Michigan Gardener - June 2014 by Michigan Gardener

June 2014

MichiganGardener.com

Your guide to Great Lakes gardening

plant focus

Bearded iris

Please thank our advertisers in this issue

profile

feature

plant patrol

vegetables

tree tips

Community Supported Agriculture farms

New perennials for 2014

Controlling phragmites

How to grow tomatoes

Minimizing storm damage

More Months. More Nutrition. Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Outdoor & Indoor. It feeds 50% longer and contains more than three times the number of nutrients as our previous formula. It’s classic Osmocote® with more! Isn’t it time you put it to work in your garden?

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June is National Rose Month

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

June is National Rose Month. Telly’s has cultivated a reputation for offering the finest collection of high quality roses available anywhere. We offer a selection of roses that everyone, even the most casual gardener, can grow and enjoy. Telly’s is proud to offer the Easy Elegance Collection. These roses are disease resistant, hardy, low-maintenance plants that bloom all season long.

Garden Wisdom The starting point is, what are your goals and objectives for the site. Then, you fit the plants to your goals and objectives. That is being a thoughtful gardener. —Roy Diblik

To-Do List........................................................8 Vegetable Patch..........................................10 Ask MG...........................................................12 Healthy Lawns............................................. 14

Welcome to where Summer always comes up roses. At Telly’s, Summer is our time to bloom. From roses to perennials to annuals and beyond, we truly are a summer gardener’s paradise. Come in for a visit and let us make your season really bloom.

June Events 42ND ANNUAL BONSAI SHOW - Sat & Sun, June 28-29 Presented by Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan. See www.fourseasonsbonsai.com for more information.

BONSAI WORKSHOP Sat, June 7, 1pm (Troy) • Sat, June 14, 1pm (Pontiac) Sat, July 5, 1pm (Troy) • Sat, July 12, 1pm (Pontiac) In this hands on workshop, you will work through all the steps of creating your very own bonsai! Topics include selecting a plant, matching a plant to a pot, root combing, root pruning, proper potting, pruning, basic styling techniques, and bonsai care. Pre-registration is required. $35

THE PURCHASE OF 3 OR MORE ROSES Expires 7/1/14. Not valid with any other offer or coupon.

TROY • 248-689-8735 3301 John R • 1/4 mile north of 16 Mile Rd.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP • 248-659-8555 4343 24 Mile • Btwn Dequindre & Shelby Rd.

Tree Tips.............................................................22 Perennial Partners.........................................24 Where to pick up Michigan Gardener..................................... 26 Books for the Michigan Gardener.......................................27 New Perennials for 2014........................ 28 Advertiser Index........................................ 29 Classified Ads...............................................31 Subscription Form.......................................31 Weather Wrap............................................33 How-To: Build your gardener’s tool kit......................................34 Calendar........................................................ 36 Places to Grow........................................... 38

SUMMER HOURS: Mon-Sat: 8a-9p Sun: 9a-6p www.tellys.com

Profile: Community supported agriculture..............................40 Controlling phragmites...............................43 Janet’s Journal...........................Back Cover

On the cover: It is hard to find a plant with more beautiful, architectural foliage than variegated iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’). Photo: Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

Publisher/Editor Eric Hofley Design & Production Jonathon Hofley Advertising Eric Hofley Circulation Jonathon Hofley Editorial Assistant Anna Doman

PONTIAC • 248-724-2300 559 Orchard Lake Rd (at Goldner Walsh) Between Telegraph & Woodward

Plant Focus: Bearded iris.................16

find us on

Contributors Karen Bovio Cheryl English Emaline Fronckowiak Mary Gerstenberger Julia Hofley Rosann Kovalcik Janet Macunovich Steve Martinko Beverly Moss Steven Nikkila George Papadelis Sandie Parrott Traven Pelletier Jean/Roxanne Riggs Deborah Silver Jim Slezinski Lisa Steinkopf Steve Turner

16291 W. 14 Mile Rd., Suite 5 Beverly Hills, MI 48025-3327 Phone: 248-594-5563 Fax: 248-594-5564 E-mail: publisher@MichiganGardener.com Website: www.MichiganGardener.com Publishing schedule 6 issues per year: April, May, June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec. Published the first week of the mo. Subscriptions (Please make check payable to Michigan Gardener) 1 yr, 6 iss/$14 2 yr, 12 iss/$26 3 yr, 18 iss/$36 Back issues All past issues are available. Please send your request along with a check for $3.00 per issue payable to Michigan Gardener. Canadian subscriptions 1 yr, 6 iss/$22 US 2 yr, 12 iss/$42 US Copyright © 2014 Michigan Gardener. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or used in any form without the expressed, written permission of the publisher. Neither the advertiser nor the publisher will be responsible for misinformation, typographical errors, omissions, etc. contained herein. Michigan Gardener is published by Motor City Publishing, Inc.

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Milarch Nursery Q U A L I T Y P L A N T S & S E R V I C E S I N C E 19 7 2

25 ACRES of ﬂowering & shade trees, ﬂowering shrubs, perennials, evergreens, and ground covers. We have gorgeous Rhododendrons, Roses, Topiaries and Perennials! TO SEE OUR INCREDIBLE SELECTION, PLEASE VISIT MILARCHNURSERY.COM AND CLICK ON “AVAILABILITY.”

Don’t miss the excitement, wonder & fun of

GARDEN DAY 2014 at MSU Horticulture Gardens SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 • 8AM - 4:15PM Featuring Amy Stewart—Keynote Presenter Amy will captivate attendees with two keynote presentations based on her best-selling books, Wicked Plants, Wicked Bugs, Flower Confidential and The Drunken Botanist.

HUNDREDS OF ROSES IN MANY COLORS

Morning Keynote: “Wicked Plants” Find out which plant killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, which shrub ignited a global war, and what plant has killed 90 million people. From strychnine to castor bean, from poison sumac to monkshood, Stewart introduces an unforgettable cast of characters and tells their tales with her own wicked sense of humor! Afternoon Keynote: “Flower Conﬁdential” In a global marketplace, is there such a thing as a socially responsible flower? Join Stewart for an exploration of the individuals, the corporations, and the technology dedicated to the pursuit of the perfect flower. You’ll never look at a rose the same way again!

Shop our Green Garden Marketplace Select from ten educational and engaging workshops: SUMMER-BLOOMING PERENNIALS & SHRUBS

28500 HAAS RD • NEW HUDSON, MI 48165 • 248-437-2094 www.milarchnursery.com • Mon-Fri: 8-5:30 Sat: 8-3 Sun: Closed

Creative Containers • Dividing Perennials • From Garden to Table: Using Herbs at Home The Best Herbaceous Perennials - New and Old! • Herbal Housecleaning Creative Edge: Details in the Landscape • Gardening in the Shade The Unusual Shrubs and Trees of the Clarence Lewis Arboretum • Pruning Basics Going Native - Using Native Plants in any Landscape

Registration includes two workshops, two keynote addresses, parking, lunch and materials! For more information and to register, visit:

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Great Selection All Summer Long! Annuals • Hanging Baskets • Porch Pots • Perennials • Trees & Shrubs

5-Year, Hassle-Free Guarantee on most Trees & Shrubs / 1 Year on Roses, Rhododendrons, Azaleas & Perennials ORTONVILLE 2570 Oakwood Rd. Ortonville, MI 48462 248-627-6498 3 Mi E. of M-15 at Hadley Rd.

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Bursting with extravagant blossoms in spring, and again in late summer to frost, the Bloomerang速 Lilac engulfs the breeze in beautifully nostalgic fragrance. Choose easy-to-grow Proven Winners速 flowering shrubs for a garden of vibrant colors, long-lasting blooms and mildew-resistant foliage. Visit us at provenwinners-shrubs.com.

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

to-do list Annuals • Plant annuals throughout the month to fill in bare spots. Mulch around annuals to help retain moisture and cut down the weeds. It also gives your garden a finished look. Fertilize your flowers once a week with a water-soluble fertilizer to keep them blooming. It is best to water in the morning. • Did you experiment with any new plant varieties or flower colors this year? Be sure to keep at least one plant label from each variety you planted to make notes and remember next year whether you liked this plant and how it performed. • If you notice that some areas of annuals aren’t blooming or filling out as well as they have in past years, be sure to take a good look at how much sun an area is getting. Trees may be shading the area more now or it may be far sunnier than it was before. • Have you tried one of the new varieties of exotic tropical flowering plants? They’re great for a different look in your garden. Hibiscus and citrus fruits are the best known varieties, but there are many others that add great leaf color, flower color or exotic scents to your patio.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Spring-flowering bulbs • Make sure all the foliage has died completely before removing it from spent tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Bulbs won’t perform next year if the leaves are removed before they completely turn yellow and can be easily pulled from the plant.

On July 20, we are proud to present The Garden Cruise, a tour of gardens designed, planted and/or inspired by Deborah Silver. All proceeds beneﬁt The Greening of Detroit. For more information, visit thegardencruise.org

Summer-flowering bulbs • Plant gladiolus bulbs each week and you’ll get a succession of flowers every week during the summer. Consider Glamini, a dwarf series of gladioli, in areas where a shorter flower is preferred.

Evergreens

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• Once the flush of evergreens’ new growth has hardened off, prune hedges, like boxwood, yews and arborvitae. It’s also a good time to prune and shape topiaries, like poodles, pompoms and spiral forms.

Houseplants • The danger of frost has safely passed. Move your houseplants outside for the summer. Be sure to place them in a protected area, and out of direct sunlight. Monitor watering; it’s going to be different than when they’re inside. • Keep your houseplants fertilized, both indoors and outdoors. This is the time of year they really grow and need fertilizer. • Take stock of your plants: Are there plants

which struggle from winter to winter, looking ugly and taking months to recover? Are there plants that have outgrown your space and are too big to keep moving in and out every year? This may be the year to give those plants one last hurrah! Consider planting those behemoths into the ground— then let them go with dignity. They’ll have a great summer and then let them die with the fall frost. This is a less guilty way to let your plants go and make room for new specimens that will fit your house better.

Lawn • If you haven’t applied the second round of fertilizer, try to do so early in the month or 4 to 6 weeks after the first application. • Don’t let too much time lapse between mowings. If you cut off more than 1/3 of the blade at a time, the lawn may actually end up with sunburn. • Your lawn needs an inch of water a week to be lush and healthy. If you’re not sure how much water it gets, use a rain gauge to measure. You may be surprised.

Perennials • If your plants look like they need a boost, add an organic fertilizer to help get them going. • Beware of what you are adding to your garden because many perennials look innocent in their pots but once out of them they can become invasive and take over your garden. This is especially true of certain groundcovers. • Keep perennials blooming longer by deadheading them: cut off the old, dying blooms. This is a great therapeutic activity for stressful days—snip, snip, snip!

Vegetables • Keep weeds at bay by cultivating around the plants at least once a week. They’re much easier to control when they’re young. • Mulch around the plants to maintain moisture and keep weeds down. • Vegetables need at least one inch of water each week, either from nature or supplemental methods. Water in the morning so the plants can dry off during the day and have a lesser chance of developing diseases.

Roses • Roses look great in June. The cooler temperatures encourage larger blooms and more fragrance than during hot summer heat. • When pruning roses, prune down to a set of five leaflets pointing out of the rose bush. New growth will point in the same direc-

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Feature Task: Growing the best herb varieties What’s the number one rule for growing the best herb varieties? Plant those herbs that you enjoy eating and cooking with. If you and your family don’t eat parsley, then don’t waste your garden space on parsley! Fresh herbs are a great way to add a little spice to summer meals. And they’re easy to grow in the garden or in containers. Herbs in containers can be positioned near the cooking areas for easy access. Be sure the container has a hole in the bottom so excess water will drain. Select a potting mix specifically formulated for containers. Garden soil or topsoil is too heavy for pots. When planting herbs in the ground, select an area that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of sun each day. The soil should be rich and loamy, and well drained. Amend appropriately with compost, peat moss or manure, just like any other garden bed. Incorporate a slow-release fertilizer into the soil to give plants a good start. Then choose your herbs. There are many varieties available, grown for their fragrance, foliage texture, and robust flavor. Some of the most popular include basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Select those you’ll use most in cooking.

tion the leaf does, so having it point out of the shrub will help increase air circulation and cut down on diseases. The rose cane borer can be a problem, so be sure to seal the cut afterwards. • Roses are healthiest with about an inch of water a week. Water at the base of the plant instead of using overhead sprinklers, which tend to get the leaves wet and encourage the chance of diseases.

Shrubs • When choosing a new shrub, make sure it provides a long season of beauty, not just a two-week bloom and then nothing for the rest of the year. • When planting a new shrub, be sure to water it thoroughly. Then check it regularly. Water when dry to the touch about an inch and a half down. Overwatering is the number one killer of new plants. • To water, turn the hose on a trickle and leave it on the root ball for half an hour for a small plant and up to an hour for a larger one. Water may be needed far less frequently than you thought. It takes much less time to check and water properly than to guess and risk stressing the plant.

• Basil: use for pesto, salads, eggs, fish, poultry and sauces • Chives: salads, eggs, potatoes, gravies, soup • Mint: garnishes, salads • Oregano: Italian dishes, spaghetti sauce, pizza • Parsley: salads, soups, eggs, garnish • Sage: meat stuffing, lamb, sausage • Rosemary: chicken, lamb, stews, vegetables • Thyme: poultry, stuffing, fish, soup After the herbs are planted, they’ll need regular care throughout the summer. Water is important. Herbs planted in containers will need more water than those planted in the ground. Water when the soil is dry to the touch about an inch down. Fleshier leaves, like parsley and basil, will need to be watered more often than plants like rosemary. Fertilize every two weeks with a watersoluble fertilizer. Remember to snip and use the leaves frequently, so they don’t get too leggy and overgrown. Grow those you cook with most often, so leggy, overgrown plants won’t be a problem. That said, it’s also fun to experiment with a new variety to introduce to your cuisine.

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Water Gardens

Come see our spectacular, handmade, European gazing globes. New styles and colors arrive regularly!

• Now that the water has warmed up, it’s time to start fertilizing pond plants. This is especially important for heavy feeders like water lilies and lotus. Fertilize with 4 to 6 tablets every 4 to 6 weeks. Provided by the professionals at English Gardens.

Kat’s Koi We breed & sell our OWN koi in Dearborn, MI. UNIQUE varieties you will not find at most retail stores! The BEST patterns & BRIGHTEST colors. Standard & Premium grades. Premium are SPECTACULAR!

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

vegetable patch Success with tomatoes How to grow this delicious, popular classic

t is safe to say that tomatoes are the most sunlight and the shoulder of the fruit may repopular vegetable in the garden. They main green as well. come in all sizes, shapes, textures and Perhaps the real trick to growing a great colors. They can be eaten fresh, turned into tomato is watering. Problems with cracking sauces, canned and stewed and used for all arise when tomatoes go from very dry soil to types of delightful culinary recipes. Gardenvery wet soil in sunny, warm weather, puters vie for bragging rights on their hometing on a sudden burst of growth. Moisture grown tomatoes. So what does a gardener stress also contributes to blossom-end rot, need to know to grow a great tomato? There that ugly black flattening of the blossom end are three basic elements in growing a great of the tomato. Consistent moisture control vegetable and tomatoes are no exception. in a well-drained soil will keep your tomato Look to the quality of the soil, the amount of plants much healthier. Try using mulch to sunlight, and the consistency of watering. maintain the soil moisture as well as to help Start with the soil. Tomatoes can handle keep weeds down. a range of soil textures, provided there is While we know that tomatoes grow great good drainage. Tomato roots do not in sunny, warm weather, temperalike wet soil nor do they like hard, ture can have a tremendous affect compacted soil. The root system is on them. The best temperature range fibrous, so whether planted in a confor tomatoes is between 65 and 80 tainer, raised bed or directly in the degrees F. Temperatures below 50 ground, a loose soil with good aeraand above 95 degrees F may cause tion is optimal. reduced fruit set, delayed fruit ripenTomatoes are also classified as ing, and compromised fruit quality. “heavy feeders,” so check your soil Cold weather can also affect plant test for “medium” to “high” ranges Mary growth and development, so wait unfor phosphorus, potassium, calcium Gerstenberger til all danger of frost has passed beand magnesium. (If you have never fore planting tomatoes in the spring tested your soil, consider doing so.) However, and plan on harvesting before first frost in the don’t overdo the nitrogen, especially when fall (unless you can protect the plants). the plant begins to flower, so you avoid a lot of Lastly, know something about the tomato green, leafy growth and lower fruit producyou are planning to grow. Is it intended for tion. The best pH range for tomatoes is 6.0 to eating fresh, cooking or preserving? How 6.5, which allows the best nutrient uptake. It is long will it take the plant to produce mature a good idea to work into the soil any fertilizer fruits? Is it a determinate plant that will and organic matter (such as compost or aged stop growing and produce most of its fruits manure) about two weeks prior to planting. in a short time frame, or is it indeterminate Nearly all vegetables, including tomatoes, so that it will continue to grow and produce require a minimum of six hours of full sunfruit throughout the season? Is it a bushy light, preferably 8 to 10. But limit any pruning plant bred for growing in a container? Will of leaves and keep the foliage healthy on your it produce small fruits suitable for salads or tomato plants to avoid sunscald on green and munching on at lunch, large meaty fruits for ripening fruits. Too much exposure to direct slicing on a sandwich, or nice juicy fruits for turning into tomato juice? Is the plant resistant to diseases such as fusarium or verticillium wilt? Check garden catalogs for good descriptions and information on whatever type of tomato you select. Then adjust your soil, call make sure you have the right amount of sun“the little gardener light, and manage the moisture to grow that that could” gem of the garden: the tomato. 15 Years Experience at Botanical Gardens FREE Estimates

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Mary Gerstenberger is the Consumer Horticulture Coordinator at the Michigan State University Extension in Macomb County, MI. For gardening information from MSU, visit www.migarden.msu.edu. Call the toll-free Michigan State University Lawn and Garden Hotline at 888-678-3464 for answers to your gardening questions.

Nichols Arboretum

always in season!

Peony Magic

Attract Orioles

May 30-June 15 - Peony Bloom Season

The largest collection of heirloom herbaceous peonies in North America is getting ready to bloom. Dates are approximate; peony bloom depends on the weather. Visit our dedicated website for current garden conditions: mbgna.umich.edu/peony.

