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Tuesday, December 22, 2020

December 22, 2020 message for the new year

 Hi gardeners

We have survived the year; the ones who read this. The natural year has ended and today is the first day of the new year. The calendar year lags of course, man always feels compelled to tame nature in some way, to order it to his thinking. But that is inconsequential in the web of life.

And what a year it has been for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Maybe some of you had more time for gardening this year, certainly some of you did not have time for gardening. And for those of you who gave up your precious gardening time to heal and care for us, I deeply thank you.

Gardeners experienced scarcity this year, seeds hoarded away, garden stores closed, contact with gardening friends curtailed. But they persevered, as gardeners do. Some had their first garden this year. I hope your experience left you wanting more and ready to tackle a new garden season.

Gardeners are people who hope. To plant a seed or tender plant and trust that it will grow and feed us or give us beauty to contemplate, takes hope. Hope and trust, faith in natures cycles. That the sun rises and sets, and rains come, and things are born and then die.

We lost gardeners this year too, as in every year. But this year the ravages of a disease we can’t control took so many. Many gardeners had their last garden, something they neither planned or expected, and won’t see the gardens bloom in spring. The gardens they tended may languish, the tidying hand stilled, the planter of seeds gone. We mourn. But we hope so we go about preparing for another spring.

It is a new year, a new start. Mourn for what was but prepare for what will come. Plan the garden, hone the tools, buy the seeds. Let the sun climbing in the sky pull your spirit up with it. Persist.

May you have a wonderful new year. My best wishes for the best garden you ever had in the coming year.

 

Sapigloss

 

New garden blogs will be posted beginning in January 2021. I’ll see you then.

 

 

“Now is the time of fresh starts
This is the season that makes everything new.
There is a longstanding rumor that Spring is the time
of renewal, but that's only if you ignore the depressing
clutter and din of the season. All that flowering
and budding and birthing--- the messy youthfulness
of Spring actually verges on squalor. Spring is too busy,
too full of itself, too much like a 20-year-old to be the best time for reflection, re-grouping, and starting fresh.
For that you need December. You need to have lived
through the mindless biological imperatives of your life (to bud, and flower, and show off) before you can see that a landscape of new fallen snow is THE REAL YOU.
December has the clarity, the simplicity, and the silence you need for the best FRESH START of your life.”

― Vivian Swift, When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put

 

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

 

 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

December 15, 2020, solstice nearing

Hi Gardeners

Teasel

 Well, you may have noticed I skipped a week with the weekly blogs. It was a crazy week last week with our roof getting redone. I planned the job to be done after my plants had gone dormant outside so there would be less damage to them but there were still problems. Because of covid precautions and because it was cold, I wasn’t outside much to observe what the roofers were doing. Neither was my husband.

I am a person who leaves the leaves and plant debris on the garden until spring. But on the day the roofers were cleaning up I popped outside and saw one young guy enthusiastically finishing up the raking out all the leaves and other cover from the front garden.  “Look how nice I cleaned up your gardens” he said with a big smile. What could I say? It does look neat and tidy.

The leaves were already in the dumpster and he thought he was doing me a favor. I suppose there may have been some roof debris in there too, although they had tarps down all over. What I didn’t realize until later was that he had also taken it upon himself to toss out some of the old timbers that edged the garden. Yes, some were rotting on the underside and needed replacing but still…

But the worst thing was when they broke a window on the porch when a ladder slipped. It was an accident.  But I have a lot of plants on that porch which can survive cool dormancy. The porch rarely goes below forty degrees even if its not heated. But with cold air pouring in it was getting much colder. It was evening, they cleaned up the glass and helped me tape a piece of cardboard over the window. One guy took out the glass frame and said he’d get it replaced. That was a week ago- and I still have cardboard on the window.

I had to move the huge pot of elephant ears inside- it did get some cold damage, but I think it will survive.  Also, the purple taro and a few other things had to be moved inside. The geraniums and other things out there seem to be ok but (don’t tell my husband) I have been cracking the door going from the house to the porch at night.

