nov / dec 2011

Your guide to Great Lakes gardening a November/December 2011 a MichiganGardener.com

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in this issue

Plant Focus Serbian spruce

Thyme for Herbs Recipes and ideas using dried roses

Houseplants Growing African violets

How-to Protect a Japanese maple from winter damage

Celebrating

Years

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YearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYearsYears

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4 Michigan Gardener | November/December 2011 | www.MichiganGardener.com�

contentsNovember/December 2011

Garden Wisdom“Garden art is infinite and never static—(it) varies from year to year. The effect can never be guaranteed, whatever the skill or experience is brought forth to achieve it.”

— Graham Stuart Thomas

Troy - 248-689-87353301 John R–1/4 mile north of 16 Mile

Shelby Twp - 248-659-85554343 24 Mile btwn Dequindre & Shelby Rd.

hourS (Nov. 1-23): Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 10-5 Thanksgiving Day: Open – Please call for hours (Starting Nov. 25): Mon-Sat 9-8, Sun 10-6 www.tellys.com

Customers love our incredible selection during spring, summer and fall. Ditto for

The Holidays.At Telly’s, we are fully stocked for the holiday season.

Let us impress you with our year-round dedication to superior selection, quality, and service.

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Fresh-cut Christmas TreesCome see the finest variety of fresh-cut Christmas trees including:

Fraser Fir • Nordmann Fir • Scotch Pine • White Pine Blue Spruce • Concolor Fir • Noble Fir • Grand Fir • Balsam Fir

holiday workshopsAll classes are at the Troy location. Pre-registration required. All classes are $5 plus cost of materials used.

New For 2011! ThANkSgiviNg CeNTerpieCe workShopSat, Nov 19, 10am Made with fresh greens and deco-rated with Fall items. Bring your container or purchase one of ours.

holiDAy ouTDoor ArrANgemeNT workShopSat, Nov 19, 1pm or Sat, Dec 3, 10am

holiDAy SwAg workShop Sat, Dec 3, 1pm

holiDAy greeNS: iNDoor ArrANgemeNT workShopSat, Dec 10, 10am

CirCle oF FrieNDS workShopS Gather your friends (minimum of 10) to enjoy a private, fun-filled holiday workshop designed just for you. Choose from several options. Please call for details and availability. Register online at tellys.com or call 248-689-8735 for Troy classes.

regiSTer oNliNe AT TellyS.Com or CAll 248-689-8735.

holiday Décor• Miles of fresh roping• 1000's of poinsettias in many sizes & colors• Dazzling “painted” poinsettias

in every color of the rainbow• Custom-created wreaths and centerpieces• Memorial blankets created daily with that personal touch• Dozens of unique gift ideas for the holidays• Telly’s Gift Cards for that special gardener on your list• Christmas cactus, flowering plants, paperwhites, & more!

Publisher/EditorEric Hofley

Design & Production Jonathon Hofley

Advertising Eric Hofley

Circulation Jonathon Hofley

Editorial Assistant Carrie MacGillis

Contributors

Jeff BallKaren BovioJulia HofleyRosann KovalcikJanet MacunovichSteve MartinkoBeverly MossSteven NikkilaGeorge PapadelisSandie ParrottShane PliskaJean/Roxanne RiggsJim SlezinskiLisa SteinkopfSteve Turner

16291 W. 14 Mile Rd., Suite 5 Beverly Hills, MI 48025-3327 Phone: 248-594-5563 Fax: 248-594-5564 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.michigangardener.com

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To-Do List ..................................................................6

How-to ........................................................................8

Ask MG ....................................................................10

Weather Wrap ...................................................... 12

Gift Subscriptions ................................................ 12

Books for the Michigan Gardener ................ 13

Feature: African Violets .....................................14

Places to Grow ......................................................16

Calendar ................................................................... 17

Where to pick up Michigan Gardener ...........18

Advertiser Index ...................................................18

Subscription Form ...............................................19

Classified Ads ........................................................19

Garden TV ..............................................................19

Thyme for Herbs .................................................20

Bulk Subscriptions ...............................................21

Plant Focus: Serbian spruce ...........................22

Janet’s Journal ....................................Back Cover

On the cover: Autumn’s bold, earthy hues surround us as the gardening season grad-ually draws to a close.Photo: Steven Nikkila/Perennial Favorites

To Our Readers...Please look for the next issue of Michigan Gardener in April, 2012.

We want to thank our advertisers for making this season and the past 16 years of Michigan Gardener possible. Without them, and their support, Michigan Gardener would not exist.

We ask you, our readers, to please visit our advertisers and purchase their products and services. When doing so, please let them know you saw their ad in Michigan Gardener! In return, you will be rewarded with many more years of this region’s best gardening resource.

Until our next issue in April, please visit our website at www.MichiganGardener.com, where we are continually adding articles and other valuable gardening information.

Thank you and see you in the spring!

Join us for our

Annual Holiday Open HouseFriday & Saturday, November 11 & 12, 9am-5pm Sunday, November 13, 12-4pmNatural materials for winter and holiday potsHoliday decor and ornamentLightingGreat gifts for gardenersDesign and InstallationOpen for holiday shopping through December 24shopping throughDecember 24

1794 Pontiac Drive / Sylvan Lake / 248-335-8089 / Browse our collection at www.detroitgardenworks.com

Dow Gardens Know & Grow Seminar

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Vines & Ferns Tales from the Garden: Stories your

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Year-Round Landscape Mow No Mo - The World of

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Registration details:

www.dowgardens.org 1-800-362-4874

All day seminar: just $60.00 prior to Feb. 3, 2012

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Year-end garden tasks• This is the month to have the garden

cleanedup,ifyouhaven’talready.Don’tputaway tools and hoses just yet; there’s stillpruning and watering to do to help keepplantstheirhealthiest.

• Duringthefinalclean-upandpruningpro-cess,makenotesofwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t this year while it is fresh in yourmind.Reviewingthesenoteslaterwillhelpplanfornextyear.

• Compost leaves to use as a great soilamendmentnextyear.Mulchleaves,espe-ciallythosefromoakandmapletrees,intothelawntohelpprevent lawnweedsnextspring. Leaves also make good mulch ingardenbeds.

• Continue to water trees and shrubs un-til the ground is frozen. Evergreens andbroadleaf evergreens lose moisture to thewindallwinterlong,somakesuretowaterthemwhenthesoilisdrytothetouchaboutan inch down. Give plants a good soakingjustbeforethegroundfreezesandthesnowstarts to stick. Even if the soil is frozenabove, plants can access water below thefreeze.Besuretodisconnectthehosefromthefauceteachtimeyouwater,justincaseitdoesfreeze.

• Ideally,emptycontainergardensofsoilandbringthemintothegarage.Ifthat’snotpos-sible,besure toraise themoffthegroundsowaterflowsthroughthemeasily.Coverwith burlap and then plastic. Another op-tionistoturnthemupsidedown.Thegoalis to try to stop the soil from expandingwhenthewaterinitfreezestostopthepotsfromcracking.

• Youcouldalsousethecontainersthiswin-ter,andfillthemwithevergreenbranches,lights, and ornaments. It’s helpful to keepthesoilinthecontainertouseasabaseforsecuringthebranchesandtrim.

• If you have a fountain, be sure to removethe pump so it doesn’t freeze. Empty thewater,coverthefountainwithburlap,thenwithatarp.Plasticshouldnotcomeindi-rect contact with the concrete. Moisturetendstobuildupatthecontactpoints,andwith a recurring freeze-thaw cycle, youmayhavespotsonthefountainthatflakeorbreak.

• Apply an anti-desiccant to plants to keepthemfromdryingout.Applyaslateaspos-sible,whilethetemperaturesarestillabove40 degrees. Re-apply in late winter, whenwehaveawarmspell,becausetheproductwearsoffinaboutsixweeks.Itisespeciallyimportant to use on broadleaf evergreensto help reduce the stress from Michigan’swinterwinds.Aburlaptentisalsohelpfultocutthewind.Ifyouhaveplantsonyour

home’ssouthorwestsidethatneedprotec-tion,considerusingbothmethods.

• Take time to winterize your garden toolsandlawnmowerbladesothey’rereadyfornext spring. Give them a good cleaning,sharpeningandoiling.

Houseplants• Continue a schedule of systemic granule

applicationseverysixweeksforplantsthatwere brought in from the outside. Main-taining a schedule all year will do a goodjobofpreventinghard-to-treatproblems.

• Always check plants before watering.There’s a lot less sunlight now than dur-ingthesummer,soplantswillwantwaterlessfrequentlythantheydidbefore.They’llalsoneed less fertilizer.Youdon’twant topromotegrowthrightnow,justkeepplantshealthy. Growth in low light conditionstendstobeweakerandmorespindly.

• Thefurnaceisonmoreandmorefrequent-ly as the temperatures drop, so be carefulwhen placing houseplants near heat vents.Frequently, the side of the pot facing theventwilldryoutmorequicklythantheoth-erside,leadingtowateringproblems.

• Heat vents may also contribute to a spidermite infestation,becausethesepestsattackdrought-stressedplants.Thewarmairfromthe vent can dry out the leaves a little toomuchonsomeplants.Useaventdeflectortodecreasethedirectcontactwithblowingair.

Perennials• Cleanoutperennialbeds.Keepperennials

intact that have seed heads or evergreenorsemi-evergreenfoliageforwinterinter-est.Someperennialshaveevergreenfoliagewith leaves that look good until the snowcoversthem,andevenforafewweeksafterthesnowmelts.

• Add a new mulch layer as late as possibleto help keep the ground cold and protectplantsfromthefrostheavethatoccurswithMichigan’sfreeze-thawcycles.

Trees & Shrubs• Basic rules for pruning your trees and shrubs:1) Pruneoaksonlywhentherearenogreen

leavesonthetree.2) Prune maples and birches only when

therearegreenleavesonthetrees.3) Prunecrossingorrubbingbranches.4) Prune branches growing back towards

thetrunk.5) Nevertakeoffmorethan1/3oftheplant

inanyoneyear.6) Prune spring-blooming plants before the

4thofJuly.7) Prune summer-blooming plants when

theydon’thaveanyleaves.

to-do list

www.MichiganGardener.com��|��November/December�2011��|��Michigan�Gardener 7

8) Ifyouprunethetop,itwillgrowwide.Ifyouprunetheside,itwillgrowtall.

9) Prunehedgessothattheyarewideratthebottom than at the top. This allows sun-light toreachallof the foliageandhelpspreventthetop-heavylookthatcanhap-penasthebottomfoliagediesbackduetolackofsunlight.

10)Wait until winter to trim your decora-tive evergreens and use those branchesfordecorationsinyouroutdoororindoorcontainers.

11) Don’tusepruningseal.Itcaninhibitheal-ingandbarkre-growth.

12)If branches are larger than 2 inches, usethe three-cut method of pruning to pre-vent bark peeling back and injuring the

tree:1)Cutunderneaththebranch,about10inchesoutfromthetrunk.Onlycutinabout 1/4 of the way to prevent the barkpeelbackinjury.2)Cutofftherestofthebranchabout15inchesoutfromthetrunk.Thistakestheweightoffthestub,andletsyoumakeaneasierandcleanerfinalcut.3) Make your final cut so that it’s just atthe top of the slight swelling where thebranchmeetsthetrunk.Don’tcutflushtothetrunk;thisswelling(branchcollar)iswhereyou’llgetbetterhealinggrowthtocoverthecut.

Provided by the professionals at English Gardens.

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This�is�a�great�time�to�force�bulbs�for�December�blooms.�Bulbs�are�great�plants�to�decorate�your�home�for�the�holidays.�One�of�the�easiest�bulbs�to�plant�is�amaryllis.�Amaryllis�bulbs�come�in�a�variety�of�colors,�striped�or�multicolor.�They�usually�bloom�in�7�to�10�weeks�after�they�are�planted.�Plant�bulbs�every�few�weeks�for�continuous�blooms�throughout�the�winter.

To�prepare�the�bulb,�place�the�base�and�roots�in�lukewarm�water�for�several�hours�before�planting.�Plant�the�bulbs�in�potting�soil,�placing�the�soil�up�to�the�neck�of�the�bulb.�There�should�be�a�little�green�stub�on�top�of�the�soil.�Place�the�pot�in�a�warm�place�

that�gets�direct�light.�The�ideal�temperature�is�between�68�and�70�degrees�F.�Water�when�the�stem�appears.�As�the�bud�and�leaves�appear,�gradually�water�more.

After�the�amaryllis�finishes�blooming�and�the�stem�starts�to�sag,�cut�off�the�stem�to�the�top�of�the�bulb.�Continue�to�water�and�fertilize�the�bulb�for�about�five�to�six�months.�When�the�leaves�begin�to�fade,�which�normally�occurs�in�early�fall,�cut�the�leaves�back�to�about�two�inches�from�the�bulb�and�remove�the�bulb�from�the�soil.�Clean�the�bulb�and�store�it�in�the�refrigerator�for�a�minimum�of�six�weeks.�After�the�six-week�cooling�period,�plant�the�bulb�again�for�the�holidays.

