Hi Gardeners
 |
| Who is a butterfly expert? Is this Gorgone Checkerspot? |
Well summer continues here
in Michigan, we have had warm temperatures and pretty dry conditions. We did get 6/10 inch of rain this weekend but
we could use more. You can tell by the
angle of light and shorter days that it’s fall but if you sit outside midday
you would swear its June. We are running
about 10 degrees above normal. I hope
that trend continues all winter.
Outside I have petunias,
impatiens, violas, calendula, mums, landscape roses, sedum, geraniums, tuberous
begonias, cleome, zinnias, tithonia, dahlias, Maximillian sunflowers, Jerusalem
artichokes, cannas, cup and saucer vine, clematis, marigolds, bearded iris and
salvia still blooming. I even have
blooms on the pepper and tomato plants left standing. I think I have more still in bloom this fall
than I’ve ever had before in October.
Inside I have hibiscus, fuchsia,
bouvardia and spider plants blooming.
There are large buds on the “thanksgiving” cactus. I also have a problem with tree frogs. Yes indoors.
Some people think having frogs in the house is scary, I don’t mind
except that I think they need to be outside before winter so they can properly
hibernate. But try finding and catching
these little buggers. I can hear their
very loud calls but seldom see them.
In our bedroom there is a
very ting spring peeper with a big mouth living in a pot that has a small
variegated weeping fig underplanted with setcreasea (purple heart). Several times I have seen the little guy
sitting on the soil in the pot but I can’t get my hands in among the plants to
catch him. I gave him a saucer of water
since there are no bird cages in that room for him to find water in but I don’t
know what he eats.
In the living room another
frog is residing among the large plants. I can’t find him. He sounds like he’s close to the bird cage
where there’s a big dish of water but it’s like a jungle in that room, no hope
of finding him. And I heard one in my
office, there are only 4 pots on the shelf I heard him calling from. I took
each down and examined them but I can’t find that one either.
I have never had this many
frogs come inside before. Since they all sound alike I think they are all
spring peepers like the one I see in the bedroom. It’s not like the singing they do in the
spring, it’s a loud sound like a dog squeaky toy. I don’t know if there was a frog population
boom this summer or if they are on the plants because they were getting watered
regularly and it was dry. I would be
fine with them living in here all winter if they could find something to eat
but I doubt they can.
I love being able to be
outside in the sun this October. There
are still lots of butterflies and bees even though the hummers are gone. I just got some pictures of a butterfly I
think may be the rather rare Gorgone Checkerspot, not recorded yet in this
county. Take a look at the photo at the
top of the page if you know butterflies and tell me what you think. I am going to submit it to entomology at MSU
and see what they think.
Cup
and saucer vine- Cobaea scandens
If you like interesting heirloom plants Cup and Saucer
vine should be in your garden. Another common name is Cathedral Bells. This
vigorous vine is native to Mexico and is grown in most of the US as an annual
vine, although it is a perennial in planting zones 9 and above. It is also grown in heated greenhouses and
sunrooms as a fall and winter blooming vine often used as a screen or
“curtains”. It is perennial and
evergreen inside or in planting zones 9 and higher.
If you need something covered Cup and Saucer vine may
be the plant you are looking for. It’s equally good on a trellis or chain link
fence and will also climb into trees and shrubs if you let it. If you live in colder zones say zone 7 and
lower you’ll probably want to start plants inside 2 months before your last
spring frost to get maximum coverage before first fall frost. But this vine grows quickly and branches out
to cover a large area. It can easily
grow 10-15 feet in just the summer. In
warm areas or inside the vine can eventually cover 40-70 feet of space.
 |
| Cup and saucer vine |
Cobaea
scandens has compound leaves, consisting of 4-6 oval leaflets. It climbs by tendrils that are often forked
and have a hook at the end. It grows
upright as a seedling until it finds suitable support then will branch to cover
a wider area. Stems are a reddish purple
color when young.
The flowers of Cup and Saucer vine are said to look
like a teacup in a saucer but I find that quite imaginative. The flower starts with odd looking 5 sided pale
green buds which then opens and shows off the frilly inner cup like flower. The
cup has a light center spot, markings along the petals pointing to the nectar
in the center, darker veins and long protruding clusters of stamens. When it
first opens the flower cup is pale greenish white, over a few days it darkens
to pale purple and then becomes deep purple after the flower loses its pollen. The flowers are said to have a light sweet
scent, although I have never noticed it.
The color change in the flowers makes sense because in
its native habitat Cobaea scandens is
pollinated by bats. White or light
colors are more easily found in the dark, even by bats. When the flower no longer needs pollination
it turns dark, and hopefully the bats will leave it alone and concentrate on
plants that still need pollination.
