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Tuesday, September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019 beware of fuzzy caterpillars


Hi gardeners

Black snakeroot
It’s a weird weather day here.  It looked like it was going to storm, but it went below and above us.  We had dibs and dabs of rain last week, not enough to do much good, so a good rain would be welcome.  I was digging potatoes this week and the top inch of soil was moist but under that it was powder dry.  Our county is considered to be in moderate drought.

I got busy this week and dug up some of the long bed I am going to abandon back to lawn.  The lilies in it had been chewed to about half height by deer and didn’t bloom this year.  They have been there a while and the bulbs I dug out were enormous.   They are orienpets and tree lilies, hybrid lilies that get very tall.  I also dug out some sedum and daylilies to transplant.  Everything went to the front flower beds.  One of my favorite lilies ‘Silk Road’ had about 6 large bulbs to one stalk.  I am hoping to see it bloom again next year.

In the garden the toad lilies are starting to bloom.  The hardy hibiscus and anemone are blooming as well as mums. I still have black eyed Susan’s and coneflowers blooming as well as ligularia.  The black snakeroot, Cimicifuga, is outstanding this year. I love the soft pink plumes of flower.  I’m also pleased with the new quill mum I planted this spring.  It’s gotten quite large for it’s first year.   

The new buddleia is also huge for a first-year plant.  Too bad it turned out to be white instead of the dark purple it was supposed to be.  I don’t think they attract as many butterflies when they are white.  It was a bargain plant though so I should be happy I guess, that it grew so well.  I am also happy with the Verbena bonariensis I planted this year.  But it’s only hardy to zone 7.  I don’t know whether to just save seed or try to dig it and overwinter the plant.

I harvested one of my “special medicine” plants this week.  It was huge.  I am learning to trim buds and working on it a little at a time.  You are supposed to take off all the large leaves and trim back the smaller ones that surround the buds. You just keep those buds for drying. It’s nothing like the pot of the 70’s I was used to, when you smoked the leaves instead of throwing them out.

I don’t like it that the whole house now stinks though.  That resin on the plants is very sticky and gets all over your hands and is hard to wash off. That’s the good stuff I’m told.  I am going to be experimenting with various ways to use those buds soon.  I have another huge plant of a different variety to harvest still.  I should have plenty to experiment with.

All of these Silk Road lily bulbs came from one stalk.


Tips on buying bulbs

It is getting close to the time when most gardeners should be planting bulbs for those spring blooms.  Before you can plant bulbs, you have to buy them.  If you buy good quality bulbs, you’ll have a better chance to have a gorgeous display of flowers next spring and summer. 

I highly recommend that you buy your bulbs from a mail order catalog- online source and here’s why.  Retail stores must purchase bulbs early and have them on display in late summer -early fall.  I have heard from industry insiders that these early shipped bulbs often have their curing time after harvest shortened so they can meet the early order deadlines of retail stores.  This can impact the quality and growing ability of those bulbs.

Bulbs in retail stores usually sit in the store for weeks and those storage conditions are certainly not ideal.  They may be left on outside garden center racks in sun and rain.  They may sit in boxes in hot stockrooms or be inside on brightly lit racks in warm stores.  Bulbs may rot, mold, shrivel up or start growing, all things which don’t predict good results in your garden.  Retail stores have even been known to put out bulbs that were left over from last year and stored in a stockroom somewhere.
 
Anemone and species tulips
The bulbs in retail stores are often not as large as bulbs purchased directly from bulb companies on-line or from catalogs and are often a lower “grade.”  Larger bulbs give you a better show in spring. The selection of varieties is limited.  Even with shipping costs from catalog and web sellers included, the bulbs in retail stores often cost the same or more than bulbs purchased online or from catalogs.

There are some high-end garden stores who deal exclusively in plants and garden products who do a good job of displaying and storing quality fall bulbs.  These are different from big box retailers and grocery stores offering bulbs for sale and you will probably be fine buying bulbs from them. But not everyone has access to such stores.    

Not every online or catalog bulb seller has the best quality bulbs either.  Cheaper bulbs and all those great bargain deals usually feature smaller, lower grade bulbs.  But overall, you get better quality bulbs when you purchase them from online/catalog sources.  They are generally stored properly until they are shipped to you at the right time for planting in your area. And you have a far greater selection of bulbs to buy, including rare and heirloom bulbs.

