Hi Gardeners
 |
| Yuzu fruit |
It’s a cold and snowy day here. We aren’t predicted to get a
large amount of snow but it’s wet and messy and there’s about 3 inches on the
deck and car. It’s still melting on the
ground, so it isn’t as deep there. The hitch here is that we are getting a new
roof this week. Early this morning a truck was here delivering the supplies. A
guy was on the roof shoveling it so they could put the shingle bundles up
there. Quite an undertaking in the blowing snow this morning. We’ll see if they
start the job tomorrow.
The blog isn’t as long as normal this week. I lost a good
friend to covid last week and I have been distracted and sad. And then there’s
the roof project. I wanted them to do it late in the year, but I didn’t plan on
it being this late. I wanted it late because I was worried about my plants and
thought after they were dormant would be the best time to have junk dropped off
the roof and trampling feet in the beds. There’s lots going on here.
The last time I saw my friend was in early October. We normally
met for lunch a couple times a month but this year of course, was different.
Our last inside a restaurant lunch was in February. In October we met at a
McDonalds. I transferred a large jasmine plant into her car. It needed a home that
had a greenhouse and my friend could provide that. Then we went through the
drive through, bought lunch and sat in our separate cars, talking for an hour
through open windows.
My friend was an avid gardener, she was a member of the
Master Gardener program and volunteered for everything. She was president of
the horticulture club here for several years. She was kind and cheerful, a
wonderful person to know. She was only 62 years old.
We had emailed each other several times since our last “lunch”.
But I didn’t even know she was sick until she was gone. Covid took her quickly.
I was thinking about emailing her when someone called to say she was gone. So,
if you have a friend or family member please think of them today and give them a
call. Covid is everywhere and it hits when you least expect it. Please don’t go
out unless it’s necessary and please wear a mask when you do. I want all of you
here for Christmas this year and next year.
Houseplants
beginners may want to avoid
Houseplants are being sold everywhere now, from the grocery
store to big box stores and lumberyards. They are usually inexpensive and new
gardeners snap up those big 10-inch pots of beautiful tropical foliage plants sitting
out in the stores. They look gorgeous at first but in a few weeks the new
owners are on a social media page looking for answers as to why their plant is
dying.
Most of these plants are grown in Florida. It’s very easy and cheap to grow these plants
in a greenhouse in Florida or even outside. There’s a good profit margin on
them. But many of the plant species grown in those greenhouses have a difficult
time staying healthy in a heated northern home with poor lighting.
Crotons, Boston ferns, dieffenbachia ( Dumb Cane) “tree”philodendrons,
rubber plants, Norfolk pines and weeping figs are all common large house plants
that look good when they come from the greenhouse but are difficult for most
beginning gardeners to keep looking nice. These plants also don’t like being
left on cold loading docks, in cold semi-trucks or being transported in frigid
weather to customers cars.
Growers are going to be unhappy with this list because these
plants have the look gardeners want. They sell well. But the honest truth is
that few Crotons and Boston ferns, for example, survive 6 months in the home. But
then many gardeners go out and purchase another one so….
It often takes a week or two before plants start losing
condition from poor transportation conditions or by neglect in the store but by
that time many have been sold. And even if they were transported and cared for
correctly before sale, problems often start soon after they get a new home.
After a few weeks in a new home the plants typically begin
losing leaves. They may yellow, have brown margins or blackened areas first, or
they may just shed green leaves like crazy. That’s because the plants are
trying to adjust to lower light and cooler, drier air than the greenhouse they
came from. With care and providing the right conditions some of these will
recover, but unless they go back into a greenhouse, most will never look as
good as when you got them.
In many cases though the plants simply keep declining until
they die. Then the owner either gets discouraged from keeping houseplants or
goes out and buys the same plant again and repeats the lesson.
So, what is the lesson here? Don’t buy plants on impulse if
you are an inexperienced gardener. Know what conditions the plants require
before you buy- and only buy plants that suit the conditions in your home or
that you can modify the conditions to suit the plants.
For example, Boston ferns require good strong light and high
humidity. If you have a steamy bathroom with a skylight or south window a
Boston fern may continue to look nice. But if you are going to try and hang it
in a living room 5 feet from an east window right over a heat duct – well- let’s
just say it will soon be crispy brown. No, misting won’t work. They do survive
somewhat better outside on shady patios in summer.
Norfolk pines like cooler rooms, they don’t do well if you
keep your heat at 80 degrees day and night.
They also like bright light indoors. Crotons like really bright light,
warm temperatures and high humidity, they are really finicky plants and
beginners should avoid them even though they look so cheerful with their bright
colors.
Weeping Figs lose their leaves just from being moved to
different light conditions. They may put on new leaves quickly if they are in
bright light conditions and properly watered while recovering. Plants without
leaves require less water but as the leaves expand, they will need more.
