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June 5th MGANM Meeting Notes

Black Swallow-wort and Monarch Butterflies

Peponapis pruinosa, Squash bee, by Kathy Keatley Garvey

June 5th MGANM Meeting Notes

by Nancy Dennison, AEMG

Dr. Nate Walton, our MSU-E Consumer Horticulture Program Instructor, shared his knowledge of Smart Pest Management.  He explained how chemical pesticides were developed after WWII which worked for a while, then became ineffective and new pesticides were created. Thus new chemicals are constantly being developed.  These days we are on the lookout for organic and non-toxic (to humans, bees, animals) methods to help us control garden and yard pests. Nate talked about the Japanese Beetle, Squash Bug, Rose Chafer, and the Colorado Potato Beetle. He also discussed non- chemical ways of trying to control pest damage such as crop rotation, watering wisely, netting and modifying the plant environment.  Nate’s informative discussion was helpful and hopefully will lead us to better pest management in our gardens, small and large. Thanks so much Nate!

Black Swallow-wort and Monarch Butterflies

Identifying an Early Detection Invasive Species in Northwest Michigan

by Emily Cook, Outreach Specialist, Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network

There is certainly no shortage of invasive plants in northwest Michigan and most people are aware of the common species. Garlic mustard, invasive phragmites, Japanese knotweed, and autumn olive are just a few names that typically make one groan in frustration. These plants love to grow in disturbed areas, create dense stands, and out-compete many native plants which is detrimental to pollinators. However, at the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN), there is another category of plants known as “Early Detection” species. These are plants that have not yet been identified in the region but if they do appear, they immediately become a priority. The goal is to treat them as soon as possible, before they are given the chance to spread and become difficult to manage.

Early detection species in our region include amur cork-tree, black jetbead, butterbur, flowering rush, giant hogweed, and several others that are listed at www.habitatmatters.org. Another plant on that list is black swallow-wort and unfortunately, it was recently identified throughout the village of Kingsley after it was brought to ISN’s attention by a concerned citizen. Thorough surveying in the days following have revealed that the plants are growing beyond a single population and it will require community partnership to successfully tackle management.

Black swallow-wort grows extensively in southern Michigan and is found in Emmett County and into the Upper Peninsula. This population in Kingsley is the first one that has been identified in our region. While it shares the same characteristics as the aforementioned species that classify it as an invasive species, it has an additional trait that makes it especially concerning. Swallow-wort is a member of the milkweed family and acts like a “sink” for monarch butterflies. Even when native milkweed species are present, female monarchs will often lay their eggs on the invasive variety. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars are unable to feed on the plant and die.

Swallow-wort can quickly spread over an area if not managed and ISN needs your help to get started! Most of the populations in Grand Traverse County have been identified on private property and we are seeking individuals who are willing to advocate for the plant’s removal and to share ISN’s messaging in relation to swallow-wort and its potential impact on monarch butterflies. If you are interested in helping, please contact ISN Communications Specialist Rebecca Koteskey, rkoteskey@gtcd.org.

Identifying additional populations is also key and often, just as with this case, ISN needs input from community members! If you think you are aware of a black swallow-wort population, please contact us at (231)941-0960. Often called black dog strangling vine, it tends to climb around adjacent plants. One is more likely to notice it’s oblong, narrow, dark leaves which are somewhat waxy, over its flowers which are purple and tiny. Additional photos can be found at www.misin.msu.edu.

It is also important to note that there is a pale swallow-wort which looks and acts the same but has pale pink flowers – keep an eye out for this species as well!

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May 1 Meeting Notes

It’s Summer…Get Out in the Garden!

May 1 Meeting Notes

by Nancy Denison- AEMG

On May 1 our guest speaker was Rebecca Krans, the Consumer Horticulturist from our  MSU Extension office in the Upper Peninsula. She offered a long list of procedures and ideas for Smart Vegetable Gardening.  Smart Gardening is MSU Extension’s campaign to equip gardeners with science based, earth friendly and best practices for good soil and good crop yields.

Rebecca shared ideas of why people don’t plant vegetable gardens and then some steps in setting up a garden including planning your site, size, lighting, location and what types of things you’d like to grow. Also helpful is knowing which crops are cool-weather growers and which do best during the mid or warm season.  This makes it possible to plan successive plantings for maximum yield. Rebecca also gave suggestions for making your own compost, types of fertilizer, and various types of gardens. We appreciate your veggie garden knowledge, Rebecca, and thank you for sharing it with us!

