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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

July 25, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


Hi Gardeners

It’s an absolutely beautiful summer day here in Michigan, it makes it hard to sit inside and write.  I sat outside for a while, its quiet midday here in the country. The garden is in glorious color right now.  If you don’t get close enough to see the weeds it’s like a beautiful painting and so satisfying to know I helped create it.  I don’t feel rushed to get something planted now, we are at the point of “it is what it is” now and because it rained recently the colors are vibrant and I’m not worried about getting up to water.

I closed my eyes and listened to see how many birds I could identify. The “pretty, pretty” of the cardinal, a robin scolding, a crow cawing, a wren singing, the trill of a red winged blackbird, a killdeer calling, the dee, dee, dee, of the chickadee.  The light breeze was making the cottonwoods rustle.  It wafted the scent of the lilies and cut grass to me.  Around me the bees were so busy in the flowers it sounded like the garden was purring.  A humming bird kept whirring by to get to the feeder.  Across the road the horses were standing in the shade and occasionally snorting.  I hope I can preserve this memory in mind to recall when times are bleaker.

When the Oriental lilies bloom like they are now it’s a sign that summer is getting on - and the bloom cycle in the garden is at least two thirds over.  The Rose of Sharon is blooming, tiger lilies, the phlox are starting to bloom and there are buds on the mums and asters.  Lots of hosta are in bloom and rudbeckia Black- eyed Susan, Golden glow, helenium, beebalm, buddleia, lavender, purple cone flowers, and late day lilies.  

Five of my 10 new dahlias have now bloomed, I bought an unnamed assortment and it’s interesting to see what I got.  I have a pretty peachy- rose smaller single flower, a compact small white pom pom flowered one, a huge bright red dinner plate, a light pink single flowered and marron foliage, dark red flowered one.  Five more to be revealed!

Besides dahlias the cannas are beginning to bloom, and the glads will be blooming in a day or two.  The annuals are at their peak right now, I have been getting some nice bougets from my cutting garden. 

I harvested some new potatoes last night and we have been getting tomatoes, sweet peppers and cucumbers regularly.  There are ears on the corn but I am sure not happy about how poorly both varieties germinated.  I am hoping there are enough plants for good pollination.  We’ve been snacking on raspberries, and it looks like a bumper crop of blackberries are coming.  The pumpkin vines are way out onto the lawn now and there are some large pumpkins developing.


The great gravel in the pot debate

This week on social media several sites have posted about the practice of putting rocks or gravel on the bottom of pots for drainage, in both pots with drainage holes and pots without them.  There’s a controversy raging. Some very respected garden professionals have said that this practice is not good and that it will cause a perched water table in your pot- and rot your plants roots.  They have used science to show that when water in one type of substance with a certain particle size meets another type of material with different particle sizes and textures the water stops moving- or perches.  And it’s absolutely true that this happens.

The scientific theory of water stopping at a different level of particle size may be correct and scientifically replicable in certain circumstances but how common in actual garden practice would water not move through soil in a pot into a gravel layer at the bottom?  I am never going to advocate putting gravel in the bottom of a pot without drainage holes.  In a pot without a drainage hole there would be a time when the holes between the gravel would be filled and the water would have nowhere to go. You can’t see how much water is in there.  The water cannot evaporate well from down there.

Some water will be wicked back out of the gravel by evaporation at the soil surface but it usually isn’t enough.  And it’s true that it will be constantly drawn up from that reservoir between the gravel spaces into the soil. But science also tells us that at the interface of the soil layer and the gravel layer water tends to heavily saturate the soil and not move quickly down into the gravel layer, even if the spaces between the gravel are not filled with water. This will keep the roots of most plants too wet, causing root rot.  Using gravel in a pot without drainage holes is very risky and gardeners shouldn’t do it.  All pots need drainage.

But in a pot with unimpeded drainage holes I cannot see water perching at the top of the gravel layer in practice. I tried this experiment numerous times.  I marked two clear cups so I would have the exact same level of gravel and soil in each cup.  I used the exact same soil in each cup, sometimes a potting mix, sometimes soil from my garden but always the same in both cups.   And I used the same type and amount of gravel on the bottom of the cups. One cup had drainage holes.  I used a measured amount of water- the same for each cup.  I dyed the water blue so it was easier to see it. 

Every time I did the experiment the water moved quickly from the soil into the gravel spaces.  In the cup with the holes it drained out and the soil settled.  The soil absorbed some water, but when there was more water than the soil could hold it went into the gravel layer.  In the cup without drainage the water saturated the soil and puddled on the surface because the rock spaces were full.  Had I doubled the size of the gravel layer in proportion to soil any water the soil couldn’t absorb would move into the gravel.  But if I kept adding water eventually there would be no place for water to go.

Almost at once I realized why the water moved into the gravel layer, defying what pure science would say.  How can you place soil over a layer of gravel without some of that soil moving into the spaces between the rocks?  If you used very fine gravel less soil would enter the spaces but over time at least some would.  In coarser gravel/ rocks it settles in immediately.  This allows the water to follow the same particle size downward into the gravel and as water moves it brings particles with it so over time the drainage would seem to get better. 

I don’t think it’s necessary to put a gravel layer at the bottom of a pot with drainage holes but I cannot see how it would in practice cause a perched water table unless some odd perfect circumstances existed, that is no soil entered the rock pores.  Some people add things to a pot to make it lighter-or heavier or just so that the pot uses less soil.  If you do this you must have drainage holes in the container bottom and they must drain freely, which may mean elevating the pot off the ground a bit.  You must not prevent the soil from mixing with the rocks or whatever you are using on the bottom by adding a layer of paper or cloth for example, on top of the rocks.

In fact you should deliberately mix some soil with the drain or filler material.  Or you could have a layer of soil around the edges straight to the pot bottom, with filler in the center or vice versa.  The best thing to do though is to fill the pot completely with soil.  That actually provides the best drainage.