My roses don’t seem to be damaged much in the front garden, even though the guys took the heavy-duty cages I put around them to protect them and put them in the lawn. They then put them back before they left, but on other plants. We’ll see in spring how things come up.

The roof had to be done and sometimes you must make trade-offs.  I’m sure the roofers weren’t totally happy working around all the obstacles here- like the handicap ramp and gardens all around the house. The worse thing is that there is still work to be done on the soffits and trim.

Today we are at least getting a little weak sun. What I hate about Michigan winters is days and days of dark, dreary weather. My windows full of plants and bright grow lights help, but it’s still depressing. I do have plants in bloom too, gerbera daisies this week and ivy geranium, plus hibiscus, fuchsia, begonias, Christmas cacti, and streptocarpus.

I have a braided hibiscus tree that I had to put in my bedroom this year because of space limitations. I was worried that the little natural light it would get there and the grow light supplement, wouldn’t be enough for it, but it is thriving and loaded with blooms. It looks better than it did outside this summer. You just never know.

The end of the natural year is almost here. On the 21st we have winter solstice. That’s the shortest day of the year, technically. After that the sun begins to climb in the sky again and nights start to shorten.

Winter solstice is probably the first event that our ancestors celebrated. Our ancestors felt great relief when they could determine that that the suns cycle was reversing. The ancients knew that the sun was the key to life. At winter solstice it has been resurrected or reborn. When the sun “turned and began to come back” it was a signal that life would continue. This has always been a time for great celebration. 

This year we have great reason to celebrate solstice, because we have now received a signal that life may return to normal here for us too. We have a covid vaccine. At ancient solstice celebrations symbols of the past year’s worries and problems were burned in a fire of oak wood. Wishes were made for better times in the new year.

2020 is certainly a year most of us would like to burn away. Maybe everyone should have a symbolic bonfire – outside with social distancing.  Let us all hope for a better 2021 as the new natural year begins.

 Spring bulbs popping up early

People are writing me to ask about their spring blooming bulbs popping up early. Mine are showing above ground too. Our erratic cold, then warm weather is responsible. Actually, this isn’t uncommon for spring blooming bulbs.

The bulbs will be fine unless the weather gets so warm that they have visible buds showing. Since the length of daylight also affects bloom time to some extent, most bulbs won’t proceed to buds above ground until a little later. Warmth in early March is probably more harmful than it is now. 

Don’t worry about the bulb foliage peeking above ground now. You can cover them lightly with mulch if you like. Snow will probably cover them soon enough, but if that doesn’t happen, I’m fine with it.

 

Make sure to buy seeds early this year

If you remember last spring, people suddenly had a big interest in gardening because of the covid shut down and seeds quickly became scarce. Some seed companies had to close, and some had employee shortages. No one knows what will happen for sure this spring, but I expect there will still be an increased interest in buying seeds.

Seed catalogs are already arriving at my house and by January most companies will be ready to take orders for 2021. Gardeners should browse those seed offerings early and place their orders quickly if they want certain varieties of seeds. Don’t be disappointed.

You may also want to order plants early, but sometimes this doesn’t help much as orders of plants get sent to the areas where the weather is nice enough to plant them first, and if you are in a lower planting zone, things run out before they get to you. Since few companies charge you now before shipping, they don’t lose anything by filling those requests from warmer zones first even though you may have ordered before someone in a warmer zone. Still if you want something badly I’d order early.



Keep that Christmas tree fresh

If you bought a real tree this year- and in many places there has been a big increase in sales of real trees, you shouldn’t be bringing it inside until right about now, 7-10 days before Christmas. Store it outside in a cool place until you bring it in.

Before setting the tree up, make a new cut across the trunk bottom, about 2 inches thick. Then promptly place the trunk in lukewarm water. Making a new cut opens up the trunk cells again so they can take up water. They tend to seal closed after being cut and stored.

Make sure your real tree always has water. Don’t add things to the water like sugar or pennies. It isn’t needed and won’t help. Just make sure the cut surface of the trunk is always below water.

Keep fresh trees away from heat sources. Never use candles on them or have them around open flames. Discard the tree soon after Christmas for safety. You can cut it up and add it to your compost pile or use the branches to protect other plants in the garden. Some communities have a day after Christmas when they pick up fresh trees for recycling.

