Hi
Gardeners
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How
full of light and color are their last days.”
– John Burrows
Fall is almost over.
The calendar tells us fall ends with the December solstice but for most
of us November signifies the best of fall has passed. Sure there’s still Thanksgiving and there may
be warm days still ahead but the trees are mostly bare by November and the
skies often gray and the feel is less autumn than winter.
In my garden a few plants still hang on, blooming despite
the cold. There are mums, some durable
petunias and calibrachoa, violas and even a few garden phlox. But the hosta are big messy piles of yellow leaves,
the ferns are brown and crispy, and dead stalks abound.
I have almost all of my bulbs planted, I still have some
narcissus to get planted. Some of the
dahlias are dug some still need digging.
I did some drastic pruning of a wisteria and lots of pick up and clean
up so I hope we get some decent weather this week.
I got a wonderful card from a neighbor this week. She wrote to thank me for my garden. She told me she doesn’t get out much and when
she does she loves to look at my garden as she passes to see what’s blooming. Looking at the flowers lift her spirits. It lifted my spirits to have someone
appreciate my work, although I would probably garden even if no one ever saw
the garden. I invited the neighbor to stop and visit the garden in the spring
if she could. If you see a garden that
makes you happy let the gardener know. I
guarantee they’ll appreciate your words.
This week’s blog has shorter topics and I’ve added some
quotes about autumn just for fun between topics. I hope you enjoy.
“A moral character is attached to
autumnal scenes; the leaves falling like our years, the flowers fading like our
hours, the clouds fleeting like our illusions, the light diminishing like our
intelligence, the sun growing colder like our affections, the rivers becoming
frozen like our lives--all bear secret relations to our destinies.”
-
― François-René de Chateaubriand,
Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe
Saving
the mums
Gardeners buy Chrysanthemums in the fall to pop into beds
where annuals have fizzled or have been killed by frost. They are very affordable and create a vibrant
look in the late fall garden. There is nothing wrong with using mums as
annuals, and not worrying if they will survive the winter. Even if the tag says
hardy mum, many of the mums you buy in full bloom in the fall will not survive
winter and bloom next year. So, don’t
feel bad if you just let them go.
If you want to give it a try, however, plant the potted
mums directly into the soil as soon as you can. Keep them watered well until
the ground freezes. When the flowers are done trim the stems to about half
their length and mulch the plants heavily.
In the spring remove the mulch when the weather warms very carefully. Don’t remove the dead stems until you see a
flush of new green growth at the stem base.
Then carefully cut off dead stems, don’t yank at the stem. It’s very easy to dislodge the new growth
with old stems.
Mums can also be overwintered inside for the first
winter- so you can plant them out in the spring and get them acclimated before
the following winter. To do this you need a cool spot inside with good strong
light. Keep the mums outside until a
good snow is expected or temperatures are expected to fall below 20 degrees. Make sure to keep watering potted mums if
fall is dry.
When you bring the mums inside cut them back to about 6
inches. A cool basement with grow
lights, an unheated porch with southern facing windows, or an unheated
greenhouse would be ideal. Temperatures
should stay above freezing but not get above 60 degrees. Let the mums get slightly dry between
watering but try not to let them get wilted.
Most potted mums should stay green through winter this way.
As the days get longer- about March- you can bring the
mums into a warmer area with strong light and you should see new growth
beginning. As soon as the danger of
frost has passed plant them in a sunny spot in the garden. Keeping them in pots for the spring and
summer isn’t a good idea. While frost hardy in fall, the mums kept inside
overwinter will be killed by frost in the spring because they haven’t
acclimated.
Most of the mums held inside will do well for the second
fall. But they may not survive winter,
depending on your climate and the variety of mum you have. Don’t try bringing them inside for the second
winter, that rarely works.
“But frost, like the crystallized dreams
of autumn, began to coat the clearing with its sugar glaze.”
― Victoria Logue, Redemption
Prune
carefully in fall
Don’t
prune woody plants until they have gone dormant, as pruning may encourage new
growth that will expend some of the plants reserves it has stored for
winter. This new growth generally will
not harden off enough before winter to survive and is wasted effort for the
plant. Also, buds will have formed for
some spring and early summer flowering plants and pruning now will leave you
without flowers next year.