You can buy the bulbs anytime after they go on sale.  In fact, shop early for the best selection. But you want to plant your bulbs after the temperature of the air and soil has cooled, yet before the ground freezes. Usually this is after a hard frost.  In zones 6 and lower this is usually in October.  In zone 7 it’s a bit later, maybe November.  In zones higher than 7 you may need to purchase pre-chilled bulbs.  Good mail order-catalog sellers generally monitor the weather and ship bulbs to you when the time is right for planting.  If you are allowed to pick a date to receive bulbs keep your weather in mind.

Do some research before ordering bulbs for fall planting.  Check the hardiness zones of bulb and make sure they will thrive in your planting zone.  Even some varieties of the same species may not grow well in all planting zones.  There are some bulb varieties that grow better in warm climates or that can stand colder winters than others of their species.

Make sure the bulbs you want will grow in your light and soil conditions. Don’t hesitate to plant sun loving early flowering bulbs under deciduous trees.  By the time the trees leaf out the bulbs will have bloomed and completed most of their growth cycle.  But for later flowering bulbs and for bulbs that will grow in the shade of evergreens or buildings make sure the bulb species can perform in your lighting conditions.

Soil moisture and fertility can also be factors in bulb selection.  Most bulbs prefer to grow in well-drained soil of average fertility.  There are only a few bulb species that grow well in damp areas.
Fritillaria Crown Imperial

Bulb size

When ordering bulbs and comparing prices look at the size of the bulbs listed. Smaller bulbs of the same variety cost less.  These can be a bargain in bulbs that usually naturalize and then get bigger each year, like daffodils and lilies. But for bulbs like tulips, always buy the largest size offered for a good first year display. Many of these won’t be back for a second year and if they do come back, often have smaller flowers the second year.  For a great spring display from them buy large top-grade bulbs.

What is considered top size varies from species to species and even by variety.  Good sellers list bulb size minimums. That means the bulb will be at least that size.  Sellers may also list the grade – top grade or bedding grade, which are slightly smaller bulbs, are the terms often used.  In daffodils double or triple nosed bulbs are higher quality than single nose and sell for more. This means the bulb looks like two or three fused bulbs and will put up two or three bloom stalks. 

In standard tulips 12 cm and up is top quality.  Species tulips range from 5 cm up, depending on the species.  In daffodils 16 cm, preferably double nosed is top quality for large flowered types.  Some of the smaller flowered daffodils and narcissus have top quality bulbs of about 10 cm.  Hyacinths should be 16 cm, grape hyacinths 6 cm and up.  Top quality crocus range from about 9 cm for very large flowered hybrid types to 5 cm for small flowered early crocus or species crocus.

Snowdrops and squill should be about 8 cm. Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperials) should be 20 cm or more for top quality. Large globe allium bulbs should be 20-24 cm for top quality.  The small alliums range from 5-14 cm depending on species.  There are many other types of bulbs sold and if there are no common standards for top size you’ll just find them listed as top size or under other terms.

Lily bulbs show some variation by both species and variety. Asiatic top size is 14 cm and up and oriental lily bulbs should range from 16/18 cm, but some varieties of both may have naturally smaller bulbs.  Lily bulbs can also be much, much larger when premium size bulbs are sold. Martagon and species lilies have smaller bulbs, 10 cm up depending on species.
 
Top size lily bulb
CM refers to centimeters and is measured around the bulb, (circumference).  Each centimeter equals 2.54 inches. For a visual comparison think of a 16/18 cm bulb as about the size of a tennis ball.

It can be a red flag when bulb grade and size aren’t listed, and the prices seem lower than other places. This often means you’ll receive small, misshaped or damaged bulbs.  If you are willing to give them a year or two before the best show this can be a decent deal.  I would not choose tulips this way.

Bulb appearance

If you are picking out bulbs in a store, make sure you can actually see the bulbs.  It’s risky to buy bulbs in packages you can’t see through.  Some garden stores have bins of loose bulbs, from which you pick your selection.  This is a better way to choose than picking packaged bulbs.  One drawback is that when customers handle bulbs, they don’t always get the right bulbs back in the right bin.  I watched a child once having a great time moving bulbs from bin to bin.  People buying after he left may not have gotten the varieties they expected.

Bulbs of different species are shaped a bit differently.  Tulips are usually tear drop shaped.  Daffodils have longer “necks” and sometimes look like two bulbs fused at the bottom (double nosed). Lily bulbs are composed of “scales” that overlap.  Crocus bulbs are flattened circles.

But all bulbs should feel firm, not soft.  They should look plump, not shriveled.  (There are a few exceptions to the shriveled look, some less common bulbs may appear wrinkled.) A little mold isn’t harmful but a blackened moldy, shriveled looking or mushy bulb should not be purchased.  Many bulbs have a loose skin or papery shell.  Don’t remove this but don’t be worried if some falls off. 

