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Tuesday, October 17, 2017

October 17, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

Hi Gardeners
 
Pumpkin on a stick and mums
It was a very chilly morning around here, especially since our furnace isn’t working.  It’s warmed up nicely today, 68 degrees and sunny.  It’s the kind of day I’d like to curl up and bask in the sun like all my cats are doing.  I’m thinking how lucky I am compared to all those gardeners who lost their gardens to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires this year.  I’m hoping everyone has a better garden season next year.

I think we had a light frost last night, although there doesn’t appear to be much damage.  I moved some pots of the tender bulbs inside yesterday and managed to get my geraniums potted up for winter and moved inside between rain storms this weekend.  Now my porch is as full as the rest of the house and I still have to cram a few more things inside, like my rosemary.

I cut most of the dahlia blooms that were left last night, anticipating frost, but it looks like they may still get to bloom some more.  But the shorter days are taking a toll on the flower beds, many annuals are now through blooming.  The landscape roses are still going strong, an iris is blooming, some petunias, the salvias, marigolds, tithonia, zinnias and calendula.  Butterflies are still visiting.  The butterfly I pictured here last week was identified by an expert as a Painted Lady butterfly.

I picked some cute little pumpkins on a stick this week.  See the article on them below.  It’s time to pick those pumpkins, gourds and things to dry for decorations if you haven’t already.  I’ll be collecting seeds this week to save as it’s supposed to be sunny and dry.


All of my new bulbs have arrived for planting and I managed to get some planted before the rains came last weekend.  I’m planting around 400 bulbs this fall, down from last year’s count.  This year I’m trying a rare bulb- Fritillaria camschatcansis (chocolate lily), Fritillaria persica and some Camassia quamash as well as new varieties of old favorites. 

I like to try things I’ve never grown before.  Sometimes I have to try several times before something actually grows but it’s worth it.  I hope you too are busy planting bulbs so you will have lots of spring flowers to look forward to.



Questions about planting spring blooming bulbs answered

I love spring blooming bulbs and I plant hundreds each year.  You can never have enough spring flowers. If you don’t plant bulbs in the fall for spring flowers, why not?  It’s easy to do, although there is some work involved like in all garden endeavors. And most bulbs are inexpensive. If you are hesitant to try bulbs I think my many, many years of experience in planting bulbs can answer some questions gardeners may have about planting bulbs.



When should I plant bulbs?

In zones 4-7 bulbs can be planted from September until the ground freezes. In zones 8 and higher you’ll need to plant pre-chilled bulbs and wait until the soil cools down, probably November and December.  You can plant all bulbs as soon as you get them in the mail or buy them at the store but if your time is limited here are some guidelines for prioritizing.

 Always plant lily bulbs and the tubers or rhizomes of things like peonies as quickly after you get them as you can.  These do not store well and every day you wait decreases the chance you’ll have success with them. Lily bulbs are not generally mailed to you until later in the fall but when they do arrive plant them immediately. Lily bulbs found in packages in stores usually don’t perform as well as those that were dug and shipped directly to you from a mail order source. 

Plant the smaller bulbs, like crocus and snowdrops as early as you can.  They bloom early so they need to get started early.  They also have the tendency to dry out in storage.  Hyacinths, daffodils, and narcissus should be next, with tulips last.  Tulips actually like cooler soil.  While bulbs can be planted until the soil freezes they often do not do as well as those planted earlier.

Where can I plant bulbs?

Almost all bulbs like well-drained soil.  Never plant bulbs where water stands in early spring.  Most bulbs also like to be planted in sunny locations.  However small bulbs that bloom early can often be planted where the shade of deciduous trees will be later in summer, as most of their growth will be done before the trees cast much shade.  A few bulbs and rhizomes do like partly shaded locations, lily of the valley, trout lilies, trillium, some true lilies are examples, so do some research and make sure you are giving the plants the location they need.

Remember that you will need to leave bulb foliage to dry up before you remove it if you want the bulbs to return well the next year.  Planting bulbs where later emerging perennial foliage will hide the dying bulb foliage is a good plan.  I like to plant bulbs among hosta, ferns and daylilies.  Oriental and other tall lilies do well planted with ferns or daylilies as an understory; they won’t bloom until later in the season but they like their feet in the shade. Just leave a small clear area over each bulb, don’t plant directly on top of the bulb.

