April 2012

Planters Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
April 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncover the Weston Rose Garden
Saturday April 14 @ 8:00 a.m. (rain 4/12) –

Weed, spread composted manure and prune. BYO tools & thorn-proof gloves. Regular maintenance will begin at a date t/b/d. Anyone interested in joining this elite group of gardeners and learning more about rose gardening while contributing to our town is welcome – regulars, part-timers, or drop-ins.

Monthly Meeting - Monday April 23@ 7:00 p.m.
@ Wethersfield Community Center.

Final planning for the Plant Sale. “Official” pots and labels for donated plants will be available.

Annual Plant Sale - May 12 (Rain Date May 19)

This is our major fundraiser. CRITICAL NEED - Club members are asked to contribute “home grown” perennials to the sale. If you do not have your own plants to donate – seek them out from friends, neighbors or relatives. If you need help splitting the plants contact Chairman Tom Gibson 1-860-208-5195.

Plants being donated should be split and potted as soon as possible in order to allow them time to develop in the pot and look good for the sale. Please label all plants. Contact Fred Odell (860.529.6064) for official pots, potting soil, and plant labels.

Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan

“Guerilla Gardening” and “Hydrangea Rage” have been in the news recently. And although both have their roots (so to speak) in Great Britain – they each provide valuable information on how we colonists can make our own horticultural efforts that much more rewarding.

First, some basic definitions. “Guerrilla Gardening” is simply gardening on another person's land without permission. “Hydrangea Rage” is an aggressive or angry behavior by a gardener in response to an assumed assault on his/her flora. The former is an organized horti-sociological movement. The latter is, at the moment, the spontaneous response of one deranged individual. (Although when you hear her story…)

Wikipedia says: “[Guerilla gardening] encompasses a very diverse range of people and motivations, from the enthusiastic gardener who spills over their legal boundaries to the highly political gardener who seeks to provoke change through direct action. It has implications for land rights, land reform. The land that is guerrilla gardened is usually abandoned or neglected by its legal owner and the guerrilla gardeners take it over ("squat") to grow plants. Guerrilla gardeners believe in re-considering land ownership in order to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it.

“Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden. Some garden at more visible hours to be seen by their community. It has grown into a form of proactive activism or pro-activism.”

The term “guerilla gardening” was used for the first time in 1973 by Liz Christy and her “Green Guerillas” group, who transformed a derelict private lot in the Bowery Houston area of New York City into a garden. It now has its own “global internet forum” (GuerillaGardening.org) and its adventures are tracked, at least in Great Britain, by the mainstream print media – which granted when judged by some of our uptight New England standards may not seem like “real journalism” – but still.

Hydrangea rage, at the moment, seems to be exclusively the property of one 87-yeard-old grandmother. As reported in London’s “Daily Mail”:

“Hydrangea rage! Grandmother in court after going potty because a neighbour trimmed her plant

“She may be an 87-year-old grandmother, but touch her plants and Margaret Perry can get particularly nasty.

“In what has been described as a ‘hydrangea rage’ incident, the retired council worker shouted obscenities at neighbour Brian Kelly when she found him trimming her prize flower.

“Storming out of her house, she branded him a ‘menace’ and screamed, ‘b**** up your a***’ before threatening to cut his internet cable.

“Mr Kelly said he was merely cutting the plant back after it had grown into his garden and was blocking the sunlight from his tomatoes.

“Perry, a former Greater London Council employee, denied shouting abuse at her neighbour, but admitted asking him what he was doing to her hydrangea.

“During the hearing, Mrs Pool [the Judge] was forced to tell Perry to keep quiet after continued outbursts in court.

“Perry, clearly distressed, pleaded with the bench: ‘What am I supposed to do? He cut my flowers.’”

Say what you want but I think that both of these trends are good for the game of gardening. I was listening to an interview with sportswriter John Feinstein and he was talking about how unexciting PGA golf had become during the years without Arnie, Gary & Jack, or Tiger & Phil. Sometimes I think that our favorite avocation has become too much like that also. Too many over-planning, by-the-numbers, lookalike perfectionists simply following the label and avoiding excessive use rather than just going out, digging up some soil, throwing in a bunch of seeds, and dealing with what happens.

Imagine instead: covert ops floricultural revolutions with night-vision goggles and camouflage gardening gear – or going off unabated on Limbaugh-like landscaping rants, with the implied threat of physical violence. Now that’s a hobby a real red-blooded gardener can sink his (or her) hoe into.

See you in the British tabloids!

Ornamental Herbs
http://www.hortmag.com

There are many options when it comes to attractive-looking herbs. In fact there are many plants commonly grown as ornamental plants that are in fact herbs with histories of use in fragrances, cooking, medicines, cosmetics, etc. These include bee balm (Monarda didyma), scented geraniums (Pelargonium spp.), pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina), perennial sages (Salvia spp.), lavender (Lavandula spp.) and nasturiums (Tropaeolum majus).

Here are some plants generally thought of as “culinary herbs,” but which also have striking ornamental features that recommend them for use in ornamental beds.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis; Zones 8–10)—slow-growing evergreen tree with narrow, dark green, glossy oval leaves. Makes a good hedge or potted specimen because it responds well to pruning.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum; Zones 2–9; shown at top), Garlic chives (A. tuberosum)—firmly upright leaves and tall stalks of purple or white globular flowers. Can become weedy if allowed to set and drop seed. Deadhead spent flowers to prevent unwanted spread.
Thyme (Thymus spp.; generally Zones 3–8)—mats of tiny green or gray leaves. Generally used as a groundcover or to fill the spaces between pavers.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis; Zones 8–10; shown right)—silvery gray foliage and small purple flowers. Easy to train into a standard (lollipop shape) for a formal accent.
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus; Zones 9–11)—the look of a small, bright green ornamental grass. Fragrant. Also repels mosquitos.
Dill (Anethum graveolens; annual)—ferny, feathery foliage and flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flowers, reminiscent of yarrow. May self-seed.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum; annual)—low mounds of textural foliage; makes a good edging.

Ornamental Vegetable Garden Plants and Ideas,
How to Design a Beautiful Vegetable Garden
http://www.vegetable-gardening-online.com/

Ornamental Lettuce Varieties

Leafy vegetables grown in an ornamental garden offer a vast array of colors. For instance, lettuce not only comes in a wide variety of green shades, but also in garnet and bronze. Red Fire or Red Sails are examples of loose leaf varieties with leaves that are partially reddish bronze and part green.

Cimmaron lettuce is a bronze colored romaine that was grown back in the 18th century. Another prime example for an attractive plant to grow along with typical green romaine is Freckles, a romaine variety with blotches and burgundy spots. Besides being pretty as a picture, Freckles is one of the best flavored lettuce varieties and stays put for an extended time before bolting.

Galactic Lettuce in Hues of Burgundy is an impressive lettuce grown for its dark burgundy color. The leaf edges are curly and it resists bolting for an extended period. You can use this lettuce in a container ornamental vegetable garden or as an edging plant.

Ruby Swiss chard, and the newer mix, Bright Lights are a must for a decorative ornamental vegetable garden. The leaf veins and stem of the Bright Lights variety come in vivid orange, yellow, red, purplish red and shocking pink. This type grows tall making a picturesque backdrop for shorter plants. Besides the intense coloring of Swiss chard, the stems and large leaves, which are similar to spinach is cooked and enjoyed as a tasty vegetable.

Pepper Plants Offer Red, Orange, Purple, Yellow and Green

Another colorful selection for your ornamental vegetable garden is peppers. There are pepper plants comprising of a rainbow of eye pleasing colors to delight the taste buds as well. Black Pearl is a vegetable gardening fan favorite. The small, round produce of this tall, sturdy plant is nearly solid purple/black and pack quite a punch on the hotness scale when eaten. Plant the colorful selection named Islander if you want to grow peppers without the heat. All bell peppers eventually ripen to a bright yellow, red, or orange, although they remain sweet green for an extended time.

Ornamental Eggplant Varieties
Eggplant varieties grown as edible ornamentals display lovely hues of dark purple, green, white, pink, striped, and lavender. Most of the lighter hued eggplants are less bitter tasting than the deep purple vegetables, if you decide to take a bite out of your ornamental vegetable garden!

Sungold Orange Cherry Tomatoes
No ornamental garden is complete without a wonderful orange cherry tomato type with a fruity flavor. Tomatoes come in very interesting choices that cover the spectrum from white, yellow, purple, green, striped, black, and of course red! I do not know any gardener who would grow tomatoes as ornamentals only but I am sure there may be a few who do!

Growing Beans for a Splash of Purple and Yellow
Purple and yellow "green" beans provide a splash of color in an ornamental vegetable garden plot. The eye popping colors make it easier to pick out the produce at harvest time.

Red Cabbage, Orange and Purple Cauliflower, Purple Broccoli Add to the Fun
Other vegetables that offer diverse color from its "normal" relatives include red cabbage, orange or purple cauliflower, and purple broccoli. (Maybe you can get the kids to eat their broccoli disguised in purple!) There is no shortage of extraordinary vegetables to add a spectacular view to your ornamental vegetable garden that are much too pretty to eat!