The other plants mentioned all need pretty strong light
inside, which is the thing they often don’t get. They must be out of cold
drafts and away from heat ducts. They require careful watering, allowing them
to dry slightly but not get too dry. It’s the watering that inexperienced
gardeners give that usually kills these plants.
Somewhat easier large plants for beginning gardeners include
palms, peace lilies, dracaenas of various types, sanseveria, yucca and aspidistra.
Of course, you should always look up the preferred conditions for each type of
plant and know the requirements of its care before purchasing the plant. If you
don’t have the right conditions- the light level needed in particular- the
plant will never be healthy.
There are some smaller plants that I would also warn
beginning gardeners about. These include orchids, bromeliads, all types of
ferns, miniature roses, strelitzia (bird of paradise), plumeria, zebra plants
and anthuriums.
Some succulents are easy to grow, some are difficult. Succulents
is a broad term for a whole range of plant species. Succulents are very popular
right now but there are a wide range of conditions that the various species
require, and gardeners should not think all succulents are easy to grow.
Research conditions that a succulent species needs before you buy and don’t buy
succulents labeled just “succulents”. Using the name succulents is like using
the name bird in the animal kingdom. A canary needs much different conditions
than a chicken.
And there’s another phenomenon with houseplants- some people
feel compelled to “rescue” them. If the plant from one of the more difficult
species is already failing when you buy it, your chances of reviving it are
much less. Unless you have a greenhouse you probably aren’t going to revive a
crispy Boston fern. Unhealthy plants may also have insect pests to bring into
your home.
So, while many houseplants look nice when they first arrive
in stores, some of them are going to be difficult for gardeners to grow in the
home. That doesn’t mean you can’t try them if you want. Just take the time to
research what plants are suitable for the conditions in your home. (Sometimes
you can modify conditions to suit the plant, such as adding a grow light).
Learn what care the plant species requires. Preplanning and making good choices
and learning what different species needs is the key to growing houseplants
successfully.
Yuzu – do
you know this plant?
I was watching the British baking show and contestants kept
mentioning adding yuzu juice to various dishes. Yuzu? I guess I’m a little behind
the times, I thought. So, I did some research. I was hooked when I found out
the plant also has connections to the winter solstice, which is coming up soon.
The yuzu juice the contestants were adding to their bakes
was from a small citrus fruit common in Japan and Korea and used in cooking and
baking there. The yuzu is a cross between a Mandarin orange and a citrus plant
called Citrus cavaleriei, or ichang papeda. It was fascinating to find
out about all these different citrus family members I knew nothing about- but that’s
a subject for another article. It’s believed the cross originated in Central
China.
The yuzu tree is a small citrus tree with dark green oval leaves that have an enlarged area on the leaf petiole. The leaves are said to have a strong, pleasant smell when brushed or bruised. The plants also have long, wicked thorns along the branches.
 |
| Notice the enlarged area on the leaf stem |
Yuzu has small white flowers with a pleasant scent. There is
one, somewhat endangered, cultivar of Yuzu that is grown for the flowers only,
called Hana Yuzu. It is loaded with larger white flowers with a strong but pleasing
fragrance.
Yuzu fruit looks like a small, about 2-inch-wide, pitted,
rough skinned, bumpy orange. It ripens from green to yellow to eventually an
orange yellow. There is not much flesh inside, but up to 12 large white seeds. It’s
usually not eaten fresh; the fruit is very sour. Instead the zest from the skin
is scraped off or about a teaspoon of juice is squeezed from the fruit. The
zest is said to be tart but sweeter than the flesh.
Yuzu juice has a unique taste- like a cross of mandarin
orange and grapefruit with a “floral” note. It is used in recipes just like you
would use lemon juice. It’s an expensive juice since each fruit yields so
little. It’s used to flavor alcoholic drinks and make sauces, as well as in all
kinds of desserts. In Korea it is called yuja and the juice and pulp are
sometimes used to dress salads as well as it being used in cooking.
Yuzu has become popular with American chefs and it’s said
there is a thriving black market for the fruits. While there are some yuzu
trees growing in California- brought in with Japanese settlement of the area hundreds
of years ago, the USDA does not allow the importation of fruit or Yuzu trees.
So people smuggle them in from Japan, which isn’t a very good idea. You can occasionally
buy yuzu fruit grown in California. The fruit costs $16-$20 a pound. Juice is available
in many places, but it too, is expensive.
Not only is yuzu used in cooking it is a favorite scent in
cosmetics, skin and bath products in Japan and Korea. It is said there is no
other scent that is comparable to Yuzu. There are a few medicinal uses also, a
typical cold remedy in Japan may call for yuzu, honey and alcohol.
Yuzu is fairly cold hardy. In Japan yuzu is also grafted
onto even hardier citrus stock. A US gardener in zone 8 would certainly be able
to grow it if he or she could find plants. I have heard it can be grown in
parts of Zone 7 if protected. But remember- it’s illegal to import plants.
