Hi gardeners
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| Anise hyssop |
The wax begonias, landscape roses and Autumn joy sedum are
the stars in the garden right now. But there are still some mums, petunias, salvia,
cleome, dahlias, marigolds, calendula and Jerusalem artichokes in bloom. I have a canna blooming again and there are
some violas that came up from seed blooming in the lawn.
I am really disappointed in my anemones this year. Usually
the white variety Honorine Jobert is tall and wide and filled with pretty white
flowers this time of the year. But it got hit by the late freeze we had in the
spring and never seemed to recover. I planted a pink variety this spring and it’s
only about 6 inches high with small flowers. Turns out this anemone, ‘Jasmine’
is supposed to be a ground cover type, so it was my mistake on that. I may have to move it because it’s buried
behind taller plants.
I talked to a friend who gardens yesterday- socially distant
and outside of course- and discovered something odd we both have in common. We
have misplaced pots of amaryllis. We both move them outside for the summer. I
had a huge pot of nice large bulbs and I put it outside somewhere this spring
and now I can’t find it. I found a smaller pot of amaryllis and I thought I had
put them close together.
Usually in the summer they grow leaves, then die back around
fall and go through a dormant period and then bloom around Christmas. The pot I
found had leaves. The missing pot should not be hard to spot even if the leaves
are gone because the bulbs were large, and their shoulders were above the soil
line. But I can’t find it. I’ve searched several times.
My friend is experiencing the same thing. Maybe it is because
we are both growing old. I still have to dismantle the area around my
decorative pond to remove a few pots of canna, crocosmia and pineapple lilies.
It’s possible it’s buried beneath the sweet potato vines in that area. When I
mentioned that to my friend she suddenly remembered where her pot might be- by
her pond. Life can be strange.
There are two full
moons in October this year, one occurred on the 1st which is commonly
called the harvest moon. The second full moon is on the 31st,
Halloween. This full moon is called the Hunters moon, Dying Grass moon or
Traveling moon as Native Americans often moved to winter grounds during this
time. The Hunters moon is named such because at this time of year the moon rises
early in the evening and stays bright until almost dawn, letting hunters easily
track animals in the night. (It’s now illegal to hunt most game animals after
the sun goes down.
The second full moon
is also called a blue moon. It’s not as
rare as some headlines would have you believe as they happen every 2-3 years. But
a full moon on October 31st is much rarer. The last time any area of
the US had a full moon on Halloween was technically 2001, but most areas of the
country have not had a full moon on Halloween since 1944. It won’t occur again until
2039. And by the way, the moon won’t be colored blue on the blue moon.
Some people also
call the third full moon in a season with 4 full moons (- like fall, the period
between the autumn equinox and winter solstice) is a blue moon. Most seasons
are 3 months long and have three full moons. They only started calling it that recently, I
guess because every two years wasn’t soon enough. Let’s not complicate things and just drop
this idea.
There are two moon apogees this month, on the 3rd and on the 30th. The moon’s perigee occurs on the 16th.
If you like sky
gazing, you may want to look for the Draconid meteors which will be at their
peak Oct 9th. This meteor
shower isn’t as frequent or showy as others but who knows what you might
see. Look for the meteors in the
northwest sky just after dark. Later in the month the Orionid meteor shower
peaks around October 20-21st. Good viewing times for this meteor
shower are around midnight. These
meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky.
The meteors are debris from the tail of Halley’s Comet.
October’s birthstones
are the Tourmaline and Opal. October’s birth flower was the calendula originally,
but now is listed as marigold. Calendulas were the “marigold” before the
African plant we now call marigold was discovered. So now either calendula or
marigolds is considered correct. The meaning in flower language is warm,
undying and contented love.
October is National
popcorn popping month, vegetarian month, seafood month, cookie month, pizza
month, and applejack month. If you are
not into food holidays it’s also National Diabetes month, National Adopt a
Shelter Dog month, National Domestic Violence Awareness month and of course the
most used and abused “cause” of all, Breast Cancer awareness month. (I’m not
against breast cancer awareness just the commercialization of it.)