Ornamental Herbs add Beauty to the Garden
There are many plants that can be grown both as ornamentals and for medicinal purposes such as lavender. The fragrant plant has pale bluish-purple flowers that grow in clusters.
Lavender can be used for making essential oil, perfume, and dried flower arrangements.

Planting an ornamental vegetable garden adds brilliant color to the garden and to culinary dishes. One of the best reasons for growing ornamentals is that children are more apt to help with the harvest and eat unusually colored vegetables! This is a great way to get your kids involved in vegetable gardening. Another benefit of this kind of garden is that scientists have discovered that the colorful pigments responsible for the outstanding colors of the plants contain antioxidants that protect us from diseases.

Tomato Records
Wikipedia.com

The heaviest tomato ever, weighing 3.51 kg (7 lb 12 oz), was of the cultivar 'Delicious', grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986.[4][unreliable source?] The largest tomato plant grown was of the cultivar 'Sungold' and reached 19.8 m (65 ft) in length, grown by Nutriculture Ltd (UK) of Mawdesley, Lancashire, UK, in 2000.[53]

The massive "tomato tree" growing inside the Walt Disney World Resort's experimental greenhouses in Lake Buena Vista, Florida may be the largest single tomato plant in the world. The plant has been recognized as a Guinness World Record Holder, with a harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes and a total weight of 522 kg (1,150 lb).[54] It yields thousands of tomatoes at one time from a single vine. Yong Huang, Epcot's manager of agricultural science, discovered the unique plant in Beijing, China. Huang brought its seeds to Epcot and created the specialized greenhouse for the fruit to grow. The vine grows golf ball-sized tomatoes, which are served at Walt Disney World restaurants.

Unfortunately, the world record-setting tomato tree can no longer be seen by guests along the Living With the Land boat ride at Epcot, as the tree developed a disease and was removed in April 2010 after approximately 13 months of life.[54]

On August 30, 2007, 40,000 Spaniards gathered in Buñol to throw 115,000 kilograms (250,000 lb) of tomatoes at each other in the yearly Tomatina festival.[55]

Flower Gardening - Consider A Cutting Garden
http://gardening.about.com

For gardeners the ultimate pleasure is to be able to cut flowers from their own garden to bring indoors and to give away to friends and family. Many also love to have homegrown blossoms, foliage, and seedheads handy for fresh or dried floral crafts and cooking. However, the problem is always that picking flowers from the garden reduces the floral show in the yard. It is always a tough decision whether to cut flowers for indoors or leave them on display outdoors. The perfect solution to this problem is to establish a separate cultivated area specifically as a cutting garden. Then you can have your flowers and pick them too!

Fill your cutting garden with plants that produce the flowers and foliage you love. Use it as an area to experiment with new plants and colors. Place it where it is not on public display, and indulge your fancy. Consider making it part of your vegetable garden. This is a production garden; created to be cut down, so do not worry about design correctness.

Lots of different kinds of flowering plants are suitable for a cutting garden. Long-stemmed annuals or perennials are most useful. Typically, colorful annual flowers dominate these gardens, because they are such enthusiastic bloomers. Cutting their blossoms only encourages them to produce more. All kinds of daisies are enormously popular and combine well with lots of other flowers.

Long blooming perennials have a place in the cutting garden as well as in the more formal flower border. Plants such as coral bells and fringed bleeding heart will produce flowers all season, especially if they are regularly picked. Some, such as purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susans produce bold, bristly seedheads that are ideal for floral crafts. Of course perennials can be depended upon to bloom next season - no need to replant that part of the cutting garden.

Don't forget foliage plants that contribute texture and color to both fresh and dried arrangements. Silver-leafed artemisia varieties, lamb's ears and herbs such as lavender contribute grayish-silver foliage that is both handsome and aromatic.

The following is a list of suggested annuals, perennials, and foliage plants. This list is just a beginning. There are certainly more cut flowers available.

Annuals for a cutting garden
[* indicates good for drying also]

Ageratum (FlossFlower)
Amaranthus caudatus (Love Lies Bleeding)
Ammi majus (Bishop's Flower)
Anemone
Bells of Ireland
Calendula
Callistephus chinesis (China Aster)
Campanula
Celosia, cristata (Cockscomb)*
Celosia, plumosa (Feather)*
Celosia, spicata (Wheat)*
Centaurea (Bachelors' Button)
Cleome (Spider Flower)
Cosmos
Dianthus
Dill
Dimorphoteca sinuata (Cape Marigold)
Eustoma (Lisianthus)
Geranium
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)*
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)*
Helichrysum (Strawflower)
Helipterium (Everlasting)
Marigold
Matthiola (Stock)
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
Nigella damascena (Love
In
A Mist)
Pansy
Petunia
Phlox
Reseda Odorata (Mignonette)
Salpiglossis
Salvia farinacea
Scabiosa (Pincushion flower)
Snapdragon
Statice*
Sunflower*
Sweet Pea
Verbena bonariensis
Zinnia

Perennials for a cutting garden
Achillea (Yarrow)*
Aster
Campanula
Carnation
Chrysanthemum, such as Shasta Daisy
Coreopsis
Coral Bells
Delphinium
Dianthus, deltoids (Pinks)
Digitalis (Foxglove)
Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinops exaltatus (Globe Thistle)*
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)*
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Lavender*
Lobelia
Lupine
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
Phlox
Poppy, Shirley or Iceland
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)
Sages
Solidago, (Goldenrod)
Veronica

Foliage for a cutting garden
Asparagus, densiflorus
Asparagus, sprengeri
Coleus
Dusty Miller
Eucalyptus
Euphorbia (Snow on the Mountain)
Flowering Cabbage
Flowering Kale
Sage, Tri
Color

Horti-Culture Corner

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

- Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

Funny Garden Stuff
http://www.gardening.net.au

A prisoner in jail received a letter from his wife:
"I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?"
The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all the mail, replied in a letter:
"Dear Wife, whatever you do, DO NOT touch the back garden! That is where I hid all the gold."
A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife:
"You wouldn't believe what happened. Some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up the whole back garden."
The prisoner wrote another letter:
"Dear wife, NOW is the best time to plant the lettuce!"

March 2012

Planters Punchlines

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
March 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Meeting

Monday March 26^th, 7:00 pm @ The Pitkin Community Center

Speaker: T/B/A

Time to start digging & potting your homegrowns for the PLANT SALE. Check your yard, and neighbor’s – if you strike quickly in the dark they’ll never know what happened. “Official” pots & soil are available from Fred Odell (860.529.6064)

Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan

Now I think I understand my unusual degree of interest in the plant Datura. It has been stalking me.
Comedian Robins Williams famously has said, “If you remember the '60s, you weren't there.” I actually do remember the sixties. I never doped myself up with the herbaceous, mostly white-flowered poisonous/hallucinogenic plant – or with any other non-prescribed narcotic for that matter. But I did read about its vision-inducing qualities in “The Teachings of Don Juan” – a “must-read” for even the straightest, counter-culture sympathetic, twenty-something in the late 60’s early 70’s. Even the name of the plant, “Sacred Datura” enhanced the mystical ambience of the drug-centric esoterica (fact or fiction?) that author Carlos Castaneda described – way cooler than “Western Jimson weed”, one of its other names, could have.

I think Marsha and I saw the flower for the first time on our trip to the Mediterranean Island of Malta in 1997. The plant grows wild on the main archipelago and its companion isle Gozo and is a different variety – “Datura innoxia” or “Downy Thorn Apple” – than its literary southwestern cousin. Although to this untrained eye the dissimilarities would not have been discernible.

I don’t actually remember seeing the white blooming vine nor could I find any photos – but we must have because it immediately popped into my mind several years ago when I was toying with a fictional novelette about the fictional Men’s Garden Club of Malta and its role in the real Great Siege of that island by the Turks in 1565. In my still-to-be-totally-developed plot the members of the MGCoM repel the invading army and armada of the Ottoman Empire and save the day by creatively using their floricultural smarts. And to make that happen I needed a Hitchcockian McGuffin from the plant world to be the horticultural hero. “Tada!. Datura!” The story is still incomplete – a “deus” sans “ex machina”.

Marsha and I came upon some non-fictional Datura two years ago in coastal North Carolina. We were staying in a beachside condo on Emerald Isle – south of the Outer Banks (SOBX on your bumper sticker).

Every morning at around 7:30 a.m. we walked over to an adjacent convenience market to get the daily newspaper. The grounds of the condo are landscaped with a mixture of southern perennials and annuals along the pathways between the units, and a combination of prickly pear cactus and white trumpet-shaped flowers on squash-like vines along the sides of the driving area.

A few evenings into our getaway I noticed that the large white flowers were still wide open well after dark. Then, one day around 10:00 a.m. I noticed that they were closed up.
Marsha, who had observed all of this strange plant behavior days before, opined that they looked to be a form of Datura. The Carolina species turned out to be a dusk to dawn version of the plant -- sort of a "Deadly Nightshift".

