Hi
Gardeners
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| Scented geranium, variety unknown |
Well February has passed and I barely complained at all
about the weather. Usually I hate
February and I’m glad it’s the shortest month.
Well it was a mild one and now March, meteorological beginning of spring
is upon us. And only 20 days to calendar
spring. My houseplants are starting to
put on a burst of new growth, and the wild birds are singing territorial
breeding songs outside. That warm sun
has sure felt nice yesterday too. But I
could skip the thunderstorms.
The weather is being very erratic. All over the country people are worried about
how it will affect their plants. The
problem is we can do very little about what happens. Warm trends get plants growing beyond a stage
where they normally would be and then the weather conditions slip back into
normal or below normal temperatures and sometimes this does damage plants. This is probably going to be a feature of
climate change for a while. Hopefully we
and /or the plants will adjust.
I remember in 2012 here in Michigan we had very warm
weather through almost the entire month of March. Fruit trees bloomed, and other trees were
leafed out. (Normally they bloom at the beginning of May.) Then bam, we had
temperatures drop into the 20’s for a couple nights in a row. Almost the entire fruit crop was lost that
year. Ornamental trees lost their leaves
or had severe frost burnt leaves. Many
people lost spring blooming flowers – for example lilacs didn’t bloom as the
almost open buds were killed.
While most of us would like spring to come earlier,
we’d like it to settle into a dependable time frame. Frost free time periods are slowly increasing
but at this point it’s still a gamble to plant very much earlier than you were
used to. Be patient. Just because its 70
and sunny today doesn’t mean it won’t be 30 and snowing tomorrow.
This year maple syrup producers around the country are
experiencing difficulties. Ideal maple
syrup collection times occur when days are sunny and temps are just above
freezing in the day, below freezing at night.
The weather isn’t cooperating this year. First we have 70 degrees than
20 degrees. So if you like real maple
syrup expect supplies to be less than usual and probably more expensive.
On my walk with Gizzy each day I am now collecting data
on several plant and animal species for science. (Read more about how you can help with this
below.) I’m going to list some of my
observations here each week. On Monday,
February 27th here’s what I found.
I saw crows, goldfinches, doves, Canada geese, tufted titmice, house
finches, cardinals, downy woodpeckers, and a red bellied woodpecker on my
walk. The bird feeders have been much
less busy than they usually are this time of year.
Common lilac leaf buds are very swollen but not open
yet. Forsythia buds are swollen, amur
honeysuckle leaf buds are breaking- showing leaf beginnings, while the trumpet
honeysuckle actually had some new leaves- quite surprising. Snowdrops are still in bloom. Crocus are well
above ground and will bloom soon. Also
tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, and Star of Bethlehem have leaves showing. Bearded Iris, Mums, Chives and Golden Globe are
growing. Arum Italicum is putting up
new leaves. Dandelions are growing, small rosettes now. Chickweed and ground
ivy are growing. Beebalm is growing.
Small red buds on shrub roses.
How
you can help science study climate change
- The phenology network
Phenology is the study of plants and animals and their
relationship to climate conditions.
Plants bloom or leaf out when they receive a certain number of heating
degree days, days when average temperatures go above a specific temperature.
(The amount of daylight also figures into the equation.) When certain plants
bloom we can expect certain insects to hatch or arrive, plants and pollinating
insects try to maintain a symbiotic relationship. Animals also follow climate “hints” to
initiate nesting or breeding behavior, migration, coat shedding and so on.
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| Bud break on apricot last year |
There’s an old farmers saying that one should plant
corn when the leaves on an oak are the size of a mouse ear. There is actually a certain amount of science
in that saying because when the oak leaves are that size generally there has
been enough growing degree days so that frost is unlikely and the soil has
warmed enough for corn planting. I have
used the growth cycle of the common lilac for years to determine when to plant
other things. I plant peas and cold
crops when the lilac has green leaves breaking. I plant warm crops when lilacs
are in full bloom. Of course I use the
science of weather forecasting to help me too; when the lilacs start blooming,
my indicator signal, I look ahead at the 10 day forecast to see if any frost is
predicted.
Knowing the relationship of plant and animal
growth/behavior to each other and to climate measurements, can help people make
decisions about a variety of things.