Holidays of note in
October include the 10th –World Egg Day – National Dessert day, 21st
–Sweetest Day, 17th, National Pumpkin Cheesecake day, 22nd
– National Nut Day, 24th –and then there’s two of the world’s
favorite holidays, 30th -Devils night and 31st -
Halloween.
October gardening
For gardeners in
many parts of the country October brings a new period of activity in the
garden. It’s time to plant bulbs and
start the garden clean up. There is always a debate among gardeners whether or
not to clean up the garden in the fall or spring. Frankly it boils down to
being a personal decision for the flower beds anyway, but there are some things
to consider before making the decision.
Flower bed cleanup
in fall can be done if you like a neat look going into winter. Many gardeners
do fall clean up. But leaving the cleanup- or at least most of it until spring
does have some advantages. Birds and beneficial insects can use the seeds and
plant parts left behind over winter. Seed heads, stalks and stems, and grass
clumps can provide winter interest in a bland environment.
But the most
compelling reason to leave cleanup until spring is that it is the way nature
does it. The dying foliage protects the crowns and roots of plants and traps
snow, which also protects plant parts. The decomposing foliage returns
nutrients to the soil. One plant to certainly leave alone until spring is the
chrysanthemum. Removing stems in fall often removes buds for next year’s
foliage at their base. You can carefully cut dead stems back to about 6 inches
but don’t remove stems.
If you want to
collect seeds of various plants get it done soon. Some seeds of various flowers
can be sown in fall for spring germination. To read more about seed storage and
fall sowing you can go to this page; http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/seeds-germination.html
Before a freeze you
need to dig up summer bulbs such as glads, dahlias, canna, and so on if you
want them for next year. Pick a stretch of sunny days so that after you dig
them you can let them cure in the sun for a day or two. Make sure they won’t
freeze outside at night; you may have to bring them in at night.
Shake off the soil after it dries but don’t wash the bulbs/tubers. After a day or two of curing you can cut off any foliage and pack the bulbs/tubers in slightly dampened wood shavings and store them in a cool, (above freezing) dry, dark spot.
Vegetable gardens
The vegetable garden
should be cleaned in fall if possible. This helps prevent insects and disease
over wintering in the garden. Remove all plant debris to the compost pile. Add
manure and compost to beds. I would suggest waiting until a hard freeze or two
before adding amendments. That’s because the freeze may kill insect eggs and
disease spores on the soil surface.
Adding manure or compost before a freeze may protect them.
It’s time to put
away the tomato cages, stakes, sprinklers and other equipment. Take nozzles off
hoses when you’ve ended the garden season and drain hoses.
If you need to
harvest anything like carrots or potatoes, it’s time to get it done. Yes, you
can cover the carrots with straw bales and then go out and shovel a path to the
garden, move the heavy soaked bales and dig up some carrots in winter and then
move the heavy bales back over the patch. But that’s not a really practical
solution is it? Carrots can be stored in a more accessible space indoors for a
long time.
It’s time to get
bulbs for spring blooming plants planted. They can be planted from the time the
soil starts to cool down until it freezes but don’t leave this until the last
minute. I’ve been writing about bulbs in the last few blogs and there’s an
article below on the actual planting process.
Don’t prune roses,
shrubs and trees until they have gone dormant.
Pruning some plants before dormancy will cause them to put out new
growth, which takes energy best conserved for spring growth. The new growth
will probably be winter killed also.
After a few hard freezes and the loss of their leaves, roses, shrubs and
trees can be pruned. Spring flowering
shrubs like forsythia and lilac, may not bloom in the spring if you prune them
now, however.
You may still need to mow through October. Grass should not be too long when it gets covered with snow. Grass naturally starts growing slower as the day length gets shorter, but it will grow until the ground freezes. In most of the country, zones 7 and below, it’s too late now to seed and fertilize the lawn.
Get those bird
feeders filled. You can use just black
oil sunflower seed and suet cakes and attract most birds without a lot of
waste. Add thistle seed and a very small amount of cracked corn, maybe some
chopped peanuts and you will have pleased just about every bird species that
visits feeders. Most wild bird feed is
filled with things like milo, red millet, oats and other seeds most birds
really aren’t fond of. It gets wasted
below the feeder.