"The Datura, or bush moon plant has six-inch or larger white trumpet flowers that open at night and remain open well into the following day... Keep in mind that all parts of this plant are poisonous." (http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/)

Datura, it turns out, are a favorite of the "Night Gardening" movement -- the use of plants that either bloom exclusively at night, or are open during the day but do not release their scent until evening. I shared my discovery with the membership of the real life Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield, which decided, under the direction of Paul Courchaine, to find a location and plant a nocturnal flowerbed somewhere in town. We did and we did, with the cooperation of a Lucky Lou’s restaurant.

Marsha recognized the North Carolina Datura from those we had seen in New Mexico – more specifically several specimens that were decorating various properties in our daughter-in-law and son’s Santa Fe neighborhood. I think we have also seen them in less domestic locations – along hiking trails and in some long deserted Native American cave dwellings, thinking at the time that they were fruitless plants with squash blossoms.

The southwest variety is, I am reasonably certain, Don Juan’s one. And, it turns out, a genus of the plant that was actually discovered by and named after a native of my hometown of Wethersfield Connecticut. The scientific name is “Datura wrightii” and the honorific commemorates the botanist Charles Wright.

Here is the wiki:

“Charles Wright (October 29, 1811 - August 11, 1885) was an American botanist.
“Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, the son of James Wright and Mary née Goodrich. He studied classics and mathematics at Yale, and in October 1835 moved to Natchez, Mississippi to tutor a plantation owner's family. His employer's business failed two years later, and he moved to Texas, working as a land surveyor and teacher. During this time he collected plants for Asa Gray. In 1849 he joined an army expedition through Texas, botanising from Galveston to San Antonio and then on to El Paso. In the spring of 1851 he joined the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey. His collections from these two trips form the basis of Gray's Plantae Wrightianae (1852-53).

“Between 1853 and 1856 he took part in the Rodgers-Ringgold North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition, collecting plants in Madeira, Cape Verde, Cape Town, Sydney, Hong Kong, the Bonin Islands, Japan and the western side of the Bering Strait. Wright left the expedition at San Francisco in February 1856 and went south to Nicaragua. His collection of plants from Hong Kong was used by George Bentham for his Flora Hongkongensis (1861).

“Between 1856 to 1867 he led a scientific expedition to Cuba. In 1859 he joined Juan Gundlach in the area around Monteverde, and in the winter of 1861-62 they explored together around Cárdenas.

"He is commemorated in the names of a number of plants, including Datura wrightii, the genus Carlowrightia (wrightworts), and in the name of the Grey Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii.”

100 years later and he might have been one of the original members of the Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield too. With the fantasy-inducing specimens that he could have brought to the party our initiation ritual would be a lot more noteworthy. Or maybe he actually did start up such an organization back then. But it was the (18)60s, and no one remembers it.

Keeping Weeds Away
http://www.american-lawns.com

There's something soothing about seeing an even expanse of green grass that just seems to lower our blood-pressure a bit. And to some people, when that expanse is broken up by something growing where it shouldn't be growing, it also seems to raise it a notch or two.

Weeds are really just one type of plant that we have decided shouldn't be growing in one particular place. Wild orchids growing in Hawaii are considered weeds. It's just your point of view as to what makes a weed a weed. Some weed-type plants are invasive and fast growing.

Their growth habit overtakes our cultivated turf plants, depriving them of food and water. Other weeds are extremely noxious and cause problems for humans if they get close them.

In the lawn, the most common weeds are just a nuisance. Most don't cause skin reactions or breathing difficulties, they just don't look good. What they're also telling us is that the lawn isn't as healthy as it should be. Turfgrasses today are so adept at growing into thick masses, that if maintained properly, weeds are not a problem. It is when the lawn isn't as healthy as it could be that we see weeds becoming a problem for the lawn.

Types of weeds:

Quackgrass and Bentgrass are undesirable perennial grasses that grow as weeds in many lawns. Unfortunately there is no herbicide you can use to kill these two grasses that will not also kill the desirable lawn grasses.

Bentgrass is shallow-rooted. Patches appear as puffy, fine-textured grasses in Kentucky bluegrass lawns. You can remove patches of Bentgrass by cutting the patch out with a hand sod cutter or shovel. Cut down to at least one-inch deep. You will need to reseed the area.

Quackgrass produces many underground stems, called rhizomes, that are almost impossible to remove by digging. Broken pieces of rhizomes left in the soil will sprout to make more

Quackgrass plants. One method of controlling Bentgrass and Quackgrass is to apply a herbicide that contains the active ingredient glyphosate. These herbicides are sold as Round Up or Kleen Up. Be aware that glyphosate kills desirable grasses as well as weeds. Apply the herbicide only on the Bentgrass and Quackgrass patches.

For Bentgrass, apply the herbicide to an area about six inches or so outside the patch of Bentgrass to kill the individual stems which are creeping outwards from the patch, otherwise, these patches will reemerge. Whether Bentgrass or Quackgrass, apply glyphosate in spring or fall when the grasses are actively growing. Wait approximately seven days, then reseed or sod the area. If you decide to till the soil prior to establishment, and see bits of Quackgrass rhizomes coming to the surface, remove these. Or wait two weeks or so until enough new Quackgrass leaves emerge and kill the new plants with a second application of glyphosate.
An alternative method is to mow the lawn-wait 3 — 4 days, then wipe the glyphosate onto the taller growing Quackgrass with a paint brush, sponge mop or applicator. Be sure to read and follow label directions.

Bermuda grass is an annual, fine textured "creeping grass" that grows and spreads rapidly during warm summer months. Getting Rid of It: Due to its rapid and sometimes widespread growth during warm months, Bermuda can quickly take over cool-season grasses while dormant. Herbicides are usually not as effective as simply hand-picking these weeds before they grow out of control.

To help prevent this, you can apply a pre-emergence just prior to its growing season (usually spring time) to prevent the seeds from germinating. However, the other extreme is to apply fluazifopbutyl or glyphosate to kill all of the grass, then reseed over it. This is only suggested if you plan on replanting or renovating your lawn afterwards.

Common chickweed (Stellaria media) is a matted, herbaceous, winter annual broadleaf plant. Chickweed is a prolific spring weed as it thrives under cool, wet conditions. It rarely tolerates hot, dry conditions that occur in late spring or early summer. Other common names for chickweed include starweed, winterweed, satin flower and tongue grass.

Chickweed is more regarded as a weed than as a useful plant, but has a place in folk medicine as a remedy for asthma, constipation, cough, fever and various other ailments. The seed of chickweed is a source of food for birds.

Clover: A perennial weed that blooms from spring to autumn, attracts bees. Lawns once were loaded with clover and was a good source of nitrogen.

Crabgrass is a warm season annual grass which grows best in the heat of midsummer when
desirable lawn grasses are often semi-dormant and offer little or no competition. Crabgrass over winters as seed, comes up about mid-May or later, and is killed by the first hard frost in fall.

Crabgrass grows best in full sun. It does not grow in shady places. Crabgrass can be controlled in a number of ways, but the best defense against crabgrass is a thick vigorously growing lawn that is mowed no closer than 2-1/2" for cool season grasses.

Fertilize the lawn in late summer or fall and again in spring to develop a dense, healthy stand of grass. Fertilized bluegrass does not go into midsummer dormancy as soon as unfertilized bluegrass. Pre-emergent applications made when soil temperature are still below 60 are the best prevention. Not recommended for areas where new grass seed is going to be planted during the first half of the growing season. Pre emergent applications lose their effectiveness if the lawn is raked or disturbed during the first half of the growing season.

Post emergence crabgrass herbicides are now available. These are products that are applied after the crabgrass seed has sprouted. The herbicide (ACCLAIM) gives excellent crabgrass control with one application. This product should be applied when crabgrass is in the 3 — 4 leaf stage of development.

Dallis grass is a perennial grass with light-green color. Dallis is easily identified by its long seed-heads that protrude from the top. Dallis tends to thrive in wet areas with lots of heat, and grows in circles out from the center of the weed. Try to improve the drainage of your lawn to take dampness away from the areas were they grow. Additionally, allow the top of the soil to partially dry between each watering to help retain the water only in the root area. Apply pre-emergence fertilizers ( usually in the late-spring ) to prevent seed germination and growth.

Once weeds are established, pull them by hand and make sure you get the roots as well. After pulling, reseed the area with the desired grass.

Dandelions: Broadleaf weed. Best treated during active growing cycle with a spot treatment. If you use a dry granular form of weed killer or a weed and feed type of fertilizer, apply it to wet grass and weeds. The weed control material must stick to the leaves of the weed plants to be effective. If you spray a liquid, apply it only on a calm day so material will not drift onto desirable plants.

Remember, broadleaf weed killers are broadleaf plant killers. They do not, for example, differentiate between dandelions and tomato plants. Apply them only to weeds in the lawn. Be careful not to get the material onto desirable plants in your yard. Read and follow all label directions.

Ground ivy is hard to control because you can't pull it out easily in lawns and many commercial broadleaf lawn weed killers have little or no effect on it. The most common active ingredient in granular and liquid broadleaf lawn weed killers is 2,4-D, but 2,4-D has little effect on ground ivy. Another common active ingredient, MCPP, or, mecoprop, also has little effect on ground ivy. Dicamba is an active ingredient that does control ground ivy. Dicamba is also called Banvel.

