September 11, 2018 Kim’s Weekly Garden Blog

Hi Gardeners

Toad lilies

It’s turned into a nice day here, fog gave way to sunshine and it’s a pleasant temperature.  We did have some rain and wind Sunday, from the first hurricane to hit the east coast this year.  It wasn’t that much of a wind but it came from an odd direction and it snapped off a big beautiful purple cleome plant I had by my little ornamental pond at the base.  Plus, some other plants were blown over and had to be staked up and a hummingbird feeder and a birdhouse were blown over.

Some of you are probably saying “that’s nothing, we are bracing for a real hurricane.”   I have seen many gardeners that read this blog writing that they are expected to be where this next hurricane will strongly impact them. My damage is nothing compared to what they will get. I feel bad for the gardeners whose gardens will be wrecked but if you are along the eastern coast please heed the warnings and evacuate when told to do so.  Gardens and even homes can be rebuilt.

Even inland, because of all the rain in many eastern states, trees may easily topple in strong winds. Power lines may come down with them. Be very cautious and be prepared.  Pay close attention to the weather forecast the next few days folks.

In looking over my garden this week I have decided it’s not been the best garden year.  It’s been one of the worst veggie garden years I’ve had.  The flower gardens are a mixed bag, some things did well, some did not.  But next year will be better.

Blooming now in my garden is the sweet autumn clematis, hardy hibiscus, anemone, toad lilies, black snake root, peacock lilies, mums, asters and of course the annuals actually like this milder wetter weather and are blooming nicely.  I finally got to see my Hawaiian hibiscus bloom, but the blooms are still attracting Japanese beetles and are looking a bit ragged. 

The bees are awfully aggressive this year.  I’ve gotten stung more time this year than I ever have.  There are all kinds everywhere, which is good I guess, unless you want to pick flowers, sit outside or fill feeders. Little toads and frogs are everywhere too.  Maybe they’ll fatten up on bees.

The cleome snapped off by the wind.

Things to do in the garden in September

It’s a great time to plant grass seed, lay sod, and plant trees and shrubs. It’s a good time to plant most perennials.   It’s time to start planting bulbs for spring flowers; you can plant most of them until the ground freezes, but plant lilies as soon as you see them for sale or as soon as they are shipped to you.  Dig your summer flowering bulbs after a frost has killed the tops, or after they have finished blooming and the tops are drying up.

Hold off on pruning roses, trees and shrubs until the plants are dormant.  Pruning in the early fall encourages soft new growth, which is often killed during the first cold snap and diverts some of the plants energy which could go to strong root growth.  You can keep fertilizing annuals if you wish but don’t fertilize perennials and roses now.   Woody plants and the lawn can be fertilized to maximize good root growth.

You still have time to plant lettuces and kale for a fall crop.  Clean up the vegetable garden as plants finish producing or are killed by frost.  Dig potatoes if the vines are dead, if you leave them in the ground through a wet fall, they may rot or start re-growing.  Leave pumpkins on the vine as long as possible.  Remove the flowers of tomatoes, peppers and vine crops now as they don’t have time to produce more fruit and that will concentrate the plants energy on the green fruit left on the plant.

Once the veggie garden beds are cleaned up it’s a good time to add manure, compost and other soil amendments.  It’s also a good time to prepare new veggie and flower beds for next spring by loosening up the ground, then heaping on lots of organic matter.  You’ll be ready to plant in the spring.

Get rid of mature stick tight, thistle and burdock plants before the plants set seed and give you a bumper crop next year. Get a mulching blade on your mower if it doesn’t have one and mulch the falling leaves into the lawn rather than raking them, unless you want to rake them for the compost pile.

Buy straw for the strawberries and the doghouse or chicken coop.  Check out the garden stores for bargains on mulch, stone, soil and other bagged items they don’t want to carry through winter. You may want to have some row covers or old sheets handy for covering some plants through those first early frosts, so they can continue to bloom through Indian summer. 

Collect seeds of plants you want to try to grow again next year.  Some hybrid plants seed won’t produce plants that looked exactly like the parents but for many things like zinnias, marigolds, morning glories, cleome, sunflowers, nicotiana, salvia, snapdragons and so on it doesn’t really matter, you’ll still get some good plants from the seeds. Other seeds you collect, like the seeds of perennials, can be a challenge to grow but fun too. 

The seeds of hybrid vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and vine crops usually will not produce good crops for you next year, but if you have non-hybrid varieties that were not close enough to other varieties to cross pollinate, you can save seed for next year. 