There is concern among conservationists that bird species are vanishing, and bird populations are down in numbers. Feeding birds in winter does help them and it is a pleasant thing to sit and watch the birds in the winter. Put your feeder just outside a window so you can sit and watch the birds.
Want to save time
this fall? Don’t rake leaves unless you are collecting them for composting or
covering plants. Mow over leaves and let the small pieces fertilize the lawn. A
thick layer of dead leaves could harm the grass but a light layer or chopped
leaves won’t. Putting leaves in plastic bags or any bags and sending them to a
landfill is blasphemy for a gardener. You are wasting a valuable resource. Leaves
are natures fertilizer and mulch.
Don’t get me started
on leaf blowers. Gardeners do not need a
leaf blower, which uses fossil fuels, pollutes the atmosphere and causes noise pollution.
There might be some limited value in leaf blowers for those who need to clear
off lots of paved areas in commercial settings, but a home gardener does not
need a leaf blower. To use such an environmentally unfriendly machine to blow
around a valuable garden resource is just nuts.
One thing to make
sure you do this October is to get some time outside. It’s a beautiful time of year but it’s
fleeting. Enjoy it while you can.
Are
cultivars of native plants harmful to ecosystems?
First there was the big push to get people to plant more native plants, then there was the shaming of people to get them to plant ONLY native plants in their gardens. Now there is a movement to plant only natives that were locally sourced and adapted and not to plant any cultivars of native plants. Things are getting a little too extreme.
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| Joe Pye weed |
If you have been persuaded that you need to plant natives
because they are the only plants that can save pollinators or because people
have told you that native plants don’t require much work,(they do require work),
then you now have to face another dilemma. Should you plant cultivars of native
plants or only wild type plants?
First let’s define cultivar and nativar. A cultivar is a human selected variety of a
plant. It corresponds to a breed of animal.
The rose ‘Peace’ is a cultivar of rose. In plants cultivars can be grown
from seeds, they often come from two varieties of plants that have been crossed
and are also called hybrids. Plant cultivars can also be reproduced from
cloning, which means they are started by cuttings or other asexual means.
Selected varieties or cultivars of native plants are sometimes
called nativars. Many nativars are pretty much like their wild ancestors, maybe
just tweaked a bit to be more compact, flower longer or more vigorous than the
wild form. But some native plants have been turned into cultivar factories,
humans have selected hundreds of varieties of them. One of the ones that comes
quickly to mind is echinacea, a native plant that has spawned hundreds of
cultivars. Some of these cultivars vary widely from the original wild type.
Wild type or wild form plants are, according to purists, those
plants that were sourced from nearby areas and have not been altered by human
selection.
So, the burning question is are nativars and cultivars just
as good for the ecological system as “wild form” native plants? The answer is,
from what few studies have been done, is it depends on the nativar or cultivar.
It also depends on what you expect of them. Some nativars and native plant cultivars
are every bit as good as the wild form, and in some cases better, for the “ecological
system as wild forms.
For most people being good for the ecological system means
providing food for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Some consideration
is given to plants good for birds and other animals. And a tiny bit of concern
goes toward choosing plants that help other plants.
Genetic mixing concerns
Many native purists are worried that genes from nativars in
gardens will contaminate nearby wild plants and change the genetic diversity either
through pollinators or the wind carrying pollen to wild plants. But this isn’t
always a bad thing. In general, genetic diversity is beneficial to any species,
as it allows them to adapt to changes in the environment.
Some native plant pushers are really alarmed about genes
from clones- nativars that are propagated from cuttings. They believe that
genes escaping from garden clones will somehow dominate wild populations and
reduce genetic diversity. That just doesn’t make sense.
Many plants propagated from clones are propagated that way
because the plant doesn’t come true from seed. If the pollen from those cloned
nativars reaches the stigmas of wild plants and produces seeds, they are going
to introduce new genes into the wild population. But since the results from
those seeds will vary, especially when crossed with wild plants, how will that
limit diversity?