There are several lawn weed killer products available that contain dicamba. Most of them also contain 2,4-D and MCPP. However, you may still need to make repeat applications with dicamba-containing products to completely control ground ivy. Ground ivy spreads via creeping stems that propagate new plants.

Moss does not develop in healthy lawns. Lack of fertility, soil compaction, poor drainage, shade and poor soil aeration are the most common cause of moss in lawns. Moss is not directly harmful to grass, but moves into bare spots in the lawn as the grass thins out. Lime has often been suggested for moss control. Lime will raise the soil pH but will do little or nothing to prevent moss growth. The fact that the soil is acidic has little to do with the growth of moss. In fact, we see moss growing on limestone and concrete. If your lawn area is moist and shady, you will have difficulty controlling moss because you have an ideal environment for moss growth.

Moss is often troublesome in spring when temperature are cool and soil moisture high.
Mushrooms, also called toadstools or puffballs, are fruiting bodies of soil fungi. They appear in lawns during wet weather in spring and summer. Mushrooms live on organic matter such as roots, stumps and boards in the soil. Most don't harm the lawn but are unsightly. Mushrooms that grow in arcs or circles of dark green grass are called fairy rings. The arcs or rings enlarge from 3" — 2' each season as the fungi grows outward. The fairy ring fungus may interfere with water flow through the soil and stress the lawn.

There is no chemical control for mushrooms. Time is the best cure. Once the buried wood has completely decayed the mushrooms will disappear. Break mushrooms with a garden rake or lawn mower for temporary control. This helps to dry the mushrooms and reduces the risk of children eating them. Control individual mushrooms by removing the organic matter. Dig up and remove the wood. Fill and reseed, or sod, as needed.

Nimblewill: A warm-season perennial found throughout North America east of the Rockies. Invades cool-season grasses by seed or stems. It has shallow roots.

Thick sod reduces the opportunity for it to take hold, however, in thin areas, or surrounding garden beds, it can quickly spread into lawn areas. Remove the plants by pulling out by hand.

Nimblewill sets seeds in early fall; then lay dormant until next spring. Once it takes hold there is no selective control for removing it from the lawn. Must use a non-selective herbicide that will kill all plants, then reseed area.

Broadleaf plantain is a common broadleaf weed in lawns. See treatment and description for dandelions.

Wood sorrel: Also called yellow oxalis, sheep sorrel and yellow sourgrass. It is found in open woods, prairies, ravines, stream banks, and lawns.

Common wood sorrel is a plant from the Oxalis genus. It flowers for a few months during the spring, with small white flowers with pink streaks. Red/violet flowers occur, but rarely. The binomial name is Oxalis acetosella, because of its sour taste.

Free Food (or If You Can’t Beat Them, Eat them)
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/freefood.htm

PLANT / EDIBLE PART / PREPARATION / (WARNING)

Borage / leaves and flowers / in salads, cook leaves with cabbage or soups
Chickweed / foliage / in salads or sautéed in a little oil with a splash of soy sauce
Cleavers / seeds, leaves and stems / cook young shoots as a spinach,roast seeds and grind for a coffee
Common Sorrel / leaves in salads / (WARNING)not too much as the oxalic acid they contain can be toxic
Dandelion / all parts / young leaves in salads,flowers to make wine,roots dried, roasted and ground for caffine-free 'coffee' or sautéed in oil
Fat Hen / leaves and seeds / cook leaves as a spinach,eat seeds as a whole grain or grind into a flour/(WARNING) can be toxic in large amounts, cooking reduces the potency.
Ground-elder / all parts/ young leaves in salads or cooked as a spinach,roots dried and ground into a flour.
Hairy Bittercress / leaves/have a Rocket-like flavour / in salads
Stinging Nettle / young shoots and leaves / cook as a spinach, as soup, infused as herbal tea – (WARNING) do not eat mature, flowering plants, they can cause kidney damage.
Sheep's Sorrel / leaves have a sharp flavour, become more sour as they mature / in salads
Smooth Sow Thistle / leaves are not prickly / in salads
Spear Thistle / flowerheads /strip out base of flowerhead and steam lightly or eat raw
Thale Cress / leaves have a mustard flavor / in salads
Wild Garlic (Ramsons) / all parts / leaves in salads or cooked as a spinach, use bulbs as for cultivated garlic
Wood Sorrel / leaves have a tangy flavour / leaves in salads or cooked as a spinach – (WARNING) contains oxalic acid so should not be consumed in quantity, avoid with gastric inflammation or kidney stones

Best Tools for Weeding
http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/dig-deeper/weedingtools

Weeding isn’t easy, but with the right tools you can make quicker progress and avoid aches and pains. Good tools also help ensure you pull the entire root, which is important in making sure the weeds don’t grow back. Weeding tools are essential if you don’t want to spray herbicides in your yard and garden, and they’re just as effective—if not more so—and not to mention safer.
Weeding tools come in two basic styles, short handled and long handled, and many different designs. Use short-handled tools for working on your knees in small, closely planted areas. Use long-handled tools as you walk through larger areas.

Short-handled weeding tools

Cape Cod weeder: has a narrow hooked blade that fits into tight spaces
asparagus knife: has a long narrow blade with a v-shaped tip for prying up individual weeds, especially in the lawn or groundcovers
trowel: handheld shallow shovel with either a wide or narrow blade that can lift weeds from under their roots without disturbing other plants
hori-hori knife: sharp-bladed knife originally used by bonsai enthusiasts in Japan to collect specimens from stony mountain soil. Also useful for transplanting, digging and pruning.
onion hoe (hand hoe, rock garden hoe): a short-handled version of a draw hoe. Used for precision weeding between closely grown plants.

Long-handled weeding tools

stirrup hoe (Dutch hoe, scuffle hoe): has a stirrup-like head that is sharp on both edges. It cuts weeding time because it works in a push-pull motion, covering a lot of ground quickly.
draw hoe: has a sharp-edged rectangular head that uproots and chops weeds as the gardener pulls it toward him
collinear hoe: has a long and narrow rectangular blade that sweeps the soil, something like a razor blade.
Cobrahead
Weed Hound
Fiskars UpRoot

The Weed Whacking Golf Driver.
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/79148

Was $39.95 NOW $24.95
Lifetime Guarantee

This is the golf driver with a built-in grass trimmer, ideal for surreptitiously improving one's lie. Destined for use by friendly foursomes that often find themselves in the rough, the club looks like an oversized driver that fits into any golf bag, yet a simple flick of a button on its plastic bottom flips open the club's bottom to reveal a single-string trimmer. Requiring only the semblance of a square stance and proper grip for operation, two thumb buttons built into the handle activate the trimmer for a quick clearing of obstructive grass. Requires six AA batteries. 39" L. (1 lb.)

Horti-Culture Corner

"Weeds Never Die."
- Danish Proverb

February 2012

Planters Punchlines

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
February 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Meeting - Monday February 27th
@ The Pitkin Community Center @ 7:00 p.m.

SPEAKER TO BE ANNOUNCED

Compostable Matter

By Jim Meehan

Okay. This was actually stunning news to me. Squirrels remember where they bury their nuts.

I read this in Temple Grandin’s book “Animals in Translation”. Ms. Grandin is a Doctor of Animal Science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior – and a person with high-functioning autism. Much of her academic work centers on her belief that autistic people and animals view the world similarly – for example both see EVERY detail; both think in pictures rather than words. Her general technique is to observe how she herself thinks and behaves in a particular situation – and when she sees an animal behaving in the same manner she deduces that they are thinking similarly.
For example it is apparently a proven fact in the world of animal behavior that ants use landmarks to find their way to and from a place. When taking a trip for the first time when an ant walks by a potential marker such as a gray stone it will stop and look back at it. Grandin does the same thing when she is driving an unfamiliar route. That is because, unlike non-Autistic people, she cannot imagine what the landmark (e.g. a red barn) would look like from the other side. Likewise ants.

Makes sense to me – or at least I can see it from her point of view.

As you might expect this means Grandin feels that animals are more intelligent than most of us would give them credit for – hence the squirrel/acorn thing.

For years it was thought that squirrels buried acorns randomly in the fall and were just as haphazard in their springtime retrieval of them. Then, through careful observation, it was noticed that they actually recovered the vast majority of them. It was then hypothesized that the little tree rodents used odor of the oak fruit to locate it. But if that were the whole story then the squirrels would just as frequently dig up the cache of other of their brethren as their own. But they didn’t. Somehow they remembered where their own nuts were. Pretty impressive when you think that, based this time upon my observations, an average tree-rat probably buries several score of acorns. (She says six hundred.)

Grandin avers that they do it by “triangulation” – “the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly (trilateration). The point can then be fixed as the third point of a triangle with one known side and two known angles.” (wiki)

Unfortunately she does not provide anecdotal autistic evidence (as in the ant story) or any other kind of proof for her assertion of the squirrel’s geometric acumen – which, if true, clearly outstrips that of any human being.

Of course historically the fluffy gray tree rodents have outsmarted humans for decades and/or we have underestimated them

So perhaps the apparent look of bewilderment that frequently comes over the face of a squirrel as it rushes around our yard in search of its cached crop of nuts is not caused by an inability to recall where the acorns were buried but rather stunned surprise at remembering the combination, opening the lock, and finding an empty safe deposit box.