 

Sweetheart of a plant scam

A really common “scam” right now is the sweetheart hoya, (Hoya kerrii) a hoya that has leaves shaped like a heart. It’s also sold as Valentine hoya. (And it is a hot seller in big box stores around Valentine’s day.) There is a plain green and a variegated variety. You see these cute heart shaped leaves in little pots for sale. You are told or led to believe the leaf is a rooted cutting about to become a plant.

Hoya kerrii is a vining plant with leaves shaped like a heart. If they are getting enough light the leaves are light green or green with white or yellow variegation. The plants are pretty, easy to keep as a houseplant and after a couple years may give you beautiful star shaped white flowers that are pleasantly fragrant.


But here’s the scam. Growers pluck the heart shaped leaves off the plant. Each leaf is pushed into a little pot, usually a tiny, cute pot, full of potting medium and sold as a plant. The vast majority of those sold never become a plant. If they are taken care of correctly that single leaf can live a long time, yet never become a vine, always remaining one lonely little leaf.

To successfully propagate sweetheart hoya from a leaf, the leaf needs a bit of the stem, along with a node, sometimes called a heel. A node is the place on a stem where new growth can start, it’s where the leaf stem joins the main stem. Without a node the hoya leaf never becomes a plant. 

Sometimes a gardener gets lucky and their leaf does have a node, although even with a node it can take months for a vine to get started. Usually however, the new gardener gets tired of the single boring leaf and neglects the plant until it dies.

If you have one of these leaves in a pot, gently take it out of the pot and wash away any soil. Look for a flat piece of stem attached to the leaf stem, hopefully with what looks like a bud popping up. Even with a bud node, Sweetheart hoya takes weeks to even begin growing and conditions have to be just right. It takes years to get a plant with a stem and many leaves.

If you don’t see a node/bud your leaf may survive for a long time.  It’s up to you whether you want to keep it or not. Put it back in its tiny pot, give it good light but water it sparingly, too much water will rot the leaf.

If it does have a bud repot it in a pot only slightly bigger than it was in. It needs a succulent type soil, very well-draining. You can mix 2 parts regular potting soil with 1 part perlite or bark chips. Water carefully, soil should dry slightly between watering, but don’t let it get too dry. When you see new growth start, lightly fertilize it. Make sure it’s in a bright window, east, west or south facing, or under a grow light. Without strong light growth will be very slow.

If you like this plant buy an actual plant, one with stems and several leaves instead of a single leaf. It’s a fairly slow grower but easy to care for houseplant. They shouldn’t be hard to find in houseplant selling shops/catalogs and aren’t expensive. You may be able to get a small plant for the price of that single novelty leaf.

 

Are purple poinsettias real?

Another scam on the market this time of year are the purple and blue poinsettias. There are many natural colors of poinsettias on the market now other than red, but purple and blue, and sometimes other odd colors, are achieved by dye. A few days before the plants are to be shipped to stores, light colored poinsettias are sprayed with dye. The dye is absorbed into the leaf cells and becomes very difficult to distinguish from the natural leaf.

Sometimes leaves are sprayed with alcohol after the dye to create blotches of white or a lighter color. And then glitter may also be applied, although most people can recognize that glitter isn’t natural to poinsettias. 

Many people will swear up and down that their blue or purple poinsettia is natural and not dyed. But if you can keep the plant alive and growing it will soon become apparent. The new bracts at the top of the plant will have the natural color of the plant. Usually this is cream or white, sometimes its pink or even red. (The colored parts of the plant are actually leaf bracts, not flower petals.) Of course, the main leaves of the plant are green.

These blue poinsettias are dyed

Sometimes the contrast of the natural and dyed bracts is very pretty. Eventually however the purple or blue color of plants is replaced by natural green with top bracts of a natural poinsettia color. If you like purple or blue colored poinsettias go ahead and buy them for your holiday decorating, just realize the color is temporary.