Farmers and gardeners can determine optimum times to plant and harvest
crops or to start looking for certain insect pests so they can be controlled
early. We can determine when people with
allergies may need medication, when we can get the boat out or take the storm
windows down, when wildfires or flooding might become a problem and many other
things if we know the phenology relationships in an area. Phenology observations also help us
understand how the climate is changing.
To understand phenology relationships and more about
how the climate is changing researchers need to have lots of data from lots of
areas. With lots of data and properly programmed computers and knowledgeable
scientists we can detect trends in climate change and help farmers, gardeners
and others make good decisions. If you
like citizen science, where citizens help with collecting data for science, you
might be interested in this project.
Nature’s Notebook is
sponsored by the US Geological Service and the US Phenology Network. (https://www.usanpn.org/)
In this on-line program you sign up to observe nature and record your
observations. You choose plants and
animals from a list that you would like to observe over the year and enter data
from your observations on line. You
choose the location and how often you want to do observations. In my case I choose my farm as the location,
and I picked a rather ambitious list of species to record data on. You could choose just one species. You could choose your yard, neighborhood or
maybe a park as your observation area.
(It does need to be the same area each time you observe.)
There are lots of tutorials and instructions on line if
you are interested and you don’t have to have any experience. Little equipment
is needed other than a way to enter your data on-line and there are phone apps
for that too. A pen and paper and maybe
binoculars are the only other suggested tools.
Each species has a checklist; you simply observe the species and check
off the answers on the list. For example
a plant species will ask about bud break, flowering, leaf appearance, fruiting
and so on. You can download and print the checklists if needed and there are
explanations for each indicator such as bud break.
Your data entered on line helps researchers and when
you join you also have access to the collected data of other people so you can
observe what’s happening across the country.
There are maps and charts and other ways to access the data, which is
quite interesting. There is no cost to
join, and no obligation to continue to collect data, it’s a purely volunteer
project.
In this day and age when funding to science, especially
climate science, is being cut and government website access to science
information and research results is being removed, participating in a citizen
science project helps research efforts and allows you access to valuable
information. Ready to help? Join me and hundreds of your fellow citizens
by going to https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook and
signing up to be an observer.
Houseplants-
fertilizing and re-potting
It’s time to start fertilizing those houseplants you
want to grow or bloom. (If your
houseplants are already too big, don’t fertilize them.) For foliage tropical
plants, (pothos, philodendron, sanseveria and so on), use a diluted water
solvable fertilizer, about half the dose recommended on the package for
container plants. Blooming houseplants
like African violets, streptocarpus, hoya, kalanachoe, abutilon, and so on also
need fertilizer if you have not been using it over winter.
For any patio type plants or tender plants you are over
wintering, such as hibiscus, brugmansia, miniature roses, mandevilla, jasmine, begonias, passion vines,
citrus trees, geraniums, and so on, and which you’ll soon be moving to the patio or outside, use the full fertilizer
dosage recommended on the package for container plants.
As the sun gets stronger you may need to move some
plants back from south or west windows a little. Plants that get a reddish look
to the leaves or have areas that look scorched may be getting too much sun. Plants that are in a sunny window may need
watering more often now, as will any plants that have begun a rapid growth
increase.
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| Maranta and jade plants |
Now is the time to examine plants and see if they need
re-potting. Most gardeners get really
busy in the spring with outside work and if you wait until then you’ll probably
decide to skip it. It’s also a good
thing to give plants several weeks to adjust to new soil and pots before their
environment is changed, such as being moved outside for the summer.
Over time soilless potting mixes we use in container
plants tend to compact or break down.
You may notice the plant has sunk down in the pot or roots are on the
surface. Your plant may be straining at
pot edges because it’s produced many new roots and shoots or has multiplied
with new plantlets. Water may be running out the bottom immediately when you
water because the plant is so root bound it doesn’t have soil left to absorb
water. These are signs re-potting is needed.
And sometimes you may just want to put the plant in a more attractive
container.
Move plants up to a pot that’s only an inch or two
wider and/or deeper. Pots that are too large for the plant often don’t get
watered correctly. You may want to divide
some plants and start new pots, so get some extra pots ready. Some plants like jade plants will surely lose
some branches in the re-potting process but they root easily so have some pots
ready for the broken pieces.