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how-toProtect an exposed Japanese maple from winter damage

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is adapt-ed to the understory where there are no fast changes in temperature. The air temperature is moderated where trees grow overhead. Even when the bigger trees’ branches are bare in winter, they block some of the sun’s rays during the day and also some of the warm air that rises from the ground after sunset. Ev-erything heats and cools more slowly.

Put an understory tree into an exposed location and sudden temperature changes can damage and kill important tissues un-der the bark—the cambium. It happens this way: On a warm winter afternoon, the sun warms the south or west side of the trunk. The warmth affects cells under the bark, cells that are critical because they alone can create

new bark and wood, and feed the roots with fuel produced by the leaves. Once warmed, those cells cast off some of the cold hardiness they developed in fall to absorb stored water and resume the functions they put on hold. Then, when the air temperature drops precipitously at sunset, those cells have no time to readjust. The water inside the cells freezes, ice crystals rupture the cells, and tis-sues die.

We may not see any damage when it first happens, but dead patches below the bark fail to create new bark that year, and become roadblocks in the flow of starch to the roots. The bark in that area becomes thinner and

more brittle. Roots die. After a year or more without renewal, the bark cracks, or peels away from the dead spots. More patches die as the heating and rapid cooling is repeated each year.

One year, the total amount of cambium that’s been destroyed is so great that there is very little connection between the roots and leaf buds. Roots receive so little from the leaves that they are starving. Then that summer, dur-ing a hot, dry period when leaves demand ex-tra water, the roots cannot meet the need. Part or all of the tree wilts and dies “mysteriously.” This may be the most common cause of Japa-nese maple failure.

To prevent the damage, shade the south and/or west side of the trunk of an exposed tree. Protection is most important at the base of the trunk, which is the last part of the tree to complete the annual hardening-off process.

Anything that casts shade can protect the trunk—burlap stretched between stakes, a bale of straw, a vertical blanket of evergreen boughs or even something decorative such as a bundle of ornamental grass. Place the screen before nights turn frigid, and leave it there until the weather settles and early spring freezes end.

Text and photos by Steven Nikkila, who is from Perennial Favorites in Waterford, MI (E-mail: [email protected]).

SteveNikkila

1

Cracks in the bark, which eventually become gaps like this on the south or west side of a Japanese maple trunk, usually come from years of winter damage.

2

Anything placed between the afternoon sun and the tree’s trunk will shade it, preventing the warm-up that leads to the damage.

Bundles of ornamental grass stems have been placed around this Japanese maple trunk, and held in place with twine and bungee cords.

The ornamental grass used as a screen for the Japanese maple added to the winter interest in this landscape.

Boughs cut from a juniper have been layered like shingles on the south and west side of this Japanese maple’s trunk. They shade and protect it.

3

4

5

www.MichiganGardener.com | November/December 2011 | Michigan Gardener 9

Holiday Decorating with EvergreensPresented by Bogie Lake Greenhouse

Saturday & Sunday, Nov 19 & 20, please call for seminar time

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When using burlap to screen a thin-skinned trunk from winter sun, try not to have it touching any of the branches or the trunk.

Instead of using a boring, brown burlap, this gardener used green burlap and added snowflakes for a more interesting appearance.

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Forcing tulip bulbsLast fall I planted several containers of

tulip bulbs to force the plants to bloom in early spring. I used a high quality potting mix and watered the containers, which were immediately covered with foil and placed in a refrigerator at 35 to 40 degrees for their three-month cold period. After two weeks I uncovered the containers to see if they needed water only to find that they were all being attacked by some kind of mold. I assume this is not normal and was wondering what I should do different-ly in the future? A., Rockford.

Forcing spring-blooming bulbs such as tu-lips is a gardener’s way to manipulate the natu-ral growth cycle. The keys to success are the pots and the soil. Clay or plastic pots are fine as long as they have adequate drainage holes. Pots should be set on trays for water to drain away. Bulbs sitting in soggy soil will rot. The best soil mix for forcing bulbs contains equal parts of soil, sphagnum moss and perlite. “Soil-less” potting mixes can also be used. Bags la-beled “potting soil” are often no more than a fine-textured peat moss that retains too much moisture and results in mold development.

Fill the container three-quarters full of the potting mix. Plant the bulbs closely together, disregarding spacing considerations that apply only to bulbs planted in the landscape. After ar-ranging, place additional soil around them. Do not fill the container to the surface. The tops of tulips and narcissus in particular should not be covered. Placing foil over the top of your con-tainer caused additional moisture problems.

Begin the cold period, which is 15 to 17 weeks for tulips. Pots in a refrigerator will dry out more quickly. Check periodically to ensure the soil is evenly moist. Potted bulbs can be stored in an unheated garage or cel-lar as well. When the bulbs have completed their cold period, check for adequate root systems. You should see roots visible through the drainage holes. Depending on the climate factors in your home, the average time to achieve a bloom is 2 to 3 weeks.

Conifers with golden yellow fall color

While traveling along state Highway 28 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I have seen an evergreen that is roughly 40 feet tall, with long branches in the shape of a spruce. The short needles are green all summer long, change to yellow in autumn, and green up every spring. What kind of tree is it? E.M., Livonia

Scenic Highway 28 travels east to west in

the “U.P.” through National Forests, bogs, ur-ban areas, and shoreline. Given your descrip-tion and Michigan topography, you probably saw a tamarack (Larix laricina), also known as American larch. Tamarack is Algonquin meaning “wood used for snowshoes.”

Two other deciduous conifers are the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and the dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboi-des). All three trees are a contradiction in the “evergreen” world as they turn a beautiful golden yellow in fall, and drop their needles. In spring these conifers sprout fresh green growth. Although the bald cypress and dawn redwood can grow in zones 4 and 5, they are not indigenous to Michigan’s habitat.

The bald cypress is native to southeastern states like Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana, preferring warm, wet swampy areas. They can grow as a landscape ornamental in Mich-igan if their soil and light conditions are met and space is provided for their ultimate 70-foot height and 30-foot spread.

The dawn redwood is actually a native of northern China. Having grown in North America 100 million years ago, it became extinct through geological changes. Redis-covered in China in the 1940s, seeds were brought to the U.S. shortly thereafter. Al-though the dawn redwood will survive in zone 5 and maybe 4, it prefers zones 7 and 8 where the ground does not freeze. It is a fan-tastic ornamental tree in a broad landscape that will not hamper its potential 100-foot height and 30-foot spread.

The tamarack, however, can be found from Newfoundland to British Columbia and south to northern Ohio and Pennsylvania. The au-tumn glow of this conifer, and the other ev-ergreens above, is a definite “ah” moment on fall color tours. With a height from 40 to 80 feet, a spread of 15 to 30 feet, and a somewhat slower growth rate, the tamarack is adaptable to urban cultivation. Mostly used for pulp-wood, it is also used for fence posts, rough lumber, and fuel wood. Wildlife uses it for food and nesting.

As an ornamental, it has a high tolerance for a wide range of soil types. It loves sun, prefer-ring moist, organic soils, like those found in bogs. According to Donald Dickmann’s Michi-gan Forest Communities: A Field Guide and Ref-erence, the tamarack is a pioneer species that will colonize drier sites when it lacks competi-tion. It associates with aspen, balsam fir, and white birch when soils are dry. In bogs, it com-panions with yellow birch and black spruce. Although it favors rich conifer swamps that dominate the Upper Penninsula, a southern remnant remains in a portion of Stony Creek Metropark in Macomb County, Michigan.

ask MG Have a question? Send it in!Go to www.michigangardener.com and click on “Ask MG - Submit a question”

Enjoy the comfort of your home this magical holiday season!

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Transplanting perennials and shrubs in the fall

If I transplant perennials and shrubs at the end of September and into early Oc-tober, will they come back in the spring or will they be in too much shock? After plant-ing, I would like to lay landscape fabric and cedar chips on the bed. P.L.

You give the best chances to your peren-nials and shrubs to make it through winter when you prepare the soil with compost, wa-ter plants regularly until the ground freezes, and provide root protection with mulch. Fall is a great time to divide and move plants, as temperatures are cooler day and night.

Landscape fabric provides no additional root protection and does not block weeds as often advertised. It is no substitute for good soil preparation and natural mulch. Fabric is better used under hardscapes.

A good layer of mulch discourages weeds by blocking sunlight needed to germinate dormant seeds. Make sure the planted area is weeded well of perennial roots. Thorough weeding and continued use of mulch will be more successful in weed control than fabric. Without soil contact, the cedar chips will not degrade and will slide around on the fabric, exposing weed seeds to light.

Most important, provide water during au-tumn when natural rainfall is not available. Do not plant and forget it. Plants are storing energy in their roots. Water provides the me-dium for plants to draw nutrients from the soil. Apply 2 to 2-1/2 inches of mulch, such as shredded leaves or double shredded hard-wood, evenly over the soil. This prevents moisture loss in winter and provides addi-tional plant nutrients in spring as it biode-grades.

Controlling two-spotted spider mites

What can I do about yearly, heavy, two-spotted mite infestations on my plants? I have tried many products from the garden centers and have had minimal success. The leaves on most of my plants shrivel up, die, and fall off very early in the year, with a resulting high death rate for many. My landscape is in heavily shaded woods and all my plants are shade-loving varieties. Is there a systemic product that would work? The two-spotted mites have similarly de-stroyed most of the woods’ vegetation and bushes, especially the elderberry and hon-eysuckle. F.M., Hartland

Controlling two-spotted spider mites, or TSSM, means persistent prevention. TSSM attack a wide range of garden plants, using their mouth parts to pierce and suck plant juices. Kin to spiders, not insects, and less than 1/8 inch long, they can be seen with the naked eye. They overwinter in leaf litter as adults, emerging in spring to feed and propa-gate.

Females live about a month and lay 100 to

200 eggs in that period. TSSM can go from egg to adult in 1 to 2 weeks, giving multiple generations per season. High infestation numbers occur with optimum breeding con-ditions: hot, dry and over 85 degrees, begin-ning in July. Recent Michigan summers have been highly conducive to TSSM infestations, and the mild winters have allowed more TSSM to survive.

Pest management begins with monitoring in late May as weather warms. Check under-sides of leaves for webbing, eggs, shed skins, and mites. Active TSSM are easy to spot be-cause they move. Applying a miticide to the underside of foliage is essential for good con-trol, with another application in 7 to 10 days to kill those that were in egg or resting stages. TSSM can quickly develop resistance to a mi-ticide. Different products may be needed in the same season. Some newer miticides that contain bifenthrin have longer residuals and target all mite life stages. Always read and follow the product label for pest-specific ap-plication and user cautions.

Your heavy shade can be very dry, holding in heat while diluting sunlight. A dense can-opy prevents rainfall from reaching ground level and can also allow mites to spread eas-ily from plant to plant. Consider hiring a certified arborist to thin the tree canopy to let more light and air in for heat reduction. Practice regular watering. Use a strong hose spray to disturb the leaves of your plants once a week to control colony buildup.

Secondary host plants, such as wild vio-lets, chickweed, pokeweed, wild mustard, and blackberry could serve as breeding areas. Check your landscape for these plants and remove them. Landscape hygiene is critical. Rake up and dispose of leaf litter around your plants to further discourage overwintering adults.

By increasing early season monitoring, properly applying miticide, “power spraying” the plant foliage along with regular watering, and cleaning up plant litter, you should see a decrease in your spider mite infestation.

Answers provided by Beverly Moss, owner of Garden Rhythms.

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Temperature

Data courtesy National Weather Service

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN avg. High avg. High from NormalDetroit 73.7 72.5 -1.2Flint 71.9 72.1 +0.2Lansing 72.0 70.3 -1.7

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN avg. low avg. low from NormalDetroit 54.1 56.3 +2.2Flint 49.4 51.5 +2.1Lansing 48.9 51.2 +2.3

September 2011 Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN avg. High avg. High from Normal 73.7 73.7 0.0 71.9 71.6 -0.3 72.0 70.9 -1.1

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN avg. low avg. low from Normal 54.1 55.3 +1.2 49.4 51.8 +2.4 48.9 52.4 +3.5

September 2010

Precipitation

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN monthly monthly from Normal

Detroit 3.27 6.28 +3.01Flint 3.76 2.09 -1.67Lansing 3.48 2.09 -1.39

September 2011

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN Yr. to Date Yr. to Date from Normal

Detroit 25.70 36.77 +11.07Flint 24.31 33.54 +9.23Lansing 24.59 30.35 +5.76

2011 Year to Date: Jan 1 - Sep 30

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN monthly monthly from Normal

3.27 3.32 +0.05 3.76 3.66 -0.10 3.48 4.86 -1.38

September 2010

Normal aCTUal DeviaTioN Yr. to Date Yr. to Date from Normal

25.49 26.59 +1.10 24.44 20.01 -4.43 24.41 21.20 -3.21

2010 Year to Date: Jan 1 - Sep 30

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books for the michigan gardener

Learn About Butterflies in the Gardenby Brenda Dziedzic

This reference book, written by a Michigan resident, is de-signed for gardeners who want to have butterflies in their gar-dens. In addition to introductory information about butterflies, the author covers the plants you need to attract them.