But not all poinsettias that are not red are fakes. White, pink and various shades of red from burgundy to light red are all real plant colors. So are cream, yellow and chartreuse green flower bracts although these aren’t common. Poinsettias with blotches and spots or different colored leaf edges can also be natural variegations. 

There are over a hundred named cultivars of poinsettia.  Most of the time you won’t see a name tag on store plants but if you are looking for specific colors other than red, that are natural, here are some varieties you might look for.

‘Polar Bear’ is white with beautiful green veins. ‘White Glitter’ is red with white flecks.  ‘Ice Crystal’ is white with red edges.  ‘Picasso’ is red with cream streaking. ‘Maren’ is peach colored.  Ice Punch’ is bright pink with cream centers.  ‘Christmas Lights’ is a bright true pink.  ‘Luv U Soft Pink’ has deep pink veins against a pale pink bract, ‘Christmas Feelings Red Cinnamon’ has deep pink bracts with red flecks, ‘Envy’ has chartreuse green bracts.

With the right care poinsettias can be kept alive for many years. They probably won’t be as colorful as the year you bought them, but you can get some color to develop again. For an article on how to keep your poinsettia alive after Christmas click here.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/if-you-got-poinsettia-for-christmas-you.html

 

Succulent scams


Succulents are a big fad in the plant world right now and people are trying to cash in on the trend. Succulents are hyped as easy to care for and some are, but not every succulent is suitable for every home. Succulents are comprised of plants from a number of species and have many different characteristics and needs.

Succulents are often sold as cuttings. Some succulent cuttings do root easily, but others do not.  (See the sweetheart hoya information above.) And if the seller is advertising plants, you should not receive cuttings. Cuttings are not plants. They are parts of plants or prospective plants. Plants should have roots.

Often small plants from a reputable seller are as cheap as cuttings that some sellers offer. Cuttings are actually more difficult to ship than a small plant and because they are often being sold by inexperienced or uncaring sellers, they arrive smashed, frozen or severely wilted. And plants are more likely to get off to a good start than cuttings.

Buy rooted plants whenever possible. Remember you get what you pay for. Cuttings are rarely guaranteed to root and plants from a good company usually, at the least, guarantee that you will receive a healthy plant. And when you get those tiny pots of succulents, check to see that you actually received a plant and not a cutting stuffed in a pot by slipping it out of the pot and looking. Plants have roots.

I am seeing this a lot with succulents. The advertisement says a collection of six succulents.  But it doesn’t specify six different succulents. So, the buyer gets 5 aloe plants and 1 string of pearls. Worse, you get 5 tiny “pearls” and an unrooted aloe pup. Before you buy know whether you are getting cuttings or rooted plants.  And ads for collections and assortments should specify if you will get just whatever the seller wants to send you or if you will get a certain number of different species.

A reputable seller of succulents will have each plant labeled with both the common and scientific name. They won’t simply be labeled “succulent.” This allows you to look up the proper care of the plant. You may want to look up pictures of the species you ordered and see if that’s what you got too. There are many sellers of succulents simply cashing in on the fad and they know little about the plants they are selling and assume you won’t know anything either.

Before you order any succulent plant look up it’s needs and make sure you can provide the right environment. Some succulents require bright light, like a south or west windowsill or a grow light. Others will burn in those exposures. Some require almost no watering, and some require fairly frequent watering. Some succulents do not make good houseplants.

 

The gift of light we thankfully take

But not shall it be alone for our sake

The more we give light

The One to the other

It shines and it spreads and it glows still further

Until every spark by friends set aflame

Until every heart with joy to proclaim

In the depths of our souls a shining sun flames

-      Unknown-

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

 

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

December 1, 2020 standing in the cold

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

 

 

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

November 24, 2020 Happy Thanksgiving

 Hi gardeners


It’s a cold and dreary day here. It is supposed to start snowing any time now. But when I walked to the mailbox, I saw a dandelion cheerfully blooming. The purple of a heuchera plant popped out at me from the dry brown oak leaves. The grass is still green, despite being snow covered this weekend, so all color isn’t gone yet.