Flowers are about 2 inches wide and begin blooming in
late summer. They will continue blooming
until frost outside. People who grow the
plant inside say it will continue blooming well into winter. There is a variety of Cup and Saucer vine
that stays white that is sometimes offered in catalogs but I find the color
changing variety more interesting.
If flowers get pollinated a round seed capsule develops
in the center of the “saucer”. Inside
are numerous flat seeds with “wings” that help distribute them. Because seed pods sometimes form in areas
outside the range of pollinating bats night flying moths or other insects may
also pollinate the plant.
Growing
Cup and Saucer vine
Cup and Saucer vine prefers full sun. I have had the plants do well in light shade
also. Inside it would need the brightest
conditions possible. It’s not fussy
about soil. In areas colder than zone 9
it’s generally grown outside as an annual.
In planting zones 6 and lower you will probably want to start the seeds
inside about 2 months before your last spring frost because it takes a long
time to begin blooming.
Plants are seldom available so you’ll probably have to
start Cup and Saucer vine from seed.
Soak the hard seeds overnight and then either plant where you want them
to grow or in pots inside. Most catalogs
recommend you plant the seeds on their sides.
Germination can take 10-30 days.
Keep seedlings in a warm area with very strong light. Transplant outside after all danger of frost
has passed. Make the plant will have
something to climb on.
Outside in reasonably good soil you won’t need much
fertilization. I work in some granular
slow release fertilizer at transplanting time. If you grow it inside it will
need regular fertilization from late spring through its bloom period. The plant does better if watered during dry
spells, evenly moist soil produces the most growth. Disease and insect problems
are rare outside.
The toxicity of Cup and Saucer plant is a bit
confusing. It’s listed in the FDA Poison
Plants data base but not on most other poisonous plants lists. I have heard reports that chickens can eat it
without problems. There’s no edible uses
listed for the plant that I can find and only one herbal use, a tea made from
leaves is used as a cough remedy in its native range. I would suggest not eating the plant.
If you like unusual heirloom flowers and enjoy vines,
the Cup and Saucer vine should be in your garden next year.
Houseplant
tips for fall
Fall is a time for transitions. Many people placed their houseplants outside
for a summer vacation and have now brought them back inside. There’s a period of adjustment for both the
plants and their owners. Even if your
plants stayed inside all summer the lower light levels, shorter days and
differing temperatures may cause changes in some of your plants. Here’s a few things that commonly come up in
the fall concerning houseplants.
Re-potting
too much
Whenever someone posts a picture of a sad sick plant on
line and asks for advice you’ll find many people telling the plant parent to
repot the plant. But that’s only good
advice in a few limited circumstances. When
a plant is stressed by something the last thing it usually needs is more stress
from repotting.
Many houseplant owners repot their plants far too
often. Many plants actually do better
and if you want blooms, bloom better, when slightly root bound. (Slightly root bound means the roots fill the
pot but don’t wrap around in layers on the inner wall of the pot.) In the house
where space is limited keeping the plant slightly root bound helps restrict its
growth without harming it. When a plant
reaches a size that is optimum for the space you have, stop repotting it to a
bigger pot. Prune the top growth to keep
it in bounds if needed.
A plant that is in too big of a pot for its root size
may stop doing well. Usually it doesn’t
get watered correctly in this circumstance, there’s too much water or too
little water given because the owner is watering the pot not the plant. When
repotting only increase the pot size by an inch or so in diameter and a couple
inches of depth.
Most healthy plants do not need repotting more than
once a year. If you want the plant to
grow larger repot it in spring or early summer, if it’s healthy. Optimum growing conditions will help the
plant quickly recover from the disturbance.
If you already have the plant in a pot that’s large for the plant size,
skip repotting. Try not to repot a plant immediately before a change in
location and conditions, give it a couple weeks in the new location first if
you can.
Unhealthy plants are probably not that way because of
the pot size or even the planting medium.
If a plant is unhealthy from disease, insects, cold or heat damage repotting
it just adds more stress and may mean death for the plant. Repotting plants generally doesn’t stop a
fungus gnat infestation either. You need
to treat the pots with mosquito bits or products specifically to control the
gnats.
If the plant has been over fertilized and has a large
salt build up you’ll need to remove all the potting medium, wash plant roots
and refill the pot with good potting medium.
The roots may recover. (Salt
burned plants may have reddish discoloration, browned leaf tips, yellowing and
there may a whitish crust on the top of the potting soil. Other things can
cause these conditions.)