Putting a few pieces of wood chips or broken crock in the bottom so soil doesn’t wash through the holes is fine.  I sometimes throw a large leave or two in the pot bottom.  By the time they decay roots are usually holding the soil in place and it doesn’t stop water from moving under them and out the drain holes.

So the science is right but in the average practical use gravel on the bottom of a pot with drainage holes wouldn’t result in a perched water table.   It’s unnecessary to add rocks or other things for drainage but if the pot drains freely it probably won’t hurt.

(I tried to upload a video I made of this experiment but the file is too big for the blog site.  I'll try to put it on this FB site https://www.facebook.com/groups/623997204362467/?fref=nf   ) 



Four O’clock- Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa)

Four O’Clocks are an old cottage garden flower that many modern gardeners no longer grow, and that’s a shame because these plants truly are the marvel their other common name, Marvel of Peru, suggests. In warmer zones they can spread quickly, but the gardener should merely gift them on to other gardeners or simply enjoy their bounty.


Four O’Clocks are native to South America, with Peru probably the place Europeans discovered them.  They were moved all around the globe however because of their herbal qualities and beautiful, strange flowers and have naturalized in many warmer countries.  They were being grown in English gardens by the late 1500’s and used in Chinese medicine long before that.

Four O’Clocks are perennial in zones 7b and above.  In the north the tuberous roots of Four O’Clocks can be dug and stored like dahlia bulbs.  But since they also bloom quickly from seed they can be treated like annuals in colder planting zones.

The marvel of Four O’Clocks flowers

Let’s start with the beautiful, often fragrant flowers of the Four O’Clock.  The flowers seen are actually formed by a colored, modified calyx, they don’t actually have petals, though that piece of information is just some trivia for you, you won’t notice the difference.  This may be the reason the flowers do their interesting color magic.  The flowers are long and trumpet shaped, flaring out to be about 1 ½ inches wide. 

Four O’Clock flowers come in red, white, yellow and pink and variegated.  Now here’s the interesting, magic thing.  The flowers on the same plant can be different colors, and plants may also change the color of their flowers over time, with the plant having white flowers when it begins to bloom and later in the season pink for example. When flowers are variegated- more than one color, the variegation is usually unique to each flower.  Variegation can be in streaks, blotches, or the flower being half one color and half another.   And the plant may produce variegated flowers one month and solid the next.

Many but not all, Four O’Clock flowers have a pleasing fragrance, a mixture of gardenia and orange blossom, on warm evenings.  This, along with a bit of nectar, draws the night flying sphinx moth and other moths to the plants for pollination.  In my garden the white flowered Four O’Clocks seem to be more strongly scented. 


Four O’Clocks were named however, for another flower attribute.  They open up in the evening, about four p.m. in most areas and close by about 11 am.  This isn’t because of light changes, but temperatures falling in the later part of the day.  When it’s cool and cloudy flowers may remain open all day.  And while night flying moths may be the best pollinator hummingbirds and day flying butterflies are also attracted to the flowers when they are open. Four O’Clocks have been used in “floral clocks.”

Other plant parts

The leaves of Four O’Clocks are broad ovals and attached opposite each other on the stem.  Most leaves are a medium green, and somewhat glossy but there are plants with variegated foliage.  Plants are usually well branched and grow about 2 feet high.  They are evergreen in the warmest areas but may die to the ground in other areas.

Four O’Clock plants have black tuberous roots shaped like a thick carrot. In cold winter areas the tubers can be dug and stored inside over the winter.

Four O’Clock flowers produce a single fruit with one black wrinkled seed.  All parts of the plant have some use in either herbal medicine, cosmetics or as dye plants.  There are some edible uses but caution has to be used as too much of the plant can be toxic.  I would list the plant as mildly to very toxic depending on the plant part and how it’s consumed.  It’s not the plant to grow for salad.

Growing Four O’Clocks

I rarely see plants offered in nurseries so most gardeners will generally start them from seed unless you can get some tubers from another gardener.  They grow easily from seed and will flower the same year.  Northern gardeners, (7a and lower), would be better off starting the seed inside about 6 weeks before the last frost and transplanting outside after frost danger has passed.  Because they have a tap root, start seeds individually in paper pots or peats pots so they are easily transplanted. Four O’Clock seed can also be planted directly in the garden where you want it to grow.

Four O’Clocks need full sun, although in very hot climates they will do fairly well in partial shade.  They aren’t fussy about soil.  They can withstand some dry conditions but do better with regular watering.  The plants have very few pests or diseases, aphids are sometimes a problem.  Knock aphids off with a strong stream of water.  Four O’Clocks are seldom touched by deer or rabbits.

In planting zones 7b-8a it might be a good idea to mulch plants heavily in winter.  In zones 7a and lower the plant can be dug after a light frost.  Cut the foliage back to about an inch and let the tubers dry in a warm shady place for a day or two.  Then store in a cool place above freezing packed in wood shavings.  Plant outside in spring after frost danger has passed.

Herbal and other uses of Four O’Clocks

For those who like herbal medicine Four O’Clocks are a gold mine.  I do want to urge caution with using this plant, especially when consuming it, as it can be quite poisonous.  Modern science has confirmed that Mirabilis jalapa does have many medicinal chemicals and many uses for the plant are being explored.

Root extracts of Mirabilis jalapa have antiviral properties and a patent has been awarded for a product that helps control tobacco mosaic virus and other plant viruses. In herbal medicine the powdered root was used on injuries and abscesses.  The powdered root was also baked into cornbread and given to women with menstrual problems.  Powdered root was also considered to be an aphrodisiac.  Root extracts also have antifungal properties.

The roots also have some blood sugar lowering properties and are being studied for use in the treatment of diabetes.

Four O’Clocks have been shown to have pain relieving and antispasmodic properties and was often used for gastrointestinal problems such as colic and diarrhea. Boiled leaves or leaf extracts are used for this and are also used on painful wounds, for sprained or injured muscles and other pain. 

