From the Ground Up

Winter

Volume 4, Issue 4

2013

From the Ground Up A Gardening and Native Plants Quarterly

Colorado State University Extension-Pueblo County 701 Court Street · Suite C · Pueblo, CO 81003 · 719-583-6566 · coopext_pueblo@mail.colostate.edu WICKED WEEDS

THIS LITTLE WEED CAN BE A BIG TROUBLEMAKER

by Mary Jean Porter, Native Plant Master, 2009

Blue mustard (Chorispora tenella), also known as purple mustard, tenella mustard or cross flower, is a common alien from Southwest Asia that‘s invaded pastures, crop lands and waste ground in the U.S., where it‘s widely distributed. Blue mustard reduces yield and quality of annual crops such as winter wheat and perennial crops such as alfalfa. It is considered a noxious weed in many states, though not in Colorado.

A member of the Brassicaceae family, this mustard is the only species in the genus Chorispora – at least according to William Weber, author of Colorado Flora. Like other members of the family, it has a peppery juice, and can make the milk of dairy animals bad-tasting. It also has a rank smell – like sour dishcloths – leading to its nickname of "dishrag weed."

Blue mustard is a winter annual that germinates in the fall or early winter, produces a rosette of deeply lobed leaves that overwinters, and the plant resumes growth in the spring. Plants may grow from 12 to 18 inches tall and they bear blue or pinkish-purple flowers Drawing courtesy of at the top in early to mid-spring. Like other members http://www.efloras.org/. of the mustard family, this plant‘s flowers have four petals arranged in a cross shape. The Photo courtesy of Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS stems and leaves are covered with fine hairs.

Plants Database The beak-shaped fruits of Chorispora tenella set it apart from many other family members. Instead of splitting in half lengthwise, the silique of this plant splits crosswise in small two-seeded sections. This characteristic is noted in the genus name – from the Greek chori (separated) and spora (seed), which Weber says alludes to the torulose silique. A quick check of the glossary reveals torulose to mean "constricted at intervals."

Blue mustard is common in the plains to montane life zones, especially in fallow fields. Annual mustards like this one tend to grow in poor soils and their presence may indicate that a plant community is in poor condition. It‘s suggested that these areas be seeded with grass that will compete with the weeds.

INDEX Wicked Weeds 1 Fabulous Families 2 Seedling Tree Program 3 Deer Eating Habits 3 Walnut Tree Disease 4 Digging Deeper 5 Emerald Ash Borer 6 Lasagna Gardening 7-8

FCS Classes 8 Garden Walks 9 Perennial People 10 Yard & Garden Classes 11 Spring Seed Catalogs 11-12 Interesting Insects 13 Know Your Natives 14

FABULOUS FAMILIES

FAMILY SOLANACEAE: The Nightshade Family

by Marilynn Chambers, Colorado Master Gardener, 2000, and Native Plant Master, 2007

A diverse and economically important family, Solanaceae (nightshade), contains around 98 genera and 3,000 species. The plants are generally herbaceous and can be annuals, biennials or perennials. The leaves are mostly alternate and they, as well as the stem, can be hairy; the fruit is a berry or a dehiscent capsule (breaks open when dry); the ovary is superior. The bisexual, regular conical flowers consist of 5 united petals and sepals, a two-lobed stigma, and 5 stamens.

Capsicum (chili pepper and sweet pepper) and Solanum (potato, tomato and eggplant) are widely cultivated as food crops.

Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) is grown commercially and is economically valuable. A well-known ornamental is petunia.

The genus Physalis includes tomatillo, Chinese lantern and the weeds known as ground cherries (P. wrightii and P. virginiana).

Goji berries are found on wolfberry (Lycium barbarum or L. chinense).

Many of the plants in this family contain large amounts of alkaloids which are highly poisonous and hallucinogenic, and have been used in witchcraft in the past. Two of the most notable of the poisonous plants are deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and jimson weed (Datura stramonium). Solanine is found in the sprouts and green parts of potatoes and has poisoned many unaware individuals. On the plus side, atropine is used in opthomology to dilate the pupils of the eye and can reverse cholinergic poisoning, which occurs from exposure to some insecticides. Scopolamine is found in motion sickness remedies and to relieve the nausea caused by chemotherapy. Many of these alkaloids are also found in homeopathic medicines where they are diluted to the point of being harmless. Capsaicin, which provides the heat in chili peppers, is also used as topical relief of pain and Drawing courtesy of Thomas J. Elpel, Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification is the active ingredient in pepper spray. Nicotine, another toxic alkaloid, has been used for years as an insecticide but is no longer recommended.