Plants that are propagated from cuttings generation after
generation do tend to get less vigorous because they have less genetic
diversity to enable adaptation to environmental change. But that would only
affect that nativar clone, which would be confined to gardens. And it’s common
for new nativars to be introduced over time so even if insects were depending
on only garden plants, a sudden loss of one nativar probably would have little effect
in the broad scheme of things.
Even if you planted these cloned nativars among wild
populations their genes would be combined with wild genes in the random fashion
of any sexual reproduction. So, the offspring of such crosses would have more
genetic diversity not less.
I have read and heard people say that “weak” genes from
nativars are going to get into wild populations and cause such havoc that the species
will be lost. That’s just nonsense and it isn’t the way natural selection and
genetics work.
In both plants and animals the introduction of new genes
into a stable population can cause some changes at first, but over time the tendency
is for the species to revert back to wild type, especially if that wild type is
well suited for the environment.
If the local wild species isn’t well suited for the
environment anymore, as in the case of climate change, or the new genes give some
plants an advantage, natural selection will favor changes that help the species.
And that isn’t a bad thing.
Pollinator concerns
Many adult pollinators are generalists, they will feed on a
wide variety of flowers, wild or exotic, that provide nectar or pollen. They
may never have seen the flower before but if they explore it and find something
they like they will certainly come back for more. I have tropical plants in my
garden that attract pollinators, although they would never find these plants in
the wild.
Even specialist pollinators rely on many clues to find their
favorites and they do explore flower options too. So, a pollinator seeing a
nativar flower with a different color won’t be fooled long. If you are considering a nativar/cultivar that
provides just as much pollen or nectar – or more pollen and nectar- than the
wild type then it shouldn’t be a problem to plant that nativar.
A nativar of Culvers Root, Veronicastrum virginicum called
‘Lavendelturm’ is actually more attractive and more
beneficial to pollinators because it has more nectar and blooms longer than the
wild form. It’s also prettier in the garden, a win-win. Phlox nativars
‘Jeana’ and ‘Lavelle’ are more attractive to pollinators than the wild species Phlox
paniculata.
While some cultivars of echinacea are not as beneficial to the ecosystem as the wild Echinacea purpurea, some are just as good. ‘White Swan’, ‘Magnus’ and many older, single flowered cultivars of echinacea have been found to equal the wild form in value to the ecosystem. The problem is that most cultivars of echinacea have not been tested to see how they compare with wild types.
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| Echinacea |
In general flower color is not as important as flower shape
in determining if a nativar is a good choice for pollinators. If the shape of
the flower stays the same, pollinators will probably ignore color changes,
although some insect species are more picky. But nativars with double flowers
for example, make it harder or impossible for pollinators to find the nectar
and pollen.
If your concern is helping pollinators then avoid nativars
with doubled flowers, reduced or absent pollen, (usually labeled sterile or
seedless) or nativars where the flower has a longer nectar tube or other
changes to the flower shape.
If your concern is contamination of wild types with “escaped”
genes, then sterile nativars are a good choice.
But they won’t benefit pollinators very much.
If a nativar has less fragrant flowers, then it may attract fewer
pollinators. In many cases less scent is correlated with less nectar. In
reverse, if a nativar is more fragrant than the wild type it may attract more
insects and have more to offer them as a reward.
Foliage color and insect feeding
Insects may be more specific in what plants are needed for
egg laying and larval feeding. The colors in a leaf are caused by different
plant chemicals and when the foliage color is changed in a nativar, it changes
the chemical composition of the leaf. This may not be good for larvae feeding
on the foliage. This seems to be most true when foliage color is changed from
green in the wild type to red or purple tones in nativars. Insects may avoid
laying eggs on these plants and larvae may be weak or die from feeding on them.
Plants that have golden or white variegation seem to affect
larvae feeding less and insects seem to be just as likely to lay eggs on them
as on wild types. If we are trying to help pollinators, we might avoid using
nativars with red or purple foliage. But if you want a garden specimen that
resists insect damage then a nativar with dark foliage may be a good choice.