This could become the case this year because of the warm snow-less winter that we are experiencing here in CT. One result of the abnormally mild winter is the multitudinous murders of crows that should have migrated through our neck of the woods – but instead have remained for multiple months.

Crows also are acorn-caching animals. But more importantly they are also opportunistic eaters with a self-serving imagination that allows them to believe that the nuts they are harvesting are ones that they have planted. (I am imagining this last bit of crow rationalization – but from my perspective it’s a lot easier to believe than the whole squirrel triangulation thing. I mean really – would you trust a crow?)

The bigger problem for our squirrels this year however is going to be the absence of triangulating landmarks. After the acorns fell from our oaks Marsha and I had a couple of other large trees and a two Roses of Sharon taken down. Had we realized at the time that this foliage might have been variables in the squirrels’ geometric calculation we undoubtedly would have waited until after the nut burying season to lop down the lumber. But we didn’t. So we didn’t.
Who knows if the tree rodents used this now-missing flora as “known points at either end of a fixed baseline” – but presumably they have a backup plan. Or can develop one quickly.

Temple Grandin says that intelligence is the ability to come up with a new solution to a novel situation. In one town the handicapped sidewalks were designed with one ramp per flag – that is at a four-corner stop there would be eight flags and eight ramps, each ramp leading into the crosswalk. The seeing-eye dogs were taught to lead their person down the ramp into the crosswalk. Then, to save money, the town began putting the ramps on the corner – four way stop, eight flags, four ramps. Thirty percent of the dogs continued down the ramp into the street and attempted to cross diagonally – not a huge surprise. However seventy percent walked down the ramp, turned right (or left), walked to the crosswalk, turned left (or right) and crossed between the white lines – the first time that they encountered the new configuration!

Okay squirrels – show us what you’ve got!

This Issue of Planters Punchlines Has a Theme

The February 2012 Planters Punchlines takes a look at what’s happening in the gardening blogosphere – that wonderful world of amateur experts who, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, are now able to share their thoughts, their knowledge, and their opinions.

The following article is from an Albuquerque New Mexico gardening blog. The Growing Zone may be different but the thoughts ring true nonetheless

Revving Up the Engines
or Why Gardening Is Like Drag Racing. And Cats.
Stacy @ microcosm-in-the-q.blogspot.com

Just because you're not moving, that doesn't mean you're resting. You might even be lying on a comfy sofa, but reclining isn't the same as relaxing. Instead of feeling the tension melting out of your neck and shoulders, your muscles softening, jaw slackening, mind drifting, as you float one easy breath away from sleep, you could be gathering your resources for some course of action—planning a new project, nagging yourself about an old one, debating possibilities, thinking through ways and means.

I was watching Sir Marley a while ago. He had designs on a mourning dove—a nice, fat one that was sitting on the ground under the bird feeder in the vague stupor natural to its kind. Sir Marley stayed perfectly still, but you could see him working the math problems in his head: measuring distances, calculating trajectories, accounting for wind speed. Once all the equations worked out, he began, in the mysterious, motionless way of cats, to gather himself together.

Energy at the ready, spine taut, his back paws began to twitch as his weight shifted. From stasis he went instantly for the POUNCE.

And missed. (Vague stupors 1 - Math problems 0.)

Likewise, drag racers at the start line may just be sitting there, but they're not idling. Their engines are revving up, roaring like Sir Marley only wishes he could. When the starting signal flicks from amber to green, off they go like a shot, burning rubber all the way. (And that's everything I know about drag racing.)

At least where gardening is concerned (and in this climate, where the ground doesn't freeze), I've stopped thinking of winter as the dormant season—the gathering season is more like it. Just because the garden isn't leafing and budding, that doesn't mean that it's at rest. Winter is a time for plants to draw resources together, to build them up bit by bit, to rev up the power and get it humming, so that when spring comes, bam!

They can take off like a shot.

Those tiny leaves at the base of the licorice mint and the flax are the botanical equivalents of a cat's back feet. They haven't begun twitching yet—the plants are still doing the math problems, measuring the angle of the sun and the hours of daylight, calculating chlorophyll-to-carbohydrate ratios, plotting their growth trajectories—but in another few weeks, they'll begin in their own motionless, mysterious way, to gather themselves together for the pounce.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting here surrounded by gardening books, old catalogs, and internet printouts doing my own plotting and planning. Don't think my feet aren't starting to twitch.

Mine aren't the only ones...

Make a cool thumb controlled watering pot out of recycled materials
http://20minutegarden.com

One of the things I love about gardening is that the activity provides an outlet for discovering new ways to recycle and re-purpose the materials that flow through our lives. In our garden, we have used empty bottles to make cloches and yogurt containers for starting seeds. We used old windows to make cold frames. Small branches can become bramble for the peas to grow on, and twine has been re-used for squash and pumpkins to grow on. The compost is a constant reminder of our success at keeping yard and kitchen waste out of the garbage system and instead making a rich nutritious “food” to feed our plants.

Last week a friend sent me a link that made my inner gardening recycler both giddy and inspired. The post on a “Cool thumb-controlled watering pot made with recycled materials” from the Fun in the Making blog is a nifty new idea inspired by pottery “thumb pots” in 17th and 18th century English gardens. It’s just the right tool for watering seedlings and delicate plants. This is the sort of simple and manageable project that would be great fun to do with kids. I will be making one as soon as I can.

The thumb pot is a lesson for children and adults alike on fluids and pressure and the power of the thumb!I got the idea to make these thumb controlled pots from the pottery ones I’ve seen at Historic Williamsburg. The original earthenware “thumb pots” were used in 17th and 18th century English gardens. I reproduced this clever watering device using salvaged plastic bottles and jugs. It is ideal for watering delicate seedlings. I use this watering pot all the time now.

To Make:

Find a suitable “pot.” I love using maple syrup containers but I was successful making other smaller pots with smaller plastic milk bottles. The smaller bottles are easier for children.

Drill a hole in the center of the cap of your container. I used a 7/32nd drill bit. Next, drill small holes in the bottom. I used a 1/16th drill bit. When using softer plastic containers, it is possible to poke holes instead of using a drill. Make sure the cap is on tight; otherwise the water will not stay inside.

How it works:

It works similar to holding your thumb over the top of a drinking straw.
1. To fill your thumb pot, place into a bucket of water. Do not cover the hole in the top.
2. Hold your finger over the hole in the cap to prevent water from escaping the bottom as you lift.
3. Continue to hold your thumb over the hole as you lift.
4. Take your thumb off the hole when you are ready to water your plants. Removing your thumb allows the water to gently stream out the holes on the bottom.

How to hold a thumb pot.

Homemade Seed Pots

http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com

Most gardeners have already been scouring seed catalogs for a few weeks and in the coming weeks and months gardeners will buy seeds from seed racks at garden centers. Every gardener has their preferred method of seed starting and what seed pots they use. Frugal gardeners have know for a long time that many items around the house can be converted into homemade seed pots. Everyday household items can be made into seed pots as long as they can hold soil and have some drainage. I did a post on making seed pots from rolling a sheet of newspaper, you can start seeds in a plastic sandwich bag or make a seed starter from a soda bottle. If you aren't familiar with those cheap ways of starting seeds take a moment to read those links and add that seed starting information to your gardening arsenal.

Peat pellets and peat pots have a long history of being used as seed pots especially among organic gardeners. But peat isn't the most environmentally friendly product and many suppliers like GrowOrganic.com are providing coco (made from coconuts) coir seed pellets as an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative. I'll provide a cheaper tip below.

Homemade organic Seed pots. Eggshell pot. Eggshells are a classic homemade seed pot. Empty eggshells that have been rinsed out and carefully broken to hold a few spoonfuls of potting soil or seed starting mix make interesting seed pots. Remember to clean out the eggshell seed pot by rinsing it and setting it aside to dry. It would be a good idea to poke a small drainage hole at the base of the eggshell so your soil or seed mix doesn't become waterlogged. If you buy your eggs in a cardboard carton you can also use the carton as a seed pot or simply use it as a way to prop up your eggshell seed pots so they don't tip over or roll around. Once your seeds have sprouted and they're ready to be planted in the garden you can plant your eggshell seed pot in the ground; you can give the young roots and seedling a little help by crushing the eggshell seed pot.

Instead of discarding the cardboard toilet paper rolls you can easily turn them into homemade seed pots by filling them with soil or seed starting mix. Like the eggshell seed pot the cardboard roll seed pot is an environmentally friendly seed pot that you can plant directly in the garden once the growing season begins in your area. If you still have the empty cardboard rolls that held your wrapping paper in place they can also be used to create seed pots. I kind of prefer the wrapping paper cardboard seed pot because it is more durable and doesn't become soft so soon.

With these seed pots there is no need to create a drainage hole since both sides of the cardboard tube are open. Keep your paper tube seed pots a minimum of three inches in length so when the seed sprouts there will be plenty of soil for the roots to grow into. If you cut your tubes too short you may find it hard to keep your seed pots moist and your seedlings growing.

