-just saying Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
to all my fellow master gardeners–sharing snowy photos for those who have headed south. gk
The blog Dashboard has a new look. Must be updating for 2018
Funny how things work. I was reading the article Naida gave a link to….I scroll down and see an article on the brown marmorated stink bug. I take a quick look at it…see that we don’t have to report it in our area any longer. Then I look up at the sliding door of my camper. I see 4 bugs. Yep you guessed it! They were the culprit I just read about…has the distictive black and white pattern along the abdomin area area and the striped white on antenane. For more information on these check out the site at : http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/managing_brown_marmorated_stink_bugs_in_homes
Great article from Michigan Master Gardner Facebook page
St. Mikes is looking for someone for spring and fall. For more information go to this site.
Click to access mces_garden_school_coordinator_with_submission_information.pdf
Jennie sent the follow photo for our blog along with this message
Time to repot! Remember the clivia seeds/seedlings Olga gave us the
last time she spoke to our group on propagation? I read that they bloom
better when pot-bound and mine had 3 flower stalks come up so far this
year. Must have been trying to tell me something but I didn’t get the
message until it popped the side off the ceramic pot. How about this
cut-away view of its fat roots!
Here’s a link that Jennie sent me to post on Kudzu…is it invasive or not?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/true-story-kudzu-vine-ate-south-180956325
Water Gardening
Today we welcomed Scott Bates from Grass Roots nursery to our Master Gardener meeting. He spoke to the group on water gardening. Below are a few note I made from his presentation. I thought those who could not attend might be interested in what he had to say. Oh, yes, I’ve added some of my general pond knowledge along the way as well. The photos are from my garden and pond.
Grass Roots nursery began in 1972 as a commercial landscape business and developed into water gardening later. When you visit you will see peacocks, chicken, tadpoles, frogs, and yes Koi. Koi are hardy in ponds 28” or deeper. Koi, butterfly koi and goldfish. Goldfish is really a general term. There are many varieties: Shubunkin, Commets, Fantail, Vailtail, and a few dozen more that will do well in a pond. Before you purchase though, make sure that they will survive the winters. Those mentioned typically survive with no problem. When I first put in a pond, about 15 years ago, I was surprised at how smart koi are. It doesn’t take long before they know that the figure standing along the pond probably has some food. They are so friendly that they’ll eat from your hand. Keep a healthy pond and you’ll have healthy fish. They will entertain you for hours while you watch then dance through the pond. Mesmerizing for sure they’ll put you in a trance. Good for the blood pressure I’m sure. The smaller fish will help out by eating mosquito larvae; although if they are smaller than the koi’s mouth, they may become food themselves. Small….but not too small. It’s best to do a bit of research. I’ve always purchase the food for mine from Scott’s business. I feed them differently…using a spring mix introducing them to food again after the winter and a fall mix to fatten them up for the hard winter. They mix their own blend for the seasons. It’s much easier to purchase premixed by them. You only need to feed them once or twice a week. Feeding daily will just create issues with keeping the pond clean. Let’s not pass up the use of tadpoles and frogs as well for cleaning the pond and of course entertainment
Beyond fish, we need a few more things for the pond. Barley bales are used to help keep the algae at bay. We also want some plant life. Good choices for the bog…shallow wet areas are tropical plants. Cannas, black major tarot, cattails, water iris, Louisianan iris, Hibiscus, and papyrus are great choices along with some tall grasses to make it look natural. He also introduced us to a butterfly plant…that he says smells like wet musty socks…but the monarch butterfly loves it. For water iris he suggest Blue flag iris which is a native, or lilac dream. The Louisiana iris blooms later in the season. For cannas, Scott suggested Bangle tiger, which grows 4-5 feet or Little Lady, a small canna growing 18-24 inches.
Inside the pond water lilies are the flower of choice. There are other like water hyacinth, or water lettuce. They may get out of control however. They make good compost if they get too invasive. Scott mentioned that the Hardy lilies do much better here in Michigan. These bloom in the daytime seem to survive our winters. The bloom lasts about 3 days. I have purchased the tropical lilies however. My findings is that the tropical bloomed more often in my pond and later in the day (which is good, because I worked during the day and could enjoy them when I came home). They also bloom above the water, and in purple…one of my garden colors. Whichever you choose, keep in mind, plant them in mud. There are pill shaped fertilizers that you can stick into the mud about once a month to help the blooms. Deadheading is important with these as well to keep blooms coming. We don’t want the energy to go to seed. Divide maybe once every two years. Of course tropical will be a larger investment, since we treat them like annual flowers. Most of us don’t have an area in the home to keep them during the winter. Remember a minimum of 6 hours of sun per day for good blooms. So place a pond where it will get at least that amount.
Let us not forget, the favorite of Monroe, the Lotus. Lotus need a lot of heat. Generally in May, June you may have one leaf in the mud. But, once the weather heats up, you will see the buds and blooms. He suggest that there are some dwarf varieties to use in the pond for better scale and proportion. The more sun you give it the better growth.
Here is a flyer on the Extravaganza and below is some information and a website to visit.
Join the Proven Winners staff at our Outdoor Living Extravaganza this spring at the beautiful Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township, MI. On Saturday, March 21st you can hear presentations on how to create low-maintenance gardens, new plant varieties, and how-to grow herbs. Then P Allen Smith will inspire all with his talk about ‘Sharing the Bounty’. This all day event includes a continental breakfast, a sit-down catered lunch and a take home gift bag that will come in useful all gardening season. Get ready for spring! Each ticket is $80 and you’ll leave with new ideas for your home and garden. Bring a friend, or treat a family member.
For more information visit our website at https://www.provenwinners.com/Outdoor-Living-Extravaganza-2015, or give us a call at (815) 895-8130.
monroecountymga 