February 23, 2021, magic marigolds

Hi gardeners

The weather is improving. It’s sunny here today and although we got another inch of snow last night and expect another tonight, some of this crud is melting. It’s actually 40 degrees and for once I am not dreading going out to get the mail.

There’s only 5 days until the end of the month. I doubt I’ll see snowdrops bloom this month because the snow is deep, but just maybe, maybe I will. March begins meteorological spring and calendar spring is just 25 days away. So it inches closer.

Last year we had red winged blackbirds return at the beginning of March, so I am keeping my eyes and ears open. When I hear them sing I know spring is near.

The deer damage here is terrible this year.  My poor euonymus shrub has its leaves eaten off 6 feet off the ground. There are deer tracks all over the yard. The snow has been too deep to check all the garden, so I don’t know the extent of the damage.  But it has probably hidden some plants from damage too.

Inside I have geraniums, streptocarpus, begonias, fuchsia and hibiscus in bloom. There’s a tiny petunia plant sticking out of the drainage hole of a pot I brought inside. I’m going to ease it out of there and plant it in a pot.

I haven’t started my seeds yet. It’s just too soon for me. I admire some of you who coax along your seed babies for months inside. I prefer to start mine just about 6 weeks before the last frost, so I don’t have to do a lot of transplanting and I save room inside. I’m writing about that transplanting of seedlings this week by the way.

But I am plant shopping online. I bought some new dahlia bulbs this week. I think my stored ones have been ruined- it just got too cold out on that porch this winter. And there are just so many pretty dahlias to try. Things are selling out fast again this year so don’t delay your shopping.

If you need places to shop for plants here’s the link to my list of online and mail catalogs.

http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/have-youreceived-any-garden-catalogs-in.html

 

Seed starting- potting up.

A lot of you out there are already planting seeds indoors for transplanting outside. And if you are starting this early you need to know how to keep your seedlings growing robustly and not getting root bound and stressed before it’s time to plant them in the garden.

There are many things that need to be done to keep seedlings healthy indoors but one of the most important is keeping their roots healthy. That’s what I am going to discuss here- how to keep your seedlings from becoming root bound or developing root rot.

Beginning

Most gardeners start seeds in small containers, and that’s the right way to do it. Some sow the seeds in a flat and then transplant tiny seedlings into individual pots. Others sow directly into small pots. What you should not be doing is sowing seeds into large containers hoping you will not have to transplant them. This rarely works well.

If you are starting seeds in individual pots,  the pots for starting most common garden seeds should be similar in size to that of commercial cell packs or about a two-inch diameter pot. You can plant more than one seed in a pot, but you must remove all but one as soon as there are true leaves. Most growers simply cut all but one plant off at the soil line. 

Dicot seedlings

A sprouting dicot seed starts off with cotyledon or seed leaves, these are usually rounded and don’t look like the normal leaves of the plant. Dicots are what most common garden plants are, with the exception of corn or other monocots like lilies and grasses. Monocots sprout with a single leaf that generally looks like a regular leaf. After the seedling leaves of dicots are a few days old, true leaves develop.

A few garden seeds are quite large. Examples are squash and pumpkin seed. These seeds are best started in 4-inch diameter pots. And they should not be started inside too early, they do not like transplanting as they get larger. They are best transplanted into the garden when they have 3-4 sets of leaves, so they should not be planted more than a few weeks before you can put them outside.

Why not just sow seeds in large pots?

When we plant seeds directly into the ground we don’t worry about drainage or wet soil, or at least we shouldn’t have to. Indoors though, small plants in large containers often don’t work well. When you water the water sinks below the roots of the small plant. The seedling dries out and dies. Or you notice it wilt so you add more water.

Now the soil is very wet and the moisture at the bottom of the pot is wicked up toward the surface where the seedlings roots are, constantly keeping them moist, and the roots rot. The seedling dies. It’s very hard to properly water a small seedling in a large pot.

If you are going to plant indoors a long time before the plants can safely go outside you are going to have to transplant seedlings several times if you want healthy plants.

Potting up as they grow

Once your seedlings in the 2-inch pots or cell packs reach 6 inches in height they need to be transplanted into bigger containers if they can’t be planted into the garden. Transplant them into 4-inch pots. If the plants are large and bushy 6-inch pots could be used.

Do not assume seedling roots will break through “dissolvable” pots like peat or paper pots. If you see that many roots have penetrated the pot sides already it may be safe to simply place that pot in the new container. A few roots at the bottom are not enough. Otherwise, if you don’t see roots, remove all types of pots when transplanting. This is true even when you are moving the seedling into the ground outside.

A note here- eggshells should never be used to start seeds. They are not large enough and they do not dissolve in the soil. It takes years for them to break down. Plant root systems will be severely damaged.

If you are putting together hanging baskets of flowers several 6-inch-high plants could now be planted together in the basket. How many to a basket will depend on its size and the flower species. Ten-inch baskets can hold 3-4 plants. 12–16-inch baskets can hold 6-8 plants.

Once most garden plants are 10-12 inches high, they need to be transplanted into 6- or 8-inch pots if you can’t get them into the ground. Hopefully by this time they can be transplanted outside before you need to transplant again.

Tomato in 6 inch pot

If you are trying to achieve large blooming plants such as tomatoes inside before transplanting them outside, you’ll need to transplant them additional times. Do not let them bloom in small pots, this will greatly stress the plant and it will not produce well the rest of its garden life. A 2 feet high tomato needs at least a gallon sized pot, a 2 gallon would be better.

At 2 feet in height most plants won’t be harmed by putting them in much larger pots. If you are going to use containers and not plant in the ground, you can put these larger plants right into the container you will be using outside.

A few plants may need supports once they reach a foot high. Vining flowers and tomatoes, maybe some peppers may need this. Bigger pots will give you room to add a stake or trellis.

How fast plants grow and need to be transplanted into larger pots will depend on the conditions and species of plant. What you are trying to avoid are root systems that are packed into tiny pots in a matted mess. Pots filled with roots don’t hold water well and seedlings will wilt quickly. These roots may stay like that once transplanted into the ground and they don’t make healthy plants.

If you slide the seedling out of its pot and you are just beginning to see roots at the bottom and sides of the pot that’s the ideal time to transplant into a larger pot. If you don’t see any roots its fine to leave it for a bit longer.

No roots are showing so this plant can stay in it's pot

For more about seed starting, you can read this group of articles.

http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/seeds-germination.html

 

Marigold Magic and Myth

The old idea of planting marigolds in the garden to deter pests and help other plants grow is, for home gardeners, largely a myth. Gardeners are told to either surround their vegetables with a row of marigolds or to plant marigolds among their vegetable plants.  All kinds of benefits are attributed to this practice, from repelling beetles and other insects to keeping away deer and rabbits and to improving soil health to make plants bigger and more productive.