It’s also time to dry herbs if you haven’t already and dry flowers and grasses for fall arrangements.  Your car can make a handy solar drying area if you park it in the sun.  Put the herbs or flowers in brown paper bags and leave them in the car for a week or so, with the windows rolled up.  It makes the car smell good too.

Rex Begonias- Begonia rex-cultorum

It’s time to start thinking about what plants you’ll rescue from the garden and bring inside as a houseplant.  If you used Rex Begonias in baskets or containers this summer make sure to bring them inside before frost as they will make excellent houseplants.   As a houseplant their colorful foliage will add zest to the windowsill.

Rex begonias have large leaves, generally pointed, although rounded and other shaped leaves are not uncommon.  The leaves are thick and wrinkled looking and come in a variety of stunning colors and patterns.  Some plants can reach a foot high and some plants have been bred that stay quite small.

Rex begonia are great collectors’ plants because there are hundreds of varieties for sale.  You’ll have a hard time picking just one plant to grow.

Growing conditions

Rex begonias are relatively easy to grow indoors except for one requirement.  They need humid conditions to keep leaves from getting crispy edges and eventually falling off.  If you have a well-lit bathroom rex begonias may thrive there.  They may also do well over the kitchen sink. 

If you don’t use a humidifier in the house in the winter you can place the rex begonia in a shallow tray of water with stones or marbles in the bottom to keep the pot bottom above the water line.  Grouping rex begonias with other plants also helps with humidity.  Misting the plants doesn’t work well as rex begonias will get spots on the leaves from water sitting on them.

In the summer outside rex begonias prefer shade. But inside rex begonias like bright light but not direct sunlight.  An east or north windowsill will generally work or place them about a foot away from a south or west window. Good, strong light brings out the best leaf color.  Rex begonias can also be grown under artificial light.

Plant the rex begonia in good, light potting soil or use an African violet soil.  Every container needs good drainage. Pots that are wider than they are deep are good for rex begonias. Keep the soil moist but don’t let the pot get waterlogged. Let the soil surface dry slightly before watering again. While Rex begonias like moisture and humidity their roots also need some air.

Fertilize lightly beginning in March through September, maybe once a month. Keep dead leaves picked off.  Plants may go through a period of adjustment when moved, especially from a humid greenhouse or from outdoors into a drier indoor location. Some plants will even go dormant. Night temperatures lower than 60 degrees may cause dormancy.

If the rex begonia does seem to drop all its leaves and die down to soil level all may not be lost.  Put the pot in a clear plastic bag and set it out of direct light for a few weeks.  Check from time to time to see how moist the soil is and add a little water if it is very dry. If the bag gets moisture on it’s sides open it to allow moisture out. After a month or so- or sooner if you notice new growth, take the plant out of the bag and into bright light and resume watering.

Like most begonias, rex begonias flower.  However, this species of begonia does not have very showy flowers and you will probably want to clip out the flower stems that peek out from the center, so the plant concentrates on producing its showy leaves.

Rex Begonia propagation

Rex begonias are one of the few plants that propagate readily through the leaves.  You can remove a young leaf and stem and insert the stem into a moist pot of planting medium.  Place the pot in a clear plastic bag in bright indirect light and keep moist.  Wait for a new plant to form at the leaf base. Or you can get many plants from one leaf using this method.

Find a wide container that a large leaf can lay flat on.  Flip a rex begonia leaf over and make small cuts across several of the large veins.  Don’t cut all the way through the leaf.  With a cotton swab rub some rooting powder- found in houseplant supplies- on each cut. 

Fill the container with moist potting medium.  Place the leaf on it cut side down and weigh down the leaf with small pebbles, metal nuts or some other small item so that the cut vein contacts the soil.  Place in a clear plastic bag in bright indirect light and wait for new plants to form at the leaf surface by each cut.

These wonderful plants are a great way to share plants between several plant lovers.  Each gardener can buy a different variety and start new plants to trade with other gardeners.   Even if you keep all of your plant babies you’ll enjoy the color the Rex begonia brings to dull plant collections.

Swallowwort, a threat to Monarchs

Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) is a European relative of milkweed, but unlike milkweed it is toxic to the larvae of Monarchs, who lay their eggs on it. For some reason Monarchs cannot distinguish the plant from native milkweeds. Caterpillars hatch but die from eating the plants. This non- native plant is now being found in most states east of the Rocky Mountains and is spreading to western states. It’s also toxic to livestock.

