Monday, January 11, 2016

January 2016


Planters Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
January 2016
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"Connecticut’s Notable Trees"
@ Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield January Meeting
Monday January 25 @ 7:00 pm 
in the Pitkin Community Center

Frank Kaputa of the Connecticut Notable Trees Project, will present to the Wethersfield Mens Garden Club on our state’s historic and largest trees, the techniques used to measure them and the criteria used to determine which trees are state and national champions. 

Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan
             Birds are dumb.  Squirrels too.  I am convinced that if it were not for those of us who maintain year-around bird feeders we would be living in a world without chirps and tweets.
            And even with that easy-eating option these dopey diners would still starve to death if we suppliers of seed did not diligently keep these alfresco eateries fully stocked ­ – day in, day out, twenty-four seven.
            For example Mars and I provide our resident tree rodents with a Squirrel Feeder Table and Chair – the dining surface of which contains an inverted metal screw onto which outrageously priced ears of dried corn (too unsuitable for cattle feed or even ethanol) are screwed.
            “Could there be a cuter way of feeding squirrels? Great fun watching them gnaw away at an ear of dried corn. Keep your zoom camera handy for some great photos!”
            Except at least half of the kernels never even make it to the beginning of the squirrel’s perpetually churning digestive system.  Instead these juicy yellow grain bits are found, day after day, scattered across the green metal tree-rat chair and strewn all around the ground at the base of the oak tree, which provides a home for the small, one-patron at a time, diner.
            And do the other squirrels that are sitting on the ground and looking up enviously at their chow-downing drey-mate deign to partake in this indiscriminately distributed bounty?  NOOOO!
            And when the chair of honor is unoccupied do they check to see what pre-plucked nuts of corn might be available for the taking before beginning the arduous chore of stripping them off of the ear?   NOOO!
            Does anyone except perhaps the once-or-twice a year passing duck, or the strutting murders of crows that take over our yards during their winter migrations even notice this free supply of high fructose food?   NOOOO! And NOOOO!  (Well occasionally the big black birds actually do indulge themselves.)
            And it is the same at our sunflower seed feeders where the average sparrow spews way more than he chews.  But here at least low-lying doves creep by at the end of the day to suck up some of the residue.
            Then each night, no matter what, like a loyal domestic servant, this weary seed supplier dons his winter jacket, scarf, gloves, and hat and trudges through windblown sleet, snow, and bitter cold to ensure that the shelves in all of our cafeterias are fully stocked and ready to go when the first ray of sunshine illuminates that initial customer of the day.
            Birds are dumb.   Squirrels too. Or are they?

DIY: Make Your Own Wildflower Seed Bombs
by Kendra Wilson – gardenista.com
            Guerrilla gardening may use the language of civilian warfare, but floral beauty is the uniting cause. Gardening without permission is another way of describing these activities: not strictly legal but filed away by the authorities under the category of "What's not to like." Alex Mitchell in her book The Rurbanite shows us how to make seed bombs, using guerrilla tactics to spread cheer.
            A "rurbanite" is someone who has "a passion for the countryside but no intention of leaving the city," says Alex Mitchell, adding: "A growing band of rurbanites is getting in touch with the green side of the city." Enter guerrilla gardening.
            "Seed bombs are best, and the most fun, when thrown into neglected roundabouts, central reservations, flowerbeds and planters," says Mitchell.
            Many guerrilla gardeners arm themselves with trowels and work nocturnally. But with seed bombs it is possible to make a difference without that considerable commitment; lob a bomb from a bicycle, a car window or when passing on foot.
            Seed bombing is best done in spring and autumn, says Alex Mitchell. Or, time your attack to coincide with heavy rainfall.
            Before seed bombing, assess a site for sunniness and choose your seeds accordingly. They do not need to be sun-loving annuals: foxgloves would suit a shadier site. Cosmos (Above), a classic annual, is a perfect candidate for guerrilla gardening.
            Different types of seed may be combined to make a seed bomb, says Alex Mitchell, but check that they can all be sown at the same time of year.
            Best flowers for seed bombs: for sunny areas, annual meadow flowers including poppies, cornflower, marigold; Californian poppies; cosmos; hollyhocks; nigella; verbena bonariensis; viper's bugloss. For shady areas, use a woodland seed mix; foxgloves, tobacco plant, honesty.
            Wildflower Seed Mix collections for various growing zones including Texas, California, Midwest, and Southeast  are $8 apiece from Urban Farmer Seeds & Plants. In the UK Pictorial Meadows offers a wide choice of meadow seed for any situation.
            The instructions are simple enough, a bit like making chocolate truffles. Takes 30 minutes.
            Ingredients: Flower seed, Potter's clay powder, from any craft shop, Peat-free compost, Water, A bowl, A baking tray
            Instructions: Mix the seed, clay, and compost together in a bowl to a ratio of three handfuls of clay, five handfuls of compost and one handful of seed. Then carefully add water slowly and gradually (you don’t want it too gloopy), mixing it all together until you get a consistency that you can form into truffle-sized balls. Lay them out to bake dry on a sunny windowsill for at least three hours.
            Targets for seed bombing should not be brownfield sites, derelict and depressing as they seem. They may be privately owned and will have their own micro eco-system, best left alone. Ditto parks and other people's gardens. Instead, rescue neglected planters and flowerbeds as well as civic spaces to which the planting plan has long been lost.
            Now is the time to fight the good fight, says Alex Mitchell: "Urbanites the world over are looking at public green spaces around their homes with a new sense of responsibility and pride."