While marigolds are beautiful annual flowers and that’s absolutely a good reason to plant them, most of the magic assigned to them is false. Whenever myths get started one can generally find a bit of truth or a scientific study that has gotten massaged and manipulated into something far from truth.

One click bait garden site or social media page publishes some poor information and many others use it as a reference, simply repeating and building on false information. And of course, there are old wives’ tales and folklore to fall back on too.

This may be partly that people do not know how to interpret scientific studies or that they feel something they can do at home is equal to the conditions in a scientific study. And because someone you know has planted marigolds in garden and it seems like they had less trouble with pests does not mean the marigolds were responsible.

Because a chemical can be obtained from a plant, purified and concentrated or combined with other ingredients to make an insecticide or repellant does not mean growing the plant in the garden will have the same effect. There are studies that show extracts of various chemicals from marigolds which have been concentrated and refined do have insecticidal properties. But that’s vastly different from planting marigolds around other plants.

Here’s what marigolds can and can’t do.

First, marigolds do not deter most insects from your garden. Researchers at Newcastle University (UK) found that planting French marigolds among tomato plants in a greenhouse kept whiteflies away from them. Marigolds release limonene vapors – a chemical also found in citrus peel - and limonene repels the flies. 

Now before you get excited remember that this research was done in a greenhouse, where scents would tend to remain and not be blown away in the wind. It focused on one indoor pest- whitefly. Other research on marigolds in greenhouses has shown some effectiveness of marigolds as trap crops. There still is no research that proves planting marigolds in your garden beds outside would be effective in keeping common outside pests away from plants.

Bees like marigolds and aren’t repelled by limonene. A great many insects aren’t repelled by limonene in the outside environment. Cabbage moths, hawk moths, flea beetles, bean beetles, cucumber beetles, and many other garden pests pay no mind to marigolds. While some insects might not want to munch marigolds, they don’t mind climbing or flying over them to get to plants they do like.

Bee on marigold

Marigolds also do not repel mosquitoes, slugs, snails, snakes, spiders, rabbits, groundhogs, or deer. Rabbits and deer may not prefer to eat them but have been known to do so. And they certainly don’t keep bunnies from eating the carrots next to them.

Research has shown that interspersing flowering plants attractive to pollinators among other plants may help pollinators find those less attractive plants and increase production. Marigolds may also attract insects that prey on harmful insects eating your garden plants.

But the counter to this is that some harmful insects, like thrips and spider mites, and some of those moths and butterflies that have larvae that eat your plants, are also attracted to marigolds. Japanese beetles are attracted to marigolds. They may end up on your vegetable plants or other flowers nearby. You may be better off planting the marigolds somewhere away from the garden, so bugs are attracted to them instead of the garden.

And marigolds certainly do not kill weeds or keep weed seeds from sprouting. A vigorous thick planting of marigolds may help keep weeds down by competing with them but then they also compete with your veggies or other flowers. Marigolds do not improve the soil by adding nitrogen or any other nutrients- unless you compost them.

Down to the roots of the marigold

The idea that the roots of marigolds repel or kill root nematodes is complicated. Nematodes are tiny worms that feed on the roots of plants like tomatoes, beets and carrots. Some types of marigolds release a chemical called alpha-terthienyl, which is a very toxic poison, from their roots. This can kill nematodes by preventing their eggs from hatching. But studies in the field have found that interplanting marigolds among other plants did little to control nematode populations in the roots of nearby plants. 

Marigolds don’t repel all nematodes; they attract some of them. These nematodes enter their roots, but then they cannot reproduce after feeding on marigolds. So, they could work to reduce the population of some types of nematodes by working as a trap crop.  But some nematodes are also not affected by marigolds.

The key is you have to know what type of nematodes are in your soil and you have to have the right type of marigolds for there to be any benefit. Usually older varieties of African marigolds, Tagetes erecta) and French marigolds (T. patula) are used. The varieties often mentioned are ‘Single Gold’ and ‘Crackerjack.’

Butterfly on African type marigold

It’s possible by growing marigolds as a cover crop for 6-8 weeks in the spot where you want to plant veggies before you plant– and then pulling them up and disposing of them- may help eliminate nematodes from the soil. This would probably work best in a raised bed- where it would be harder for new nematodes to invade the soil.

Most northern gardeners do not have time to do this if they want a crop to mature before frost.  But in the south and in tropical areas marigolds are sometimes used as a cover crop to control nematodes. They are planted very densely and then are rototilled into the soil just before planting another crop.

Bottom line

The bottom line is that marigolds make the garden look nice and they can attract pollinators and beneficial insects. But they may also attract pest insects. They may help prevent nematodes in some areas if grown as a cover crop before planting other crops. They don’t repel mosquitoes or snakes.

For more reading about marigolds and pest prevention.

 

PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (3): e0213071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213071

 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng045

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285189207_Companion_planting_and_insect_pest_control

 

Ten minute chocolate cake from scratch

This is a microwave recipe I just tried and it’s great. You can have a delicious chocolate cake from scratch in just minutes using your microwave. I was surprised that this cake was moist and the texture just like a cake baked in the oven. It’s not like a brownie.

It makes a single layer cake- about a 9-inch microwave safe pan works well. It’s very rich dark chocolate flavored. I didn’t frost mine but frosting or ice cream would be great with it. You could use less cocoa powder if you don’t like dark chocolate.

Ingredients

¾ cup flour

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup baking cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 egg yolks

6 tablespoons butter,

1 cup water

½ cup baking chips or nuts optional- I used Reeses peanut butter chips

 

Cut butter in pieces, place it and the water in a microwave safe pan, heat for about a minute. (Use a 8-9 inch pan.)

Remove from microwave- stir to melt butter. You may need a few more seconds to melt it.

Blend together dry ingredients in a bowl.

Test the water in your pan, it should feel warm but not so hot you can’t touch it. You don’t want it to cook the egg yolks. Let it sit a minute or two if it’s hot.

Add egg yolks and vanilla stir briskly for a few seconds.

Add dry ingredients and baking chips or nuts, stir until all are blended well.

Microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Center should be dry when tested with a knife.

You can cool it to frost it or just add ice cream or cool whip and gobble it down.

 

 “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” 

-May Sarton

 

Kim Willis

All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

 

And So On….

 

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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com

 

February 16, 2021 going bananas

The only snowballs I want to see

 Like millions of people across the country I woke up to a whole lot of new snow today- about a foot fell overnight. And it’s still snowing on and off. We were supposed to get half of that, I don’t think weather forecasts are very reliable anymore. I do not like snow. I do not like winter sports involving snow. I do not think snow is pretty.  I want spring.

At least I have plants, even flowers inside, and singing birds.  How any gardener survives winter without houseplants is beyond me. And I strongly recommend a singing canary or two for winter pleasure.