Make sure all containers have drainage holes. Use a good container potting medium and not
garden soil or compost. Get the soil
good and moist before you are ready to re-pot. Some potting mixes have fertilizer in
them. If they do, you won’t need to
fertilize the plants for a few months.
Slide those pot bound plants out of their pots and
examine the root system. If the roots
are wrapped around and around at the bottom of the pot trim those roots off
straight across the bottom. Gently wash
or shake off most of the old soil on the roots.
If you have a plant that has many crowns or off- shoots divide them
after you can see the root system well (if you want to divide them.)
Put some fresh, moistened potting medium in the bottom
of the pot. Now settle your plant in the
pot. Notice where the old soil level was
on the plant, you won’t want the new soil any higher than that. But you will want an inch or so of space
below the pot rim, so you’ll have a place for water. Adjust the height of the plant by adding or
removing soil on the bottom. Then fill
in around the roots with new soil. Water
well to settle the soil and add more if needed. Some plants may need stakes for
a brief time until they develop new roots.
Even if the houseplants don’t need re-potting it’s a
good time to prune off dead branches or leaves, dust the leaves or give the
plants a shower. Check them carefully
for pests too, as warmer weather and new plant growth often brings a pest
outbreak. You can treat blooming plants
with contact pesticides 6 weeks or so before they are moved outside and you
won’t have to worry about bees being harmed by visiting the flowers once they
are outside. Contact pesticides only
last a few weeks on plants. Some active
ingredients in contact pesticides are bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, azadirachtin, and
spinosad. Insecticidal soap, not dish soap, is also a contact
pesticide.
Forcing
flowers
In many areas of the country winters can be long and
gloomy and you may be longing for those first spring flowers. You can cheat a little and get that spring
feeling simply by forcing some flowering branches into bloom early. They make a delightful bouquet to lift the
winter spirits.
By the time March arrives most plants have had enough
dormancy chilling so that a spell of warm weather can quickly bring them into
bloom. By bringing branches of flowering
plants into warm rooms we can hurry the process along. Not every plant can be forced into bloom;
it’s the branches of woody ornamental plants that bloom in early spring that
can give you those perky blooms.
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| Flowering quince |
Good plants to try are forsythia, flowering quince,
crabapples, flowering almond, redbud, flowering dogwoods, spirea, and branches
from most fruit trees such as apricot, peach, apple, cherry, plum and
pears. Branches of pussy willow can
provide fuzzy catkins. You may even want to add some branches that add green
(or other colored) leaves to your bouquet.
Maples and willows for example, have many leaf color variations that can
be a pleasing touch. Magnolias and
lilacs can be tried, but it takes longer for them to bloom inside and success
isn’t a sure thing.
Use nice sharp pruning shears to get pieces of woody
plants that are the right size for your vase.
Use care not to destroy the shape of the plant you are cutting from. Get
permission to cut branches from the trees or shrubs if they don’t belong to
you.
Make your cuts on a slant just above a bud on a
branch. This is so a long bare stub
won’t be left on the plant. You are
looking for branches with flower buds, which are generally fatter than leaf
buds. If you are in doubt take a
thumbnail and cut a bud open, you should be able to tell whether petals or
leaves are hidden inside. Of course as
stated above, some leaves may be desirable additions to the vase.
Bring your cut branches into the house and remove any
buds along the branch that will be underwater in your vase. You may want to crush the bottom of heavier
branches so they take up water better.
Place the branches in a vase of warm water. Put them in a cooler area of the home- 55- 65
degrees F would be ideal - (it will feel warm to them). Put them in good light
but not in a sunny window. Keep the vase
full enough that the bottom of the stems are never above the water level. If any stem is out of water for more than a
few minutes it should have a new cut made at the bottom. If the water begins to smell dump it and add
fresh.
When the plants begin blooming you can bring them to a
place where you want to display them.
Blooming may take anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks depending on the
plant and the conditions. You should
notice the buds swelling and beginning to show color as time progresses. If after two weeks you notice no swelling or
signs of life you may have chosen dead branches or branches from plants that
don’t respond to this type of stimulus.
Discard those branches.
The blooms will last about a week. They will be larger and last longer in cooler
temperatures. Taking cuttings every few days can prolong the time you have
stems in bloom. Once warm weather
begins to arrive outside, stems may only need a day or two to break into bloom
inside.
