Hopkins CountyCooperative Extension Service75 Cornwall DriveMadisonville, KY 42431-8780 (270) 821-3650Fax: (270) 825-5011hopkins.ca.uky.edu

Hopkins CountyHorticulture Newsletter

Winter 2017

Erika Wood, County Extension Agent for Horticulture

Cooperative Extension ServiceAgriculture and Natural ResourcesFamily and Consumer Sciences4-H Youth DevelopmentCommunity and Economic Development

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Winter Interest for Your GardensAfter the leaves have fallen and the flowers have died, gardens and landscapes can look pretty dull and grim

during the winter months. Here are a few ideas for keeping some visual interest in your garden beds this winter. Add some beauty to

those dreary landscapes!• Shrubs with Berries: Consider planting ornamental shrubs that will

produce colorful berries that last throughout the winter months. Winter-berry Holly is a great example, producing bright red to orange-red ber-ries. American Bittersweet and Chokeberry also produce colorful berries that persist into the winter. Shrubs that produce berries also make great natural decorations for the holiday season.

• Ornamental Grasses: The tall and flowing flower stems of ornamen-tal grasses will last through the winter and create a sense of movement in the landscape. Hold off on cutting these grasses back until the late winter to early spring.

• Trees with Unique Stems: To add some color to your winter landscape, plant trees with colorful or uniquely shaped stems. Red Osier dogwoods have bright, red stems that create quite the color splash when grouped togeth-er. New twigs on the Golden Willow tree are vibrant yellow. The curly (corkscrew) willow tree has unique, twisted stems that will draw in attention.

• Spent Flower Stalks and Seed Heads: As tempting as it is to trim and remove spent flowers and seed heads from your perennial plants to create a more clean, pristine garden, don’t do it! These seed heads not only provide food for wildlife over the winter, but they also provide some visual interest as well. Seed heads of black-eyed su-sans and coneflowers will resemble little snow caps after a snowfall, which creates a lovely winter display in the garden.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Winter Interest for Your Gardens …………………………1Carnivorous Plants ………………………………………………… 2Growing Herbs Indoors ………………………………………… 3Upcoming Events ………………………………………………….. 4

Carnivorous PlantsBy Holly Latta, Pennyroyal Master Gardener Volunteer

The only experience many people have had with carnivorous plants was watching Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors eat numerous charac-ters. While entertaining, the real world of carniv-orous plants is on a significantly smaller scale, and their modes of catching prey are far more unique than simply using teeth. Currently there are 700 known species of carnivorous plants, with the old-est carnivorous plant fossil found in amber tens of millions of years old.

The most notable enthusiast of carnivorous plants was Charles Darwin, who once wrote that, “It is a wonderful plant, or rather a most sagacious animal. I will stick up for Drosera [Sundews] to the day of my death.”

In the wild, remains of frogs and rats have been found in species of pitcher plants. Some pitch-er plants have even evolved to consume bat fe-ces. Pitcher plants are often seen in the high h u m i d i t y e n v i r o n -ments of c o n s e r v a -tories at b o t a n i c a l g a r d e n s throughout the United States. At home, they can be grown fairly easily in greenhouses or terrariums and are arguably quite stunning. In naturally humid homes, some keep-ers are able to grow their pitcher plants as potted plants that vine upward. For people with small in-sect pest issues, they can be especially helpful, and typically thrive when eating one to three insects per month. Though pitcher plants have grown to eat an assortment of organic matter, other carniv-orous plants are selective in other ways.

A distinctive trait of the infamous Venus fly-trap is that they can count. Only when five of their trigger hairs have been triggered will the trap be-

gin digesting its victim. This prevents the plant from wasting its energy closing its trap when something the plant cannot consume accidentally brushes it. These plants do well in moist, acidic soil with good drain-age. They are fairly compact plants that do best in terrari-ums with bright light. According to the Interna-tional Carniv-orous Plant so-ciety, there are 121 cultivars of Venus flytraps, including plants that are red and yellow pigmented. They do flow-er on occasion, but many flytrap keepers suggest cutting the cylindrical stem that develops before it turns into a flower, because flowering requires a great deal of energy; which in artificial conditions (indoors) can mean death for a plant that is in an environment even remotely sub-par.