One thing snow does is insulate plants. If the wide weather swings that are being predicted actually occur, deep snow may help preserve some plants. When we get to late February-early March warm weather gets things growing and coming out of dormancy faster than when we had warm weather in December-January. Then if artic cold sneaks back there’s a lot of damage done to plants. Snow covering the plants slows down the awakening.

At least we gardeners can be dreaming about and planning new gardens to keep occupied. I am shopping for some new dahlia bulbs. But don’t start those seeds too soon. It’s much too early for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and many other plants in zones 6 and lower. Zone 7 maybe.  Early April is a much better time to start those seeds in zone 6 and lower.

Beware of what winter storms can do to your trees and shrubs. Evergreens may become loaded with heavy snow and be bent or splayed out.  Carefully remove the snow- you can break the branches easily.  If the branches are ice covered there is not much you can do.  Leave the shrubs or trees alone or you may do worse damage.  And be careful that larger limbs don’t drop on you. After snow or ice is gone you may have to prop or tie up some plants to help them regain their shape.

If tree limbs break trim the broken area off to leave a clean cut. You don’t need tree paint on the stumps. Be very careful working around large trees after a bad storm. You can easily be killed or seriously injured by falling branches. Dangling branches can fall in unexpected ways if you tug at them and one branch falling can start a cascade. 

Stay warm and stay safe.

 

 Going and growing bananas

Every grocery store you walk into has a display of bananas in the produce section. Bananas are the most consumed fruit in the US and available all year round. You may have wondered if you too, could grow bananas, like you grow other food crops.

Bananas and plantains are one of the top food crops in the world. In the US we eat “desert” bananas, about 26 pounds per person per year. They come from a number of countries. However, 80% of the bananas consumed in the world are consumed locally, and most of them are plantains- bananas that are cooked as a starchy vegetable.

What we call bananas have soft, sweet flesh when mature and are easy to peel. They are generally eaten fresh, and uncooked. Plantains have firm starchy flesh like a potato and a tough skin that’s not so easy to peel off. They are eaten like potatoes, boiled, fried, mashed and so on. But both plantains and bananas have the same parents, they were just selected for different traits.

Bananas are distantly related to gingers and the bird of paradise plant.  There are many species of bananas but two species, Musa acuminata and M. balbisiana, are responsible for almost all of the edible forms of bananas. They have been hybridized and selected for thousands of years.

More recently some species of bananas are being crossed and selected to produce ornamental types of bananas for gardens and to use as indoor plants.  Many bananas are now grafted on to dwarf or hardy rootstock also.

Bananas are native to Southeast Asia but were shared with Africa very early in human history. Shortly after bananas went to Africa, they also spread to South America (around 200 BC). Bananas are now grown in most tropical areas of the world. In some areas they are a major food source. Banana leaves are also used for fiber and to wrap food or as a plate in some countries.

Bananas are a very nutritious food, and easy to digest. They are high in potassium, magnesium, B6, Vitamin C and fiber that can aid digestion. They also contain tryptophan, which can elevate your mood. The best stage to eat desert bananas for nutrition is when peels are all yellow with brown spots. Just don’t eat the peels, they often contain high levels of pesticides.  The inner flesh is generally free of pesticides.

Americans started getting shipments of bananas from Cuba in 1804 but they were scarce and a novelty. Most bananas sold in the US now come from Central and South America, with Ecuador being the top banana producer. They are picked green and then treated with gas to begin the ripening process.

Banana Musa basjoo
Credit-https://www.brighterblooms.com/

The banana plant

The banana is not a tree, even though some can become quite tall, up to 30 feet.  It is an herbaceous monocot plant.  The “stem” or “trunk” of the plant is not really a stem, it is a series of leaf bracts packed on top of each other. Leaves begin growing from the roots and push up under each other, each new leaf slightly above the last. In horticulture this is known as a pseudostem. Care should be taken not to damage these stems.

Banana leaves are generally large, broad, thick ovals, although there are species with narrower leaves. Some bananas have variegated leaves, leaf color ranges from green to red. The banana has a fibrous mat of roots.  In horticulture/agriculture the whole banana plant is referred to as a “mat.”

The flowers of bananas are quite unusual. Most are purple or maroon. There are separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The blooming sequence goes like this. About 15 months after planting the flower stalk develops in the center of the “stalk” and pushes out near the top. A slim oval bud emerges from the flower stalk and opens up to reveal 15 stacked, round rows of tiny, tube shaped flowers, which by the way, hummingbirds (and some bats) love.

The first 5 rows of flowers are fertile female flowers with little ovaries attached that are shaped liked bananas. The next 10 rows are fertile male flowers and some sterile female flowers. In natural species the male flowers pollinate the fertile females and fruits begin to grow filled with seeds. Bats often help with banana pollination in the tropics. In domesticated varieties the female flowers at the top begin to fill out and become fruits without pollination and produce no seeds. Male flowers fall off after pollination.

Unopened flower of 'Ice Cream' banana
https://www.willisorchards.com/ 

Each flower becomes a banana fruit called a “finger” and they grow in clusters called “hands”. (Technically banana fruits are actually berries.)  Bananas usually flower in late summer and it takes several months for fruit to mature and ripen. You can have bananas at all times of the year in stores because bananas are grown in different countries, with different seasons and because growers are able to manipulate flowering to some extent.

If you come across a true wild species of banana and try to eat the fruit you would be amazed at the large hard seeds it contained. Most edible bananas are now sterile, the seeds don’t develop inside the fruit. The tiny black specks in the center of a banana are what is left of the seeds. They will never develop into a plant. You cannot start bananas from grocery fruit.

Most bananas are reproduced by division.  Bananas produce ”pups”, little shoots at the base of the plant, which are separated from the mother plant and then planted.

Bananas as a fruit crop

Most of the gardeners reading this are not going to be able to grow bananas as a crop. It is possible to grow edible bananas indoors in a limited fashion, but not the type of bananas you find in the grocery store. Even some dwarf varieties that can produce small edible fruit inside are difficult to get to flowering stage.

If you live in southern Florida the Cavendish, Ladyfinger and “Apple” type bananas, the sweet edible types, are marginally hardy (zones 9-10). A frost or freeze that occasionally hits these regions can kill the plants or ruin the fruit. Bananas have been grown commercially in Florida, but usually for local sales.

If you live in southern Florida and want to grow bananas for their fruit outside, this bulletin can guide you. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg040

Most other areas of the US cannot successfully grow bananas commercially because they lack either the heat or the humidity that bananas need.

You can grow the commercial type bananas in the garden in colder zones too, just don’t expect them to make fruit. If you could move them into a large, heated greenhouse in winter you might have a chance.

 Growing ornamental bananas

There are many types of bananas you can grow in gardens- even in northern gardens, for their wonderful tropical appearing foliage. Some bananas can even be grown as houseplants. There are a few varieties that will provide a few small edible bananas indoors if you are lucky. There are some dwarf ornamental bananas that are great as houseplants.