A number of blights, wilts and fungal diseases plague some members of this family. The best known is late blight (Phytophthora infestans), the cause of the Irish potato famine in the 1800s and which is still around today – a good reason to plant certified seed potatoes. Common pests are Colorado potato beetle, tomato horn worm and flea beetle.

Garden Tip: Photoperiod Flowering in many plants is triggered by the number of hours of darkness the plant experiences. In the garden, we recognize that mums are short-day plants that bloom as the nights get longer in the fall. Spinach and onions bloom as the days lengthen in the spring and are called long-day plants. Some plants don‘t care and other factors trigger their bloom period. These plants are called day-neutral.

Holiday plants such as poinsettias and Christmas cactus are short-day plants that we must grow as houseplants, since the days get too cold before the nights are long enough to trigger bud set. In the home, these short-day plants will bloom annually, but are most successful if they are placed in a room where artificial light does not interrupt the long night requirement. In many homes, this may mean putting your plant in the closet or covering the plant with a waste basket for 12+ hours per day (but don‘t forget that it still needs sun for the remainder of the day).

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Seedling Tree Program Applications Now Available CSU Extension – Pueblo County has applications available for the 2014 Seedling Tree Program offered in cooperation with the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Nursery.

Bare root trees are available in multiples of 25 per species. Potted trees are available in multiples of 30 per species. More information can be obtained on the web at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/Pueblo/nat/seedling.shtml or by contacting CSU Extension–Pueblo County at 583-6566.

Photo courtesy of CSFS

Conditions apply: Nursery stock must not be used in ornamental or landscaping plantings.

No plant purchased from the CSFS may be resold. The previous condition that buyers own at least 2 acres of land has been changed. All homeowners and landowners can purchase seedling trees, regardless of the size of your lot.

Thinking About Why Deer Eat What Deer Eat by Michael Fisher, Pueblo County Extension Director Throughout my Extension career, I‘ve learned that there are certain questions that become a routine part of the year‘s cycle. Some of these annual questions are easy to answer. Other questions are not so definitive, like the famous, ―How do I keep deer out of my landscape?‖ Outside of a tall fence, policing deer from your property can be difficult. Additionally, many of us enjoy seeing the deer; we just don‘t want them eating our hard work. I believe it is important to consider why and how deer eat before you start asking how to get rid of them. It could be that you have unwittingly invited them in through your plant selection.

Deer fall into the category of animals known as ruminants. This means that they have a stomach that has four different compartments, similar to a cow. Instead of using acid, the ruminant stomach relies on microorganisms and fermentation to break down feed. This allows ruminant animals to digest fibrous materials. At this point, many of you are wondering why deer don‘t just eat grass like a cow does. The more efficient a ruminant species is at breaking down cellulose, the more it can rely on cellulosic carbohydrates in its diet. Cows are very efficient at cellulose digestion, thus they can readily rely on Photo courtesy of M. Fisher mature grass.

While deer can break down cellulose, they are not nearly as efficient as the cow, so they tend to rely more on plant material that is higher in protein and sugars such as leaves, new growth that is tender, forbs, blooms, fruits, & nuts. Along with this tendency, deer have evolved with a mouth designed for meeting this diet. It is a small mouth at the point of the face which can reach into foliage and select specific parts of the plant. Unlike the cow, deer have prehensile lips that can flex and grab the ―tastiest & most tender‖ forages.

Scientists call this kind of grazer a concentrate selector, because of its ability to select those plant parts with the highest concentrations of nutritive qualities. In essence, deer can ―cherry pick‖ the best of the plant.

Often, they may create more damage by trampling than grazing.

