Snow noiseless sifts
Ere night, an icy shroud, which morning's rays
Will idly shine upon and slowly melt...
Bare are the places where the sweet flowers dwelt.
What joy sufficient hath November felt?
~Helen Fiske Hunt Jackson
Will idly shine upon and slowly melt...
Bare are the places where the sweet flowers dwelt.
What joy sufficient hath November felt?
~Helen Fiske Hunt Jackson
Hi Gardeners
 |
| A rose in November |
It
snowed here last night. I woke up to
about an inch covering the ground and clinging to the trees. The ground is still warm and although the day
is quite cold some of the snow is already gone.
It’s better than 2015 when we received 8 inches around the 20th
of November. I wish we could send it to
California, a blanket of wet snow on those fires would be wonderful.
I was
outside for a brisk walk; my little dog actually loves cold and snow. We let the chickens out around 1 pm so they
can free range a bit. They don’t mind a little snow on the ground. They like scratching through the dry leaves
and plucking at weed seeds. However our
2 old turkeys rarely venture out of the barn now.
It’s
amazing which plants stay green through cold and snow and still have their
leaves. The calibrachoa still has it’s
leaves and is green even though it stopped blooming. The bamboo is green and the arum. The heuchera isn’t technically green, it’s
purple but it’s hanging in there. The roses have colored up a bit but retain
their leaves. The barberry by the barn
is glowing orange still.
Gardening
chores this week included putting up stakes around the arborvitae and euonymus and
some small trees. I’ll get netting
attached to the stakes some time this week.
I may add the solar twinkling lights, I haven’t decided. Opening day for deer hunting is this week and
we gave permission to a friend to hunt our property. I am hoping he’ll diminish some of the deer
problem.
The
junco’s are here so winter is near. They
migrate here from the north, we are their winter grounds. The geese are here in
the hundreds, gleaning the fields before flying off to find open water. When I
go out at dusk to shut up the chickens the noise from the geese honking fills
the air. The birds are mobbing the feeders now.
I tried mixing some cheaper wild bird seed mix with the sunflower seed
this fall but that experiment is done.
The blue jays sit there and toss the small seed on the ground to get to
the sunflowers.
"The wild gander leads his flock
through the cool night,
Ya-honk! he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation:
The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listen closer,
I find its purpose and place up there toward the November sky."
- Walt Whitman
Ya-honk! he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation:
The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listen closer,
I find its purpose and place up there toward the November sky."
- Walt Whitman
Manure
in the Garden
A new study has outlined the benefits of manure over
commercial fertilizers. Manure is less
likely to change soil pH than common fertilizers, it improves soil structure as
it provides lots of organic matter, especially if mixed with animal bedding,
and it usually is high in nitrogen.
Manure improves soil aggregates, the way soil sticks together, which
lessens erosion and makes a better place for plant roots.
Fall is a good time to apply manure to your garden beds,
both flower and vegetable. While
composted manure is best you can even use fresh manure on plots where nothing
is growing in the fall. The cold days and closed windows will make the manure
application more neighbor friendly too. And you don’t have to worry about
manure contaminating food crops with soil borne diseases if you apply it after
harvest.
Manure varies greatly in composition and how much
nutrients it can supply. The longer the
manure has sat around the fewer nutrients it will have left. You want manure
that has been composting for a month or two, but that which has been left for a
year or more in piles will probably not have many nutrients left. Manure mixed
with straw, sawdust or wood shavings will still provide the garden with lots of
organic matter however. Manure mixed
with bedding is the ideal manure to apply to your beds.
Apply composted manure to flower beds and perennial crops
after the plants are dormant and the ground cold, but preferably not frozen.
You could apply 6-8 inches of manure if you have it. If manure is applied before plants are dormant,
they may start growing again and that new growth will be winter killed, wasting
plant resources.
Manure applied to frozen ground is more likely to run off
nutrients which contaminate nearby water.
And if the ground is frozen the nitrogen in the manure will largely disappear
before the spring thaw. Adding 3-4
inches of manure before the ground freezes will keep it from freezing for a
long while and let soil microbes work it into the soil.
There are a few drawbacks to manure though. Manure increases soil electrical
conductivity, which helps soil hold on to mineral elements. Some of these are
salts, which over time, can build up in the soil. Manure may also contain weed
seeds.
If manure washes off it can run into surface water,
contaminating it. And it can even
contaminate ground water in certain circumstances. Don’t apply manure on slopes
or close to bodies of water, ditches, or drains. Keep it 50 feet away from any wells.
To read more;
"In the
evenings
I scrape my fingernails clean,
hunt through old catalogues for new seed,
oil work boots and shears.
This garden is no metaphor --
more a task that swallows you into itself,
earth using, as always, everything it can."
- Jan Hirshfield,
I scrape my fingernails clean,
hunt through old catalogues for new seed,
oil work boots and shears.
This garden is no metaphor --
more a task that swallows you into itself,
earth using, as always, everything it can."
- Jan Hirshfield,
Go
nuts-live longer
Research results published in the New England Journal of
Medicine in 2013 report that people who eat a handful of nuts each day- (about
1-2 ounces) are 20 % less likely to die from any cause that people who didn’t
eat nuts. The study followed people for
30 years so I guess it’s better to say that compared to a person who doesn’t
eat nuts the nutty person is more likely to have a long life. ( I am definitely
a nutty person.)
At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions
in 2018 researchers presented studies that found that when people ate one
serving of nuts daily they tended to weigh less and have less cardio- vascular
problems than those that didn’t eat nuts.
If the nuts replaced a snack like chips, cookies or even meat the
results were even better. A serving of nuts is about 1 oz. and can be any tree
nut or peanuts. Brazil nuts in particular, were also found to help regulate
blood glucose and make people feel full longer.
Over a 30-year period examined in the earlier studies the
people who ate nuts reduced their risk for heart attacks and strokes by 29%
over people who didn’t eat nuts. And the
risk for all types of cancer was reduced by 11%. Another study published in July 2013 found
that daily nut consumption dropped your risk of cardiovascular problems by 55%
and your risk of cancer by 40%. Other
research studies have linked eating nuts to a lower risk of diabetes,
gallstones and diverticulitis. Nut
consumption has been linked to lower blood cholesterol, even though nuts
contain fats.
In 2017 nutritionists at Friedrich Schiller University
Jena (Germany) found that nut consumption helped inhibit the growth of cancer
cells. The benefit is found to be from “detoxifying reactive oxygen species”
which is science-speak for anti-oxidant properties.
In most research all types of nuts were found to be
effective, both peanuts and tree nuts.
However, a study published in Bio- Med Central's open access journal BMC
Medicine in July 2013 found that walnuts had the highest amount of beneficial alpha-linoleic
acid and phytochemicals. Since different
types of nuts have slightly different vitamins and minerals it could be wise to
eat a variety of nuts.
Nuts are not the same as nut butters, such as peanut
butter, if they contain added sugars and fats.
For a nut butter to be healthy it should only contain nuts and maybe a
small amount of salt.
A great Christmas present this year might be a large can
of nuts.
Here’s some more reading.
"All in
November's soaking mist
We stand and prune the naked tree,
While all our love and interest
Seem quenched in the blue-nosed misery."
- Ruth Pitter
We stand and prune the naked tree,
While all our love and interest
Seem quenched in the blue-nosed misery."
- Ruth Pitter
Peperomia
as houseplants
The peperomia genus contains a number of species which
are familiar houseplants, but it also has some species that those who like
something different can seek out. Most
of the peperomias make good houseplants for beginners and are fairly easy to
care for. They are often found in the dish gardens that florists send and so
many people end up with them without knowing how to care for them. Peperomias
are native to South America and they are related to the black pepper we eat.
 |
| Peperomia magnoliaefolia variegate, cultivar unknown |
Often one finds peperomias for sale without any species
names or even common names. Common names
can vary from place to place. And as in
many plants even the scientific names have changed from time to time and one
seller may use a different scientific name than the other for the same
plant. It’s confusing but I’ll try and
describe some of the common peperomias on the market.
Peperomias can be upright or trailing plants. The leaves vary considerably between
species. Many are thick, smooth and waxy,
but others are thin and wrinkled. Some are even hairy. Usually the leaves are rounded ovals or heart
shaped but one species Peperomia verticillata
has narrow leaves arranged in whorls on the stem.
Common peperomia species are Peperomia magnoliaefolia variegate, which has an upright, bushy
shape and round waxy leaves of green variegated with gold. There’s a trailing ‘Cupid’
peperomia, P. scandens variegate, that
also has oval waxy leaves with splashes of gold but it also has pinkish stems.
 |
| Another Peperomia magnoliaefolia variegate, |
Peperomia
argyreia is often called ‘Watermelon leaf’ peperomia. It is upright with thin oval leaves that are
dark green with silver stripes. P.caperata
is an upright species with heart shaped wrinkled leaves with red stems. There’s a cultivar of this species which is
very tiny ‘Little Fantasy’, and a cultivar with a broad white edge on the
leaves.
P.
clusifolia is often called ‘Baby Rubber’ plant. It has oval dark green shiny leaves with a
purple edge. There are new cultivars of
peperomia species coming on the market all the time. If this species interests you, you may want
to check out this website http://www.peperomia.net/
Most peperomias have flowers that look like a pipe
cleaner stuck in the pot, a spike filled with tiny flowers. They are sometimes
referred to as “rat tails” They are usually greenish yellow.
Caring
for peperomia
Peperomia are plants from the understory of rain forests and
they don’t like direct sunlight. They
prefer to grow in bright indirect light and do well in artificial light. They make a good plant for a brightly lit
office, even without windows. A north
window is also a good spot for them.
Peperomias thrive in average room temperatures. Keep them above 50 degrees and out of cold
drafts. Even though they are rain forest
plants they tolerate low humidity in winter, but they do like more humidity in
summer. Homes that fall below 40% humidity
and are kept warmer than 75 degrees in winter may need to have the plants on humidity
trays.
 |
| P.caperata 'Emerald Ripple' showing typical flowers. Photo from www.TopTropicals.com |
From their rain forest understory origination peperomia
prefer a potting medium with a lot of organic matter, such as extra peat moss
added to the potting medium. Orchid potting medium will also work well for
them. The potting medium must be well
draining and all pots peperomia are in need drainage holes. That’s why they should be removed from those
gift dish gardens as soon as possible.
Care must be taken when watering peperomia. One of the most common reasons for failure
with this plant is over watering. They need to dry a little between watering
but do not let them dry out too much. If
they wilt check the pot immediately, both being too dry and stem rot from being
too wet can cause wilting. They will
need less water in winter.
Peperomia plants benefit from light fertilization from
late spring until mid-summer, when a lot of new growth is occurring. Just use a
houseplant fertilizer according to directions every other watering.
Peperomia have few insect problems or diseases. If leaves
drop check your watering practices, make sure they are not in a draft or too
cold. Dried leaf edges probably mean the
humidity is too low. Many peperomia have
somewhat brittle stems so use care when moving them. They are also a plant which does better with
less repotting or location changes.
If you enjoy making new plants peperomia are easy to
start from cuttings. They can be started
from a single leaf stuck in potting medium or from a stem cutting. Seeds are rarely produced in home settings.
If you need a plant that’s easy to care for and will grow
without a sunny window a peperomia species will be able to fill the position.
Fear not November's
challenge bold—
We've books and friends,
And hearths that never can grow cold:
These make amends!
~Alexander L. Fraser
We've books and friends,
And hearths that never can grow cold:
These make amends!
~Alexander L. Fraser
MSU plant trials top winners- and losers
Every year Michigan State University trials a variety of
plants to see how they do in the Midwest region. Plants are donated by the
companies that introduce them, by All American Selections, and
Fleuroselects. Some are planted in the
ground, some in containers, some in both.
The donors can decide whether they will be planted in the ground or
containers. The trials are managed by Daedre McGrath and are under the
direction of Dr. Kristin Getter, Assistant Professor of Horticulture and MSU
Horticulture Garden's Director.
The trial gardens now contain annuals, perennials and
even native plants and vegetables. If you go to East Lansing, Michigan you can
visit the trial gardens on the MSU campus. Most flowers are planted in the "formal"
gardens to the west of the Plant and Soil Science Building. Native plant trials are located in beds
just to the east of the Food Safety and Toxicology Building. Vegetables are in
a garden south of the rose gardens.
Plants are evaluated all growing season and notes are
taken every few weeks. You can see the
results from 2018 here. https://www.canr.msu.edu/hrt/our_gardens/trial_garden/index
I have gone through the results and picked out the best
and worse of the selections for this year and they are below. Keep this list so you can use it when you go
plant shopping this spring if you want the best. Remember if you are in a different planting
zone the plants may perform differently for you. And weather and other conditions can affect
plants grown in the same planting zones, so this is just a guide.
Two Angelonia’s made the top grade both from Proven
Winners; Angelface® Blue Imp and Angelonia Angelface® Cascade Blue. These are for sun and notes indicated these
varieties were full and uniform looking.
Three Begonia’s from PanAmerican Seed – ‘Megawatt’
series- ‘Rose Bronze Leaf’, ‘Red Bronze Leaf’ and ‘Pink Bronze Leaf’ were rated
a 5, notes said they bloomed well and were nice and full.
Another Begonia ‘Canary Wings’ from
Ball Ingenuity earned a 5, notes said it was a great “spiller” in containers. It has golden foliage with pink flowers.
A Calibrachoa (Million Bells)- ‘Mounding Butter Pop’ from
Suntory got a 5 grade – notes said it was an excellent filler-spiller and had
lots of color.
Several Coleus from the ColorBlaze® series by Proven
Winners earned a 5 – ‘Chocolate Drop’, ‘Golden Dreams™’, ‘Rediculous™’ ‘Sedona
Sunset™’ ‘Torchlight™’, and ‘Strawberry Drop.’
They were described as vigorous, bushy and uniform.
 |
| Coleus ColorBlaze®‘Strawberry Drop' from Proven Winners |
One more Coleus ‘Pinksplosion’ by Ball earned a 5. Notes said the color was great and it was
nice and uniform.
A heliopsis ‘Burning Hearts’ from Jelitto earned a 5.
Notes said it had amazing fill and color.
 |
| Heliopsis ‘Burning Hearts’ Photo from www.Selectseeds.com |
Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Kiwi’ from Proven Winners also
earned a 5. Notes said it had a unique texture with a red edge on the leaves
and was vigorous.
Proven Winners had a winner in Ocimum ‘Amazel™’ . This is
a basil with downy mildew resistance. Notes said it was uniform, lots of
flowers and attracted lots of pollinantors.
Three pentas from PanAmerican Seed’s Lucky Star series,- Dark
Red, Pink and Raspberry won a 5 rating.
They were said to be colorful, free flowering and attracted lots of
pollinators.
PanAmerican Seed also had winners with 2 Petunia’s – ‘Easy
Wave Silver Sun’ and ‘Easy Wave Violet Improved’. They were described as a carpet of color.
Proven Winners also had some winning Petunias; ‘Supertunia
Vista® Bubblegum’, ‘Supertunia Vista® Paradise’, ‘Supertunia® Blue Skies’ and ‘Supertunia®
White Charm’. They were described as a
carpet of flower power.
Two vinca’s from PanAmerican Seed; Tattoo Raspberry and Tattoo
Tangerine were given top ratings. They
were described as unique with dark eyes and a vigorous growth pattern.
 |
| Tattoo Raspberry Vinca from PanAmerican Seed |
Those were the top winners in the trials this year. But there were some not so great plants in
the trials too. They are below.
A perennial plant Lavender ‘White Spike’ from Great Lakes
Lavender Growers only earned a 2.75 rating.
It had a lot of winter dieback and the blooms were sparse and late.
A goldenrod (Solidago) ‘Golden Rockets’ from Jelitto
earned a 2.83. It suffered from spider
mites and a bacterial blight in the trial.
PanAmerican Seed’s sunflower ‘SunBuzz’ only earned a 2.67
rating. It finished flowering early and
suffered from powdery mildew.
Cosmos ‘Sonata Purple Shades’ from PanAmerican Seed, only
earned a 2.50 rating. It was described
as lanky, with few flowers and faded color.
It also got powdery mildew.
"All the
cabbages in our garden are robust and green to the core;
All the peppers are
dead and black, not red anymore.
The onions are
thriving, the tomatoes all gone,
The lettuce is
rising, the pecans all stored;
It’s wet now in Red
Bluff, Winter’s knocking at the door."
- Mike Garofalo,
Cuttings
Cranberry
and walnut scones
Scones are more like a biscuit than a sweet treat and
these cranberry-walnut scones would go well with your Thanksgiving meal. Or they could be something to munch on while
the turkey cooks. And the recipe is
versatile- I like to make these scones with dried cherries and almonds. You can use the traditional raisins in them
too.
I use a food processor to make the dough, but you can use
a mixer or even a spoon. Don’t mix the
dough too long, just enough to get the ingredients combined well. You don’t
want to knead or handle the dough too much for the best texture.
Ingredients
4 cups flour + a little for dusting pan
½ cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) cut into small slices,
keep cold
1 ¾ cup half and half + a couple tablespoons for brushing
on tops
(note you can sub whole milk, but the scones won’t be as
soft and fluffy, don’t use low fat or artificial milks.)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnuts
Directions
Put cherries and nuts into the food processor and
coarsely chop. ( Don’t process them into “dust.”) Remove and set aside.
Put the flour, sugar and baking powder in the processor
and pulse a few times to mix.
Add the butter slices and pulse process until you have a
fine crumbly mixture.
Slowly pour in the half and half, while processing until
a soft dough forms. Don’t over process.
Add the cherries and nuts and pulse process to just blend
them into dough.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured 11 x 14 sheet
pan or cookie sheet.
Pat the dough out to a rectangle about an inch
thick. You may have to use a little
flour on top or on your hands to keep them from sticking.
Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it sit for
30-45 minutes in a cool spot.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the dough by using a biscuit cutter or
mouth of a drinking glass. You should
get 16-18 rounds.
Lightly spray cooking sheets or use parchment paper on
sheets. Place the scones an inch apart
on the sheets.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little half and half
so they brown nicely. You could also use melted butter.
Bake about 15 minutes, until the scones are lightly
browned. Let them cool 5 minutes before removing from sheets.
Scones are best served warm. Serve with butter, - cinnamon sugar butter is
yummy, cream cheese or make some Devonshire cream for them.
Left over scones can be stored in zip lock bags in the
freezer.
"I prefer winter and fall, when you
feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead
feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't
show."
- Andrew Wyeth
- Andrew Wyeth
Kim Willis
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permission.
And So On….
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
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