I am thankful for the sunny light given off by my grow lights inside and the plants blooming away inside. I’m thankful for many things at this gloomy time of the year when we typically gather to give thanks. I have enough food, a warm house, and land outside to garden on. I have a husband and animal family to share the holiday with even though I shall miss the larger family gathering. And most of all I am thankful that no one close to me has contracted the deadly virus.

I hope all of you have things to be thankful for and that all of you remain safe and healthy. Have a great Thanksgiving even if you feast alone.  Better times will come.

 

This week the newsletter is just plant facts and trivia.

 

Plant Facts and Trivia

Apple trees cannot produce fruit unless there is another apple tree nearby. They are self-infertile even though each apple flower contains both male and female parts. And that nearby tree cannot be the same variety of apple either. If apple trees are related- and most apple trees are clones produced by grafting-their pollen cannot fertilize each other. So, you cannot plant two red delicious apple trees in your yard and expect apples if no other tree is nearby.

When you buy a certain variety of apple let’s say a Gala apple, you need to know what other variety of apple tree is a good pollinator for it. Most good fruit tree catalogs will give you suggestions. The Golden Delicious apple is considered to be a good pollinator for most types of trees.

If you don’t have room for two apple trees you may be able to plant just one if your neighbor has an apple tree, or if there are wild apples growing nearby. Some ornamental crabapples can also be pollinators.

 


Beans may be a favorite food of many people but remember beans can be poisonous if they are not cooked. Many types should be soaked in several changes of water before cooking also. Beans of the Phaseolus family which include black, red, pinto, navy, kidney and other common table beans contain toxins called phytohaemagglutinins which will give you vomiting, diarrhea, and severe stomach cramps.  Raw lima beans contain linamarin, another form of poison. Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans, Cicer arietinum, are also poisonous if eaten raw.

Beans must reach cooking temperatures of 212 degrees F (100 C) for 10-20 minutes to deactivate the poisons. You can slow cook them after that. Even “green” beans can be poisonous if eaten raw.

 

Castor bean is a name given to the plant Ricinus communis. Gardeners often grow the plant for its large, stately presence, beautiful foliage and odd spiky blooms. But castor bean flowers should never be allowed to turn into seedpods if you have children and pets. The seeds, or beans, are the source of one of the worlds most dangerous poisons, ricin. They are also pressed to produce castor oil.

Castor oil is used for various medicinal purposes and as a lubricant. It’s not dangerous when used in small amounts.  All parts of the plant do contain some toxins so care should be used when growing it. The plant is a perennial in warmer areas, but most gardeners will grow it as an annual.

 

Castor bean plant

Dill, Anethum graveolens is an herb that has uses for its seeds, flowers and leaves. It gives that unique taste to dill pickles. You can use a dill leaf, flower or some seeds to impart the flavor. Besides being used to flavor various types of pickles, dill is often used in potato recipes.

Dill has a long use as a medicinal plant to calm gas and nervous stomachs.  Seeds were given to children to chew on and dill tea or a few drops of dill oil were given to infants to soothe colic pains. Dill tea can be used for heartburn and chewing on dill seeds will freshen the breath.

The dill plant generally consists of a single, hollow stalk with scattered feathery leaves along it. The plant can grow to 3 feet tall or more in a great spot. Umbels (see below) of yellow flowers appear in early summer.  If you are unsure if you are growing dill you have only to crush a feathery leaf to smell - all parts of dill smell just like dill pickles!

 

Dill flowers

Euphorbia obesa is a succulent that looks rather like a green baseball. It’s round and has many segments with markings that could be imaginatively thought of as stitching. It makes a good houseplant for those who like succulents.

 

Euphorbia obesa

Ferns are vascular plants that don’t produce seeds or flowers. They reproduce by spores. Fern leaves that photosynthesize are called fronds or trophophyll, the leaves that are reproductive structures and  produce spores are called megaphyll. These leaves are usually not green. The stems are rhizomes. Ferns occur all over the world in a variety of ecosystems but are most numerous in tropical regions.

Ferns have little economic importance. A few are eaten as fronds emerge in spring. In some places the roots of ferns are eaten. Some are ornamental garden plants. Ferns are often portrayed in art and are used in magic rituals.