Castle Farms, Photo by Bradley Macdonald, mlive

It’s Summer…Get Out in the Garden!

by Kellie Parks, EMG

Some botanic gardens in Michigan are well known, such as Matthaei Botanic Garden at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, and Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens in East Lansing. But our state is home to some fantastic lesser-known gardens as well. Here are just a few you might consider adding to your summer travel plans.

With a 2002 renovation, Castle Farms in Charlevoix (www.castlefarms.com) now boasts a number of gardens to explore. Using native plants when possible, guests can stroll through the formal Butterfly Garden, East Garden with croquet and a small fountain, Alphabet Garden (a favorite with kids), Serenity Garden, and the King’s Grand Courtyard, a Renaissance garden based on the landscape at Chateau de Vaux-le-Comte in France. Both self-guided and guided tours are available-with a tram for transportation on a schedule.  Hours and admission fees vary throughout the season.

The seed (well, tuber actually) was planted for Dahlia Hill (www.dahliahill.org) of Midland in 1966 with a Mother’s Day gift. Now home to 3000 plants of over 300 varieties of dahlias maintained solely by volunteers, this garden is open dawn to dusk and admission is free. Comprised of eight stone terraces, each variety is labeled along gravel pathways. Four aluminum sculptures can be found; the work of local Midland artist Charles Breed, who planted those first tubers. His working studio and museum is located on the grounds as well. There are two raised planters at the top of the terraces, one a donor garden and the other a memorial garden, where loved ones’ ashes can contribute to the growth of a beautiful dahlia plant. Each of the 20 dahlia petal forms are represented.  Mark your calendar for the last two Saturdays in May next year – their extra tubers are offered for sale then. The garden has been the recipient of the Keep Michigan Beautiful President’s Plaque and a President’s Award from The American Dahlia Society.

Photo by Howard Meyerson, mlive

Not far from White Cloud, within the Huron-Manistee National Forest lies the Loda Lake National Wildflower Sanctuary (www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hmnf/recarea/?recid=18706). This is the only Wildflower Sanctuary located within a National Forest and has been funded financially and materially by the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan for over 70 years. A variety of ecological systems are supported here, including wetlands, marsh, creek, spring-fed lake, pine plantation, oak forest, and an old farmstead site. Amenities available are a self-guided 1.2-mile wildflower trail, cultural trail, birder’s checklist, picnic area, small boat launch, and a pollinator garden. Docent-led walks and environmental curriculum for groups are available via the National Forest Service Baldwin District Office.

Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve (http://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/) began in 1941 when the first 12.5 acres were purchased by Kay and Walter Boydston as their country home. Kay’s passion for horticulture, crafts, and nature were attractive, drawing others to the property. There is a story told of Kay often planting into the darkness of the evening using her car headlights to illuminate her work. Local Niles area philanthropists facilitated the land becoming public and additional land purchases grew the property to 105 acres. Today, one can find a nature preserve, nature center, arboretum, conservatory, prairie, and gardens – which include a Railway and Nature Adventure Garden, Japanese Garden, Herb and Sensory Garden, and more. Ten trails of varying length and simplicity invite investigation and reveal an abundance of native wildlife. There is a garden shop and cafe, and numerous educational programs are available, including activity backpacks for the young and not-so-young to check out during a visit. There is a nominal admission fee, and groups are welcomed and offered a discount with advance purchase.

With all these blooms and plants waiting your arrival, plan your trip and get out into the garden.

Deadheading Around the Garden

by Nancy Denison, AEMG

Deadheading your garden flowers will help keep the area neat and tidy as well as promote and prolong flower blooms. An additional benefit is its help in controlling reseeding/spreading and crowding in the beds. Deadheading can be an overwhelming task as it was in the flower beds at the school where I taught.  The daisies and coreopsis were beautiful until it was time to deadhead and of course no one was around to do it. The trick is to do a little bit several times a week throughout the growing season.

It’s best to start to snip when the flower begins to decline, which might be a change of color or loss of petals. Weather; heat, rain, or lack of it, can affect the longevity of your various perennials and annuals. It is generally easiest to remember to prune spent flowers and stems to a point where there is a new lateral leaf or flower bud. If there is no new flower showing, cut the stem to a lateral leaf.

Some plants need a shearing with scissors as flowers bloom and fade at the same time. There are also plants that don;t need to be pruned at al as the do not rebloom. These include sedum, vinca, astilbe, and peony, just to name a few. Some flowers are easy to pinch off with your fingers, others with thicker stems will require scissors or hand pruners.  And of course the more flowers you cut and bring in to enjoy inside the house means less deadheading in the long run!