Plants
also experience winter die back from the tip toward the center of the
plant. The dead wood at the tip offers
some protection for living tissue farther down. The more you can leave, the
more living tissue may survive until spring.
If you
are going to cover roses with cones for winter protection only prune them back
far enough so that the cone will fit. Never put on the plant covers until the
ground is frozen and day temperatures are below 40 degrees.
Carefully
trim off semi-woody perennial plants like chrysanthemums, to about 6 inches
above ground to avoid damage to buds growing near stem bases. These plants may
actually survive better if you do not trim them until spring.
Leave lavender,
rosemary, sage, and creeping sedums alone.
Also leave shrub and landscape roses to be pruned in the spring. You can cut buddleias right to the ground as
they bloom better and look nicer when they come back from the roots. Just mark the spot so you know where
they are.
“The
magic of autumn has seized the countryside; now that the sun isn't ripening
anything it shines for the sake of the golden age; for the sake of Eden; to
please the moon for all I know.”
―
Elizabeth Coatsworth, Personal Geography: Almost an Autobiography
Do Houseplants Really Clean Indoor Air?
The
answer to this question is complicated.
It turns out that the answer is yes but not very well. New research has given us some insights as to
what plants actually can do to clean air and the benefit may not be as great as
what many of us, including myself, were led to believe.
Back in
1989 some studies were done on using houseplants to clean the air in space
capsules. Those studies found that in that closed environment some plants did
do a pretty good job of removing pollutants from the air. One researcher, B.C. “Bill” Wolverton, wrote
a lot of articles and a book How to
grow fresh air: 50 houseplants that purify
your home or office (1996) that were used for decades to support the
idea that houseplants were effective in removing indoor pollutants. The problem was that using houseplants to
clean the air was never properly tested in the real world of homes and offices.
In the
past decade much more research has been done on using plants for cleaning
indoor air in a typical home or office setting. The results suggest that using houseplants as
we commonly do now, has little benefit for cleaning the air of pollutants. It’s not that plants don’t take up harmful
particulates and gases in the air and either transform them into harmless substances
or retain particulates in their tissues, they do perform those tasks. But even a lot of plants in the home or
office (680 plants in 1500 sq. feet made a small measurable difference) can’t substantially
alter air quality.
The
work plants do to filter air is accidental, a byproduct of their need to obtain
oxygen and carbon dioxide and then get rid of wastes. It takes time for a plant
to process what it takes in and plants just can’t pull enough air through them
fast enough to do a good job removing pollutants. Even with the help of
microbes in the potting medium it’s just not enough in home and office settings
to make much difference in air quality. Some species of plants are more efficient
at removing different types of toxins than others, but even the most efficient
ones can’t help much.
Researchers
also found that in a few instances, plants and their pots actually contributed
to air pollution. That’s because many plants are treated with pesticides which
can volatize and some containers made of plastic and foam products may produce
pollutants of their own.
There
are researchers who are working with plants and technology to produce green air
cleaning systems that really do work.
Many of these involve plants in charcoal or lava rock based hydroponic
systems that have a fan that pulls air through the area. Some larger systems with vertical rock walls
of porous materials like lava rock are being used. The walls are planted with
mosses and ferns and air is drawn through them to clean it.
As long
as you don’t rely on houseplants to clean up really toxic air there’s no reason
why they can’t be used in many situations as a supplement to mechanical air
cleaners. Every little bit of pollution removed is good. There is also good science-based information
that reports that having plants in the environment makes people feel happier
and healthier.
Every
home and office needs houseplants. Don’t
let the idea that they can’t really clean the air keep you from having them.
Some
references to check.
Listen!
The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer
evenings, now for October eves.” – Humbert Wolfe
Walnuts
and Alzheimers
In some areas walnuts are abundant in fall. You might want to
harvest those nuts. The Developmental
Neuroscience Laboratory at the New York State Institute for Basic Research in
Developmental Disabilities (IBR), (2014) fed mice the human equivalent of 1-1.5
ounces a day of walnuts. They found the
brains of the mice were protected from oxidative stress and inflammation that
leads to formation of amyloid plagues that cause the symptoms of Alzheimer’s
disease. Mice with brain damage showed
an improvement in memory, less anxiety and improved learning skills when fed
walnuts.