Plant size and form
In many cases native wild type plants are just too large at
maturity to be useful in smaller gardens. The good news is that nativars which
alter the size of the plant are generally just as good for the ecosystem as the
larger wild type. A plant that comes to mind is Joe Pye Weed. Wild type plants
can get 8 feet or more high and wide. Nativars like ‘Little Joe’ are much
smaller and allow people with smaller gardens to enjoy this late summer
bloomer.
Pollinators and insects that need certain host plants for
egg laying generally do not care if the plant is shorter or more compact than
the wild type. Once again if the genes from the smaller nativars “escape” to contaminate
wild types it will not significantly alter the wild populations size, as natural
selection will tend to pull the population back to the wild type and shape.
Most smaller nativars don’t have flowers that are much different than the wild type in size and shape. As long as the foliage color is the same as the wild type, gardeners should not worry about choosing compact or shorter nativars of wild plants.
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| Joe Pye weed nativar |
Insect damage, disease, vigor concerns
If a native plant has been improved by selective breeding or
selection to resist disease or insect attacks or to be more vigorous in
changing climate conditions, then that nativar should be preferred over the wild
type. If we don’t modify some plant species in these ways, then we may lose the
whole species. Good examples of plants that need selective breeding to survive
as a species are elms and American chestnuts. In this case you probably won’t
find wild type plants offered for sale, only nativars or hybrids with other
species.
It is true that some nativars selected for insect resistance
will impact certain native insects. I suppose it depends on you whether you
want to preserve certain insects or preserve the plants. Insect resistance
doesn’t include those precious pollinators, because pollinators aren’t harmful
to the plant.
One thing to consider though, in selecting nativars is
hardiness. If a nativar was selected in a southern region and grown there for
sale, it may not be as cold hardy as the same nativar selected and grown in a
colder region. Heat and drought tolerance may also vary from one region of the
country to another. In some cases, introducing genes for heat or drought
tolerance to a northern region may actually be a good thing to combat climate
change.
But when it comes to cold tolerance gardeners should check
the hardiness rating of a nativar and not assume that if a species grows in
their area that all nativars of it will be hardy in their planting zone.
As far as vigor goes, there is a small chance that some
nativars may have been selected for such vigorous growth characteristics that
if they escape to wild areas they may bully many other species of plants into oblivion,
unlike their local wild brethren. Switch grass nativars, such as ‘Shelter’, are
notorious for this. Any mention of extreme vigor, fast or aggressive spreading,
in a nativars description should put you on alert for this.
Short summary
For gardens, nativars that are selected with a little care
are not harmful to the ecosystem. In some cases, nativars will be much better
for gardens than wild types. Just keep these points in mind.
Avoid nativars
with different colored foliage than wild types.
Avoid nativars with doubled flowers
or flowers whose shape is different than wild type plants.
Use sterile, (seedless, pollenless)
nativars if you are worried about gene “escape”.
Check vigor and hardiness traits when
selecting nativars.
Don’t worry about nativars that are
smaller or more compact than wild types. They are just as good for the
environment as larger wild types.
Disease and insect resistance in
nativars is usually a good thing.
Gene exchange between nativars and
wild populations is usually more beneficial than harmful.
If you are “restoring” a large area meant for wildlife, then
the use of locally sourced, wild type plants is preferrable rather than nativars.
However, in the garden setting nativars can be good choices. Many non-native
plants are also not harmful and can even be beneficial.
I have never been convinced that only native plants are
beneficial to the ecosystem. People have been planting non-native plants in
gardens for centuries. A garden cultivated by humans is an altered
environment. You can build a beautiful ecological
system in that environment using all non-native plants, nativars, or a mixture
of native and non-native plants or all native plants.
Would you have people remove most types of fruit trees, all
the wheat and soybean fields because they are not native plants? How about banning honeybees and earthworms? They
aren’t native either. Sure, there are some non-native plants and even some
nativars that could harm the local ecosystem. We won’t discuss that here
because of space limitations. But by and large most plants you put in your
garden are not going to harm anything but your bank account.
Don’t let people shame you into only planting a limited
selection of natives if that type of garden really doesn’t appeal to you.