Lawn Reform: Back to the Future with Sustainable Lawns
By Thomas Christopher – gardenrant.com
            What is cutting edge in the field of sustainable lawns? Much of it is forgotten lore from the late 19th/early 20th century, I have been discovering.
            I came upon this revelation while preparing for the talk I am going to give this month at a conference organized by Larry Weaner that is to be hosted in Philadelphia by the Morris Arboretum and in New London, CT by Connecticut College.
            The basis of my talk will be my own experiences with alternatives to Kentucky bluegrass and the two or three other turf grasses that are the default choices for lawns today. My thesis is that if you broaden your sights and find a grass species that is naturally adapted to the soil and location, you shouldn’t have to cater to it with constant chemical applications and endless irrigation. Grassland, after all, is one of the toughest types of plant communities, commonly flourishing where conditions are too difficult to permit the growth of woody plants.
            This, I believed was an original thought, until I spent a couple of days reading late-19th-century gardening books at the New York Botanical Garden library. Published before the advent of the modern chemical industry, these presented a much more sensible and relaxed view of lawn care.
            For example, Lawns & Gardens by N. Jonsson-Rosé (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1897) included a list of two dozen wildflowers you can include with the grass when you sow a new lawn. Jonsson-Rosé might not have recognized the term “biological diversity” but his lawns were certainly no monocultures and definitely pollinator-friendly.
            And in Lawns and How to Make Them by Leonard Barron (Doubleday, Page & Co. 1914) I found recommendations for 13 different grass species, each one accompanied by a description of the type of soil and conditions that suited it best. Included in this list are several species such as sheep fescue that I have been using to create self-sufficient, low-input lawns. There is even one species in Barron’s list, sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) that was mixed with other grasses simply to give the lawn a sweet odor when it was cut. That might make you almost look forward to mowing.
            My favorite tip from these books: control dandelions by inviting Italian immigrants in to harvest the greens every spring.

10 Uses for Your Dead Christmas Tree
Jennifer Stimpson – This Old House magazine
            When the holidays are over, take down the tinsel, but don't bag the tree. Its needles, boughs, and trunk can do more than hold ornaments.
            1. Mulch with needles. Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on.
            2. Create a Bird Sanctuary Place your tree in its stand outdoors. Fill bird feeders and hang them from the boughs, or drape the tree with a swag of pinecones coated with peanut butter
            3.Insulate Perennials Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.
            4. Edge Your Borders.  Cut the trunk into 2-inch discs and set them into the soil to edge flower beds or walkways.
            5. Shelter Fish If you live near a lake or have a pond, and your tree's chemical-free, toss branches into the water to provide sheltering habitat for overwintering fish. (Get permission from town officials if needed.)
            6. Set a Stage for Containers Saw the trunk into different lengths and use the pieces as flowerpot risers for a dramatic group display.
            7. Make Coasters and Trivets Cut thin slabs off the trunk, sand them smooth, and apply a thin coat of polyurethane to keep the sap off tables and glassware.
            8. Chip It. Rent a chipper (get a few neighbors together to split the cost) and feed the tree through it. Next spring, spread the wood chips under shrubs; they'll suppress weeds and, as they decompose, add nutrients to the soil.
            9. Feed a Fire Pit. It's fine to use a few of the quick-to-ignite branches to start an outdoor fire pit—but never in an indoor fireplace, where creosote build-up is a hazard.
            10. Stake Your Plants. Strip small branches and use the remaining twigs to support indoor potted plants or stake leggy seedlings.