Researchers believe it’s the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content of
walnuts that causes the benefit. Someday
that nutrient may be available as a supplement but there may be other compounds
in walnuts that contribute to the healthy effect they have. It’s not hard to include an ounce or two of
walnuts in the daily diet, either black or English walnuts. It may be well worth it if it prevents
Alzheimer’s.
“Autumn is the
very soul of metamorphosis, a time when the world is poised at the door of
winter—which is the door of death—but has not yet fallen. It is a world of
contradictions: a time of harvest and plenty but also of cold and hardship.
Here we dwell in the midst of life, but we know most keenly that all things
must pass away and shrivel. Autumn turns the world from one thing into another.
The year is seasoned and wise but not yet decrepit or senile. If you wrote a
letter of requisition, you could ask for no better place to practice alchemy.”
― Catherynne
M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Earthworms
are an invasive species
You may have never seen an Ovenbird, a sparrow sized
warbler that used to be common in Northeastern forests. And most of us who are of a certain age
remember when forest floors generally had drifts of trillium, sarsaparilla and
Solomon’s seal. Deer are responsible
for loss of some plant species but studies at several Northeastern and Midwest
Universities have found another culprit – the earthworm.
Earthworms are not native to North America. They were brought here from Europe and Asia,
all 16 species of them. They arrived
with the first farmers and slowly spread across the country. Two species, the night crawlers (Lumbricus terrestris) and redworms,( Lumbricus rubellus) are mostly
responsible for making drastic changes
in forest ecology across the country and may even be responsible for increasing global warming .
Before the arrival of earthworms deciduous forests in the
northern and eastern states always had a deep “duff” layer of leaves and other
slowly decaying vegetation. The
decomposition of the duff was done by various species of fungus. The deep fluffy forest duff was the nesting
spot for birds like the ovenbird and home to salamanders, frogs, and other
reptiles and amphibians.
Many forest
understory plants germinated their seeds in the duff and it protected their
crowns in the winter. The forest duff
was a rich and diverse community of small organisms like insects and snails
which were eaten by larger things like reptiles, mice and birds, which in turn
were fed upon by even larger creatures.
Then in some forests, earthworms arrived.
As most gardeners know earthworms quickly eat vegetation
that falls to the ground. In
agricultural setting earthworms are beneficial, breaking down compost, aerating
the soil and enriching it with their droppings.
But when the forest duff quickly disappears so does the community of
plants and animals that depended on it. The forest landscape has changed
forever, since it’s almost impossible to rid an area of worms once they arrive.
Trees sequester carbon in their wood and leaves. When those leaves remain on the forest floor
for a long time so does the carbon, keeping it out of our atmosphere. Worms, in the process of eating and digesting
the leaves, release carbon into the air.
Since they also pull leaves underground before eating them and cause the
soil to form aggregates that do trap carbon, researchers aren’t sure how great
the loss of carbon sequestration is.
Research is ongoing in the northern forests of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Vermont and other places where there are still some places free of earthworms
to compare with places that have worms.
Earthworms have caused the decline of Ovenbirds (and
perhaps other birds), many species of salamanders and other reptiles and amphibians
as well as several species of plants, including sugar maples, which like the
forest duff to germinate and grow in.
Some state and national forest areas prohibit the use of worms as fish
bait or bringing any potted plants into these areas in an effort to exclude
earthworms.
Any forest that has regenerated from farmed land has
earthworms in the soil. Because
earthworm eggs can be transported in the treads of boots and machinery even
areas that were never farmed or gardened often get earthworms. When people move close to old growth forests
and bring in plants for the landscape or start a garden they almost always
contaminate the soil with worms. We
probably have to accept that the forest ecology that existed before European
farmers arrived in North America will probably cease to exist at some
point. The lowly earthworm has forever
changed the land.
“AUTUMNAL
Pale
amber sunlight falls across
The
reddening October trees,
That
hardly sway before a breeze
As
soft as summer: summer's loss
Seems
little, dear! on days like these.
Let
misty autumn be our part!