How do I plant bulbs?

Most bulbs should be planted about three times as deep as their height, but there are exceptions to this rule.  Read package directions or look up the plant requirements if you are uncertain.   In general plants with rhizomes or tubers instead of bulbs will be planted less deeply.  (Rhizomes look like stems with buds and have roots attached.) If you aren’t good at estimating depth in inches use a trowel that’s marked with inches or mark a small piece of wood with inch measurements and use that to guide you.

Plant the bulbs with the pointed end of the bulb up.  If you can’t find a pointed end, look for a round scar on the bulb.  This is where roots were last year and it goes down in the hole.  Rhizomes should have budded areas on top if you look closely.  If you absolutely have no idea what is top or bottom plant the bulb on its side.  Most bulbs will then be able to adjust themselves as they grow.  I notice many sellers send directions with those “tricky” bulbs that now say plant sideways.



Package directions will tell you how far apart to space bulbs.  Generally large bulbs should be about 6 inches apart, small bulbs 2-3 inches.  Arrange your bulbs in a staggered way, not in straight lines for a more natural look.  Small groups of the same color or type of bulb look better than single bulbs.  Bulbs can be layered- plant larger bulbs deep and smaller bulbs less deeply, but don’t place small bulbs directly over the large, just close by.

Crocus

Should I remove the brown papery stuff on bulbs or divide bulbs?

Try not to remove any papery covering bulbs have, but don’t worry if some of it falls off. Don’t separate the scales- or sections – which lily bulbs have and don’t try to divide daffodils with double or triple “noses”.  Yes, experts propagate bulbs that way but it isn’t as easy as it seems and your best bet is to plant the bulbs as they came.  You’ll get larger flowers this way.

You can plant any bulb sections or tiny bulbs that fall off bulb clumps and hope some of them also bloom.  It can take another year or two in some cases.

What about moldy or mushy bulbs?

A little mold on bulbs that still feel firm will not harm them.  Just plant them as normal.  Mushy or rotted looking bulbs should be discarded. If the bulbs arrived that way I would contact the company you bought them from and ask for a refund.

What should I add to the hole when planting bulbs- bonemeal?

Don’t use fertilizer or bone meal in the bottom of your hole.  Bone meal should not be used at all.  Old books suggest it and some new references just copy that but in our times bone meal is steamed and processed for safety and little is left in the way of nutrients. It also attracts some animals, which dig up your bulbs looking for it.  Using a general purpose fertilizer is fine, but mix it with the soil you are back filling with or sprinkle it on the soil surface, don’t dump it in the hole.  This can burn roots.

Never add peat or compost to holes for bulbs.  These can retain water, especially if the native soil is clay, and bulbs do not like that.  They may rot before they root.

What do I do after I plant the bulbs?

You probably won’t need to water bulbs after planting.  If it’s very dry all fall a good soaking before the ground freezes might be indicated. Don’t add thick mulch after planting as this may impede the bulbs emergence.  A light mulch of 2 inches or less is ok and helps disguise the planting area from animals. If thick layers of leaves blow over planted bulbs remove some of the matted leaves in spring so that bulbs don’t struggle to emerge.

Mark the spots where you planted bulbs with labels so you know where they are.  Some fall planted bulbs and rhizomes are slow to emerge in the spring and you don’t want to damage them or plant over them.

When bulbs just begin to emerge in the spring a small amount of slow release granular fertilizer sprinkled on the soil around them, especially if you can do it just before a spring rain, will improve their vigor and size.  This practice may help bubs that aren’t reliably perennial return the next year too.  And if spring is dry make sure to water your bulbs.

What do I do about animals eating or digging up bulbs?

Narcissus, daffodil, and allium bulbs are not eaten by animals, although they can be dug out of the ground and left to die.   If you have problems with animals like deer eating the flowers in the spring these bulbs are also good choices.

If you have trouble with animals digging up bulbs to eat you can lay a piece of wire fencing over the planted area until the ground is frozen.  Make sure you remove it early in the spring if you don’t remove it in the fall.  A piece of lattice, with 2 inch holes can be placed on the ground and the bulbs planted through the holes.  This discourages widespread digging, such as from pets, which really aren’t after the bulb to eat.  You can leave it and disguise it with mulch or remove it before the plants get very large.