Sun., June 8, 2 pm - Peony Blossom & Pure Melodies

Our membership program turns 40 this year. Join, support the Arb & Gardens, and enjoy discounts at plant sales, Shakespeare in the Arb, and local retailers; reciprocal privileges at participating gardens nationwide; and more. Visit mbgna.umich.edu or call 734.647.7600. U-M Nichols Arboretum, 1610 Washington Hts., Ann Arbor

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BRENDA’S BUTTERFLY HABITAT - OPEN JUNE 5 Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat is filled with butterflies, and host and nectar plants that are native to the area. Come see the complete life cycle of these winged beauties in all stages of their metamorphosis! HABITAT HOURS: Thurs, Fri, Sat: 10a-4p • Sun-Wed: Closed

Beautiful stone houses for Miniature & Fairy Gardening PLUS A LARGE SELECTION OF FAIRY GARDEN PLANTS!

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I have a cottage with a steep slope on Lake Huron. Erosion is a major concern, and drought-tolerant plantings are required. So I can see the view, I would like plants 6 feet tall or less. We started with some sedum, rudbeckia, miscanthus, daylillies and perennial salvia. Any other ideas? J.P., Bayfield, ON Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership has created a website addressing erosion issues for shoreline landscapes along the Great Lakes. Go to www.mishorelinepartnership. org and you will find extensive lists for plants with their heights, bloom times, and preferred location with regard to the lake water table. The list you want is called “upland.” Such beauties as wild columbine (Aquilegia), bellflowers (Campanula americana), and false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) all fall within your height requirement. There are sedge grasses, coneflowers (Echinacea),

asters, and even foxgloves (Digitalis). You would have three-season color and interest. Although all the plants listed are native to Michigan, you share a very similar and compatible climate and environment in Ontario with your Lake Huron cottage. When searching nurseries for plants you want, look for those resources which offer natives and shop by botanical name so you get the correct plant. Natives are almost by definition drought tolerant. They have great tap roots and rhizomatic networks to establish themselves and proliferate. Having property on a Great Lake is a blessing and a riparian responsibility. So it is wise to give thought to what kinds of plants you put along its shore.

Removing dried tendrils from brick Is there any way to get the dried tendrils of English ivy off my brick home? Nothing seems to work. Most of the ivy was taken down a couple of years ago and I did not at

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My golden privet, pyracantha, and boxwood are not greening up as of early May. Would cutting them back help save them and if so, how severe a pruning? S., Dearborn My 20-year-old Coral Beauty cotoneasters are very slow to bud this spring. The shrubs (4 of them make up a 15-foot hedge) have a few branches putting out new, green buds as of early May. But 95 percent of the branches do not show any new buds. I have not pruned them at their trunk base for many years now. I just prune them at the outer edges to keep the shape I want. If many of the branches fail to grow new buds by late May, is it OK to prune those dead branches all the way back to the trunks at the ground? Will those trunks create new branches? D.H., Sterling Heights Our winter resembled zone 4 in Minnesota: heavy snow accumulation that stays all winter and temperatures that stay below freezing. Michiganders have grown accustomed to the less harsh winter more associated with zone 6 in southern Ohio. It appears that plants below the snow line fared better than those above it. The sun glare off the snow caused severe scald on many evergreens, flowering shrubs and vines that have never shown a problem in past years. Not only leaf but flower bud tissue was injured, both from snow and extended cold. Michigan is a few weeks behind (as of late May) in ornamental spring bloom and plant leaf out. The soil was very slow to warm up, making it difficult for plants to gain nutrients and moisture from their roots. The brutal winter added additional stress to any plant’s reserve energy. Rather than adding to that stress by grabbing the pruners, put them aside and give the shrubs a balanced liquid tree and shrub fertilizer drench at their base to replenish nutrients. Be sure to follow the product label for the type of plant. Boxwood, privet, and cotoneasters (all little leaf shrubs) will eventually lose the dead leaves and re-grow new ones. The pyracantha may have outer branches that need to be removed if they show no sign of leaf bud by mid June. Drastic pruning down to the trunk base of any woody ornamental only adds further stress. Such severe regeneration pruning could be the death blow to a plant already struggling to recuperate. With all woody and evergreen ornamentals, caution is the byword. Wait until the plants have fully leafed out before lightly trimming out branches. Shrubs with little leaves can be gently brushed to remove brown leaves. Keep shrubs consistently watered through the growing season and apply a balanced fertilizer in September while continuing to water until the fall freeze warning. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of mulch over all the root zones. If plants are in a highly exposed area to sun and snow, plan to protect them with burlap or canvas screen next winter to minimize a second round of damage.

Something

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

that time attempt to take off the tendrils which have since dried. E., St. Clair Shores Use a stiff bristle brush, like the kind used to scrub wooden decks before staining. Depending on the area covered, you may need both long- and short-handled versions. A wire bristle brush can help with the more stubborn spots. The fact that the tendrils have dried will make it easier to scrub them off. Getting them wet or using warm soapy water tends to make them stay put. However, if you aren’t in favor of ordinary elbow grease, there has been some success in using a power washer. Caution is urged with this method, since the pressure of the power washer can damage brick and loosen mortar, creating a much bigger and more costly problem.

Asian longhorned beetle Is there an insect destroying maple trees in Cincinnati? Should we be taking any preventive measures here is southern Michigan? S.S., Metamora The Asian longhorned beetle (aka ALB), native to China, Japan and Korea, is our latest invader. Often called the starry sky beetle, this distinctive, shiny blue-black beetle has white dorsal spots, is about 1 to 1-1/2 inches long with 6 jointed legs, and has a pair of sweeping black and white antennae longer than its body. Unlike the emerald ash borer, ALB has a far broader tree menu. Larvae feast on ash, birch, elm, goldenrain tree, hackberry, horse chestnut, katsura, London planetree, mimosa, mountain ash, poplar, and willow, besides its favorite: Norway maple. The USDA website (www.asianlonghornedbeetle.com) has an excellent identification, spotting, and reporting process listed. ALB can be confused with the pine sawyer beetle, which is not detrimental. The USDA shows property owners how to identify this eating machine and what to do. The adults are most active in summer and early fall. If you have any of the listed trees on your property, examine the trunks for telltale frass from the hatched larvae burrowing into the tree and exit holes about the size of a dime. ALB is a documented presence in Ohio. In Michigan, as of December 2012, there were only seven “suspicious” reports filed per the USDA. Visit www.michigan.gov/dnr and www.michigan.gov/mdard for the latest updates. Inspect your own trees for any evidence of the ALB’s presence. Notify the Michigan DNR, MDARD or the USDA on their websites. USDA provides a detailed form and map to fill out and even a place to upload a digital photo so that entomologists can confirm the insect. The best prevention: do not transport unknown firewood across state lines. Use firewood where you get it. Avoid using pallet wood for projects in your property as their very nature indicates they were shipped from somewhere. Infected trees could be used for those pallets. ALB isn’t in Michigan yet—be vigilant, inspect, identify, and report.

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Attracting bees, butterflies and birds I’m looking for a flowering shrub that attract bees, butterflies, birds, and other natural creatures. The height and width need to be under 6 feet. My spot has sun, and there is moisture competition from a nearby sumac. H.H., Ann Arbor The best flowering shrub that meets your suburban criteria is the arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum). Considered a native, it is one of the easiest shrubs to grow. The showy flowers attract bees and butterflies since it flowers late spring to early summer. Once the flowers wane, wonderful berries form that turn a dark blue. Birds love them and they are an excellent nutrition source. The strong vertical branches and alternate lateral branching make it a great cover for birds who often build nests in the strong crotches. Fall color can range from red to burgundy. Don’t be put off by estimated heights for this shrub. It is easily pruned immediately after flowering to stay within your six-foot limit. It has good drought tolerance and can handle full sun. Its strong upright profile needs no support. Its common name of “arrowwood” comes from its history as a reliable source for arrow shafts because of its clean, straight branches. If you want to learn more about flowering shrubs that fit your needs, go to the website www.pollinator.org. Select “Planting Guides” and “Eastern Broadleaf Forest,” which includes the lower half of the Lower Peninsula. The Pollinator Partnership responsible for this website is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and ecosystems. They address the needs of birds, insects and small mammals in their efforts to educate and protect natural resources.

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

healthy lawns Winter’s impact on your lawn Part 2 of 2: Fixing damaged areas

ast month, we evaluated winter’s impact on your lawn. Now, faced with a multitude of lawn challenges, we are compelled to find the best restoration process. I have broken down several scenarios below, along with the prescribed fixes.

Areas under snow piles never recovered The cause: Ice damage. Snow piles were melting and then re-freezing at the base as thick ice. Ice causes major damage to cell wall structure; therefore, the grass was killed. Solution: Step 1: Rake up all the dead grass even if you pull up some of the live grass with it. Step 2: Aerate or spike the soil that has been compacted from heavy snow. Then add extra topsoil (do not use potting soil) to help improve

product that ensures diversity and the highyour ability to re-establish grass quickly. est chances of sustainability. Step 3: Thoroughly seed the area using either Step 1: No need to rake area completely a Kentucky bluegrass blend or turf type tall fesdown to bare soil. Just a light raking to keep cue to the point where you can see 3/4 seed and it clean. 1/4 bare soil. If you seed too heavily (90 percent Step 2: Aerate the lawn. or more coverage), you risk the seed choking itStep 3: Apply a moss control prodself out right after it emerges. uct which is usually sold in a granuStep 4: Topdress with one inch lar form at garden centers. of Canadian peat moss or seedless Step 4: Thoroughly apply seed at straw. the rate of 6 to 8 pounds per 1,000 Step 5: Fertilize lightly using a 25square feet. 7-12 formula (or something similar) Step 5: Fertilize lightly using a 25without crabgrass or weed control. 7-12 formula (or something similar) Final step: Watering. Use the 555 without crabgrass or weed control. rule. Keep wet for 5 days then water Final step: Watering. Use the 555 just once a day for 5 minutes during Steve rule. Keep wet for 5 days then water the next 5 days. Martinko just once a day for 5 minutes during Future prevention: The next time the next 5 days. you have snow piles melting slowly, shovel them down, dispersing the snow Bentgrass lawns across the lawn or back into the street.

Shaded lawns that died off this winter The cause: Some types of shade seed do not hold up well under heavy snow. Chewings fescue and fine fescue do not hold up as well as perennial ryegrass. Solution: Make sure you are purchasing quality shade seed by looking at the ingredients for at least 70 percent perennial ryegrasses. A blend of multiple types of perennial ryegrasses would indicate a very good

that have not recovered

The cause: Ice damage and severe snow mold. Solution: There’s no way to lightly rake out just the dead areas in a bentgrass lawn when the edges of live grass get pulled up easily as well. For the first time in my career I actually recommend power raking the entire yard. If your bentgrass lawn is more than 50 percent damaged you might as well consider two options: 1) kill it all off and re-sod, which will be the expensive way to go, or 2) rent a power

rake to lightly tear out the bad grass to prepare for seeding. Here is the overseeding plan for a bentgrass lawn: Step 1: Understand that you are deciding to shred up a bentgrass area that has always given you trouble and that this effort will only provide you with relief for the next 2 to 3 years, since the bentgrass will gradually creep back in. Step 2: Power rake only to skim the surface, pulling up loose grass and exposing some bare soil. Step 3: Use a strong blower to remove all the clippings or lightly rake just the debris. Step 4: Apply a sunny mixture seed. I do not recommend buying top of the line Kentucky bluegrass seed, knowing that the bentgrass will aggressively return within 2 to 3 years anyway. Step 5: Fertilize lightly using a 25-7-12 formula (or something similar) without crabgrass or weed control. Final step: Water lightly every day for 7 to 10 days. Avoid heavy watering on this lawn, which would encourage bentgrass in adjacent areas to thrive and come back strong. Subsequently, only water 3 to 4 days a week for 15 minutes. Bentgrass spreads rapidly in soils that are always moist. Steve Martinko is the owner of Contender’s Tree and Lawn Specialists in Oakland County, MI.

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plant focus

Bearded iris

earded iris (formerly referred to as too deep, the rhizomes can rot and eventually German iris) has been a cornerstone die—especially when the soil drains poorly. of the American perennial garden for Care should be taken to secure the rhizome as long as I can remember. Not only do they adequately when planting so that the fan (the have attractive foliage and flowers, but they upright cluster or spray of leaves) will not fall are also easy to grow, extremely hardy, tolerover. ant of drought conditions, and deer resistant. Mature clumps can be divided a month or The large “bearded” flowers come in nearly two after bloom (usually July or August) evevery color, from whites, pinks, and ery few years. When dividing, cut yellows to blacks, blues, and purples. back the leaves to one third their Once you have one in your garden, length to keep newly planted diviit will usually persist for decades— sions from getting blown over by the often without any effort whatsoever. wind. Waiting too late to plant will I can speak from experience, as I discourage strong rooting and proplanted an iris outside my kitchen mote heaving of plants during the window that I have not touched winter. Gardeners can plant bearded in 17 years. For anyone with welliris from divisions in July or August drained soil and at least 6 hours of when garden centers usually carry George sun, bearded iris will provide attracbareroot rhizomes. Iris rhizomes Papadelis tive foliage spring to fall and beautisitting in hot garden centers for ful flowers from May to early June. weeks and weeks will cause them Bearded iris grows from rhizomes. They to dehydrate, so planting them promptly will are often erroneously referred to as bulbs. pay off. Rhizomes are modified stems that are usuThere are many species of iris from tiny ally under the soil, often sending out roots dwarfs like Iris setosa to giants like yellow and shoots from their nodes. Bearded iris flag iris (I. pseudacorus), but the most widely rhizomes are at the soil surface. The roots grown iris is the bearded iris. “Bearded” regrow down to anchor the plant, while fancontinued on page 18 shaped, sword-like leaves grow up. If planted

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8350 Pardee Rd., Taylor, MI 48180 313-291-4505 www.massabacres.net May/June hours: Open 7 days 9-8 9-acre nursery and garden center. Annuals, hanging baskets, vegetable plants, perennials, hostas, herbs. Area’s largest selection of roses. Extensive selection of choice, unique conifers and specialty trees and shrubs. Statuary, fountains, garden décor. 1/2 mile East of Telegraph, 1/2 mile South of Ecorse Rd.

Panetta’s Landscape Supplies 20200 Goddard, Taylor, MI 48180 313-291-3880 www.panettasupply.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-5, Sun 10-3 Wide variety of both decorative rock & flagstone. An assortment of mulches to meet your landscaping needs. Unilock & Oaks brick pavers. Try our RJ’s Potting Mix, a custom blend of soils & soil additives made just right for your garden. Visit each location to experience our vast variety of perennials, roses, shrubs and trees.

Pinter Flowerland 6830 Rawsonville Rd., Belleville, MI 48111 734-482-2776 www.pinterflowerland.com May/June hours: Open 7 days a week; please call for hours Buy direct from the grower—that means great quality and low prices. Family owned and operated since 1926. Annuals, hanging baskets, containers, perennials, garden supplies, soils, mulches, and much more. 13 acres of covered shopping—stay dry when it’s raining! Come see us at our Redford location also (313-5387580).

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Schoedel’s Nursery 20900 Merriman Rd., Romulus, MI 48174 734-753-4150 www.schoedelsnursery.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-4 A third-generation, family run business since 1949. Our 5-acre nursery has one of the largest selections in the area: ornamental and shade trees, specialty shrubs, broadleaf evergreens, and conifers. From the common to the unusual. There is something for everyone. 1 mile South of Sibley Rd.

Schwartz’s Greenhouse 30705 Sibley Rd., Romulus, MI 48174 734-753-9269 www.schwartzgreenhouse.com May hours: Mon-Sat 9-8, Sun 9-6. June: Call for hours Our specialty is spectacular hanging baskets! Discover flowers & plants at great prices! Bedding plants, roses, vegetable plants, herbs, perennials, container gardens, porch planters, and gardening supplies. Over 12 acres of greenhouses and 2 acres of shopping! 1/2 mile West of Middlebelt.

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Westcroft Gardens 21803 West River Rd., Grosse Ille, MI 48138 734-676-2444 www.westcroftgardens.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 8-7, Sat 9-7, Sun 10-5 Visit Michigan’s oldest farm still owned & operated by the same family, established 1776. Specializing in our own hybrids of azaleas & rhododendrons that grow well in Michigan. Also trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs & vegetables. Our Greenleaf Compound will acidify & improve your soil. Stroll our botanical garden.

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

Eric Hofley/Michigan Gardener

The black buds on this iris are striking even before they open. continued from page 16 fers to the furry strip on each of three drooping, petal-like sepals called “falls.” The true petals are called standards and are upright. Bearded irises are available in a wide range of heights: miniature dwarf (up to 10 inches), standard dwarf (10 to 15 inches), intermediate (15 to 27 inches), and border (28 inches). This broad range of heights gives the gardener several options when considering placement in the landscape. Many bearded iris will rebloom in the fall. These are increasingly common and come in a broad range of colors. However, some are more

reliable than others. One of the most consistent rebloomers is called ‘Immortality.’ It produces white flowers in spring and again in the fall. Other good rebloomers include ‘Orange Harvest,’ ‘Mariposa Skies,’ ‘English Charm,’ ‘Hemstitched,’ and ‘Harvest of Memories.’ The most serious iris pest is the iris borer. The eggs overwinter attached to leaves. When the eggs begin to hatch in late April, the tiny caterpillars crawl up the iris leaves and begin chewing and mining their way down within the leaf fold. Once in the rhizome, they continue to feed, sometimes reducing the rhi-

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’Harvest of Memories’

continued on page 20

Bearded iris Botanical name: Plant type: Plant size: Habit: Hardiness: Flower color: Flower size: Bloom period: Leaf color: Light: Soil: Uses: Remarks:

Iris (EYE-riss) Perennial Wide range of heights from 6 to 36 inches tall Rigid, erect growth Zone 3 or 4 Hybrids available in almost every color: white, pink, yellow, black, blue, purple, red, orange Up to 6 inches across, depending on size of plant Spring to early summer Green; variegated yellow and green, or white and green Full to part sun Fertile, well-drained Perennial beds and borders Grassy, sword-shaped leaves that form clumps. Plants grow from rhizomes; it is important that they are not planted too deep. Plants can be divided every 3 to 4 years in mid to late summer. Susceptible to iris borer.