Leaves and stems have anthelmintic (worm killing properties).  Leaf poultices were used to remove freckles and skin spots.  Leaves and roots are also diuretics and emetics.

The flowers of Four O’Clocks are mashed and boiled to make an edible red dye for foods and also to dye cloth.

Plants are used for bioremediation of soils, they take up and store harmful chemicals.  Flowers are used in the production of gold nano particles also.

Here’s a resource for science based information on medicinal qualities.
International Journal of Pharmacological Research
www.ssjournals.com
ISSN: 2277-3312 Journal DOI:10.7439/ijpr
IJPR Volume 6 Issue 05 (2016) 160

Caution- only people experienced in herbal medicines should use Four O’Clocks in this way.  Pregnant women should not use it.  Do not eat Four O’Clocks despite some references claiming its edible when boiled.  This has resulted in some serious poisoning cases.

Four O’Clocks are interesting flowers on their own merit and you don’t have to have a medicinal use for them to enjoy them.  Children are often fascinated by the changing flowers. They are an excellent plant for low maintenance and cottage gardens. Try some in your garden.




Tip to remove stains on your hands

By accident I discovered this handy solution to stains on your hands and arms.  I got roofing tar on my hands and soap won’t wash that off.  I hate using gasoline or turpentine on my hands because it dries them out and smells.  So trying to find something creamy I could put on my hands and maybe rub off with the tar, I picked up a stick of solid deodorant that was almost used up and rubbed it on the tar.

To my amazement simply rubbing the solid deodorant over the stains took them off, without even scrubbing hard.  The top of the deodorant stick got dirty looking and I wiped it off on a paper towel a few times but wow- soft, nice smelling stain free hands with little hard work. 

Solid deodorant sticks contain both oils and alcohol, which may be why they work on stains.  I don’t think it would matter what kind of deoderant.  I also used it to remove grass stains off my hands after weeding, and it worked well for that too.  It would probably take off oil base paint.  I haven’t tried it on clothes.  But you may want to put a travel size stick of solid deodorant with your garden tools.

Two Tomato topics - Blossom end rot and Tomato hornworm

In July home gardens begin producing those luscious ripe tomatoes everyone craves.  But tomatoes can be tricky little devils when it comes to getting them to produce perfect fruit.  One of the problems home gardeners may face is blossom end rot.  This is a gray- black, leathery looking sunken area at the bottom of the tomato.  It can be cut off and the tomato is safe to eat but not it’s not safe to can.  But many people feel the rotted area affects fruit taste as well as spoiling the looks of the fruit.

Tomato end rot is caused by a number of factors but they all boil down to not getting enough water to tomato fruits.  This can be because of genetics; some varieties have less efficient root systems, it can be because the roots were restricted by a small container or root damage occurred.  Usually though, the cause of tomato end rot is simply not enough water.

Blossom-end-rot-David Langstron U of Georgia Bugwood.org 


In July and August tomato plants are growing quickly while trying to also support lots of fruit.  In hot, dry weather the plant loses water rapidly from its leaves in transpiration/ evaporation and in an effort to cool the plant and maintain turgor the tomato plant pulls water from developing fruit to send to the leaves and stems.  It can always make more fruit when conditions improve.  This results in the sunken, cell damaged area at the bottom of tomato fruits.

What helps

Epsom salt will not help with blossom end rot, nor will crushed eggshells, tums, baking soda or any other exotic home remedy.

Calcium deficiency is often cited as a reason for blossom end rot but most soils are not deficient in calcium, plants just need lots of water to access the mineral.   It doesn’t hurt to use a liquid fertilizer for tomatoes which contains extra calcium if you follow label directions.  But your plants still may need additional water.

To prevent tomato end rot make sure your tomato plants have plenty of water.  They need an inch or more a week, on a regular schedule, perhaps divided into 2 or 3 waterings.  Plants should never be allowed to wilt, but damage to fruit can show up even before the plant wilts.  Put up a rain gauge and when there hasn’t been an inch of rain in seven days use supplemental watering. Water plants deeply, the first two inches of soil should be moist.  A large tomato plant with fruit can usually absorb 2 gallons of water if it has been dry.  If your plants wilt – water right away.

Water tomato plants at their base and well before dark to help prevent fungal disease. If the leaves stay wet overnight the plants are more likely to support the growth of fungal spores. Tomato plants in containers may need watering once a day – even twice a day.  And the containers should be large enough to support a good root system.  Anything that restricts the roots of tomatoes, such as hard packed clay soil, can also cause blossom end rot.

Surprisingly if a tomato is overwatered, particularly in a pot with poor drainage, the roots of the plant may rot and once again the plant stems and foliage will be left without sufficient water.  This can cause the same symptoms as too dry conditions, including blossom end rot, because the roots are unable to furnish the plant with enough moisture.  Check the soil in pots before water is added. 

In short blossom end rot is caused by a tomato plant allocating precious water to stems and foliage by taking it from the tomato fruit.  This causes cell damage on the bottom of the fruit, which then rots.  Keeping tomato plants watered deeply and consistently will prevent blossom end rot from occurring.

Tomato hornworm

Those big green “worms” you find eating your tomatoes in your Michigan garden came from a rather pretty moth that you probably didn’t mind in your garden.  The fat green caterpillars are known as tomato or tobacco hornworms.  These little buggers can go from eggs to tiny caterpillars to huge fat caterpillars 4 inches long and as big around as your thumb in a matter of 3 weeks.  To grow that fast they eat a lot of your tomato plant, preferring leaves and green fruit.

Tomato hornworms have a large curved spine or hook on the upper side of the rear end that can be either red or black, depending on the species.  The caterpillars start out a lighter, yellow green color but soon their green bodies are the same shade as tomato leaves.  Tomato hornworms are hairless and the body is marked with a series of white v shaped markings and tiny black lines that look like stitches.  Along the bottom edge of the caterpillar are round spots outlined in gold that almost look like grommet holes.  To confuse predators there are two round markings on the hook or rear end that look like eyes.
 