Black swallow wort
Photo Michigan.gov

Swallowwort forms a mutually beneficial association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the soil. The soil where swallowwort grows builds up a high population of the fungi and this discourages the growth of plants which cannot form associations with the fungi.  This results in huge patches of nothing but swallowwort. There are two species, Black and Pale Swallowwort.  Another common name is black dog strangle vine.

Swallowwort is a perennial plant that will survive in the same habitats favored by native milkweeds. That’s disturbed places along roads, abandoned fields, and woodland edges. It has narrow, dark green, oblong leaves with a pointed tip arranged opposite each other on the stem.  The leaves have a waxy coat and have a strong disagreeable smell when bruised. It’s a vining plant that will climb trees or simply scramble up over grasses or brush. Unlike milkweeds, swallowwort stems have a clear, watery sap. 

Clusters of reddish purple to pink star shaped flowers arise out of leaf joints and the flowers turn into narrow pods similar to milkweeds pods.  Inside the pods are seeds attached to a bit of fluff just like a milkweed seed.  Plants turn a bright yellow in fall, which can help identify them.

Pale swallow wort seed pods
Photo credit Purdue Entomology

In Europe swallowwort has many pests that keep it in check but there are no natural controls here.  Canada has released a moth that feeds on swallowwort, (Hypena opulenta) and the US is now considering the same thing.  Currently control involves pulling and chemicals.  Mowing may increase sprouting and make thicker stands.  For complete control suggestions see this fact sheet http://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/Swallow-wortBCP.pdf

I am usually pretty neutral about non-native plants, but this is one plant that I would eradicate if I saw it on my property because of it’s toxicity to monarchs and to livestock.  I suggest you get rid of it too.

Fall Blooming Anemones (Japanese Anemone)

Perennial gardens, particularly those in partial shade, tend to lose much of their color in fall unless the gardener plans carefully.  The fall blooming or Japanese anemone is an easy-care plant that full sun or partial shade gardeners can appreciate for its delicate fall color.  They are perennial, and the flowering lasts a long time in late summer and fall when color is most needed.

Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

There’s a lot of confusion about the name anemone, some people associate it with the small bulbs that bloom in spring, Grecian windflowers or Anemone blanda. It doesn’t help that the Japanese anemones are also called windflowers by some.  But even the scientific names of these plants have been controversial and have changed over the years. 

There are a great many species of anemone but the ones we call Japanese anemones are one of three species or more probably a hybrid of these species.  These are Anemone hupehensis var.japonica, A. tomentosa and A. vitifolia.  But most of the best anemones for the garden are hybrids - Anemone hybrida. Some good cultivars of Anemone hupehensis var.japonica are on the market and occasionally the other species are found for sale.  All the gardener looking for fall color needs to remember is Japanese anemone, which is the name most are sold under.

In the 17^th century European explorers “discovered” anemones growing in Japan and thought they were native to the country.  However, they had been introduced to Japan centuries before from China so technically they should be called Chinese anemones, but let’s not make it more confusing. British gardeners are said to have developed the hybrids at a somewhat later date.  Many people around the world are still hybridizing and developing new cultivars.

Japanese anemone plants range from about 18 to 60 inches in height, depending on variety and growing conditions. Plants get larger and slowly spread through the years by suckering. They are not considered invasive. The leaves are generally dark green with 3 lobes. Some varieties have a downy coating on the leaf undersides.

The 2-3-inch-wide flowers of Japanese anemone could be described as daisy-like and they are carried on wiry stems above the plant, gently swaying in the breeze.  They are made up of 4-6 tepals in single flowers, but there are semi-double and double flowered varieties with many more tepals.  Tepals are a combination of petals and sepals, which look like petals.  Flower color ranges from all shades of pink, to white and pale purple or lavender.  Many flowers appear glossy or shiny.  Some are said to have a scent.

Depending on variety Japanese anemones begin blooming in late August and will continue to a hard frost.  Good varieties of Japanese anemone hybrids include ‘Honorine Jobert’, which has white single to semi-double flowers and grows about 3 feet tall, ‘Kriemhilde’ which has pink single to semi-double flowers, ‘September Charm’ which has light purple single flowers, ‘Andrea Atkinson’, which has white flowers, and ‘Serenade’ with pink flowers. Anemone 'Pretty Lady Julia' is a dwarf variety (18 inches), with deep pink semi-double flowers.

The species Anemone hupehensis has a deep pink flowered variety called ‘Prince Henry’.  It’s an early bloomer with good heat tolerance. Anemone vitifolia, has a variety called ‘Robustissima’ that is large and sturdy, up to 4 feet high, with glowing pink flowers.  The leaves have a gray wooly underside and the plants are very winter hardy.