Will our unseasonably warm winter damage our plants?
            Here in the Northeastern United States, we are experiencing an unseasonably warm winter, so 'unseasonable', that it's breaking all time records here in Massachusetts. Blame it on El Niño, global warming or just a freak of nature, the truth is, plants are blooming and many gardeners are worried about damage.
            Many of us are worried about our cherry trees which are blooming in December, or our daffodils, spirea or witch hazels which are coming into full bloom many months earlier than their normal blooming time. I too am worried, for in my garden, many shrubs are beginning to open their flowers, particularly those which normally would bloom in late March or April. But I am noticing something - all of the plants which re blooming now are not native. They are all imported species either from Asia or Europe. While our native species may be able to handle this climate shifts, most of the damage seems to affect our ornamentals, most of which come from lands where winter behaves differently than in the already variable climate of the North Eastern US.
            We know all too well about this fact. An alpine plant from the high alpine mountain tops in the alps can perish in our coastal Boston gardens, since they are used to a steady, certain period of thawing at snowmelt, never to freeze again until autumn, whilst in the New England garden, said alpine may thaw and refreeze multiple times during the average winter or spring.
            If you garden in the North East, you know about this sudden death syndrome.  It is not uncommon at all for perennials to emerge at snowmelt, grow a bit with new tender during a mild April or May, only to refreeze, thus tearing their roots, and causing irreparable cellular damage resulting in certain death.
            We loose many plants to this pattern of freeze, thaw, refreeze here in the Northern Atlantic states. The Sadly 'perfect spring' rarely occurs. Ironically, last year, we did have the 'perfect spring'. Long, slow and cool, with no killing refreeze. I guess we are paying for this anomaly now with the warmest December in recorded history.
            Warmer than average winters are not that unusual here in New England, but only rarely have they been truly damaging. Most severe cases are measured through how they affect agricultural crops, most recently, in 2012 when 90 percent of the apple crop was damaged in the northeaster US due to a single freeze in April, and in 1934 more than 3/4's of the apple trees in the Northeast were killed by a warmer than normal winter, which then followed with a cold snap.  I have a photo of our house featured in our local paper in 1934 with the apple trees in bloom during January. This record breaking winter of 1934 was reportedly caused by many of the same factors that caused the infamous dust bowl in the Western US a few years earlier. My father remembers when it 'snowed red' that winter, with snow stained by airborne dust. Many of the Baldwin apple trees were lost in New England during that winter.
            Native plants usually survive such periods of warm weather, but this winter is not over yet, and I do wonder how the mild temperatures this year will change our native plants. I mean, 20, 30 or even 100 years of record keeping isn't long when it comes to climate change. But we are breaking 300 year records, still small perhaps, but I do begin to worry when I see things like multiple records being broken in just ten years. In 1995 we experienced a late frost which killed many of our native oaks and ash trees - I remember this damage, since Christopher Lloyd was visiting here, speaking at Tower Hill Botanic Garden during that freeze in May. Cold snaps and odd late freezes are one thing, but warm winters that cause entire populations of native trees to bloom off season is another. Let's hope this only affects our imported species.
            So whether this year's mild weather is the result of long-tern climate changes or not, we all know that there are some troubling signs in our own gardens. Personally, I am thrilled that my heating bill for the greenhouse has been practically nil so far, but those gains may be offset by plant loss around my garden. Facebook abounds with images of freaky, blooming things out-of-season.
            To those who keep records about such things, it's all more than alarming. Climatologists know the numbers.  If we kept records in our own gardens, we might, and should be alarmed as well. Even short term. Lilacs are blooming on average, four days earlier than they did in the 1960's, according to David Wolfe, a Cornell Department of Horticulture professor who pointed out in a 2007 article that cultivated crops such as grapes and apples are blooming on average, six to eight days earlier now than just thirty years ago. Mr. Wolff focuses on how climate change is affecting agriculture, where many crops are migrating northward in an effort to improve growing conditions. It doesn't matter if you believe in climate change or not, it's happening either way.
            There are some helpful resources for you to not only follow, but to participate with. Project Budburst allows you to enter information about what is happening in your own backyard and garden plus offers lots of other features. It's sponsored by he National Science Foundation. Some of the reports on Project Budburst reinforces my thoughts about how our native plants are able to handle such mild winters as we are experiencing this year.
            This year has been more challenging for forecasters though, even though we were being told that this epic El Niño was over due. Besides, the West needed rain, the mountains are grateful for the snow, as are the skiers in Colorado and Utah. Here in the Northeast, forecasting how this winter may layout has been more challenging, even though scientists have learned so much recently. There are other factors beyond El Niño which complicate things.A cold, deeply frozen winter in Siberia can affect the Jet Stream in Canada and Northern North America. Arctic Oscillation can mean a colder and snowier winter in the North East, but this year is more complicated, since we are experiencing both a snowy, cold arctic Siberian winter and a strong El Niño. How it will play out remains to be seen.
            In my garden, I am noticing that the plants which are emerging early are mostly Asian species. Native plants seem to be better with dealing with warm autumns and unseasonable weather like this. I feel that this autumn started off with a bad sign - and earlier and harder frost than what was considered normal occurred in early October. Frost, temperatures just below freezing usually triggers a chemical reaction in the petioles of leaves on trees, blocking chlorophyll from being produced, leaving behind other chemical pigments which provide our bright, colorful autumn foliage of reds, orange and yellow here in New England.
            Our earlier than normal deep freeze, was so cold (below 24 deg. F) froze the leaves and killed them in their green state, before they had a change to slowly progress to a colorful state. Most remained on the trees until they faded into a pale olive brown, and then finally fell. Asian trees, such as Japanese Maples, Himalayan Birches and Stewartia kept their brown, dried foliage until late November, the petioles unable to release their leaves without the proper maturity. Many berried shrubs such as the bright violet berries on callicarpa were so damaged that they rotted on the branches, while the foliage, which typically would turn yellow and drop after a light frost, simply remain on the branches in their damaged, brown state. Many are still holding onto their leaves.
            After that initial hard freeze in early October, the temperatures in Massachusetts have remain mild since early October, only now, this week around the New Year, dropping again to 18-20 degrees. December 2015 was the hottest in recorded history, with every day averaging about average. The plants, in particular, the Asian species are not handling the mild weather well. Most are beginning to sprout, with buds which should be dormant, emerging on Stewartia, Deutzia, Spirea and Hamamelis.
            Not all is doom and gloom however, since most native species seem to have remained dormant in our gardens, but the jury is still our with our imported plants species. Sadly, most of our garden plants today are not native, (perhaps the best reason of all for using more native plants in our landscape?) Non natives, be they lilacs, Spirea, apples, Japanese Maples, hydrangeas even the newly available lace-leaved elderberries with purple or golden foliage, can be damaged or killed.
            Elderberries are particularly susceptible to warmer than average winters since they form their dormant buds earlier in the late summer, and they are not used to our uncertain winter temperatures, which may spend a few weeks near 70 degrees F, then drop to a frigid, killing 10 degrees overnight, only to rise again to a balmy 65 degrees.
            Most at risk are those perennials which typically emerge at snow melt. We have enough problems with them in the spring, when an early emergence followed by a hard freeze kills many of our beloved garden perennials, but even in January, an early emerging Helleborus nigra can face death with a hard, colder than average winter, without snow cover. I expect to looks many plants this year, in particular some Spirea and Elderberries which have been motivated to emerge 5 months early.
            Native plants respond to day length more than they do temperature, so most of our wild plants will be safe, but we should keep our fingers crossed that Asian agricultural crops such as apples, pears and cherries do not bloom before truly cold weather arrives, or we risk loosing much more than some garden flowers.

