Planters Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
June 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANNUAL PICNIC - TUESDAY June 18th,
5:30 -8:00 p.m.
5:30 -8:00 p.m.
at the
SOLOMON WELLES HOUSE 220 Hartford Ave. Wethersfield.
President: Tony
Sanders
Vice President: John Swingen
Vice President: John Swingen
Secretary: Fred
Odell
Treasurer: Richard Prentice
Treasurer: Richard Prentice
Help Maintain the WESTON ROSE GARDEN Saturdays @ 8:00 am: Fellowship, witty conversation, public service and a
modicum of exercise.
Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan
We came to this decision not out of any hippy-dippy, new age belief that, when it comes to what should or shouldn’t decorate our landscape, Mother Nature knows best. She doesn’t. She plants way too many weeds in all the wrong places.
The reasoning behind our laissez-faire landscaping modus operandi is threefold: (1) we don’t remember what and where the old perennials are; (2) we don’t know yet what new plants are going to show up now that, due to extensive tree removal, one-half of our growing area has been involuntarily converted from Connecticut shade-grown to blisteringly solar irradiated; and (3) plants move.
We actually
have gone through the amnesiac phase before. In fairness to us, one reason we
are not sure of the identities of many of our perennial repeaters is that we in
fact did not know what they were when we took them in. Some came from friends – who being friends –
we never really question when they offer us something horticultural. They probably told us what they were and how
they grow – at least we hope so.
So we have
the nameless, over-reaching ground cover from Ed; the anonymous tiny white
flowers from Judy (the ones that are not Feverfew [also from Judy] which we do
recall, although not exactly where they are – and definitely not the Tansy
[Judy again], the location of which I am constantly aware because I spend most
of my waking hours from early April through late October trying to keep it from
spreading out of there); the two patches of slightly different tall, small
sunflowers and/or daisies one of which we was given by our daughter-in-law
Monica in New Mexico and the other by Richard formerly of Wethersfield – we
just aren’t sure who gave us what; and many others that we are sure were gifted
to Marsha and me, but not by whom.
We also have
quite a few bushes and shrubs that we have literally rescued from death’s door
at such places as the now defunct Heritage Garden at the Town Hall and an
overgrown house garden that the new owner just “wanted out of here.” No knowledgeable person was around during
these guerilla gardening activities, so in general I had no idea what I was
taking when I took them. Even less idea
when I planted them a week later. And
absolutely not a clue when they reappeared the next year – presumably in the
same spot I had originally placed them.
I actually
figured out the identity of one of the adopted plants after it reached full
bloom. It was Decorative Fennel that had been removed and replanted before any
of its distinctive yellow umbels or licorice aroma were up and running. But most of the time if the plant arrives
under a cloak of secrecy we don’t ask any questions.
Last year
Rose of Sharon, Flowering Crab, Thistle and Pokeweed spontaneously appeared in
the new sunny part of our yard. All but
the Pokeweed are back so far – plus honeysuckle is already muscling out some of
the shade lovers that apparently kept it under wraps all these years. We have it in another part of the yard, but
never, ever in this particular location – so I am not sure if it has migrated
or just, having lain dormant for lo these many years, been given new life by
the rays of sunshine now pouring down on it.
The
aforementioned Fennel is on the move – migrating outward after spending several
years confining itself to the garage wall at the back of one of our
gardens. Now it seems to be striving to
fill any available piece of soil within its seed-throwing range.
A while back
we rescued a small plant with red tipped leaves and short white feathery
flowers. After two years of good
behavior, it is now aggressively marching eastward at the other end of the
garden from the Fennel – as well as forming a second small commune in what is
now the most sun-ravaged of our perennial beds, across the lawn and about
thirty yards to the south of the parental pod.
All this –
plus myriads of unrecognizable small green potentially perennial looking shoots
popping up among and between.
The longer I
garden, the taller I let the unknowns grow – just to be certain. And the longer I garden, the more unknowns
there are.