Banana plants can provide interest and height in the garden, bringing a tropical look to sunny northern gardens. They can be planted directly into the ground in warm soil. Potted bananas can make quite a statement on the patio or around pools with their broad handsome foliage. Usually, ornamental bananas are treated as annual plants, they can quickly grow quite large.  But they can be overwintered or treated as houseplants too.

One type of banana plant is said to be root hardy to zone 5 if heavily mulched. It will die back to the ground and then regrow in warm weather. Hardy Banana (Musa basjoo), will take temperatures down to 0 at least, and growers in zone 5 have been successful with it. It can also be grown indoors.  

Good bananas for indoor pots are Banana ‘Truly Tiny’ which has some red variegation on it’s leaves and tiny but edible bananas, Banana ‘Super Dwarf Cavendish’ (Musa acuminata), will also produce edible fruit in the right conditions at 3-4 feet tall.

Siam Ruby
https://www.plantdelights.com 

Other ornamental bananas are ‘Siam Ruby’, which has red leaves with lime green splashes,( https://www.plantdelights.com) ‘Zebrina’ which has blue-green leaves with red markings, Musa velutina (Pink Velvet Banana Tree) is hardy to zone 7b, grows about 6 feet tall with green leaves and lots of inedible but pretty small banana fruits with a velvety pink peel.

Musa 'Ae Ae' (Ae Ae Royal Banana) is a rather rare species with green and white variegated leaves and edible fruit in warm climates. Musa 'Ice Cream' (Blue Java Banana) has sliver blue leaves and blue tinted fruit.  There are dozens of varieties of bananas to choose from.

Be aware that banana plants die after flowering, the main stalk will die back and a pup or pups will grow in it’s place. When you are keeping them as houseplants they will live for a year or two and then you will need to propagate them or get a new plant. It is relatively easy to propagate them from pups. Garden plants may just regenerate on their own.

There are some species bananas that can be grown from seed, but seed germination is hard to accomplish and can take months. It’s unusual to find banana seed offered for sale, beware of scams. You cannot grow the typical grocery type bananas from seed. It’s recommended that you start with young banana plants propagated from cuttings.

Do not put banana plants outside until the weather has warmed, and all danger of frost has passed. Temperatures in the 40’s may kill some species and drastically slow growth in others or damage the foliage.

When planted in the garden bananas need full sun, and deep fertile soil that is mildly acidic 5.5-6.5 pH.  They will need consistent moisture, so place them where they can be watered easily. And most important they need some protection from wind. Wind rapidly tatters and tears the huge banana leaves and makes them look unsightly. Put them against a fence, hedge, or in front of buildings that block the wind.  They will survive wind better if planted in blocks of 3-4 plants spaced 2 feet apart instead of as single plants.

Bananas like humidity so they won’t be good plants for those in dry desert type climates. Indoors you’ll want to keep the humidity up around them to 50% at least. If grown in pots they need large deep pots to counteract the heavy top growth. The pots must drain well, root rot is common in potted bananas. Use a soilless potting medium indoors.

Indoors banana plants may need supplemental lighting, especially in winter, if they don’t have a warm southern window they can snuggle right up against. Any grow light suspended overhead will work.

Bananas are heavy feeders and should be fertilized frequently. Young growing plants may need monthly fertilizing. Use a balanced fertilizer such as 8-10-8. Organic matter like compost is appreciated and a deep mulch around plants is also good.

Banana in flower bed

If you are trying to get flowers and fruit or if you want the strongest, largest stems and leaves on your plant, keep the banana pruned to one main stem. Just cut off the other sprouts/pups that come from the roots, unless you want a pup for propagation.

Banana growers say the best pups for starting new plants or to leave to grow a new plant are those with narrow, upright leaves when they are young. For propagation these should be removed when they are small. Propagate in potting medium, not water.

Bananas grown in northern gardens and indoors do not have many disease or insect problems. Snails and slugs may eat the leaves. Occasionally plants have trouble with aphids, especially indoors.

Gardeners can grow bananas in their garden and even in the home. If you are lucky you may get to see the unusual flowers and even some fruit.

Daffodils are different

Daffodils and narcissus often have a crown shaped structure in the center of the flower, called the corona.  It’s often colorful, the same color or a contrasting color to the petals.  Until recently it was assumed that the corona was a modification of flower petals, possibly to aid pollination.  Recent research has determined that coronas are not modified flower petals.

Genetic analysis along with the study of developing daffodil flowers led researchers at the University of Oxford, Harvard University, the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of Western Australia to conclude that coronas are a separate structure that develops after the flower petals and sexual organs are fully formed in the bud. Coronas are genetically similar but not the same as the stamens, or male sexual organs, of the daffodil.

So, what is the function of the corona?  Since daffodils and narcissus typically bloom in early spring maybe they are an extra layer of protection from the cold for the sexual organs of the flower. They may also serve to guide early spring pollinators to the right spot. 

One other plant that I can think of, Hymenocallis (Peruvian Daffodil, Spider Lily) has a flower structure similar to daffodils and since it too flowers in spring, it may be another case of flowers evolving to suit the environment.  However, Hymenocallis is native to places where conditions are somewhat warmer than where daffodils and narcissus grow.  We may find out in the future that coronas have some other function.

Plants make people happy

Could the answer to curing the stress and depression so often associated with inter-city life be simply to plant more trees and grass?  A new study suggests that it would definitely help.  Dr. Kristen Malecki, assistant professor of population health sciences at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has analyzed the results of a health survey done on Wisconsin residents. She compared satellite data showing how much vegetation was in any census block of the survey with data showing how many people in that block were depressed or had other mental problems.

She found that the “greener” an area was the less likely it was to have a high percentage of unhappy, stressed and depressed people.  Race, age, employment, income and other factors were all taken into account and still the happiest, most mentally stable people were in the greenest areas.  The study results were recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Many studies have found that children who spend some time outdoors each day in a natural environment were able to concentrate better when solving mental tasks and were less likely to be depressed.  They coped better with the minor problems of life.  Maybe the issue of bullying that everyone is so obsessed over now could be solved by making children take a hike in the woods every day!

I know that when I’m angry, when my mind is racing, and I’m upset I can get calmed down by simply going outside and weeding a garden bed or finding a quiet place to bird watch. When I need to make a tough decision or think on a pressing problem working in my garden always helps.

Wouldn’t it be great if all schools had a green spot to send kids who seemed depressed, who had anger issues or were just too full of energy to sit still and concentrate?  A nice, secluded courtyard garden or even a greenhouse could work because in this day and age we certainly wouldn’t want to send any kids outside into the actual woods, would we?

 

"Advice is like the snow. The softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind.”

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

Kim Willis

All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

 

And So On….

 

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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 9, 2021, not just a peanut man

I hate February. How many times have I said that over the years?  It’s an awful month, even though we are getting more sunshine.  It’s a good thing it’s a short month.  It was nice of nature to lay down a little insulation, so my poor plants are covered in this bitter, bitter cold. It’s 39 days to calendar spring, lets hope it’s really spring weather when those days pass.