It has been found that ferns take up heavy metals from soil and air and research is being done on how best to use them for bioremediation.

 

Gympie gympie or suicide plant (Dendrocnide moroides) may not be familiar to Americans, but it is familiar to those in Australia and Indonesia. This plant is also called stinging tree. It’s a relative of stinging nettles.  Gympie is a small shrub, up to 16 feet high that grows in tropical forests. The plant has broad heart shaped leaves with a toothed edge. They also have small white to purplish flowers and juicy red or pink fruit that birds love.

All parts of the plant appear fuzzy because they are covered with tiny hairs that contain one of the most toxic venoms known. The hairs are like tiny needles that inject a toxin called moroidin into the skin if touched or brushed. While the pain is searing at first it rapidly gets worse.

The skin will redden and swell, the nose and eyes run, and breathing becomes difficult. The pain intensifies until it is almost unbearable, it’s said to be one of the most painful things a human can experience, and that pain can last for weeks, even months. The lymph nodes will also swell and cause pain. There is no antidote to the poison. Even if the leaves are dried and old when you touch them they will still cause great distress.

The pain of this plant is so intense that many people and animals that get stung commit suicide, hence the name suicide plant. Most people need hospitalization at least for a few days after contact with the gympie plant. It’s treated by applying diluted acid to the stung areas and using wax strips to pull out the fine hairs imbedded in the skin, then administering pain medications. This usually dulls but doesn’t remove the pain.

Not only is this plant dangerous if you touch it, but it can also harm you if you just stand near it for as little as 20 minutes. In this case you will get severe allergic type reactions with respiratory distress. Blood and pus will run from the nose, the throat becomes extremely sore and painful and extreme sinus pain occurs.  This is one bad plant.

 

Gympie gympie plant
Australian Geographic 

Hardy/half-hardy- this term refers to the cold tolerance of a perennial plant. If a plant is hardy in your planting zone it will survive the average winter temperatures. Half-hardy plants will survive some cold weather and light frosts but will die when temperatures go too low. Many of the garden plants we grow as annuals are actually half-hardy perennials in our growing zone. The petunia is an example.


Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) was the Asian answer to woad, see below. This shrubby plant has pinnately compound leaves of light green and pea like pink or purple flowers.  It is the leaves that produce a lovely blue dye. Indigo is naturalized over a large part of the subtropical world, but it has been in cultivation so long that its native range is unknown.

Indigo was introduced to Europe from India and its introduction did not make the woad growers happy. They spread rumors about the plant such as touching it made men infertile, to try and keep the plant from being cultivated.

Leaves have to be fermented before the plant mixture can be used for dye. The dyed material has to be exposed to the air for the blue color to appear, which to superstitious people smacked of magic. It took a long time before Europeans would accept indigo as a dye plant.

Indigo dye has largely been replaced by synthetic dyes but its an easy plant for people interested in natural dyes to grow. Its only hardy to zone 8 however. It can be grown as an annual in other places.

 

Jamaican Lady of the Night, Brunfelsia jamaicensis, is a wonderful flowering houseplant with beautifully scented white flowers. They put on quite a show and deserve to be placed where everyone can admire them. If you want ro know more about Jamaican Lady of the Night please click on the link below.   https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/jamaican-lady-of-night.html

 

Jamaican Lady of the Night

Kale is actually a cabbage that has been selected to have loose heads of dark green, reddish or purplish, generally frilly leaves. It’s a very nutritious green that has become very popular for salads.  It can also be baked to make kale chips. Gardeners can easily grow kale in the cooler periods of the year. There are also ornamental kales, grown for their fancy leaves sporting many colors that can provide color in the fall garden.

 

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is an herb that tastes like a combination of celery and parsley. The leaves, roots and seeds are used for various culinary purposes, much the way celery is used. It’s native to Europe and Asia. The plant looks a lot like flat leaved parsley.

Lovage is an easy herb to grow and is hardy from zones 4-8.  It is perennial and can grow up to 6 feet high. Gardeners can start it from seeds as well as plants.