Horti-Culture Corner
Garden Song
by David Mallett
[Including The Anti-Garden Verses]
CHORUS:
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
Gonna mulch it deep and low
Gonna make it fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Please bless these seeds I sow
Please keep them safe below
'Till the rain comes tumbling down
Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
We are made of dreams and bones
Need a place to call my own
'Cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
Till my body and my brain
Tell the music of the land
REPEAT CHORUS
Plant your rows straight and long
Season with a prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her loving care
Old crow watching from a tree
He's got his hungry eye on me
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there
REPEAT CHORUS
Slug by slug, weed by weed
Boy this garden's got me t'd
All the insects come to feed
On my tomato plants
Sunburt face, skinned up knees
The kitchen's chocked with zucchinis
I'm shopping at the A&P's
Next time I get the chance
REPEAT CHORUS
DIY Solutions to Your Home Garden Disasters
By Julia Scott – www.mint.com
I love gardening, but I hate spending my hard-earned
paycheck to keep my plants happy. Between the soil, plants, and accessories –
gardening is one hobby that can be very expensive!
Here are 12 DIY solutions to your common gardening
problems:
Fill a bucket with
the cold water from your shower while you’re waiting for it to heat up. Feed it
to your thirsty plants and flowers, which will reduce your water bill and
overall consumption. Here are 14 more ways to reduce your water bill.
Did you know many weeds are edible? Here is a list of
weeds you can eat, including dandelion, watercress, and bamboo. Just be
absolutely certain before you put a weed in your mouth or consider asking a
professional!
Pour boiling water over weeds to kill them. Heat as much
water as you can safely carry, then dump a few gallons over a trouble spot.
Repeat in a few days if the weeds are still green.
Lay down flattened cardboard boxes over weedy areas.
Anchor the cardboard with heavy rocks in the corners and center and wait out
those annoying weeds!
Make your own composter for about $4 instead of buying
one for $75 bucks at your local home improvement store! All you need, besides a
5-gallon Homer bucket and lid, is a drill and ? or ? inch drill bit to make
holes in the bucket and lid.
Forget buying nutrient-rich soil – that’s what your
homemade compost is for!
Plants greens that will reduce your grocery bill. The
highest yield per square foot is cilantro, followed by arugula and leafy
greens, according to one gardening expert. I love to plant my own herbs, which
are so expensive to buy, especially when I only need a teaspoon!
Use newspapers to make seedling cups instead of buying
new ones. Roll a few sheets into a long cylinder, tape in a few spots, and then
cut off 3-inch segments. Arrange in a tray, fill each mini cylinder with a bit
of soil, and plant your seeds. Spritz with water so seeds are moist, but not
wet.
Deter ants with cucumber peels, cayenne pepper, or
vinegar. A 50-50 mix of borax and sugar sprinkled on an ant’s nest and trail
will kill the little buggers.
Drown slugs in shallow dishes of beer. Dig a hole into
the soil that is just wide and long enough to fit a small dish. The lip of the
dish should be even with the soil. Slugs like the smell of beer, so they crawl
in, have a swig, and then drown! You can also rid your garden of slugs by
spreading crushed eggshells around plants. Slugs avoid rough surfaces – ouch!
Plant parsley, spearmint, sweet fennel, and dill in your
garden to attract ladybugs, which hunt and kill aphids. You can also buy
ladybugs, but there’s no guarantee they’ll stick around!
My husband hates to throw out scrap wood, which is
perfect for making raised garden beds or borders. You can also repurpose
stones, rocks, and concrete to form borders or create outdoor art.
True gardening stories: My funniest garden experience
by Marco Quinn Polo (www.helium.com)
My observations of the crazy neighbor lady began with
watching her futile attempts to grow flowers in the little circular flower bed
in front of her house. Keeping in mind the climate in the desert consists of
mostly sunny and hot days paired with the annual rainfall percentage in the
single digits, the average yard's lawn has been replaced by rock while cactus
and palm trees are the norm. I thought she was just plain mad.