If the plant has been over watered, the potting medium
will look wet and there will be a swampy smell.
But if you know the pot drains well simply stop watering it. Dump any saucers and elevate the bottom of
the pot so it drains freely if needed. Putting the plant into a pot with dry
planting medium probably won’t help it.
There are good reasons to repot a plant. If the pot is
too large for the plant repot it in a more suitable pot. If roots are breaking the pot, it’s time to
repot. If the pot is broken you will of
course need to repot. Sometimes a plant
gets so root bound that there is virtually no room for water in the pot, it
drains right out and the plant constantly wilts. You’ll need to repot and possibly do some
root pruning.
Just because you see roots on top of the pot or roots
are even climbing out of the pot doesn’t mean the plant needs repotting. In some plants this is a normal
behavior. Check a reference to see if
this is normal for the species. If you
do repot don’t place the plant deeper than the level it was growing just to
cover the top roots. A very light layer
of potting medium, we’re talking a dusting, can be used to cover the exposed
roots.
If the potting medium seems to have settled in the pot
and the plant has sunken down into a half filled pot you can slide the plant
out and add soil to the bottom of the pot.
This happens when potting medium is washed out of the pot through
watering and when organic matter in the potting medium decomposes.
If a pot doesn’t have bottom drain holes and you can’t
add them that’s a good reason to repot a plant.
Putting gravel or other things in the bottom of a pot in place of having
drainage holes just doesn’t work well.
Nine times out of ten the plants will end up not doing well at some
point because there is no drainage and a perched water table develops at the
soil–gravel line. This will cause root rot.
There are some plants that are so hardy that you could
repot them every time you pass them and they would still thrive. But unhealthy plants and some species that
dislike disturbance will be harmed and may die if repotting is done too
often. Be conservative with plant
repotting, less is probably better than more.
Dropping
leaves
If you have just moved your houseplants back inside and
notice a lot of leaves yellowing and dropping off, there’s probably no need to
worry. No matter how good the light
level is inside it was probably higher outside.
Plants adjust to the new light level by dropping the leaves that grew in
high light conditions (where they had high chloroplast levels to process the
light into sugar) to leaves better suited to indoor light. Some species of plants are more sensitive to
this than others.
In some species of plants the cooler nights and diminishing
hours of daylight will also trigger a leaf turn over. Expect some dropping of leaves in plants
moved back inside in the fall. If you
look at the plant stems you should see new leaf buds emerging and in a few weeks
the plant will have replaced most of the leaves. If the plant doesn’t regrow new leaves
something else is wrong. Make sure you
check for insects and are watering correctly.
There are a few species of woody plants used as houseplants that will go
dormant if they got too cold before being moved inside. They may take longer to begin putting out new
growth.
Fall
watering of houseplants
When you bring the houseplants back inside in the fall
or even if you left them inside all summer there can be an adjustment period
for you and the plants in the watering schedule this time of the year. You may need to water them less often or more
often than you will later in winter. If
the days are still warm, sunny and dry outside plants will quickly dry out
inside, often as quickly as they did outside.
But if conditions are cool, cloudy and damp plants will need watering
less often. Since the autumn season is
known for its swings between the two extremes you may have to adjust your
watering schedule from week to week.
Often there’s been an increase in rainfall just before
plants are brought back inside and if pots are very saturated with water you
may not need to water for a week or more. When the furnace is being used conditions
often become dry in the house and plants will need to be watered more often. Once the weather has settled and the house is
closed up and the furnace running most of the time your watering schedule will
become more predictable. Until then use
the finger test to see if each individual pot needs water.
Perennial
and Landscape tips for fall
For a great swath of the nation garden season is
grinding to its end. Most of us are
still doing some garden chores though so here are some common concerns of fall
perennial gardens and home landscape.
Planting
potted mums
A lot of gardeners can’t resist buying pots of colorful
mums this time of year and many of them want to know if the mums can be planted
and survive for another year. The answer
is maybe. I’ll explain.
Many potted mums being purchased this time of year are
hardy in your garden zone. But the intensive
growing conditions they receive to get them into that mound of color for fall
purchase often leaves them a bit stressed.
The longer into fall they bloom and the later they get planted into the
ground the less likely they are to survive.
If you want landscape mums the best thing to do is to buy
small plants in the spring to set out.
But if you want to try to save those potted mums you buy in the fall
here’s what to do. As soon as you buy
them, remove the pot and plant them in the ground. Mums need to be planted in full sun
conditions. Do not fertilize them. Keep
them well watered. When blooming has stopped cut all the stems back by one
half. Mulch the plants lightly with leaves or straw. If it’s dry and the ground isn’t frozen water
them from time to time. Even after the foliage has died back do not
trim it back any farther.