Bulbs should not be sprouting.  They shouldn’t have cuts from shovels or gnawed areas from pests. They shouldn’t look smashed. Some bulbs may have tiny “bulblets” attached at the bottom, which is fine, but don’t worry if these fall off.  These eventually grow into new bulbs.

Bulb color varies.  In some species such as tulips and hyacinths, you can see some color in the flesh of the bulb that may correspond to flower color.  A purple fleshed hyacinth bulb produces a purple flower. But don’t rely on bulb color to accurately predict all flower colors.  In many species the bulbs have white or tan flesh color regardless of what the flower color will be.

If you are tempted to buy pre-packaged bulbs in a store check the label carefully.  Look for the words “packed in or for” the current year.  If you see any signs that the package was a holdover from another year don’t buy it.  Almost all bulbs come from the Netherlands so don’t worry if you see that on the label.  Some companies buy bulbs in bulk from the Netherlands and repackage them so they can label them as packed in the USA but only a few rare and heirloom species and some lilies are actually grown here for commercial sale.

If you are ordering bulbs from a website or catalog you won’t be able to see what you are getting.  But make sure you open and examine the bulbs as soon as you get them and report any damaged or unhealthy looking bulbs right away.  Good companies guarantee quality and will refund your money if you aren’t satisfied.

Other considerations

When ordering also check the blooming times of bulbs, usually listed as early, mid spring- and late spring.  Make sure you have something blooming all through spring.  Keep early blooming bulbs close to the house and paths so you get to see them. 

There are bulbs that you plant in the fall that bloom in the summer too. Lilies are a good example; you can have lilies in bloom much of the summer if you choose varieties carefully.  Lilies often do best when planted in the fall, but some can be spring planted also.  You can even get bulbs that bloom in the fall like saffron crocus and colchicums.
Colchicum bloom in fall

How many to buy

There is a disease in gardeners called “buying too many bulbs”. (I have it.)  You may get better prices if you buy larger quantities, but can you really find places for those bulbs and the time to plant them?  Remember fall weather may make some days unsuitable for planting.  You can plant until the ground freezes but its better to get bulbs planted a few weeks before that so they can better establish themselves.

But don’t buy too few bulbs either. As you look at your flower beds this fall you may think there is no room for bulbs but remember in the spring when the bulbs bloom most perennials are still quite small.  If you took pictures of your garden in early spring, you’ll know where the bare spots are.  This also helps you avoid planting this fall’s new bulbs over bulbs from last year that are dormant.

You can lift the leaves of hosta and other perennials and plant bulbs under them.  After the bulbs bloom and die down in early summer the emerging leaves of the perennials will cover the dying foliage.  Ferns, daylilies and other plants can also hide dying bulb foliage as they grow; you just have to squeeze the bulbs in under them this fall.



Most good bulb catalogs will list how many bulbs per square foot is ideal, but these figures are generally for beds that don’t have other plants in them.  When you are planting in beds with perennials or previously planted bulbs you’ll need less.  If you do need a lot of bulbs, a 100 or so of the same species, look at wholesale and landscaper catalogs or websites.  These may have minimum purchases.  Look for wholesale catalogs that sell top quality bulbs, not small or low-grade bulbs.  There are some companies that specialize in the very largest, top quality bulbs for landscapers who service very fussy clients or for exhibition gardens.

If you do buy too many bulbs you can either give them away, sneak a few into a neighbor’s yard for a surprise or pot them in containers.  The containers must drain well.  Leave them outside in the cold until spring or a time near spring when you bring the inside for forcing bloom. Either bury the pots in the ground or compost pile or mulch them heavily through the winter.  In spring you can then move the sprouting bulbs in pots to porches and patios or bare spots in the garden.

Every gardener should consider adding bulbs to the garden for early spring blooms. You need to plant them this fall.  There’s still plenty of time to order those bulbs so get to work. There’s a list of catalogs and on line sites below. Next week I’ll talk about planting tips for bulbs and how to integrate them into perennial beds.









Prostrate knotweed, Polygonum aviculare

Prostrate knotweed
My grandmother called it poverty grass, but years ago when I tried to look up the plant under that name, I couldn’t find it.  This plant forms a low, wiry groundcover that stays green in all but the worse droughts and can be walked on. It covers hard worn paths by midsummer and will grow almost anywhere in full sun.  You can mow it without much harm, but it stays low enough you usually don’t have to. It has tiny almost invisible flowers that some pollinators do find, and birds love the seeds it makes.