Forcing some spring flowering plants into bloom early
is a fast track to spring. It’s quick
and easy to do, even though it may mean a trip outside into bitter winter
weather. So bundle up and get rid of
that cabin fever by taking a walk outside to get some branches to force into
bloom. You’ll be pleased you did it.
Peacock
Orchids
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| Peacock Orchid |
Peacock orchids, Gladiolus
acidanthera, or Gladiolus callianthus,
(one of those plants whose name has been changed and is sold under both Latin
names) are one of the many “minor” bulbs gardeners often overlook. But peacock
orchids deserve more attention and should be planted more often. They can bring a touch of the exotic and make
your garden unique.
As the Latin name suggests Peacock orchids are related
to gladiolus and the leaves are very similar.
They are long and sword-like and plants grow to be about 2 feet
high. They have a corm “root” system
like the common glad.
The flowers of Peacock orchids may remind you of an
orchid. The beautiful flowers have six white
petals, with a purple star in the center. A spike of flowers appears mid-summer and the
flowers have a pleasing fragrance, which is stronger at night. The flowers are “nodders”,
facing slightly downward.
Like glads the flowers begin opening at the bottom of
the spike and continue opening for many days, moving up the stalk. Both hummingbirds and bees are attracted to
them. Although I haven’t seen any
reference to this or observed it, because the flowers are white and fragrant I
suspect they may be attractive to night flying moths and maybe that is what
pollinates them in their native habitat.
The Peacock orchid or Abyssinian glad as they are
sometimes called is native to South America. They are hardy to zone 8,
sometimes zone 7 if heavily mulched. Gardeners in colder zones can use them as
annuals as the corms are inexpensive, or they can dig up the bulbs and store
them over winter.
I like to pot the smaller, tender bulbs in one gallon
pots. The pots can be situated anywhere
in the sunny garden or in an out of the way sunny spot and brought onto the
patio or deck when they come into bloom.
After frost kills the leaves I bring the whole pot inside for winter,
into cool storage. In spring I begin
watering them and let them get a head start on a sunny windowsill. They go back outside after danger of frost
has passed. Every other year I re-pot
the corms, removing some to prevent overcrowding as they will multiply.
Peacock orchids are generally purchased as corms in the
spring and planted outside after danger of frost has passed. They need full sun and well-drained soil. Plant about 8 corms per square foot for a
good display or about 6 corms in a gallon pot. Plant about 2 inches deep. Peacock orchids need regular watering and for
best blooming use a slow release granular fertilizer for blooming plants once
or twice a season as the label directs.
In zone 8 and above they will go dormant in colder weather and return in
the spring.
Peacock orchids are seldom bothered by pests or
disease. Deer and rabbits usually avoid
them. They can be used as accent plants
when in bloom or planted in pollinator gardens or in the middle of sunny
borders for late summer bloom. They make
good cut flowers too.
Peacock orchids are pleasing little things with their
beauty and fragrance. Gardeners should
at least give them a try one year.
Getting
a new garden (with a new house)
One of the most exciting and daunting things that can
happen to a gardener is to move on to a new piece of property with all the
potential of new gardening space and maybe the surprises of what the property
holds for you. I have seen so many posts
on garden sites asking other gardeners to identify plants the new homeowner has
found or to give suggestions on what plants would be great for the new space, or
how to deal with not so garden friendly neighbors. So what’s the best way to
proceed with gardening in a new place?
First do some research.
If the area is some distance from your old home, or you haven’t done
much gardening find out what planting zone your new garden will be in. This
will help you choose plant species. Look
at the soil, actually dig into it. Is it
sandy or heavy clay? Does the property appear to be well drained or are there
mucky wet places? Are there places where
the soil is hard packed or very rocky?
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| The house might not even matter with this garden. Hodgeson garden in Lapeer Mi. |
If the home is a new build – or you are buying vacant
land and building on it, you may want to get a soil test done. This can help you decide whether the soil
needs amending before you begin planting. You may also want to have a soil test done if
there isn’t much growing around your new house, or if the landscaping looks
sickly. Contact your county Extension office to find out where to send a soil
sample. There’s generally a small
fee.