Resources:

Fine Gardening Magazine. “Off With Their Heads”, Tracey DiSabato. August 2003 #92

Garden Gate Magazine. “Deadheading”, Jim Childs. August 2006

Garden Gate Magazine. “How To Deadhead 8 Great Plants”, Marcia Leeper. August 2012 #106

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Munson Hospice House Work Bee

Habitat for Humanity: Fife Lake

Photo by Gayla Elsner

Munson Hospice House Work Bee

by Gayla Elsner

On April 29th, 21 volunteers participated in a work bee at Munson Hospice House.  Our group included rosarians from Cherry Capital Rose Society (CCRS), Hospice House Volunteers, and Master Gardener volunteers.  

We started with an excellent demonstration of how to prune and maintain Knock Out roses. The CCRS members guided each person as we pruned 100 rose bushes!  We fertilized with a special rose amendment made and donated by CCRS.

After the roses, sick ornamental trees were addressed.  Master Gardeners pointed out the symptoms of black knot fungus and showed how to prune the trees in the garden.  

Photo by Gayla Elsner

A delicious lunch was enjoyed as we shared our stories of how we got involved with the Hospice House garden.  Then we finished the day by weeding, cutting down grasses, and doing general garden clean up. The Hospice House volunteers were eager to learn about these tasks and discuss a schedule for regular maintenance of the garden.  

This garden had been tended sporadically over the last few years and needed rescuing.  This hardworking day was a great start toward the goal of getting the garden back to the peaceful place of natural beauty that the hospice patients and their families deserve.

Photo by Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity: Fife Lake

by Cheryl Gross, AEMG

Last fall I heard about an opportunity to work on installing landscaping at a Habitat for Humanity home in the Depot Neighborhood in Traverse City.  At the end of the day, the timing did not work for me. I did, however, ask to be kept on their radar for another home. The Fife Lake landscaping project finished June 20th.  

The project began on a site visit with the prospective homeowner, her mentor, and the construction manager.  Together we examined the site and the existing plants, which included a lot of Michigan yellow sand and a few invasive species. The prospective homeowner had done her homework and gave me a list of plants she liked.  She explained very clearly that she liked things symmetrical, wanted an abundance of blossoms and her favorite plants were day lilies and bushy roses. I talked about the soil, sun, and the benefits of including native plants.  

Next step was a nine-page summary report of the site and possible plants including pictures and characteristics.  The report included information on lawn seeding and container planting as well. An investigation and summary of the prospective homeowner plant lists revealed that many of them were not hardy to Zone 5 and explanation of each plant was provided.

Habitat for Humanity and the prospective homeowner then began to acquire plant material.  Pine Hill Nursery generously donated some native perennials and lavender. The Habitat for Humanity’s partner nursery offered none of the plants on our desired plant list but donated five other shrubs and lavender.

Once the plants were acquired, the prospective homeowner described how she wanted them planted.  This was a difficult stage in the process for me. The plants available did not necessarily ‘fit’ in her desired location.  For example, she wished to have a shrub between the porch and entry walk in a space no more than 18-24 inches deep. Also the drip lines of the roof needed to be considered to protect the shrubs from snow damage. Again, researching each plant donated, information describing the growing habit of the plant was presented.  

This brought us to install day.  Nine women from Century 21 Realty volunteered for a day of service.  The day dawned sunny and seasonably warm and the soil retained some moisture from the heavy weekend rain.  It was perfect. I laid plants in place and waited for the prospective homeowner to arrive and rearrange things to her vision.  The realtors got to work digging invasive honey suckle, pulling garlic mustard, removing myrtle and rescuing sedum. They were amazing; hard working and very efficient.  The prospective homeowner arrived and made her tweaks to the plant arrangement. In no time at all, plants were in the ground, a bit of compost added to the shrub holes, the sedum was used as filler between shrubs as we wait the plants to grow, and a top dressing of mulch was added.  Landscaping added an incredible visual to the house.

Wrapping up the project, it made me sad that the prospective homeowner did not have the two plants she most wanted, day lilies and bush roses.  So, I got my hands on a smaller form day lily, the gold one that is so common and purchased a Drift rose. It was all worth it.

My role in this project was educational only.  With the number of volunteers taking a day from their jobs to support Habitat for Humanity, it was important that they keep busy with hands-on work.  I am confident that each individual involved in landscaping this Habitat Home gained more than they gave. I certainly did.