Understanding why the deer eats what it does can help you to design a less inviting garden or landscape. Plants that are high in cellulose and lignin are not as welcomed in the deer‘s diet. Foliage that has rough leaves is less desirable to concentrate selectors. Also, those plants that protect blooms and fruits with thorns can be a deterrent to deer. When you have deer problems, determine what damage is from grazing versus trampling. This can help you decide what the deer like and may offer you insight into what types of plants to avoid using.

If you need any special accommodation(s) to participate in any Colorado State University Extension event, please contact CSU Extension-Pueblo County at 719-583-6566. Your request must be submitted at least five (5) business days in advance of the event. Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pueblo County cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.

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Colorado State Forest Service Monitoring for Walnut Tree Disease in Southeast Colorado

by Ryan Lockwood, Colorado State Forest Service

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is in the process of monitoring the state‘s black walnut trees for Thousand Cankers Disease – a relatively new disease to the state that is lethal to infested trees. After being introduced to Colorado in recent years, the disease has already caused significant tree mortality in many of the state‘s urban forests, primarily along the Front Range from Fort Collins to Pueblo.

As part of its monitoring efforts, CSFS foresters travelled through many communities in southeast Colorado this fall to record the presence of black walnut trees and determine their current condition. Donna Davis, District Forester for the CSFS La Junta District, reports that Thousand Cankers Disease has already shown up in some parts of southeast Colorado, including Crowley and Otero counties. ―We are locating black walnut trees in our communities and looking at the crowns for any signs of Thousand Cankers Disease potential. These data will help identify general statewide trends and enhance future monitoring efforts for our state,‖ Davis said.

Thousand Cankers Disease is caused by a fungus carried by the tiny walnut twig beetle. Once the fungus is introduced to a tree, it causes small dead areas in the bark called cankers. Trees are eventually killed by overwhelming attacks of walnut twig beetles and subsequent cankers that girdle branches.

Currently, there are no effective methods for saving trees with thousand cankers disease and many states east of Colorado already have quarantines prohibiting the movement of walnut material, including logs intended for woodworking.

Landowners with black walnut trees should inspect them regularly for symptoms including sparse foliage, leaf yellowing or wilting, branch dieback and excessive staining of the bark surface. Any suspect trees should be reported to the CSFS. All Colorado residents can help minimize the spread of this and other tree diseases by not moving potentially infested wood, including logs, firewood, lumber and wood chips.

For more information about Thousand Cankers Disease, go to http://csfs.colostate.edu/pdfs/113144_CSFS-1000Cankers_www.pdf.

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DIGGING DEEPER

BUGS RULE! AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF INSECTS Authors: Whitney Cranshaw & Richard Redak Reviewed by Georgianna Lipich, Colorado Master Gardener 2007

Those of you who have had the privilege of attending one of Dr. Whitney Cranshaw‘s classes know that he makes insects interesting and fun. Whether you have taken one of Whitney‘s classes or not, you are definitely in for a treat with his new comprehensive, down-to-earth book about the world of insects and their importance to humans and the environment.

Whitney and co-author Richard Redak have long taught the type of introductory courses for non-science majors that this text supports. I found myself wanting to read every single word and stopping to enjoy the fascinating photos that abound throughout. Standing out on the contents pages were chapters entitled ―Oldies but Goodies‖, ―Roach Cities & Assassin Cousins‖, ―Lousy Nitpickers‖ and ―Life on an All-Fluid Diet‖.

I could tell immediately that the book was infused with Whitney‘s wry humor.

For those Latin-challenged souls (Who? Me?), this book makes entomology easy and fun. Things that make this book stand out from most other entomology textbooks are the questions that few care to raise. Topics I found fascinating, such as ―Do insects sleep?‖ and ―Do insects feel pain?‖, are covered even though there seems to be much debate about these issues.

It‘s difficult to be bored with a book when you‘re reading that male scorpionflies, while attempting to woo females, will steal a dead insect from a spider web? (Of course, if they fail in their quest, they may just give her some saliva! Men!) Most entomology texts belong in a classroom, but this one has earned a place on my coffee table. It‘s well written, chock full of information, and teeming with fascinating photos and illustrations. I‘m really looking forward to sharing it with my grandchildren, and it has become my go-to ―bug book‖.