Eric Hofley/Michigan Gardener

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

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’Raptor Red’ continued from page 18 zome to a hollow shell. Leaves that yellow and detach easily indicate damage to the rhizome. In mid-August, the fully-grown borer crawls out of the rhizome and pupates in the soil. A gray-brown moth emerges in mid-September to October, lays eggs on plants and garden debris, and then dies. Eggs overwinter until the following spring when they hatch and the cycle repeats. Eliminate iris borer eggs by removing and destroying debris in and around your iris planting. Rhizomes can be dug to physically remove the borer and then replanted in July or August. Soft rot is a common problem of damaged iris rhizomes. Soft rot enters the rhizome through any wound, including those inflicted by iris borers. If soft rot is a problem, dig up the rhizome, scrape out the affected tissue, allow it to dry in the sun, then dip in a 10 to 12 percent solution of household bleach for a few minutes. Rinse and replant. Bearded iris have a very close relative that is often sold and used just like bearded iris. Dalmatian or sweet iris (Iris pallida) has blue flowers above green leaves, but the plant is hard to find in garden centers. However, the wonderful variegated versions are gorgeous and readily available. I. pallida ‘Argentea Variegata’ and I. pallida ‘Variegata’ have glowing leaves of green and white or green and yellow respectively, both topped by lavender blue flowers in late spring. Once established in the garden, it is hard to find a plant with more beautiful, architectural foliage. George Papadelis is the owner of Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy, Shelby Township, and Pontiac, MI.

Eric Hofley/Michigan Gardener

Variegated iris is grown for its beautiful, architectural foliage (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’).

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

tree tips Minimizing storm damage to your trees

s weather patterns change and severe storms become more frequent in both numbers and intensity, I have noticed an increase in the number of calls I get to evaluate damaged trees. This can often be a difficult process and much has to be taken into consideration as no two trees are

the same. Their location in the landscape often is the deciding factor as to how much can be done to repair them or to recommend removal. First and foremost is always safety to structures and people. If the tree is over structures or in areas where people frequent, options

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for preservation decrease, since it must be scrutinized more closely than a tree in the back forty. Our job as arborists is not to save every tree, but to minimize risk and enhance the benefits of trees to humans in urban and suburban settings. Often what we do is not in the best interests of the tree but to the people living near them. Trying to walk a fine line between these factors can be tricky. There is no such thing as a storm-proof tree—any tree can fail in the right circumstances. Even the most structurally-sound tree is no match for sheer winds or tornadoes. Pruning trees can either decrease or increase the odds of storm damage. Unfortunately, pruning for aesthetics or to allow more light penetration can often come at the expense of helping our trees stand up to winds more effectively. Much research has been done in the last decade on the effects of wind on trees and how different pruning techniques can affect the levels of damage and chances of survival. What we have learned is that no pruning is better than too much or improper pruning. Many old school theories of pruning went out the window. It is important that the companies you hire are familiar with modern techniques and do not continue to prune in the ways from decades past. The most common mistakes I see are elevating a tree’s canopy too much off the ground too fast. It seems we all want to live under the canopies of trees like in a forest, not next to a full canopy tree that blocks our views, like one grown in a open field. The problem with this is, unless you build your home around existing high-canopied mature trees or already have them, it is difficult to achieve by planting small trees in open areas. Trees respond to light: when close together, they grow tall and thin, depending on each other for Steve protection. Grown in open areas, Turner they stay short and wide and have to fend for themselves against the winds. The tree knows that the best chance to survive is to grow short and stout to withstand the wind forces. By keeping its branches low, it can prevent the wind from getting under the canopy and pushing up and over. This is a frequent problem with evergreens that have been elevated too much. They tend to topple over in spring storms when the ground is wet and they don’t have the benefit of the wind protection from the deciduous trees that have not leafed out yet. So, the more an

open-grown tree looks like a mushroom and less like a lollipop, the better chance it has in the wind. This applies to the major limbs in the canopy as well. If you strip out the interior small branches and just leave tufts of foliage at the ends, you set the tree up for failure. This is called “lion’s tailing” and is a common practice of many of the old school companies that sell “storm-proofing” for your trees. Their theory is less canopy, less wind resistance, which sounds logical but is not what actually happens in the real world. What does happen is that less canopy on the interior of the tree creates greater forces on the ends of the branches that still have foliage and changes where those forces are applied on the limb. Instead of down at the limb’s base where it is the widest and strongest, the forces are farther out on the limb where it is thinner and weaker. Think of a sailboat and how its sails come from the tip of the mast down close to the deck to capture the wind, putting the force at the base of the mast where it attaches to the boat. If the sail only came down half or a third of the way down the mast, the boat would act as a lever and either tip over or snap the mast somewhere between the deck and the bottom of the sail. The best modern practices are to look at each tree individually and identify structural defects on a case-by-case basis; there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Then, either remove or minimize the defects through pruning and cabling. Understand that species and age are big factors in determining what to do and how to achieve it. Different species of trees have different strategies to withstand the forces of wind. Some shed smaller limbs (poplar and willow), some bend (birch, elm and fruit trees), some rely on their shape (conifers and other narrow trees), and some just depend on the strength of their wood (oak, hickory and many hardwoods). The best way to minimize storm damage is to properly identify and prune out defects in young trees when they are 10 to 20 feet tall and the impact will be minimal. Do not wait until trees are mature when the cost and efforts to do so increase dramatically. Once again, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Much research has been done in the last decade on the effects of wind on trees and how different pruning techniques can affect the levels of damage and chances of survival.

Steve Turner, Certified Arborist, is from Arboricultural Services in Fenton, MI.

Abbott’s Landscape Nursery

May/June hours: Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 10-5 Abbott’s turn-of-the-century farm is a perfect setting for our unique and beautiful nursery. Owner Mike Abbott likes what gardeners like, both classic and new, and handpicks all our plants. Over 55 Japanese maple and 25 reliably-blooming hydrangea varieties. Come see us—we stock plants you demand and probably some you never knew even existed.

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Alexander’s Farm Market & Greenhouses 6925 Whitmore Lake Rd., Whitmore Lake, MI 48189 734-741-1064 Find us on Facebook May/June hours: Daily 9-7 We’re that hidden gem you’ve been hoping to find! Homegrown annuals, vegetables, perennials, extraordinary hanging baskets and planters. Plus our exclusive 99¢ seed selection. Distinctive variety of fruit trees, small fruits, flowering shrubs, climbing vines, herbs, fairy garden plants, and roses, including easy-care shrubs, and luxuriously scented David Austins.

Bloom! Garden Center 1885 Baker Rd., Dexter, MI 48130 734-426-6600 www.bloom-gardens.com May/June hours: Mon-Thur 10-6, Fri 10-7:30, Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5 A new local source for “Art in the Garden” and the new home of Elemental Design landscape contracting. The Garden Center carries a myriad of garden art, vintage finds, fine art & jewelry, gardening & water gardening supplies, perennials, shrubs and trees. Bi-monthly workshops and Friday night art gallery openings.

English Gardens 155 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734-332-7900 www.EnglishGardens.com Hours – Thru Sun, June 8: Mon-Sat 8-9, Sun 8-6; Starting Mon, June 9: Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 9-6 Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2014, English Gardens is family- and locally-owned, operating six full-service stores, one seasonal store, and a full-service, landscaping company in Metro Detroit. Each full-service store has a nursery, garden center, patio shop, and seasonal Christmas center featuring the best value and finest quality products and services. For more information: 800335-GROW.

Fraleighs Landscape Nursery 8600 Jackson Rd., Dexter, MI 48130 734-426-5067 www.fraleighs.com May/June hours: Please call or visit website for current hours Wide variety of perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses, flowering ornamentals, native plants, shade trees, and evergreens. Expert staff to assist with your landscaping and horticultural questions. We source plants from Michigan growers whenever possible. We stock unusual items, but we really love selling plants that are reliable and functional, but never boring!

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Hidden Lake Gardens 6214 Monroe Rd. (M-50), Tipton, MI 49287 517-431-2060 www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu May/June hours: Open daily 9-7 755 acres. Don’t miss one of the finest collections of Dwarf and Rare Conifers—over 500 specimens. Hosta Hillside has over 800 varieties. Enjoy a leisurely drive through the Arboretum. See lush tropicals in the Conservatory. Serene outdoor displays in the Bonsai Courtyard. The Demonstration Garden shows attractive mixed plantings. Great hiking trails and dog-friendly, too!

HillTop Greenhouse & Farms 8996 West Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734-302-4233 www.hilltopgreenhousea2.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat-Sun 9-6 Just 10 minutes from Ann Arbor or Chelsea, our greenhouse is a relaxing drive from all corners. Choose from over 8,000 baskets and 10,000 flats, plus veggie starters, specialty annuals, and lush combination planters. Each plant is grown on site, with hands-on care from start to finish. Smiles, hugs and a friendly staff, free of charge!

Lodi Farms 2880 S. Wagner Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734-665-5651 www.lodifarms.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-4, Sun ‘til Fathers’ Day 1-4 Come visit our wonderful nursery! We have shade and ornamental trees, evergreens, shrubs of all types, lots of dwarf conifers, and perennials. Bring your pictures and plans and we’ll help you choose the best plants! Check our sales calendar for specials and browse our catalog on the website. Take a roadtrip here soon!

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1800 North Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-647-9679 www.mbgna.umich.edu Display Gardens, Conservatory, Garden Store, and Lobby: May 1-16: Daily 10-4:30; Wed 10-8 • May 17-Sept 1: Daily 10-8. Trails open sunrise to sunset. The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum offer trails and natural areas, children’s garden, native plant gardens, bonsai garden, large collection of heirloom peonies, year-round conservatory, wedding venues, special events and sales, youth and adult educational programs, gift shop, and more.

Nature’s Garden Center 6400 E. Michigan Ave., Saline, MI 48176 734-944-8644 www.naturesgardencenter.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 8-7, Sun 10-5 Your one stop garden center: Large variety of latest products at competitive prices. Knowledgeable staff to help you succeed. Region’s largest supplier of fairy garden items and miniature plants. Nursery filled with shade trees and evergreens to perennials and annuals. Full landscaping design and installation available.

Plymouth Nursery 9900 Ann Arbor Rd W, Plymouth MI 48170 734-453-5500 www.plymouthnursery.net May/June hours: Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat 8-6, Sun 9-5 For over 50 years we have offered premium quality plants on our 16 acres. Huge selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals. Plus Weber grills, patio furniture, garden art and gifts. Our “Pottery Emporium,” one of S.E. Michigan’s largest, displays premium pots. We have everything you need to grow your garden!

Turner’s Landscape & Garden Center 4431 South Wagner Rd., Ann Arbor MI 48103 734-663-7600 www.turnersannarbor.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 9-6, Sun 10-4 Ann Arbor’s premier garden center and nursery. We grow an unbelievable selection of annuals and perennials in our greenhouses. Plus a fully-stocked nursery with mature trees and shrubs. Landscape design, construction and installation also available. Our quality plants and knowledgeable, friendly, helpful staff will make your garden a success.

Willow Greenhouses 7839 Curtis Rd., Northville, MI 48168 248-437-7219 www.willowgreenhouse.com Hours: Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 10-3 Voted #1 Garden Center in Metro Detroit Area by Detroit A-List! Buy direct from the grower. Thousands of Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners, Wave Petunias, Vegetables, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Trees, Shrubs and much more. Many hardto-find varieties! Our competitive pricing keeps our customers coming back year after year! Like us on Facebook!

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

perennial partners A rich, sunny tapestry Some lesser-known perennials complement a popular performer

hen shopping at the garden center, it’s always tempting to pick up something new for the perennial garden. The shelves beckon with brightly-colored flowers: coneflowers, coreopsis, lilies, and phlox vie for attention. But experienced gardeners know that incorporating many bright colors into the garden can be a challenge. The result of unplanned purchases can be a cacophony of color—unsettling and harsh. A garden benefits from the use of some lesser players to serve in supporting roles and provide subtle harmony. Underused perennials, such as calamint and Culver’s root, can be employed to create soft, impressionistic layers through the garden. The effect is mutually beneficial to the more colorful members, which stand out in contrast, and to the lesser players that put the finishing touches on the scene. Calamint (Calamintha nepeta or C. nepetoides) is a workhorse of a perennial that rarely gets the recognition it deserves. Subtle and demure in appearance, with small round mint-scented leaves and Karen tiny white to lavender baby’s breath-like Bovio flowers, its delicate appearance belies its tough disposition. The plants are drought tolerant, preferring well-drained soils and little in the way of supplemental fertilizer. They love full sun, but also do just fine in light shade. The plants resemble some of the common cooking herbs, notably thyme or oregano, and indeed, the foliage and flowers of calamint are used in the cuisine of Tuscany. The scent of the entire plant is delicious and unforgettable, making it a fine choice to use as an edging plant, or in a border fre-

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

Calamint, with airy mounds of tiny flowers, and Culver’s root, with its tall pink spikes, create impressionistic layers through this garden, while the sedum punctuates the scene with its dramatic, dark foliage. quently passed. The tiny flowers are borne on wiry stems 12 to 18 inches high, and appear in mid to late summer. Deadheading is recommended to prevent excessive self-sowing. Culver’s root is gaining popularity as a perennial garden subject, due to increased interest in native plants. The Eastern U.S. native Veronicastrum virginicum is starting to show up occasionally in garden centers, but the varieties of the Eurasian Veronicastrum sibiricum are perhaps more horticulturally significant. Although both species have interesting whorled foliage arranged along tall 4- to 5-foot stems, V. sibiricum has more colorful flowers in shades of lavender, pink and blue, as compared to the North American species, which is always white or barely tinted with pale pink. Culver’s root adds height and loft to the garden, with its upright habit and soaring flower spikes. This is another easyto-grow perennial, preferring average to moist soil and full sun to partial shade. The tall plants will remain more upright and produce more flowers in sunnier sites. The pastel-colored flowers blend well with nearly any color scheme, but the real impact of this perennial comes from its distinctive architectural habit. The whorled foliage appears as though it is pierced

through by the stems. In the accompanying photo, the backbone of the garden is created by combining the calamint and Culver’s root with a showy, dark-leaved sedum. The varying foliage shapes and colors provide season-long interest, starting well before this trio comes into bloom. The scene is punctuated by clumps of dark burgundy sedum among the many shades of green in spring and early summer, becoming richer in color as the plants start to flower in mid to late summer. Sedum is one of the most carefree perennials, with no serious pests and simple requirements of full sun and average soil. In fact, sedums often look best in lean, dry soil, where foliage color will be enhanced and an upright (non-flopping) habit will be achieved. The weaving effect of the calamint, the height and stately aspect of the Culver’s root (and ornamental grass in the background), and the color contrast of the dark sedum work to create an effective display, using some interesting and underused perennials. Karen Bovio is the owner of Specialty Growers in Howell, MI.

At a glance Calamint (Calamintha nepeta or C. nepetoides) • Delicate white flower sprays 12 to 18 inches tall • Fragrant mint-scented foliage • Mounded habit, excellent edging plant • Grow in sun to partial shade; well-drained soil; drought tolerant

Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum sibiricum and V. virginicum) • Dramatic whorled foliage uniquely arranged on long stems • 4- to 5-foot tall plants, suitable for back of border • Spike-shaped flowers of lavender, pink, blue or white • Grow in sun to partial shade; average to moist soil • Recommended cultivars: ‘Adoration,’ ‘Apollo,’ ‘Fascination,’ ‘Red Arrows’

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We’re that hidden gem you’ve been hoping to find! Just north of Ann Arbor, newly expanded, and filled to the brim with our own homegrown annuals, vegetables, and perennials: the popular, the preferred, and our exclusive 99¢ seed selection. You’ll take delight in our hundreds of extraordinary hanging baskets and planters, all designed, planted, and pampered right on site. Plus a distinctive variety of fruit trees, small fruits, flowering shrubs, climbing vines, herbs, and roses, including easy-care shrubs, 2014 AARS award winners, and the luxuriouslyscented David Austin varieties. And new this year, both the plants and inspiration for the flourishing art of fairy gardening.

What better way to enjoy your outdoor living area than to gather around a beautiful fire pit with friends and family? The Rosetta Fire Pit transforms your outdoor space into an inviting, warm retreat. Precast concrete is fire-safe and engineered to last. • Beautiful natural stone texture, ﬁre safe • Fast installation, no waste • Kit contains all components: stones, caps & steel ring

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Westcroft Gardens Garden by the Lake A lush display garden situated on the shore of Lake Huron

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Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

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Owosso H Everlastings in the Wildwood Pinckney • Ed Bock Feeds & Stuff Plymouth • Backyard Birds • Lucas Nurs H Plymouth Nurs • Plymouth Rock & Supp • Rock Shoppe • Sideways • Sparr’s Greenhse Pontiac • Goldner Walsh Gard/Home Redford H Pinter Flowerland • Seven Mi Gard Ctr Rochester • Casual Concepts • Fogler’s Greenhse H Haley Stone • Sherwood Forest Gard Ctr Rochester Hills • Ace Hardware H Auburn Oaks Gard Ctr H Shades of Green Nurs H Wild Birds Unltd Rockwood Marsh Greenhses Too Romulus H Kurtzhal’s Farms H Schoedel’s Nurs H Schwartz’s Greenhse Roseville • Dale’s Landscp Supp • World Gardenland Royal Oak • ACO Hardware • Billings Lawn Equip H English Gardens • Frentz & Sons Hardware • La Roche • Manus Power Mowers H Wild Birds Unltd Saginaw H Abele Greenhse & Gard Ctr Saline • Junga’s ACE Hardware H Nature’s Gard Ctr • Saline Flowerland Shelby Twp H Diegel Greenhses H Hessell’s Greenhses • Maeder Plant Farm • Potteryland H Telly’s Greenhse South Lyon • ACO Hardware • Hollow Oak Farm Nurs • Stone Depot Landscp Supp Southfield • 3 DDD’s Stand H Eagle Landscp & Supply • Lavin’s Flower Land • Main’s Landscp Supp Southgate H Ray Hunter Gard Ctr St Clair Shores • ACE Hardware • ACO Hardware (Harper/13 Mi) • Circare • Greenhouse Growers • Hall’s Nurs • Soulliere Gard Ctr

Sterling Hts • Decor Statuette H Eckert’s Greenhse • Flower Barn Nurs • Prime Landscp Supply Stockbridge • Gee Farms Sylvan Lake H AguaFina Gardens Interntl H Detroit Garden Works Taylor H Beautiful Ponds & Gard • D&L Garden Ctr H Massab Acres H Panetta’s Landscp Supp Trenton • Carefree Lawn Ctr • Keck Hardware Troy H Telly’s Greenhse • The Home & Gard Shop H Uncle Luke’s Feed Store Utica • Dale’s Landscp Supp • Stone Scape • Weingartz Warren • Beste’s Lawn & Patio • Garden Center Nurs H Young’s Garden Mart Washington • Landscape Direct • Miller’s Big Red Greenhse H Rocks ‘n’ Roots • United Plant Ctr Waterford • ACO Hardware • Breen’s Landscp Supp • Jacobsen’s Flowers Waterford H Merrittscape West Bloomfield H English Gardens • Planterra • Whole Foods Westland • ACO Hardware H Barsons Greenhses • Bushel Stop • Joe Randazzo’s Nurs • Merlino’s Bushel Ctr • Panetta’s Landscp Supp • Stempien’s Landscape Supply White Lake H Bogie Lake Greenhse H Mulligan’s Gard Ctr • Sunshine Plants Whitmore Lake H Alexander’s Greenhses Williamston • Christian’s Greenhse Wixom • Angelo’s Landscp Supp H Brainer’s Greenhse Ypsilanti • Coleman’s Farm Mkt • Lucas Nurs • Margolis Nurs • Materials Unlimited • Schmidt’s Antiques

ter. n e c n e d r ocal ga l r u o y t a t Ask for i

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

Trees • Shrubs • Perennials Edible Spots & Pots by Stacey Hirvela Ever wish gardening was more about the fun stuff like planting, harvesting, and enjoying? In her book, Edible Spots & Pots (Rodale, 320 pages, $23.99), Stacey Hirvela shares a fresh approach that yields the beauty and bounty of traditional gardens with much less work, whether you’re planting on your fire escape, your porch, or in your backyard. Gardeners will learn how to mix and match more than 60 vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers using the “thriller, filler, spiller” formula to create a plant-style patchwork. Hirvela’s book provides dozens of preplanned planting recipes based on space or container sizes, and practical solutions for circumstances a gardener may encounter. This guide includes a plant encyclopedia, with tips, recipes, and plant-productivity estimates that will let you enjoy “one-month crops” (patio-to-plate in less than one month). From decorative pots and raised beds to walls, unusual boxes, baskets, and tomato rings that are easy care and cultivated with safe, non-toxic techniques, Edible Spots & Pots combines proven practices with new ideas for gardeners of all skill levels.