I have some seeds being delivered tomorrow and the soil is here but looking at the National Weather Service forecast for this month and beyond it looks like it may be a late spring. This artic oscillation thing seems like it is going to hang on. So, I am in no rush to get started planting.

Normally mid-February I start looking for snowdrops to bloom. Not this month. Maybe later this month but I doubt it, looking at the weather ahead. Some of you gardeners don’t mind working outside in bitter cold, but I do. You could be pruning trees if you are the hardy type. Some of you in warmer climates may be thinking about outside gardening but this year the cold is going to run deep into the south so be careful with what you plant early this year.

So, if you can’t garden outside, you have time to learn about gardening or plants in general. I’m reading a new book about our agriculture changed human destiny, called “Plant, Animal, Junk, a History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal”.  I’ll write about it when I’m done. I’m also doing research on various topics that strike my interest.

I wasn’t thinking about black history month when I came across some information about peanuts that interested me. That information led to reading several new articles with a different perspective on the man George Washington Carver. I decide I would do something different this month and write about a man who was truly a plant lover. He was also a black man, so it seems appropriate to write about him during black history month.

So this week I am going to share with you some of what I learned about the “Peanut Man”.  It’s a long article but I hope you find it interesting. Next week I’ll be back to writing about garden subjects.

 

The Plant Doctor- George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver

In my school days when we were taught anything about black history it was usually a story about George Washington Carver, the man who invented peanut butter and a hundred other uses for peanuts. It wasn’t until much later in life that I learned that Carver did not invent peanut butter and that his life and influence on agriculture and horticulture went far beyond his experiments with peanuts.

George Washington Carver would be right at home in todays horticultural scene. He was a researcher of soil science and believed in the importance of maintaining soil health. He was a strong believer in self-sufficiency, that people needed to grow their own food and learn to eat in a healthy way. He was also a strong believer in recycling and finding uses for waste products.

Carver ate “the weeds” and encouraged others to do so. He experimented with herbal remedies. He believed in preserving nature and thought that children should be taught about nature and growing things in school.

Carver was interested in plants of every type, not just crop plants. He collected plants from an early age and seemed to be able to grow just about any plant.  As a boy he became known as the “plant doctor” and people would bring plants to him to save. As a requirement of his employment at Tuskegee Institute (now University) he asked for a second room for his plants, most teachers got a single boarding room as part of their employment.

A film from just before his death in 1943 shows him demonstrating how he was crossing amaryllis with various lilies in search of interesting hybrids. (There’s a link to this video at the bottom of the article.) Carver maintained a large collection of amaryllis species. He had extensive flower gardens and was known for wearing flowers in his lapel. Carver was also an artist and painted lovely, detailed pictures of all kinds of plants.

Carver did do extensive work with growing and using peanuts and sweet potatoes. But the reason for this work was not what it seems on the surface and was never for profit or fame. New research into his life and a less fable like presentation of his motives and achievements are now changing the way people think about George Carver.

 Carvers life story

George Carvers early life greatly influenced the man he became. He was born a slave in 1864, the year before slavery was abolished in Missouri (1865), the exact date is unknown. Moses and Susan Carver, who were German immigrants, were his owners. They had purchased his parents, Mary and Giles in 1855 to help on their farm in Diamond, Missouri.

Carvers father died in a farming accident shortly before he was born. A week after he was born slave traders from Arkansas raided the farm and stole his mother, his sister and him. His older brother James managed to escape.  Moses Carver sent a friend to hunt for the family, but the man was only able to locate the infant George. He traded a fine horse to get the boy back as the story goes.

Infant George and his brother James, now orphans, were then taken in by Susan Carver and raised as her own children. Little is said about this, I couldn’t find out if Susan had children of her own, or if the couple was childless. But she seemed to take a motherly interest in the boys, teaching them to read and write. George was a sickly child, maybe because of his early trauma, and suffered from croup and pneumonia frequently. Susan was his nurse and was told he wouldn’t make it to 21.

James began to work with Moses around the farm, but George was left home with Susan. She taught him to sew, crochet and knit, how to cook and prepare herbal remedies. He also had time to roam in the woods and tend to his own plants. Later in life he spoke of this time;

“Day after day I spent in the woods alone in order to collect my floral beauties and put them in my little garden…,strange to say all sorts of vegetation seemed to thrive under my touch until I was styled the plant doctor, and plants from all over the county would be brought to me for treatment.” 

Carvers voice was high and childlike his entire life and he never married. He had mentioned to friends that an early incident left him unable to have children. (He was able to grow a moustache though.) At his death the undertaker found a lot of scar tissue where his testicles should have been. A book African-American Perspectives on Biomedical Ethics (1992) claims that Carver was castrated at age 11 by a doctor at the request of his master. Whether this is true or not remains a question.

Some black people are upset about this discovery and claim that he was cruelly castrated so he could be a house slave and not bother the master’s daughter. This is speculation. Carter may have lost his testicles due to injury  or disease at an early age. He may even have been abused when he was kidnapped as an infant or injured. Maybe a doctor told the Carvers it would help with his many illnesses, medicine had odd theories back then. Or maybe the Carvers did want him emasculated. We just don’t know.

We don’t know what Georges relationship with the Carvers was like exactly, but he had fond memories of them, spoke well of them, and would travel to visit them several times before their deaths. Moses Carver was not Georges master at age 11 as slavery was abolished by then. And Carver, in his own recounting, left home at 10 and before that seems to have been treated like an adopted son.

Carver working in one of his plant "labs"

Education

When George was about 10, he decided he wanted to go to school. His foster mother agreed he should try. The only Negro school was 10 miles away, in Neosho. A kindly black couple took him in and allowed him to live there in exchange for household help. Mariah Watkins, his new foster parent,  was a nurse and midwife with a broad knowledge of herbal remedies. She encouraged George to get all the schooling he could, taught him a lot about healing herbs, and also introduced him to religion.

Several other people fostered George as he traveled around to complete his early education. He graduated from high school in Minneapolis, Kansas.  After that, in 1886, he homesteaded a claim in Kansas, where he established a nursery of sorts, planting fruit trees, shrubs, ornamental plants and garden produce that he sold. He also worked a variety of other jobs.

A few years later he became friends with a white couple, the Milhollands, who were impressed with his knowledge and urged him to enroll in a college in Iowa, Simpson College, a Methodist school that allowed black students to enroll.

Carver studied art and piano there. His beautiful paintings of plants led his art teacher to suggest he go to a college where he could study botany. She suggested Carver go to Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). After applying to other colleges which rejected him because he was black, and a few years working to save money, Carver managed to get into Iowa State in 1891. He was the first black student to attend the college.