Bugs Rule! An Introduction to the World of Insects gets a thumbs up from this reader! A big thank you goes to Whitney Cranshaw and Richard Redak for sharing their research, extensive knowledge and engaging humor.

Editor‘s note: Dr. Cranshaw will be teaching an Interesting Insects class for CSU Extension/Pueblo County on Saturday, April 26, 2014. He will be selling signed copies of Bugs Rule! at that class. You can purchase copies at local bookstores or order paper or electronic versions from Amazon.

Garden Tip: Winter Lawn Irrigation Water is critical to winter survival of all plants in southeastern Colorado. Turf grasses, especially cool-season lawns that have been heavily irrigated all summer, need regular winter irrigation to maintain moisture levels in the aboveground tissues and the all important roots. CSU Extension has traditionally recommended monthly watering, but you may need to get the hoses and sprinklers out more often if we have another dry, windy winter. Remember to irrigate when the daytime temperature is above 40 degrees, allow enough time for water to soak in (stop irrigating about 2 p.m.), and unhook the hose at the end of the day. For more information, see CSU Extension Fact Sheet 7.211: Fall and Winter Watering at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07211.pdf.

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Information from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and USDA APHIS

Recommendations for Colorado homeowners and tree care services are being developed and will be available prior to the 2014 growing season. Contact your local CSU Extension office for the most up to date information.

Garden Tip: De-icing Products Products used to melt ice on pavement are salts. Unfortunately, salt can damage plant tissues, even dormant tissues. The best way to protect your plants is to clear as much snow and ice off the pavement before applying products, use kitty litter or sand for traction, avoid shoveling snow with de-icing products onto plants, and leach areas around pavement with clear water when the weather warms again. For more information, see a recent posting on the Horticulture Agents and Specialists blog at http://csuhort.blogspot.com/2013/12/is-there-safe-deicing-product-for.html.

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Lasagna Garden or Garden Lasagna?

by Greg Nolan, Colorado Master Gardener, 2009, and Native Plant Master, 2011

Sooooo, we had our quarterly meeting to discuss articles and themes for this current issue of From The Ground Up. I was asked to do an article on lasagna gardening; of course being asked to do an article on garden lasagna sounded wonderful to me. Immediately visions of a bistro, a beautiful garden, the scent of roses, hot lasagna, a garden salad, roasted garlic, French bread and a bottle of Chianti stole my thoughts away.

I said yes, thinking I would need plenty of practice before writing an article. As I drifted, I didn‘t hear another word the rest of the meeting.

Like any good reporter might do while researching an article, I turned to the internet; keywords garden and lasagna. After getting a gazillion hits on lasagna gardening and reading a couple articles, the smells of fresh lasagna, French bread, and roses quickly sublimated into misty tears; I had been duped or maybe I just didn‘t hear anything the rest of the meeting. Garden lasagna; stick a fork in it.

Lasagna gardening is a method of layering biodegradable materials in such a way that they degrade into compost. As these materials break down into compost, they provide the garden plants with warmth and nutrients. It is a no dig method that does not require materials to be turned into the soil.

Basic nutrition for a plant requires carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The layers of lasagna gardening incorporate a layer of nitrogen rich organics with a layer of carbon rich organics, loosely assembled creating space for oxygen to penetrate the layers. Nitrogen rich organics is green dead stuff such as grass clippings, vegetable and fruit food waste from the kitchen, coffee grounds, fresh hay, and manure. You might think of nitrogen rich organics as stuff that stinks or soon will. Carbon rich organics is dry dead stuff such as leaves, straw, paper and cardboard, house waste, saw dust, sticks, twigs, and wood chips.

There are as many ways to layer these materials as there are recipes for lasagna, just think carbon layer then nitrogen layer and you will be good to go. Also, add about twice as much carbon material compared to nitrogen material. Some people start their lasagna garden with a thick layer of carbon rich paper or cardboard, which smothers weeds or grass. On top of that they may add nitrogen rich kitchen waste, and then add a carbon rich dry straw, then half as much nitrogen rich green hay and they keep One example of lasagna gardening. Start building layers; twice as much carbon materials with cardboard, then layer green and brown compared to nitrogen materials. On top of this they materials. Cover with straw, allow to compost. Plant in the spring. add a few inches of soil to plant in. The layers Remember that composting requires really depend on the person and what they have moisture. You can speed the process by available. As long as the materials break down a covering lasagna with black plastic for 6 weeks in February-March. Drawings from person should be in business. A person can plant http://www.homegrownfoodcolorado.org/ immediately after assembly or assemble in fall and winter and plant in spring.