Tomato hornworm Manduca sexta 

The tomato hornworm life cycle

There are actually two species of moths that lay eggs on tomatoes that turn into the munching destroyers, tomato hornworms. Manduca quinquemaculata is the tomato hornworm, whose caterpillar has a black horn and Manduca sexta is the Tobacco Hornworn, whose caterpillar has a red horn.  Both types eat tomatoes. The moths are often called sphinx or hawk moths.  They are large, up to 6 inches in wingspan, fat bodied, brown mottled moths, sometimes marked with brighter yellow or orange. 

Like many moths hawk moths are generally active at dusk. In some areas both species of moths and caterpillars of both hook colors are present.  The adult moths do not eat tomatoes, they sip nectar.  They lay single pale green eggs on the undersides of leaves of tomato, pepper, eggplant and potato plants and weeds in the same family such as nightshade and horsenettle.  While the caterpillars occasionally eat these other plants they prefer tomatoes.

In zones 5-6 tomato hornworms are usually noticed about the first week of August and they generally feed for a few weeks before falling to the ground. The caterpillars burrow into the ground and turn into pupa.  The pupas are brown, hard, shiny, worm-like things with a curved “handle” on the front end, generally found buried in a few inches of soil.

In the north there is generally only one generation a year, in the south there may be two generations. The tomato or tobacco hornworm over winters as a pupa.  Moths may come from warmer areas in the spring to lay eggs also.  While tomatoes are their favorite garden plant hornworms will sometimes eat peppers, eggplant and potatoes.  And of course they also eat on tobacco plants in the south.

Finding hornworms

The first sign you might notice of the tomato hornworms presence is green or blackish green pellet-like excrement under and on plants.  There will be lots of bare stems and partly eaten green tomatoes, particularly at the top of the plant. Hornworms rarely eat ripe tomatoes. In the last week or so of the caterpillar stage their appetite is enormous and the damage becomes very noticeable.  The caterpillars may have been on the plants for weeks.  Caterpillars do move from plant to plant if the plants are close.

It takes a sharp eye to spot the culprit as tomato hornworms are perfectly camouflaged as they lie on tomato stems.  Smaller hornworms may hide on the undersides of leaves. Stay still and quiet and you can sometimes trace them by their munching sounds. Usually they are found near the top of plants.

Tomato hornworms will not kill a tomato plant although the damage can look bad for a while.  They do destroy a lot of young fruit if left unchecked.   There are usually only a few tomato hornworms per plant.  To find the hornworms scout each plant carefully and look right above any piles of greenish-black caterpillar poop.   They are more easily found in the early morning or evening when they are most active

Control of tomato hornworms

Tomato hornworms have few natural predators although chickens sometimes eat them.  They are filled with tomato foliage, which is poisonous, although a chicken eating one or two doesn’t seem to have any problems.  Here are some ways to control hornworms.

Handpick them and squish them. If you are squeamish about handling tomato hornworms you may be able to pay a kid to look for them.  They do not bite or “sting” humans and the hook is harmless.

Use insecticidal soaps formulated for garden plants.

Use a Bt product.  These only kill caterpillars.

Use a garden insecticide safe for food plants.  Insecticides with carbaryl, spinosod, permethrin, or bifenthrin will work.  Read and follow label directions carefully.

Till the soil in the fall to bring pupa to the surface to freeze and rotate the area where you grow tomatoes each year.

If you notice a rather sluggish tomato hornworm with small white projections all over it leave it alone.  The Braconid wasp lays its eggs on living hornworms; they feed on hornworms, weakening them and then turn into the little cocoons which are on the caterpillar.  Each cocoon will turn into a wasp which lays eggs on more caterpillars, keeping their numbers in check.

Tomato hornworms are excellent fish bait.  If you are a fisherperson you may want to check the tomato plants before you head to your favorite fishing hole.

While tomato hornworms are startling and scary to some people they are easier to deal with than some other tomato problems.  Do not rip out your plants.   Gardeners will find that they can harvest plenty of tomatoes with just picking the caterpillars from the plants at the first sign of damage.

10 hotdog makeovers

Its grilling time again and hotdogs are always a favorite, especially for kids.  But if you get tired of the same old hotdogs here are some quick hotdog makeovers that will make wiener eating interesting again.  And you don’t have to use the grill if you don’t want to, some of these can be baked or steamed inside.

Hot dogs are inexpensive and quick to cook.  Pair them with baked beans and potato salad and you’ve created a great summer meal.  Use some of the interesting makeovers below and make hotdogs a great meal for entertaining adult guests also.

1.   Steam them in beer. Place a small amount of beer in a shallow pan, maybe an    inch deep, add hotdogs and put them on low heat so the beer is barely simmering. Once they have plumped and cooked, they could be thrown on a grill to brown them.  Keep watch over the pan so it doesn’t boil dry, add beer from the can you’re holding as necessary.

2.    Simmer in pineapple juice.  Once again use a shallow pan, add about an inch of unsweetened pineapple juice and let the hotdogs simmer in it.  Add juice as needed.  These are great served on Hawaiian style buns.

3.   Better with bacon. Split hotdogs down the middle, don’t cut all the way through.  Fill the inside of the hotdog with finely chopped onion, a little pickle relish and mustard.  Wrap each dog tightly with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  These can be grilled or baked in the oven.

4.   Cheese and bacon dogs.  Fry one slice of bacon for each hotdog until it’s browning but not crispy.   Steam, boil or grill hotdogs until they are almost done - probably 5 minutes on a grill.  Remove from heat.  Split down the middle and sprinkle with finely shredded cheese- cheddar is good.  Wrap hot dog in the bacon slice to hold dog together and secure with a toothpick.  Return to grill or put under a broiler until the bacon is crispy and cheese melted.