The first several pages of Learn About Butterflies in the Gar-den (Brenda Dziedzic, 292 pages, $19.95) discuss the butterfly life cycle, parts of the butterfly and the differences between moths and butterflies. Then the author explains how to pre-pare for winter with butterfly gardens. There are also instruc-tions on how to raise your own butterflies.

The bulk of this resource is dedicated to thorough descrip-tions and colorful photographs of several specific types of but-terflies and moths. Name, family, flight period, food require-

ments, and growth cycle are covered for each species. Several close-up photographs complement each description. The food requirements for larvae and adult butterflies are explained so the reader will know the types of plants needed for the specific butterfly being discussed. This al-lows gardeners to choose which types of butterflies or moths they would like to attract. This sec-tion concludes with a brief explanation of the dangers of gypsy moths.

Houseplants are Houseguestsby Anne Moore

This book is a collection of the best of Anne Moore’s column “In the Pot,” which has run for over ten years in the Seacoast Media Group’s newspapers. In addition to her tips for success at gardening indoors, the column reflects her own personal ap-proach to plant care.

The advice she offers is based on her own experience with all the plants she writes about, in some cases beginning badly but ending well. Her tips on how to sow seed, take cuttings, prune and divide, set bulbs, and prevent diseases come direct-ly from her own research and experimentation. She frankly shares what works for her and what does not.

The plants described in Houseplants are Houseguests (Wheatmark, 131 pages, $12.95) include popular houseplants,

several associated with major holidays, and a few that are less well-known. The author writes with a simple approach. She covers the basics, inspiration, odd-ball plants, and gives the straight-forward advice: “If I can do it, so can you!”

Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbsby Tammi Hartung

Homegrown Herbs (Storey Publishing, 256 pages, $19.95) profiles over 100 varieties. Information on growing, harvest-ing, maintenance, drying, use in the kitchen and home phar-macy, as well as crafts and body care is provided in this color-fully illustrated resource.

The author takes gardeners through the process of growing and harvesting herbs. The book begins with design tips and diagrams for a variety of gardens. Information on soil, main-tenance, pest control, and harvesting are all covered in detail with charts, lists, photographs, and illustrations. Chapters

dedicated to herbal medicine, personal care, and cooking offer practical recipes and useful de-tails, including mixing custom seasoning blends, preparing healing tinctures, and making herbal butter. The final chapter on herb personalities looks closely at each plant and gives gardeners an encyclopedic guide.

Anyone wanting to add herbs to an existing garden, grow herbs in containers, or plant a dedi-cated herb garden will find this book to be a useful resource.

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African violetsIt has been said that African violets are

old-fashioned, “grandma” plants. Both of my grandmas grew beautiful violets and I am quite sure my green thumb comes directly from them. African violets have come a long way since then. There are thousands of cul-tivars available today and in gorgeous colors our grandmas never could have imagined, in-cluding yellow.

African violets have a reputation as finicky, hard-to-grow plants. However, if you follow a few basic principles, you can grow beautiful, blooming plants that are sure to add a bright spot to your indoor garden.

LightThe most asked question is, “Why doesn’t

my African violet bloom?” This leads us to the first principle: light. African violets must have the right amount of light to bloom. Too little light will result in lopsided, non-blooming plants. Light is food for the violet, and with-out it, plants will slowly starve and certainly will not bloom.

If your African violet resides on a windowsill, an eastern exposure is best. South or west win-dows would also work with some protection provided for the plants, such as a sheer curtain, to prevent sunburn. Violets don’t like direct sunlight, especially during midday. The leaves should never touch the window, especially in the winter. When the light source shines exclu-sively on one side of the plant, as in a window, the plant should be turned a quarter turn each time you water to promote symmetry.

On the other hand, if you would like your plants to bloom almost non-stop, cultivating your plants under artificial light is the best way. Fluorescent light is the most commonly used artificial light source. A fixture should contain one warm light bulb (or full spectrum bulb) and one cool bulb. The lights should be placed 10 to 12 inches above the plants and left on for 10 to 12 hours per day. This will promote healthy, sym-metrical, blooming plants throughout the year.

SoilThe second principle to successfully grow

African violets is cultivating them in the cor-rect growing medium. When purchased, most African violets are in a mix that con-sists mostly of peat moss. This is not the best growing environment for the health or lon-gevity of the plant. If this medium is allowed to completely dry out, it pulls away from the sides of the pot, and is extremely hard to rewet.

Violets need a loose, well-drained medium. After pur-chasing them, they should

immediately be transplanted into a more suitable medium. Actually, most violet “soils” are soilless mixes, consisting of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. If a pre-mixed, com-mercial, African violet soil is purchased, more vermiculite and perlite should be added so that all three materials are in equal amounts.

ContainersThe next important factor in growing vio-

lets is choosing the correct container. The size and type of container is important. Most standard-size violets prefer a 4-inch azalea pot that has a depth equal to 3/4 of the diam-eter. Violets are shallow-rooted plants, so a standard-size pot should not be used because

the root system never fills the bottom and this could promote root rot if the soil is kept too wet. Violets also bloom better if their roots are snug in the pot. If over-potted, they may never

bloom, as all their energy is being used to make more roots, trying to fill the pot.

Terra cotta, glazed, and plastic pots are the three types of containers usually offered. Salt build-up from fertilizer can be a problem if using porous clay pots. The violet stems rest-ing on the rims where the salt builds up can cause them to burn and rot off. Using plastic or glazed containers is the better choice.

WateringThere are many different watering practices

used for African violets, each person swearing their chosen method is the best. The first is to simply water the plant from the top, letting it drain through. If the plant is still sitting in wa-ter 30 minutes later, empty the saucer.

Others only water their violets from the bottom, pouring water into the saucer and

LisaSteinkopfSteinkopf

A guide to growing African violets

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letting the plant draw the water up into its root ball, draining any unused water after 30 minutes. This method is widely used because people have been led to believe they should never get their African violet foliage wet. This is a fallacy. African violets like their foliage to be washed off once in a while to remove the dust that collects on their fuzzy leaves. The problem arises when using water that is

too cold or too hot; the result being unsightly spots on the foliage. Placing them in the sun with water on the leaves can also cause spots, so let your violets dry away from the light. Leaving water sitting in the crown or the middle of the plant can cause rot, so make sure to carefully blot this area with a tissue.

Wick watering is a popular method, espe-cially for the busy or travelling plant owner. An acrylic piece of string is threaded through the pot and brought out a drainage hole in the bottom. This string is then placed in a res-ervoir of water below the potted violet and the water is drawn up through the string as needed. Deli containers are often used as the reservoir. There are also many beautiful wick watering pots on the market if the looks of a deli container don’t appeal to you. Keep the reservoir filled and your violet won’t dry out.

You can also purchase a special violet pot that contains an unglazed pot, in which the violet resides, placed inside a glazed pot in which water is stored. The water seeps

through the unglazed pot, keeping the soil moist. All of these watering methods work well, so choose the one that works best for you and your violets.

FertilizingGiving your violets the proper fertilizer is

important to help ensure healthy, blooming plants. Plants grown in a soilless mix must be fertilized regularly. If your violets are growing on a windowsill, fertilizing once a month with a balanced fertilizer, such as water soluble 20-20-20, is sufficient. When growing plants under an artificial light, fertilize every time you water, using 1/4 the amount called for on the label. A healthy, well-fed plant is more equipped to ward off disease and pests.

Insects and diseasesThis leads us to the next important prin-

ciple: keeping problems at bay. The best way is to quarantine any new plants coming into your collection. That way, you can watch for any problems that have come home with your new purchase. Yet even the most fastidious person can encounter problems.

The insects that most often bother African violets are thrips, cyclamen mites, and mealy-bugs. Thrips are very small insects that love to eat pollen, which then sprinkles down the petals and makes the blossoms look messy. This is the indicator that lets you know you have thrips. The blossoms and buds should be removed, thus removing their food source. Then use an insecticide suitable for violets to make sure they have all been eliminated. Cyclamen mites can be detected by finding the center of your violets tight, with brittle leaves and stunted growth. Usually the only recourse is to throw the plant away, as they will quickly spread to your other violets. If you want to save your plant at all costs, spray with a miticide recommended for violets. Fo-liar mealybugs can also plague violets. These appear as white, cottony masses on the leaves and in the axils of the leaves. The best control is to use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and touch the mealybug. Spray with an appropri-ate insecticide if necessary.

Fungal diseases can also be problematic, including root/crown rot, botrytis, and pow-dery mildew. Usually root/crown rot results

from overwatering your plant. The plant be-comes mushy and collapses. A healthy, vig-orous plant is your best defense. Keep your growing area clean and the spent blossoms picked off your plants. Botrytis affects the blossoms and buds, which become tan and mushy. Also, it can be inside the plant and undetectable until too late. This fungus stems from high humidity, cool temperatures, and lack of air circulation. These conditions can also cause powdery mildew, which appears as a whitish-gray, powder-like substance on the leaves, stems, and flowers. Both of these can usually be controlled with better grow-ing conditions, but a fungicide may have to be used. Neem oil is a great fungicide and con-trols powdery mildew. Care should be taken when spraying.

A new and rewarding hobbyIf you follow these basic principles, Afri-

can violets are very rewarding to grow. There are so many blossom colors and foliage types, you may want one of each. If you really enjoy them and would like to learn more, join an African violet club. There are two in the met-ropolitan Detroit area: the Towne and Coun-try AV Club, and the Wayne-Washtenaw AV Club. Check out the African Violet Society of America’s website (www.avsa.org) for contact information. The 2012 National Convention and Show will be held June 3-10, 2012 at the Marriott Detroit at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, and is a rare opportunity to see an amazing array of African violets.

African violets do well with bright, indirect sunlight. That said, if you would like your plants to bloom almost non-stop, growing your plants under artificial light is the best way to do it.

While known for their beautiful blooms, some African violets also have fantastic variegated foliage.

Lisa Steinkopf is from Steinkopf Nursery in Farmington Hills, MI. As the House-plant Guru, she can help with all your houseplant questions and problems. She is experienced and knowledgeable, with over 25 years in the nursery industry and caring for houseplants. A Certified Interior Landscape Technician, Lisa is also available for in-home consultation and plant care. Contact her to speak at your next club meeting or event: [email protected]. Follow Lisa’s blog at houseplantguru.blogspot.com. Also follow along at Facebook.com/SteinkopfNursery.

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16 Michigan Gardener | November/December 2011 | www.MichiganGardener.com� �

PortHuron

Detroit

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Lowrie’s Landscp, 248-625-8844The Pond Source, 248-922-7760Clinton TwpHEnglish Gardens, 586-286-6100HTropical Treasures, 586-791-6595ColumbiavilleHilltop Barn, 810-793-2401Commerce TwpBackyard Birds, 248-363-3890Zoner’s Greenhse, 248-363-6742DavisonHWojo’s Gard Splendors, 810-658-9222DearbornFairlane Gardens, 313-581-7906Westborn Flower Mkt, 313-278-3815Dearborn HeightsHEnglish Gardens, 313-278-4433DetroitAllemon’s Landscp Ctr, 313-882-9085DexterHAlexander’s Farm Mkt, 734-741-1064 Dexter Gardens, 734-426-6600HFraleigh’s Landscp, 734-426-5067EastpointeAriel’s Enchanted Gard, 586-775-2820HEnglish Gardens, 586-771-4200Semrau Gard Ctr, 586-775-3770FarmingtonBackyard Birds, 248-476-9444Farmington HillsAngelo’s Landscp Supp, 248-478-1729Farmer John’s Greenhse, 248-553-7141HydroHarry’s, 248-626-3200HLoeffler Stone Ctr, 248-626-4048HSteinkopf Nurs, 248-474-2925FentonGerych’s Flowers/Gift, 810-629-5995HHeavenly Scent Herb Farm, 810-629-9208FerndaleCasual Modes Home/Gard, 248-544-1848Green Thumb Gard Ctr, 248-439-1851FlushingFlushing Lawn/Gard, 810-659-6241

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Addison TwpHYule Love It Lavender Farm, 248-628-7814

AlmontHAmerican Tree, 810-798-2525

Ann ArborHAbbott’s Nurs, 734-665-8733Ace Barnes Hardware, 734-665-7555Downtown Home/Gard, 734-662-8122HEnglish Gardens, 734-332-7900HillTop Greenhse/Farms, 734-302-4233Lodi Farms, 734-665-5651HThe Produce Station, 734-663-7848Turner Greenhse, 734-663-7847HWild Birds Unltd, 734-665-7427