So on Halloween, I started my lasagna with an empty raised bed container thinking it resembled a lasagna pan. Ingredients I had on hand this fall were leaves, grass clippings, fertilizer, boxes and a shovel. I made a quick trip to the lasagna supply store and picked up some mushroom compost and starter soil.

I started by turning some shredded leaves and grass clippings into the existing rock hard clay soil.

Most lasagna gardeners do not turn the soil. Knowing I had much more carbon materials (leaves) compared to nitrogen materials (grass), I added a layer of slow release nitrogen fertilizer. I then added a layer of carbon rich cardboard, then nitrogen rich grass clippings, and then twice as much carbon producing dry leaves, then half as much nitrogen producing green grass clippings, then a double layer of leaves. On top of this I added a layer of top soil and mushroom compost to plant in. So, as the Great Lasagna rose up in my garden on Halloween, in a few minutes I was done and my raised bed was full and ready to rock and grow.

Continued on page 8

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Lasagna Gardening continued from page 7

Well, like a kid with a new toy, I couldn‘t wait until spring. In order to utilize the raised bed immediately and have something to do this winter, I planted garlic cloves two inches deep into the soil, six inches apart and added a six-inch layer of loose leaves and straw on top. I then laid down tomato cages to hold the straw and leaves down. As I did this, it occurred to me that lasagna gardening is similar to straw bale gardening. Both methods depend on the slow breakdown of raw materials into compost. As the materials break down, they provide warmth and nutrients for the plants. The primary difference is nitrogen fertilizer is added to the carbon rich straw bales which start the breakdown. In the lasagna garden a nitrogen rich green layer is added to the carbon layer to start the breakdown.

Lasagna gardening does many things for me. It utilizes my yard waste, kitchen waste, paper and cardboard waste, all of which is free and otherwise ends up in a landfill. I can also slowly build up the layers through the year for a garden next year. I also like the concept of not needing a compost bin to utilize house and garden waste. I like to think lasagna gardening up-cycles most of my house and yard waste into food. So, perhaps next summer I will still get lasagna in my garden with a nice bottle of Chianti, fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and the scent of roses. I can stick a fork in that.

Editor‘s Note: Greg reported on December 11 that his garlic was badly damaged by cold temperatures and the recent tumbleweed storms experienced in Pueblo West. He plans to keep trying, though.

For information on calculating the amount of materials needed to fill a raised bed, see the article No Dig Bed Materials at http://www.homegrownfoodcolorado.org/pdfs/Materials_for_Your_No_Dig_Bed.pdf.

Paper copies of this reference are available at the CSU Extension-Pueblo County office upon request.

Family and Consumer Science Classes Rock Around the “Crock”

Dining with Diabetes

Learn to prepare safe, nutritious meals in your slow cooker with this class offered by CSU ExtensionPueblo County. Recipes for drinks to desserts as well as food preparation and cooking skills demonstrations will be presented on Monday, January 13, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Class fee $10.00. Registration is required by Jan 6.

Have you recently been diagnosed with diabetes? Are you having trouble managing your diabetic diet? Are you preparing food for someone with diabetes? Colorado State University Extension‘s four-class series will help you learn simple changes you can make to improve your diet.

Dining with Diabetes will meet January 23, 30, February 6, 13, 2014 from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. The cost to participants is $20.00 (Discount for couples, $30.00 per couple) for all four classes!

The four-week series covers topics about how diabetes affects your health, how to make healthy food choices, and tasting new recipes. The Dining with Diabetes series will help you to assess your dinner plate for potential diabetic disaster.

Registration is required by Jan 16.

Space is limited. To register, mail or bring payment (cash or check payable to Extension Program Fund) to CSU Extension at 701 Court Street, Suite C, Pueblo, CO 81003. Please contact CSU Extension at 583-6566 for more information.