As the front of my house faces the front of hers, I
always had a bird's eye view of her wild antics. Apparently, her main problem
was rabbits happily munching away at her flowers with the dawn and dusk of each
day. I always assumed wildlife was a good thing for scenery purposes. So I was
horrified one day as I watched her throw open her front door, scurry over to
the flower bed and screech at the top of her lungs something about "stay
out of my plants". This behavior became a common daily occurrence as the
"Wabbit" population grew and my neighbor thought she was Elmer Fudd.
Evidently the tiny brain rabbits do possess somehow
regulated common sense because they kept coming back to her plants day after
day. I even considered that they might actually be laughing at her in
"bunny conversations" because I know I was amused to see her freak
out. Her next level of scare tactics was to pick up rocks and hurl them in the
direction of the rabbit as it vacated the scene of the crime after hearing her
high-pitched threats. Not only did she have really bad aim, her body
positioning was similar to that of a three year old throwing an overhand ball
for the first time.
Finally, I decided it was my neighborly duty to assist
this woman who was bound to hurt herself trying to be Randy Johnson. In
addition, I wanted to head her off at the pass before she invested in a Smith
& Wesson. I did extensive research on the plants and flowers that would
survive our climate and be repulsive to the palate of creatures. I waited for
her next "ranting and raving" session so I could casually bring up
the subject then give her the information I'd collected. Upon receipt she
noticed the words I'd used on the Internet for my search: rabbits, climate,
little rainfall etc. Instead of thanking me for trying to save her voice box,
rotator cuff and the neighborhoods ear drums, she pursed her lips and furrowed
her brow asking "What are you spying on me now?" I had been right all
along, she was just plain mad.
True gardening stories: My funniest garden experience
by Pat Merewether (www.helium.com)
What would you think if you saw one of your neighbors
staggering around her front yard drinking the remains of 40 oz. beer at eight
o'clock in the morning? Well, mine did and the staggerer was me and it's all
the slugs fault.
Every year, my beautiful Hostas grew up green and lush
only to be tattered into doilies by slugs. I tried every suggestion passed on
to me. One was to put out small dishes filled with beer. The concept is that
slugs love beer and will race their little slug bodies to it and happily drown
themselves. I liked the idea of them dying happy; I don't enjoy killing
critters, but I was desperate.
So, early one evening I set about placing little bowls of
Bud around the garden. I was tempted to put on some tunes and add tiny strings
of lights - but I didn't. As it turns out, I did start a party of sorts. We
awoke at two the next morning to the strangest sounds. I turned on the flood
light to find several drunken raccoons staring back at me, I swear one did his
own imitation of 'the scream'. Apparently, raccoons also love beer and
especially enjoyed the marinated slug appetizers.
The next morning I decided to give the beer bowls one
more try. I still had half my '40' (as the guys call it). I padded outside in
my robe and slippers and filled the bowls. I had a couple of ounces left so
decided to finish the bottle off myself. It was at this point that my other
nemesis, moles, got me as well. As I drained the last drop of the Bud, I
stepped into a mole tunnel just as my neighbor drove by. So there I was,
flailing around in my robe and slippers with a large bottle of beer tipped to
my lips. My neighbor started to wave, then did a double take and nearly ran off
the road. I thought about trying to explain the whole thing to him, but would
you believe such a story?
My hostas , my good name and sanity were all about
finished. Slugs: 1, Me: 0. I finally won, but that's another story.
Members: please send me your own “funniest garden
experience”
The Perennial Plant of the Year™
http://www.perennialplant.org/
The Perennial Plant of the Year™ (POY™) program began in
1990 to showcase a perennial that is a standout among its competitors.
Perennials chosen are suitable for a wide range of growing climates, require
low maintenance, have multiple-season interest, and are relatively
pest/disease-free. If you are looking for an excellent perennial for your next
landscape project or something reliable for your gardens, make sure to check
out the Perennial Plant of the Year™ archive list. For information about other
perennials, be sure to search the Plant Database.