The Non-Poisonous Poinsettia
Ann Streb, Penn State Master Gardener - extension.psu.edu
            Despite sound evidence to the contrary, poinsettia phobia continues. No other consumer plant has been as widely tested as the poinsettia.
            Researchers at Ohio State University have measured the effects of ingesting unusually high doses of all parts of the plant (including leaves, stems and sap) and found the plant to be non-toxic. This is not to say that it should be consumed. As with any non-food item, ingesting the plant could cause stomach discomfort but nothing more.
            The poinsettia’s species name, pulcherrima, means “most beautiful,”  which describes its large red bracts and rich green foliage. This pairing of red and green may be what has made the poinsettia the second most popular holiday plant, second only to the Christmas tree. As a member of the euphorbia family, the poinsettia is noted for the white milky sap, high in latex, that circulates throughout the plant. The poinsettia is native to Central America and Mexico and was brought to America by Mexico’s first ambassador, Dr. Joel R. Poinsett in 1825, after whom it was named. Some believe it may be the similarity between his name and the word poison that fostered the myth of toxicity.
            A Christmas legend from Mexico is also associated with the poinsettia. A poor girl was on her way to the church on Christmas eve but having no gift to offer the Christ child, she picked weeds along the way as a humble offering. As she approached the altar, the weeds miraculously blossomed into brilliant red flowers called Flores De Noche Buena, the Flowers of the Holy Night, now called poinsettias. It is a lesson in what makes a gift truly beautiful.
           