Sundews are another common carnivorous plant admired by keepers because of their dazzling appearance. Nectar glands that produce digestive enzymes stick to prey, while their tentacles wrap around their unfortunate victims. Sundews vary drastically in size and shape, and tentacles can be spoon-shaped or straight. Sundews are great plants for beginners, and most keepers find them to be highly adaptable. Many sundews do not re-quire a terrarium, and high humidity can damage some varieties. As with all carnivorous plants dis-cussed, they need water that is extremely low in minerals (distilled or RO). Charles Darwin once wrote that he “…care[s] more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.” Over-all, carnivorous plants are fascinating to keep, and adored by horticulturalists internationally.

Growing your favorite herbs doesn’t have to be difficult! Here are some tips for keeping your fa-vorite herbs alive and thriving in your home this winter!

Choosing the Right Herbs: Not all herbs will grow well indoors. Here is a list of herbs that typ-ically grow well inside homes: Chives, Thyme, Ba-sil, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, and Mints.

Pots and Soil: Plant herbs in adequate-sized pots that contain drainage holes. Use potting mix/soilless media with adequate drainage materials. A combination of peat, vermiculite, and perlite works great.

Light: Place herbs near a bright window (south or west-facing) where plants receive about six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. If natural light cannot be provided, then use grow lights or fluo-rescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting will need to be on for 14-16 hours daily. Place herbs no closer than five to six inches from the light and no far-ther than 15 inches from the light.

Humidity: To increase humidity, place a tray or

Growing Herbs Indoorssaucer of stones filled with water near plants.

Temperature: Keep temperatures between 65-70°F and avoid putting near a heating source.

Watering: Water herbs when soil begins to dry out. Do not let Rosemary dry out completely.

Fertilizer: Low doses of fertilizer every two weeks. Follow label instructions. Too much fertil-izer may result in lush growth and poor flavor.

Trimming: Pinch off tips of herbs occasional-ly to promote more bushy appearance. Pinch off flower buds because flowers may reduce taste quality of the herb.

Plate it up! Kentucky

ProudRecipefor theWinter

Season!!

December 14: Houseplant Care and Propogation Workshop, 5:30 p.m.December 19: Fall Lunch Gardening Series: Poinsettia and Christmas Cactus Care, 11 a.m.January 17: Growing Cabbage, 11 a.m.January 22: Monthly Gardening Class: Starting Seeds Indoors, 5:30 p.m.February 21: Growing Potatoes, 11 a.m.February 26: Monthly Gardening Class: Preparing your Garden for Spring, 5:30 p.m.March 6: Monthly Gardening Class: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop, Time TBDMarch 21: Growing Blueberries, 11 a.m.April 4: Growing Tomatoes, 11 a.m.April 23: Monthly Gardening Class: Composting 101, 5:30 p.m.May 16: Growing Summer Squash, 11 a.m.

Dates may be subject to change. For more information or to RSVP, call theHopkins County Cooperative Extension Office at 270-821-3650.

Upcoming Events

Follow us on Facebook!

Hopkins County Horticulture Hopkins County Farmers Market

Master Gardeners, Pennyroyal

Stop by the Hopkins CountyCooperative Extension Office and pick

up a copy of the 2018 PennyroyalMaster Gardeners calendar!

Interested in becoming a MasterGardener volunteer or Farmers Market vendor? For more information, contact the Hopkins County Extension Office

at 270-821-3650.

Please Note ~ If schools are closed due to inclement weather, all meetings and activities scheduled for that

day will be cancelled as well.

Pennyroyal Master Gardeners

2018 Favorite Plants Calendar

Photographs by:

Amanda Halcomb

Julie Robichaud

Laura Teague