More reading
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/cultivars-native-plants
https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2016/JuneJuly/Gardening/Cultivars
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2019-12-28-native-vs-nativar
Wild Grapes
Grapes are native to
several parts of the world. North America has several species of native grapes,
the most common being the Fox grape, Vitus
labrusca or Frost Grape, Vitus
vulpina. Both have 3 lobed leaves, the Fox grape has more rounded lobes and
the Frost grape has a more deeply serrated edge. Both grapes have leaves that
are lighter and somewhat fuzzy on the underside.
Grapes form vines
that climb into trees and may climb to the very top- 60 feet or more of a large
tree. They also cover thickets and fences. Grapes climb by using tendrils,
small, modified stems that wrap around things like a green wire. Wild grapes
should be removed from landscape trees as they can overwhelm them and cause
stunting or death.
Grapes develop woody
stems as they age and some very old vines may have stems a foot or more wide.
The bark on older stems is composed of shaggy, loose strips. Wild grapes are
very long-lived, with vines living to be a 100 or more years old.
Grapes flower in
early summer and the small greenish white flower clusters have a pleasant
aroma. Clusters of small green fruit develop that ripen into blue- black or
purple-red grapes. Wild grapes are said to be sweeter after a frost, but many
are gone long before that. Grapes can be found growing in the sun or shade, in
many kinds of soil.
Grape leaves are
used in cooking and a grape leaf in a jar of pickles you are canning will help
keep them crisp. Grape vines are used in many types of crafts. For craft use
pull the vines out to long lengths before cutting them. Then let the vines dry a bit in a sunny place
until the leaves fall off.
Grapes are also used
medicinally- (not for just wine!)- as a laxative, and for liver and kidney
problems. Grape leaves have been used on wounds to stop bleeding. Oil can be
pressed from grape seed, but it takes an awful lot of grape seeds to make a
little oil.
Wild grapes
Canning pumpkin
The easiest way to have cooked pumpkin on hand for recipes
is to can it. This allows you the
convenience of having cooked pumpkin for recipes throughout the year. You will
need a pressure canner to can pumpkin. When you can pumpkin at home you are
making good use of a local and seasonal food source.
It is not safe to can mashed pumpkin as its too dense to
allow proper heating in the center of jar. Leave the mashing to when you open
the can to use it. It will be soft and easy to mash. Also add spices just
before using the pumpkin for best flavor.
- Wash the pumpkin well
under clean, running water.
- Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop
out the stringy goop and seeds in the center of the pumpkin. Save the seeds for roasting if you want.
- Scrape the inner side of
the pumpkin with the blade of a spoon until all the stringy matter is
gone.
- Cut the pumpkin into 1
inch chunks.
- Stand each chunk on end
and slice off the rind or skin with a sharp knife. There is a color change
between the hard rind and the fleshy part. Discard the rind.
- Clean 7 quart jars, rims
and lids in hot water and keep warm.
- Place the pumpkin chunks
in a large pot and add water to cover them.
- Bring the pot to a boil
and then boil for 3 minutes. The
pieces should still feel firm. Save the cooking water and keep it hot.
- With tongs remove chunks
of pumpkin and pack your jars with them to 1 inch from the top. Do not mash the pumpkin.
- Ladle the hot, saved
cooking water over the pumpkin pieces, leave one inch of space at the top.
- Run a bubble stick through
the jars to remove bubbles, wipe the rim and add the lid and screw band.
- Place the jars in a
pressure canner and process for 90 minutes. Set pressure on a dial gauge at 11
pounds at up to 2,000 feet altitude, 2000-4000 feet at 12 pounds,
4000-6000 at 13 pounds and above 6000 feet altitude at 14 pounds. For
weighted gauges set them at 10 pounds up to 2000 feet altitude and 15
pounds above 2,000 feet altitude.
- Remove jars and allow them
to cool. Check seals and label
before storage.
The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland
paths are dry, Under the October twilight the water Mirrors a still
sky.
-William Butler Yeats
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are
copyrighted and may not be used without permission.
And So On….
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Michigan garden events/classes here:
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facebook page)
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