Yuzu could be kept as a potted patio plant and brought in
for winter. It’s an evergreen, small tree that responds well to pruning. Care
would be just like care for a Meyer lemon. The problem is finding a plant. I
have seen plants for sale, but they are scarce and expensive. I understand that
some plants being sold are not actually yuzu. I suggest those interested try to
buy California fruit and start plants from the seeds.
And the connection to winter solstice? In Japan yuzu fruits
are either pierced or sliced and placed in a hot bath on winter solstice. The
yuzu bather is supposed to have health and good luck in the New Year. And boy
do we need that this year.
December Almanac
Since we had a full moon yesterday, the
beaver moon, we don’t have a full moon in December until the 29th. This
month’s full moon is called the Full Cold, Oak Moon or Long Nights moon. The
moon will be high in the sky and cast a lot of shadows. If snow is on the
ground and the skies clear it will be a very bright night. Moon perigee is the
12th and moon apogee is the 24th.
There are two meteor displays that may
be visible in December. On the 14th,
at 2 am there is the peak of the best regular meteor event, the Geminids meteor
shower. Some meteors may be visible from the Geminids from the 4th through
the 17th. But on the peak day around 120 meteors or shooting stars
may be seen per hour. The best viewing is after midnight, to about 2 am. Look
toward the northwest.
On December 22nd – 23rd
will be the peak of a lesser meteor shower, the Ursids meteor shower, which
typically produces about 20 meteors per hour at its peak. The night of the 22nd
should provide excellent viewing from midnight to dawn. This will be especially
nice if you are having a solstice bonfire.
Monday, December 21, 2020 is the winter
solstice. It marks the longest night of the year, the end of the celestial year
and the beginning of winter. On winter
solstice the sun is at its farthest point in the southern sky and lowest point
on the horizon. (For an interesting site that will show you where the sun and
moon are in the sky at the exact time you access the site go to this site and
choose your closest city.)
http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/
This year on the winter solstice a “great
conjunction “of Jupiter and Saturn will occur. The two planets will align so
that they appear as one very bright star. This close of an alignment hasn’t
occurred in hundreds of years and the next closest alignment won’t be until
2080. So, on solstice go outside after
sunset and look toward the west. You should see a very bright star.
You can watch Jupiter and Saturn get closer
all through December. Jupiter is a very bright object in the night sky and
Saturn is almost as bright, with a more golden look. It is just to the east of
Jupiter. All month they will get closer and closer until the conjunction. Is
this something auspicious? Maybe- the whole year of 2020 has been a
disaster. Maybe this will start better
times ahead.
You’ll notice that the earliest sunset
and the shortest day are not the same.
The earliest sunset occurs December 5th when the sun sets at
5 pm (in the Flint, MI. area). And the
sun will set at that time until December 14th – when it gains a minute. It’s
the time of sunrise that makes the difference in day length. On the solstice
the sun rises at 8:03 am and sets at 5:03pm in the Flint, Mi. area. Your area
may have slightly different sunrise and sunset times.
December’s traditional birthstone is
turquoise. If cold December gave you
birth, The month of snow and ice and mirth, Place on your hand a Turquoise
blue, Success will bless whate'er you do. – old folk saying. However, since it is the month of buying,
modern jewelers want you to have lots of choices and they added zircon and tanzanite to the birthstone list.
The December birth flower is oddly
enough the narcissus. This may be
because it was associated with death, (its poisonous) by the ancient Romans and
Greeks but now it is often used as a symbol of hope. We are entering the time of the death of the
old year but still, it seems odd as a flower choice. In flower “language” narcissus is said to
mean “you are the only one” or alternatively faithfulness, respect and modesty.
Recently holly has been favored to
replace narcissus as the December birth flower and to me seems more
appropriate. Holly is a symbol of
domestic happiness in flower language. Orchids are also listed as the December
flower in some places.
Things to celebrate in December besides
the solstice and Christmas include National Mutt day the 2nd, Pearl
Harbor Day- the 7th and the 12th is Poinsettia day,
Gingerbread house day and National cocoa day, National Bake Cookies day is the
18th ( or roast a suckling pig, your choice) , Look for Evergreens
day is on the 19th. Besides
being Christmas Eve the 24th is National Chocolate day and National
Egg Nog day. Christmas occurs on Friday this year and that will give everyone
still working a nice long weekend. December 31st is World Peace/
Meditation Day as well as New Year’s Eve.
December is National Bingo month,
National AIDS awareness month, National Buckwheat month and Universal Human
Rights month.
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary
to stand out in the cold.
- Aristotle
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are
copyrighted and may not be used without permission.
Find
Michigan garden events/classes here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/118847598146598/
(This is the Lapeer County Gardeners
facebook page)
Newsletter/blog
information
If you have a comment or
opinion you’d like to share, send it to me or you can comment directly on the
blog. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly blog
if you email me. You must give your full name and what you say must be polite
and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t
match mine, but I do reserve the right to publish what I want.
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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment