March 2, 2022 Are native plants better?

 Hi gardening friends

Meteorological spring has arrived and signs that true spring is coming are popping up all over. The spring equinox is March 20. When I went to the barn this morning the temps were in the 20’s but the sun was shining, and the birds were singing like crazy. I stopped for a few minutes to put my face in the sun and listen for red wing blackbirds or robins. I didn’t hear any, but I expect them any day.

The day was supposed to be cloudy and rainy or snowy, so the morning sun was a pleasant surprise. Now the clouds are moving in but the temps have moved above 40 degrees so we should get rain instead of snow.

I am so ready for spring and flowers. I looked for snowdrops, they are up but not blooming yet.  A few warm days will probably bring them into bloom. People just 50 miles south have them in bloom. After snowdrops there will be winter aconite and crocus and from there the world explodes into bloom.

I have been slow to get the gardening itch this year, but I’m scratching now. Last night I paged through several print garden catalogs, and I have started actually looking at all the plant sales that pop into my inbox instead of moving them to trash. I stood outside yesterday deciding which seedling trees need to cut down and where I want to add and subtract plants.

I’m trying not to be too ambitious with this year’s garden because I have so many family obligations this spring. But it’s hard in spring with all the promise of the garden season stretching ahead of me not to get carried away. I’m hoping for a long, and mild spring.

I wrote an article below about choosing plant species for your garden and why it’s important not to choose plant species that other people have decided you should plant. It seems like virtue and saving the planet have merged into a strident movement to plant only “native” plants.

But gardeners should plant what they like if it suits the conditions of garden. Gardening is an art form, a mental therapy exercise, and a learning experience, and unless someone is paying you to do it their way, you should do what pleases you in your garden.

 

Should you only plant native plants?

It’s spring and the gardener’s thoughts turn to planting- and buying- plants.  And if you listen to the native plant pushers on social media the only plants you should dare to plant are native species. Don’t fall for the propaganda. It’s based on a lot of romantic, wishful thinking that planting only “native” plants will somehow save the world.

Don’t get me wrong, native plants aren’t bad. If you can put at least some native species in a garden it’s a good idea. But there is no reason that any gardener needs to limit themselves to only native plants.

Are native plants easier to grow?

Native plants are not easier to grow than most non-natives. In fact, some native plants are quite hard to establish and require much more care than common non-native garden plants. There are gardens composed of all native plants that are beautiful. But those gardens required quite a bit of effort and they need attention to remain beautiful, just like any other garden.

For example, the idea of sprinkling a “wildflower” seed mix on a piece of ground and having it spring up into a beautiful field of flowers is just advertising hype. You must carefully prepare the soil before you plant and then you’ll need to weed out aggressive plants that will want to overtake the “wildflowers”, both native and non-native bullies. And you’ll be lucky to get a pretty show for a short time in the second year, as most of these wildflowers don’t bloom the first year from seed.

Are native plants better for pollinators and other animals?

In most cases native plants are not more helpful to pollinators, birds and other animal species in the area. There are a few insects that require a specific “host” plant. But non-native plants can provide just as much food and shelter for most other inhabitants of any ecosystem as native plants. And in some cases, they are superior to natives in providing these things.

Putting some native host plants in your garden is a fine idea, but your whole garden does not need to be designed around native plants. Gardens with non-native plants support a higher diversity and number of pollinators, helpful insects and birds than if the gardens held only native plants or were left unplanted.

Often people judge plant species not for their value to other creatures in the environment but for human values. For example, planting native grasses in a garden is not helpful to pollinators and most insects. Yet the human gardener feels justified with the choice because they feel by planting “native” plants they somehow are helping save the planet. Planting buddleia, Dames Rocket, zinnias, roses, and other blooming non-natives would be so much better for everything else.

Do non-native plants spread outside the garden and displace native plants?

Non-native plants do not “displace” native plants when used in the garden unless you dig up native plants to plant them. Worrying about non-natives spreading to “wild” places is also over hyped. Most common garden plants don’t spread very far outside the garden and if they did, would harm nothing.

There are some non-native plants that are aggressive spreaders, and you should learn what those plants are- FOR YOUR AREA- and avoid planting them. But beware-many of the plants bashed by native plant pushers are not aggressive spreaders in all areas. Buddleia or butterfly bush comes to mind. In planting zones 5 and lower this plant rarely, if ever, spreads outside the garden. But native plant pushers are constantly warning all gardeners not to plant it.  

And just because non-native plants occupy space doesn’t mean they displaced native plants. In most cases they occupy disturbed land, land changed by human activity. This land is no longer suitable for native plants that once grew in the area, or they would be growing there.

Dames Rocket, a pretty, fragrant, flowering non-native plant that bees and butterflies love, often grows along roadsides and paths. Dames Rocket probably spread to wild areas from gardens at some point. There is no similar native flowering plant that would do well in these disturbed areas. Yet the native plant purists are out there spending thousands of dollars and labor hours getting rid of it.

What harm does planting only native plants do?

In a world where climate change is drastically altering what will grow well in any location, introducing new species may be the key to saving an ecological system. Nature has always allowed new species into ecosystems. Natural ecosystems constantly evolve and change. Diversity of species, no matter where they come from and how they get there, allows for adaptation and is the key to keeping any ecosystem thriving.

Besides limiting diversity, there are other problems that the native plant fad has created. Poaching native plants from natural environments to sell to gardeners has soared in many areas, particularly of cacti and succulents and some rare woodland plants. Most sellers will claim they raised the plants from seed or propagated them but there is little the average gardener can do to check this claim. This is a serious threat to these species’ survival in the natural environment.  Gardeners should not purchase rare or endangered native plants at all.  And gardeners should not collect seed from endangered plants in the wild, it should be left to reproduce plants in that area.

Another threat to natural environments comes from the relentless and often ridiculous effort to eradicate non-native plants in natural areas. Huge amounts of pesticides are being used in many cases to eradicate non-native plants. These pesticides directly impact all species of plants and animals in the area, usually much more than leaving the alien plants alone.

There are attempts to eradicate plants that have been in certain places for more than 100 years and which have become entwined and part of the local environment. And this is simply ridiculous as it will never restore what somebody thinks was the “natural” ecosystem because ecosystems constantly change. Because something is relatively new in an environment does not mean it is bad. Nature has always been changing and adapting.

Money is the driving force behind a lot of the native plant movement. People who are making money producing native plants are going to tell you that they are better for the environment, easier to grow and that you are somehow more righteous for growing them. They want to sell plants.

People whose jobs are selling pesticides or directing teams of people removing non-natives are not going to admit that much of what they are doing is useless or even harmful. The removal of non-native plants is a whole industry in itself. Some believe what they are doing is good stewardship. Only a very few plants deserve such intensive efforts to remove them. Nature is very good at adapting to change, but it’s very difficult to change a money-making environment.

What would you be giving up if you only plant native plants?

If you are going to stick to native plants, you’ll need to decide just what native means to you.  Is it native to North America (or wherever you are) or native to your immediate, local area?  And then which of those species will grow in your soil, your light, and drainage conditions? Are you going to use improved varieties of native plants or stick to wild forms?  You can see your selection could get very narrow.  

I can’t imagine spring in my garden without tulips, daffodils, peonies and lilacs or summer without roses, clematis, hosta, poppies, daylilies and hydrangeas and fall without mums, buddleia and toad lilies. These are just some common non-native plants. I’m fine with mixing in some goldenrod, milkweed, and echincea, all natives. Maybe that’s not your type of garden.  But the point is a garden is a cultivated space, and gardeners should not be afraid to add plants that are not native to it.

Don’t get hung up on what plants are native or non-native when planning a garden. Plant things that are suitable for the conditions your garden has and that you like. This will give you hundreds of choices and the ability to plan something you love while still providing for creatures like pollinators.

Your bit of garden space cannot revert to “native” status.  In the last century or so the piece of ground you intend to garden on has changed immensely. The soil has changed, the weather has changed, the plants and animals that surround it have changed. Even if humans haven’t touched it in a hundred years it has changed. Nature constantly changes. You are not going to restore it to a native state, because that state doesn’t exist.

Gardens, by definition, are cultivated places, that is people plant them and tend them.  And gardens of all kinds are good for the environment and support other creatures besides us. Your garden should be the garden you dream of, and don’t let people shame you into something else.

 

The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway. – Michael Pollan

 

Kim Willis

No part of this blog may be reproduced without permission. To contact me for any reason,  write to kimwillis151@gmail.com

 

 

February 14, 2022 - Happy Valentines Day

 

Hi gardeners

See the morning glory down in the right corner?

 It’s been a while since I wrote but I wanted to share the picture of the morning glory in my kitchen window. It came up from seed in a pot I brought inside last fall. It’s a bit stunted but it’s also pretty.  It makes me wonder if all kinds of morning glories could be grown inside in winter, maybe in better pots. You can see the geranium cuttings blooming also.

Morning glory seed normally requires stratification, but this didn’t get any.  But if someone did stratify seed and kept them in a south window (this window faces south), and they were in larger pots and fertilized I wonder what would happen.  That’s a project for next year.

You can see birds in the pictures outside my window at the feeders. So, onto birds. Most gardeners like to watch birds in their yard also. February 18-21 is the Great Back Yard Bird count, and you can help.  Knowing the population numbers of various species of birds helps scientists determine if the species is declining or growing in numbers. It can determine if birds are moving their ranges due to climate change.

On one or all three of the above dates you simply count the birds you see at your feeders or on a walk in your area. You can do it from inside where it’s warm if you like. Some adventurous people go out in the cold to observe and count birds at nature sanctuaries or parks also.

If you go to the site  https://www.birdcount.org/  they will explain how to sign up to count birds, and there are even tips on bird ID.  You don’t have to be an expert at all. It’s quite simple and you can volunteer as much or as little of your time as you like.  I’ve done it for years and it’s fun.

 

How are your houseplants?

This time of year can be tough for houseplants. Online garden sites are full of sad houseplant pictures with owners asking for help. Three things seem to be very common this year, plants with cold damage, plants without enough light and plants that are dying of thirst.

First, it’s not a good time to buy houseplants especially if they have to be shipped. It only takes a few hours in a cold truck or warehouse for plants to be damaged, and often killed. Most good sellers realize this and won’t ship until the weather is right in your area. But there are literally hundreds of small start-up plant sellers online now and many of them are either inexperienced or unscrupulous. They collect your money and ship the plants even when conditions aren’t good.  Many of these are the sellers that don’t guarantee plants or won’t honor a guarantee.

If you are buying plants from a store locally you need to be careful this time of year too.  The plant must be wrapped, preferably in paper not plastic, even for a short walk to your car when temps are below 40 degrees.  Your car should be warmed up and you need to go straight home.  You cannot go shopping at other stores or go inside to eat and leave the plant in a cold car, even for a short time. And when you get home the plant should come inside first, before you unload other items.

Signs of cold damage include blackened, wilted leaves, or leaves that rapidly fall off the plant. It can show up right away or even a few days later. Usually the damage occurs from transporting plants but it can also happen when plants sit in front of doors that are frequently opened or when they are in cold drafts. If you lose power and temps drop below 40 degrees F. damage can occur.

And for goodness sake don’t put houseplants outside in winter months, even if temps have climbed into the fifties. I have read a few stories lately of people doing that and then forgetting to bring the plants inside as the temps rapidly fall in the evening. Leave them inside until nights stay above 40 degrees F.  They don’t need to be outside until then, they don’t appreciate being moved in and out, even if it’s sunny outside.

Some plants recover from moderate cold damage given time, but some do not. Most blackened leaves are goners- they don’t recover. Some plants grow back from the roots, others put out new leaves. If the plant is now in a warm spot and you don’t see any new growth after a month, it’s probably dead.

Light

Somewhere along the line people began to believe that there are species of plants that can live in dark rooms. While there are plants that can survive in lower light levels that does not mean in a room without windows, or far from any window unless you use grow lights. Plants suffering from low light get yellow leaves, drop leaves, get spindly looking, and stretch toward the light. In vining plants, the spaces between leaves are far apart. Plants don’t bloom and growth is poor.

Lower light means in front of an east or north window, no more than 2 feet from a south or west window or in consistently brightly lit rooms. This applies to all those plants like snake plant, peace lily, pothos and other plants advertised as liking low light. Even plants that are said to be “low light” lovers appreciate sunny windows from about November to March.

Bright light means right in front of that south or west window. In the winter in northern states even this may not be enough light for plants that require bright conditions. You’ll need to provide a grow light also.  

And it does no good to put a plant in the window if the blinds or curtains are drawn most of the time. Even sheer curtains filter out an awful lot of light. Plants also need to be up in front of the window not down below the window ledge.  

Grow lights are so cheap now, and LED ones use so little electricity that there’s just no excuse to leave a plant languishing in dark corners. There are attractive clip-on types and those you hang or use on a stand. Grow lights need to be about 2 feet above plants that like lower light and a foot above those that like bright light.  You may need to adjust them as plants grow.

Some plants may survive for a while in that windowless bathroom, or that darkened bedroom or on the shelf 10 feet from the window, but they won’t be lush, healthy plants. Plants must have light to make food for their growth and survival.

 

Pitcher plants require very moist conditions

Water

It used to be that watering problems tended to be overwatering and new plant owners were warned about overwatering constantly. Some people do overwater still, especially if they refuse to use pots with drainage holes.  But the trend seems to have overcorrected itself and now I see many plants that are dying from thirst.

I have read stories where the owner of the dying plant says something like “I give it a tablespoon of water every 2 weeks, so I know I’m not overwatering it.” And they aren’t, they are letting it die of thirst.  Succulents are very popular and yes, some species need little water. But some species of succulents need more water than people tend to give them. And other types of plants can use much more water.

If a plant is wilting, yellowing, leaves look wrinkled or shrunken it’s time to check the pot. Over and under watering symptoms can look the same but if the soil feels dry and the pot feels light, it needs water.  Don’t be afraid to water your plants!

Proper watering of houseplants is not so much about how much water you give them but when and how you water them. And you cannot put plants on a regular watering schedule, you need to adjust watering times to the season, temperature, growth of the plant, humidity, pot size and other factors. You need to feel the soil or use a water meter to know when to water.

To water properly, all pots must have good, free flowing drainage, even pots for succulents. Rocks in the bottom of a pot are not a substitute for drainage holes.  Each species of plant has different water requirements but with few exceptions, all plants can be watered the same way. You drench the pot with water until it runs out the bottom. Then you wait an hour or so and drain off any water in the saucer. That’s the proper way to water, at least until you are experienced enough to judge water needs by the plant’s appearance.

You adjust how much water the plant gets by when you do that soaking. Plants like peace lilies like moist soil so you will drench them whenever the top of the soil feels dry and certainly any time they begin to wilt.  Plants like many succulents can be left to thoroughly dry out between waterings, then soaked. Look up the species of plants that you have and find out what type of soil moisture they require.

Most plants fall somewhere in between succulents and peace lilies, so you will stick your finger in the soil and see if its dry an inch down or so and then drench them.  If the soil still feels wet you won’t water, even if it’s Sunday or whatever day you like to water. You need to know what moisture level each species of plant prefers.

Sometimes when you allow soil to get very dry it actually repels water instead of soaking it up. Water seems to be running out the drainage holes but its all running through, none is being absorbed. If water seems to run out as soon as you start pouring it in, this is probably the case. In this case you can set the pot in a sink or tub and run water on it very slowly for about 30 minutes. Or you can sink the pot in a bucket of water until the soil surface is covered and hold it down until it no longer floats, and no bubbles are rising up. Then take it out and let it drain.

Having the right potting soil makes a difference also. Don’t use soil from outside for houseplants, use potting medium. Succulents and cacti, of most species, need a coarser, better draining soil than other plants. Orchids and some other rare plants need bark chips or other medium instead of soil.

After light, water and keeping the plant from getting too cold problems with houseplants often come when people repot them too often or split them when they shouldn’t be split or divide them too often.  Not all plants can be propagated by dividing them. And every time you repot a plant it disturbs the root system which causes stress to the plant. It’s a rare plant that needs repotting more than once a year.

Moving a plant is also stressful.  Chose the right place for the plant when you bring it home. Move a plant only when it’s obvious it’s in the wrong spot and not growing well. In nature plants do not move from location to location.  You should not move plants around like you do furniture or other décor.

Houseplants can also suffer from disease and insects, but this article would be too long if I covered those topics. I will say that if plants have enough light and the right type of watering, you’ll have fewer pest problems.

Houseplants brighten dull winter days and give gardeners something to tend when they can’t work in the garden. But take the time to identify your houseplants and then find out what conditions they require. Plants with sufficient light and proper watering will reward you by growing more beautiful each week.

To the right of this article are links to articles about some species of houseplants. You may want to try these links;  Peace lily

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/peace-lily-do-youwant-houseplant-that.html

Snake plants

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/sansevieria-snake-plants-and-mother-in.html

Tropical hibiscus

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/chinese-hibiscus-rosea-sinesis.html

Norfolk Island Pine

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

 

 

 Happy Valentines Day everyone

Kim Willis

Nothing in this article may be used without permission. Contact author at kimwillis151@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

January 3, 2022 Flowers in Winter

 Hi gardening friends

 

My new amaryllis

We got three inches of snow yesterday and its bitter cold, but the sun came out today. I saw it lighting up the orange geranium (pelargonium for the picky) in my kitchen window.  I am amazed with that cutting, it has a big orange flower head that has held at least 2 weeks with no falling petals, no wilting, no browning.  I transplanted it from the jar of water I rooted it in, to a pot of soil just as the first flowers were opening. I thought maybe it would drop that flowerhead from transplanting stress.  I was wrong.

It probably has near perfect conditions in that window, strong light, cooler conditions, especially at night, and no wind or rain to mess up the flowers. But still it amazes me how long that single flower clump has lasted. And now I have another cutting in water getting ready to bloom, time to pot it up.

If you like blooming houseplants and have a sunny window you can’t go wrong with geraniums. As a girl I saved my money from babysitting to buy feed for the rabbits I raised for 4-H.  My dad would drive me a few miles to a tiny village north of us called Gingellville, to a place called Bill’s Feedstore to buy my rabbit feed. I loved to browse in that place, while my dad waited impatiently in the car.

Old Bill, as everyone called him, was a small skinny man who looked to me to be 100 years old. He had a big picture window that faced south in the store. In that window were several huge geraniums easily 4 feet high and they were always loaded with big red blooms even in winter. I was fascinated with the plants because I had never seen geraniums that large and because they were blooming in winter.

One day I got up the nerve to ask him where he got the plants and he said he took them from the garden one year and he’d had them in the window at least 20 years. He told me geraniums were like weeds and then he broke off a piece and gave it to me. He told me to stick it in a pot of soil when I got home and keep it watered and it would grow into my own geranium plant.

My orange geranium - it was difficult to get a good shot 
of it in the kitchen window.  You can see the other cutting 
getting ready to bloom.

I already had a bedroom window full of plants and I took it home and did just as Bill said. My grandma stored her geraniums that she grew in her flowerbeds in the summer in brown paper bags in her basement over the winter. She didn’t have room upstairs for them. She told me mine would take a bit of time to grow and bloom, and it did, but eventually I had a geranium in bloom in my bedroom window.

If you like flowers in the winter, as I do, the geranium is just the plant for you. You need a sunny window for them to bloom, but if you can give them south or west exposure, you’ll probably have flowers all winter.  And geraniums come in many colors, upright and vining forms, variegated leaves almost as pretty as the flowers, and even scented leaves. If you tend to collect varieties of plants you like, then geraniums give you plenty of choices for collecting.

In the house geraniums need bright light for bloom, allow them to dry a little between waterings, feed them lightly once a month and if you can provide nights cooler than the day so much the better. You can bring in plants you had in the garden or in pots on the patio before it frosts or take cuttings from outside plants for smaller plants inside. Geranium cuttings root very easily in water or soil.

Geraniums aren’t the only plants that will bloom inside over the winter. The Chinese, or tropical hibiscus will thrill you with huge colorful blooms all winter if you have room for them. I have 5 huge red flowers on one in my bedroom, and some fluffy double pink flowers on a plant blooming in the living room.  I have another hibiscus plant with yellow and red swirled flowers that isn’t blooming at the moment.

Most of the tropical hibiscus make small trees and can take up a lot of space but they are so worth it. They also need very strong light to bloom, being kept moist and fed once a month. Some bloom in cycles, blooming for a few weeks, then resting a few weeks. Like geraniums there are many colors, some variation in shapes of both flowers and plants, and some hibiscus even have pretty variegated foliage. These hibiscuses can go outside in the summer but can’t take any frost.

Here's my bedroom window with hibiscus and amaryllis 
in bloom.

Other notable winter flowering houseplants are gerbera daisies, the holiday cacti, (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter), streptocarpus, African violets, the fibrous rooted begonias, small-flowered fuchsias, episcia, kalanchoe, dwarf pomegranate, and pentas. 

Orchids have winter flowering types but can be tricky to grow. There are some jasmines that flower indoors in winter. Many lemon and other citrus bloom in winter, although the flowers aren’t that showy. Specialty catalogs have often have unusual species of plants that bloom in the winter.

The peace lily will flower on and off all winter if it has the right conditions. It needs much brighter light than most people tend to give it to flower well.  Inside in winter the peace lily should be right in front of a south or west window or under a grow light. (In summer outside it is a shade plant, and it will tolerate lower light indoors but not bloom well.)

Amaryllis will flower inside in winter if started in pots in the fall. They then need a dormant period before blooming again.  I lucked out with the new amaryllis I bought this fall. So far it has had four blooms and has another bud stalk developing. Adeniums can flower in winter but are quite expensive and can be tricky to grow. Sometimes florist type azaleas that spent the summer outside will bloom in the winter indoors.

You can experiment with a number of tender perennials inside for winter. I have had impatiens come up from seed dropped in larger pots during the summer, that were brought inside. They generally sprout around November and begin blooming in January and they will bloom all winter once they start.  I have an evolvulus plant that is inside blooming off and on under a grow light.

Many plants you grow in the garden won’t bloom inside. Many perennials need a winter chilling period to set flower buds. Most annual plants that grew through the summer won’t continue in the winter. If you plant some annuals in pots in the fall you might get bloom in mid-winter when the days begin to lengthen. Beware some annuals also won’t grow without a chilling period for the seeds.

I have a morning glory seed that sprouted in a pot I brought inside this fall. Normally they would require some cold stratification to begin growing, but there it is. I’ll see if it will continue to grow and bloom. It’s in the south kitchen window in a pot of aloe that was outside this summer.

Another plant that I always have come up from seed in pots I bring inside is the woodland nicotiana. They require strong light inside and a lot of space because the plants get huge. Plants can reach 5 feet high and individual leaves 2 feet long. I have never transplanted them into their own pot and tried to get a large plant, although I have had some stunted plants actually bloom inside. This year I am experimenting with one transplanted into its own pot, although I don’t know if I’ll have room for it to mature.

Marigolds will sprout inside without any particular seed treatment, and you will get them to bloom in about 6 weeks if they are in a south window or under grow lights.

Miniature roses can bloom inside in the winter, but they need very strong light and tend to have lots of problems with insects and diseases inside. If you try to grow them inside use a south window or grow lights, you may need both, treat them with a systemic rose product for insects and disease and feed them regularly.

In winter there are a number of small potted plants sold for their colorful flowers that are a once and done thing too. After a short bloom period they either die or go dormant. This includes many pots of forced spring blooming bulbs, mums, pocketbook plant, alstroemeria and assorted other blooming plants. They can perk things up for a short time anyway.

Flowers brighten the winter days and there’s no reason to be without something blooming in the house in the dreary days when we are housebound. Foliage is nice but flowers really lift the spirits. If nothing else find some geraniums to light up your world.

Pretty pink geranium

Below are some additional articles you may want to read.

 

African violets

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/growing-african-violets-african-violets.html

Amaryllis

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/houseplants-amaryliss4-amaryllis-did.html

Chinese Hibiscus

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/chinese-hibiscus-rosea-sinesis.html

 

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."

-      Luther Burbank

Stay warm

Kim

This article may not be used without permission.

 

 

 

December 20, 2021, Winter Solstice, Christmas plants and Tourtiere

Happy New Year’s eve

The savory smell of my traditional meat pies is filling the air as I write this.  I am making them for our New Year’s breakfast tomorrow. (Recipe at the end of this blog.) Flowers are blooming inside, and my plants are enjoying the sun filtering through the window. It’s cold but above freezing and there’s just a bit of snow on the ground.

We are lucky to get more sun and warmer weather than normal here this year. For all of you who have had terrible weather, and even horrible damage from weather, I hope for you better weather and better times in the new year.

Whether you go by the Gregorian calendar or not, tomorrow is the beginning of a new year by the natural cycle of the sun.  Winter Solstice occurs in the morning and the sun will begin to climb again in the sky. This cycle does take 365 days+/- a few minutes but the suns year started on December 21, 2020, not January 1, 2021, on the human calendar. I don’t know why people shifted the beginning and end of the natural year to a different start and end. Maybe to prolong those solstice celebrations?

December 20^th is the last day of the natural year based on the suns annual cycle.  December 21^st is the calendar date of the first day of meteorological winter and the natural first day of the new year. For EST the exact time of winter solstice is 10:59 am, December 21^st.  However most traditional celebrations begin at midnight on the 20^th.

And although winter solstice is the shortest day technically, the days just before and after winter solstice are only seconds shorter or longer. We will have 4 minutes more daylight by December 31^st. By the end of January 52 more minutes have been added

Winter solstice always makes me very happy because the dregs of the year, the darkest times are over and slowly the days begin to lengthen and the sun, the source of life, grows stronger and climbs higher each day. It’s getting closer to gardening time with each passing day now. Oh, yes there will still be some dark, cold times ahead, but there is the knowledge that we are moving forward to better times.

It must have been a little disconcerting for early migrators from equatorial zones to see the sun getting lower in the sky and the days growing colder and shorter in their new homelands.  Naturally they would monitor the skies, hoping for the sun to return to normal. The farther north (or south) you move the more drastic the difference in winter and summer would become.

It amazes me that early man, long before our powerful and precise instruments were developed, was able to so accurately follow the suns cycle and predict the date of solstice.  Knowing what to expect, is of course, a great relief to most humans.

Celebrating winter solstice

Our distant ancestors knew that the sun was the key to life. Long before Hanukkah, long before Christmas, long before all other holidays, people celebrated the winter solstice, the turning point of the sun. At winter solstice the sun has been resurrected or reborn. When the sun “turned and began to come back” it was a signal that life would continue. This has always been a time for great celebration. 

Our ancestors believed that man was closest to the spiritual realm in the days around winter solstice.  It was a solemn time of meditation and reflection, a time to relinquish fears and cares in the old year and look forward to better times in the new. Fires were lit to symbolically burn fears, cares and transgressions. 

The proper way to celebrate solstice eve is to build a fire, small or large. Oak wood for the fire had spiritual significance in earlier times. Then you transfer your cares, problems, and sins from the old year to something you can burn, pinecones, written notes, sprigs of herbs and so on, and burn them.  After burning the past, say what you want in the new year. For three days you should reflect on the old year and plan for the new.

At the end of about 3 days of solemn retrospection, there should be feasting and visiting with the community (not this year though, unless virtually) to celebrate life and the promise of the new year. Small gifts were given in past times, mostly for luck in the new year, which is the probable origin of gift giving at this time of year. 

If you wish to gift people Winter Solstice gifts should be small and symbolic, herbal and dried flower bougets, handmade items, special foods, plants, cards with special notes for friends and family, books and so on.

Our ancestors also brought greenery into the house, pine boughs and other evergreens which symbolize eternal life. Mistletoe warded off evil. This is where the custom of decorating the home with evergreen trees and wreaths began. So feel free to decorate with live greenery.

Christmas, not coincidently, falls about three days after winter solstice. Several hundred years after Christ was supposedly born Christian religious leaders were struggling to keep people from celebrating the pagan celebrations of winter solstice. They decided to embrace it, giving Christians a holiday they could celebrate without guilt. Still many Christian groups would not allow either celebration for hundreds of years.

You can celebrate both holidays if you like. Certainly, there is a great need for burning away the cares and problems of the past year. And we need the hope of a better year.

 

Christmas Plants

 

Even though it’s cold in many areas many plants are sold around Christmas for decoration and as gifts. I’ll give some links to articles on the care of individual species but there are some generalities to consider when bringing Christmas plants home.

First protect plants from the cold when taking them from the store to your car. For some plants even a short blast of cold air can cause problems. If temperatures are below 40 degrees F make sure to cover the plant before it goes outside and move it to a warm car quickly. It belongs in the passenger compartment, not the trunk.

And don’t leave the plant in the car while you shop at other stores or worse overnight. This will kill most plants sold at Christmas if temps fall below freezing. Poinsettias and other indoor plants cannot be used as porch decorations if you live in the north.

It’s also not the time of year to buy plants that need to be shipped. Plants left in unheated warehouses and delivery vans are going to arrive damaged or dead. Reputable and experienced nurseries won’t ship plants to you if they believe they may get too cold. But there are many inexperienced and not so reputable people out there selling plants that will ship them to you- and hope you won’t bother them for a refund.

If you are buying or are gifted plants you want to keep living after the holidays follow these tips. Remove the colorful foil from the plant as soon as possible and make sure the pot can drain.  Keep the plant away from heat sources and drafts. Check to see if the soil feels dry before you water the plant but do water it before it wilts. 

Plants can survive low light for a few days while you use them for centerpieces and décor, but you need to get them into the light conditions they prefer as soon as possible.  In the northern half of the US and in Canada winter sun is not strong and if you do not have a south or west window plants can sit in directly, consider using a grow light over them.

Make sure people don’t dump drinks in plants. And many Christmas plants can be harmful to children and pets, so keep them away. Poinsettias get a bad rap for being poisonous, but they are only mildly toxic, causing vomiting if enough is eaten. Mistletoe, Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum) and yews are very toxic and probably shouldn’t be brought into homes with children and pets. Make sure to identify and look up the toxicity of any plant you bring inside if you have children and pets.

Live evergreen trees that are hardy outside should only be kept inside for a week or so and kept away from heat sources.  Then move them outside, even in cold areas.  Rosemary sheared into a tree shape should be moved to a cool (temps 40-60 degrees F), but bright place if you want it to stay healthy until spring.

Here are some links to articles on Christmas plant long term care.

 Amaryllis

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/houseplants-amaryliss4-amaryllis-did.html

Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti

http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/christmas-thanksgiving-and-easter-cacti.html

 

Frosty Fern

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/frosty-fern-selaginiela-krausianna.html

 

Mistletoe- note, this won’t grow in the house

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/mistletoe-strangler-and-kiss-mistletoe.html

Norfolk Island Pine

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

 

Poinsettias

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

 

Rosemary- scroll down this page on herbs until you find rosemary

 http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/herbs-growing-and-using.html

 

Tourtiere – French Canadian Meat pies

 

Meat pies are one of those items that have popularity in many parts of the world and each family who enjoys meat pies and makes their own may have a slightly different recipe.  My family is of French-Canadian ancestry and meat pies have always been part of our Christmas breakfast.  First my paternal grandmother made them, then my father and now I make them, along with some of my sisters, to carry on the tradition.

 

Typically, French Canadian Catholics ate meat pie after midnight mass.  In our family that was moved to later, on Christmas morning.  Our meat pies were spicy with black pepper and liberally doused with ketchup- which is also a common topping in Canada.

 

You can vary the spices in your meat pie, I have seen old recipes use thyme, rosemary, bay, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, as well as pepper and garlic.  Onions are a part of most meat pies.  Our meat pies always had potato in them- my grandfather also liked turnip in them when he had some.  But in earlier times it was said that only those poor enough not to have much meat added potatoes.  

 

I use ground beef and some spicy sausage in my meat pies, but others add venison, ground pork, veal or lamb.  About 3 pounds of meat will make two standard pies.  Feel free to experiment with meats and spices to make your own family recipe.

 

Ingredients

 

2 pounds of lean ground beef

1 pound of spicy (hot) ground sausage

6 cups of frozen Potatoes O’Brian (potatoes with onions and peppers)

  Or 4 cups of finely diced potatoes and 2 cups of finely diced onion

½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)

 

pie dough for 2 double crust pies

1 tablespoon butter, melted

 

Put bottom crust in each pie pan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

In a large pot, cook the beef and sausage with spices until lightly browned.  Drain off any grease. You should not need to add water.

 

Add potatoes O’Brian. (No need to thaw)

 

Cook, stirring often to keep meat and potatoes from scorching or sticking until the potatoes are soft.  Drain off any remaining grease.

 

Mash the meat and potato mixture with a potato masher or spoon so that the mixture is uniform, with no large pieces of meat or potatoes remaining.  (Taste the mixture to see if more spices are needed and adjust to your taste.)

UPDATE: You can put the meat and potatoes in a crock pot and cook until the meat is cooked and potatoes soft.

Fill pie crusts with hot meat mixture and top with the upper crust.  Put a few slits in the top crust and brush with melted butter.

 

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

 

Serve warm with ketchup.  (Some people like a beef gravy instead.)

 

Note: pies can be made ahead, cooled, wrapped tightly and frozen.  Defrost and heat thoroughly in oven before serving.

 

Have a spiritual solstice and a Merry Christmas or a great Holiday of your choosing.

 

Kim

December 1, 2021 Story of a pomegranate

Hi gardeners

Pomegranate inside

I was motivated to write a short blog this week by the harvesting of a pomegranate fruit from my pomegranate plant. I have to share pictures with someone. I know it’s been a while since I have posted but things have been a little rough here at home. My mother passed away last month, and my husband is beginning treatment for cancer. I hope you missed my articles but understand that there are times in our lives when some things need more attention than others.

Gardening keeps me going though, and as things improve here, I expect I will be once again motivated to share more garden stories and advice. So here’s my pomegranate story and I hope you like it.

 A couple of years ago I bought a tiny seedling of a pomegranate plant from Logee’s nursery.  It was a dwarf variety and said to do well in pots. I like unusual plants and the thought of an edible plant other than my Meyer lemon was intriguing.

Pomegranate is not hardy in Michigan of course and this plant has been a houseplant for roughly half of each year since I got it.  I put it outside after danger of frost has passed. It goes in light shade first, then is moved into full sun. When it comes back inside in the fall it’s put in a south facing window, with a grow light also near it in the depths of Michigan’s dark winter days.

Pomegranate makes a nice houseplant. It’s evergreen inside, with small oval leaves and wiry red-brown stems. It flowers on and off through winter if the light is good. There is some dropping of leaves when it’s brought inside but the plant quickly replaces them. They don’t have many insect or disease problems indoors.

Pomegranates are hardy to zone 8 and are sometimes grown as landscape plants in southern states. Outside pomegranates will lose their leaves in fall and go through a short dormant period.  Where they are hardy outside some types of pomegranates can make small trees. Usually however, pomegranates have a bushy shape. They tend to sucker at the base. Some have thorny branches.

Pomegranates like the drier areas of zone 8-9 since they are native to the Mid-East. They don’t flower or fruit well in the more humid areas of the south. They like sandy, well-draining soils and are drought tolerant once established. However regular watering is more likely to produce flowers and fruit. Outside they can get 15-20 feet high.

Pomegranate growing in pot outside

My pomegranate plant bloomed the first year I planted it. It has pretty orange -red flowers with a tubular shaped calyx that sports a puff of crepe paper like petals on the end. Mine blooms sporadically all year, with a heavier bloom in late spring and again in late summer. There are varieties of pomegranate that have yellow or white flowers and there are varieties with double flowers.

If you are lucky as I was this year, your pomegranate plant can produce fruit for you. Fruits range from about 2 inches to 5 inches across. Houseplants will produce small fruits, but they are equally edible as larger outside grown fruits.  Houseplants usually have fewer fruits also.

 A single plant can self-pollinate and produce fruit, but it needs help to do so. Bees like the flowers and so do hummingbirds, with hummers more likely to pollinate the flowers successfully. You can also help by moving pollen from one flower to another with a small paintbrush. If hummers are scarce in your area hand pollination is probably more reliable and of course you’ll have to do this if the plant is inside. Having two different cultivars for cross pollination will produce more fruit.

Pomegranate flower

There are many cultivars of pomegranate.  Mine was described as “Nana” in the Logee catalog and is a dwarf cultivar. ‘State Fair’ is another good dwarf variety.  My pomegranate has a bushy habit without any pruning. The now 3-year-old plant is about 2 feet high.  It’s in a 10-inch pot with an all-purpose planting medium. I fertilize it with a houseplant fertilizer twice a month from March through October.  I let it dry slightly between watering.

 If you do want to prune pomegranate, do it in the fall as it blooms and fruits on new wood. A light pruning in fall will stimulate new growth but heavy pruning tends to delay flowering. Flowering can also be reduced by inadequate light, especially inside.

You could grow pomegranate from the seeds of store-bought fruit, but the plants resulting from that won’t be good houseplants, if that’s your goal. Also, pomegranate like many fruits, doesn’t grow true from seed.  For a house or patio plant buy a seedling from a nursery that is from a dwarf type plant.  You can root cuttings from last years growth in the fall, with root hormone, in potting medium. Cuttings won’t start in water.

My pomegranate fruit in September

I was surprised to see a fruit developing on my plant this summer. It must have been pollinated by a bee or hummer. Fruit begins as a swelling of the calyx. The flower petals shrivel up but remain attached for some time. The little lump slowly grows for several months, producing a lot of big seeds inside, each surrounded by a juicy bit of pulp called an aril, that many people love the taste of.

Unfortunately for me I picked my small fruit too soon. The color of the fruit varies by variety.  Mine had started a dark reddish color but then got lighter and I thought when it began turning darker again it was probably ripe.  It wasn’t.  The seeds were white and the aril pale pink. The taste was quite sour.  But I now know to leave the fruit longer.  I first noticed the fruit in August, and it was picked the first of December, so the ripening period is long.

Unfortunately I picked the fruit too soon 

If you like houseplants that are a little different, or unusual patio plants that can be brought inside in winter, you may want to try growing a pomegranate.  Growing edibles indoors is also fun. But even if you don’t get fruit the pretty flowers on the plant can liven up indoor landscapes.

 

“From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens – the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye.”

– Katherine S. White

 

 

Kim Willis

 

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

Contact me at williskim151@gmail.com

 

 

October 23, 2021 the coming and going time

Dahlia

It’s a cold, drizzly gray day here, a preview of November. I gave in and let my poor shivering husband turn on the furnace. I spent yesterday bringing in the last of the potted stuff, as it may freeze tonight. I dug up several huge taro plants and repotted them and the last of the geraniums in one container on the deck.  I remembered this morning that there is a purple eucomis out there that needs to be dug but it will have to wait a day or two.  It will be fine if the foliage is killed.

I do expect a freeze tonight if this rain clears out. That should end things in the garden. There are still things in bloom, the salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ is blooming, morning glories are blooming, roses, mums, black eyed Susans, even some zinnias and cosmos are still blooming.  The tuberous and bedding begonias, one million bells plant and alyssum in my containers are all still blooming, although the petunias have given up.

I started to dig up the tuberous begonias yesterday but made myself quit. The house is packed with plants, and they are easy to acquire in the spring. I keep reminding myself not to save everything.  I did save the special, daffodil flowered one and I brought in one pot of fibrous begonias that was especially pretty.

Yesterday I picked all the dahlia blooms because they will be killed by a freeze and I will dig those dahlia tubers this coming week too, as well as some potatoes.  And I have bulbs to plant, quite a few, so I hope we get some sunny weather next week. It doesn’t have to be that warm, just not raining. The article below is about just that- digging and planting bulbs.

I am still fussing with lights inside the house, trying to get timers right and making sure everything gets light.  Our electric bill should be climbing now.  The thing I hate most about Michigan in winter is the lack of sunlight, we get so many cloudy gray days here.

There are still big flocks of robins feasting on autumn olive berries here.  I am still hearing red winged blackbirds and killdeer and seeing turkey vultures soaring around. But my feeders are still not as full of birds as they were in other years.

I have seen an all brown and an all black wooly bear caterpillar as well as some with both colors. That folk myth of the wooly bears color deciding what kind of winter we will have is plainly not true. Actually, wooly bear caterpillar color is random and more likely due to genetics than weather.  Of course, the human weather forecasters are kind of confused this year too, it seems.

Bulbs-digging and planting

It’s that time of year when gardeners are either planting bulbs or digging them up. If you want flowers in the spring like tulips and crocus, you plant them now. If you had some nice bulb and tuber plants such as cannas, dahlias and calla lilies in the garden this summer you may want to dig them up and store them over the winter. Start them early in spring indoors or just plant them in the garden after danger of frost has passed in the spring.

Here’s a list of summer blooming bulbs and tubers that can be dug and stored dormant over winter. Canna, calla, dahlias, glads, crocosmia, peacock orchids, tuberous begonias, eucomis (pineapple lilies), taro, and elephant’s ears.  Remember you don’t have to dig these bulbs, you can treat them like annuals, but in planting zones lower than 7 they will die over the winter, and you will need to buy new ones in spring.

Here’s a list of spring blooming bulbs and tubers that need to be planted in fall, in the ground or in large outside containers, for spring bloom. Tulips, daffodils, narcissus, crocus, hyacinths, fritillaria, snowdrops, corydalis, windflowers, trilliums, alliums, blood root, trout lilies, and there are many more spring blooming bulbs/tubers. Try something new every year if you can.

Lilies can be planted in spring or fall. They do not need to be dug and stored inside for winter. A few types of lilies are not winter hardy in all zones so check the zone hardiness before planting.

Peonies and a few other perennials are also planted in the fall and do not need to be dug up each year and stored if they are hardy in your planting zone.

Digging up bulbs and tubers for storage

I like to remove the summer blooming bulbs and tubers before I plant the spring blooming bulbs because it allows me to find places to pop the spring blooming bulbs in without lots of foliage in the way. So, after the first frost has killed or damaged the foliage of summer bulbs and tubers, I dig them. First, I cut back most of the foliage, leaving just enough to be able to handle the clumps easily.

I try to dig the summer bulbs and tubers on a warm sunny day if possible. I take a small shovel and loosen the soil all around the foliage clump. Most of these summer bulbs have grown larger than when you planted them and may have produced new bulbs and tubers.  So, I loosen a large circle around them, putting the shovel blade all the way into the soil all around the clump.

Next my preference is to get down there with my hands and try to lift the clump out of the ground.  I sometimes need to dig a little deeper to get under the clump.  I do this gently so as not to break off tubers or cut through bulbs or tubers.  Sometimes you can grasp remaining foliage and just lift up the clump. Check the site thoroughly for additional bulbs or tubers as many have multiplied.

Once the clump of bulbs or tubers is lifted out of the ground I shake or brush as much soil off the clump as possible. I like to let them dry in the sun for a few hours after digging. Then I brush more soil off if needed. If you cut through a bulb or tuber, you should discard it. Tubers or bulbs that break off a main stem or clump can be saved.  Many of them will grow in the spring.

I put my bulbs and tubers in net bags I save from year to year so I can keep varieties separate. I save net bags from spring planted bulbs or things like onions and oranges.  Sometimes I have so many tubers from some things that I use a separate bucket for that variety.  (You can use paper bags for storing bulbs and tubers but don’t use plastic bags.)

Mark the bulbs with the variety name or plant color by attaching a tag to the bag you put them in. You don’t need to do this if that information isn’t important to you, but I like to know the name or color because it helps me decide where to plant them in the garden in the spring. If your dahlia tubers are clean enough you can use a marker and write the name of the variety right on the tuber. It won’t hurt them.

Once bagged I put the bulbs and tubers in buckets or boxes filled with wood shavings. I lightly moisten the shavings by dumping some in a large tub and adding a small amount of water – I want the shavings to feel barely damp, so I add water a little at a time.

I put some damp shavings on the bottom of a container, add some bulbs and tubers, then more shavings, then more bulbs, in layers. The top should be completely covered with shavings.  If you don’t have shavings, you can use dry leaves, sawdust, peat moss, chopped straw, vermiculite, or even shredded paper. I have found that pine shavings are the best medium for storing bulbs in but others like different substances.  

After the bulbs and tubers have been packed in something the containers should be set in a dark, cool area.  The temperature should not go below freezing but should not go above 45 degrees F for best storage.  This should be an area that does not get rain or snow, you need to control the moisture.

By the way if you have an old refrigerator and don’t have tons of bulbs and tubers to store you could store them there.  Set the frig to stay between 40-45 degrees F.

As an alternative way to store bulbs and tubers you can cut back the foliage of potted plants and bring the whole pot inside to a cool, dark place.  I often do this with calla lilies and begonias that were growing in pots over the summer. I have done this with things like rain lilies and eucomis (pineapple lilies) also. I usually cut the foliage back on these or let it die back naturally in a cool, dark place.

I have even brought in huge potted cannas with their foliage intact, in this case I took them into a cool, bright area and let them continue to grow and even bloom for a while. You keep these watered. They do need a rest period though, even if it’s short. So, after a few weeks inside let the pots dry out, cut back the foliage and move the pots to a dark cool place.

Check your bulbs/tubers for mold about 2 weeks after you store them.  This is the most dangerous period as it is when the bulbs/tubers are often still damp. If the tuber/bulb still feels firm, you can wipe off mold and let the bulb/tuber air dry for a day or two before putting in back in storage. If any bulbs/tubers feel soft or mushy, they should be discarded.

Check your stored bulbs and tubers once a month. Discard soft, molded ones and replace the packing material, or spread it out somewhere and let it dry, if it feels too moist.

If tubers or bulbs feel and look shriveled, they may be too dry. Add just a little moisture to the packing material. Lower the temperature of the storage area if you can. If its close to spring, say late March, you can pot up the bulbs and tubers in damp growing medium, put them in a brightly lit place above 50 degrees but below 70 degrees and let them get a head start on spring.

 

Asiatic lilies- plant in fall or spring

Planting bulbs and tubers

Planting bulbs and some tubers for spring bloom is a pretty easy job. You can do it anytime until the ground freezes but planting them a month before that is ideal. If you are in planting zones 8 and higher you need to buy pre-chilled bulbs.  Or you can store bulbs in your refrigerator for about 8 weeks before planting. These bulbs need a cold dormant period to bloom.

Finding a spot where you don’t hit dormant bulbs and tubers from last year can be a problem, at least in my garden. Hopefully you have pictures of your garden in the spring so you can look at them and get an idea where things were planted last year. If you do dig up bulbs and tubers and they aren’t too damaged, just replant them.

The rule of thumb is to plant bulbs about 3 times as deep as their height. A tulip bulb that’s 2 inches high should be planted 6 inches deep. But for tubers and some bulbs there are often other considerations. So, make sure to check the label directions or look up those plants before you get started.

You can make individual holes or dig up a larger area, space the bulbs and then cover them. Spacing of bulbs depends on the species, so look at the directions. But I find most people spread the bulbs out too far, bulbs look better when closely planted. It can seem like a lot when you look at planting 100 bulbs, but really that 100 bulbs doesn’t look like much in the spring if they are widely spaced.

Also, unless you have a specific design in mind don’t plant bulbs in single, long rows as this doesn’t look natural. Plant them staggered, in groups of least 3-5 bulbs or in several rows back to back.

While it may look bare when you are planting the bulbs/tubers in the fall, consider what might be growing there in the spring. Bulbs that bloom early can get tucked close to hosta and other large perennials because they will bloom and be done before the plants get large. But later blooming bulbs may have their blooms smothered by fast developing perennial plants.

Similarly, bulbs and tubers that need sun can often be planted under deciduous trees and they will bloom and mature their foliage before the tree casts much shade. But if a later blooming bulb that needs sun is planted under that same tree it may not do well.

If you want spring blooming bulbs to return each year their foliage needs to yellow and die down naturally. Consider this when you plant them. I like to plant bulbs in the perennial garden where the yellowing foliage will be hidden by growing perennials. That’s why planting things like crocus and bluebells in the lawn needs to be considered carefully. Are you willing to let the grass grow long until the bulb foliage has matured?

Some tulip bulbs do not return reliably the second year. Read the variety description and look for tulips described as perennial. Still, you will probably lose some bulbs every year. For this reason, I plant some kind of new tulip variety every fall.

Critter problems

One of the most common problems people have with bulb planting is having animals dig up and eat the bulbs. When you plant try to leave the area looking like the soil is undisturbed, freshly dug earth is attractive to squirrels in particular. And cats don’t eat bulbs but like to “use” freshly dug areas and may dig bulbs out of the ground. So after planting cover the area with a mulch of leaves, or maybe the debris from your perennial plants. You can add a layer of chicken wire or fencing but it must be removed in early spring.

DO NOT USE BONEMEAL WHEN PLANTING BULBS. This is the number one reason many bulbs get dug up and eaten. Many species of animals are attracted to the smell of bonemeal, and they can smell it underground. Also, you do not need to use fertilizer when you plant bulbs, but if you want to use it, use a fertilizer that does not have bonemeal or bloodmeal and that’s meant for bulbs. Scatter it on top of the area you planted, don’t put it in bulb holes.  

Daffodil, narcissus, fritillaria and allium bulbs are not bothered by animals as much as other bulbs. They are rarely eaten but can still be dug out of the ground.

Here is another thing to be aware of, some bulbs such as daffodils are poisonous to dogs. Dogs will eat things other animals won’t unfortunately. I almost lost a small dog after it ate part of a daffodil bulb. Keep your dogs away from areas where you are planting bulbs. Your little helper may grab a bulb without you knowing it.

Make sure to mark or make a map as to where you planted what bulbs or tubers. No, you won’t always remember. And it helps in the spring when you want to plant some dormant perennials early in spring, in case the bulbs or tubers have not emerged yet, or you aren’t certain what is growing where you want to plant.

Whether you are planting bulbs and tubers or digging them up this fall remember that bulbs and tubers are a valuable edition to any garden. Spring blooming bulbs provide some of the first food sources for pollinators plus their blooms are very welcome for human observers too. And summer blooming bulbs like dahlias are often some of the last flowers in the garden and provide both food for pollinators and color for the landscape. Bulbs and tubers are a gardener’s friend.

 

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.”
— Dodinsky

 

Kim Willis

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

Contact me at williskim151@gmail.com