent years.)  In the US retail sales of poinsettias top 300 million dollars each year, which is remarkable considering that almost all sales are done in a 6 week period around the holidays.  California still leads as a poinsettia grower in the US, but poinsettias are grown in every state. 

There are now over 100 named varieties of poinsettias.  Poinsettias come in dark green leaved, light green leaved and variegated leaved varieties with “flowers” of various shades of red but also pink, white, salmon, peach, yellow and various combinations of colors. Red, however, is still the most popular color.  One of the most interesting new mutations of poinsettias causes the colored bract leaves to curl, giving the “flower” a fluffy, doubled appearance.

By the way the colored portion of the plant that we call the flower is actually specialized leaves called bracts that protect the true flower, which are the small, greenish-yellow cup like structures in the center.  Each cup consists of a singe female flower surrounded by male flowers and is called a cyathium.  There are a number of cyathiums on each plant.

Buy a poinsettia and support the economy

The growing of poinsettias requires attention to detail and knowledge of how to manipulate the environment to produce the desired plant at the right time.  Producers have a tight profit margin on poinsettia sales because so many places grow poinsettias but it does allow a nursery to produce income in the “off” season for other potted plants. 

When you shop this Christmas support the horticultural industry by buying one of the delightful poinsettia plants you will find displayed everywhere.  Remember the plants tropical origins and make sure you protect the plant from frosty air on the way to your car.  Don’t leave it in a cold car while you shop either.  At home keep the plant out of direct sunlight and drafts.  Poinsettias last longest at temperatures between 60-70 degrees.

Poinsettias can make nice houseplants and with a little luck and the right treatment will even “bloom” again.  See the page on the right side of the blog for tips on keeping poinsettias alive after Christmas.

Mistletoe- the strangler and a kiss

Mistletoe is not a plant most gardeners can grow.  However it figures prominently in American and European holiday decorating and has some fascinating history.  Mistletoe is presently either collected from the wild or semi-cultivated for seasonal use.  Mistletoe is best known today for the Christmas tradition of allowing lovers and strangers to kiss without censor if they are standing under a clump of it.
Mistletoe.  Wikimedia commons

The name Mistletoe is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words mistal and tan- translated as “dung on a twig”.  It’s also called Birdlime and Devil’s Fuge.

The common mistletoe of Christmas decorations grows wild throughout Europe and parts of North America. The mistletoe native to North America used for decoration is Phoradendron leucarpum, the mistletoe found in Europe is Viscum album, which has also been introduced into warmer places in the US such as California.  Dwarf mistletoe, (Arceuthobium americanum) is also native to North America but it’s not much good for decorating.   There are related species that grow in South Africa and Australia, 1300 species occur throughout the world.

Dwarf mistletoe can be found in the western US, far northern states, including Michigan, and Canada. Dwarf mistletoe looks more like coral with flat, scale like leaves and would not make great holiday decorations.  American mistletoe is found in the southeastern states and has broad oval leaves and clusters of 10 or more white berries. European mistletoe has narrow oval leaves and berries are in clusters of 2-4.  All mistletoes are evergreen.

Most mistletoes prefer deciduous trees, (those that lose their leaves in the winter), but a few species such as Dwarf Mistletoe, will grow on pines, cedars and other conifers. A wide range of host species is used.  Some trees such as apple, oak and ash trees seem to be colonized more frequently and others, like Bradford Pear and Ginko are seldom attacked.

Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant.  When a seed from a mistletoe plant, usually deposited in a bit of fertilizer from a bird, or wiped off a bird’s beak, lands on the trunk of a tree it begins to grow.  The seeds germinate best on soft barked trees; they are quite sticky even when birds don’t deposit them.  Dwarf mistletoe “shoots” its seeds away from the parent plant, with the hope the sticky fruit lands on a tree.

Mistletoe sticks a root into the cambium layer of a tree and gets its water and minerals from the tree.  The plants thick, shiny green leaves do provide food for the plant, particularly in winter, when the host tree goes dormant and ceases providing the mistletoe with sugars. Sometimes however mistletoe will cease producing its own food and let the host plant provide all its needs.  