Moles do not eat bulbs, but their tunnels attract other animals which do and their tunneling can sink bulbs too deep to emerge.  If you have lots of moles you can plant bulbs in pots, which you sink in the ground to their rim.   The pots should be deep enough for the type of bulb planted in them.  Several bulbs can be planted in each pot if there is enough space.

Folk remedies like sprinkling red pepper or mothballs on the ground do not keep bulbs from being dug up.  Some birds and other animals actually like red pepper and it’s quickly washed away in fall rains.  Mothballs are very poisonous to children and pets, and add harmful chemicals to your soil when they dissolve.  They should never be used outside.
 
Daffodils
What if I forget to plant bulbs and the ground is frozen?

If you look outside one morning and snow is on the ground don’t despair.  Plant the bulbs in a good potting soil mix in containers and keep the containers cool, in the refrigerator or on an unheated porch or garage.  The ideal temperature is between 30 and 40 degrees. Water lightly every couple weeks.  After 8-10 weeks of cold the pots can be brought into a warmer, sunny place and they will probably bloom for you.  Plant the bulbs outside in the early spring.  They may or may not bloom the next season but at least you had them this spring.

Don’t try to keep bulbs in a dormant state until the next fall or until spring.  While peonies and lilies can be spring planted holding over plants or bulbs you bought in the fall isn’t a good idea. 

There’s still time to buy bulbs on line for most gardeners.  See the list of garden catalogs to the right of the blog if you need links to online sources.


Natures gift- fall leaves

I used to embarrass my son greatly when I would stop on our drive home from school to pick up garbage bags of leaves people had left by the road.  He could never understand why I considered those leaves so valuable

When the leaves are beginning to fall the first instinct of many gardeners is to get out the rake.  But stop right there.  Thinking fallen leaves look messy is learned behavior, a construct of civilization.  Instead think of fallen leaves as a beautiful blanket provided generously by nature. A wise gardener knows that those leaves are a gift, a valuable gift to you from nature and they learn how to use that gift wisely.


Here’s why leaves should be considered a gift.  All summer long the tree has been drawing nutrients from the soil and creating food from sunlight and now some of those nutrients are in each of those leaves decorating your lawn. Not all of the nutrients of course.  Before the tree formed that abscission layer that caused the leaves to drop, it reabsorbed some of the nutrients in the leaves. But some nutrients along with valuable organic matter are left.

You can choose to throw those nutrients and valuable organic matter away, spending hours of time raking and bagging leaves, or worse, using a gas guzzling, noisy, emission spewing leaf blower to move them somewhere else. Or you can choose to keep nature’s gift and return those valuable nutrients to your soil. Smart gardeners keep the leaves.

Some people worry that if they let leaves lay on the lawn they will smother the grass. It is true that a heavy, thick layer of wet leaves can cause some patches of lawn to die. Nature seldom lets this happen because the leaves get stirred around by fall and winter winds and rarely make thick layers in a natural situation. If this worries you or you don’t like the “messy” look of leaves on the lawn the solution is simple. On a dry day get out your lawn mower, preferably with a mulching blade, set it to mow about 3 inches high and make a couple passes over your lawn.  If leaves have gathered against a fence or building your rake can get some use as you pull them out to where the mower can chop them up.

Leaves that are cut into small pieces by the mower will settle into the lawn and soon be decomposed, returning those captured nutrients to the soil and the trees that shed the leaves. In a very short time you will never know they were there. You can wait until all the leaves have fallen, or mow every few days, depending on how many leaves you are given.

There is one good reason to rake leaves and that is to use them for compost or organic improvement for your vegetable and flower beds. (Raking leaves off walkways and porches is also a good idea, since they can be slippery when wet.) Better yet, use the bagged leaves your neighbors have spent all that labor on and just mow yours. Leaves can go directly into compost piles, whole or shredded. They can also be piled on bare vegetable beds. Leaves can be left in those plastic bags and stored dry somewhere to add to compost piles in the spring and summer when dry matter is needed to balance wet matter.

