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

 

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