This plant sounds like the ideal lawn replacement doesn’t it?  I think it could be, although there are some drawbacks. I eventually found the name of the plant, it’s officially Polygonum aviculare.  The plant is said to be polymorphic, that is there are slight regional differences in the shape of the plants leaves and its growth habits.  That has led to several subspecies being named and some disagreements among botanists in whether there are actually different species or subspecies.  Anyway, you may sometimes find the poverty grass of the Eastern US being referred to as Polygonum arenastrum.

Some of the other common names this plant has are door weed, mat grass and goose grass.  It’s a plant native to Eurasia, but it’s been in this country since the earliest arrival of Europeans and can be found in all 50 states and in most of the other countries in the world. 

Poverty grass- that’s the name I know it by, isn’t in the grass family.  It’s a dicot related to buckwheat and other familiar knotweeds. From a distance it may look like grass but if you examine it up close, you’ll see the wiry stems have tiny oval leaves with a short petiole arranged alternately on the stems. The color is a dark blue-green.  The leaf joints or nodes are slightly swollen and its at the leaf junction that tiny greenish white flowers develop.

The flowers each produce one dark brown cone shaped seed with 3 sides. Poverty grass flowers all summer and produces prodigious amounts of seeds. Most will stay in the soil until the next spring to germinate.  The tough seeds can survive many years, perhaps decades in the soil if conditions aren’t right for germination.  They need a period of cold, moist stratification followed by warm soil conditions for best germination.  That translates to a winter outside with late spring germination.

Polygonum aviculare is an annual plant although some do argue it’s a short-lived perennial in the right conditions. It will grow almost anywhere there’s enough sun, in almost any soil.  It grows in hard packed soil, sandy nutrient poor soil, salty soil and soil contaminated with oil and other chemicals.  It will grow in wet or dry soil.  It’s drought resistant, staying green when lawn grass has gone brown. It will inhibit the growth of some other weeds and chokes out lawn grasses growing where conditions are wrong for grass. It doesn’t grow well in shade.

This hardy survivor is eaten by deer and rabbits and will be eaten by livestock to some extent.  There have been reports that it can accumulate nitrates in some cases and harm horses that eat it but is not considered to be poisonous in most cases. Birds like pheasants, quail and doves seek out the seeds of the plant.

Not only do animals eat the plant, people do too.  The seeds have been ground into a flour.  Young plants are eaten as a salad green.  Leaves have been used for tea.  There are a number of minor herbal remedies for the plant.  The seeds are an emetic and mild diuretic.  The plant is used to treat asthma, diarrhea, gingivitis and cardiovascular issues. And the plant is used to kill and expel worms.  Parts of the plant are even used for dye, said to produce blue, green, and yellow dyes.

Some people consider poverty grass a noxious weed.  It can reduce yields in some crop fields and is said to carry some plant diseases.  But it seems to have some good uses too.  I don’t mind when it covers the hard-packed soil on the path to the barn and areas in the back yard where the dogs have worn trails.  It keeps those areas from being muddy in rainy periods and makes them look nicer.
 
Close up of prostrate knotweed
If you want to get rid of poverty grass, you’ll find it is resistant to many herbicides. A county Extension agent can tell you what pesticide is effective for it in your area.  It has a short taproot and can be pulled out easily when the soil is wet.

Since many people are looking for alternatives to grass it seems like Polygonum aviculare should be studied and maybe bred into a better grass substitute. There are some drawbacks.  The plant is not native, but then neither is Kentucky Bluegrass.  It is an annual, which is one drawback.  When it gets established though, it pretty much reseeds itself consistently.  The biggest drawback is that it is slow to get growing in spring, leaving bare areas for a longer time than grass.  When its dry though, it stays green while grass turns brown.  It dies at the first hard freeze.  It doesn’t grow in shady areas very well.

This could be an answer to many problem areas where grass and other ground covers won’t grow. It will grow in contaminated soil and can help clean up toxins.  It grows in soil that is salty from winter snow removal or salty irrigation water. It grows in densely packed soil and helps improve it. It can help prevent erosion in areas where other plants don’t grow well.

One of you readers should consider working with poverty grass to see if it could be turned into the next miracle plant by selective breeding.  A good lawn substitute that’s ecologically friendly is needed.  A weed could make you rich!


Fuzzy and painful caterpillars

It’s the time of year when a lot of people are noticing caterpillars but if you see any that look fuzzy, hairy or woolly don’t pick them up.  I learned this lesson early when I picked up a cute, white fuzzy caterpillar as a child and I still remember the pain and itching that followed.