5.   Hotdog cover up.  No buns will be needed hereBuy a can of refrigerated  crescent rolls.  Unroll the dough and separate each piece. Prepare hot dogs by splitting down the middle and filling with chopped onion, mustard and shredded cheese.  Crescent rolls usually come in a triangle shaped piece.   Lay a hotdog on        the large end of the dough and roll the dough around the dog.  Secure with toothpick if needed.  These are best baked or grilled over low heat.

6.   Kraut and dogs.  Simmer hotdogs in a shallow pan of sauerkraut.  Pile heated kraut over dog on bun and add mustard.

7.   Bacon and mushroom dogs.  Use about a 1/2 pound of bacon to a package of hot dogs. Put the hot dogs and bacon in a pan.  Cook until the bacon is crisp and hot and the dogs are plump and splitting.  Remove dogs and bacon. Keep warm.  Pour off all the grease except 2 tablespoons.  Placed sliced mushrooms in the pan with the bacon grease and a tablespoon of butter or if you must, margarine. Cook and stir the mushrooms until soft and heated, just a few minutes.  Crumble the cooked bacon into the mushrooms.  Place hot dogs on buns and sprinkle with cheddar cheese      shreds.  Add a spoonful of bacon and mushrooms.

8.   Barbecue hotdogs.  Barbecue sauce isn’t just for ribs and chicken.  Lay dogs in a pan of your favorite sauce, cook slowly and turn two or three times.  Sweet sauces go good with hot dogs.

9.   Peppery hot dogs.  In a shallow pan place about an inch of water.  Add 1 cup of diced hot peppers, (serrano, chile, jalapeno), 1/2 cup diced onion and a teaspoon of salt.  Prepare hotdogs by poking several holes in each with a toothpick. Simmer hotdogs slowly in the pepper water. Turn from time to time and add water if necessary. The longer they sit, the hotter they get.  The best way to serve is with some roasted red or green sweet pepper and some nacho cheese poured over the bun.

10.     Deep fried hot dog- Got a turkey fryer or better yet a small basket fryer?  Fill with oil according to your manual and fry the dogs.   Make sure to remove hot dogs from the fryer before they get hard.  If you slice them down the middle except for about an inch at one end before you drop them in the fryer they will curl while frying and could be placed on a burger bun instead of a hotdog bun.

Using a good quality bun will make any hotdog taste better.  Lightly toasting the buns, spread with a little butter, makes them even yummier.


Get out there and enjoy your garden while you can!

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….
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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, July 18, 2017

July 18, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

Hi Gardeners

Why does summer seem to fly along and winter just crawls?  The Asiatic lilies are almost finished blooming, thankfully the trumpet lilies and Orientals are adding color.  The Hens and Chicks are blooming, still have lots of hosta in bloom, rudbeckia, beebalm and coneflowers are blooming.  The roses have a new flush of bloom. The water hyacinth is blooming and the black-eyed susan vine.  Annuals of course are at full peak.

We’ve been getting Early Girl tomatoes regularly and today I picked my first cucumber.  Baby pumpkins have set on the vines.  Raspberries are ripening.  Unfortunately the lettuce is going to seed and tasting pretty bitter.  I think it’s now chicken food.  The potatoes are blooming- baby potatoes soon.

While I’m still not seeing any honey bees the plants have been buzzing with small native bees and bumble bees.  The comfrey is loaded with them as well as the beebalm.  Gizzy keeps trying to catch them.  He hasn’t gotten stung yet but I bet its coming.

The Rudbeckia laciniata var.hortensia (Golden Glow) has reached 7 feet in height and finally has begun to bloom.   Bees and Japanese beetles like it.  I’m hoping the Japanese beetles choose it over my grape vines, which they are eating up.

Danger!  Birds and Japanese beetle traps

Its Japanese Beetle season and many gardeners are putting out yellow sticky traps to control them.  But social media sites are showing how this can be a problem for birds.  Some of the traps are shaped like bird feeders and small birds like chickadees and sparrows are getting stuck to them.  Some birds die from this.  It can be very hard to remove those birds stuck on the traps.

Make sure sticky traps are enclosed in netting or wire that will only allow beetles through not birds.  If you find birds stuck to such traps any vegetable oil will help release the birds from the sticky substance.  Pour it around the stuck bird.  However the birds will then need to be washed with something like Dawn dish detergent to get rid of the oil before being released.  You might want to take the whole trap and the birds stuck on it to an animal rescue center as quickly as possible.

Cleome or spider plant vs. marihuana

On social media people asking for identification of cleome are often told to their consternation (or maybe glee) that they are growing pot.  The plants have leaves that somewhat resemble marihuana leaves.  I’ve read stories that law enforcement people have also mistaken the plants for pot, which can be a problem.  In some cases people have been arrested or their plants destroyed before they could prove they didn’t have pot.

Cleome and pot both have strong distinctive odors, but to my nose anyway they are not the same.   It’s the leaves that an inexperienced person gets most confused about.  Both plants have palmate leaves – leaves with leaflets arranged in a circle.  Cleome generally has 7 leaflets though and marihuana 5.  Cleome stems are full of thorns and marihuana stems are not.  Cleome also has distinct showy flowers of pink, purple or white, with long “whiskers” off each flower.  Pot flowers are not very large or showy and are usually yellowish green, although there are some purple tinged ones.
 
Cleome not pot
If you have cleome in pots or planted in gardens in the public view you may want to label them to help dispel the notion you are a pot grower.  I have had people ask me with a wink what I’m growing and before the plants start flowering I sometimes think they don’t believe my answer.  Labels might not help in all cases.  You may want to keep a catalog, plant tag or other resource around to show people if you grow cleome.  I continue to grow it because it self-seeds and comes up everywhere.

And no, the cleome plant does not get you high if you smoke it.  People have actually tried it.  Dumb people.  People who got a good stomach ache instead of a good buzz.