Carvers work

At Iowa State Carver earned a masters degree and went on to work in the Iowa Experimental station in the area of soil/ plant pathology and mycology. He gained some recognition in the scientific world for his achievements there. He also began teaching and was the first black faculty member of Iowa State.

In the meantime, another well-known black man, Booker T. Washington, had helped establish the first land grant college intended to teach black students about agriculture and help black farmers in the region, Tuskegee Institute, (now University) in Alabama.  In 1896 he succeeded in luring Carver to head the agriculture department there.

Carver took a pay cut when he went to work there. And since Tuskegee was not as well funded as some other land grant colleges facility were also assigned other jobs. Besides teaching and research Carver was expected to manage two farms the college owned and also tend to any plumbing problems the college had. Carver was not happy about this.

Booker and Carver had an uneasy relationship. Carver actually adopted the middle name Washington in respect for Washington. But although Carver was a hard worker, he greatly resented some of his duties and many complaints are recorded from him to Washington. He threatened to resign many times.

Carver wanted to concentrate on research and detested all the recordkeeping required by the college. (Modern Extension educators can sympathize with that.) But he and Washington always managed to work something out. Eventually as the school grew and prospered Carver was left to do more of the research work he thrived on and no longer had to fix the plumbing.

A war poster 

Carver’s mission was to improve farmers lives

When Carver moved to Alabama he was shocked at the conditions black farmers faced. The soil was worn out and depleted, there were vast areas of eroded land. Most black people didn’t have money to buy land, they were sharecroppers on land rented to them by white people. The white landowners told them what crops they could grow on the land and what price they would get for those crops- and the landowners rent was the first thing deducted from any money received.

As a result, black farmers lived in debt and abject poverty.  They were often hungry and malnourished as most no longer grew food for their own use. Cotton was the crop they grew, often up to their doorstep. They were unable to afford chemical fertilizers and pesticides like white farmers and their crops were poor.

Carver set out to find ways to improve the depleted soil in a way that black people could manage without much cash input. He built a wagon that he hauled around the county to instruct farmers about cover crops, compost, crop rotation, and other things they could do to improve the soil. He encouraged farmers to start growing their own food again and become self-sufficient. He even taught them to eat the weeds!

Carvers research on crops that could improve the soil led him to the peanuts he is so famous for. Peanuts are able to pull nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil. They grew in the depleted soil and after a crop of peanuts a crop of cotton would have a greatly improved yield and quality. In Alabama a crop of peanuts and a crop of cotton could be achieved in the same year. And a crop of peanuts could be eaten by the farmers or sold to others to eat.

This is why Carver developed his pamphlet with some 105 uses for peanuts. He wanted to encourage people to buy peanuts and drive up the demand for them. He wanted farmers to use the crop they grew in diverse ways and find new uses and markets for them. He hoped to lift black farmers out of poverty.

Peanut butter was not Carters invention and he never claimed it as such. There was a patent for peanut butter registered 12 years before Carter compiled his list. He made no secret of the fact that he used some 20 sources to compile uses for the nuts, although he did develop many uses for peanuts. Many of the uses he developed were for waste products, like hulls or for cosmetic and medicinal preparations.

The pamphlet, or bulletin as Extensions handouts were called, was actually the last of 44 bulletins Carver published. His bulletins covered a wide range of subjects from feeding acorns to livestock, cotton diseases and problems, 5 bulletins on sweet potatoes, hog raising, ornamental plants, tomatoes, and nature study to name a few subjects.

It’s important to stress that peanuts were not the only thing Carver did research on or promoted. He did a lot of work on improving sweet potatoes and making them a valuable crop. He worked on cotton research, cowpeas, herbs, vegetables and ornamental plants as well as other crops.

The peanut man

Carvers fame as the peanut man probably came from the notoriety he gained when he testified before the Ways and Means committee of Congress on the behalf of peanut farmers in 1921. Peanut growers wanted Congress to put tariffs on peanuts from China, (sound familiar?) because it was undercutting their prices. They needed Carver to make the case that peanuts were an important crop that needed protection.

And he did. When the slight, rather shabbily dressed, (Carver cared little about fine clothing although he could afford it), black man entered Congress jokes and racial slurs could be heard around the hall. It was unusual for a black person to address Congress.  But when Carver opened his mouth and began to speak about the importance of peanuts and their value as a crop in his soft voice, they were mesmerized. They kept him there asking questions long after the allotted time. Reporters wrote about the event in glowing terms and Carvers fame as the peanut man was made.  

In World War 1 Carver was asked by the War Department to work with Henry Ford to develop a substitute for rubber. He and Ford became friends, Ford visited him several times after the war effort was over.  Ford would eagerly eat the weed sandwiches Carver would make for him and enjoyed discussing inventions with him.  (Carver did develop a rubber substitute from peanut oil but it was never used.)

Carver was said to be a kind man who never spoke badly about anyone. He was very religious and gave his students moral guidelines to follow as well as practical ones. His students liked him, although one did complain to a reporter about the weed sandwiches they were asked to eat.

While Carver filed 4 patents from his inventions, he never made money from them and was not a man whose work was based on monetary gain. He was modest about his popularity and rarely sought credit or fame. He lived a modest life among his beloved plants.

Carver was frugal though. He managed to save enough money to establish the George Washington Carver Foundation at Tuskegee in 1938, with the equivalent of over a million dollars in todays money value. The Foundation carried on the agricultural research that Carver loved.

On January 5, 1943, at the age of 78, Carver died several days after a fall at his home. Carver worked at Tuskegee until his death and was buried there, next to Booker T Washington.

More reading

List of peanut products including chili sauce, mock oysters, sausage, peanut orange punch, shampoo, paper.

https://www.tuskegee.edu/support-tu/george-washington-carver/carver-peanut-products

Other reading

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/search-george-washington-carvers-true-legacy-180971538/

https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/george-washington-carvers-legacy-went-beyond-peanuts

An early film about Carver, at the very end you hear a recording of his voice.

https://youtu.be/7QyaiDC2n-s

 

“Wherever soil is wasted, the people are wasted. A poor soil produces only a poor people.”

-George Washington Carver

 

Kim Willis

All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

 

And So On….

 

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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com

 

February 2, 2021 - groundhogs looking for love

 Isn’t it funny that we hold on to the silliness of things like the groundhog seeing his shadow on February 2^nd means six more weeks of winter? Technically winter is half over today and that means yes, we have about 6 more weeks of winter as a season- whether we have winter weather or not.

Groundhogs sleep through much of winter and to get one to come out on demand they are kept in captivity so someone can reach in and haul them out.  I suggest you do not try this with wild groundhogs since they can bite. I think it would be perfectly acceptable to bite someone who hauls you out of a warm bed on a cold day.

Groundhog really do sneak out in mid-winter, at least the males do.  It may not be February 2^nd, depending on how far north the groundhog is living, but it’s usually late February into mid-March. But he comes out for sex, not to see his shadow. The male comes out of hibernation to search for tunnels of females, one or two of which he will enter and then mate with the females inside, who must wake up briefly don’t you think?  