Organic Products Bulk Organic Compost & Premium Pine Bark Mulch Landscape Design & Installation Services Flagstone, Limestone & Boulders Campania Statuary Fine garden statuary & accents

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Grow More with Less by Vincent A. Simeone Horticulture expert and gardening consultant Vincent Simeone offers the home gardener detailed and practical ways to create a sustainable home landscape in Grow More with Less (Cool Springs Press, 192 pages, $21.99). This straightforward handbook covers all the eco-friendly essentials to growing a garden that takes less water, less work, and less money. With hundreds of color photos, the author teaches gardeners useful tips like managing invasive species, conserving water, and making the most of their lawn—regardless of its size. Learn how the right plants can help with pest problems and how small changes can make big differences when it comes to the health of our environment. You can be eco-friendly in your own backyard with the help of this easy-to-use guide and save plenty of time and money as well.

Gardening for the Birds by George Adams Birds bring color, movement, and song to the garden, while also taking away insect pests. You may already have a birdfeeder in your yard, but you can attract a far wider range of species, and they will stay longer, if you create a bird-friendly landscape. In Gardening for the Birds (Timber Press, 444 pages, $24.95), George Adams shows you how to make more feathered friends. The right native plants, arranged to mimic natural ecosystems, will provide birds with the food, water, shelter, and nesting places they need to call your garden home. The book offers detailed descriptions of birds from every region in North America and hundreds of native plant profiles. Adams’ guide offers extensive seasonal bloom and fruiting charts, and the techniques for creating a balanced ecosystem. This book will help you turn any space—from a small, urban terrace to a large suburban yard—into a home for a variety of birds.

soil • sand • mulch • stone • gravel

State Crushing L a n d s c a p e s u p p Ly

Full line of organic products • Same day delivery service We specialize in natural wood mulches Hello gardeners! Our “wood fines” and “red pine bark” products are a gardener’s dream. Very finely shredded, you can mix them in with your existing soil to create an excellent amended soil for planting. You’ll also love our premium compost and cedar bark mulch.

2260 Auburn Rd. • Auburn Hills • 248-332-6210 www.statecrushing.com • Hours: Monday-Friday 7-5 Saturday 7-1

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

Julia Hofley

Anemone ‘Wild Swan’

Monrovia (2)

Finally, this fashionable plant from England hits our shores after winning the Plant of the Year at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show. Elegantly large, single white flowers with gold stamens, held regally above deep green foliage, have three lilac-blue bands on the reverse of the petals. At twilight, the flowers close to a nodding blue and white bell. This flower show starts in June and finishes at frost, offering many blooms for cutting. Better behaved than the Japanese anemones, this hybrid prefers moist, fertile soil that does not dry out. Highly written about in England, the Brits are saying it lived up to all the show hype and this Michigan gardener can’t wait to see how it performs in our neck of the woods. Make sure you mulch this plant to avoid heaving if planted late in the season. Height: 18 inches. Width: 24 inches. Part shade or part morning sun.

Astilbe ‘Amber Moon’

Blue fescue ‘Beyond Blue’

This plant group is one of my all-time favorites as it has early-, mid-, and late-blooming varieties, groundcovers, and knee-high to shoulder-high plants when in bloom. They give dramatic color over a period of time in midsummer in shade gardens. That’s a lot in the plus column. Oh, and did I mention that neither deer nor rabbits are attracted to them?! All astilbe asks for is consistently moist soil and part shade. In spring, the leaves of Astilbe chinensis ‘Amber Moon’ emerge a bright chartreuse yellow edged in red, then as summer progresses, they green up. Tall, strong blush red stems topped with rose pink flowers are worthy of cutting for a favorite vase. The chinensis varieties have more heat tolerance than others, but still prefer shade. Height: 34-38 inches. Width: 18 inches. Part shade or shade.

We grew this plant (Festuca glauca ‘Beyond Blue’) last year along a path lined in fieldstone. It definitely made you look twice to see what that blue color was in the afternoon sunlight. The foliage looked handsome with that nearby stonework. This easy-care plant prefers moist soil with good drainage and lots of sun to achieve its intense, powder blue foliage. The color holds throughout the season without any browning. It is evergreen and this spring, the ‘Beyond Blue’ was still blue under all of that snow cover! Good for beds, borders, containers and rock gardens. Height: 9-12 inches. Width: 18 inches. Full sun.

www.PerennialResource.com

Coreopsis Li’l Bang ‘Daybreak’

Emerald Coast Growers

This is an offshoot of the ‘Big Bang’ coreopsis series, and is geared for smaller gardens or those gardeners that need something dramatic in a small spot. The first in the new ‘L’il Bang’ series of naturally dwarf, compact varieties, ‘Daybreak’ has single bicolor flowers of warm red centers with sunny yellow-orange fringed edges. Butterflies appreciate this long-blooming plant with a tidy and compact habit that is adaptable and water thrifty once established. Height: 6 to 10 inches. Width: 15 to 18 inches. Full sun.

Skagit Gardens

Peace Tree Farm

Lavender ‘Phenomenal’ Lavender is a classic plant for that European feel in your garden. This American introduction (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’) is hardy enough to withstand the reality of a Michigan winter. ‘Phenomenal’ is tolerant of heat and humidity, but is resistant to common root and foliar diseases, which makes it more suitable here in Michigan than other European varieties that have made growing lavender a challenge. It has a remarkable fragrance and bright blue flower presentation above uniform mounds of silvery foliage in spring and summer. This habit is noteworthy; the stems are symmetricallyarranged and yield a pleasing round shape. ‘Phenomenal’ also blooms earlier than other lavenders. I look forward to using it in fresh and dried flower arrangements. Browsing animals tend to avoid lavender (always a plus), but butterflies flock to them. Height: 24 to 36 inches. Width: 24 to 32 inches. Full sun. NEW PERENNIALS continued on page 30

Eckert’s Greenhouse & Perennials 34075 Ryan Rd., Sterling Heights, MI 48310 586-979-2409 www.eckertsgreenhouse.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 8:30-8, Sun 8:30-6 From the rare and unusual to the preferred and popular, you will find something extraordinary for your garden: Annuals, Geraniums, Hanging Baskets, Flower Pouches, Perennials, Collector’s Hostas, Roses (David Austin English, Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, and Shrub), Clematis, Vines, Alpine Plants, Woodland Wildflowers, Groundcovers, Butterfly Plants, Native Plants. Gorgeous hosta display gardens too!

Elya’s Village Gardens & Greenhouses 24200 26 Mile Rd., Macomb, MI 48042 586-749-9212 www.elyasvillagegardens.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 10-3 We do more than just sell you plants—our award-winning landscape designers will help you select the right plants for your home and garden. Annuals, perennials, many hosta varieties, trees and shrubs from top-quality Michigan growers. Familyowned garden center since 1966. Also full-service landscape installation.

English Gardens 44850 Garfield Rd., Clinton Township, MI 48038  586-286-6100 www.EnglishGardens.com Hours – Thru Sun, June 8: Mon-Sat 8-9, Sun 8-6; Starting Mon, June 9: Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 9-6 Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2014, English Gardens is family- and locally-owned, operating six full-service stores, one seasonal store, and a full-service, landscaping company in Metro Detroit. Each full-service store has a nursery, garden center, patio shop, and seasonal Christmas center featuring the best value and finest quality products and services. For more information: 800335-GROW.

English Gardens 22501 Kelly Rd., Eastpointe, MI 48021 586-771-4200 • www.EnglishGardens.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 9-7; Sun 10-6 Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2014, English Gardens is familyand locally-owned, operating six full-service stores, one seasonal store, and a full-service, landscaping company in Metro Detroit. Each full-service store has a nursery, garden center, patio shop, and seasonal Christmas center featuring the best value and finest quality products & services. For more information: 800-335-GROW.

Hessell’s Greenhouse 14497 23 Mile Rd., Shelby Twp, MI 48315 586-247-4675 • www.hessellsgreenhouse.com Hours – May: Mon-Wed & Sat 8-8, Thu & Fri 8-8:30, Sun 8-7. June: Mon-Sat 8-7, Sun 9-5:30 Not your typical garden center, we specialize in annuals, perennials, unique hanging baskets, colorful planters, and vegetable plants, including many varieties of heirloom and “Around the World” vegetables. Also many unique gift and garden items. We grow our own plants on-site to offer you the best, freshest plants available.

Meldrum Brothers Nursery & Supply 29500 23 Mile Rd., New Baltimore, MI 48047 586-949-9220 • www.meldrumbros.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 7-8, Sun 9-6 We are one of the oldest and largest landscape supply and garden centers in Southeastern Michigan. We carry a huge selection of plants, bulk materials, paving & wall stones, garden décor, fountains & statuary, and organic & traditional lawn/plant care products. We pride ourselves on offering the best service and advice in the area.

Rocks ‘n’ Roots 62520 Van Dyke, Washington, MI 48094 586-752-4900 • www.rocksnroots.com May/June hours: Please see website One of Michigan’s largest selections of landscape hardgoods, pond supplies, and outdoor lighting. All are on display, including waterfalls, ponds, decorative stone, paver walks and retaining walls. Free do-it-yourself seminars indoors, rain or shine. Familyowned since 1928, with over 100 combined years of hands-on experience to help with your project, big or small.

Young’s Garden Mart 27825 Ryan Rd., Warren, MI 48092 586-573-0230 www.youngsgardenchristmas.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 10-5 Family run and operated since 1924, we offer a variety of annual, perennial, and tropical plants, as well as gardening gifts and tools. We are proud to be the area’s trusted garden center, open yearround. Our Christmas Shoppe, established in 1963, provides only the highest quality Christmas decorations.

a dv e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Advertiser Index Abbott’s Landscape Nursery......................37 Aguafina Gardens International............... 25 Alexander’s Farm Mkt/Greenhses......... 25 Auburn Oaks Gard Ctr.................................... 19 Barson’s Greenhouse.......................................12 Beauchamp Lawn & Landscape................... 5 Bloom! Garden Ctr............................................ 21 Blossoms............................................................... 25 Bogie Lake Greenhouses.............................. 22 Bonide....................................Inside Back Cover Campbell’s Greenhouses............................... 11 Contender’s Tree/Lawn Specialists.........14 Cranbrook House & Gardens..................... 24 Destinations: Ann Arbor................................23 Destinations: Downriver.................................17 Destinations: I-96..............................................33 Destinations: Macomb..................................29 Detroit Garden Works......................................8 Eckert’s Greenhouse........................................10 EcoChic Landscape Design.........................29 English Gardens.........................................Page 3

Everlastings in the Wildwood..................... 39 The Flower Market............................................37 Garden by the Lake.......................................... 26 The Garden Company..................................... 15 The Garden Mill..................................................37 Garden Rhythms................................................37 A Garden Space..................................................10 The Greenhouse Catalog..............................27 Haley Stone Supply............................................12 Hidden Lake Gardens..................................... 39 Kat’s Koi....................................................................9 LACASA Center................................................. 15 Matthaei Botanical Gardens......................... 11 Meier Flowerland............................................... 21 Merrittscape........................................................ 19 Michigan Irrigation.......................................... 22 Milarch Nursery...................................................6 MSU Garden Day................................................6 Mulligan’s Garden Ctr.....................................27 Nature’s Garden Ctr.........................................37 Oakland Cty Market......................................... 15 Orion Stone Depot........................................... 25 Osmocote............................Inside Front Cover

Piechnik’s Greenhouse.....................................9 Plymouth Nursery............................................. 19 Proven Winners Color Choice....................... 7 Ray Hunter Garden Ctr................................... 31 Rice’s Garden Ornaments............................. 19 Rocks ‘n’ Roots....................................................10 Schuman Landscape Lighting......................13 Schwartz’s Greenhouse................................ 39 Shades of Green Nursery...............................13 Specialty Growers............................................. 15 State Crushing.....................................................27 Stone Cottage Gardens...................................13 Suburban Landscape Supply....................... 31 Telly’s Greenhouse.............................................4 Tropical Treasures............................................. 21 Turner’s Landscp & Gard Ctr....................... 31 Tuthill Farms & Composting.......................29 Uncle Luke’s Feed Store................................. 26 Van Atta’s Greenhouse.................................. 21 The Weed Lady................................................... 11 Westcroft Gardens.......................................... 26 Wild Birds Unlimited......................................... 11 Wojo’s.......................................................................6

Farm Compost Screened, sold by the bag or cubic yard. Also leaf compost and topsoil/compost blends. Delivery available.

Tuthill Farms & Composting 10505 Tuthill Rd., S. Lyon, MI 48178

734-449-8100 www.TuthillFarms.com

eco Chic landscape design • Native Plant/Habitat Design • Natural Lakescaping • Low-Impact Gardening • Birdscaping • Rain Barrel Installations • Presentations & Consulting

248-978-2300

www.ecochiclandscape.com design@ecochiclandscape.com

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

Heucherella ‘Buttered Rum’

continued from page 28

Foamy bells (Heucherella) are a cross between coral bells (Heuchera) and foamflower (Tiarella). This one has buttery caramel color and maple-like foliage that provide multiseason interest. White flowers appear above the head-turning foliage in spring and are appreciated by butterflies. The glossy foliage changes to a lovely rose-red as temperatures cool in fall. ‘Buttered Rum’ has a compact and mounding habit that will not run amuck in your garden. It is not just a pretty foliage plant, it performs well and is easy to grow. It is cold, heat and humidity tolerant with a natural resistance to rust. Gardeners will appreciate many qualities about this plant, including the wide range of lighting situations in which it can thrive. Plant with the crown slightly raised above soil. Height: 7 to 10 inches. Width: 15 inches. Light sun to shade.

www.PerennialResource.com

‘Cat’s Meow’

Catmint ‘Purrsian Blue’ and ‘Cat’s Meow’ Catmints offer many qualities that gardeners look for in a plant, such as dependability, a long blooming period, deer and rabbit resistance, attractive aromatic foliage, heat and drought tolerance, low maintenance, and cold hardiness. Plus, they are disease and pest free and a favorite flower of bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. These new Michigan-made catmints (Nepeta faassenii) were selected for their compact form that makes a densely mounded clump of green, aromatic foliage that does not flop, which is about the only downer of traditional catmints. Gardeners with smaller lots will also appreciate being able to work this classic English garden plant into their citysized borders. Even though it’s not a shrub, it might be a worthy plant to consider for boxwood replacements outlining rose beds or defining a garden edge. ‘Purrsian Blue’ has a highly floriferous habit with periwinkle blue flowers and dark purple calyxes that are produced throughout the summer. The plant nearly doubles its spread in the second year. Height: 16-18 inches. Width: 18 to 30 inches. Full sun. ‘Cat’s Meow’ is a uniform grower with well-branched stems carrying sky blue flowers with purple calyxes for months. Height: 17 to 20 inches. Width: 12 to 18 inches. Full sun.

Terra Nova Nurseries

Hibiscus Summerific ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ The fall finale in the perennial border is always taken up a notch with a back-of-the-border wonder like perennial hibiscus. Hibiscus hybridizers strive to create plants that have a compact habit, better petal substance for longer-lasting, more attractive flowers, increased petal overlap for fuller-looking blossoms, better foliage substance and colors, and longer bloom time due to indeterminate budding (blooms all the way up the stem, not just at the top of the plant). Summerific ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ meets those requirements. The eye-catching, creamy pink buds open to very large (up to 8-inch) white flowers with magenta-tipped ruffled petals and magenta veining radiating out from the cherry red eye. Blooming in late summer to early fall, the ruffled, rumpled texture of the overlapping petals helps the flowers hold up better in the summer wind than older selections with thin petals. The habit is well-branched and rounded with dark green foliage. Thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Height and width: 48 to 60 inches. Part to full sun.

Plants Nouveau

Lobelia ‘Black Truffle’

www.PerennialResource.com

‘Purrsian Blue’

‘Black Truffle’ is a selection of our native cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) that has purple-black new foliage. As the summer heats up, it fades to a deep, iridescent maroon. That dark color is a dramatic backdrop for the cardinal red flowers in August through September. Hummingbirds and butterflies consider those blooms fine dining. This plant was also selected for its bushy upright habit that thrives in average to moist soil. Height: 3 to 4 feet. Width: 2 to 3 feet. Full sun.

www.PerennialResource.com

NEW PERENNIALS continued on page 32

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Classified Ads GREENHOUSES FOR SALE - 4 Greenhouses. 21’ x 90’. All aluminum with polycarbonate. Good condition. Take down. Aluminum benches also available. Make offer to Ron at Taylor Orchids in Monroe: 734-243-0180.

2nd generation, family-owned, since 1967

We grow our own annuals & perennials: You are buying fresh directly from the grower—quality guaranteed!