Auburn HillsDrake’s Landscp & Nurs, 248-852-4151HHaley Stone, 248-276-9300 HState Crushing, 248-332-6210

BancroftGrand Oak Herb Farm, 517-634-5331

BellevilleBanotai Greenhse, 734-482-2764Gardeners Choice, 734-697-1820Pinter Flowerland, 734-482-2776Zywicki Greenhse, 734-461-6197

BerkleyGarden Central, 248-542-6640Westborn Flower Mkt, 248-547-1000

Bloomfield HillsBackyard Birds, 248-723-5000

BirminghamHBlossoms, 248-644-4411HBordine’s on Woodward, 248-594-8880 HPlant Station, 248-593-8484Tiffany Florist, 248-646-0333

BrightonHBeauchamp Landscp Supp, 810-632-7775HBordine’s, 517-552-9300HBrighton Farmer’s Mkt, 810-227-5086Cowbell Lawn/Gard, 810-632-5841HEnglish Gardens, 810-534-5059HGrasshopper Gardens, 810-220-4406HMeier Flowerland, 810-229-9430

Brownstown TwpElegant Environ Pond Shop, 734-479-5100Ruhlig Farms & Gard, 734-587-3753

CantonCanton Floral Gardens, 734-453-3363Clink Nurs, 734-495-3779Crimboli Landscp/Nurs, 734-495-1700Keller & Stein Greenhse, 734-397-0800

Cement CityHHallson Gardens, 517-592-9450

ChelseaGarden Mill, 734-475-3539

ClarkstonHBordine’s, 248-625-9100Country Oaks Landscp I, 248-623-2640

HThe Pond Place, 248-889-8400MonroeHThe Flower Market, 734-269-2660new BaltimoreMeldrum Bros Nurs, 810-949-9220new BostonGorham & Sons Nurs, 734-753-4481Grass Roots Nurs, 734-753-9200new HudsonHMilarch Nurs, 248-437-2094north BranchHCampbell’s Greenhse, 810-688-3587Oldani Landscp Nurs, 810-688-2363northvilleHGardenviews, 248-380-8881noviHDinser’s Greenhse, 248-349-1320Glenda’s Gard Ctr, 248-471-4794Stone City, 248-347-2500HWild Birds Unltd, 248-374-4000oak ParkFour Seasons Gard Ctr, 248-543-4400oaklandGoodison Farms Daylilies, 248-693-2952ortonvilleCountry Oaks Landscp II, 248-628-7887HWojo’s Greenhse, 248-627-6498owossoHEverlastings in Wildwood, 989-723-7175oxfordCandy Cane Xmas Trees, 248-628-8899Oxford Farm/Gard, 248-628-2174PlymouthBackyard Birds, 734-416-0600Graye’s Greenhse, 734-453-1220Lucas Nurs, 734-459-6500HPlymouth Nurs, 734-453-5500Plymouth Rock, 734-451-5500HRock Shoppe, 734-455-5560HSaxton’s Gard Ctr, 734-453-6250Sparr’s Greenhse, 734-453-4268PontiacHGoldner Walsh Gard/Home, 248-332-6430rayVan’s Valley Greenhse, 586-781-8488redfordSeven Mi Gard Ctr, 313-592-0947rochesterHFogler’s Greenhse, 248-652-3614HHaley Stone, 248-852-5511Sherwood Forest Gard Ctr, 248-652-4920rochester HillsHAuburn Oaks Nurs, 248-852-2310HBordine’s, 248-651-9000Shades of Green Nurs, 248-651-1620HWild Birds Unltd, 248-375-5202rockwoodMarsh Greenhses, 734-379-9641romulusBlock’s Stand/Greenhse, 734-941-9388Kurtzhals’ Farms, 734-941-2081Schoedel’s Nurs, 734-753-4150HSchwartz’s Greenhse, 734-753-9269roscommonHThe Greenhouse, 989-275-5062rosevilleDale’s Landscp Supply, 586-778-1919World Gardenland, 586-771-7700royal oakHBillings Lawn Equip, 248-541-0138HEnglish Gardens, 248-280-9500HWild Birds Unltd, 248-548-2424saginawHAbele Greenhse, 989-752-5625salineEden Gard Ctr, 586-226-2882Nature’s Gard Ctr, 734-944-8644Saline Flowerland, 734-429-4458shelby TwpDiegel Greenhses, 586-781-4463HHessell’s Greenhse, 586-247-4675Maeder Plant Farm, 586-726-2563Potteryland, 586-781-4425HTelly’s Greenhse, 248-659-8555south LyonHollow Oak Farm Nurs, 248-437-7507HRaney’s Gardens, 248-437-2856southfield3 DDD’s Stand, 248-356-0049HEagle Landscp/Supp, 248-356-4342Flower Barn Nurs, 248-356-5810HLavin’s Flower Land, 248-361-5945Main’s Landscp Supp, 248-356-8660southgateHRay Hunter Gard Ctr, 734-284-2500st Clair shoresHall’s Nurs, 586-775-3455HSoulliere Gard Ctr, 586-776-2811sterling HeightsDecor Statuette, 586-739-5838

GladwinHStone Cottage Gard, 989-426-2919

Grand BlancHBordine’s, 810-655-5588HThe Weed Lady, 810-655-2723

Grosse ileHWestcroft Gardens, 734-676-2444

Grosse PointeAllemon’s Landscp Ctr, 313-882-9085Meldrum & Smith Nurs, 313-885-5433

Grosse Pointe WoodsHWild Birds Unltd, 313-881-1410

HadleyHLe Fleur Decor, 586-495-4076

HartlandHDeneweth’s Garden Ctr, 248-714-5720

HaslettHChristian’s Greenhse, 517-655-1117HVan Atta’s Greenhse, 517-339-1142

Higgins LakeHThe Greenhouse, 989-275-5062

HighlandColasanti’s Produce/Plant, 248-887-0012HFragments, 248-887-9392HHighland Garden Ctr, 248-887-6977One Stop Landscp Supp, 248-684-0332HThe Pond Place, 248-889-8400

HollyHRice’s Garden Ornaments, 810-694-2915

HowellHHowell Farmer’s Mkt, 517-546-3920Penrose Nurs, 248-760-2812HSpecialty Growers, 517-546-7742

imlay CityHEarthly Arts Greenhse, 810-724-1932

JacksonThe Hobbit Place, 517-750-9229Schmid Nurs/Gard, 517-787-5275

Lake orionLake Orion Lawn Orn, 248-693-8683HOrion Stone Depot, 248-391-2490HWojo’s of Lake Orion, 248-690-7435

LakeportHEarthly Arts Greenhse, 810-385-5500

LapeerHIron Barn Gard Ctr, 989-795-2112

LennonHKrupps Novelty Shop, 810-621-3752

LivoniaBushel Mart, 248-777-4700Superior Growers Supp, 248-473-0450Westborn Flower Mkt, 734-524-4000

MacombAltermatt Greenhses, 586-781-3428Boyka’s Greenhse, 586-286-1886HDeneweth’s Garden Ctr, 586-247-5533HElya’s Village Gardens, 586-749-9453Landscape Source, 586-677-7480Joe Randazzo’s Nurs, 586-781-8700Wade Nurs, 586-781-4073Wiegand’s Nurs, 586-286-3655

Madison HeightsGreen Carpet Sod, 248-546-9554

ManchesterMcLennan Nurs, 734-428-7005

MasonWildtype Nurs, 517-244-1140

MetamoraGilling’s Nurs, 810-664-4444

MilfordMelone Bros, 248-684-0332Milford Gardens, 248-685-0009

HEckert’s Greenhouse, 586-979-2409Flower Barn Nurs, 586-532-0014Prime Landscp Supp, 586-978-0858Vidosh Landscp Ctr, 586-264-5140stockbridgeGee Farms, 517-769-6772sylvan LakeHAguaFina Gardens Intrntl, 248-738-0500Detroit Garden Works, 248-335-8089TaylorD&L Garden Ctr, 313-292-6760HMassab Acres, 313-291-4505Panetta’s Landscp Supp, 313-291-3880TecumsehMitchell’s Lawn/Landscp, 517-423-8169TrentonCarefree Lawn Ctr, 734-675-4745TroyHTelly’s Greenhse, 248-689-8735Tom’s Landscp Nurs, 248-528-0660HUncle Luke’s Feed Store, 248-879-9147Wilkop Gard Ctr, 248-250-9168UticaDale’s Landscp Supp, 586-731-8980Stone City, 586-731-4500Walled LakeHSuburban Landscp Supp, 248-960-4000WarrenBeste’s Lawn/Patio Supp, 586-776-1794Garden Ctr Nurs, 586-779-3388Harry’s Gard Ctr, 586-758-6020Young’s Garden Mart, 586-573-0230WashingtonLandscp Direct, 586-752-4222Rocks ‘n’ Roots, 586-752-4900WaterfordHoffman Nurs, 248-363-0340Indoor Garden Superstore, 248-673-2200HMerrittscape, 248-681-7955WayneArtman’s Nurs, 734-727-1500West BloomfieldHEnglish Gardens, 248-851-7506HPlanterra Conservatory, 248-661-1515WestlandArtman’s Westland Nurs, 734-721-6610HBarson’s Greenhse, 734-421-5959Bushel Stop, 734-721-1733Panetta’s Landscp, 734-421-5299HJoe Randazzo’s Nurs, 734-454-1712White LakeHBogie Lake Greenhse, 248-887-5101Mulligan’s Gard, 248-698-4741Sunshine Plants, 248-887-3893Whitmore LakeHAlexander’s Greenhses, 734-741-1064WilliamstonHChristian’s Greenhse, 517-521-4663WixomHBrainer’s Greenhse, 248-349-9070Angelo’s Landscp Supp, 248-669-3787Milford Tree Farm, 248-437-0193YpsilantiColeman’s Farm Mkt, 734-434-5454Lucas Nurs, 734-482-1111Margolis Nurs, 734-482-0771HMaterials Unlimited, 734-483-6980

Gardens to VisitAnn ArborHMatthaei Bot Gard/Nichols Arb,734-647-

7600Bloomfield HillsHCranbrook Gardens, 248-645-3149DearbornArjay Miller Arboretum, @ Ford World HQHenry Ford Estate, 313-593-5590DetroitAnna S Whitcomb Conservtry, 313-852-4064DrydenSeven Ponds Nature Ctr, 810-796-3200East LansingHMSU Horticultural Gardens, 517-355-0348W.J. Beal Botanical Gard, 517-432-9182EmmettHSunny Fields Botanical Pk, 810-387-2765Grand rapidsHFrederik Meijer Gardens, 888-957-1580Grosse Pointe shoresHEdsel & Eleanor Ford Hse, 313-884-4222LansingCooley Gardens, 517-483-4332MidlandHDow Gardens, 800-362-4874noviTollgate Education Ctr, 248-347-3860royal oakDetroit Zoo, 248-398-0900TiptonHHidden Lake Gardens, 517-431-2060

HHaley Stone, 248-276-9300

H Denotes Michigan Gardener advertiser

OngoingBelle Isle Conservatory Wed-Sun, including holidays, 10am-5pm, Detroit. The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. 313-821-5428.

H Cranbrook GreenhouseMondays, 9:30-11:30am, Bloomfield Hills. Specializing in orchids, blooming houseplants, & more. 248-645-3147. www.Cranbrook.edu/housegardens.

H Dow GardensDaily, 9am to 1 hour before sunset, Midland. $5. Whiting Forest Tours on Wednesdays, 11-11:45am: guided walk, native & non-native plants. 800-362-4874, www.DowGardens.org.

H Ford House GardensTue-Sat, 10am-4pm; Sun, 12-4pm, Grosse Pointe Shores. Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. Stroll the gardens & grounds. $3. 313-884-4222.

H Frederik Meijer GardensMon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm, Grand Rapids. 125-acre botanic garden, Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory, 30-acre sculpture park. 888-957-1580.

H Hidden Lake GardensOpen daily 8am-sunset, Tipton (8 mi. west of Tecumseh). 755 acres of woodlands & gardens including hosta, dwarf conifer collections, annuals, perennial displays, hiking trails, lake, conservatory & arboretum. $3. 517-431-2060. www.HiddenLakeGardens.msu.edu.

H Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols ArboretumGrounds: daily, 8am-sunset; Conservatory: 10am-4:30pm (Wed 10am-8pm), Ann Arbor. Conservatory ($5, age 5-18: $2): over 1,200 tropical, warm-temperate, arid plants from around world. Grounds (FREE): 350 acres of trails, formal gardens, wetlands. 734-647-7600. www.mbgna.umich.edu.

Meadow Brook Hall & Gardens Gardens open daily, dawn to dusk (FREE), Rochester. At Oakland Univ. 4th largest historic mansion in U.S. Hall tours available. 248-364-6200.

Events, Lectures, & ClassesNovember 2011

Animal Architects Tykes Program Thu, Nov 3, 10, 17, 1-2:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Outdoor activities, ages 4-5, $32. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

H Painted Holiday Wreath on a Vintage WindowSat, Nov 5, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $68.75. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.