The male groundhog will then stay in a tunnel with a female for about a month, until she kicks him out just before the babies are born. From 2 to 6, sometimes more, baby groundhogs are born in early spring usually just as it is getting warm enough for the female to emerge and begin eating.  She’ll come out briefly to eat and then return to nurse and warm her babies until they are big enough to follow her.

So, imagine a woodchuck’s anger if he is pulled out of a warm bed on February 2^nd and then doesn’t get a chance to mate with a female and share her warm bed. All because humans have this silly ritual when they could just look outside and see if the sun is shining, if it is, anything will have a shadow.

There’s a chance the groundhog or a human version will see his shadow today since it’s supposed to be partly sunny.  I guess winter weather demands on what time Woody pops out.

If you would like to learn more about woodchuck behavior and how to help keep them from damaging the garden here’s a link to an article on them.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/woodchucks-groundhogs-and-whistle-pigs.html

 

Last year the sun was not shining on February 2^nd here. And the very next day I found some snowdrops in bloom. But it quickly went back to winter weather after that.

So, if winter is half over, we all should be busy ordering plants for spring planting. Have you noticed the increase in prices of plants and in shipping costs? I certainly have. I guess the big interest in gardening has made sellers think it’s time to raise prices.

I had been perusing the online catalog Plant Lust- (if you are trying hard to find a certain plant, look here, they list plants from a wide range of nurseries, like a middleman), and I found what I wanted and added a few more plants for a total of just over $60. But when I went to my cart, I found the shipping cost was going to be $75. Uh, No. I quickly cancelled that order.

Yes, they mentioned that shipping cost was the same for as many plants as would fit in one box. But the largest plant I wanted to order was in a 4-inch pot. The others were bareroot and fairly small. All of it should have fit in that one box. And I am not going to pay $75 to ship one box of plants. So that catalog site is wonderful for finding unusual plants, if you are willing to pay big bucks for the shipping. I guess you really need to be full of lust.

I did finally manage to find what I wanted on another site. Actually, it was a nursery here in Michigan, Arrowwood Alpines. And their shipping was a small fraction of what the other company wanted. So, it pays to shop around.

Many places offer free shipping if you buy spend a certain amount on plants and if I could find everything I wanted at one site, that might work. But usually I have to look in several different places to find the plants I want. And while I would love to spend $100 or so in 4 or 5 places that just doesn’t fit into my budget. So I am looking for reasonable shipping fees when I shop.

I still have a couple of things to shop for so I will be looking at catalogs again this week. It is fun to go through these sites and drool over plants. If you haven’t tried it what are you waiting for?

 I want to apologize to anyone reading this blog who runs into any comments at the bottom of the blog or comments on the pages to the right that are either selling something or dirty or both.  I have been trying to keep up with removing them but there's a lot to monitor. And they keep coming back and putting more on. It's a shame people have to be like this.  

 Heritage flowers for nostalgic gardeners  Part 2

Last week I wrote about some older flowers that people used to grow that aren’t seen in gardens much anymore. If you are an older gardener, you may remember some of these from your childhood. They are still great plants to consider growing this year.

Calendulas are the original marigolds. Before gardeners discovered African “marigolds” they grew what is called pot marigolds or calendula. They grow well in the cooler parts of the year, spring and fall. It’s an annual flower.

Calendula officinalis grows to about 18 inches high and branches freely.  Leaves are long ovals wider at the end, with a prominent vein down the center and gray green to medium green.   

Calendula flowers seem to glow or shine, in clear shades of vivid orange and yellow, and they are wonderful in flower arrangements. The flower is daisy-like and 2-4 inches in size. For a long time, calendulas were always a solid color, usually orange or yellow, but recently plant breeders have introduced varieties with blends of colors and some softer pastel colors. Calendula flowers open in the day and close at night or in bad weather.

Calendula is extremely easy to grow.  The seeds are usually planted where they are to grow, but they can be started inside. Outside, plant seeds 2-3 weeks before the average last frost in your area.  If planting inside, start them about six weeks before your expected last frost. Cover the seeds lightly and keep them moist. They bloom quickly from seed, often as soon as six weeks after planting. Calendula prefers full sun locations.

Calendula’s golden petals were used to color butter and are fed to chickens to make egg yolks a deep golden color. They have been used in teas and to color other foods. The flowers are perfectly edible and can be put in salads. There are many herbal uses for calendula, it’s used to soothe stomach aches and as a mouthwash. It’s also used in soaps and cosmetics. If you want the variety used for most commercial herbal preparations look for ‘Erfurter Orange‘.

 

Calendula

Four O Clocks - (Mirabilis jalapa) are perennial plants in warmer climates (7b and higher) but grown as annuals in northern gardens. They are also known as Marvel of Peru, because of their interesting flowers. They are easily grown from seed.

Four O’Clock flowers come in red, white, yellow and pink and variegated. Now here’s the interesting, magic thing. The flowers on the same plant can be different colors, and plants may also change the color of their flowers over time, with the plant having white flowers when it begins to bloom and later in the season pink for example.

When flowers are variegated- more than one color, the variegation is usually unique to each flower. Variegation can be in streaks, blotches, or the flower being half one color and half another. And the plant may produce variegated flowers one month and solid the next.

Some Four O’Clock flowers have a pleasing fragrance, a mixture of gardenia and orange blossom, on warm evenings. This, along with a bit of nectar, draws the night flying sphinx moth and other moths to the plants for pollination. In my garden the white flowered Four O’Clocks seem to be more strongly scented. 

Four O’Clock plants have black tuberous roots shaped like a thick carrot. In cold winter areas the tubers can be dug and stored inside over the winter.

For those who like herbal medicine Four O’Clocks are a gold mine.  I do want to urge caution with using this plant, especially when consuming it, as it can be quite poisonous.  Modern science has confirmed that Mirabilis jalapa does have many medicinal chemicals and many uses for the plant are being explored.

For more about the herbal uses and growing this plant see this article.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/four-oclocks-are-old-cottage-garden.html

Yellow Four O Clocks

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are another older flower that most gardens used to contain, but now few do. Nasturtiums were once flowers that trailed from baskets or scrambled up porch trellises. Now most varieties are a bush form and it’s difficult to find the sprawling types. They are said to be a symbol of patriotism, for some reason.

Nasturtiums are annual plants and are usually started from seed where you want them to grow, although they can be started inside early. It’s helpful to soak the seeds in warm water for a few hours before sowing them. Sow them around the last frost. They prefer full sun.

The flowers of nasturtium come in a wide range of colors from white and pale yellow to brilliant crimson. Nasturtiums can also have variegated foliage. They bloom most of the summer but may rest in very hot periods. Deadheading older varieties helps keep them blooming.