GARDEN SPEAKER AVAILABLE for your club or group. Well-traveled garden writer does garden presentations & travelogues. This active collector gardener can speak on many subjects. Experienced to present at Garden Ctr open houses & conferences. For presentation list, biography, fee & references, contact Julia Hofley at Julia@juliasbiglife.com. 248-4972674. Find me on Facebook.

NEED A HAND? Call “The little gardener that could.” 15 yrs experience at Botanical Gardens. FREE Estimates. Pat: 586-214-9852, agardenspace.com.

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16153 Eureka, Southgate, MI 48195 • 734-284-2500 www.rayhuntergardenshop.com • Mon-Sat 9-7 Sun 10-5

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

continued from page 30

Brunnera ‘Alexander’s Great’ This larger-than-life introduction for the shade garden (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Alexander’s Great’) comes to us from Belarus, a republic of the former Soviet Union, and was found as a seedling in a garden. I love plants that I can see from a distance and the silver foliage of this plant lights up darker areas in a shade garden, which gives it added value in my book. In the spring, ‘Alexander’s Great’ sends up heart-shaped silver leaves that are highlighted by contrasting green veins and a narrow green edge. They are topped by many sky blue forget-me-not-looking flowers. As the season progresses, the rugged plant grows into a bushel basket-sized clump of attractive leaves—wonderful shade garden interest. Imagine this combined with Japanese painted ferns, astilbes, and hostas. Height: 17 inches. Space: 28 inches. Part sun to shade.

Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen (2)

Sedum ‘Dazzleberry’

Terra Nova Nurseries (2)

Phlox ‘Glamour Girl’ This fragrant plant (Phlox paniculata ‘Glamour Girl’) caught my eye and nose from across a crowded greenhouse. Large panicles of glowing, hot coral pink on dark stems drew me in, but the fragrance made me hang out for a while. Bright green, healthy foliage is also an attractive quality in a tall garden phlox and it looks like ‘Glamour Girl’ delivers on many levels. Blooms in mid to late summer. Height: 32 inches. Width: 18 to 24 inches. Full sun. www.PerennialResource.com

The colorful new SunSparkler series of sedums are the result of years of hybridizing and the evaluation of over 4000 seedlings grown in trial fields in West Michigan by Chris Hansen. These sedums retain their attractive coloration from spring through fall and are free of leaf scorch. ‘Dazzleberry’ is a breakthrough new groundcover type sedum that forms a low-growing, compact clump of smoky blue-grey foliage topped with giant 6- to 8-inch, vibrant raspberry-colored flowers. Those are huge flowers for a groundcover sedum! The flowers cover the foliage from early August through September here in Michigan, making it one of the earliest fall-blooming sedums. It will bloom for seven weeks; that’s a considerable amount of color for any perennial. Low, spreading sedums form a solid mat of foliage in dry, sunny areas and are low maintenance and extremely drought tolerant. This would be perfect for difficult spots that need coverage, such as a hard-to-plant sunny slope. There are also two other plants in the SunSparkler series: ‘Cherry Tart’ and ‘Lime Zing-

er.’ All are suitable for groundcovers, containers, and green roof systems. Butterflies will appreciate them wherever they’re planted. Height: 6 to 8 inches. Space: 18 inches. Full sun. Julia Hofley is a plant collector, freelance garden writer, lecturer, and independent sales rep (E-mail: julia@juliasbiglife.com).

Lansing

Owosso

East Haslett Lansing Williamston

Hartland Highland

Fowlerville Howell

Mason

Milford

Brighton

Arrowhead Alpines

New Hudson

Wixom

Nature’s Home and Garden Center

1310 Gregory Rd., Fowlerville, MI 48836 517-223-3581 www.arrowheadalpines.com May/June hours: Wed-Sat 11-5 Specializing in rare and unusual plants. One of the most wellknown specialty nurseries in Michigan, with a huge selection of perennials, woodland wildflowers, unusual ferns, and rare alpines for rock gardens, miniature landscapes, and fairy gardens. We’re always on the hunt for new plants; the more unusual the better!

Brainer’s Greenhouse 51701 Grand River Ave., Wixom, MI 48393 248-349-9070 Find us on Facebook

106 W. Main St., Brighton, MI 48116 810-224-5577 www.naturesgardencenter.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 Opened April 2014! Fairy garden superstore, garden boutique and destination for all seasons. Specializing in exclusive items that will make your home and garden a special place. Browse our store for unique wind chimes, bubbling fountains, colorful sculptures, stunning pottery, outdoor grills and other accents to add character to your indoor/outdoor living space.

The Pond Place of Michigan

Hours – May: Mon-Fri 9-7:30, Sat-Sun 9-5; June: Mon-Fri 9-6:30, Sat-Sun 10-5 Three generations of perfect plants—we are a premier local grower of annuals, perennials, and seasonal potted plants. Our specialties: unique European moss-lined baskets and patio planters, combination planters, and custom hanging baskets. All are ready-made for your convenience: Just insert these beauties into your pots and voilà! Stunning!

Milarch Nursery

3505 W. Highland Rd., Milford, MI 48380 248-889-8400 www.pondplace.com May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-4, Sun 11-4 Established in 2001, The Pond Place is one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of pond supplies in Michigan. Our knowledgeable staff is here to help with your pond supply, koi, goldfish and water plant needs. Visit www.pondplace.com for online shopping and browse our list of free pond workshops!

Specialty Growers

Van Atta’s Greenhouse 9008 Old M-78, Haslett, MI 48840 517-339-1142 www.vanattas.com Hours – May: Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 10-7; June: Mon-Sat 9-8, Sun 10-7 One of the largest selections of plants and garden accents in Southeastern Michigan. We grow an enormous variety of perennials. There’s a good chance we have that one plant you’ve been searching for, or the garden ornament that sets your yard apart. Come stroll our grounds—you’ll be amazed at what you find.

Wildtype Design, Native Plants & Seed 900 N. Every Rd., Mason, MI 48854 517-244-1140 www.wildtypeplants.com

28500 Haas Rd., New Hudson, MI 48165 248-437-2094 www.milarchnursery.com

4330 Golf Club Rd., Howell MI 48843 517-546-7742 www.specialtygrowers.net

Hours – Thru Sat, June 21: Mon-Fri 8-5:30, Sat 8-3; Starting Mon, June 23: Mon-Fri 8-5 The finest nursery stock and perennials since 1972. We grow and maintain quality plants, along with special care in handling. 25 acres of shade and flowering trees, evergreens, flowering shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. Landscape-grade sizes are available. We offer each customer a knowledgeable salesperson to assist with plant selection.

May/June hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-4 Excellent selection of perennials, grasses, hostas, native plants, herb and vegetable plants, all grown here at our nursery. Heirloom tomatoes and interesting pepper varieties. Perennials from starter 3.5” pots up to 2-gallon size. Outdoor-grown perennials, acclimated to local weather conditions, selected for Michigan gardens. Complete catalog on our website. Knowledgeable, experienced staff.

Hours – Open to the public 9am to 3pm as follows: Saturdays and Sundays, May 10 & 11, May 17 & 18, May 24 & 25, and August 23 & 24. Specializing in Michigan native plants, grown from Michigan genotypes. We grow trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, and ferns. Great selection of rain garden, wetland and butterfly plants. We also provide ecological services for residential projects focusing on restoration and preservation of native landscapes.

a dv e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Precipitation

Temperature April 2014

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Monthly 2.90 2.89 3.03

Actual Monthly 2.57 2.48 1.36

Deviation from Normal -0.33 -0.41 -1.67

2014 Year to Date: Jan 1 - April 30

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Yr. to Date 9.16 7.91 8.21

Actual Yr. to Date 9.80 7.70 6.97

April 2014

April 2013

Deviation from Normal 0.64 -0.21 -1.24

Normal Monthly 2.90 2.89 3.03

Actual Monthly 5.29 6.44 7.87

Deviation from Normal 2.39 3.55 4.84

2013 Year Total: Jan 1 - April 30

Normal Yr. to Date 9.16 7.91 8.21

Actual Yr. to Date 12.31 12.67 14.05

Deviation from Normal 3.15 4.76 5.84

April 2013

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Avg. High 59.1 57.3 57.8

ACTUAL Avg. High 60.1 59.7 58.9

Deviation from Normal 1.0 2.4 1.1

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Avg. Low 39.4 35.5 37.0

ACTUAL Avg. Low 37.7 34.6 35.0

Deviation from Normal -1.7 -0.9 -2.0

ormal N Avg. High 59.1 57.3 57.8 Normal Avg. Low 39.4 34.6 37.0

ACTUAL Avg. High 55.8 55.1 53.6 ACTUAL Avg. Low 37.1 35.1 34.8

Deviation from Normal -3.3 -2.2 -4.2 Deviation from Normal -2.3 0.5 -2.2

Data courtesy National Weather Service

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

how-to Build your gardener’s tool kit Steve Nikkila

Part 2: Handy additional tools

In Part 1 of this 2-part series, in the May issue, we covered “the standard tool kit.” Gardeners will need to have more tools than just those in that group. Here are some other tools a gardener will find useful.

Bow rake (left) and landscape rake (right). Handy tools to have when leveling an area or spreading bulk material over a large area. They also make nice grooves in soil to plant seeds.

Pick axe. Good for helping dig through compacted soils, hard pans, and tree roots (if necessary). The pick side (pointed) is good to penetrate hard-packed soil conditions and the axe side (flat) cuts through old roots and such, so you don’t wear out or damage a good woodcutting axe.

Pole pruner. The long, expandable handle allows for pruning hard-to-reach branches while standing safely on the ground or a ladder.

Shovel. The blade of a shovel (far left) has a round point. Long-handled shovels are good for digging deep holes. Trenching spade. This has a narrow, long blade (left middle) that is good for digging a narrow trench, like for a French drain or irrigation line. Scoop shovel. This type of shovel (right middle) has a blade that is made for scooping, not digging. It is used for scooping mulch, soil, compost, and other bulk materials, as well as cleaning up debris. The plastic shorthandled scoop shovel is very good for scooping mulch and lightweight materials. For heavier materials such as sand, soil, and rocks, we use a square-point shovel (far right). The smaller blade makes for less weight to be lifted.

Large handsaw. Used for cutting deadwood and the limbs that are just too big for your smaller handsaw.

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Anvil loppers. Use this type of lopper, rather than your pruning loppers, for cutting deadwood and debris.

Wheelbarrow. This useful tool is great for moving bulk materials and too many other things to list here. We’ve used a wheelbarrow to move almost everything used in gardening. The metal wheelbarrows can handle heavier weights, while the fiberglass wheelbarrow is easier to handle but can crack when overloaded.

Tarp. A small tarp is handy to have (above). You can haul light debris with it, protect lawn from bulk materials (be sure to move it off the lawn as soon as possible), keep roots protected from drying out when transplanting, and more. When transporting plants in an open pickup or trailer, a Bulldog tarp (made of a nylon mesh material) should be used rather than a plastic tarp. See the photo below: nylon mesh (left) and plastic (right). The mesh tarp lets air through small holes and doesn’t flap in the wind like a plastic tarp does. The flapping of the tarp can damage the plants it is supposed to protect.

Ball cart. There comes a time when things are just too big or heavy for a wheelbarrow and, short of needing machinery, this is the tool for those items. It is useful for moving root balls, boulders, and heavy compost bags. A ball cart isn’t something the average gardener has handy, but they can be rented at various rental shops.

Sharpening kit for pruners. For gardeners who use their hand pruners regularly, this kit comes in handy. The sharper your blade, the cleaner your cuts, which means less damage to the plants and less stress on your hands because the pruners cut easier. The kit includes an abrasive cleaning pad to clean the blade, a honing stone to sharpen the blade, and honing stone oil. For more information on how to sharpen pruners, go to MichiganGardener.com and type “sharpen” in the search box. Cart. This could be in the standard tool kit. There are many types of carts that are designed to carry hand tools and such (right). However, they usually aren’t so good for heavier materials. For those jobs, use an easy dump wagon (below). Note the wider air-filled tires; they roll over the ground and do less damage and compaction than a plastic or even a narrower air tire would.

Text and photos by Steven Nikkila, who is from Perennial Favorites in Waterford, MI (E-mail: hortphoto@gmail.com).

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

calendar June / July / August H Denotes Michigan Gardener advertiser

June Gardening for Our Feline Friends Tue, Jun 3, 6:30pm-8:25pm, Ann Arbor. At Washtenaw Community College Technical & Industrial Building. $29. FREE for residents. Learn to create a kitty garden. http:// bit.ly/CatGardening. H Evening in the Garden Wed, Jun 4, 5-8pm, Plymouth. At Plymouth Nursery. Wear pink to support the Breast Health Services at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor. Door prizes & specials. H Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat Opening Thu, Jun 5, Thursdays through Saturdays starting June 5, 10am-4pm, through Sep 6, Westland. At Barson’s Greenhouse. Butterfly life cycle & native host/nectar plants. www.barsons.com, 734-421-5959. H Sunset in the Garden Thu, Jun 5, 8-9:30pm, Grosse Pointe Shores. At Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. $7. Experience the beauty of Hawthorns & Crabapples at dusk. www.fordhouse.org. Annual Plant Sale Sat, Jun 7, 9am-2pm, Novi. At MSU Tollgate Farm. Perennial plants grown on site or raised by experienced gardeners. 248-347-3860, tollgate.msu.edu. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 7, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Get Grillin’! Sat, Jun 7, Noon-3pm, Plymouth. At Plymouth Nursery. Join us and taste your way through the nursery. H Bonsai Workshop Sat, Jun 7, 1pm, Troy. At Telly’s. $35. Hands-on workshop. Learn all the steps of creating your very own bonsai. Preregistration required. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735. H Vertical Gardening with Vines Sat, Jun 7, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. FREE. Cheryl English shares tips on the care & culture of Clematis and other flowering vines. 734-284-2500. Clarkston Perennial Plant Exchange Sat, Jun 7, 8:30am, Clarkston. By Clarkston Farm & Garden Club at Village Parking Lot. Bring well rooted, tagged perennials. www.clarkstongarden.org, 248-620-2984. H Peony Blossom & Pure Melodies Sun, Jun 8, 2pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens. FREE. Enjoy an afternoon of Chinese flower songs set amid the garden. Rain date 6/15. mbgna.umich. edu/peony. H Helping the Humble Butterfly Mon, Jun 9, 7pm, Ann Arbor. By Matthaei Herb Study Group at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. FREE. What can we do about decline in butterfly populations? www.lsa.umich. edu/mbg. Franklin Garden Walk Wed, Jun 11, 10am-4pm & 6-9pm, Franklin. By Franklin Garden Club at Historic Franklin. $15. Self-guided walk & artisan market. www.FranklinGardenClub.org, 248-8551941. 10th Annual Art & Garden Festival Wed, Jun 11, 10am-3pm, Saginaw. At Andersen Enrichment Center. Over 35 art & garden vendors & more. 989759-1362 ext. 221, lrittenberry@saginaw-mi.com. H Bonsai Workshop Sat, Jun 14, 1pm, Pontiac. At Telly’s at Goldner Walsh. $35. Hands-on workshop. Learn all the steps of creating your very own bonsai. Pre-registration required. www.tellys.com, 248-724-2300 Rose Show Sat, Jun 14, Grand Rapids. By Grand Valley Rose Society at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Hybrid teas, miniatures, floribundas & old-fashioned types. www.meijergardens.org. 24th Annual Ann Arbor Garden Walk Sat, Jun 14, 10am-4pm, Ann Arbor. By Ann Arbor Branch of the Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association at 6 private gardens. $15. Benefits Leslie Science & Nature Center & Edible Avalon. www.annarborfarmandgarden.org.

H Ponds & Water Garden Sat, Jun 14, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Rhubarb Leaf Fountain Sat, Jun 14, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $99.75. Create a 15” leaf shaped concrete fountain. Dress for mess & pick your fountain up in a week. 810629-9208. H National Get Outdoors Day Sat, Jun 14, 10am-5pm, Bloomfield Hills. At Cranbrook House & Gardens. Kids under 12 FREE with paying adult. Explore the gardens as a family! 248-645-3149. H Peony Magic Sun, Jun 15, through Jun 15, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The largest collection of heirloom herbaceous peonies in North America. mbgna.umich. edu/peony. H Outdoor Lighting Wed, Jun 18, 4pm, Washington. At Rock ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Canning Jams Wed, Jun 18, 6-9pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $58.75. Learn the basics of canning & make an herbal infused strawberry jam. Take home a small jar. 810-629-9208. Rochester Garden Tour Thu, Jun 19, 10am-6pm, Rochester. By Rochester Hills Museum & Rochester Garden Club at private area gardens. $14. Open Aire Market & presentation by Kathy Miller. 248-656-4663. Master Gardener College Fri, Jun 20, & Sat, Jun 21, East Lansing. By MSU Extension at MSU. Gardening tours, workshops & educational sessions. mg.msue.msu.edu/master_gardener_college. 23rd Annual Grosse Pointe Garden Tour Fri, Jun 20, 10am-4pm, Grosse Pointe. By Grosse Pointe Garden Center at 6 area gardens. $15. Master gardeners & artisans. 313-881-7511 ext. 206, gpgardenctr@warmemorial.org. Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Garden Walk Sat, Jun 21, 10am-4pm, Northville. By The Gardeners of Northville & Novi at 7 area gardens. $10. Rain or shine. Refreshments, vendor, raffle & more. gcnorthvillenovi@ yahoo.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 21, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Milford Garden Walk & Market Sale Sat, Jun 21, 10am-6pm, Milford. By The Milford Garden Club at 6 Milford area gardens. $12. Rain or shine. www.themilfordgardenclub.org, 248-698-7841. Monarch Butterfly Conservation Kickoff Sat, Jun 21, 1-3pm, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. $38/family, $11/person. Help us develop our “Monarch Waystation” & learn how to create your own. Register: 734-997-1553. H Which Hydrangea is Which Class Sat, Jun 21, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. FREE. Learn about the wide variety of hydrangeas that are available & which are right for you. 734-284-2500. H Fairy Day Sat, Jun 21, 11am-3pm, Saline. At Nature’s Garden Center. FREE. Fairy Day activities. Frequent Fairy & Nature Bucks rewards cards. Enchanted Fairy Club for kids. 734-9448644. H DIY Brick Paver Seminar Sat, Jun 21, 10-11am, Orion. At Orion Stone Depot. FREE. Learn how to install a full patio or garden wall from the pros. Register: 248-391-2490. Crocker House Garden Walk Sat, Jun 21, 9am-4pm, Mount Clemens. By Macomb County Historical Society at Crocker House Museum. $15. Walk, breakfast & presentation. www.crockerhousemuseum.com. H Fairy Days Sat, Jun 21, Sat & Sun, 11am-3pm, Plymouth. At Plymouth Nursery. $5. Enjoy fairy refreshments, crafts & more.