Native Plant I.D. & Propagation Workshop Sat, Nov 5, 10am-12:30pm, Detroit. At Detroit Garden Center. Learn to prepare & take home seed from 10-12 species, $25. 313-259-6363, [email protected].

Using Garden Scented Essential Oils Sat, Nov 5, 11am, Lake Orion. By Garden Angel Art Works at Enchanted Cottage in Canterbury Village. 810-653-0104, [email protected].

H Open HouseSat-Sun, Nov 5-6, at 4 local Bordine’s locations. www.bordines.com.

H Holiday Open HouseSun, Nov 6, 12-5pm, Birmingham. At Blossoms. Decorating ideas, displays, more. 248-644-4411, www.blossomsbirmingham.com.H Herbal Craft Sharing of Ideas & RecipesMon, Nov 7, 7-8:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Herb Study Group presentation. 734-647-7600, www.mbgna.umich.edu.Days Off Outdoors Tue, Nov 8, 8:30am-5:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. $65. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.Creating a Holiday Wreath Tue, Nov 8, noon, Farmington Hills. By North Farmington Garden Club at Farmington Community Library (32737 W 12 Mile). Register: 248-722-4503.Eagles or Turkeys? Tue, Nov 8, 7-8pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. $7 person, $25 family. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.Thyme for a Rain Garden Tue, Nov 8, Ann Arbor. By Good Thyme Garden Club at Zion Lutheran Church (1501 W Liberty). Lecture on benefits of & how to create rain garden, FREE. 734-786-1462.Glorious Irish Gardens Wed, Nov 9, 11:45am-2pm, Troy. By Troy Garden Club at Big Beaver United Methodist Church (3753 John R). $5. Register: 248-593-6182, www.troygardenclubmi.com.All About Roses Thu, Nov 10, 1pm, Shelby Twp. By Shelby Gardeners Club at Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center (4101 River Bends Dr). Open to public. 10am meeting, 1pm speaker. 586-781-4693.Blast from the Past Fri, Nov 11, 10-11:30am, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Fossils, rocks & dinosaurs, ages 1-3, $7. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.H Ladies Night OutFri, Nov 11, 6-9pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. Refreshments, discounts, pampering. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.H Yuletide Open HouseFri-Sat, Nov 11-12, 10am-5pm, Leonard. At Yule Love It Lavender Farm. 248-628-7814, [email protected] & Holly Boutique Sat, Nov 12, 9am-noon, Grosse Pointe Woods. By Herb Society of America at Grosse Pointe Community Ctr (20025 Mack Ave). Handcrafted wreathes, lavender products, demos, more. 586-773-6682, [email protected] Christmas Faerie JarSat, Nov 12, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $28.75. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.H Holiday Open HouseSat-Sun, Nov 12-13, Grand Blanc. At The Weed Lady. www.TheWeedLady.com, 810-655-2723.Rose Society Meeting Sun, Nov 13, 2pm, Ann Arbor. By Huron Valley Rose Society at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Discuss newest roses & share info. 734-424-9321, [email protected] The Year in ReviewTue, Nov 15, 6:30-9pm, Farmington Hills. By Association of Professional Gardeners at Spicer House. Open forum. $5. www.associationofprofessionalgardeners.org, 248-828-2978.

November / December / January / February / March


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Promote your events! Send us your information!

Website: Go to michigangardener.com and click on “Submit a garden event listing”

E-Mail: [email protected]

Upcoming Issues & Deadlines: Issue Deadline

April 2012 March 15, 2012

May 2012 April 15, 2012

Guest fee: $5. Please contact us for more information about our substantive lectures and programs, as well as membership.

Web: www.associationofprofessionalgardeners.orgEmail: [email protected] Phone: Gail Morrell at 248-828-2978

We help gardeners become professionals.Join us and we will show you how to make a living doing what you are passionate about!

The Year in ReviewTuesday, November 15, 2011, 6:30-9pm

“The Year in Review” is an open forum where we share what we learned over the past growing season and discuss the gardening successes and problems that occurred (i.e. spring rains,

hot summer, great/poor performing plants, etc.). Come join fellow enthusiastic gardeners for this lively, educational evening at the Spicer House in Farmington Hills.

Sat, Feb 25, 2012: 14th Annual APG Conference. Please contact us for details!

Steve Turner 248-259-8420 Certified Arborist and Writer of Michigan Gardener’s Tree Tips

Landscape problems?Have a tree or shrub that looks sick?Call us—We have over 20 years of experience diagnosing

and solving garden and landscape problems

We Service Small gardenS To enTire eSTaTeS

Arboricultural ServicesOur philOsOphy is based On Organic principles and techniques

DON’T LOOk.Oops,youlooked.Andsowill70,000potentialcustomers.

call 248-594-5563 or e-mail [email protected]

Advertise in


H Demystifying Plant NamesTue, Nov 15, 7-9pm, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. $20. 517-431-2060.

Homeschoolers Amazing Animals Fri, Nov 18, 1-3pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Investigate slimy, scaly & furry friends, ages 5-12, w/adult $6. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop Sat, Nov 19, 9am-noon, Dearborn. At Henry Ford Estate-Fairlane (4901 Evergreen Rd). Taught by professional florists, $35 includes materials, ages 12 & up. 313-701-2240.

Nature Tales: Turtle Tales Sat, Nov 19, 10-11am, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Outdoor activities, ages 1-5, $2. www.lesliesnc.org.

H Kids are Chefs, Too!Sat, Nov 19, 10am-noon, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Cook fall harvest foods, $5/child. 734-647-7600, www.mbgna.umich.edu.

H Herbal Advent WreathSat, Nov 19, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $29.75. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.

H Thanksgiving Centerpiece WorkshopSat, Nov 19, 10am, Troy. At Telly’s Greenhse. Made w/fresh greens & fall decorations, $5 plus materials. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735.

Children of the Earth Club Sat, Nov 19, 10am-12pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Outdoor activities, 2nd grade & up, $10. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

Festival of Wreaths Sat, Nov 19, 11am-3pm, Grosse Pointe Farms. By Junior League of Detroit at Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Children’s activities, Santa, fresh greens, more, $5. 313-881-0040, [email protected].

H Outdoor Arrangement WorkshopSat, Nov 19, 1pm, Troy. At Telly’s Greenhse. $5 plus materials. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735.

H Earth StarsSat, Nov 19, 2pm, Ann Arbor. By Southeast Michigan Bromeliad Society at Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Windowsill gardening plants. www.mbgna.umich.edu.

H Arts & Greens MarketSat-Sun, Nov 19-20, 10am-5pm, White Lake. At Bogie Lake Greenhse. Early Bird Reception: 11/18, 5-8pm. Featuring Huron Valley Council for Arts, poinsettias, fresh greens, more. Seminar: Holiday Decorating w/Evergreens Sat & Sun, call for times. 248-887-5101.

H Gardening Under Fluorescent LightsSun, Nov 20, 2pm, Ann Arbor. By Ann Arbor Orchid Society at Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. www.mbgna.umich.edu.

Presentation on Bonsai Trees Sun, Nov 20, 2pm, Troy. By Four Seasons Bonsai Club at Telly’s Greenhouse. 248-544-3112.

H Christmas Open HouseFri-Sat, Nov 25-26, 10am-5pm, & Sun, Nov 27, 11am-5pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.

H Pineapples & PincushionsOpens Sat, Nov 26, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Art exhibit and flower display. www.mbgna.umich.edu.

Japanese Maples Presentation Mon, Nov 28, 7pm, Birmingham. By Metro Detroit Hosta Society at First United Methodist Church (1589 W Maple). [email protected].

December 2011

Birds of a Feather Tykes Program Thu, Dec 1, 8, 15, 1-2:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Outdoor activities, ages 4-5, $32. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

Fresh Greens Market Fri, Dec 2, 9am-7pm & Sat, Dec 3, 9am-1pm, Rochester. By Rochester Branch WNFGA at St. Philips Episcopal Church (100 Romeo Rd). 248-650-2197, www.rochesterwnfga.org.

H Evening of LightsFri & Sun, Dec 2 & 4, 5-8pm Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. 517-431-2060, www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

Greens Market Sat, Dec 3, 9am-4pm, Clarkston. By Clarkston Garden Club at Church of the Resurrection (6490 Clarkston Rd). Wreaths, roping, arrangements. 248-605-5524, www.clarkstongardenclub.org.

H Fresh Holiday WreathSat, Dec 3, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $44.75. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.

H Outdoor Arrangement WorkshopSat, Dec 3, 10am, Troy. At Telly’s Greenhse. $5 plus materials. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735.

H Holiday Swag WorkshopSat, Dec 3, 1pm, Troy. At Telly’s Greenhse. $5 plus materials. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735.

H Holiday FestivalSat, Dec 3, 4-8pm, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. 517-431-2060, www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

Holiday Home Tour Sat, Dec 3, Cadillac. By Cadillac Garden Club. 4 decorated homes, refreshments. Advance tickets at Brinks Art & Frame Shop 11/1. 231-510-9047.

H Holiday Open HouseSat-Sun, Dec 3-4, Novi. At Dinser’s Greenhse. www.dinsers.net, 248-349-1320.

Nature’s Music Tiny Tots Fri, Dec 9, 10-11:30am, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Ages 1-3, $7. www.lesliesnc.org.

H Fresh Holiday CenterpieceSat, Dec 10, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $48.75. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208.

Holiday Open House Sat, Dec 10, 10am-4pm, Detroit. At Black Cat Pottery (3903 Grayton St). Meet artists, handmade art for home & garden. 313-885-3385, www.blackcatpottery.com.

H Holiday Greens WorkshopSat, Dec 10 10am, Troy. At Telly’s Greenhse. Indoor arrangement, $5 plus materials. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735.

Lantern-lit Full Moon Walk Sat, Dec 10, 6-7:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. $6/person, $21/family. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

Nature Tales: Furry Tales Sat, Dec 17, 10-11am, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Explore nature, live animals, $2, ages 1-5. www.lesliesnc.org.

H Winter WondersSat, Dec 17, 10am-noon, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Make crafts and nature decorations, $7/child. 734-647-7600, www.mbgna.umich.edu.

Saturday Science Sat, Dec 17, 1-4pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Nature investigations, science experiments, more. K-5th grade, $20. Register: www.lesliesnc.org.

January 2012

H Decorate Your Home with Plants & FlowersSat, Jan 7, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Gift GardenSat, Jan 7, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Make it & take it workshop. Fee for class. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H P. Allen Smith SeminarWed, Jan 11, Grand Rapids. By MNLA at Great Lakes Trade Expo at DeVos Place. For fee & info, visit www.glte.org.

H Starting Seeds IndoorsSat, Jan 14, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

Dwarf Conifers for the Rock Garden Sat, Jan 21. By North American Rock Garden Society. Potluck & speaker. [email protected].

H Arranging Fresh FlowersSat, Jan 21, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At English Gardens locations except Brighton & Eastpointe. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

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Advertiser IndexArboricultural Services..................................... 17Association of Professional Gardeners ... 17Auburn Oaks Gard Ctr ......................................10Baker, Lynn ..............................................................21Billings Lawn Equipment ................................. 12Blossoms.................................................................. 12Bogie Lake Greenhouses ...................................9Bordine’s .........................................................Page 3

Contender’s Tree & Lawn Specialists ........11Detroit Garden Works ........................................5Dinser’s Greenhouse ......................................... 13Dow Gardens...........................................................5Dream Gardens ....................................................19Earth 2 Earth ............................................................6English Gardens ................ Inside Front CoverThe Flower Market ...............................................7The Garden Company ......................................10Garden Rhythms...................................................11A Garden Space ...................................................19

Gardenviews ............................................................7Grasshopper Gardens ........................................5Hidden Lake Gardens ........................................ 13Iron Barn Iron Work............................................19Landscape Design & Associates ...................6The Plant Station.................................................. 13Saxton’s Garden Center ................................... 12Telly’s Greenhouse ...............................................4Uncle Luke’s Feed Store ....................................11The Weed Lady ......................................................7Wild Birds Unlimited ...........................................9

H Denotes MG Advertiser

Allen Park• ACO Hardware

AlmontH American Tree

Ann ArborH Abbott’s Landscp Nurs• Ace Barnes Hardware• Downtown Home & GardH English Gardens• HillTop Greenhse &

Farms• Larry’s Mower Shop• Lodi FarmsH Matthaei Botanical Gard• Nicola’s BooksH The Produce Station• Turner Greenhses• Whole Foods• Wild Bird CtrH Wild Birds Unltd

Auburn Hills• ACO Hardware• Drake’s NursH Haley Stone• Oakland Community

College• Public LibraryH State Crushing

Belleville• Banotai Greenhse• Gardeners Choice• Pinter Flowerland• Zywicki Greenhse