Before using leaves to mulch dormant perennials, most leaves should be shredded. Oak leaves and leaves that are very small already, such as honey locust leaves, are an exception. They can be used “as is.” Other leaves may matt and mold if used whole and in quantity. You can buy leaf shredders or you can place a layer of leaves in a large trash can, insert a “weed wacker” and chop them up. Wear safety goggles and keep your face away from the can opening if you do this in case foreign objects were in the leaves. Shredded leaves can be used generously to mulch perennial beds.

If you are thinking of building a new flower or vegetable bed in a turf area next spring the smothering effect of large amounts of whole leaves can be used to your advantage. Outline your new bed, mow the existing vegetation as short as possible and pile on the leaves, a foot or more high. You may want to lay some fence wire or burlap across the leaves and weigh it down to keep the wind from stealing your leaves over the winter.

Never throw a gift away.  Nature gave you the leaves so use them wisely.

Pumpkins on a stick-  Solanum aethiopicum, and Solanum integrifolium

If you like to grow something different, like fall decorating or like to experiment with medicinal herbs then this odd little plant called pumpkins on a stick or Chinese scarlet eggplant may be just the thing for you.  I love the tiny pumpkin shaped fruit because they make long lasting fall arrangements.  And pumpkins on a stick are as easy to grow as tomatoes or eggplants- because they are an eggplant, not a pumpkin.
 
Pumpkins on a stick



I was shopping at a farmers market many years ago and a vendor had these tiny little dried, pumpkin-like fruits.  She said they were some kind of pepper.  It looked like orange color may have been added to those fruits and they had a rather papery type skin.  I added some to the fall decorations on my desk and then tried to grow some of the seeds inside the next spring, with no success.

In my search to find those intriguing little fruits again I came upon a seed packet labeled “Pumpkins on a Stick” and thought I had found my plant.  I didn’t, pumpkin on a stick actually has prettier, shiny orange fruits that are larger than the fruits I found at the farmers market.  I think I like the pumpkins on a stick better, they are pretty on the plant and off.  And at only about 2 inches wide they still are smaller than the smallest true pumpkins.  (However I continue to look for those original little pumpkin like fruits I saw that time at the farmers market.)

As mentioned above pumpkins on a stick are actually an eggplant. They are native to Africa, but have become naturalized in China and other Asian countries where they were introduced thousands of years ago. I had to do some deep researching on the correct species of eggplant.  It seems that there are actually two eggplant species in the horticulture trade that are given this common name or the name Scarlet Chinese eggplant  and they are Solanum aethiopicum, and Solanum integrifolium. They are very similar and many authors tend to say either name is correct and refer to the same plant.  However a DNA analysis proves there are two distinct species called by the common name.  Here’s a link to that research: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00022555

I noticed that many descriptions of pumpkin on a stick included leaves with prickles and purple stems.  My plants had neither of those things but the fruits looked identical to pictures of those plants.  It seems I have Solanum integrifolium, it is Solanum aethiopicum which has prickles on the leaves and stems and purplish stems.  When you order seeds of pumpkins on a stick or Scarlet Chinese eggplant you may get either species, depending on what that company is cultivating.

Both species have leaves typical of eggplant, broad triangles with wavy edges.  Solanum aethiopicum has prickles sticking up through the surface of the leaf and on stems.  The plant has a sprawling habit, more like a tomato than a domestic eggplant.  Solanum aethiopicum stems have a purple color.

The flowers of both species of pumpkins on a stick are white.  They turn into clusters of green, ribbed 2 inch fruits that mature to orange and look very much like a ribbed pumpkin in miniature.  The seeds inside are much like pepper seeds, flat and white.

You can harvest the fruits by picking the fruits off individually or cutting stems off.  To dry the fruits hang stems of fruit upside down in a dark warm place.  The orange fruits store well, lasting weeks as a fresh decoration similar to real pumpkins.  For anyone who grows things for fall farm markets the pumpkins on a stick could be an excellent crop.

Growing pumpkins on a stick

Gardeners will probably have to start with seeds.  I bought mine off a seed rack in a grocery store this year but several seed companies carry them.  Start the seeds inside about 8 weeks before your average last frost date.  The seeds germinate best in warm temperatures of 70-80 degrees and plants like warm growing conditions also.  Don’t transplant outside until the weather is warm and settled.