If you haven’t lived in the area before you may want to
check out whether the area is prone to floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and
massive snowstorms. This can help
determine what species it’s appropriate to plant.
Gardening generally isn’t a zoning ordinance concern
but if you have specific gardening ideas in mind such as a wildflower/ natural
area, a vegetable garden in the front yard, ponds or keeping chickens you may
want to see if there are any rules and regulations regarding gardening and
landscaping you are required to follow.
Places with homeowners associations can be very picky in what type of
gardening and or landscaping is allowed.
And even many towns and cities have laws regarding weeds, watering,
fences, and other aspects of gardening.
You don’t want to be surprised by having to rip out a garden or getting
tickets for violations.
Second, give it some time. Don’t be in too big of a rush to get things
planted that first year. This is
especially true if you move into the new place during the dormant season. If there’s established landscaping and
gardens you’ll want to see what’s there. Ideally you’ll observe through a whole
growing season to see what develops and where you want to make changes. Where
are the shady and sunny areas on the property? These will change through the
seasons in many cases. Are there lots of
deer or other animals that cause damage?
Are there things that need to be ripped out or could you be happy with a
few tweaks and additions?
How about neighbors? In the first season you’ll learn a
lot about your neighbors. Do they have a
basketball court close to the lot line?
Do people use the yard for a short cut?
When I moved into my first house I was dismayed to find that people used
my lot to get to a party store and a bar one street over. I wanted to put a vegetable garden right
where the path was and eventually I had to add a chain link fence across the
back of the lot, which caused some hard feelings for a bit. Someone I knew moved into a house where the
neighbor kids had always used the lot for baseball games. Needless to say her
garden had to be protected with a fence too.
Neighbors may also object to things like “natural
habitats” or wildflower gardens. I had a
client once whose neighbor did not want anything planted on the lot line and
she wanted a hedge. It became a heated battle
with plants being doused with weed killers and actual physical fighting. People
may not like fruiting trees or trees at all planted close to them. And be very careful if you are going to block
a picturesque view, which also has caused lawsuits. If you are in a neighborhood with lots of
small children you need to think carefully before adding a pond or water
feature. These are very attractive to small kids and you don’t want a bad
accident to happen, or a bad lawsuit.
In situations where you are starting with a blank
slate- a new lot carved out of an old cornfield without trees for example, you
have more reason to proceed quickly, but even here there are some things to
consider. If money is limited get the
larger things, trees and shrubs started first.
Carefully study the property and decide over that first year whether you
need windbreaks, hedges, paths, fences and so on. If you are on a septic system find it and
mark it so you won’t plant the wrong things over it. Decide where you might want a barn or garage
in the future and plan so you don’t block access to the structures.
On a new site you may want to take a year to let the
soil settle if it was disturbed, you may want to amend or build up the soil,
remove weeds or grass from planting areas, and generally do a good prepping job
for the next full season of planting. You may want to get lawns established, paths
laid out, decks built or other things accomplished that would be easier without
plants nearby or that could ruin new plantings while being worked on.
You don’t have to skip all gardening the first season
as you observe the property. You can
plant annuals, small vegetable gardens and container gardens as you decide what
your more permanent changes will be and learn how things grow in your new
area.
Identifying
what’s there
Waiting a full gardening year before making any major
changes to established gardens can help you identify what’s growing where. For
example in early spring you may realize there are peonies in a corner of the
yard. Last year when you moved there in
July the lawn had gotten out of control and the real estate agent had someone
mow the whole thing down, removing the peony top growth. You may see that scrawny tree you were
thinking of cutting down is a beautiful flowering magnolia. Under those big old
trees is a whole carpet of ethereal spring wild flowers that disappear by
mid-summer. ( And you were going to pile mulch there.) In the fall that plain green, unattractive
shrub from summer may be loaded with berries or blaze with beautiful fall
color.
Even experienced gardeners can misidentify plants if
they aren’t used to a new planting zone or area. Before you start pulling out
and cutting down things, make sure you ID the plants. They may turn out to be plants you’ll want to
pull out anyway or they could be something rare and unusual. Sometimes a plant
you would never have planned to put in a certain place looks so good there
you’ll change your mind. And sometimes
what you thought was a nice perennial is a big messy weed.
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| Hodgeson garden in Lapeer Mi. |
If you have the chance, ask the previous owners to give
you a list of what’s planted on the property.