You have about a 50-50 chance the mums will survive the
winter. Slowly and carefully remove the
mulch in the spring after hard freezes are unlikely. Do not trim back dead stems and be careful
working around the plants. At the base
of those dead stems, at the plants crown, are the new buds and they are easily
broken off or damaged. Once you see new growth fertilize the plants. New stems will grow up and hide the old dead
ones.
The plants won’t have the rounded shape they had when
you purchased them unless you do extensive pinching back through early
summer. But if you are lucky you’ll get
the plant to bloom again next fall.
Bone
meal and bulbs
This is the time to plant those spring blooming
bulbs. In many older books and often
still recommended by other gardeners, is the advice to use bone meal in the
planting holes. However science says
this is bad advice.
The bulbs you buy have been grown in very optimal
conditions and have stored all the nutrients they need to put down roots and bloom
in the spring. They don’t need the minor
bit of nutrients bone meal furnishes and adding bone meal encourages animals to
dig up the bulbs. They can smell the
bone meal and are more attracted to those planting areas. If animals don’t eat the bulbs they often
leave them exposed to drying out and or freezing.
Bulbs generally do not need anything added to the
planting holes except the soil you took out. Never add peat to the holes either, this
causes too wet conditions, bulbs must have good drainage. If you must use something buy a bulb
fertilizer, not bone meal and mix it with the soil you took out of the hole before
refilling it. Established beds of bulbs
are best fertilized in the spring as new growth emerges with a general purpose fertilizer,
not bone meal.
Fall
tree planting – washing roots
Fall is the second best time to plant trees and shrubs.
Most of the woody plant material you buy this time of year will be potted or
balled and burlapped. For the best
chances of your new woody plants surviving and thriving here are some planting
tips.
Remove everything from around the root system. That includes pots, burlap, strings, wires,
and cages. If a seller tells you that
will void the warranty you shouldn’t buy there.
For even better chances of tree and shrub survival new scientific
recommendations say you should also wash the old soil off the plants
roots. Do this gently with a hose on low
pressure or by soaking the root ball in a tub of water for an hour or so. Keep the root system moist until you are
ready to plant it, cover with damp newspapers or a damp cloth and plant as soon
as possible.
One reason you remove everything from around the plants
roots is so there is no impediments to the roots moving out into their new
soil. You want the root system to
establish as quickly as possible. When
you remove everything, including the soil, you also get to see the condition of
the root system. You may be surprised as
to what that root ball was hiding. You’ll also be able to see the best depth at
which to plant the new tree or shrub, which may not be obvious looking at the
root covered in soil.
Sometimes you’ll find almost no root system. Other times you’ll find the roots have badly
circled the pot or ball and if you planted them like that they are likely to
keep growing in circles and cut off their own circulation which will cause them
to fail. You may find roots have been
bent to fit in the pot or ball or that the root flare is set too deeply into
soil in the ball and burlapped plants.
If roots are badly circled you’ll need to trim them
back so that they face outward or prune just before the point that they
curve. A big mass of curled, crowded
roots at the bottom of the root ball can be trimmed lightly and spread
out. Bent roots can be gently
straightened or even removed. You can’t do much about a small root system. It may still be a healthy plant or if you are
worried return it for a refund.
Once you can see the root system and have corrected any
problems you’ll be able to plant it correctly.
Dig your hole twice as wide as the root system and only slightly
deeper. Do not add anything to the hole!
No peat, no topsoil, no compost. Research
has proven that woody plants establish best when the holes are refilled with
the soil that is taken out of them, regardless of that soil condition.
Set the plant in the hole so that the top sideways
growing root will only be barely covered with soil. On trees you look for the root flare, that’s where
the trunk widens slightly at the base.
This needs to be above ground.
Planting trees too deeply results in poorly growing trees that are more
prone to being damaged in storms.
After filling in the hole don’t tamp down the soil with
your feet. Water the soil to settle it
and add more soil if needed. Leave a
small depression around the planted tree so that a water “well” is formed,
unless you live in a flood prone area. Keep the plant watered until the ground
freezes. Don’t fertilize until new
growth begins next year. Absolutely no Epsom
salt! Don’t trim anything off the top of the tree or shrub unless it’s broken
or limbs cross each other and rub together.
A light mulch, a couple inches deep and not touching
the trunk is recommended. Staking is not
recommended except for larger evergreens in their first winter and for certain
weeping, grafted trees. You’ll want to
protect the trunk from rabbit and vole damage with a 3 feet tall wire mesh cage
or a tree tube. A properly planted tree
or shrub will take off and grow quickly and is more likely to be healthy
throughout its life.