Berkley• Garden Central

Birmingham• ACO HardwareH BlossomsH Bordine’s on Woodward• Cupcake Station• MT Hunter• Neighborhood HardwareH Plant Station• Public Library• Tiffany Florist• Watch Hill Antiques

Bloomfield Hills• ACE Hardware• Backyard Birds

BrightonH Beauchamp Landscp

SuppH Bordine’sH English GardensH Grasshopper GardensH Meier Flowerland• Rhino Seed & Turf Supp

Brownstown Twp• Ruhlig Farms & Gard

Canton• Canton Floral Gardens• Clink Landscp & Nurs• Crimboli Nurs• Keller & Stein Greenhse• Reliable Landscaping

Chelsea• Garden Mill

Clarkston• ACE Hardware• ACO HardwareH Bordine’s• Country Oaks Landscp

Supp I• Lowrie’s Landscp• The Birdfeeder• The Pond Source• Weingartz

Clawson• ACO Hardware

Clinton Twp• ACO HardwareH English Gardens• Michigan Koi• MSU Extension-Macomb

CtyH Tropical Treasures

Commerce Twp• Backyard Birds @ ACE

Hardware• Zoner’s Greenhse

DavisonH Wojo’s Garden Splendors

Dearborn• ACO Hardware• Fairlane Gard

Dearborn Hts• ACO HardwareH English Gardens

Detroit• Detroit Gard Ctr• MSU Extension-Wayne

Cty• Public Library

Dexter• Dexter GardH Fraleigh’s Nurs

EastpointeH English Gardens

Farmington• ACO Hardware• Sunflower Bakehaus

Farmington Hills• ACO Hardware• Angelo’s Landscp Supp• Farmer John’s GreenhseH Steinkopf Nurs• Weingartz

Fenton• Gerych’sH Heavenly Scent Herb

Farm

Ferndale• Casual Modes Home &

Gard• Green Thumb Gard Ctr• Public Library

FostoriaH Iron Barn Iron Work

FowlervilleH Arrowhead Alpines

GladwinH Stone Cottage Gardens

Grand BlancH Bordine’sH The Weed Lady

Grand RapidsH Meijer Gardens

Grosse IleH Westcroft Gardens

Grosse Pointe• ACE Hardware• Allemon’s Landscp Ctr• Meldrum & Smith Nurs

Grosse Pointe WoodsH Wild Birds Unltd

HadleyH Le Fleur Décor

HartlandH Deneweth’s Gard Ctr

HaslettH Van Atta’s Greenhse

Highland• ACO Hardware• Colasanti’s Produce &

PlantsH Fragments

HollyH Rice’s Garden Ornaments

HowellH Howell Farmer’s Mkt• Penrose NursH Specialty Growers

Imlay CityH Earthly Arts

Lake Orion• Lake Orion Lawn

OrnamentsH Orion Stone DepotH Wojo’s Greenhse

Livonia• ACO Hardware (5 Mi/

Middlebelt)• ACO Hardware (6 Mi/

Newburgh)• Bushel Mart• Superior Growers Supp• Zerbo’s Health Foods

Macomb• ACO Hardware• Altermatt’s Greenhse• Boyka’s GreenhseH Deneweth’s Gard CtrH Elya’s Village Gard• Landscape Source• Olejnik Farms

Madison Hts• Green Carpet Sod

MidlandH Dow Gardens

Milford• ACO Hardware• Milford Gardens• One Stop Landscp Supp

Milford/HighlandH The Pond Place

MonroeH The Flower Market

Mt Clemens• Public Library

New Baltimore• Meldrum Bros Nurs

New Boston• Gorham & Sons Nurs• Grass Roots Nurs

New HudsonH Milarch Nurs

North BranchH Campbell’s Greenhses• Oldani Landscp Nurs

Northville• Begonia BrosH Gardenviews

Novi• ACO HardwareH Dinser’s• Glenda’s Gard Ctr• Tollgate Education CtrH Wild Birds Unltd

Oak Park• Four Seasons Gard Ctr

Ortonville• Country Oaks Landscp

Supp IIH Wojo’s of Lake Orion

OwossoH Everlastings in the

Wildwood

Pinckney• Ed Bock Feeds & Stuff

(Pinckney Garden Club)

Plymouth• Backyard Birds• Lucas NursH Plymouth Nurs• Plymouth Rock & SuppH Rock ShoppeH Saxton’s Gard Ctr• Sideways• Sparr’s Greenhse

PontiacH Goldner Walsh Gard/

Home• MSU Extension-Oakland

Cty

Ray• Van’s Valley Grenhse

Redford• Seven Mi Gard Ctr

Rochester• Casual ConceptsH Fogler’s GreenhseH Haley Stone• Sherwood Forest Gard

Ctr

Rochester Hills• ACE Hardware• ACO HardwareH Auburn Oaks Gard CtrH Bordine’s• Shades of Green NursH Wild Birds Unltd

Rockwood• Marsh Greenhouses

Romulus• Kurtzhal’s Farms• Schoedel’s NursH Schwartz’s Greenhse

RoscommonH The Greenhouse

Roseville• Dale’s Landscp Supp• Public Library• World Gardenland

Royal Oak• ACO Hardware• Billings Lawn EquipH English Gardens• Frentz & Sons Hardware• Heritage Co. 2• La Roche• Manus Power MowersH Wild Birds Unltd

SaginawH Abele Greenhse & Gard

Ctr

Saline• Nature’s Gard Ctr• Saline Flowerland

Shelby Twp• Diegel Greenhses• Eden Gard CtrH Hessell’s Greenhses• Maeder Plant Farm• PotterylandH Telly’s Greenhse• Third Coast Garden Supp

South Lyon• ACO Hardware• Hollow Oak Farm NursH Raney’s Gardens

Southfield• 3 DDD’s Stand• ACO HardwareH Eagle Landscp & Supply• Flower Barn NurseryH Lavin’s Flower Land• Main’s Landscp Supp

SouthgateH Ray Hunter Gard Ctr

St Clair Shores• ACE Hardware• ACO Hardware

(Harper/13 Mi)• Greenhouse Growers• Hall’s NursH Soulliere Gard Ctr

Sterling Hts• ACO Hardware• Decor StatuetteH Eckert’s GreenhseH Flower Barn Nurs

• Prime Landscp Supply

Stockbridge• Gee Farms

Sylvan LakeH AguaFina Gardens

Interntl• Detroit Garden Works

Taylor• Beautiful Ponds & Gard• D&L Garden CtrH Massab Acres• Panetta’s Landscp Supp

TiptonH Hidden Lake Gardens

Trenton• Carefree Lawn Ctr• Keck Hardware

Troy• ACO HardwareH Telly’s Greenhse• The Home & Gard Shop• Tom’s Landscp NursH Uncle Luke’s Feed Store• Wilkop Gard Ctr

Utica• Dale’s Landscp Supp• Stone City• Weingartz

Walled Lake• HydroHarrys

Warren• Beste’s Lawn & Patio• Harry’s Gard Ctr• Young’s Garden Mart

Washington• Landscape Direct• Rocks ‘n’ Roots

Waterford• ACO Hardware• Hoffman Nurs• Indoor Garden

Superstore• Jacobsen’s Flowers• Light Green Water

Waterford H Merrittscape

Wayne• Artman’s Nurs

West BloomfieldH English GardensH Planterra• Public Library• Whole Foods

Westland• ACO Hardware• Artman’s Westland NursH Barsons Greenhses• Bushel Stop• Joe Randazzo’s Nurs• Panetta’s Landscp Supp

White LakeH Bogie Lake Greenhse• Mulligan’s Gard Ctr• Sunshine Plants

Whitmore LakeH Alexander’s Greenhses

WilliamstonH Christian’s Greenhse

Wixom• Angelo’s Landscp SuppH Brainer’s Greenhse

Woodhaven• Bruce’s Pond Shop

Ypsilanti• Coleman’s Farm Mkt• Lucas Nurs• Margolis NursH Materials Unlimited• Schmidt’s Antiques

Look for at these fine locations:

H Spring Floral ArrangementSat, Jan 21, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At English Gardens locations except Brighton & Eastpointe. Make it & take it workshop. www.EnglishGardens.com.

A New Spin on Some Old Favorites Fri, Jan 27, 9:15am, Rochester. By Meadow Brook Hall Garden Club at the Coach House (480 S Adams Rd). Speaker, $5. 248-364-6210, www.meadowbrookhall.org.

H Attracting BirdsSat, Jan 28, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Kid’s Workshop: Make a Bird FeederSat, Jan 28, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. $5 fee. www.EnglishGardens.com.

February 2012

H Orchid FestivalFeb 1-29, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Introduction to OrchidsSat, Feb 4, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Orchid BasketSat, Feb 4, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Make it & take it workshop. Fee for class. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Orchid Reblooming TechniquesSat, Feb 11, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Orchid Repotting DemonstrationSat, Feb 11, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Allan Armitage & Tony Avent SeminarSat, Feb 18, Midland. At Dow Gardens. Know & Grow seminar. Speakers: Allan Armitage & Tony Avent. $60 before 2/3/12. www.dowgardens.org, 800-362-4874.

H Create an Outdoor Living RoomSat, Feb 18, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

Heirloom Bulbs for Every Garden: Unique, Endangered, Amazing Fri, Feb 24, 9:15am, Rochester. By Meadow Brook Hall Garden Club at the Coach House (480 S Adams Rd). Speaker, $5. 248-364-6210, www.meadowbrookhall.org.

H Arranging Fresh FlowersSat, Feb 25, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At English Gardens locations except Brighton & Eastpointe. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Spring Floral ArrangementSat, Feb 25, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At English Gardens locations except Brighton & Eastpointe. Make it & take it workshop. Fee for class. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Professional Gardeners ConferenceSat, Feb 25. By Association of Professional Gardeners. www.associationofprofessionalgardeners.org, 248-828-2978.

March 2012

H Starting Seeds IndoorsSat, Mar 3, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Kid’s Workshop: Seed PlantingSat, Mar 3, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Activity geared for children ages 3 to 12. Everything supplied to plant seeds that will grow into plants that can be transferred to the garden. $5. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H ABC’s of Growing HerbsSat, Mar 10, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Kitchen Herb GardenSat, Mar 10, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Make it & take it workshop. Fee for class. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Green up Your LawnSat, Mar 17, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

H Kid’s Workshop: Color It GreenSat, Mar 17, 2:30pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day & show children how plants work. Geared for ages 3 to 12. $5. www.EnglishGardens.com.

Soil Amendments: Separating Hype from Reality Fri, Mar 23, 9:15am, Rochester. By Meadow Brook Hall Garden Club at the Coach House (480 S Adams Rd). Speaker, $5. 248-364-6210, www.meadowbrookhall.org.

H The Basics of Landscape DesignSat, Mar 24, 1pm, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. FREE. www.EnglishGardens.com.

Garden Symposium Sat, Mar 24, 9am-4pm, Clyde. By St. Clair County Master Gardeners at Cornerstone Church (4025 North Rd). Register: [email protected], 810-329-3722.

H Annual Garden Party WeekendSat, Mar 31 & Sun, Apr 1, Metro Detroit area. At 7 English Gardens locations. Packed with informative gardening & decorating seminars. www.EnglishGardens.com.

Classified AdsPRUNING BY CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL to repair and restore natural growth habit of ornamental trees and shrubs. Also brick paver repairs and restoration. Call Outdoor Restore/Jack 248-681-2212.

STARR’S FINE GARDEN DESIGN & Installation including lakeside, native plant, butterfly. Garden Lectures. 45 yrs. exp. [email protected], 248-334-9190.

NEED PROOFREADING, copy editing, book reviews? Dependable, fast help from an experienced Editor/Publisher. Call Carrie: 248-683-9118 or email: [email protected].

Michigan Gardener Classified Advertising is a cost-effective way to promote your products and services. Go to MichiganGardener.com and click on “Classified Advertising” to learn more and give it a try. Deadline for the April 2012 issue is mid-March 2012. See you in 2012!

Television(Check local listings to verify show times)

Garden SmartPBS Detroit (WTVS, www.wtvs.org). PBS Flint (WCMU, www.wcmu.org). PBS East Lansing (WKAR, www.wkar.org).

P. Allen Smith’s Garden HomePBS Detroit (WTVS, www.wtvs.org). PBS East Lansing (WKAR, www.wkar.org).

Victory GardenPBS Detroit (WTVS, www.wtvs.org). PBS Flint (WCMU, www.wcmu.org). PBS East Lansing (WKAR, www.wkar.org).

Yard Crashers HGTV (Sat 10am & 10:30am; Sun 11am). DIY Network: see website for show times. Landscaper surprises homeowners by completely transforming their landscape.

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Everybody needs to find something to do with the bouquets of roses from the florist that are hanging to dry, or the rose petals picked from the garden, or the lovely rose hips (the rose flowers’ red seed pods) on the bushes in the fall. Here are our suggestions for some of the easiest and nicest ways to use your roses. Some of the ideas are beautiful, some smell wonderful, and some taste good! All of them are nice in your home, and all of them make great gifts.