Garden Tip: Colorado Gardening Visit the CSU Extension website for gardening information written for Colorado by gardeners who live and work in the state. From the http://www.ext.colostate.edu/, you can access fact sheets, CMG GardenNotes, YouTube videos, webinars, insect descriptions and control recommendations, greenhouse resources, and much, much more.

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Garden Tip: Common Houseplant Insect Problems Mealybugs, Aphids and Spider Mites are three of the most prevalent insects that I have to deal with when I move tender perennials indoors for the winter. All thrive in warm, low humidity conditions, like those found in Colorado houses in winter. There are both organic and chemical ways to control these pests, but they can be tenacious.

See Fact Sheet no. 5.595 for more information about keeping these insects in check: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05595.html GARDEN WALKS

HABITAT HERO AWARD FOR LOCAL DEMO GARDEN

by Linda McMulkin, Horticulture Coordinator, CSU Extension-Pueblo County

Congratulations to the Demonstration Xeriscape Garden at the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SECWCD) for being named one of the 2013 Habitat Hero Gardens. The Habitat Hero award recognizes gardens whose design, plant selection, and maintenance practices encourage and support arthropods, birds, and a wide range of pollinators.

This is the inaugural year for the Habitat Hero award and the SECWCD garden was one of only 12 chosen in Colorado and Wyoming. Each garden was evaluated for the following characteristics:  provide layers, shelter and nesting opportunities,  offer natural food sources (emphasizing native and regionally adapted plants),  supply fresh water for drinking and bathing,  be water-wise and energy-efficient,  rely on no or minimal pesticide use, including control of invasive species.

Elizabeth Catt, SECWCD garden manager, reports that while the garden was originally designed to inspire humans to develop water wise gardens, the three-acre site has become home to a wide range of animals, ranging from earthworms below the ground to hawks soaring overhead. Liz reports that the pea gravel mulch provides a surprisingly favorable environment for earthworms and a multitude of insects that live in the soil.

These soil organisms help improve the growing conditions for the water wise plants, which draw a multitude of other animals to the garden.

Hummingbirds, various bees, sphinx moths, and many varieties of butterflies can be observed feeding on nectar and moving pollen in the garden. Plants needed for the development of insect larvae are provided.

The garden is home to all levels of the food chain. Plants provide food for the larvae and adults of many insect species and a wide variety of plant eating animals such as rabbits and rodents. The plant eaters are hunted by carnivores such as toads, snakes, lizards, coyotes, foxes, hawks and owls. Liz reports that she often finds evidence (scat and carcasses) of large predators in the garden and is happy to see proof that those animals are helping keep the garden population in balance.

Evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs provide cover and nesting sites for finches, sparrows, juncos, flickers, orioles, doves and curved billed thrashers. Bird feeders provide supplemental food yearround and seasonal feeders are set up to attract migrating bird species. Native plants are allowed to seed themselves, providing food for birds and small mammals. Fresh water supplies can be found in bird baths and ground-level trays placed around the property. Liz reports that pesticides are rarely used, protecting the organisms that make up the food chain that, in turn, control the garden‘s problems.

The garden is open to the public (and the animals) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is located near the Pueblo Airport, at 31717 United Avenue. Learn more at these links:  http://www.secwcdxeriscape.org/  http://plantselect.org/2013/11/meet-the-2013-habitat-hero-gardens/ 9

PERENNIAL PEOPLE

PERENNIAL FAVORITES, OWNERS MERRILEE AND DIANNA

by Mary Ellen Donley, CMG, 2006, and Martha Freeman, CMG 2011

Merrilee and Dianna moved to Colorado in the early 1980‘s with an interest in gardening and a dream of starting a business centered on gardening. They purchased their property near Rye, Colorado primarily due to the natural spring and location, with initial plans to raise and sell vegetables.

They soon realized that, due to the high elevation in Rye, vegetables would not be easy to grow successfully. Deciding that flowers might be the route to go they met with the then-owner of Campbell‘s Flowers, Jim Campbell, regarding growing annuals. He had the market in this area so they decided they would try something different. Merrilee‘s brother owned a landscaping business in Colorado Springs and suggested they look into growing and selling ground covers and sedums.