H Appreciation Sunday Sun, Jun 22, 11am-4pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. Enjoy cake & tea, garden gifts given away every 15 minutes. 810-629-9208. H Fairy Day Sun, Jun 22, Noon-4pm, Brighton. At Nature’s Garden Center. FREE. Fairy Day activities. Frequent Fairy & Nature Bucks rewards cards. Enchanted Fairy Club for kids. 734-944-8644. Genesee County Garden Tour Sun, Jun 22, 10am-5pm, Genesee County. By Master Gardener Association of Genesee County at 9 area gardens. Self guided tour. Rain or shine. http://GCgardentour. weebly.com. The Busy Gardener Seminar Tue, Jun 24, 6:30-8:30pm, Waterford. By MSU Extension at Oakland Co. Conference Ctr. $20. Janet Macunovich presents ideas & answers questions. Register: 248-858-0887. 19th Annual Trailwood Garden Walk Tue, Jun 24, Noon-8pm, Plymouth. By Trailwood Garden Club at Plymouth area gardens. $8 advance at Saxtons, Sideways & Backyard Birds. $10/day of. Rain or shine. 734-748-7991. H Walk along the Huron Thu, Jun 26, 6-8pm, Stockbridge. By the Huron River Watershed Council at Beckwith Preserve. FREE. Walk along the river & learn about ecology, flora, fauna & history. www.hrwc.org.

For information about Public Gardens, please visit MichiganGardener.com. Click on "Resources" then "Public Gardens." July H Bonsai Workshop Sat, Jul 5, 1pm, Troy. At Telly’s. $35. Hands-on workshop. Learn all the steps of creating your very own bonsai. Preregistration required. www.tellys.com, 248-689-8735. Annual Plant Sale Sun, Jul 6, 9am-1pm, Ypsilanti. By Ypsilanti Garden Club at Senior & Community Ctr. Sun & shade plants, yard sale. www.ypsilantigardenclub.org. Clarkston Garden Walk Wed, Jul 9, Noon-8pm, Clarkston. Clarkston Farm & Garden Club at 6 area gardens. $18. Featuring art & music. www.clarkstongarden.org, 248-620-2984. 40th Annual Troy Garden Walk Wed, Jul 9, 9:30am-3pm & 5pm-8:30pm, Troy. Troy Garden Club at 7 private gardens & Troy Historic Village. $10 advance. $15 day of. Rain/shine. www.TroyGardenClubMI.com, 248-540-4249.

H Annual Bonsai Show Sat, Jun 28, & Sun, Jun 29, Troy. By Four Seasons Bonsai Club at Telly’s Greenhouse. Bonsai exhibit & beginner-toexpert level workshops. Raffles & auctions. www.FourSeasonsBonsai.com.

21st Annual Garden Walk Wed, Jul 9, 9am-4pm, Northville. By Country Garden Club of Northville at Mill Race Village & 6 private gardens. $10. Rain or shine. Music, vendors & more. 248-380-8881, www.cgcnv.org.

H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 28, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900.

Flower Arranging Seminar Thu, Jul 10, 10am, Rochester Hills. By Rochester Garden Club at Rochester Hills Museum. $10. Includes refreshments. Featuring the work of floral designer Patricia York. 586-336-3239.

H Cobblestone Planter Sat, Jun 28, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $58.75. Create a cobblestone planter with clay pot feet & take it home that day. Dress for mess. 810-6299208. H Summer Garden Care Class Sat, Jun 28, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. FREE. Learn about the many ways to care for your flowers, vegetables & herbs in the heat of the summer. 734-284-2500. Great American Backyard Campout Sat, Jun 28, 4pm, & Sun, Jun 29, 10am, Ann Arbor. At Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. $50/campsite. Camping, hikes, meals & activities for all ages. http://lesliesnc.org. 734-997-1553. Historic Springwells Park Garden Tour Sat, Jun 28, Dearborn. By Springwells Park Neighborhood Association at 19 area gardens. Unique neighborhood built in the Edsel Ford area. 313-425-0304. H Fairy Make & Take Workshop Sat, Jun 28, 11am-Noon, Chelsea. At Garden Mill. $25. Come build a beautiful garden any fairy would be thrilled to call home. Register: 734-475-3539.

Daylily Show Sat, Jul 12, Grand Rapids. By Grand Valley Daylily Society at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Growing tips, arrangements & more. www.meijergardens.org. South Lyon Area Garden Walk Sat, Jul 12, South Lyon. By Four Seasons Garden Club of South Lyon at 6 area gardens. $10. Walk begins at the South Lyon Library. 248-437-5523, 248-437-5405. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jul 12, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Bonsai Workshop Sat, Jul 12, 1pm, Pontiac. At Telly’s at Goldner Walsh. $35. Hands-on workshop. Learn all the steps of creating your very own bonsai. Pre-registration required. www.tellys.com. 248-724-2300 H Toad Stools & Toad Houses Sat, Jul 12, 10am-12:30pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $87.75. Create 3 toad stool structures using fortified concrete & a rhubarb impression. Dress for mess. 810-629-9208.

Promote your events! Send us your information! Website: Go to MichiganGardener.com and click on “Garden Event Calendar” E-Mail: calendar@michigangardener.com Upcoming Issues & Deadlines: Issue

Deadline

July/August 2014 June 15, 2014 September/October 2014 August 15, 2014

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Outstanding collection

Michigan’s Largest Bonsai Nursery

of summer-blooming trees, shrubs & perennials available

Japanese maples

Colorful leaves in spring, summer and fall! Come see our 55 varieties H LACASA’s Garden Tour Weekend Sat, Jul 12, & Sun, Jul 13, 9am-4pm, Livingston County. By LACASA at 12 area gardens. $20. Scavenger hunt, raffles & more. Proceeds benefit abused victims of violence. www.lacasacenter.org. 18th Annual Garden Walk Sun, Jul 13, 1-5pm, Ludington. By Mason County Garden Club at various private local gardens. $10. Tickets available at The Giving Tree, Snyders Shoes or Orchard Market. 2014 Summer Garden Tour Sun, Jul 13, 10am-5pm, Fenton & Linden. Fenton Open Gate Garden Club at 7 Gardens in the Fenton & Linden area. $10. Skilled gardeners on hand to answer questions. 810-240-4321. H Garden Delight Tours Tue, Jul 15, & Wed, Jul 16, 11am-1pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $28.75. Enjoy a 1 hour tour & buffet lunch. 810-629-9208. 16th Annual Charlevoix Garden Walk Wed, Jul 16, 10am-4pm, Charlevoix. By Charlevoix Area Garden Club at 6 Charlevoix area gardens. $15. Standard Flower Show open to the public. 231-547-2119. navar@torchlake.com. H Herbal Vinegar Wed, Jul 16, 6-7:30pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $29.75. Create a 10 oz. bottle by using cider vinegar & a blend of herbs. 810-629-9208. 32nd Annual Garden Walk Thu, Jul 17, 11am-7pm, Traverse City. By The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City. $10. www.thefriendlygardenclub.org. Blooms ‘n Birds Flower Show Thu, Jul 17, during Library hours, Spring Lake. By Tri-Cities Garden Club, Inc at Spring Lake District Library. FREE. Horticulture exhibits, floral designs & more. www.tricitiesgardenclub.org. Shelby Township Garden Walk Sat, Jul 19, 10am-5pm, Shelby Twp. By Shelby Garden Club at area gardens. Starts at the Heritage Gardens. $12. 586-726-7529. H Annual Pond Tour Sat, Jul 19, 10am-5pm, Livonia. By MKPC & The Pond Place at 8-10 Livonia area home ponds. $10/adult, $5/ child. 734-673-4868, www.mkpc-se.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jul 19, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Garden Walk Mon, Jul 21, 10am-4pm, Ferrysburg. By Tri-Cities Garden Club, Inc. at Ferrysburg & Spring Lake gardens. www.tricitiesgardenclub.org. Evening in the Garden Tue, Jul 22, 7pm, Rochester Hills. By Rochester Garden Club at Rochester Hills Museum. FREE. Tour, herbal refreshments & a presentation by Barbara Dziedzic. Register: 248-656-4663. Ikebana Flower Arranging Thu, Jul 24, 1pm, Ludington. By The Mason Co. Garden Club at United Methodist Church. Learn about the Japanese art of flower arrangement. maggie6872@ yahoo.com. Harrison Township “Inspirations” Garden Tour Sat, Jul 26, 9am-4pm. Harrison Twp. By Harrison Township Beautification Commission at beautiful area gardens. $15. Starts Tucker Senior Ctr. VIP bus tickets available. 586-242-3868. H Hydrangeas 101 Sat, Jul 26, 1pm, Plymouth. At Plymouth Nursery. FREE. Find out how to plant & care for them & discover why yours may not be blooming. H Ponds & Water Gardens Sat, Jul 26, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Bonsai Mentor Workshop Sun, Jul 27, 2pm, Troy. By Four Seasons Bonsai Club at Telly’s Greenhouse. Bring your own bonsai event where beginners are paired with experienced members. www. FourSeasonsBonsai.com.

H Outdoor Garden Parties Tue, Jul 29, to Thurs, Jul 31, 11:30am-1:30pm. Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $29.75. Enjoy an afternoon lunch/tea & create a wire button flower set in a clay pot. 810-629-9208.

August H Garden Day Sat, Aug 2, 8am-4:15pm, East Lansing. By MSU Horticulture Gardens at Plant & Soil Sciences Building. $85. Presentations by author Amy Stewart. Register: www.hrt.msu.edu/garden-day-2014. Mid-Summer Garden Walk Sat, Aug 2, 10am-4pm, Farmington. By Farmington Garden Club at 7 area gardens. $10. Begins at Governor Warner Mansion. Tickets available at Steinkopf Nursery two weeks prior. 248-626-6322. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Aug 2, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Stroll in our Garden Sat, Aug 2, 1-6pm, Bay Country Area. By Valley Garden Club of Bay County at 8 area home gardens. www.valleygardenclubofbaycounty.org, 989-686-3803. H Outdoor Garden Tea Parties Tue, Aug 5, Tue, Wed, Thur, 11:30am-1:30pm. Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $29.75. Enjoy an afternoon lunch/tea & create a wire button flower set in a clay pot. 810-629-9208. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Aug 9, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Canning Pickles Wed, Aug 13, 6-9pm. Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $58.75. Learn to make dill, bread-n-butter & brine pickles. Then learn to pickle garden veggies. 810-629-9208. H Ponds & Water Gardens Sat, Aug 16, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Ann Arbor Bonsai Show Sat, Aug 23, & Sun, Aug 24, 10am-4pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens. www.annarborbonsaisociety.org. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Aug 23, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Dahlia Show Sat, Aug 23, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Experts on hand, arrangements & more. www.meijergardens.org. 616-957-1580. H Herbal Summer Faire Sat, Aug 23, 10am-5pm & Sun, 11am-5pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $2. Master Gardeners on hand, delectable lunches & more. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com. Herbal Vinegars Thu, Aug 28, 1pm, Ludington. By Mason Co. Garden Club at United Methodist Church. Peaches Throckmorton teaches how to make herbed vinegars. maggie6872@ yahoo.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Aug 30, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. Fall Plant Sale Sat, Sep 6, 9am, Ludington. By Mason Co. Garden Club at Leveaux Park. All plants should be in pots & labeled. maggie6872@yahoo.com. H Ponds & Water Sources Sat, Sep 6, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘N’ Roots. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Sep 13, 10am, Washington. At Rock ‘N’ Rocks. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Sep 20, 10am, Washington. At Rock ‘N’ Rocks. FREE. Rain or shine. 586-752-4900.

Nursery & GardeN CeNter 2781 Scio Church Ann Arbor

734-665-8733

Over 2,000 Trees in Stock Tropical Bonsai Trees Hardy Bonsai Trees Pots • Tools • Soil Mud Men • Classes

GARDEN RHYTHMS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES

8930 S. Custer Rd.

• Renovation Specialists • Ornamental Pruning • Seasonal Containers • Maintenance & Redesign • Garden Coaching

5 MI EAST OF CABELA’S ON M-50

Monroe, MI 48161

734-269-2660 FlowerMarketDundee.com

Certified Master Gardeners & Designers

Come see us Aug 23-24 at the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society Show

248-217-6459

GardenRhythmsGardeningServices.com

Fairy Super Store! 6400 E. Michigan Ave • Saline

734-944-8644

our newest locaton! 106 W. Main St. • Brighton

810-224-5577

NaturesGardenCenter.com NaturesGC@gmail.com

• Frequent Fairy and Nature Bucks rewards cards • Enchanted Fairy Club and Pea Pod club for kids • FREE Fairy Day activities: Treasure hunt, face painting, surprises & treats June 21: Saline 11a-3p June 22: Brighton 12-4p • Large selection of garden decor including statuary • Saline location is full-service garden center with landscaping design, installation and maintenance

Unique Garden Features

Garden Tools • Trellises • Statuary Annual Flowers • Birdhouses, Feeders & Baths Fairy Make-&-Take Workshop - June 28, 11a-12p Come in and build a beautiful garden any fairy would be thrilled to call home. Workshop fee: $25. Class size is limited, please call for reservations. See our Facebook page or website for details.

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110 S. MAIN • DOWNTOWN CHELSEA • 734-475-3539 • www.thegardenmill.com

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

A collection of stores and gardens to shop and visit. Please call ahead for hours, as they may vary from season to season.

Columbiaville, Davison

Bay City, Burton, Clio, Gladwin, Midland, Saginaw

North Branch

Lapeer

Emmett Imlay City

Flushing Lennon

Port Huron

Hadley Dryden

Grand Blanc

Flint

Bancroft, Owosso

Lakeport

Metamora

Almont

clinton twp H English Gardens 44850 Garfield Rd, MI 48038 586-286-6100 www.EnglishGardens.com

Fenton

Oxford

Ortonville

Addison Twp.

Orion Clarkston Hartland

White Lake Highland

Holly White Lake Waterford

Howell East Lansing, Fowlerville, Grand Rapids, Haslett, Lansing, Mason, Williamston

West Bloomfield

Walled Lake Wixom Brighton

Rochester Hills

New Hudson South Lyon

Whitmore Lake

Novi Northville

Bloomfield Hills Birmingham

Troy Sterling Hts.

Southfield Oak Park Ferndale

Detroit

Canton

Dearborn Dearborn Wayne Heights

Ypsilanti

Taylor Romulus

Saline New Boston

Tipton

Clinton Twp.

Livonia Redford

Belleville Manchester

Utica

Westland

Ann Arbor

New Baltimore

St. Clair Roseville Shores Madison Royal Oak Heights Warren

Farmington Hills Farmington

Dexter

Macomb

Tecumseh

Brownstown Twp.

Southgate Trenton Grosse Ile

Rockwood, Monroe

Eastpointe

Grosse Pointes

brighton

H Beauchamp Landscp Supp Bordine’s Brighton Farmer’s Mkt Cowbell Lawn/Gard Leppek Nurs H Meier Flowerland 8087 W. Grand River, MI 48114 810-229-9430 www.meierflowerland.com H Nature’s Home & Garden Ctr 106 W. Main St., MI 48116 810-224-5577 www.naturesgardencenter.com

brownstown twp

Bruce’s Pond Shop Raupp Brothers Gard Ctr Ruhlig Farms & Gard

burton

Want to advertise your local business in Places to Grow? 2 options: You have 2 options: enhanced listing 4-line listing with your: • Business name • Address • Phone • Website or E-mail

premium listing 4-line listing PLUS highlighting: • Business name • Address • Phone • Website or E-mail

please contact us for info: publisher@ MichiganGardener.com 248-594-5563

H Denotes MG Advertiser

H State Crushing

addison twp

bancroft

almont

bay city

Yule Love It Lavender Farm American Tree

ann arbor

H Abbott’s Nurs Ace Barnes Hardware Downtown Home/Gard H English Gardens 155 N. Maple Rd, MI 48103 734-332-7900 www.EnglishGardens.com H HillTop Greenhse/Farms H Lodi Farms H The Produce Station H Turner’s Greenhse/Garn Ctr Wild Birds Unltd

auburn hills

Drake’s Landscp & Nurs H Haley Stone 3600 Lapeer Rd., MI 48326 248-276-9300 www.haleystone.net

Grand Oak Herb Farm H Begick Nursery & Garden Ctr 5993 Westside Saginaw Rd, 48706 989-684-4210 www.begicknursery.com

belleville

Banotai Greenhse Gardeners Choice H Pinter Flowerland H Zywicki Greenhse

berkley

Garden Central

bloomfield hills Backyard Birds

birmingham H Blossoms 33866 Woodward Ave, MI 48009 248-644-4411 www.blossomsbirmingham.com Plant Station Tiffany Florist

H Walker Farms & Greenhouse 5253 E. Atherton Rd., MI 48519 810-743-0260 www.walkersfarm.com

canton

Canton Floral Gardens Clink Nurs Crimboli Landscp/Nurs H Wild Birds Unltd

cement city

Hallson Gardens

chelsea H Garden Mill 110 S. Main St., MI 48118 734-475-3539 www.thegardenmill.com The Potting Shed

chesterfield

Van Thomme’s Greenhses

clarkston

Bordine’s Country Oaks Landscp I Lowrie’s Landscp H The Pond Source

lennon

flushing

livonia

Masserant’s Feed Store H Flushing Lawn & Garden Ctr 114 Terrace St., MI 48433 810-659-6241 www.unclelukes.com

fowlerville

H Arrowhead Alpines

gladwin

Michigan Koi H Tropical Treasures

H Stone Cottage Gardens 3740 West Willford Rd, 48624 989-426-2919 www.stonecottagegardens.com

clio

grand blanc

H Piechnik’s Grnhse & Gdn Ctr 13172 McCumsey Rd, MI 48420 810-686-9211 www.cliogreenhouse.com

Berkley

Plymouth

Cement City, Chelsea, Grass Lake, Jackson, Stockbridge

Shelby Twp.