Yogurt cups, Styrofoam cups, butter/cream cheese tubs and takeout containers also make good homemade seed pots. Just remember to poke holes in the bottom of the container and choose durable plastics that can last as seed pots for a couple of years.

I personally use a general houseplant potting mix to start all of my seeds but others may use a specific seed starting soil mix. The one thing I've learned after a few years of growing from seeds is to prep the soil mix I'm using with a little bit of perlite and to moisten the soil mix before using it. If you enlarge the eggshell seed pot image above you may notice that the soil mix is dark. That's because I moistened it before spooning it into the eggshell and cardboard roll seed pots. Lightly wetting the soil mix for my seeds makes it easier to handle so I waste less and can water easier than if the mix was dry.

Both peat and coco fiber seed starting pellets are good products with their advantages but their drawback to me is price. The seed starting page for Burpee has 48 peat pellets selling for under nine dollars and the coco coir pellets can start at fifteen cents per seed pellet. While good products with their pros and cons I'd rather spend the money on buying seeds. If you visit your local pet supply store you can buy a brick of coco coir for few dollars. The Coco fibers is sold as reptile bedding and is even used by terrarium builders as a soil. If you buy a large brick and stuff either the cardboard roll or the eggshell seed pods with the moistened fiber it is basically the same thing as a peat or coco coir pellet, except it will cost you less.

How to grow kale and make a kale smoothie
Andrea Bellamy |@ http://heavypetal.ca/

Every month, Heavy Petal collaborates with Willowtree — a website for those with food sensitivities who want to find their culinary bliss — to bring you a celebration of an in-season edible. I’ll tell you how to grow it; they’ll tell you how to eat it. Yay!

If you haven’t already succumbed to kale’s seductions, now is the time to try it. This hardy, healthy leafy green can be found in gardens and markets throughout the fall and winter, and the Willowtree gals recommend trying it in a smoothie.

If the idea of a kale smoothie makes your gag reflex spasm, I do understand. Until very recently, I’d be right there with you, running for the bag of refined sugar. But then I tried this recipe, and not only is it tolerable, it’s good. I especially appreciate the license I feel it’s given me to eat like crap for the rest of the day.

Kale Smoothie

Cook Time: 10 mins
Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups organic kale (ribs removed)
1/2 banana
1 apple (peeled & chopped)
1” piece of ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp raw organic agave syrup
1/2 cup almond milk

Method: Add all ingredients to food processor or blender; set on high and blend until smooth.

How to grow kale:Kale should be a staple of every healthy-food-lover’s garden. It’s attractive, easy to grow, and frost tolerant (so makes a great winter-garden crop!). Plant in early spring and again in midsummer, harvesting outer leaves as the plants reach 4 in. (10cm) tall. Kale likes full sun and rich, fertile soil (though it will tolerate a little shade). Help it along with a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer such as fish fertilizer. Kale will overwinter in all but the coldest climates; harvest all winter, then eat the flowers that emerge in spring. My favourite kales are ‘Lacinato’ (aka Black Tuscan, or Dinosaur kale) and ‘Red Russian.’

Fun for Potato Obsessives
http://www.gardenrant.com/

That would be me! Potatoes are just about my favorite crop. They are famous for yielding the most food in the smallest possible space, why is one explanation for why the land-poor 19th century Irish became so dependent on them. They are very forgiving, producing early, late, everywhere in between. And homegrown potatoes are creamy and delicious.

So, it was with pleasure that I flipped through The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know by Hielke De Jong, a retired potato breeder from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Potato Research Center; Joseph B. Sieczka, Cornell hort professor emeritus; and Walter De Jong, of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell.

Publisher Timber Press outdid itself here. This is a beautiful book with lots of useful photographs, including those of various potato diseases, which will occasionally trouble even the most easy-going home grower in a wet year. There are photographs of different varieties--to be expected--but there are also photographs of the potato in art and of outrageously colorful and wildly shaped cultivated potatoes from the potato's birthplace in the Andes. Let's get some of THOSE varieties over here.

And while the growing instructions seem a little constipated in way that suggests a greater familiarity with the needs of commercial growers than happy seat-of-the-pants gardeners like me--i.e, worry about pH even though potatoes will grow in a wide range of soil types--the real delights of this book are in its panoramic consideration of the potato.

I learned all kinds of things I did not previously know, such as...
1. If you intend to store potatoes, the skin will toughen up if you leave them in the ground for at least two weeks after the vegetation dies.
2. Half of the world's potato crop winds up in processed foods.
3. Wild potatoes are full of toxic glycoalkaloids that make them taste bitter. (The glycoalkaloids have been bred down to acceptable levels in domestic potatoes, but are concentrated in the green tissue of tubers that have been exposed to light. That's why we hill potatoes--to keep them shrouded.)
4. In the Andes, where the potato is native, people dealt with the glycoalkaloids by eating a special clay that binds to them, or by leaving potatoes outside in freezing weather and then trampling and washing the glycoalkaloids out of them, creating a freeze-dried product called chuno.
5. Colored potatoes contain additional nutrients, including antioxidants, so if you can do blue or red, why not?
6. The authors make growing potatoes from actual seed, called TPS or "true potato seed"--rather than from "seed potatoes"--seem like a reasonable proposition. Of course, you'll be getting the product of sexual reproduction in that case, so you'll have to do without the genetic uniformity of tubers. But seed tubers are expensive! I'd rather not spend the $30 or $40 I spend on them every year. The only source I could find, however, for TPS is www.nicholsgardennursery.com/.

Horti-Culture Corner

From highaltitudegardening.blogspot.com/

Poinsettias are simply celebrating
what we humans are lamenting ~
the long, dark days of winter.

From http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/sforres1/poetry/

Two snails, smirking smugly,
slid through the slippery sedge.

Two sledgehammers
smartly smashed the snails,
who smirked no longer smugly,
being but smudges upon the sand.

January 2012

Planters Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
January 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Meeting - Monday January 23rd
@ The Pitkin Community Center @ 7:00 p.m.

Harrison Griffin, a retired Agriculture Teacher and ninth generation dairy farmer, will talk about the Community Supported Agriculture project that he and his family have started in Suffield. In its third year, Oxen Hill Farm supplies its shareholders, and also merchandises direct to the public at several area farmer's markets including Wethersfield's. Their website is www.oxenhillfarm.com.

Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan

Even though it started out badly, this is turning out to be a very good winter for the squirrels that reside at the Meehan homestead.

On the last weekend of October a snow-laden limb from our Magnolia tree flopped over and severed our connection to our street’s electrical power grid – the very same grid that had already ceased to operate that afternoon. At about the same time a large Oak branch containing one of the tree rat’s larger condominiums (aka “dray”) crashed to the ground. And the bough on our Flowering Crab tree that held our three principal bird/squirrel feeders broke off and crashed to the earth. Several trash bins full of other lumber also tumbled into our yard.

As part of the first wave of our cleanup, Marsha and I retrofitted the seed cafeterias to one of the remaining offshoots of the decorative fruit tree, and rested the broken end of the severed limb atop one of the other remaining branches in order to provide a bit of nearby shelter to our guest diners. Within hours the now homeless refugee rodents were drowning their sorrows in pouch fulls of sunflower seeds. And we were off to the town’s well-heated Community Center where, along with our Hartford based health club, we spent our waking hours during the weeklong blackout.

Ironically we had tree work scheduled for our yard on that Monday. Realizing that the planned work would have to take a backseat to emergency jobs they now had to do I called the tree company and, asked if they could please make a quick stop and prune back our Magnolia so as to eliminate the possibility of another power wire takedown.

I also told them to leave the flowering crab – which had been on the original order as a “check it over and assess” – alone. A week or so later, after we had our electricity back, an out-of-state subcontractor for our arborist dropped by while we were out and (a) cut back the wrong parts of the Magnolia and (b) carried away the fallen branch that Marsha and I had so carefully set in place.

The yard pets seemed unfazed by these arboricultural errors. Marsha and I however had come to like the new form of entertainment provided by the broken limb playscape. Birds gathered on the dead branch, chattering away as they waited their turn at the dining table.

Squirrels, sometimes performing as a group, ran in a continuous nose-to-tail cycle across and up and down the fallen branch – abruptly changing direction in perfect unison through a series of rapid-fire, gravity-defying maneuvers impossible to execute in three dimensions, and equally difficult to describe in 2-D words. When doing their solo acts the bushy-tailed rodents leapt fearlessly from their new playground perch onto our latest “squirrel proof” feeder – which up until that point had largely lived up to its name.

This alleged squirrel foiler is made up of a square-sided plastic tube with several feeding holes, surrounded by a separate metal cage with leaf shaped decorations. The cage is attached to springs. The tube is not. When a squirrel latches on to the outer enclosure, it drops down and its ornamental leaves cover the apertures on the immovable plastic feeder. Amazingly this Rube Goldberg contraption actually functions as advertised. The squirrels' weight does indeed force the metal shell down so that its doors shut tight against the plastic-lined feeding holes on the interior tube. The little rats still climbed up onto the feeder and gnawed away at the metal (unsuccessfully) and plastic (successfully) but quickly became frustrated and returned to the ground where they were humiliatingly forced to feed on the castoffs of their much lighter feathered dining companions.