Dianna began researching more on this and read an article by Panayoti Kelaidis from Denver Botanic Gardens. He spoke of plants native to other countries that grow well in Colorado‘s climate. They wrote him with questions of how to obtain seeds. He was very supportive of their endeavor and suggested they also get in touch with the Rock Garden Society. From this point, Perennial Favorites began. Dianna began learning seed propagation and they began growing in 1986-87. During the early years, they took their plants to sell at the twice-weekly farmers‘ market at Mineral Palace Park.

Popularity of their plants took off and they started a mailing list which has now grown to over 2500 names. They have expanded the list of plants they grow, adding more drought tolerant species to the list of winter hardy plants. Lately, Dianna has become particularly interested in trees.

Perennial Favorites now sells from their own property near Rye and is open from May 1 thru June, closed in July and then reopen for the fall sale in August and September. They employ up to five employees at Perennial Favorites their busiest time. Winter months are busy with inventory, ordering is closed for the season, but Merilee seeds, doing repairs, going over accounts and managing their website. and Dianna are Experience by trial and error has taught them to manage their busy preparing for business. They attend trade shows and conferences where they meet with 2014. Photos by M. Donley. many other vendors in the business. Through the years they have made many friends, sharing and gaining knowledge with each other. They practice organic gardening and do not use herbicides or pesticides, opting for natural remedies to the problems.

It has taken many years of hard work and patience starting with traveling to a farmer‘s market to being known statewide for their knowledge and expertise of perennial plants that are specialized for this area.

Marketing on the internet is the primary source of advertising along with their mailing list of faithful customers. You can find their catalog, blog, hours, and directions at http://www.pfplants.com/.

A trip to their business in the spring is always delightful and well worth the drive. Merrilee and Dianna are always pleasant and eager to share their knowledge.

Garden Tip: Upgrade your Botany in a Day If you currently own a black and white copy of Botany in a Day, you can upgrade to the color version by tearing out the title page and sending it to the author, Thomas J. Elpel.

The author‘s website explains, ―This is how it works: Tear out the Title Page from any previous edition of Tom's books, and mail it to us with a check for $18 + Priority Mail postage ($5 + $1 per item). We'll send you the latest edition of the same book. Please make your check out HOPS Press, LLC and mail it to us at HOPS Press, LLC, PO Box 697, Pony, Mt, 59747‖. For more information, visit the website at http://www.hopspress.com/ 10

While the garden sleeps, gardeners can improve their skills by attending CSU Extension/Pueblo County gardening classes and educational events!

2014 Yard and Garden Classes Genetics and Propagation for Seed Savers, Saturday, January 18, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Managing Weeds, Tuesday, February 18, 6-9 p.m.

Growing Vegetables, Tuesday, March 25, 6-9 p.m.

Interesting Insects, Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Going Natives, May 3, 6-9 p.m.

For more information, please call 719-583-6566 or visit our website at http://pueblo.colostate.edu.

To register for classes, please stop by our office or mail in your check.

Tuition ranges from $15.00 per person for 3-hour classes to $25 for the full-day Interesting Insects class. Cash or check only.

Discounts are available for couples sharing materials.

Registration closes one week prior to a class.

We require a minimum of 10 paid participants to hold a class, otherwise it will be cancelled.

Additional Education Events (call for more information) Pueblo Home and Garden Show (talk to CSU Extension staff and volunteers), March 8-9, 2014 Western Landscape Symposium, March 15, 2014 Xeriscape Design Class taught by Pueblo West Xeriscape Gardeners, March 22, 2014

Spring Seed Catalogs: Should You Choose Open-Pollinated?

by Ed Roland, Native Plant Master, 2009, and Colorado Native Plant Society –SE Chapter President

When we peruse the inevitable seed catalogs destined for our mailboxes early next year, we‘ll be faced with a bewildering array of choices.

Open-pollinated varieties, often labeled ‗heirlooms‘, vs. hybrids is perhaps the most important of those choices. For example, the 2013 Jung Seeds and Plants Catalog has a special section labeled ‗Heirloom Tomatoes‘. Other seed catalogs list heirlooms seemingly at random, but always with bold print or an exclamation point to identify them. Heirloom and open-pollinated (OP) varieties are usually described as better tasting, more tried-and-true alternatives to hybrids for everything from tomatoes to radishes.