Auburn Hills

Sylvan Lake Commerce

Ray

Rochester

Pontiac

Milford

Washington

Oakland

flat rock

columbiaville Hilltop Barn

commerce twp

Backyard Birds Zoner’s Greenhse

davison H Wojo’s Gard Splendors 7360 E. Court St., MI 48423 810-658-9221 www.wojos.com

dearborn

Fairlane Gardens

dearborn heights H English Gardens 22650 Ford Rd, MI 48127 313-278-4433 www.EnglishGardens.com

detroit

Allemon’s Landscp Ctr H Detroit Farm and Garden 1759 21st St., MI 48216 313-655-2344 www.detroitfarmandgarden.com H Eastern Market 2934 Russell St., MI 48207 313-833-9300 www.detroiteasternmarket.com

dexter

H Bloom! Gard Ctr Dexter Mill H Fraleighs Landscape Nursery 8600 Jackson Rd., MI 48130 734-426-5067 www.fraleighs.com

eastpointe

Ariel’s Enchanted Gard H English Gardens 22501 Kelly Rd, MI 48021 586-771-4200 www.EnglishGardens.com Semrau Gard Ctr

farmington

Backyard Birds

farmington hills

Angelo’s Landscp Supp Farmer John’s Greenhse Loeffler Stone Ctr H Steinkopf Nurs

fenton

Bordine’s

H The Weed Lady 9225 Fenton Rd., MI 48439 810-655-2723 www.theweedlady.com

grass lake Busy Lizzies

H Designs by Judy Florist & Grenhse 3250 Wolf Lake Rd., MI 49240 517-522-5050 www.designsbyjudyflowers.com

grosse ile

H Westcroft Gardens

grosse pointe

Allemon’s Landscp Ctr Meldrum & Smith Nurs

grosse pointe woods H Wild Birds Unltd

hadley

Bushel Mart George’s Livonia Gard Superior Growers Supp Valley Nurs

macomb

Altermatt Greenhses Boyka’s Greenhse Deneweth’s Garden Ctr H Elya’s Village Gardens Landscape Source Joe Randazzo’s Nurs Olejnik Farms Wade Nurs Wiegand’s Nursery

manchester

McLennan Nurs

mason

H Wildtype Nurs

metamora

Gilling’s Nurs

milford

Milford Gardens H The Pond Place

monroe

H The Flower Market

new baltimore

H Meldrum Bros Nurs

new boston

H Gorham & Sons Nurs H Grass Roots Nurs Mums the Word

new hudson

Deneweth’s Garden Ctr

H Milarch Nurs 28500 Haas Rd., MI 48165 248-437-2094 www.milarchnursery.com

haslett

north branch

highland

northville

Le Fleur Décor

hartland

Christian’s Greenhse H Van Atta’s Greenhse Colasanti’s Produce/Plant Fragments Highland Garden Ctr H One Stop Landscp Supp

holly

H Rice’s Garden Ornaments

howell H Howell Farmer’s Mkt Dwntn Howell @ State & Clinton Sts. 517-546-3920 www.howell.org/19.html Penrose Nurs H Specialty Growers 4330 Golf Club Rd., MI 48843 517-546-7742 www.specialtygrowers.net Wilczewski Greenhses

H Campbell’s Greenhouses Oldani Landscp Nurs Begonia Brothers Gardenviews H Willow Greenhouses

novi

Glenda’s Gard Ctr Stone City H Wild Birds Unltd

oak park

Four Seasons Gard Ctr

oakland H Piechnik’s Garden Gate 1095 N. Rochester Rd., MI 48363 586-336-7200 www.cliogreenhouse.com

ortonville

Country Oaks Landscp II

jackson

H Wojo’s Greenhse 2570 Oakwood Rd., MI 48462 248-627-6498 www.wojos.com

lake orion

H Everlastings in Wildwood

imlay city

H Earthly Arts Greenhse The Hobbit Place Lake Orion Lawn Orn H Orion Stone Depot H Wojo’s of Lake Orion 559 S. Lapeer Rd, MI 48362 248-690-7435 www.wojos.com

Gerych’s Flowers/Gift H Heavenly Scent Herb Farm

lapeer

ferndale

lasalle

Casual Modes Home/Gard Green Thumb Gard Ctr

Krupps Novelty Shop

H Iron Barn Gard Ctr Fowler’s Gift Shop

owosso oxford

Candy Cane Xmas Trees Oxford Farm/Gard

plymouth

Backyard Birds Graye’s Greenhse Lucas Nurs H Plymouth Nursery 9900 Plymouth Rd., MI 48170 734-453-5500 www.plymouthnursery.net

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Plymouth Rock Rock Shoppe Sparr’s Greenhse

pontiac

Goldner Walsh Gard/Home H Telly’s at Goldner Walsh 559 Orchard Lake Rd., MI 48341 248-724-2300 www.tellys.com

ray

Van’s Valley Greenhse

redford

H Pinter Flowerland Seven Mi Gard Ctr

rochester

Fogler’s Greenhse Sherwood Forest Gard Ctr

rochester hills H Auburn Oaks Garden Ctr 3820 W. Auburn Rd, MI 48309 248-852-2310 www.auburnoaksnursery.com Bordine’s H Haley Stone 3975 S. Rochester Rd., MI 48307 248-852-5511 www.haleystone.net H Shades of Green Nurs H Wild Birds Unltd

rockwood

Marsh Greenhouses Too

romulus

Block’s Stand/Greenhse H Kurtzhals’ Farms H Schoedel’s Nurs H Schwartz’s Greenhouse 30705 Sibley Rd., MI 48174 734-753-9269 www.schwartzgreenhouse.com

roseville

Dale’s Landscp Supp World Gardenland

royal oak

Billings Lawn Equip H English Gardens 4901 Coolidge Hwy, MI 48073 248-280-9500 www.EnglishGardens.com H Wild Birds Unltd

saginaw H Abele Grnhse & Garden Ctr 3500 Wadsworth Rd., MI 48601 989-752-5625 www.abelegreenhouse.com

saline H Nature’s Garden Ctr 6400 E. Michigan Ave., MI 48176 734-944-8644 www.naturesgardencenter.com Saline Flowerland

shelby twp

Diegel Greenhses H Hessell’s Greenhse Maeder Plant Farm Potteryland H Telly’s Greenhouse 4343 24 Mile, MI 48316 248-659-8555 www.tellys.com

south lyon

Hollow Oak Farm Nurs Stone Depot Landscp Supp

southfield

3 DDD’s Stand Eagle Landscp/Supp Lavin’s Flower Land Main’s Landscp Supp

southgate

H Ray Hunter Gard Ctr

st clair shores Hall’s Nurs Soulliere Gard Ctr

sterling heights

Decor Statuette H Eckert’s Greenhouse 34075 Ryan Rd., MI 48310 586-979-2409 www.eckertsgreenhouse.com

H Barson’s Greenhse 6414 N. Merriman Rd., MI 48185 734-421-5959 www.barsons.com Bushel Stop Panetta’s Landscp Joe Randazzo’s Nurs

white lake H Bogie Lake Greenhouses 1525 Bogie Lake Rd., MI 48383 248-887-5101 www.bogielakegreenhouses.com H Mulligan’s Landscp & Gard Ctr Sunshine Plants

whitmore lake

Flower Barn Nurs Greenhouse Growers Prime Landscp Supp

H Alexander’s Greenhses

stockbridge

wixom

Gee Farms

sylvan lake H AguaFina Gardens Itntl 2629 Orchard Lake Rd., MI 48320 248-738-0500 www.aguafina.com H Detroit Garden Works

taylor H Beautiful Ponds & Gardens 20379 Ecorse, MI 48180 313-383-8653 www.skippysstuff.com D&L Garden Ctr H Massab Acres H Panetta’s Landscp Supp

tecumseh

Mitchell’s Lawn/Landscp

trenton

Carefree Lawn Ctr

troy H Telly’s Greenhouse 3301 John R Rd., MI 48083 248-689-8735 www.tellys.com H Uncle Luke’s Feed Store 6691 Livernois Rd., MI 48098 248-879-9147 www.unclelukes.com

utica

Dale’s Landscp Supp Stone City

walled lake

H Suburban Landscp Supp

warren

Beste’s Lawn/Patio Supp Garden Ctr Nurs H Young’s Garden Mart

washington

Christian’s Greenhse H Brainer’s Greenhse Angelo’s Landscp Supp Milford Tree Farm

ypsilanti

Coleman’s Farm Mkt Lucas Nurs Margolis Nurs Materials Unlimited Sell Farms & Greenhse

Gardens to Visit ann arbor H Matthaei Botanical Gardens/ Nichols Arboretum 1800 North Dixboro Rd., MI 48105 734-647-7600 www.mbgna.umich.edu H Cranbrook Gardens 380 Lone Pine Rd., MI 48303 248-645-3147 housegardens.cranbrook.edu

dearborn

Arjay Miller Arboretum at Ford World HQ Henry Ford Estate

detroit

east lansing

H MSU Horticultural Gardens W.J. Beal Botanical Gard

emmett H Sunny Fields Botanical Park 5444 Welch Rd., MI 48022 810-387-2765 www.visitsunnyfields.org

Discover Flowers & Plants at Great Prices! Bedding Plants • Roses • Herbs • Vegetable Plants Perennials • Proven Winners • Garden Ornaments

Our Specialty is Spectacular Hanging Baskets! Over 12 Acres of Greenhouse and 2 Acres of Shopping! June hours: Please call

Schwartz’s Greenhouse 30705 Sibley, Romulus • 734-753-9269 www.schwartzgreenhouse.com

Hidden Lake Gardens BOTA N IC A L G A R DEN & A R BOR ET U M

Applewood

grand rapids

grosse pointe shores

H Edsel & Eleanor Ford Hse

lansing

Cooley Gardens

midland

Dow Gardens

west bloomfield

Tollgate Education Ctr

Artman’s Westland Nurs

Open 7 Days: 10am-6pm / 4.5 mi. N of I-69, take M-52 N, then E on Brewer Rd.

Seven Ponds Nature Ctr

wayne

westland

2577 Brewer Rd., Owosso • 989-723-7175 www.everlastingsinthewildwood.com

dryden

Frederik Meijer Gardens

Planterra

• Huge Selection of Hybrid Annuals • Tremendous Variety of Herbs, Perennials & Hanging Baskets • Unusual Ornamental Trees and Flowering Shrubs • Unique Line of Garden Statuary & Fountains • Arbors, Stepping Stones, Garden Benches, Trellises • Huge Selection of Garden Pottery

Anna S Whitcomb Conservtry

waterford

H English Gardens 6370 Orchard Lake Rd, 48322 248-851-7506 www.EnglishGardens.com

Hundreds of Pots in all Colors, Shapes & Sizes! Hand-thrown Clay, Cast Stone, Iron, Glazed Terra Cotta, Wrought Iron & Twig Unusual Colors and Finishes We custom plant: Our container or yours

Located in 100 acres of mature forest & rolling farmland where wildflowers are in full bloom throughout May. Enjoy the woodland drive, numerous display gardens, ponds and waterfalls as you shop in tranquility.

bloomfield hills

flint

Artman’s Nurs

We Specialize in Container Gardening

williamston

Landscp Direct Miller’s Big Red Greenhse H Rocks ‘n’ Roots Hoffman Nurs H Merrittscape H Oakland County Market 2350 Pontiac Lake Rd., MI 48328 248-858-5495 www.DestinationOakland.com

novi

royal oak Detroit Zoo

tipton H Hidden Lake Gardens 6214 Monroe Rd. (M-50), 49287 517-431-2060 www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu

755 Acres of Gardens and Natural Areas Flower Gardens • Plant Conservatory • Hosta Hillside Dwarf Conifers • Picnic Area • Lake • Hiking Trails Weddings and Tours by appointment 6214 Monroe Rd. (M-50) in Tipton • 8 Miles W. of Tecumseh 517-431-2060 • hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu • OPEN DAILY

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

Community farms fill the need for healthy, local food Les Roggenbuck in his fields with organically raised crops. “We use plastic mulch for weed control and to keep the soil warm for better plant growth,” he said.

As the desire increases to eat a healthier diet and purchase local, great-tasting, and safe food, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are helping make this goal possible. They have become a popular way to purchase seasonal food from a local farmer. While LocalHarvest.org lists over 250 CSAs in Michigan, demand is high for the limited number of farms available in each area.

Sandie Parrott

Typically, a family purchases a share in what the farm produces in the growing season. Most full shares feed a family of four with two small children. Some CSAs offer half shares, while others give a discount for work performed at the farm. The farm divides the yield among the members and themselves. Members share the risk of an abundant or poor harvest. Because most farmers grow many different types of produce, each year some vegetables are plentiful and others not so much. Produce is either distributed or picked p h oto s up at the farm once a week during the growing season and is usually provided in a pre-packaged box. The season varies by S a n d i e Pa r r ot t from 16 to over 40 weeks (hoop houses extend the season).

Deb Lentz explained, “From left to right, the diners are Erin, Ruthie, Lizzie, Dylan, Serafin, Shawn, Ryan, and Jim. An important part of our farm experience is planning and cooking the food that we’ve helped plant, weed, harvest, rinse, and pack. Knowing how to cook and eat seasonally is a life skill that we try to foster here at the farm as we share our meals together.”

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Benefits of joining a CSA: • Eat ultra fresh food, straight from the farm to the table, with vitamin and taste benefits • Try new vegetables and healthy ways to prepare them • Visit the farm to pick up, take classes, meet other members, and to introduce children to a working farm • Encourage children to eat vegetables they might not try • Know the farmer, how they grow the food, and learn how to grow for personal gardens • Work to learn and form relationships with the farmer, members and the earth

Mary Wallis, Leslie Hoskins, and Camille Leinbach harvest lettuce by pulling the plant and cutting the roots instead of only cutting the lettuce leaves.

“The purpose of the sunflower house is to provide children with a living, natural playhouse, where their imagination can make this a magical place of adventure and self-discovery, and a space to play with friends,” said Deb Lentz. “Erin Throop updates the daily work list that interns reference throughout the day for farm tasks and priorities. As a job is chosen, the intern puts his or her initials by the task, and then checks it off when it is accomplished,” explained Deb Lentz.

The story of three Michigan CSAs

Farm manager Ken Webster (center) helps Maginel Galt and Fred Herschelman harvest green beans on a hot summer day.

A certified organic farm since 1993, Tantré Farm is nine miles southwest of Chelsea. They grow approximately 100 types of vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, and flowers, along with fruits such as berries, apples, peaches, pears, persimmons, and melons to support 350 current shares. Until 2001, Richard Andres and Deb Lentz kept their regular jobs as a timber-frame carpenter and elementary school teacher, respectively. In that year they began the CSA with 30 members. They now also distribute

Benefits for the CSA farmer: • Share the risk and rewards of farming with the members • Assist cash flow by receiving payment early in the year • Market the food ahead of the growing season • Forecast growing requirements based on the number of members • Receive assistance with chores around the farm • Develop relationships with people that value wholesome, local, safe food to two farmers markets and sell to many local stores, restaurants, buying clubs, and occasionally schools or hospitals. Farm work is accomplished with a combination of volunteers, full- and part-time workers, and interns—member work isn’t required. Interns are recruited from all over the United States for responsibilities including soil preparation, planting, cultivating, cover cropping strategies, harvesting, marketing, and some cleaning and cooking. Lentz explained, “The internship is experimental and focuses on hands-on application of sustainable agricultural practices.” Lentz discussed owning and managing a CSA farm, “The positives are the supportive community around us both financially and socially. We really enjoy the connection with such a diverse and interesting community of members, interns, customers, friends and family. There is great satisfaction in knowing we are providing food to our community that is sustainably rich in nutrients, flavor, and quality from the land that we nurture. It is important being a member of a greater community where we are valued and depended upon for our contributions to healthy food, healthy ecosystems, and a healthy economy.” Started in 1994, East River Organic Farm is in the thumb area in Sandusky County. A certified organic farm, it was changed to a CSA in 2003 and livestock was added in 2002. continued on next page

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

CSA variations

Les Roggenbuck holds a light Brahma rooster, a very old breed from Asia, noted for being easy to handle and winter hardy because of their heavy plumage. This is just one of the breeds Roggenbuck raises. “The most chickens we’ve had at one time were 200 layers and 100 meat chickens,” he said.

Karen Troshynski-Thomas weeds cilantro.

There are many variations on the standard CSA model. Many farmers are not exclusively a CSA farm. They may also sell at farmers markets, stores and restaurants. Some CSA farms require that members work, while others use hired help or volunteers. Some allow children to help, others do not. It is a difficult choice for the farmer, because help is needed, but untrained help can cause damage to the crops. Members should know the farm’s policies for work requirements, vacations, children, visiting, etc. The farmer may be certified organic or farm organically. Certification requires fees, inspections and paperwork. “Farming organically” means no pesticides or chemicals are used, but the farm elects not to be certified. Many CSAs offer other options along with their produce, including eggs, meat, fruit, flowers, bread, and other farm products. These may or may not be produced by the farmer. Usually it is an attempt to offer a larger selection of wholesome food and products to their members. Farms may offer options besides a pre-stocked box. Some allow a choice of vegetables while leaving unwanted produce for others or charities. If items are U-pick, sized containers, quantities, or pounds are specified for each member to pick. Tips for potential members Don’t expect all your produce to come from the CSA. Many do not include fruits and berries, and produce is seasonal. Understand that you will be eating what is in your box or harvested that week. This is different than having produce available all year at the grocery store. Learning to preserve the harvest (freezing, canning, etc.) is helpful or food may go to waste. Eating seasonally is a fun challenge and you will acquire new skills in the process. References • USDA Community Supported Agriculture: nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml • Local Harvest: Localharvest.org/csa

Patrick and Chizo are rinsing lettuce in the packing shed before it is placed in boxes for CSA distribution, markets, and wholesale orders. continued from previous page Owner Les Roggenbuck grew up there when the farm was owned by his dad Orv. There weren’t any vegetables grown on the farm until it became a CSA. They currently have 25 member families, who are not required to work on the farm. They have paid and volunteer workers, and sometimes interns for seasonal work and learning. People can pick up at the farm, but it is a fair distance from most cities in southeastern Michigan. Roggenbuck also delivers member

shares to the Clarkston and Rochester farmers markets. He also has an arrangement with a bread maker so their breads and other baked goods can also be ordered. The offseason includes some vegetables such as potatoes, broccoli, rutabaga, beets, and cabbage, along with eggs and grass-fed beef. Upland Hills CSA in Oxford currently has 65 member families. The farm was certified organic from 2009 to 2013. Ken Webster is the farm manager and discussed why they decided to discontinue certification, “With the beginning of 2013 we saw the certification cost increase and the government cost share

program end for organic certification. Due to the cost involved we decided to discontinue our certification.” That said, they pledge to continue all their organic practices. Webster mentioned another reality of managing or owning a CSA farm, or any farm for that matter, “Good food can only be grown with great effort. For many members this is a challenge in their modern busy lives.” He described the background of Upland Hills, “The CSA was started in 2009 by members of the Upland Hills community, including school parents, ecological awareness center members, and the Upland Hills farm. The

purpose is to promote gardens, garden awareness, garden education, and self-gardening in the context of a fully organic garden. Upland Hills Farm had long been promoting an urban understanding of what a farm is. The CSA seemed to be a natural extension of this. Our CSA model is different in that we don’t support a farmer. Our volunteer management team organizes all aspects of our farm. We are a community supporting a community.” Sandie Parrott is a freelance garden writer and blogger, living and chasing weeds in Oakland County, Michigan.