Growing Japanese anemone

Japanese anemone is best planted in the spring, not in the fall when they are in flower. Most gardeners will start with plants. They are hardy from zones 5-8, a few varieties may be hardy to zone 4.  Japanese anemones will grow and bloom in partial shade or full sun if the sunny area is kept well- watered.  In southern areas and dry climates partial shade is a better location. When placed in deeper shade the plants may get floppy and won’t bloom as well.

Anemones will take up a good bit of space as they get older so plan on giving each about 2 feet of garden space if not more.  It can take a year or two before the Japanese anemone develops into a nice sized plant. In a few years a good-sized clump will develop, and the plants slowly spread.  They can be divided in early spring, but Japanese anemones prefer not to be divided and or moved too frequently.

Alkaline, moist, light loamy soil is the preferred soil type, but Japanese anemones will adjust to other conditions. They need well-drained soil, particularly in winter, but do not tolerate drought well. An organic mulch is a good idea, so the roots stay cool and moist.

After cold weather blackens the foliage gardeners may want to prune it back to a few inches above ground.  It is fine to leave the pruning to early spring.  If Japanese anemones are in partial shade and not supported by other plants in the garden they may need staking later in summer, especially in windy areas. Those in zones 4-5 may want to cover plant crowns with mulch to protect them after the plants die back in early winter.

Plants are considered to be moderate in their need of fertilization.  I give mine a dose of all-purpose fertilizer in spring as growth begins and that’s it.  Many people do not fertilize anemones at all if their soil is good.

Gardeners will probably have few problems with Japanese anemone pests and diseases if the plants are in a good location.  Most problems involve water- too much in winter or too little in summer.  Wet winter area gardeners should plant Japanese anemone in very well drained areas, soggy soil in winter usually results in winter kill. 

Occasionally aphids and flower thrips may attack Japanese anemone.  They should be controlled with appropriate pesticides because they often carry diseases.  Powdery mildew and downy mildew sometimes infect the plant.  Proper spacing so there is good airflow and appropriate fungicides will help.  Deer seldom eat Japanese anemone.

Good companions for the Japanese anemone are Joe Pye Weed, dahlias, black snakeroot, and asters.  Since the days are getting shorter when they bloom I like the glowing white varieties that show up well in the evening garden.  Butterflies visit the plants and they provide late season nectar.  No fall garden is complete without some Japanese anemone to brighten it.

All parts of the Japanese anemones are poisonous.

Tomato anthracnose – fruit rot

Tomato anthracnose is a common late season tomato problem.  It’s one of those nasty fungal diseases that are so hard to control.  This disease also affects the leaves, stems and roots of tomato plants but it’s the infection of the fruit that is most problematic. 

Tomato anthracnose

Tomato’s that are ripe or nearly ripe develop what is called “watersoaked” spots, sunken, kind of shiny areas that eventually develop a dark center and the fruit rots around and under the lesion.  When you cut the tomato you often see a black area inside below the outer spot. 

Tomatoes vary in how susceptible they are to “fruit rot”.  At any point of time you may have some tomatoes with the spots and some without, even on the same plant.  Your plants won’t die from the disease, although the disease often combines with other tomato fungal diseases to limit production and make the plants look horrible.  Plants without many leaves don’t have the sugars and other nutrients that make fruit tasty and you may notice the tomato’s flavor isn’t as good.

You can cut off small rotted areas and eat the fruit without problems but if you like to can tomatoes you may have a problem.  Tomatoes with anthracnose often cause bacterial problems in canned products resulting in spoilage.  Don’t use any fruit with rotted spots for canning.  It’s not wise to use them in frozen products such as tomato sauces either.  Ripe tomatoes without rotted spots, even if you know anthracnose is around, are safe to use.

Don’t allow your fruits to get over ripe on the vine.  Pick them while red and still firm if you suspect you have anthracnose in the garden.  Discard tomatoes with the rotted spots away from your garden, not in the compost pile either.  If you pick tomatoes and notice small rotted spots cut out the spot and use them at once or toss them as they will quickly rot. 

When storing tomatoes for a few days before use, try to put them in a single layer, not touching each other.  (I line mine up on a kitchen shelf.)  If one has anthracnose that you didn’t spot it is less likely to spread to the other fruit if they don’t touch.  And tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator!  It ruins the flavor and they will actually spoil faster.