Mistletoe eventually makes a bushy plant, 3-5 foot in diameter hanging from the host tree. The evergreen mistletoe is quite obvious when the trees have lost their leaves in winter.  Some mistletoes turn yellow in winter.  Trees can have several plants in them.

Mistletoe has small whitish flowers in late spring that turn into waxy white berries in early winter. The plants are dioecious, male and female flowers are on separate plants and only female plants produce berries. The berries hang in clusters at the branch ends.  These fruited branch ends are what is collected for Christmas decorations. 

Mistletoe branches become thick and woody over time and places a considerable burden on the host tree. It greatly weakens its host and often kills it by strangulation. It may eventually form the entire crown of a tree, using it to get closer to the sunlight and provide it with an anchor and water.  Mistletoe is hard to kill once a root has firmly inserted itself into the trees cambium layer. Mistletoe may grow back from the root inside a tree for several years after being cut out. 
Mistletoe in tree. Wikimedia commons

Still, mistletoe has its place in nature; the berries are eaten by birds, deer, elk, chipmunks and other animals. Many birds take shelter or build nests in its bushy mass.  Northern Spotted Owls often roost in clumps of mistletoe. Hairstreak butterfly larvae feed on mistletoe. Mistletoe was the state flower of Oklahoma until 2004.

If you have a tree you don’t mind harming you can grow mistletoe by collecting fresh, fully ripe berries from a species native to your area.  Don’t use berries from Christmas decorations as most of these berries are not ripe and won’t germinate.  Collect berries in January instead.  Make a small slit in the bark of a tree limb and insert the seed.  You might want to lightly wrap the slit area.  Start several plants since it takes two to pollinate and produce berries.  If you are lucky you will get mistletoe plants.

Medicinal uses of mistletoe centered on curing nervous disorders, it is often cited as a cure for epilepsy.  Some older herbals also list it for arthritis, headaches and fertility cures.  In Europe mistletoe is currently being studied and used as a cure for some cancers and for respiratory problems.  There are now clinical trials in the US for treatment of certain cancers.  Since mistletoe is very poisonous it’s not advised for home herbal use.

The mystery of mistletoe

Mistletoe has a long association with magical or religious rites and herbal medicines. The druids were said to climb oak trees and cut mistletoe to throw it to people standing below.  Mistletoe is never supposed to touch the ground or it will bring bad luck. Those who caught the mistletoe brought it inside to bring good luck to the New Year. 

In Scandinavian folklore Frigga, the Norse goddess of love, was crying over her son Balda, who was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe wood. Her tears fell on the mistletoe wood and white berries appeared.  Frigga declared that from then on the berries would symbolize love and those who met under the mistletoe must kiss. In early Scandinavian custom not only lovers kissed but enemies who could be tricked under the mistletoe had to embrace and declare peace.

Fertility is also associated with mistletoe.  Mistletoe ripens its berries at the time of the winter solstice, when most other things are barren.  Another old use for mistletoe was to cure sterility.  If a man and woman meet under a hanging clump of mistletoe they are supposed to kiss and then pluck a berry from the cluster. When the berries are gone, the mistletoe is no longer of value.  I guess that was supposed to make babies happen, which might be a good reason to avoid standing under mistletoe.

Dwarf mistletoe

Be careful with those plucked berries and any mistletoe you bring into the house.   Never consume any part of mistletoe. Mistletoe is poisonous and can cause convulsions and/or death in people and pets.  Even the dried plant is toxic and should be kept out of the reach of children and pets.

Winter Solstice or Saturnalia

Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 5:45 am (EST Flint MI.) is the moment of solstice, something that has gladdened the hearts of humans since the beginning of time.  A new year will begin, not of the calendar, but of the natural world.

Mt. Ranier National Park
Solstice marks the turning of the sun, when the sun has reached its lowest point and most southern point.  The sun has seemed to be paused for a few days but now, at the moment of solstice it will begin to climb in the sky and move north again, if ever so slowly. It has been resurrected or reborn, and since the sun means life this is a time for great celebration. 