Ask the sellers to walk the property with you if it’s gardening season
and point out what plants are growing where.
Ask them what plants are problematic or need specific care. Take notes!
Take pictures! Ask to see garden pictures the sellers have, most gardeners love
to share pictures of their gardens.
Many times however, there’s no chance to ask the
previous owners what was planted on the property. If you have trouble identifying plants
perhaps you can find an experienced gardener nearby. You may be able to have plants identified at
your county Extension service, if they have a horticulturist. I did thousands
of plant Id’s when I worked for Extension.
Some greenhouses and nurseries have experienced help
that might ID plants for you. You might
consider paying a professional gardening service or tree care service for their
time helping you identify and label plants.
Beware of using landscaping companies; many of those workers really
don’t know a lot about plants.
There are reference books that help new gardeners ID
plants. Alan Armitage has a series of
books; Manual of Herbaceous Perennials, Annuals Half Hardy Perennials and Biennials,
Native Plants, Ornamental Bedding Plants, and so on. Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is
a good start for tree and shrub ID. My go to book for weed ID is Weeds of the
Northeast by Uva, Neal, and DiTomaso, there are similar books for other
areas of the country.
Don’t count on plant ID apps for your phone to
correctly ID plants. Most of these have
a high error rate. On line sites for plant ID abound. Try When you use them make sure you follow the
guidelines for submitting a picture.
Make sure you get good, clear pictures to submit. Mature plants and plants in flower are the
easiest to ID. Don’t be surprised if you can’t always get a cultivar or variety
name for a plant. For example there are
hundreds of varieties of plants like iris, daylilies, roses and hosta. An expert collector of that type of plant
might be able to help, but sometimes the best answer you’ll get is that it’s a
tea rose.
A new place to garden is exciting. Don’t be afraid to modify an existing garden
to suit your tastes and the time you have to care for a garden. Your garden should always reflect what you
like and are comfortable with. Keep in
mind future uses you might have for the property as you begin planting or
modifying that new garden. Things won’t
always come together that first year or even after two or three years, but
patience, planning and faith will eventually get you the garden of your dreams.
Baked
Nacho’s
Want a good, satisfying meal for a day between winter
and spring? This nacho casserole isn’t
hard to prepare and you’ll get a good serving of vegetables in it.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion diced
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
½ cup water
1 can or 2 cups of southwestern style petite diced
tomatoes, well drained
1 cup of frozen sweet corn, thawed and drained
¾ cup Miracle whip type dressing or mayonnaise
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cheese, (Mexican 4 cheese, taco blend
or Colby/Monterey jack blend are good choices)
Shredded lettuce- about 2 cups
Optional- tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes
( If you don’t like really spicy dishes use mild taco
seasoning mix and plain petite diced tomatoes)
Directions
Brown the meat and onion in a skillet, drain off
grease.
Add the taco mix with water. Stir and cook until well blended.
In a bowl blend together the meat, diced tomatoes,
Miracle Whip, and corn.
Put half of the meat mixture in a 2 quart casserole dish,
sprinkle ½ the cheese and ½ the crushed chips on top evenly.
Put the rest of the meat then the chips and cheese over
that.
Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes.
Top with shredded lettuce and garnish with fresh tomato
if desired.
Serves 4-6 people, depending on appetites.
This
week’s question – can I use eggshells to start seeds?
Don, from Michigan
Despite many cute pictures on line showing tiny plants
in an eggshell, eggshells do not make good seed starters. They are just too small to be a good choice
and drainage is non-existent. The
calcium from eggshells does not dissolve easily to aid plants as some sources
claim. And eggshells planted into the
soil do not break down quickly so the plant can get its roots established in
the ground. In fact eggshells may take
more than a year to break down.
There are many more appropriate seed starting “pots”
that one can use. If you need to
re-cycle eggshells crumble them up and add them to the compost pile. Check out the seed starting page to the right
of this blog post for tips on starting seeds and recycled material you can use.
Breaking
bud and singing bird, oh I’m so glad that Spring’s the word
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
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
Find
Michigan garden events/classes here:
An
interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook
Here’s a
seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
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
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what I want. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com
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
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Feel free to share the blog link but if you wish to reprint anything you
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