Pumpkins on a stick need the same care as tomato or eggplant plants and you will probably need to stake or cage the plants to keep them off the ground.  Plant pumpkins on a stick in full sun.  Water during dry spells.  It takes about 75 days from transplanting outside to get ripe fruit.  Frost kills the plants, if your fruits haven’t ripened before the first frost is predicted you may want to cover the plants to give them more time.


Pumpkins on a stick are disease resistant; their genes are being introduced into the species of eggplant cultivated for food to make them resistant to fusarium wilt and other things.  Insects like flea beetles may chew foliage but rarely do significant damage.  Like most plants in the solanaceae family (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant) pumpkins on a stick are rarely eaten by deer and rabbits.

Other uses of pumpkins on a stick

In Asia the fruit of pumpkins on a stick and also the leaves are used in cooking.  The fruits are harvested in a green or yellow stage and used in various cooked dishes.  If left to turn orange they become very bitter and even green fruit is pretty bitter, try a bite if you grow them.

Leaves are also used as a vegetable when very young, boiled in a change of water like poke leaves.  All parts of the plant would be poisonous if eaten in large quantity and personally I think I would pass on the leaves.

Green fruits and sometimes leaves are used in indigenous herbal remedies to lessen pain and inflammation, for stomach complaints and for swollen lymph nodes.   Modern medicine has found anti-inflammatory and other benefits in the plants.  For more recent medical research results try this link;

Pumpkins on a stick are a plant every gardener should try at least once, just for the fun of it.  They are great for those who love fall themed decorations and are attractive in the garden as well.   Some of you may want to add pumpkins on a stick to your medicinal gardens also.

Cinnamon in the garden

Gosh I must have missed it.  All those hours of botany and biology classes and no one ever told me about all the benefits of cinnamon in the garden.  I guess I should have been on line so I could read all those helpful articles by people who probably aren’t even gardeners.  I hope you realize this is sarcasm.

How did all these “cinnamon does everything” articles get started?  Just the way the Epsom salt articles did, by someone with little scientific knowledge interpreting a scientific study somewhere and jumping to erroneous conclusions which then spread like wildfire through social media.  Someone tries a home remedy suggested and by chance or the placebo effect, their plant/garden seems to improve.  But I think half of the remedies passed around the internet don’t even get tried by those spreading them.

So let’s talk about cinnamon.   After a review of scientific literature I think I know how the power of cinnamon myths got started.  Social media stories attribute these qualities to cinnamon; it cures fungal disease on plants and soil, it kills or chases away insects and/or animal pests, it improves plant vigor, and it’s a rooting hormone.  Most social media articles eagerly suggest you go out to the dollar store and buy a big container of cinnamon powder.  But you may want to save your money and protect your children and pets health, (more on that later), by not buying that economy jar of cinnamon.

Most scientific studies on plant compounds isolate chemicals from plants they feel might be useful.  They then use those specific chemicals in their studies.  Whole plants contain many different chemicals, and those chemicals can vary tremendously from plant to plant of the same species depending on growing conditions, harvesting techniques and other variables. Using whole plants would make it hard to replicate experiments, which is a requirement for good scientific studies, and we wouldn’t know what chemicals in the plant provided helpful results.

In the case of cinnamon a few studies isolated chemicals in the plant that could control fungal and bacterial diseases, mainly cinnamaldehyde.   All of the studies on cinnamon used concentrated cinnamon oil, not powdered cinnamon.  Here’s the summary of what concentrated cinnamon oil is good for: protecting harvested fruits and vegetables from rot and being used in coatings of food storage containers to help prevent spoilage.  One study found that paper coated with a wax infused with cinnamon oil would repel ants.  Cinnamon oil has been used in coatings on rice containers for insect repellency, and control.  (I hesitate to include these studies because someone reading this will start sprinkling cinnamon powder to repel ants.  Don’t.)

Studies were indeed done with concentrated cinnamon oil, (not powder) on plant fungal diseases.  In the lab, on petri dishes of fungus, cinnamon oil worked well to control the diseases. Someone read that part and the legends took off.  However when cinnamon oil is applied to living plants in a concentration high enough to control fungus it causes severe phototoxic damage, (the leaves burn in light). Those eager article writers missed that part.  Therefore using it to control fungal diseases or repel insects isn’t a good idea.  And the concentrated cinnamon oil used in the studies is not the cinnamon essential oils you buy in stores.