But now, apparently fired up by the easy access provided by their new “shelter”, the squirrels hurled themselves at the beleaguered feeder with such frequency that at pretty much any time during the day one of the tree rodents was either on, or in mid-flight on its way up to the feeder.

And they stayed on it longer when they got there.

What the squirrels finally figured out, possibly under the influence of the playscape induced adrenaline, was that once they gnawed away enough polyethylene to make the food portals larger than their covers, the sunflower seeds simply tumbled into their greedy little mouths.

And we figured out that if we wanted this traveling circus to continue its performances, then we needed a new playscape. Fortunately one of the large branches from our copse of arborvitae cedars had also been damaged during the surprise snowstorm.

So with a little pruning-saw action, and some long distance dragging, the birds and squirrels had a newer, even better (because it had foliage) “shelter”. Marsha decorated it with shiny red, blue and gold ornaments for the holidays and I verbally stopped the arborists from removing it when they finally came to perform our originally contracted work and to properly prune the Magnolia.

Our house wires are safe from our timber. And, as the real cold weather settles in, our birds and squirrels continue to find new ways to enjoy their playscape – and entertain us. Not only is it going to be a good winter for our squirrels, but hopefully for us too.

Some Hard Truths About Gardening In Connecticut
A Tongue-In-Cheek Look At The Trials And Tribulations Of Gardening In Connecticut by Deborah Roberts @ stoningtonpatch.com

If you’ve been gardening in Connecticut long enough, you’ve probably learned a few hard truths along the way. You know, those lessons we seem to have to re-learn every season. Gardeners are optimists at heart, but sometimes it helps to acknowledge we really have very little control over what happens in our gardens. Here are a few truisms about Connecticut gardening that I’ve learned over the past few decades that may save you some headaches and a few heartaches.
Mother Nature has a strange sense of humor. And she likes to remind us of that fact at least a few times each year. Don’t take it personally.

If you’re not killing a few plants each year, you’re doing something wrong. Sometimes we’re to blame and sometimes Mother Nature hastens the decline. But either way, those deaths will teach you how to be a better gardener.

Grass really does grow better in your flowerbeds than it does in your lawn.

Never take a cut of mint from a well-meaning neighbor. And while you’re at it, beware of plants, especially groundcovers like mint, that are labeled ‘vigorous’. They are the bullies of your garden, quickly outcompeting nearby plants.

‘Free-seeding’ is gardening code for ‘you’ll be spending tons of time on your hands and knees next spring pulling out unwanted seedlings’.

When it comes to perennials, if the deer don’t eat them the rabbits probably will. And if the rabbits don’t like them, they are probably candy for groundhogs. Or voles.

Remember, deer don’t read the same books as we do. They don’t know which plants are supposed to be ‘deer resistant’ and which ones aren’t.

There’s always one more rock or one more root to remove in order to have the ’perfect’ planting hole.

However improbable it may seem, you do control the amount of rain the rest of the state receives. When the weatherman calls for 2” of rain and you decide NOT to water your garden, you’re prolonging the dry spell for the rest of us. But if you drag out the hoses and water your garden, the skies will open up and it will rain and rain and rain.

Imagine it’s mid-Autumn and you have a bunch of daffodils bulbs that still need to be planted. Don’t wait until next weekend to get them in the ground. Chances are it will snow and your window of opportunity will be slammed shut. On the other hand, if you do plant them now, then the ground probably won’t freeze until January so you really could have procrastinated a little bit longer.

Speaking of bulbs, what you’ve suspected all along is true…the squirrels and chipmunks are watching exactly where you plant those bulbs so they can dig them up a few hours later.

9 Garden Myths Demystified
Don't let these classic superstitions waste your time or harm your plants
John C. Fech @ finegardening.com

I learned that you shouldn’t believe every bit of gardening advice you hear in graduate school, thanks to my statistics professor, Walter Stroup, who loved to wear his “Walter Beer” hat during class. This weird-looking derby made from yarn and beer cans was a gift from one of his former students. During the first class, Stroup explained he always wore his Walter Beer hat when he fertilized his plants and wearing it was what caused them to grow so well. The purpose of his anecdote, I realized, was to impress upon his students the importance of questioning every claim and bit of advice.

We have all followed someone’s gardening advice without knowing if it was based on sound information. As you maintain your garden, consider if your techniques are simply ideas passed down through the ages or smart practices based on solid science. Here are a few of my favorite myths and the truths we should all embrace.

Myth: If a plant is under stress, it should be fed
Truth: Fertilizing plants that are not nutrient deficient can lead to additional stress. Fertilizer is added to plants growing in poor soils and to plants that show symptoms of lacking a particular nutrient. Generally, when a plant is stressed, it’s not from lack of food. Compacted soil, heat, salt spray, faulty planting, and improper placement are usually the culprits that stress plants. It is important to rule out other environmental conditions before deciding a plant is underfertilized. When fed, stressed plants use up energy that is better spent on growing roots, walling off decay organisms, or defending against insects.

Myth: Cover newly pruned areas with varnish, tar, or paint
Truth: There really isn’t a way to keep fungal organisms out of a new cut. In about half of the situations where these wound dressings are used, the tree’s heartwood decays faster than it would have without the topical application. The paint or tar holds moisture near the new wound, which, unfortunately, helps the various fungal decay organisms grow. Instead, simply make a clean cut just outside the branch collar and leave it alone. If pruned properly, trees can take advantage of natural defense mechanisms to ward off most decay problems.

Myth: Organic pesticides are less toxic than synthetic ones
Truth: Misused pesticides can be harmful, regardless of whether they are considered natural or synthetic. Pyrethrum, for example, is made from chrysanthemums but is still toxic to people and pets when handled improperly. Whenever possible, it’s best to select the least toxic control option available because, even if not lethal, many of these pesticides can cause serious health complications. Safe storage of these products can help prevent any harmful accidents. Read and follow all label directions, and remember that these products are tools, not miracle workers or silver bullets. Pesticides cannot correct mistakes made in plant selection, installation, or maintenance.

Myth: Newly planted trees need to be staked and guy-wired
Truth: Staking a tree can hinder its proper development. This practice was once a landscape industry standard, driven by a gardener’s inner desire to do something good for the plant to help it grow. It’s best to avoid staking unless the new tree is located in a windy or on a sloped site. Allowing the tree to sway in the wind encourages the development of stronger stabilizing roots. If staked, the tree may become dependent on this support, preventing the root system from becoming strong and healthy. If it is truly necessary, tie the trunk loosely to the stake using fabrics such as T-shirts or bicycle inner tubes to avoid damaging the bark, and remove the support after one growing season.

Myth: When it comes to fertilizers and pesticides, if a little is good, twice is better
Truth: A precise measurement of these materials is crucial to the health of your garden. If you like to watch the Food Network, you’ve probably seen Emeril Lagasse “kick it up a notch” by adding a little more of a certain spice. This approach may be fine for cooking but not for gardening. Fertilizers can raise salt levels in the soil to toxic levels, burning the roots and stunting growth of your plants. Pesticides, when overused, can also have similar detrimental effects on plants by burning the leaves or raising toxicity levels in the soil. Garden products, both organic and synthetic, are extensively tested during research and development to provide safe and reliable results, so using the exact recommended dosage is the best practice. I recently witnessed an impatient gardener spray some cucumber beetles with a very concentrated solution of an insecticide; the bugs died but so did some of the cucumber vines.

Myth: Sunshine focused through water droplets will burn leaves
Truth: The diffused rays of the sun are not powerful enough to cause burning. If it were the case that water droplets burned leaves, farmers would encounter huge losses after each daytime rainstorm. In fact, lawn care professionals often cool turf by spritzing water over the foliage during the hottest part of the day. In general, the best time to water most garden plants is early in the morning because of higher municipal water pressure, a lower evaporation rate, and the potential to reduce foliar diseases that often occur in overly moist situations. But if you are left with no other choice, watering midday will not harm your plants.

Myth: Add sand to loosen heavy, clay soil
Truth: The worst remedy for a clay soil is to add sand. This practice turns the clay soil into a rock-hard, mortarlike substance. Instead, use organic matter, like compost, to loosen heavy soils because it is light in composition and also improves nutrient quality. Sand can improve a clay soil, but it must be added until it constitutes most of the mineral composition of the soil. At that point, it’s not really clay soil any longer; it is sandy soil.

Myth: When planting a tree or shrub, dig the hole twice as wide and twice as deep as the root-ball
Truth: A planting hole should be twice as wide as the root-ball but no deeper. By applying this planting principle, you will encourage the roots of a plant to grow out, which creates stability and allows the plant to readily find water and nutrients. A good way to make sure that the root-ball is at the right depth is to place the top roots so that they are parallel with the soil surface and then apply 2 inches of mulch over them. Think of it as a “planting area,” instead of a “planting hole.” Don’t add compost or potting soil when backfilling the planting area. Most roots prefer to grow in these amended soils instead of spreading out through the landscape.