The variety ‘Alaska’ is an heirloom with various colored flowers, but pretty leaves variegated with white splashes. There are some varieties with fringed or frilly flowers. The flowers have 5 petals and a long spur at the back.  They attract bees and butterflies.

Nasturtiums are edible, both the flowers and rounded leaves. They have a slightly peppery taste. They are sometimes sauteed for cooked greens and the unripe seedpods are pickled. The plants are used as a trap crop- they attract many harmful insect pests and then can be pulled up and disposed of if desired. They are often planted in vegetable gardens for that purpose.

 

Nasturtium

Gloriosa- (Gloriosa rothschildiana) or Glory Lily, is one of the first plants I bought with my own money after being intrigued by them in garden catalogs. People tended to grow them in hanging baskets on porches many years ago, before the selection of plants for hanging baskets was as large as it is today.  As a teen I was spending my money from babysitting on plants and feed for my animals, not clothes and records.

This gorgeous flowering vine should be started indoors in a warm spot about March. It’s sold as a tuber or potted plant. Plants start blooming when vines are about three feet long and are covered with beautiful crimson and gold flowers that can be 5 inches long and are reminiscent of turk’s cap lilies.  There are also yellow and pink varieties.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.

You can grow this vine in a large hanging basket or train them on a trellis in a container.  It can also be planted in the ground near a fence or suitable structure. It likes full sun but tolerates light shade. They are not hardy in most of the country but Glory lily can be stored as dormant bulbs in the winter, just like canna or glads.

 

Gloriosa Lily
High Country Gardens

Gladiolus have the reputation of being a formal flower, and as such don’t seem to fit into the relaxed, more naturalistic gardens of today.  But there are many varieties of glads and one doesn’t have to be a wizard to weave some of them into today’s gardens with charming results. The older smaller flowered glads are easy to blend into perennial beds. Heritage varieties of glads allow you to grow something beautiful and keep a variety alive and thriving. 

Gladiolus are also excellent for cut flowers.  My grandmother kept rows of them for this purpose. With a huge range of colors and flower styles, glads offer everyone some of the most gorgeous flowers around for the summer garden.

Glads are easy to grow because you plant corms, which are a bulb like structure covered with a papery brown husk. When choosing packaged glads look for firm, plump, non-moldy corms with no sprout or only a tiny sprout showing.  Avoid soft, shriveled, moldy corms and those which have long yellowish sprouts. You can purchase a wide range of glads from catalogs or online.  These will be larger and healthier than bulbs bought in big box stores.

Gladiolus have long narrow, sword like leaves. One flower spike is usually produced from each corm.  The flowers all face one direction on the spike and begin opening from the bottom and progress upward. Glad flowers range from an inch across to sometimes 3 or more inches across.  They come in every color from white to the darkest red-black and every mixture of color.  There are some glads with frilly, ruffled petal edges and some with doubled petals. 

Depending on the variety, glads bloom from 65-100 days after the corm is planted with good growing conditions. They prefer full sun.  Glads should not be planted outside until all danger of frost has passed. You may want to plant several batches of glads two weeks apart to prolong the blooming period.  Glad bulbs can be dug and stored over winter.

For more information on glads see the link below.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/gladiolus.html

There will be one more list of heritage flowers next week.

 

Glad 'Bibi'

You may be a plant hoarder if……

Some people garden because they want to produce their own food. Some people garden because they want to beautify their surroundings. These people are content to grow the plants they like to eat or the plants that produce the ornamental effect they desire. They limit their plant collection to the space they have available and the time they want to devote to care for them. Not me. I am a plant hoarder. Here are some signs that you may be a plant hoarder too.

1. You can’t pass a plant sale without stopping, even if the plants look terrible.
2. You have a plant budget imposed on you by a spouse.
3. You don’t need curtains on your windows because there are so many plants in them.
4. You pinch off seed pods or a teensy cutting at public gardens.
5. It doesn’t matter if it’s not hardy in your planting zone, you’ll worry about that later.
6. You have to walk sideways on your porch or patio to avoid plants.
7. You save all your geraniums and other tender perennials over the winter.
8. You can always find space for another plant.
9. You ask your neighbor for space to grow plants.

10. You can tell the difference between one iris/daylily/hosta and the next even though they look similar to everyone else.

11. You spend more time with your plants than your family.

12. You have considered stealing a plant.

13. Everyone gives you their unwanted, half dead plants – and you take them.

14. You stop to pick up plants thrown out in the trash.

15. You are constantly starting cuttings or dividing plants so you can have more.

Do you see any plant hoarding traits in yourself? If you can claim 10 or more of these traits you have a plant hoarding problem.

 

Plant hoarders house

February almanac

The full moon is on the 27^th this February It’s called the Full Snow Moon.  Moon perigee is the 3^rd.  The moon apogee is the 18^th.

By the 28^th there are 11 hours and 12 min of daylight as we rapidly gain on spring equinox. In January we only gained 48 minutes of light in 31 days.  In February we gain 69 minutes in 28 days. Go sun go!

February is National Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, American Heart Month, Marijuana Awareness Month, National Bird Feeding Month, National Cherry Month, National Grapefruit Month, and National Bake for Your Family Month.

The 2^nd is Candlemas day as well as Groundhog Day.  It is the halfway point through winter and also the beginning of housecleaning for spring. Here’s an explanation of Candlemas.

"Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course.  The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother).  For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings.  The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows.  'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.  The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit.  At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor.  She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing (especially the healing touch of
midwifery)."
-  Daven's Journal - Imbolic 

 

The 5^th is National Pancake Day. The 12^th is Lincolns Birthday, Darwin Day and Plum Pudding day. It’s also Chinese New Year and this is the year of the Ox.  The 14^th is Valentine’s Day as well as National Condom day, and for those who don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s also National Library Day. The 15^th is Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday and Presidents Day.  Tortilla Chip day is the 24^th, National Pistachio day is the 27^th.  National Public Sleeping Day is the 28^th, have fun with that.

The February birth flower is the violet, which symbolizes faithfulness, humility and chastity.  African violets are being featured in many stores in February and make a good gift for a gardener.  The February birthstone is the Amethyst.

 

"In winter's cold and sparkling snow,
The garden in my mind does grow.
I look outside to blinding white,
And see my tulips blooming bright.
And over there a sweet carnation,
Softly scents my imagination.

On this cold and freezing day,
The Russian sage does gently sway,
And miniature roses perfume the air,
I can see them blooming there.
Though days are short, my vision's clear.
And through the snow, the buds appear.

In my mind, clematis climbs,
And morning glories do entwine.
Woodland phlox and scarlet pinks,
Replace the frost, if I just blink.
My inner eye sees past the snow.
And in my mind, my garden grows."

-  Cynthia Adams, Winter Garden.

   First published in Birds and Blooms magazine, Dec/Jan 2003

 

Kim Willis

All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

 

And So On….

 

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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com