Great care was taken by the astrologers in early times to plot the exact moment of the solstice. And the solstice is truly a moment in time, the exact time the suns axis is tilted the farthest from the earth.  After that moment, the days begin to lengthen.  Stonehenge and the pyramids were tools to figure out the solstices and other celestial events. It is amazing to me that they could determine the tiny incremental increase in daylight that begins the day after winter solstice by using these things as tools.

Long before Christians were celebrating the birth of their savior every civilization known was celebrating a winter holiday centered on solstice.  It was generally the most important celebration of the year, when the longest night was over and it was assured that the days would begin to grow longer again. The first day of winter is said to be December 22nd (the day after Solstice). Although it’s easy to think of winter as the end of the year, it’s actually the beginning.

The Romans began celebrating Saturnalia on December 17th and celebrated for 7 days.  The Scandinavian Feast of Juul (Yule) was celebrated long before Christianity began.  A huge log, often a whole tree, was brought inside to the hearth where the end of the log was laid inside the hearth with the rest of the tree stuck out into the room.  Someone with clean hands lit the fire in the hearth with a piece of log saved from the last year’s fire.  For 12 days the fire was kept burning. (12 days of “Christmas”).

Yalda Night was celebrated by the earliest occupants of the Mid-east and Central Asia.  Certain foods such as watermelon and pomegranate were eaten and as with most solstice celebrations, great fires were lit.  In Central America the Inca and Mayan civilizations had elaborate ceremonies to celebrate solstice.

The older European solstice celebrations usually involved bonfires or Yule logs.  You burn your troubles and fears and wish for good things in the coming year. People carried tokens, often acorns and oak branches, representing things they wished to get rid of and threw them in the fire.  Oak logs are the traditional fuel for these fires.  In some cultures ashes of the fires were saved through the year for good luck.

The first people of North America also celebrated winter solstice.  Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, the site of an ancient indigenous city from 600-1400 AD contains evidence of a pole circle, that similar to Stonehenge  marked the celestial events including winter solstice.  At the winter solstice point artifacts were found that would correlate with symbolic celebration of the day.  The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio has the head pointed at the summer solstice point and the tail at the winter solstice point. Across North America various ancient mound sites are aligned so that they can “tell” the solstices. 

Rielkes Bayon
The various civilizations that thrived across North America before Europeans arrived had many customs and celebrations tied to winter solstice. Prayer sticks were a common custom, taken from a tree that the person felt a connection to, decorated, often with feathers or red cloth with tobacco and planted.  Prayers, story-telling, feasting and other ceremonies mark the day. In some tribes small gifts like feathers tied in bundles with the givers hair are exchanged.

Christmas came much later than other solstice celebrations. Early Christians decided to make it easier for followers used to celebrating winter solstice to make the birthday of Christ (some 200 years after it was said to happen) right after the solstice.  “Christmas” was set near the end of the traditional solstice celebration.  And the winter solstice does symbolize birth, a new beginning.  (Most religious historians place the actual birth of Christ as sometime in the spring, when taxes were collected in Bethlehem and when a peculiar star formation in the East occurred.) 

The time around the solstice, between the 21st -24th, is when the ancients believed that man’s mind was most open to spiritual enlightenment and positive life changes. It was a time of meditation and reflection. You are to wish for self- improvement, knowledge, healing of spiritual wounds and the ability to meet personal goals.  In ancient times it was not a time to wish for material things and if gifts were given it was to the very poor or the gifts were symbolic in nature. 

I encourage everyone to spend three days in meditation and reflection before the great orgy of worshipping material things that Christmas Day has become or the various religious celebrations that build on solstice. Take it back to the primitive state of mind when we were more in tune with the cycles of the natural world.  Clear your mind from thinking about shopping and cooking and anxieties about money or personal relationships. Give to charity and visit your family with love in your heart. The old year is done, new beginnings are here. Throw your cares and worries into a fire and rejoice that the sun, the most significant thing in our lives, has once again entered a New Year.

Undine Falls, Yellowstone National Park
Photo by Neal Herbert
May you have a spiritual Solstice and a New Year filled with joy and wisdom.   
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Bodhi Day, , Happy Soyal,  Merry Yule, Festive Saturnalia, Happy Zartusht-no-diso, Happy Holidays- whew-

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

And So On….
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