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

ith the looming threat of Asian carp poised to enter the Great Lakes, invasive species are, once again, a significant concern for Michigan residents and gardeners. From European starlings to zebra mussels to purple loosestrife, Michigan habitat has been struggling with exotic species for some time. Now, even property values are being affected by the apparently inexorable advance of another invasive exotic species: phragmites or common reed (Phragmites australis). This vigorous European grass (now defined as Phragmites australis subsp. australis) is thought to have been introduced to North America in the early 20th century in packing materials and ballast on European ships containing soil that was discharged in coastal marshes. It is related to the less robust Phragmites australis subsp. americanus, a native species that has been destroyed in some of its historic range, due in significant part to its more successful foreign relation. The exotic phragmites can advance as Cheryl M. much as 16 feet per year English through rhizomes (horizontal runners) that set down additional roots at regular intervals to a depth of up to six feet. The plant tolerates a broad range of habitats, from damp ground to up to three feet of standing water; it can also grow as a floating mat. The stems can grow to over 19 feet tall, the most vigorous growth occurring in areas with hot summers and fertile conditions. Although each adult plant can produce as many as 2,000 seeds per season, the plant does not spread as efficiently from seed as it does from its roots. In its original habitat, it is seldom invasive, often controlled through traditional grazing practices. Additionally, the plant generates toxins, directly and indirectly, that help it compete even more successfully with native species. Exotic phragmites is now encroaching on wetland and coastal habitats, crowding out native plant and animal species. It is also blocking views and restricting access for swimming, fishing and other resource utilization, as well as becoming a significant fire hazard from dry plant material. Fires in Auburn Hills in 2012 and on Harsens Island in 2013 both involved large stands of non-native phragmites. All in all, the plant’s spread not only raises the issue of habitat degradation,

This phragmites cutting was done in February to prepare for a controlled burn later that year. This stand will be cut again the following March. Photos by Linda Lapinski

Controlling phragmites

Phragmites stems can grow over 19 feet tall, with the most vigorous growth occurring in hot summers and fertile soil conditions. The young man in this photo is over 6 feet tall.

• Department of Environmental Quality (tinyurl.com/kmck3xl) • Midwest Invasive Species Information (tinyurl.com/owrredp) • Oakland Phragmites & Invasive Species Task Force (www.OPISTaskForce.org) but also a concern regarding declining property values, as desirable lake views and recreational activities are curtailed by its advance. Developing a viable method of control has been fraught with failure and contention, with prescriptions varying from cutting and applying herbicide, prescribed burns, or a combination of these two approaches. Because the roots are so deep, two seasons of burning seem to be necessary to check its progress. Ironically, the roots of exotic phragmites do not go as deep as some of our native plants, including big bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii), at 10 feet, or compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), whose roots can extend to over 15 feet into the soil. More resources are becoming available for property owners to deal with this issue, from government agencies to local nonprofits (see the sidebar “Controlling phragmites”). Although we may not be able to eradicate this plant from our landscape entirely, there are effective strategies to control it, thereby retaining the natural biodiversity and desirable property values for Michigan residents and homeowners.

This controlled burn was conducted in spring to remove the cut material and all dead plant material in order to encourage the plants to send up new growth, which will then be treated with herbicide in September. All old growth is removed so that less pesticide is used and new growth is successfully targeted.

Cheryl M. English owns Black Cat Pottery and gardens professionally in Detroit, MI. As an Advanced Master Gardener and Master Composter, she speaks on numerous gardening topics. Her typical urban lot has over 50 varieties of Clematis and almost 200 species of native plants. She opens her garden to the public twice a year at her Annual Spring/Summer Garden Tours. The 2014 dates: May 31 and August 16. The tours are free and no pre-registration is required. Contact Cheryl to speak at your next meeting or event: cenglish@blackcatpottery.com. Follow Cheryl’s blog at BlackCatPottery.com and follow along at Facebook.com/BlackCatPottery.

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

Acidity is nice but not essential Some varieties of some hydrangea species will develop blooms of a different color if the soil’s aluminum availability changes, which can happen as soil pH changes. For instance, ‘Nikko Blue’ mophead hydrangea (H. macrophylla) is one of these unstable varieties. Its flowers tend to be more blue in acid soil, and more pink in alkaline soil. Yet many other cultivars of mophead hydrangea, as well as most other hydrangea species, have flowers that are consistent in color in both acid and alkaline conditions. For those plants, blooms that are pink, violet, blue or white-aging-to-pink will be those colors regardless of the soil pH. continued from back cover Know what your hydrangea should look like to judge what it’s telling you about the site you gave it. Plant encyclopedias describe oakleaf hydrangea leaves as normally 8 to 12 inches long, deep army green in summer, and uniform in color everywhere on each leaf blade. If your oakleaf has leaves the size of your hand that are pale yellow green, scorched on the edges, or dark green only near the veins, determine which growing condition isn’t up to snuff and change it. If the shrub’s in hot afternoon sun, find it a cooler spot. If the soil is hot and dries quickly, cool and improve it with a loose organic mulch and more frequent water. Then watch for a difference in the next leaves the shrub produces.

Rich, organic soil One difference to keep your eye on is color. Healthy hydrangeas have dark green leaves and the blooms are rich and saturated. Although chemistry is the key to plant

Know what a healthy hydrangea looks like and watch to be sure yours measures up. In doing this, embrace every plant’s bottom line: Light and water are the foremost plant needs. So if your oakleaf has stunted leaves, check before anything else to verify the type and amount of light and moisture it’s receiving are what it needs. Too often, gardeners will break out the chemistry set and initiate a complex fertilizer program, having missed the simpler fact that the plant is not getting steady water. color, don’t reach for chemical fertilizers first if you see off-color. Don’t go looking for special “hydrangea food” or secret concoctions. Test your soil and correct significant deficiencies. Then, reach for organic matter such as compost, or organic fertilizers rich in carbon, such as seaweed, fish meal, cottonseed meal and manure. Apply these every spring and fall, along with mulch fine enough to break down in a year. Keep everything moist enough that it does break down, so that biological activity constantly releases tiny

Translating a hydrangea’s non-verbal messages We know by wordless signals that something is bothering a person: We’re quick to apologize to one who crosses her arms and lowers her brows. We ask, “What’s wrong?” of one who bites his nails and keeps looking over his shoulder. Here are some equally meaningful messages your hydrangeas may send: This signal: Tips killed in winter. May mean: It’s too cold here in winter. Or may mean: It changes temperature too suddenly here in fall. My tissues were still hardening off when they had to handle serious cold. This signal: Chlorotic foliage (pale between veins, stunted). May mean: There isn’t enough water.

Or may mean: The roots are damaged or confined. Or may mean: The soil’s deficient or very alkaline. Or may mean: It’s way too hot here. This signal: Leaves droop, new stems wilt, leaves wither and fall. May mean: It’s too dry and hot. And if steady water for a few days doesn’t correct it: The roots and crown have been damaged and are incapable of transporting sufficient water. This signal: Spotted, scorched and/or sickly foliage. Washed out flower color. May mean: It’s too hot. Or may mean: It’s too frosty here in spring.

If you’re in zone 5 or 6 and are growing a marginally hardy hydrangea that blooms on old wood (an oakleaf, or blue- or pink-flowered mophead or lacecap), plant it in a place you know is protected from winter cold. Then check the tip buds at the end of the shrub’s first winter on site and again mid-spring. If they are freeze dried or bitten off after winter (photo 1), plan to completely cover the plant for winter to trap ground heat around and over it and to exclude deer. If the buds survive winter (photo 2, a look inside a survivor bud and, photo 3, a look inside a bud killed by cold) to bud out (photo 4) but then blacken and die, find a frost-protected spot, perhaps partway up a hill where cold air drains past, or on the north side of the house where early morning sun won’t heat and dry frost-touched parts too early. Better that any frost dries and warms in an open situation under high-branched trees. amounts of all kinds of nutrients. This will suit hydrangeas. They are fortunate species accustomed to living easy every day in organic, rich, woodsy loam, so don’t treat them as junkies looking for a quick fix between sober spells.

Pruning: To separate what blooms on new wood vs. old wood That’s the end of essential hydrangea care. What about pruning? Cutting is never nec-

essary for a hydrangea. If the shrub’s healthy and a branch gets old or damaged, it’s simply replaced. People cause the need for pruning. We rarely give them the kind of space they need. Then, we have to prune and that means we have to keep one fact straight: Does the particular shrub bloom from new wood or from old wood that matured last year and before?

On new wood For those that flower on new wood—

MichiganGardener.com | June 2014 | Michigan Gardener

Panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata) appreciate some shade where it’s cooler on hot days and less cold in winter, and the temperatures change less drastically at sunset on a winter day. Yet if the site is too shady, as is the case in this photo, flowers will be fewer. Snowball hydrangea (H. arborescens) often suffers just because it’s so willing to grow wherever it’s put. It can handle full sun but its foliage pales and burns where it has no relief from high summer sun. It likes steadily moist soil but not soggy conditions, which weaken the whole plant and open the door to wilt, fungal disease, cane dieback, and stunted flowers.

Both hydrangea flowers and foliage have better color when the whole plant is healthy.

This panicle hydrangea was cut to bare stubs just a few inches above ground in spring, and by August it is five feet tall and sporting great blooms.

panicle and snowball hydrangeas (H. paniculata and H. arborescens): • Prune in late winter or early spring to shape plant, redirect growth, or obtain larger flowers. • Thinning the canes results in individual flowers that are larger in size. • Thin by removing whole, old (grayest) branches at ground level. • Remaining branches can also be shortened to reduce the number of buds. Shorten by removing 1/4 to 1/3 of the branch, cutting to just above a pair of buds.

• The first and biggest blooms come from tip buds at the top of the canes or on the farthest end of a climber’s horizontal side branches. • Prune in summer right after bloom so all wood that remains has time to set buds by fall. • Or thin the canes in spring to take out the oldest and weakest canes. Leave sturdy canes untouched—they will bloom. • If you must cut back hard on one of these hydrangeas, or if winter cold cuts it to the ground, or if winter kills the tips or spring frost nips the tips after growth begins, you will probably not see any bloom until the

Eric Hofley/Michigan Gardener

• You can cut these hydrangeas right to the ground in spring and the wood that develops will produce blooms that year.

On old wood For the other Michigan-hardy hydrangeas that flower on old wood—oakleaf, mophead, lacecap, and climbing hydrangeas (H. quercifolia, H. macrophylla, H. serrata, and H. anomala paniculata): • Buds set late in summer open the next spring into shoots that finish maturing and then produce flower buds that summer.

second growing season after the cut. You will see plenty of leafy growth. • A few mopheads will produce a secondary flush of flowers from new wood if the growing season is long enough. These two-flush plants are called “everblooming” but are unreliable in zone 5 where they often lose all the tips of old wood to cold or frost. All that might come then are smaller, fewer blooms very late in summer and these are often hidden by the leaves of older branches. continued on next page

Michigan Gardener | June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

continued from previous page

Special notes about the climbing hydrangea A climbing hydrangea blooms on lateral shoots—these are most often nearly horizontal side branches that extend like ladder rungs from the main stems that carry the plant up. If you prune to thin or reshape in spring, keep in mind that there will only be as much bloom as there are lateral branches. This vine can be a groundcover as well as a climber but when it’s relatively young it’s a good idea to clip off the branches that scramble along the ground. Their presence may be sending chemical signals to the rest of the plant that suppress the formation of blooming laterals. This is a self-clinging vine and you should allow it to cling. Its support system involves adhering to a sturdy upright surface rather than twining or lapping over other objects. It’s also very big. That means trellises are useless, destined to be swamped, warped, lifted skyward and otherwise made to look silly. You might grow the vine on a sturdy decorative post if you plan to clip the vine hard every year after bloom to keep it as a small tree. In all other cases, place it against a big vertical object. Allow the new wood to rest against a vertical surface so that natural motions

(swaying in the wind, jostling by birds) lightly abrade the young shoots. Then, aerial holdfasts will grow. Well-anchored branches are more likely to form the lateral side branches that bear blooms on the tips. This vine will cling to tree bark, stone, brick or wood. It will not strangle a large tree. Those who maintain historic buildings in Europe have noted that although such a vine can hasten the demise of a crumbling wall, it doesn’t damage sound brick or masonry and can actually protect a structure from the elements. Keep these facts in mind as you plan your planting for minimal interference with normal home repairs such as siding replacement, painting, fence repair, etc. It’s not impossible but it is a mighty chore to cut the vine back and work behind it, and the marks its holdfasts create do not erase easily. Editor’s note: Part 1 (“Choosing Hydrangea varieties”) appeared in the May issue of Michigan Gardener. If you missed it, go to MichiganGardener.com and read it online by clicking in the upper right corner. Janet Macunovich is a professional gardener and author of the books “Designing Your Gardens and Landscape” and “Caring for Perennials.” Read more from Janet on her website www.gardenatoz.com.

Above: Spring thinning of a hydrangea that blooms on old wood. Clip to the ground the oldest and weakest canes. Those that remain will bloom that year because their tip buds were not removed; they will become stouter than if they had continued to grow in congestion. The whole shrub remains shorter than if left alone because the oldest, tallest wood is continually removed. Below: The same hydrangea after pruning.

Pests and disease Even the healthiest plants may host insects or disease. When they do, they don’t need our help to contain the problem. Only weak plants require assistance. If any of these problems causes your hydrangea a serious setback, do treat the condition but be sure to also address the underlying issue: why was the plant so weak it needed your help? Botrytis • May affect flowers and new growth; very young shoots and petals rot. • Conducive conditions: Spring frost followed by dampness such as fog. • Remove affected parts. If rampant, apply fungicide to protect parts not yet affected. Leaf spots • Several fungi can infect the leaf causing brown or purple spots. Damage to the leaf is disfiguring but not debilitating. Chronic infection on weak plants may progress to more serious infections beginning on young wood. • Stressed plants are most susceptible. Improve growing conditions. Remove spotted leaves as seen and prune off infected wood to reduce sources of new infection. Mildew • White/gray powder-like fungus on leaves. Upper surface of leaf may become purplebrown as mildew develops below. • Omnipresent fungus that is not always

able to develop. Plants in hot, dry conditions most susceptible. • Remove leaves showing symptoms as they will not recover but must be regrown. Improved watering usually ends the susceptibility of foliage not yet involved. Hydrangea virus • Stunted growth and a dull, dark look to all plant parts. • Passed from parent plant in propagation, and perhaps by sucking insects. • Usually latent, with symptoms developing in dry conditions. • Remove and burn virus-infected plants. Black vine weevil • Most noticeable symptom begins at midsummer: notched leaf edges, especially on lowest foliage. • Other symptoms are less specific but most debilitating: root loss from weevil grubs’ feeding fall through spring. It can cause lack of vigor, chlorosis, stunted growth, poor flowering, wilting. • Climbing hydrangea grown against a heated building especially likely to be badly damaged. There a weevil population can flourish and grubs feed longer into fall. • Trap or kill adults as soon as feeding is noted. Kill new grubs in late summer by treating soil with chemical pesticides or biological control, predatory nematodes.

Left: Sure, mophead and lacecap hydrangeas have beautiful flowers. Right: But they aren’t worth the space in a garden where the winter cold or spring frost kills the buds. There, even the everblooming varieties produce blooms only late and low.

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| June 2014 | MichiganGardener.com

janet's journal

The Wonderful World of Hydrangeas Part 2 of 2: Caring for your hydrangeas It’s hard to find anyone who dislikes hydrangeas. The plants simply have no equal when it comes to summer color and texture. However, it’s not hard to find people who are confused about hydrangea care. It’s downright simple to find gardeners who are doing more work than necessary to grow these beauties. Why such discrepancy between what should be and what is? First, there’s human nature. When a living thing is very beautiful we feel there must be a catch to growing it. So we listen for secrets and of course we find them. Second, Mother Nature drew a line through the hydrangea clan, dividing a bunch of species that look pretty much the same to the average Janet gardener. Anyone wishMacunovich ing to prune these plants must keep track of which is which and prune differently based on which side of the line they fall. Combine the search for secrets with a dash of confusion about which species is which and what should be clear becomes a thick stew. This article has all you need to cut through the confusion and put contradictory directions behind you. From here on out, you will be able to do just that little bit needed to tend your hydrangeas without letting their care become a burden.

Many species, few site variations Let’s start with indisputable basics: Put a plant into conditions that match its native environment and it will be so strong and ca-

A person sees this abundance of bloom and beauty and thinks it takes a special something to produce it. Nope! This panicle hydrangea is just like most other hydrangeas, it is just naturally floriferous and easy as long as its basic needs are met. There are variations on care, discussed here, yet all care beyond watering and weeding is optional if the plants are well sited. pable that it takes care of itself. Everything is affected positively, from leaf size and flower color to the ability to produce natural antifungal and insecticidal chemicals. The plant not only looks good but can block or thwart pests that could otherwise proliferate. One of the greatest things about hydrangeas is that even though they hail from three different continents, most of them evolved to fill pretty similar sites. They come from partly shaded places protected from big temperature swings where the soil is loose, loamy, and moisture retentive yet well drained. Col-

lectors learned to look for wild hydrangeas in mature woods, especially in sun-dappled glades, clearings occupied by a brook, and the edges of woods that receive morning sun. If you’re gardening in a mature woods or can find or make a place like this in your landscape, you can grow most any hydrangea to enviable size and condition.

Remedy site problems, not symptoms You want easier gardening, right? Then if a hydrangea tells you its site is not right, fix the site problem. Don’t lock yourself into con-

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

tinual work by treating the symptoms. That is, move a leaf-spotted hydrangea to a place that’s cooler in summer and more protected from spring frost, rather than buying into preventive fungicide applications. Provide more water and shade to an oakleaf hydrangea with undersized leaves. Screen the wind or relocate a snowball hydrangea that wilts and has tattered foliage, and so on. continued on page 44