Discovering a hardy orchid with high qualities

While weeding this spring I came upon a plant I had never seen before.  I didn’t plant it.  It was among the lilies of the valley under an oak tree, in a partial shade garden. The leaves were similar to lilies of the valley at first glance. I first noticed it when it began to send up a stalk full of tiny buds, quite unlike lilies of the valley.  I decided to put off identifying it until it bloomed.

It took several weeks for the flowers to begin opening.  I was amazed to see the teardrop shaped dangling buds open into tiny orchid like flowers of purple and green.  With the idea that it belonged to the orchid family I searched through my plant ID resources until I came upon its name, Epipactis helleborine.

Epipactis helleborine
It turns out this tiny orchid is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.  It’s been in the US since the early 1800’s, the story goes that it was brought here by garden groups for its medicinal purposes.  I’ll get to that in a minute.  Poor Man’s Lady Slipper or Weed orchid, if you go by common names, has actually been in Michigan for about 100 years, although it hasn’t been recorded in my county yet.  This hardy orchid has managed to naturalize across the northeastern part of the US and southern Canada.

Imagine my amusement when I came across a stern admonition from some Michigan “conservation” group warning that Epipactis helleborine  is one of those nasty invasive plants that must be eliminated at all costs.  Its major crime is that it occupies space that in some minds must be reserved for native species.  If you read my blog often you know I don’t subscribe to the notion of plants causing the extinction of other plants, especially when they simply just move into disturbed habitat and prove to be a good fit.  Nature puts the best species she can find in an environment, regardless of origin.

Some other states also classify Epipactis helleborine as invasive but most simply list it as naturalized, the same status as dandelions, chicory, and other common plants brought here and which have no major impacts on the environment.  I don’t intend to remove it from my garden because it’s a fascinating little plant.

What it looks like

So let’s examine Epipactis helleborine.  The perennial plants like woodland edges, partial shade and good, loamy soil.  They exist in both dry and wet environments.  A mature plant with flower stalk will be about 12-18 inches high. The leaves are blade shaped with distinct parallel veins and they clasp the stem in an alternate pattern.  The plant has a root system of thin, narrow rhizomes and is considered a terrestrial orchid; it gets nutrients from the soil.  Plants are hardy to zone 3.

In July (in Michigan) Epipactis helleborine sends up a flower stalk.  The buds are teardrop shape and dangle from a short stem.  Flowers begin opening on the bottom of the flower stalk.  They are a typical orchid flower shape, about a ½ inch across, with a pouch on the bottom that contains nectar to attract insects.  There are two petals and an odd shaped fused sexual organ on top and 3 colored sepals that look like petals on the outside of it all. Flowers are widely variable in color, according to the literature, but generally green and purple or pink, a few with white flowers have been found.  The one in my garden is a light lavender pink and green.

Epipactis helleborine is said to spread both by its tiny seeds and by rhizomes.  Some people say it spreads rapidly, others say it only slowly spreads.  Location is everything, as they say.

Now the plants aren’t especially showy unless you see them up close and maybe you wouldn’t want them to spread through your entire garden. But they are interesting, (I’m getting to that), and the foliage left after the flowers fade should be no less attractive than lily of the valley or brunnera foliage.  Those are the plants near the Epipactis helleborine in my garden.  If you needed a groundcover in the shade it seems they would make a pretty good one.  A hardy orchid groundcover- that’s unique.

I doubt it would make a good houseplant but you never know.  Maybe someone should experiment with that idea.  If mine sets seed this year I may try to germinate it indoors and see what happens.



The interesting thing about Epipactis helleborine

There are over 100 chemicals in the plant and its nectar.  The orchid produces scented nectar that attracts insects to its pouch, where they imbibe and become tipsy and drowsy.  Drunk, doped insects tend to move slowly and stay on the plant or its nearby relatives for a long time, which favors pollination. The nectar contains among other things vanillin and eugenol for scent and ethanol, indole, and a chemical identical to OxyContin, a morphine derivative, for making insects woozy and feeling good.

Now before some of you start seeing dollar signs with growing a legal source of a drug, you’ll want to know that the nectar also contains some other toxic chemicals that are hard to remove, like “furfural”.  Believe me I came across lots of drug culture sites in my research where people talked about how to separate the OxyContin from the more harmful stuff and it was a difficult, time consuming task requiring a lot of complex knowledge of chemistry from what I could see.

The nectar from each flower is a minute quantity and although some plants have 100 flowers the harvest from all of them would still amount to a few drops.  To make a profit from producing Oxycontin from Epipactis helleborine you’d have to grow acres of the plant, harvest the tiny flowers and drain them of nectar some way and run the nectar through a lab with lots of expensive equipment.  Then you would still have an illegal product. 

Now some of you may remember that I said the plants were brought over here for their medicinal qualities before they escaped.  Some evidence suggests the plants were used to treat insanity, headache and gout.  It’s suggested that the roots were used in these remedies, although modern herbals don’t cover this plant.  I suggest you don’t experiment with ingesting the plant, especially if you are drug tested for your job.

I intend to leave the little alien orchid in my garden. I enjoy interesting and different plants.  If it spreads I may share some.   There’s some links below for more reading on the chemical properties of the plant and one where you can buy seed, although it seems few people know how to get that seed to grow.



Love in a Mist- the delightful blue Nigella

Whether you call it Love in a Mist, Devil in the Bush, Love-Entangle, Jack-in-Prison, Bride in Hair , Lady in the Green, or one of its many other common names, Nigella damascena   is an interesting plant for the garden.  If you like blue flowers, cut flowers, easy cottage garden plants, or plants for dried flower arrangements Nigella is the plant for you.

Love in a Mist, or Devil in the Bush

Nigella is native to southern Europe, northern Africa and southwest Asia.  It was being grown in English gardens by 1570, where several cultivars were developed over the centuries.  Thomas Jefferson grew it in his gardens at Monticello and the famed garden architect Gertrude Jekyll used it in her cottage garden designs.