On many species of caterpillars (butterfly or moth larvae) which look fuzzy or woolly those hairs contain a tiny bit of poison. If handled the hollow hairs break and the poison can get into your skin or in the mouth if a predator bites them. They can leave you with a very painful stringing or itching sensation if you handle them.  It usually doesn’t require medical attention and will fade in a day or so.  But you will have a crying child if they aren’t warned about the danger of cute fuzzy caterpillars.

The Puss caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis), is very fuzzy or furry with golden blond-reddish brown coloring.  It looks soft and cuddly.  Its not.  Handling this caterpillar will probably result in an extremely painful “sting” that will radiate pain to distant areas. In some people there is also nausea and vomiting, headache, swollen lymph glands and even breathing difficulty.  This is one pussy you don’t want to pet.

This caterpillar feeds on apple, elm, maple, hackberry, oak, sycamore and other trees.  It is often found feeding in groups and the larger the caterpillar the worst the reaction will be.
 
Puss caterpillar
entomology.ca.uky.edu
The White Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Norape ovina) is related to the Puss caterpillar but it’s not as hairy.  It’s interesting enough it might get picked up though.  It has a bright yellow body with a wide black stripe down the center.  At each end is a red area. In the stripe are tufts of yellow hairs with scattered longer black hairs. It’s the short yellow hairs that sting.

This caterpillar feeds on redbud, honey locust, hackberry, mimosa and beech. They are usually seen in late summer.
 
White flannel back moth
Wikipedia
Saddleback caterpillar (Acharia stimulea) is quite interesting.  It looks like it is wearing a greenish saddle blanket on its back with a brown or purple brown saddle outlined in white on top of that.  On the rest of its orange body are clumps of red and white bristles with two big horns at the front and back.  Those bristles pack a punch. The stings are very painful and can leave a rash that lasts for days.

This caterpillar feeds on basswood, chestnut, cherry, oak, and plum.  In some years they also feed on corn plants.
Saddleback moth
https://ugaurbanag.com

Hickory tussock caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae) is a beautiful caterpillar that recently has become more common.  It’s the silky demon from my childhood. These caterpillars are covered in soft velvety white hairs with a line of black spots down their back.  This one’s sting isn’t even as bad as some of the others but still leaves a stinging, painful rash.
Hickory Tussock moth
Maine.gov

The pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) has a brown head, and alternating dark and light gray bands on its body.  It’s also covered with long white bristles.  It’s not so tempting to pick up this one since it looks prickly but beware, this caterpillar can project or shoot its hairs if you get too close.  The sting is quite painful.  It’s been known to cause sores in dog’s mouths.

The caterpillars form webs like fall webworms to shelter in.  They also make weird “trains” of caterpillars with one caterpillars head touching the rear of another.  They eat pine needles.
 
Pine processionary
web.cortland.edu
The io moth caterpillar (Automeris io) looks like some kind of plastic toy.  It’s a western US species with a blue green body and clusters of  yellow hairs all over it. Each hair has a black tip. There’s a red and a white line on each side. Some people experience extreme reactions from the sting of this one, but some only have a mild reaction.  It feeds on corn, roses, willow, linden, elm, oak, locust, apple, beech, ash, currant, and clover and sometimes other plants.

Io moth
Wildreturn at https://flickr.com/photos/80270393@N06/42669236010


The white cedar moth caterpillar (Leptocneria reducta) is covered with what looks like a coat of long blond and brown hairs.  It travels in large groups in the evenings.  The hairs can cause a painful rash.
White cedar moth
wikimedia commons

Hag moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium) looks enough like a spider that many people wouldn’t touch it.  It has 6-9 pairs of what appear to be legs sticking out of its back and the whole caterpillar is covered in a light brown velvety plush coat.  That plush coat makes a miserable painful rash if someone is brave enough to touch this weirdo. This caterpillar feeds on oak, chestnut, dogwood, sassafras and ash. It is sometimes mistaken for a piece of brown leaf.
 
Hag moth
wikimedia
How about the common and fuzzy Woolly Bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia Isabella) of weather forecasting fame?  Well this one won’t harm you even though it is fuzzy. (Some people report mild dermatitis.) It’s black and orange with varying amounts of both. It’s a very common garden caterpillar that overwinters in leaf litter. They eat many types of plants but aren’t considered to be a serious pest.

Folklore says if the orange band is wide it’s going to be a mild winter.  But in reality, one can find Woolly bear caterpillars in the same garden with different amounts of orange.  The caterpillars molt their skins several times and each time they may have a different amount of orange.  I saw one in my garden yesterday with a lot of orange so I wish the folklore saying was true but science says otherwise.

Woolly Bear caterpillar

“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost.”
Heny Rollins

 Kim Willis

And So On….

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