Myth: Drought-tolerant plants don’t need to be watered
Truth: All plants need to be watered to become established. Most “drought-tolerant” plants such as Russian sages (Perovskia spp. and cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 6–9) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–11) are those that can survive through an average summer without supplemental watering. These plants, however, are usually not drought tolerant in the first year, and regular watering and an application of mulch are good ideas. After that, you can pretty much allow them to fend for themselves, but even the toughest of plants will benefit from a monthly soaking.

Debunking Garden Myths: Garden Myths Not Worth Repeating
laptopgardener.com

Myths, old wives tales, and folklores abound even in the world of gardening. Gardening lore often gets passed from neighbour to neighbour as homegrown tips based on little or no scientific research. The myths start out as common sense conclusions and keep getting perpetuated time after time. Pretty soon they are part of the global gardening consciousness and they are believed to be true. Once this happens it is almost impossible to undo the belief. The poinsettia poison myth is still being trounced after eighty years. Well, here’s my attempt to dispel some popular garden myths.

Myth: Botanical “natural” pesticides are toxic to pests and harmless to other living things (including gardeners). Not true, in fact some botanical pesticides that are derived from poisonous plants are even more toxic than commercially prepared ones. Both pyrethrum (made from Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) and rotenone (made from two tropical legume family plants, the South American Lacepod or Lonchocarpus and the Asia’s jewel vine or flame tree which is known botanically as Derris) are popular botanical pesticides. Pyrethrum and rotenone are moderately toxic to humans (particularly children) when inhaled or ingested. Interestingly both are extremely toxic to aquatic life, and are used as fish poisons.

The flowers of the chrysanthemum used to make pyrethrum are harvested shortly after they open and are either dried and pulverized or the oils from the flower are extracted using solvents. The active ingredient works on the nervous system to cause paralysis and death (if in sufficient quantities). Cats are particularly susceptible to poisoning from pyrethrums.
Rotenone is a contact and stomach poison that is made by grinding up roots and varies in its human toxicity from very high to low depending on how much of the pure derris root is used in the pesticide. Treat natural pesticides with the same caution that synthetic ones deserve (or give them even more). One of the most toxic pesticides is nicotine, which is derived from the tobacco plant.

Myth: The soil under oaks, cedars and pines is acidic. The top inch or so might be acidic, but if the bedrock underneath is limestone then the soil above that rock will be on the alkaline side. Oak leaves, cedar leaflets and pine needles have to build up for centuries to make a significant amount that will have any impact on alkaline soil.

Myth: Moss grows in lawns that need lime. Lots of conditions favour the growth of moss in lawns. Having an acid soil is not the most significant one of them. The most important reason that moss is found in the lawn is that conditions are not favourable for a lush, healthy lawn. Moss is an opportunity seeking plant and will settle almost anyplace that there’s an open spot. Too much shade, poor drainage (moist conditions), poor fertility or compacted soils are all conditions where lawns do not grow well. When this happens moss is almost certain to arrive. Don’t add lime to correct a moss problem unless a soil analysis indicates an excessively acidic result.

Myth: Mushrooms and toadstools sprouting in the lawn mean that the soil is deficient. On the contrary, fungi such as mushrooms and toadstools are living off nourishing decaying material. A rotting tree root or other decaying organic matter is likely the cause of the fungi. This is a good sign that there’s nourishment being added to the soil. The visible structures are the flowering and fruiting portion of an extensive underground plant.

Myth: Ants are needed to make peony flowers open. Many people believe that ants are actually eating the waxy coating from the peony so that the flower can open. Others believe that the peony is secreting a sugary substance that attracts ants to feed. In any case, the ant is enjoying a symbiotic relationship with the peony and is not doing any harm by being on the flower bud. Once the bloom starts to open the ants vanish. Peony flowers can open just fine without any ants – just ask a florist.

Myth: Some plants can repel mosquitoes. Amazing but not true, there are no plants that repel mosquitoes. If you rub the leaves of certain plants onto your skin, the oils and aromas can help discourage mosquitoes from biting. It is asking a lot of a plant to release essential oils into the air in quantities that can keep mosquitoes away for distances like 6 feet though.

Myth: Clay pots are better for houseplants than plastic pots. Clay pots cause the moisture in the soil to evaporate faster than plastic pots. This can be helpful for houseplants if the waterer is heavy handed – then clay is better. If houseplants are watered only when they need water instead of on a regular schedule then plastic pots should be adequate.

Myth: It doesn’t pay to use leftover seeds from flowers and vegetables. Most open packets of seed start to loose their viability as soon as they are exposed to heat and extreme humidity levels. If seeds are stored under ideal conditions in a tightly sealed jar in a dark, cool, dry location then they should store well for several years. The length of time varies according to the seed. To extend the viability even further, place some powdered milk in the bottom of the glass jar to soak up humidity.

Myth: Hostas are shade plants and don’t tolerate the sun. There are many hostas that perform very well in the sun if they are given adequate moisture. In fact, the native habitat for many hostas is in a sunny location at the edge of the woods. Some hostas that tolerate more sun are: Francee, Patriot, Sum and Substance, Gold Standard and Royal Standard.

Taking a moment to look at these myths with a bit of scepticism will hopefully lead gardeners, after some critical thinking, to come to the conclusion that not all gardening lore is valid.

Myths and Truths from the Garden
Renè Lindsey aka “The Plant Lady” @ northsacnews.com

Does this really work? Or is this going to hurt? That’s a question we often ask ourselves. Ever heard of an old wives tale? Why do we have to be old and have a tale to know what really works? I’m old now, 40 thank you, and I do think I finally might know what I’m talking about. My dear sista, Tiffy Boo, asked if I could cover myths & truths so maybe this is my best attempt.

1. Does watering my lawn in the hot sun burn it or burn my plant leaves? NO is the truth. Watering in extreme heat does not burn the lawn. Heat magnification burns occur from a distance like a bug & a magnifying glass. However, when hot the evaporation rate is accelerated and our water can vaporize and be a waste of money and resources.

2. To avoid transplant shock use B-1. This one took me by surprise, B-1 does nothing. It’s the other minerals and ingredients such as hormones. The B-1 is simply a marketing strategy. Wow!

3. Gypsum to break up clay soil: not exactly! At Home Depot we used to carry a product called Soil Buster. It contained 70% pelletized gypsum. There was even an article in the Sac Bee. Wow, sales boomed. Then the product was pulled. Hmmm. Yes the plot thickens.
Gypsum claims to soften hard clay soils. Gypsum is actually – (calcium sulfate) – and when added to high sodium soils (hard soil) it actually replaces the sodium (salts) with calcium leaving a more pliable desired soil. The sodium has now left the building, “as did Elvis”. TCB Baby!

4. The soil under pines and oaks is acidic. Yes and No. The first few inches are, however, if the bedrock underneath consists of limestone, then that soil will be on the alkaline side. It takes many years of leaf build up to counteract for the acidity to become an effect! FOOD FOR THOUGHT! LISTEN TO YOUR PLANT LADY.

5. Poinsettas are poisonous: NOT! Long, long ago a king’s son got sick after eating a bloom. Coincidence. Years of testing has proved.

6. Seeds are no good after one season! Wrong. Store in an air tight jar with a lid, with a little powdered milk in it to absorb moisture and keep them in the dark. They will last 5 years or more. I shoulda done this long ago.

7. Rubber mulch vs. bark – straw. Yes, as far as aesthetics goes rubber wins, does not decompose, fungi and insects do not desire it as a habitat, does not fade, etc, etc. However, if you place it in an area or live in an area high in fire significance it will be the easiest to ignite and the hardest to extinguish.

8. This one is just kinda cool. Country soil vs. urban city soils. Kinda like in the 70’s, free, flowing, soft, fertile out in the middle of nowhere, anything’s possible. Loose, no restrictions, oh the possibilities. That’s the country soils. Urban/city landscape is such a challenge relating back to the compaction of rock, soil & dead debris from the big heavy trucks when the neighborhoods were being formed. This could explain why our yards never look like grandma’s out in the sticks did. When housing areas are being formed all the soils are graded and scraped, flattened. Heavy equipment compacts the entire area, etc, etc, etc. Wow. Interesting. Therefore we gotta to bring in so much top soil, raised beds, etc. I woulda never thunk it.

9. Cover fresh cuts or pruned branches with tar, seal or paint: to keep fungus out, etc. This can actually be false! If the tree is pruned properly it can seal and heal itself if the cut is a straight clean cut right outside the branch collar. If done incorrectly and sealed off, moisture is held under the wound, bacteria incurs and fungal decay begins.

10. Last but not least: if we do everything right, then, by golly, nothing can ever go wrong! Sure. We all know this truth. Drive thru the country, take a trip to the Redwoods, Yosemite, Highway 101 Scenic Coast, Yellowstone, the desert, even Tahoe. Who designed and gardened that? The Garden God himself, the only green thumb there really is. Natural environments will always be our example in the quest to duplicate it for our own satisfaction. All that nature receives is poop and water and look at it. We’ll never be able to out do it. However, with a little grace and some effort we can achieve our own personal little piece of heaven in our own backyards. Sometimes less is more and new ain’t always better. I have learned the stupidest questions get the smartest answers. Trust me I have asked many in my time.

Horticulture Corner:

"Winter is icumen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm !
Sing : Goddam.”

Ezra Pound, Ancient Music