Anthracnose can be prevented with fungicide sprays started as soon as there is fruit on the vine.  Like other fungal diseases mulching and keeping plants off the ground helps.  Some weeds harbor the disease so keep your garden weeded.  If you get it in the garden it’s very important to remove all tomato plant debris and rotted fruits to a separate, remote compost pile or to plastic trash bags and the landfill.  The fungus spores overwinter in tomato debris.  And rotate your crops!  This disease will live in the soil and infect your plants next year.

Tomatoes are not the only plants that get anthracnose.  Peppers, eggplant, potatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, some squash and pumpkins also get anthracnose.  Some of these strains of anthracnose can “crossover” especially in closely related species like tomatoes and peppers.

The weirdest fruit in the garden-strawberries

A recent study published in PLOS Biology got me thinking about how strange the strawberry plant is.  We’ve known for a long time that wild strawberries can be one of three sex types, a plant with male flowers , or one with female flowers or both sexes present in the same flower.  Most cultivated strawberries gave been bred to be hermaphrodites, (both sexes in the same flower) to maximize fruit production.  Of all the plants in the world only about 6% of species have separate male and female plants.  (One popular one is marijuana).  But when a species has separate sexed plants all the plants will be one or the other sex.  In wild strawberries whether they are single sex, or both in the same plant varies randomly.

Each "seed" is its own "fruit".

Strawberries are also unusual because they develop their seeds on the outside of the “fruit.” Look at any ripe strawberry and see the tiny black or tan seeds on the outside. Each seed however is a separate fruit. The delicious part of the strawberry we eat is actually called the receptacle, the part of the plant that connects a stem to a flower. There are about 200 ovaries in each strawberry flower and if fertilized they each produce a dry fruit we consider a seed attached to that fleshy receptacle we consider a fruit.  Whew!

But the recent genetic research on strawberries attempted to discover why their sex varies among plants.  They found strawberries are unique in another way. Most plants and animals have a certain number of chromosomes with two copies of each chromosome. For example, humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, 46 chromosomes total.

But strawberries are the odd ones with only 7 chromosomes but 8 copies of each, totaling 56 chromosomes! On each chromosome can be thousands of genes.  So, researchers had quite a job determining which genes determined sex in strawberries, so they could study them.  It’s taken more than 20 years.

Eventually researchers found a small sequence of genes that determined sex of the plants. But when they studied 60 wild strawberry plants of two species they found that those genes were not always in the same spot on the same chromosomes in plants. In most species of plants and animals the genes that direct similar actions will be found in the same place on the same chromosome in all members of the species.

So why are strawberries different?  Why do the genes for sex determination jump around from chromosome to chromosome? It’s probable that strawberries have the youngest set of sex determining genes of the organisms we have studied, sex is still evolving in them.   Researchers don’t know exactly why the gene set jumps around in strawberry genomes, although they believe it has to do with adaption to new conditions. But this discovery could be the key to determining how separate sexes developed in all organisms, it may not be as simple as inheriting an x or y chromosome.

 More reading on the topic;

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180910141946.htm

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/secret-sex-life-strawberries

Dilled green tomatoes

Don’t have cucumbers but want to make pickles?  Here’s a good recipe to use up green tomatoes and something a bit different.  It takes a month or so for the best flavor to develop.  This recipe makes 6 quarts.  You can however half the recipe and just use the amount of tomatoes you have on hand.

Ingredients

About 6 pounds of small green tomatoes, you want firm green tomatoes small enough to fit in your jars whole. Green cherry tomatoes work well. Wash them well and remove stems.

6 stalks of celery, washed and thinly sliced

6 green peppers, washed and cut into 4 pieces

6 garlic cloves

1 quart of 5% canning white vinegar

1 cup salt

2 quarts water

8-10 dill flowers or 2 teaspoons dill seed, you can adjust the dill to taste

6 quart canning jars and lids, clean and kept in hot water until use.

Directions

Divide the celery evenly between the jars.  Add 1 clove of garlic and 4 pieces of pepper to each jar.

Pack whole small tomatoes in the jars to 1 inch from top.  Don’t slice or squash them.

Combine the water, vinegar, salt and dill in a pot and bring to a boil.  Boil 5 minutes.

Pour the hot brine over the tomatoes in the jar to ½ inch from the top. Stir lightly to remove bubbles, running spoon or knife around vegetables. Wipe the rims and put on lids.

Process in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes.  Remove, cool and check seals. 

Store 4-6 weeks before tasting.

Be safe out there this week friends- watch the weather.

Kim Willis

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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