Selecting and drying your rosesWhen you are choosing your roses, a com-

petent nursery person can guide you to the right roses for whatever purpose you have in mind: beauty in the garden, fragrance, large hips for the vitamin C they have when you make tea out of them, small hips for decora-tions, or various uses in the kitchen. For the roses in the kitchen, it is important to use only those from your garden that you have not sprayed or treated with a systemic pesti-cide. Commercially available roses are beau-tiful for decorations, but you cannot be sure what chemicals have been used in their pro-duction and processing.

Selecting the roses that will look their best in decorations can be rather tricky. Red roses dry nearly black and lose much of their beauty. White roses dry ivory-beige. Any other colors dry true. In the language of flow-ers from many years ago, pink roses mean bashful love, red roses mean passionate love, red and white roses mean unity, white roses mean purity or too young to love, and yellow roses mean infidelity or zealousness. Roses in general stand for love, victory, and pride.

If you want to dry your roses, we suggest that you hang them upside down in a dark, airy place. This helps the stems remain straight and keeps the buds from twisting. Putting them in silica gel produces a very lifelike rose in color and texture, but our experience has been that they will re-hydrate when exposed to the air in our homes and become limp and soggy-looking. If we are drying small roses or just the buds, we use a screen that allows air circula-tion, again in a dark, airy place. Exposure to bright light while drying fades the colors.

Recipes using rosesIn our recipes we have used rose fragrance

oil. The essential rose oils in our wholesale

catalogs list 5 milliliters at $236.51, or $1450.00 a pound, and we don’t know too many people who want to pay that much money to scent potpourri or soap. Much of the oil nowadays is cut with other “carrier” oils and is cheaper, but not pure by any stretch of the imagination.

Making tasty and unique rose sugar is easy. Just take some of the fresh roses from your garden—the more fragrant the better—and separate the petals from the leaves and stems. Use only the nicest petals. In a small jar with a good lid, layer the petals with sugar. You can use regular table sugar, coarse sugar, or pow-dered sugar, but not brown sugar. We have not tried it with artificial sweeteners. Sprinkle on sugar cookies or use in cakes and frostings.

Making rose water is also easy. You will need 1 cup of firmly-packed, fragrant, and fresh rose petals in a large, heat-proof glass container, such as a quart canning jar. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the petals, and allow them to steep until cool. Strain off the petals and put the scented liquid in a clean bottle. This can be used as a room freshener, an after bath splash, or a lovely skin toner. It is wonderful in homemade creams and lotions.

Rose potpourri is a delightful room fresh-ener. Using the dried roses, combine about 2 cups of roses, petals, and even a few smaller leaves with 1 cup of dried lavender flowers and 1 cup of any vanilla-scented herb such as sweet grass or sweet woodruff. Add several broken cinnamon sticks and 2 tablespoons of whole cloves. Finish with 1/4 cup of chunky orris root to which you have added 20 drops of rose potpourri oil, 10 drops of cinnamon essential oil, and 10 drops of lavender essen-tial oil. Store in a closed glass container for 2 or 3 weeks, shaking or stirring regularly. Display in a lovely glass container, taking the lid off and shaking to release the fragrance whenever you desire. When the fragrance starts to fade, just add a few more drops of oil and shake to mix thoroughly.

Recipes and ideas for using your dried roses

Rose sugar

P h oto g R a P h S by J e a n a n d R ox a n n e R i g g S

Making rose sugar cookies.

Rose hip and juniper berry wreath.


A good old rose tea recipe calls for 3 cups of lemon rose geranium leaves, 2 cups of fra-grant dried rose petals, 2 cups of black tea leaves, and 1/3 cup of whole cloves. Store in an airtight container. You can put 3 table-spoons of this mixture into a paper coffee fil-ter, tie with a string to form a tea bag, place in a tea pot, and cover with boiling water. Cover the pot with a tea cozy and allow it to steep

for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!Rose soap is made very simply with a soap

base and molds from the craft store. For this soap we used the olive oil blocks. We added rose fragrance oil, color, rose petals and buds. We melted the soap base in the microwave oven and poured it into the molds. The whole house smelled wonderful.

We put the tussy mussy, or nosegay, to-gether by putting the stems through the hole in a lace posy backing, available in the craft store. We added a satin ribbon to wrap the stems, and used the same satin ribbon to make a little bow in the roses. We secured the ribbon with a pearl-head pin, but it could be glued if the pin is a hazard to the holder’s hand.

However you use your dried roses, they add a touch of elegance and fragrance to your projects and your home.

Jean and Roxanne Riggs operated Sunshine Farm and Garden in Oakland County, MI and now enjoy retirement up north.

Custom ranch on nearly 2 acres in Oakland Township. Multiple gardens with sitting and eating decks, nestled in the

beautifully planted landscape. Offered at $459,900.

Contact: Lynn Baker, Hall and Hunter Realtors 248-379-3000 • [email protected]

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Hanging roses upside down to dry.

Putting together a rose tussy mussy.

Adding oil to rose potpourri.

Pouring a batch of rose soap.

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Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

‘Pendula Bruns’

Jim Slezinski

Due to its narrow shape, Serbian spruce is a good choice to plant near structures.


The Serbian spruce species (Picea omorika) is an excellent plant for a large hedge.


‘Pendula’Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

‘Pendula’

If an imaginary hiker were trekking in the Drina River val-ley in western Serbia and eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, just east of the Winter Olympics town of Sarajevo, the hiker would come upon an out-of-this-world view of one of the most hand-some spruce tree landscapes on the planet. Back in 1875, how-ever, the Serbian botanist Josif Pancic really was this hiker on Tara mountain. He discovered this spectacular and special spruce and named it “omorika,” which is the Serbian word for “spruce.” From that point on, a new and beautiful ornamental conifer was brought out to the horticultural world. It spread throughout the gardens of Europe.

The elegant form of Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) is spire-like, eventually attaining a 50-foot plus height in stature with ascending symmetrical branches. The lower skirting branch-es spread to a 15-foot width. This spruce’s deep green to blue short needles (1/2 to 1 inch long) are unlike any other spruce in shape. The needles are flat like those of the Canadian hemlock and are not the typical four-sided shape (a great trick question on a plant I.D. quiz!) On the underside of the needle is a pol-ished white glow. Swaying branches in a breeze can be a beau-tiful sight to behold.

Springtime brings the new male cones on the branch tips, showy and brightly colored a cherry pink. Next, female seed cones shaped like small eggs occur in a smooth, polished pur-ple-black appearance, maturing to a cinnamon brown color. Dangling from the branches, clusters of these seed cones are decorative ornaments in their own right.

Serbian spruce’s natural range occurs in alkaline mountain soil clinging to limestone rocks and cliffs. That said, it grows in many soil types, including acidic ones, provided there is good drainage and regular moisture. Several growing at my Lake Orion, Michigan site are fairing well in pure sandy conditions with an occasional mulch of shredded bark. Only Mother Na-ture supplies the moisture, as no supplemental watering was provided after these spruces were established. It is drought-tolerant as observed.

Hardy to zone 4 (minus 30 degrees F), this sun-lover will also grow in partial shade. Too much shade equals poor form

and a sparse appearance. Windswept areas, espe-cially during the winter, should be avoided. One of the most adaptable of the spruces along with the Norway (Picea abies)

and white (Picea glauca), the Serbian transplants well in spring or fall from both containers and balled and burlapped root balls. Very few diseases are issues or concerns.

Several cultivars of Serbian spruce are of note. A neat, clean dwarf with tightly held bluish-green needles is ‘Nana,’ growing

Serbian spruce

plant focus


Serbian spruceBotanical name: Picea omorika (pie-SEE-ah

oh-MORE-ih-kah, oh-more-EE-kah)

Plant type: Tree; evergreen conifer

Plant size: Eventually 50 to 60 feet tall; up to 15 feet wide

Growth rate: Moderate; generally 4-6 inches per year (sometimes up to 12 inches)

Habit: Upright, vertically narrow silhou-ette with short, ascending (pointing upward), symmetrically-arranged branches; conical in form

Hardiness: Zone 4 (minus 30 degrees F)

Leaves: Needles, evergreen, flat-shaped (like Canadian hemlocks), 1/2 to 1 inch long; dark green to bluish on top; glaucous white on bottom

Cones: Male cones pinkish-red; female seed cones egg-shaped, purple turning brown; 1-1/2 to 2 inches long

Light: Full sun to partial shade; sun for best tree form

Soil: Adaptable to most; wide range from al-kaline to acidic; well drained; drought-tolerant after established

Watering: Supplemental during first two years after planting; natural rainfall from then on

Uses: Distinctive as a specimen tree or sever-al grouped as a focal point in the lawn or at the corner of a house or building; winter interest in beds with shrubs and smaller conifers; smaller cultivars are useful in rock and Asian-themed gardens.

Remarks: A very underused spruce; graceful and pleasing in the landscape during all seasons; showy form, color, and needle texture; avoid very windswept settings.

JimSlezinski



This 28-year-old ‘Berliner’s Weeper’ Serbian spruce displays the characteristic “skirt” that develops on older plants.


continued from previous page

into a globe shape. It’s a perfect choice for a small landscape or rock garden accent. As a sprawling evergreen groundcover, ‘Expansa’ characteristically appears as if cut branches were laid on the ground and spread out. Effective as a mass plant-ing on a sunny slope or foreground to taller shrubs, it grows to about 3 feet in height. For a dense conical form, ‘Riverside’ fits the bill for a formal, structured look. ‘Berliner’s Weeper’ is an attractive, narrow tree that grows relatively quickly.

‘Pendula’ is a beautiful, slender tree that has short, slightly twisted, and weeping (pendulous) branches. If a unique look is desired, ‘Pendula Bruns’ should top your shopping list. It takes upright and pendulous to a new level, mimicking the form of a fountain or some green creature of J.R.R. Tolkien. This amaz-ing variety is the narrowest Serbian spruce, with all branches being strongly pendulous. Over time, the leader will head off at a slight angle, then turn upward again on its own, with no staking required.

Many a nurseryman, horticulturist, or landscape architect would vote the Serbian spruce as “best of the bunch.” Perhaps someday this special, polished spruce will be a shining star performer in your garden or landscape.

Jim Slezinski is the Vice President and Senior Landscape Designer/Horticulturist at Goldner Walsh Garden and Home in Pontiac, MI.


‘Pendula Bruns’

Jim Slezinski

Serbian spruce mature seed cones.

Jim Slezinski

Serbian spruce needles are bluish green with a white glow on the undersides. Since the branches grow in a slightly twisted fashion, the textural tones of the blue, green, and white needles is striking.


‘Berliner’s Weeper’

www.peaceofmindnursery.com

‘Nana’


such paths to run across a bed, from left to right relative to the main viewer, rather than where they will bisect the scene.

Making room for more or wider paths may sound impossible but it’s very do-able in fall, even simple. To widen a path, go along one edge of the path and remove the front row of plants. To make a new path, outline it with paint or stakes and take all plants out of that area. Just lift plants right out. Don’t remove any of the soil from the root balls. Put those plants in a holding bed or set the clumps all around the outer edge of a compost pile. They will still be available when and if you find the right new places for them next year.

Fill where you removed plants, using sharp sand—builder’s sand, the coarse, gritty kind used as fill along foundations, in concrete mixes, or as a base for patios. Sharp sand is relatively cheap, free of weed seeds and drains well. Tamp it down and then cover it with your chosen path surface, such as mulch, gravel or paving stones.

Fall is probably the best time to think about the path surface. Is it comfortable and safe for the people or vehicles that use it? No one gets younger, and few of us become more sure-footed. So if you have noticed a path’s irregu-larities, unevenness, or bogginess this year, think now about more solid paving, regrad-ing, or installing drainage.

Paths bear weight while gardens don’t. So paths sink over time. Those most heav-ily used can turn into deep ruts in just a few years. You can periodically add soil, mulch or gravel, or lift pavers to add sand and then re-set the stones higher. Or you can let the paths sink, if the area is drained well enough that even a below-grade path remains dry.

In many cases a curb may be appropriate. That’s a raised edge along a path that pre-vents soil and mulch from beds from cascad-

ing onto the walkway. Curbs can be formal, such as cut granite, or as informal as logs. Whatever you use, make it practical. Granite should be set on tamped gravel or sand, so it remains level. Logs are probably best when backed by fabric or vinyl skirts low on the garden side, to intercept soil and mulch that might slip underneath.

When your path network is wider, drier, cleaner, and further-reaching, the garden is more enjoyable and you’ve traded high-main-tenance bed space for pleasing, lower-main-tenance pathway. It’s a fall clearance deal we shouldn’t pass up.

Look in fall to determine if you have given yourself room to work in your beds. This simple space is a maintenance path around cut-back rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) and bigleaf forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) within a large bed at the author’s Detroit Zoo Adopt-A-Garden.

Place a maintenance path to run across the viewer’s field of vision, like this one in Judy Jacobs’ garden. It will serve its purpose without drawing attention to itself or distracting from the garden.