 

Mayapple is an excellent plant for northeastern gardeners who want a native shade garden. It’s a perennial, easy to grow plant.  For an article on Mayapples click on the link below https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/growing-mayapples-in-garden-if-youlike.html

 

Mayapple

Nigella -Nigella sativa is also called black cumin, black seed or kalonji. Its related to several ornamental nigella species, such as Love in a Mist. It’s native to Southwestern Asia, northern Africa and the Middle East. The leaves of the plant are narrow, and finely divided.  Flowers are small and blue or white. The plant produces a puffy seed pod filled with tiny black seeds similar to poppy seed.

Black seed has long been used as a condiment/spice in the cuisine of various countries. It has some traditional medicinal uses. But recently it seems that black seed, particularly black seed oil has become the snake oil of modern times. You can see ads claiming that it will cure all ailments, from cancer to aids and probably covid too. Of course, when something seems too good to be true it usually is. Most claims for black seed oil cures are false.

Medical studies are being done on the plant and its seeds and it may hold some promises as an antihistamine, immune system stimulant and contraceptive but no definitive proof has yet been declared. Some studies on cancer and diabetes management are also being done. What is known is that black seed can actually be harmful to some people.

Black seed can cause seizures, may cause excessive bleeding after surgery or injury, and may cause problems when mixed with many prescription medicines. It can cause constipation, stomach upset and vomiting. It often causes an allergic rash. Small amounts, as in spicing food, are probably harmless but do avoid large doses. Ask your pharmacist or doctor before you take black seed oil or preparations if you take prescription meds. Pregnant women should not consume it in medicinal doses.

 


Osteospermum or African daisies are often seen in garden stores in the spring. They have daisy like flowers in a range of colors from purple to yellow. However, these plants do not like hot weather and will stop blooming or even die back when it’s too warm. They may bloom again in fall if they survive. Keep them deadheaded to prolong bloom.  Osteospermum do not start easily from seed and are usually grown from cuttings.

 

Pinching is something most people know how to do when it comes to other humans. It’s done the same way to plants, taking off the tip of a stem. Removing the tip of a plant removes certain hormones that cause a plant to grow taller and allows other hormones responsible for side growth or width to dominate for a while. This helps make plants fuller and bushier.

 

Quinoa is an ancient small grain that home gardeners can grow. It’s related to spinach and amaranth and is native to the Andes Mountains in South America. This highly nutritious grain was called “chisaya mama” (“mother grain”) by the Incas. Quinoa is gluten free and can be substituted for rice in many recipes. The seed coating on quinoa grains contains bitter saponins and it should be washed several times before cooking.

Quinoa likes to grow in sandy, well drained soils in cool periods of the year, light frost will not hurt it.

 

Rosaceae is a family in the plant kingdom which contains roses as the name suggests, but it also is the family from which many of the fruits you eat come from. In the Rosacea family are apples, pears, quince, peaches, apricots, plums, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries and other fruits. Besides roses other ornamental plants in this family include spirea, potentilla, filipendula, geum, cotoneaster, ninebark, pyracanthas, aruncus,  and hawthorn.

 

Stenocereus eruca has the common name of creeping devil. This interesting succulent/cacti is rope shaped and sprawls along the ground. The stem is pale green and covered with nasty spines. As it elongates it grows roots along the bottom of the stem where it lays on the ground. The base of the plant dies as the plant proceeds forward, making it seem as if the plant is creeping along, which I guess it is.

S. eruca is native to Baja California area of Mexico, where it forms huge colonies in dry areas. The plant produces white or pink flowers occasionally. It has become a sought after houseplant but can be difficult to grow.

 

Creeping devil
Wikipedia

Tillandsia are also called air plants. They have few or no roots and do not need soil. Most grow in trees, rock crevices, gravel or sand. There are some 650 species, native to Mexico, Central and South America. They have become popular houseplants. Most have silverly looking, narrow, stiff leaves although there is variation in leaf color and plant size among species.  They are not winter hardy.

Tillandsia do flower occasionally. Flowers are typical bromeliad flowers clustered on a stem and are generally bright, vibrant colors. In many plants the foliage will also change color when the plant blooms. Tillandsia need to be pollinated by another plant of the same species to set seeds. After blooming the plant produces a few “pups”, (baby plants), and then the main plant dies.