Since the Perennial Plant of the Year™ was introduced in
1990, the Perennial Plant Association has received frequent inquiries about how
the Perennial Plant of the Year™ is selected. The selection process is quite
simple – PPA members vote for the Perennial Plant of the Year™ each summer. At
that time, in addition to the vote, each member may also nominate up to two
plants for future consideration. The Perennial Plant of the Year™ committee
reviews the nominated perennials (more than 400 different perennials are often
nominated each year) and selects 3 or 4 perennials to be placed on the ballot.
Nominations generally need to satisfy the following
criteria:
Suitability for
a wide range of climatic conditions
Low-maintenance
requirements
Relative pest-
and disease-resistance
Ready
availability in the year of promotion
Multiple
seasons of ornamental interest
2013 Perennial Plant of the Year™
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’
Common Names
Variegated Solomon’s Seal
Striped Solomon’s Seal
Fragrant Solomon’s Seal
Variegated Fragrant Solomon’s Seal
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ is the Perennial Plant
Association’s 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year™. Polygonatum odoratum,
pronounced po-lig-o-nay’tum o-do-ray’tum vair-e-ah-gay’tum, carries the common
names of variegated Solomon’s Seal, striped Solomon’s Seal, fragrant Solomon’s
Seal and variegated fragrant Solomon’s Seal. This all-season perennial has
greenish-white flowers in late spring and variegated foliage throughout the
growing season. The foliage turns yellow in the fall and grows well in moist
soil in partial to full shade.
The genus
Polygonatum, native to Europe, Asia, and North America is a member of the
Asparagaceae family. It was formerly found in the family Liliaceae. Regardless
of its new location, members of Polygonatum are excellent perennials for the
landscape. The genus botanical name (Polygonatum) comes from poly (many) and
gonu (knee joints) and refers to the many-jointed rhizome from which the leaves
arise. The common name Solomon’s Seal has several proposed derivations. The
first is that the scar that remains on the rootstock after the leaf stalks die
off in the fall resembles the seal impressed on wax on documents in the past.
The second source is that John Gerard, the English botanist and herbalist,
suggested that the powdered roots were an excellent remedy for broken bones. He
also felt that the plant had the capacity for “sealing wounds,” which was why
the perennial received the common name – Solomon’s Seal.
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ grows 18 to 24 inches
tall and will spread by rhizomes to form colonies. The oval-shaped leaves are
carried on upright, arching, unbranched stems. The variegated leaves are light
green with white tips and margins. Leaves turn an attractive yellow in the
autumn. Sweetly fragrant, small, bell-shaped white flowers with green tips, are
borne on short pedicels from the leaf axils underneath the arching stems.
Bluish-black berries are sometimes present in the autumn
Variegated Solomon’s Seal is a classic beauty for the
shady woodland garden or the part-shade to full-shade border. It is a great
companion plant to other shade lovers including hostas, ferns, and astilbes.
The sweet fragrance will enhance that walk along a pathway on a spring morning.
Flower arrangers will find the variegated foliage to be an attribute for spring
floral arrangements. And finally, this all-season perennial offers yellow fall
foliage color.
There are no serious insect or disease problems with
variegated Solomon’s Seal. Plants may be
divided in the spring or fall. The white rhizomes should be planted just below
the soil surface. Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ is a very easy perennial to
grow and will enhance any shade garden, especially a more natural one.
Soil: Variegated Solomon’s seal prefers moist,
well-drained soil.
Uses: This perennial offers vivid highlights in shaded
areas of borders, woodland gardens, or naturalized areas. The variegated
foliage is attractive in flower arrangements.
Unique Qualities: Solomon’s Seal has arching stems that
carry pairs of small, bell-shaped, white flowers in mid to late spring. The
variegated ovate leaves are soft green with white tips and margins. Fall leaf
color is yellow.
Maintenance: There are no serious insect or disease
problems with variegated Solomon’s seal. Plants may be divided in the spring or
fall. The white rhizomes should be planted just below the soil surface.
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ is a very easy perennial to grow and will
enhance any shade area.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 3 to 8.