A maintenance path is essential in a one-sided bed that’s more than three feet deep. Such a path should be placed so that it does not bisect the viewer’s field of vision. In this bed, which has viewers on three sides, the path couldn’t be hidden so it was given a decorative surface and edge. Although it bisects the scene, it becomes a part of the design rather than a distraction to those who see it.

Janet’s Journal continued from back cover

Pachysandra has a running root and can invade a garden bed. It can be stopped with a cut edge or an embedded vertical edge, so long as the cut trench or edging material extends as deep into the soil as the pachysandra’s white roots run.

After you slice down at a natural edge with your spade or edging tool, lean back on the handle to lever up on the blade, loosening the soil and the invading roots. Remove running roots from the cut edge, and then push soil from the cut up into the bed to leave a trench along the bed edge. That air barrier stops roots from the surround-ing lawn. They cannot grow into air.


Holding the edgeEdges are where almost all weed trouble

begins. Seeds drop in from nodding stems of nearby plants. Roots from pushy neighbors expand into that space, set up camp and sally forth from there. So walk your edges like a rancher patrolling fences, and tend to the breaks in fall. It will save time and prevent trouble all next year.

If the edge is a cut edge (a trench), be sure to re-establish it now. It’s not unusual for lawn grass to extend its territory by 18 inches between early November and early April. What’s at the edge now may be pushing up new shoots within the crown of your front row plants by spring. A cut edge places an air barrier between questing root tips and the garden soil. Roots don’t grow through air.

Use a spade or an edging tool to re-draw the line. Slice straight down, then with the blade of your tool still in the ground, press the tool’s handle down and away from the bed so the blade levers up and forward into the bed. That loosens the soil and makes it simple for you to lift out the severed running roots. Push loose soil from the trench up into the garden.

Make the trench as deep as it must be to intercept the horizontally-running roots of the infiltrating plants. Most lawn grass runs from one to four inches deep. The roots of some weeds and groundcovers run deeper, especially if the soil is very loose and the plant colony well established.

If you have hard edges in place, such as black polyvinyl strips or embedded wood, check now for gaps and weak spots. I hate to see edging material lifted out of the ground because it means I have to re-set the entire

strip. There’s no use in trying to press just one part back down—the whole section needs bet-ter or more anchors, and I must be sure to seat it perpendicular to the ground so that it will not lean forward from the cut along curves. Any gap between edging and soil traps water, which freezes and thaws and loosens anchors.

Running roots often get into a bed through gaps where edging sections meet. For those areas keep on hand some of the thick vinyl stuff known as carpet runner, or scraps from pond liner. Reinforce the seam by inserting a strip of either material on the outside (lawn side) of the gap. Overlap the seam by 12 to 18 inches left and right.

Sometimes existing edging is simply not up to—or down to—the job. We often find that an existing edge is not deep enough to intercept the resident invader. If standard black poly-vinyl edging, aluminum, or steel strips don’t reach the level where roots are running, then we replace them with something deeper. A simple, inexpensive alternative is to slice vi-nyl carpet runner to make strips that are the needed depth. Vinyl protective carpet runner comes 27 inches wide, so we can cut one roll into several strips that will extend six or more inches into the ground.

Running off those running plantsSome plants undermine our gardens from

within, and cost us a lot of time sorting and weeding. These perennials have a wanderlust or a determination to dominate that is so great you cannot contain them. Fall is the time to ad-mit defeat and begin the removal process.

Use a spade (the shovel-sized tool with a rectangular blade), which is better for system-atic root removal than anything with a point. Slice across the center, the thickest part of the

Myrtle (Vinca minor) has a running root but also develops roots where its above-ground stems touch ground. Thus it cannot be wholly contained with an embedded vertical root barrier. If surrounded by such a device, the plant must also be sheared regularly to keep its stems from flopping over the edging. Flag-stone edging plus regular mowing along that edge is a good means of containing the plant. A cut edge is also an option, since it combines twice-annual shearing (when the cut edge is renewed) with a trench to bar root growth.

A brick or stone edge is an answer for those who want a root barrier but reject a cut edge because mowing along a trench can lead to dropping a tire into the bed and scalping the lawn there. Here, the problem of roots infil-trating between brick seams is answered by a strip of vinyl edging outside the brick.

Vinyl carpet runner comes in a roll 27 inches wide, for the same price per linear foot as ready-made black 5-inch polyvinyl bed edging. Yet the carpet runner can be sliced into a few strips to make customized, deeper edging.

Running roots (such as these from Canada thistle) fill the soil, shallow and deep, left and right of the weed’s above-ground portion. We miss roots when using a shovel—the tool with a pointed blade. A spade—the tool with a rectangular blade—does a better job.

26 Michigan Gardener | November/December 2011 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Some running plants can only be contained by deep in-ground barriers. One of those is chame-leon plant (Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’). Its roots may run at a six-inch depth when the plant is new, but a healthy, long-established colony growing in loose soil may have horizontally-spread-ing roots a foot below ground, or deeper. If you decide to evict chameleon plant, start by cutting straight across the middle of the colony, twice, and removing a sod of the plant. Notice how deep its roots run, there where it is longest established. Work outward from that section to chase the plant’s roots wherever they run.

Janet’s Journal continued from page 25


plant colony, and lift out sods of the target plant. As you get to the perimeter, weed the plant in rings, like circles around the bull’s-eye of your central cleared area. Stand in the cleared bull’s-eye, slice down at the edge of the space you’ve already cleared and use the spade blade as a le-ver (as in renewing a cut edge, above) to loosen the next ring. Chase all roots outward from the oldest, deepest part of the colony.

If you try to evict such a plant by going after every bit you see on the surface, you will almost certainly cut through extension roots that have not yet produced top shoots. Then in spring you’ll see satellite colonies erupting from those bits of plant left behind—the youngest, most vigorous parts of the original problem!

Although you can save a lot of time by dis-carding running plants, experience tells me you’ll keep at least a few because, “They’re so beautiful.” Think about moving those plants

to a groundcover area where they can have their way, alone or with others of a similar nature. Alternatively, install barriers of ap-propriate depth around a troublemaker—edging within an edge. Be sure to renew the plant regularly by cutting out the center of the trapped colony, adding compost equal to what you removed, and letting the outer plants move back in. Plants that run, need to do that. Trap them too long and their older, crowded portions become spindly and sickly, dragging down the colony’s looks and health.

Watering changesIf your water delivery system involves bur-

ied pipe or soaker hoses, or stations through-out the garden where you can tap in to run overhead sprinklers, fall is the time to assess the system’s effectiveness and make changes.

Plants grow. Planting plans and bed shapes

change. So water from pop-up sprinklers may be blocked by too-tall plants, or some por-tions of a bed receive too much or too little water. Sometimes areas need to be subdivid-ed so they can be watered separately, for dif-ferent lengths of time.

Digging is an unavoidable part of moving ir-rigation heads, installing new spigots, or adding new watering zones. These changes are most easily done in fall when the problem areas are fresh in your mind and plants will have the lon-gest time to recover from any disruption.

Woody for herbaceousOne last thing to look for as you walk your

garden in late fall with an eye for time sav-ing, is where there are plant changes you can make to increase the woodiness of your garden. Caring for an area filled with shrubs usually requires less time than caring for the same area filled with perennials. My experi-ence has been that a shrub bed of 100 square feet needs two hours of work each year, while

the same space full of perennials will tie me up for eight hours of dividing, thinning, stak-ing, deadheading, cutting back, etc. So I look for spaces in a garden where I can swap in a woody plant for an herbaceous species. A dwarf form of the woody panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata ‘Little Lamb,’ for instance) might stand in nicely for herbaceous Joe Pye (Eupatorium purpureum), or dwarf ‘Little Henry’ sweetspire shrubs (Itea virginica) will serve where I’ve ousted a colony of unruly gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides).

Here’s hoping you’ve been reading this on a rainy November day, so you haven’t missed the chance to make some of these changes that can save you time for many years to come. Have a great winter, and see you in the spring!

Janet Macunovich is a professional gardener and author of “Designing Your Gardens and Landscape” and “Caring for Perennials.” Read more from Janet in her newsletter available by writing to [email protected].

A non-suckering dwarf shrub such as this spirea (Spiraea bumalda ‘Gold Flame’) can be a low maintenance stand-in for a colony of perennials that offer similar color or season of interest. You would have the spirea’s pink flower in June-July rather than the yarrow’s (Achillea millefolium) bloom, or the shrub’s gold foliage in place of the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’) blooms. It’s also an equal trade in mass and shape, but a saving in care, since the shrub can be held to this size with a spring cut-back every three years, versus the yearly cut-back and occa-sional division that’s standard for keeping either of those herbaceous perennials looking good.

If your intent is to save effort and time, be realistic when choosing shrubs to replace herbaceous perennials. Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) can be kept smaller than its potential (here, it’s maintained at a 4-foot height although the species can top 8 feet). However, knowledgeable and timely pruning is required. Right after bloom, while time remains that year for the plant to develop the next year’s flower buds, remove the oldest and tallest stems and shorten remaining branches.

Be selective as you choose woody replacements for perennials. Some shrubs sucker to occupy wide areas. That’s the case with bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora). If you intend to replace an entire partly-shady perennial bed with a shrub, bottlebrush buckeye is a good choice. If you want a shrub to replace a perennial colony that is just one element in the garden, then a non-suckering shrub is a better choice.

Snowball hydrangea (H. arborescens) is a showy woody plant with a late summer bloom that can require less care than an herbaceous perennial of similar size and season. The hydrangea may be cut back to the ground every year without loss of bloom, but that task is an option. Without the cut, it provides interest in winter and in spring will clothe those same stems in green. Late summer-blooming herbaceous perennials may provide similar winter interest but since they replace stems annually, they also present a tangle of dead stalks in spring that most gardeners spend time cutting back.

The wind is cool and there is a lot of sky visible since many of the leaves have fallen. What’s up there to be seen is that peculiar in-tense blue that comes when sunlight takes its late fall angle through the atmosphere. Faint-ly you hear, or feel, the percussion section as the high school marching band practices.

You may read these signals to mean, “Go inside!” but there’s much to be gained by staying out. Look around now while the past growing season is fresh in your mind and the evidence of what plants have done and intend to do is appar-ent. Focus on paths, edges, your watering system, and the plants that have over-stayed their welcome. Make some plans, then work on them this afternoon when the sun is warm. What you do now can net consider-able savings in time next year.

Enlarge a path to improve the whole garden

The first thing to do is to walk along and consider the garden paths you have. Stroll the main paths, and take a look at any main-tenance paths within beds. Are they wide enough? Do they take you where people want or need to go? Is the path surface safe and

comfortable for the traffic it bears? Have you used curbs to advantage?

We gardeners tend to be stingy when it comes to walking room. Our paths may be only 18 inches wide, or even narrower. We lay them out this way because we don’t want to give up planting space. Yet a 36-inch path is visually restful and so much more inviting than a narrow trail that it will cause more people to go see your garden beauties. Three

feet is wide enough to allow a person to walk comfort-ably, even during high sum-mer when edging plants have encroached. A garden-er can negotiate that path easily even while pushing a wheelbarrow or carrying a bucket.

If you would like to walk hand-in-hand through your garden with a child, or see

people stroll side by side to enjoy your garden, make your paths at least 4 feet wide.

If you have one-sided beds that are more than three feet deep or islands more than six feet across, you need maintenance paths—places to step into the bed so you can prune, weed, or plant. Designating places to stand within the bed minimizes compaction and disruption. Mark working paths with step-ping stones or a different color mulch. Make them 12 to 18 inches wide—and rest assured that a path within a bed, even a path that’s 18 inches wide, will become invisible by mid-summer as plants close over it. Yet they are visible in spring and fall when we most need them.

A maintenance path can even be visible enough to be visually disruptive. So place

janet's journal

P h oto g r a P h s by s t e v e n n i k k i l a

JanetMacunovichMacunovich

| November/December 2011 | www.Michigangardener.com

Continued on page 25

End of the gardening season: Save some time for timesavers

November in Michigan

Southeastern Michigan and the Thumb: The average November day reaches into the high 40s. 50- and 60- degree days are common.

spending time restraining weeds at the edge of a garden in november can save time next year. here’s an option to a trenched edge or in-ground edging material: a wide stone coping set on a weed-free base such as slag or gravel. it’s initially expensive but long-lasting and low care. garden plants can drape over the edging without killing grass. Mowers can roll along on the stone without dropping into a trench and scalping the lawn along the edge.

left: this path is rather narrow, uninviting to two people strolling together, and difficult to navigate if you are a bucket-toting gardener. right: a wider path is more inviting. Plants removed to increase the width are not missed and remain available for use if put “on hold” in another bed or the perim-eter of the compost pile. Plantings that remain along the widened path can be altered the next year, even removing more plants and bringing back some cast-out edging to grow in new positions.

nov / dec 2011

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