Drying
Gourds
Fall is a wonderful time to think ahead and dry some
gourds for winter craft projects. You
may have grown gourds in your garden, but if you didn’t, gourds are often found
at farm markets in the fall. Gourds come
in all sizes and colors. The small,
colorful ones require little more than drying to turn them into decorations,
but the larger plain ones can be painted and cut and turned into several crafty
items, including bird houses.
Pick your decorative gourds before a hard freeze. You
can leave them in the garden until then; it is really better for them to dry in
the vine. Light frosts are fine, they
will continue to dry after them, but freezing may turn them black or mushy.
Let the gourds dry in a sunny location a few
hours. Then brush off all surface dirt.
Mix a solution of 1 part household bleach to 3 parts water and use this
solution to dip rags or paper towels in and clean the gourds surface. Then
allow to air dry. This helps prevent mold.
You could also use some of the handy “wet wipes” with bleach to clean
the gourds.
Then dry the gourds in a warm, dark place with good air
circulation, until you can hear the seeds rattle inside. The drying process takes from 2-4 months
depending on the gourd and the conditions of the drying area. You cannot hurry gourds by drying them in the
oven or microwave unfortunately.
Don’t worry if you want the gourds for a fall display
this year. They can continue to dry
where they are displayed as long as they are not subjected to freezing or
moisture and aren’t piled too deeply. If
you have gourds layered in a basket for example, you may want to rotate them
from time to time. Gourds that you
intend to keep for a long time can be sprayed with craft sealing finishes,
varnish or wax after they are thoroughly dry.
If you are using larger gourds for crafts wait until
they are completely dry and you can hear those seeds rattling before cutting
them or painting them. A drill with a
small bit is good for starting holes. Gentle use of a saw or drill is required
to keep the gourd from shattering. If
you are making a bird house or something with a large opening, shake the seeds
out.
Gourds can be painted with any acrylic craft
paint. If they will be outside they
should be covered with a waterproof sealer after the paint dries. Gourds that
are to be left in a natural color should be sprayed with a sealer also. If the bird houses are just decorations use
black paint to fake a hole. If they are
for actual use as a bird house research what size hole the bird species you
want to attract likes and use that size hole.
Painted gourds can also have holes cut in them and
small plastic containers set inside to hold flower arrangements, candy or small
snacks. Make a child’s rattle by
drilling a small hole and inserting small jingle bells or beads, then seal the
hole with a bit of putty and paint over it.
Children enjoy decorating gourds with paint and small glue on
decorations such as macaroni shaped as letters, brightly colored beans and
seeds and feathers. There’s lots of
winter fun with gourd crafts.
One
pot Cheater Chili
Fall means it’s time for chili. Chili is a quick and hearty meal for a chilly
day and it’s nutritious too. This chili recipe features a number of shortcuts (cheats)
that will give you perfect delicious results every time. And if you can minimize the clean up by
cooking all in one pot it’s even better. If the meat is defrosted you can put
this meal together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
One pound of ground beef (or venison)
1 medium onion diced
1 can of chili or kidney beans (dark or light)
1 quart jar of any spaghetti sauce
1 can of chili ready diced tomatoes (or plain diced if
you don’t like spicy)
Chili powder to taste – start with a teaspoon
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar or taco blend cheese- optional
Crackers- optional
Place the ground beef and onions in the bottom of a 3-4
quart pot and cook until the meat is brown and onions soft. You can season the meat with the salt and
pepper to your liking. Drain off any
excess grease.
Add the kidney beans, spaghetti sauce and tomatoes to
the pot. Stir well. Cook, adding chili powder a teaspoon at a
time and tasting until you have achieved the right level of spice for your
family. Let the chili simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Do not add water. The spaghetti sauce and juice from the
tomatoes makes the consistency of the chili just right.
Serve chili with about a half cup of shredded cheese on
top and crackers on the side.
This recipe will make about 6 servings. If you want to stretch the servings you can
add another can of kidney beans. You
can also double the ingredients for a big pot of chili.
Some
variations to the basic chili recipe
Serve left over chili on corn chips the next day for a
different twist to the meal.
If you like food spicy, use a spicy sausage instead of
ground beef and add chopped jalapeño or other hot peppers. Use a large jar of hot salsa in place of
canned tomatoes.
Vegetarians can leave out the meat and add a can of
black beans or navy beans and some frozen whole kernel corn.
Butterflies
in October are a glorious gift. May you have them in your life too.
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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