To Deadhead or Not? Your Final Answer is...
            Deadheading is a gardening term that defines the process of removing faded or dead flowers from plants. Deadheading is a process of pruning by which old growth and seed heads are removed from the plant to promote new growth and re-flowering.
            Deadheading is very simple. As blooms fade, pinch or cut off the flower stems below the spent flowers and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves. Always check plants carefully to be sure that no flower buds are hiding amid the faded blooms before you shear off the top of the plant.
            The best time to deadhead a flower is when its appearance begins to decline. The frequency of deadheading a particular plant depends on the life span of its blooms. This can range from a day to several weeks, depending on the species. Weather also greatly affects a flower’s longevity as torrential rains and unseasonably hot weather can take their toll on blooms.
            Most flowers lose their attraction as they fade. Snapping or cutting dead flower heads can enhance the flowering performance of many plants. Deadheading is an important task to keep up with in the garden throughout the growing season because it results in healthier plants and continual blooms. When dead blooms are left clinging to flowering plants, they sap the nutrition and strength from the core of the plants and rob them of the energy to produce new and colorful blooms. The deadheading process redirects plants energy from seed production to root and vegetative growth.
            Get in the habit of evaluating your garden frequently to determine if there are any deadheading needs. Spending a short time in the garden each day will make the deadheading task much easier. Deadheading is a maintenance practice that can be done throughout the growing season. Deadheading allows you to stay in contact with your garden beds. Many gardeners find deadheading enjoyable and relaxing. It can also be meditative and therapeutic.
            After a plant is finished flowering, it begins to form seeds. The flowering process is suspended, and the plant begins to use all its energy to form seeds. Deadheading plants as soon as the blooms begin to fade will promote a second bloom.
            Making a decision about deadheading can be difficult because it is advantageous for some plants and detrimental for others. Gardeners should evaluate the needs of their plants in order to make a proper determination.
            There are some perennials that are great self-seeders. For example, columbine loves to spread and roam its seedlings to places away from the parent plant. An advantage to this is that baby plants can help fill in areas of your garden or allow the gardener to share plants with other gardeners. Some perennials that should not be deadheaded so that they reseed for the following year are Alcea (Hollyhock), Digitalis (Foxglove), Lobelia (Cardinal Flower), and Myosotis (Forget-me-not.).
            However, some perennials benefit from being deadheaded. These include Achillea (Yarrow), Astilbe (False Spirea), Campanula (Bellflower), Centranthus (Jupiter’s Beard), Coreopsis (Tickseed), Delphinium (Larkspur), Gaillardia (Blanket Flower), Geranium (Cranesbill), Monarda (Bee Balm), Oenothera (Evening Primrose), and Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox). Taller varieties of Sedum such as Autumn Joy should be cut back to prevent spindly branches and to promote compact growth.
            In many gardens, no deadheading guidelines apply in the autumn. It is very important to keep seed pods on the plants for wildlife to enjoy during the winter months. Also, some plants have very decorative seed pods and present a beautiful display in the garden during the winter. Birds enjoy perching on Echinacaea (coneflowers) and snacking on the seed heads. Plants like Rudbeckia are great for attracting gold finches with their seeds. This is crucial food for them in the winter.
            Nothing is more rewarding to a gardener than watching the garden come to life with beautiful blooms and practicing the task of deadheading throughout the season, when it is deemed appropriate. Nature will bless you with a second wave of blooms to enjoy, even more for some plants, and will reward you with the reseeding of some plants to keep the garden thriving from year to year.


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