Nigella has odd threadlike leaves, airy and fern like, especially at the top surrounding the flowers.  The “Mist” portion of one of its common names come from the way the leaves look surrounding the flower. It grows 12-18 inches high but each plant is narrow.  They look best grown in masses, which also keeps them from flopping.  They have a taproot.  Plants are short lived but in longer growing seasons they often reseed and a second generation will bloom in the same year.

The species has true blue colored 5 “petal” 1 inch flowers but cultivated varieties have larger flowers with more layers of petals and also come in rose, pale pink, white and several shades of blue.  The petals of Nigella are actually its sepals; the true petals are hidden in the center of the flower, under the stamens.  The flowers are surrounded by the ferny leaves, a pretty “misty” backdrop for each one. The flowers are good cut flowers and were often used in bridal arrangements or in a bride’s hair, accounting for another common name.

Flowers turn into 5 chambered seed pods which look like little red or purple striped balloons.  The pods have “horns “ on top and bristles along the sides. They can be dried for flower arrangements.  Children enjoy popping them like popping bubble wrap.  The pods are filled with tiny black seeds.

Growing nigella

Nigella is a fast growing annual so almost all gardeners can grow it.  It prefers full sun and well-drained soil but is not particularly fussy about soil pH or texture.  In the wild it is often found in rocky areas.  It will tolerate dryness but grows better when watered moderately.  It is said to be deer resistant.  The plants have no insect or disease problems.  Bees are attracted to the flowers.

If you want to grow Nigella you’ll probably have to start with seeds.  They are available from many heritage type nurseries, a couple links are provided at the bottom of the article.  You can start them inside about 6 weeks before your last frost or plant the seeds where you want them to grow in early spring.  They can be sown in the fall in the garden for spring germination too.  Seed should be sown on top of the soil and lightly pressed into it.

Most references say that Nigella does not transplant well because of its taproot.  I sow several seeds in paper cups, (you could use peat pots), inside in late spring then transplant the whole pot into the garden with great success.  Plants will bloom in about 3 months from seed.

If you are not interested in the attractive seed pods you may want to keep the nigella plants dead headed so they don’t spread too much in the garden.  I don’t find them invasive and I save some seed to start inside each year just in case. Other gardeners have reported that nigella shoots those tiny seeds into the wind and plants come up everywhere.

If you want to save the seed pods cut them before they are fully ripe.  Put the green pods in paper bags to dry in a warm place.  Your car sitting in the sun is a good location.  After they are dry many people spray them with clear hairspray or a craft spray to help preserve them.

I plant nigella in my cutting garden, beside the bachelor’s buttons, 4 o’clocks, zinnias and cosmos.  They will blend well in informal cottage gardens.  Keep them to the front so you can admire the unique looking flowers.



Herbal and other uses of nigella

Love in a Mist is a close relative of black cumin, Nigella sativa, whose seeds have culinary uses like poppy seeds.  Some references claim that Nigella damascene seeds can be used the same way and that they taste like nutmeg.  The seeds are pressed and made into an essential oil that is used in perfumes and possibly has medicinal uses.  It is said to smell like strawberry jam.

Nigella sativa has some uses in herbal medicine but it’s unclear if Love in a Mist, Nigella damascene can be used the same way.  Some references list the seeds and oil of Love in a Mist as toxic when ingested.  When I was reading up on the plant in herbal references it was often clear that the two species had been confused.  I would suggest growing the plant for its flowers and seed pods and not for culinary or medicinal use.

Here are some sources for buying nigella



The Marigold Myth

I remember my grandmother reading her Organic Gardening magazine and laughing at an article where people were urged to plant marigolds (we are talking Tagetes erecta here not calendula) around their plants to keep harmful insects away.  My grandmother was trying to produce a white marigold to win a contest being offered at the time, (by Burpee I think), and she had lots of marigolds around her gardens.  She knew they didn’t deter bugs one bit.

As a young adult with my own garden many, many years ago I too fell victim to the hype about marigolds, despite remembering what my grandmother felt about it years before.  I was taken in by the pseudo-science being spouted by popular garden books and magazines at the time.  I quickly came to the conclusion my grandmother was right.

Now that doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally find marigolds in my garden.  I like marigolds, especially the large flowered “CrackerJack” types.  But I plant them because they are colorful and attract pollinators to some extent, although there are better flowers for that purpose.  But I am not planting them to deter harmful insects, repel rabbits or deer or control soil nematodes, (there may be a small effect on nematodes), all things attributed to the marigold, because I know that is all a myth.

Marigolds that we grow in our gardens are actually native to Mexico and Central America, despite often being called African or French marigolds.  They are flowers associated with the dead, bodies are washed with infusions of marigold petals and they are planted on graves.   Native people also used them for making yellow dye and there are some medicinal uses for the plants, mainly for skin problems.  The flowers are edible.   Modern uses include feeding the petals to chickens to produce egg yolks or meat with a yellow color and to shrimp to improve their color.

So how did the myth of marigolds deterring insects get started?

There are some old studies that have shown that when marigolds were planted thickly as a cover crop and then after a season plowed under, soil nematodes were greatly reduced for crops planted after the marigolds. The studies were done on agricultural crops like soy and corn. Nematodes are tiny worm-like creatures that feed on plant roots.  Gardeners seldom have to worry about nematodes.  If you have the problem you would plant only marigolds in the garden for a season and then the following year plant your garden where they grew and hope for the best.

Somehow these ancient nematode studies became mangled into the popular belief that marigolds repel or kill insects.  Gardeners were urged to plant marigolds among vegetable plants, in rows around the garden as a barrier and around plants like roses.  There are no scientific studies that back this up and as many gardeners have found out marigolds may actually attract harmful insects to the garden.  Japanese beetles will eat marigolds and like the bright yellow and orange colors many marigolds have.  Spider mites also like marigolds.  Aphids and some leaf hoppers are attracted to marigolds.  Planting marigolds in the garden may attract these nasty pests.  Slugs eat marigolds, so no, they don’t repel them either.