Tillandsia have special cells on their leaves that allow them to absorb water from what falls on them or from the air. As houseplants they need to be sprayed or dipped in water from time to time. Use rainwater or distilled water on them. They can be placed in many locations, even clipped to drapes, because they don’t need or want soil. They do need good, strong light inside.

 

Umbel is the term for a flower type that consists of many tiny stems holding flowers joined near the base (called a bract), looking similar to tiny open umbrellas, upside down. Often these umbels are also in clusters joined near the base, forming a double umbel.  Queen Anne’s Lace and milkweed are common plants with this type of flower arrangement.

 

double umbel flower of dill

Valerian is another of the herb plants that once you get it in your garden you’ll probably always have it. It reseeds prolifically and is a perennial plant hardy to at least zone 5. It is a large plant, sometimes 6 feet in height and a couple feet wide. It has umbels (see above) of tiny white or pink flowers that are highly attractive to bees and hover flies.

Valerian is known for it’s sleep inducing properties, which are backed by science. The roots of valerian are dried and powdered for this purpose. It’s also used for menstrual and stomach cramps in herbal medicine. Valarian should not be combined with alcohol or other sedatives. The roots are also attractive to cats, just like catnip.

 

Valarian

Woad or Isatis tinctoria is a plant in the mustard family that was once extremely important to the textile industry. The dried and powdered leaves yielded a blue dye. The plant is native to Europe. It has the small yellow flowers typical of plants in the mustard family. Most dyes are now made with chemicals but people who prefer natural dyes still use this plant.

 

Xylem is the name for the tissues similar to animal veins in a plant that convey water from the roots to the very tips of the leaves. Usually xylem tissue is bundled with phloem tissue, which transports food from the leaves to all parts of the plant.

 

Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused. What most Americans call a yam is really a sweet potato. Yams are a starchy, bland tasting vegetable, generally with white flesh. They have a rough, thick, bark like brown skin. Most yams are grown in West Africa.

Sweet potatoes have a smoother, thin skin, usually red or orange, sometimes tan in color. The flesh can be shades of orange, white or purple, there are numerous varieties of sweet potato. And of course, they have a sweet taste. The orange “yams” you eat at Thanksgiving are sweet potatoes. The USDA now requires that the label say sweet potato as well as yam. North Carolina produces more than half of the sweet potatoes eaten in the US.

Sweet potatoes also make great ornamental plants, coming in a variety of foliage colors and shapes. They are a vining plant. Even the varieties grown for eating can make a nice outside container plant or houseplant. (They don’t survive cold weather outside.) At the end of the season you may find an edible tuber in your containers.

 

Ziziphus jujbe or Jujube is also called red date or Chinese date. It is native to Southern Asia. The plants are related to Buckthorn and grow as small trees or shrubs. They have gotten some interest lately as fruiting houseplants. There are 5 species and numerous cultivated varieties. They are hardy to 5 degrees F, that would be about zone 7 here.

Jujube produces fruits that look like tiny apples and they actually taste like sweet apples when eaten fresh.  As they mature, they dry and wrinkle and turn from greenish to various colors depending on variety, from tan to deep purple. There is a single pit inside, containing two seeds.

They are used like dates or raisins in cooking and eaten for snacks. Wine and jelly can be made from them. They are sometimes pounded into a paste and combined with chilies and other spices as a condiment. The candy called jujube once contained real jujube but is now artificially flavored.

Jujube is also used in traditional medicines. They are often used in flu remedies and are said to have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, contraception, antioxidant, immunostimulant, and wound healing properties. If the leaves of jujube are chewed it prevents you from tasting sweetness for a short while.

Jujube makes an attractive container plant for indoor use. It has blade shaped leaves and a dense branching habit and can be pruned to remain smaller. It’s self-fertile so you can get fruit with one plant. It needs very bright light inside. It would be best to summer it outside.

 

Jujube
Toptropicals.com

 

In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.     

-Cynthia Rylant

 

 

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