The
twilight of the year is sweet:
Where
shadow and the darkness meet
Our
love, a twilight of the heart
Eludes
a little time's deceit.
Are
we not better and at home
In
dreamful Autumn, we who deem
No
harvest joy is worth a dream?
A
little while and night shall come,
A
little while, then, let us dream.
Beyond
the pearled horizons lie
Winter
and night: awaiting these
We
garner this poor hour of ease,
Until
love turn from us and die
Beneath
the drear November trees.”
―
Ernest Dowson, The Poems and Prose of Ernest Dowson
Nippon
daisy- Nipponanthemum
nipponicum
A wonderful plant for extending the blooming season in
the garden is the Nippon daisy, also called the Montauk daisy. This underused plant is a close cousin to chrysanthemums
and sometimes sold along side of them.
As the name suggests it has large white daisy like flowers with a yellow
or greenish yellow center.
The Nippon daisy is native to Japan. It’s a perennial and hardy from zones
5-9. It’s an easy-care perennial and starts
blooming late, from August to October and stays in bloom for many weeks.
 |
| Nippon daisy |
The plant has thick fleshy leaves similar to sedum, they
are oval, dark green with a toothed margin and attached alternately to thick
stems. As they grow the lower part of the stem may lose its leaves. Nippon
daisy forms a clump, growing up to 3 feet tall.
Flowers appear on long stems in late summer extending
into fall. They are white and about 3 inches across. Most Nippon daisies have yellow centers, but
some have purple or reddish centers.
They attract butterflies and are a good nectar plant for late summer and
fall. They also make great, long lasting
cut flowers.
Growing
Nippon daisies
Gardeners will want to start with plants. Plant Nippon
daisies in full sun. Plants in less than full sun may develop floppy stems. They
aren’t fussy about soil but like a well-drained area and may develop stem rot
in wet conditions. Once established they
handle drought well.
Nippon daisies have few pests, leaf miners are an occasional
threat. There are occasional cases of
leaf spot diseases but in general the plants are easy to grow. Another bonus is that deer generally avoid
them.
Deadhead plants after they quit blooming in the fall but
don’t cut back severely until spring.
When new shoots emerge carefully cut off old stems.
Cutting back Nippon daisy stems to about half in early
summer will delay bloom to later in the fall and promote a bushier more compact
plant.
Nippon daisies can be propagated by dividing plants every
3-5 years in early spring. They can also
be propagated from cuttings taken in late spring-early summer.
Nippon daisies look better with smaller perennials in
front of them, to hide the bare parts of the stem. They are great companions for mums, asters,
toad lilies and anemones.
Toxicity
and medical uses
The ASPCA lists this plant as toxic to pets. I found in my references that it is
considered to be mildly toxic, causing vomiting and diarrhea if eaten but not
considered to be life threatening. There
are cases of people getting rashes from handling the plants, but any plant can
cause a allergic reaction in some individuals.
I found no herbal uses of Nippon daisy but I am sure
somewhere someone has ascribed some magical quality to it. I would be very careful ingesting it.
A mournful song, a gray day
Leaves tossed down like a discarded dress
rumpled on the floor, tattered
a cold wind, stinging sleet
Autumn slinking into winter
-
Kim Willis
Fall
casserole
Here’s something different but easy to prepare for a cold
fall evening. You may want to save the
recipe for after Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
1 (8.5 oz.) corn muffin or cornbread mix (Jiffy or
similar)
1 egg
1/3 cup cream or milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup canned pumpkin, (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon mustard- Grey Poupon or other good mustard
is best
½ lb. thinly sliced cooked turkey
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish.
Mix together the corn muffin mix, egg, milk, butter,
canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice mix just until well blended.
Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and bake for
about 15 min. Top should be lightly
browned, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Mix together the mustard and cranberry sauce, heat until
just bubby, you can use the microwave.
Place the sliced turkey evenly over the baked corn mix.
Pour the mustard-cranberry sauce over the top and smooth
out.
Serve warm.
“But you can't plead with autumn. No. The
midnight wind stalked through the woods, hooted to frighten you, swept
everything away for the approaching winter, whirled the leaves. ("The
North")”
― Yevgeny Zamyatin, We
Have a safe and fun Halloween
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not 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
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