There are no science based uses for cinnamon powder in gardening.  Cinnamon powder will not prevent dampening off when sprinkled on soil; it won’t cure fungal disease or kill insects when sprinkled on plants.  And it is not a rooting hormone, and no evidence exists that it can help prevent cuttings from bacterial or fungal rot.  The only thing powdered cinnamon is good for is baking.  Get it out of the garden.

Human medicine

Cinnamon, as a spice, the powdered bark of several types of  Cinnamomum species trees, has been used for thousands of years.  Cinnamaldehyde is an aromatic oil found in cinnamon bark that gives it that distinctive smell and taste.  The cheaper form of cinnamon, called Cassia cinnamon, also contains the chemical coumarin, which has been widely studied in human medicine.

Cinnamon has been studied in human medicine for lowering blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity and for lowering blood cholesterol. Some studies found cinnamon helpful in these cases, others found no benefit.  Animal studies for cancer and other ailments have shown mixed results also.  But these studies are outside the scope of this article.
Here’s a link to several human medicinal studies.

Cinnamon may not be safe

There is another good reason not to use cinnamon powder in the garden.  People widely assume something they can eat as a spice is harmless but in the case of cinnamon that isn’t true.  Cinnamon in large quantities is damaging to the liver and can cause cancer.  (Eating it in baked goods is generally fine, you get small amounts.  Some doctors will warn certain patients to avoid cinnamon however.) Cheap cinnamon also has a pretty significant amount of coumarin in it which can cause excessive bleeding.  Doctors are now warning about self -medicating with cinnamon powder capsules for various ailments.

Inhalation of cinnamon powder can cause severe lung damage.  This happens when people try to eat the powder dry, as in the infamous cinnamon challenge that peaked in 2013-2014 or when a curious child gets its hands on the powder as happened in 2015- resulting in the death of the child from lung damage. Inhalation of cinnamon powder can cause lung fibrosis even years later.  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/131/5/833.full.pdf

When people start thinking of a product as safe and using it for all kinds of things it wasn’t meant to be used for, problems occur. (Look, mom has a big bottle of cinnamon in the shed, let’s try the cinnamon challenge.) Cinnamon belongs in the spice cabinet, out of the reach of kids and not masquerading as a safe, natural garden product, which the manufacturers of cinnamon powder never intended it to be used for. 

I am going to list some more links to cinnamon research here.  People should realize that when they read one research study they shouldn’t jump to conclusions that a product is safe and effective especially if you substitute some common product for the specialized product used in the research, for example using cinnamon powder in place of concentrated cinnamon oil.  And many studies need to be done before safety and effectiveness can truly be determined.


Since cinnamon has been used for thousands of years it would seem logical if there truly were benefits to using it in the garden that practice would be well known by experts in the field of horticulture and agriculture. A quick search of my older garden books, even organic ones, does not reveal any references to using cinnamon.  This is a fairly new bit of misinformation fed by social media.

Harvest Loaf

This quick bread is moist and deliciously full of fall harvest flavor.  It’s the perfect thing to warm up your house and your belly on a chilly day.  The recipe will make 2 large loaves or 3 small, so you can freeze your cake and eat it too.

Ingredients
2 large apples, peeled and cored
1 cup of pumpkin puree- (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 box pumpkin spice instant pudding mix (can use vanilla)
3 cups unbleached flour (plain white flour is fine, but less healthy)
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans - optional

Grease the bottoms only of 2 large or 3 small loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the apples and pumpkin in food processor and blend until smooth.

Note: you can continue the recipe in the food processor if it’s large or move the puree to a mixing bowl and use the mixer to blend ingredients.

Add eggs, blend well.

Add brown sugar, baking soda and powder, salt and spices, blend well.

Add the pudding mix, sour cream, vanilla and melted butter, blend well.

Add flour and nuts if using and blend until smooth.

Pour batter into pans, divided equally.

Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes, until tops are brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Decorate this pretty brown loaf with orange cream cheese frosting for an elegant dessert.


Staghorn Sumac 

Brilliant blue skies, soft light, orange,yellow, red and brown, fall. 


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

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Newsletter/blog information

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I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com


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