Marigolds are said to repel cabbage moths but no studies have ever proved this.  They don’t repel mosquitoes or tomato hornworms or bean beetles or basically any insect.  From repelling insects marigolds suddenly jumped in the press to becoming repellants for deer and rabbits.  While they may not be their favorite food both animals will sometimes eat marigolds and planting them around a garden will not keep animal pests out.

One could use marigolds as a trap crop.  That is you would not plant them around and among plants you want to protect, but far from them so insects will be attracted away from garden plants.  This may work to some extent to lessen insect damage on crops or valuable plants.

Hundreds of articles have probably been written about marigolds repelling pests but that doesn’t mean that it’s true.  These myths piggyback on each other.  Gardeners want very much to believe in easy safe solutions to problems so they accept the advice without question.  Many soon learn it’s not true and accept the fact; others attribute the failure of the plants to do as promised to the type of marigold, which doesn’t matter, the weather, or some other irrational explanation.  Some people get lucky and have few pest problems the first time they grow marigolds among vegetable or other plants and help perpetuate the myth.

In some cultures planting flowers for their beauty alone was frowned upon.  But if a gardener could claim some benefit from the flowers for food crops the flowers were then allowed.  If a gardener liked the colorful marigolds he or she would certainly proclaim their value in the garden loudly, even if not quite truthfully.

In short marigolds are pretty flowers that would liven up any garden.  They may attract some pollinators.  But they won’t keep harmful insects away or animal pests either. 

Delightful Dill

I remember going into my grandfather’s basement in late summer and almost being overpowered by the smell of dill from his various crocks of fermenting pickles.  I do like the smell of dill however.  Most people are familiar with the way dill smells and tastes, you only have to open a jar of dill pickles to get the spicy aroma.  Dill is native to the Mediterranean region and has been used as a flavoring and as a medicinal plant for thousands of years.

Dill, (Anethum graveolens), is a pleasant, common herb that is quite easy for the average gardener to grow.  A few plants can be tucked into the back of a flowerbed, where they will look pretty while giving you dill flowers and seeds.  Often dill reseeds itself so you may not need to plant more the following year.  Dill also is the larval food of black swallowtail butterflies and can be planted in butterfly gardens to attract it and other species.

Dill flowers

Growing Dill

Dill is an annual plant; it completes its life cycle in a season and dies.  However if you let some go to seed you will seldom have to plant it again after the first time, it will pop up everywhere the next season.  Dill seeds are small, hard ovals with 3 ridges on them and the seeds smell distinctively like dill.   Plant the seeds shallowly, after the danger of frost has passed and the soil is warm.  Thin the plants to about 8 inches apart.  A gardener seldom needs more than 2 or 3 dill plants for home use.

Dill grows in almost any soil but prefers a sunny location.  It is tolerant of dry conditions but should be watered if it wilts and will grow larger if watered moderately. It generally does not need fertilizer.  Dill has few pests or diseases but does not compete well with weeds when young.

The dill plant generally consists of a single, hollow stalk with scattered feathery leaves along it.  The plant can grow to 3 feet tall or more in a great spot.  If you are unsure if you are growing dill you have only to crush a feathery leaf to smell - all parts of dill smell just like dill pickles!

In mid-summer dill plants begin producing flat umbrella shaped clusters of tiny yellow flowers.  These flowers quickly turn into hard brown seeds.  If you want to collect the seeds cut the drying heads before they are completely brown and store them in a warm, dry, dark place until the seeds easily shake out of the seed pods.  If you wait too long to cut the drying flower clusters, the seeds may be scattered on the ground and lost.

Using Dill

Dill flowers are used in pickle making as are the seeds.   Whole dill flowers are picked and added to jars of cucumbers or other vegetables before processing.  Dill seeds are also used in pickles and to flavor other dishes.   Dill leaves are sometimes used to flavor dishes such as fish also.  Dill flowers can be saved for a few days in the refrigerator by keeping stems in a few inches of water.

To obtain dill flavor soak the crushed seeds in vinegar or add to a small amount of boiling water and let steep.  You can put them in a bag and bang them with a hammer to crush or run them in a food processor for a few seconds. Dry dill seed is sometimes ground like black pepper and added to spice mixes.  Commercially oil is distilled from dill seeds that can be used in flavorings. 
I like to add a little dill pickle juice to coleslaw.  Dill seeds can also be used in salads and in dishes like German potato salad.

Dill has a long use as a medicinal plant to calm gas and nervous stomachs.  Seeds were given to children to chew on and dill tea or a few drops of dill oil were given to infants to soothe colic pains.  Dill tea can be used for heartburn and chewing on dill seeds will freshen the breath.

One caution - pregnant women can safely eat dill pickles and dill flavored foods but should avoid dill in concentrated amounts such as teas and chewing on seeds.  Dill was used to start menstruation in earlier times and may, according to some herbalists, bring on contractions.

Dill Refrigerator relish

Here’s a good way to use up some fresh garden produce and make an easy side dish for a meal or potluck offering.  It can be used on foods like hot dogs too.  This dish takes at least 2 hours to chill before serving.

Ingredients
4 cups of unpeeled thinly sliced or coarsely chopped cucumbers- if you want to use the relish on foods chop the cukes, if using as a side dish slice them.
½ cup of chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped red sweet pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of vinegar
½ teaspoon dill seed
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon mustard seed

Put the dill, celery and mustard seed in the vinegar, add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Set mixture in refrigerator.

Put the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle the salt over them and toss to mix it in.  Set the bowl in the refrigerator.

After one hour combine the bowls and mix well.  Cover bowl and return to the refrigerator for at least one more hour.  The relish will be stronger flavored the longer it sits.  It will stay fresh for at least a week in the refrigerator.

Enjoy summer while it lasts! The days are getting shorter.

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….
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