Colorado gardeners face one of the most challenging growing environments in the country, with our hot, dry winds and even dryer, nutritionally poor soils.

Should we choose OPs and heirlooms over hybrids? As with many answers to gardening questions, it depends.

First, a couple of definitions: open-pollinated varieties are just what they say. They can be self-pollinated species (like peas and most tomatoes), or crosspollinated (cucurbits like squash and brassicas like Brussel sprouts). But unlike hybrids, they are varieties that have been allowed to develop within their own natural pollination systems. Heirlooms are simply OPs that have been around for a long time…in most references, about 40 or 50 years.

In contrast to OPs, hybrids in the seed business are the result of purposeful human intervention in the reproductive process. This usually involves controlled pollination and a corresponding restriction of natural pollination (bees, butterflies and even the wind). Hybrids are often described as the ‗latest and greatest‘ vs. the ‗old reliable‘ OPs. What to believe? What to choose? Here are some key points to consider: Continued on page 12

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Spring Seed Catalogs continued from page 11

All varieties in the big seed catalogs are bred to perform in multiple growing environments. The popular hybrid, ‗Early Girl‘, is popular because it‘s an early, good-tasting tomato almost everywhere it‘s grown.

It even grows reasonable well in Colorado.  OPs are offered on the same basis, i.e., they may not be the best OP variety for your area, but they generally do reasonably well over a wide swath of the U.S. The Brandywine, for example, is an excellent tasting tomato that does reasonably well almost anywhere if the growing season is long enough. But, keep in mind that OPs, and especially heirloom OPs, were often developed from ‗landraces‘. These are varieties that developed through natural, evolutionary pressures to survive and do well in a specific, local environment.  Logically, OPs developed from landraces in hot, dry locations like the Colorado foothills and prairies are likely to be plants with early-to-mid maturity, thicker stems (to stand up to the wind), decent fruit production in poor soils (with the help of a bit of time-release fertilizer), and resistance to diseases (like early blight) that spread in hot, dry environments, etc.  Some OPs are ‗improved‘. They‘re really genetically-stable progeny (usually developed by backcrossing) that maintain the essential characteristics of the original heirloom, but with some improvements. One example is the Brandywine OTV tomato, which is an intermediate beefsteak type that sets fruit in 72 days vs. the 90 to 100 days of the original heirloom, according to Jung‘s. See the Brandywine OTV at http://store.tomatofest.com.  Hybrids often have a ‗heterosis‘ advantage. This is the increased productivity and vigor that, for reasons not completely understood by geneticists, comes from the crossing of different varieties—or even species—to produce a completely new variety. However, hybrids only have this advantage if their primary means of reproduction is cross-pollination. Tomatoes, for example, are almost all ‗selfers‘, as are peas and many other common garden vegetables. And, even for the ‗crossers‘ the effect can be minimal or nonexistent. It depends on the vegetable.  If you save seed from year to year, OPs may be the only way to go. As noted, hybrids are the result of purposeful crosses, so for reasons of basic genetics, their seeds will revert back to combinations of characteristics of the parent plants, not the hybrid you want. If you find that year after year a hybrid does really well in your garden, you might decide to ‗dehybridize‘ it to create your own, often better, OP variety. This can take several growing seasons, but some organic farmers and serious gardeners have found it to be worth the effort.

So, while you have to answer the ‗OP vs. hybrid‘ question for each specific vegetable, think the weight of the evidence should lead most of us to choose the OP over the hybrid whenever possible. This is especially true if we want to save seed from year to year and if we‘re concerned about the future quality of the vegetables we grow.

Many hybrids offered in seed catalogs are the same, or very similar to, varieties developed for big agriculture. The primary focus is not on quality characteristics such as flavor, but on factors like delayed (gasassisted) ripening, and how well they hold up to mechanical picking and shipping over long distances. So, they‘re often the vegetables you‘ll find at your local supermarket.

As pointed out by the folks at Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org), ―While hybrids have their benefits, choosing open-pollinated varieties conserves the genetic diversity of garden vegetables and prevents the loss of unique varieties in the face of dwindling agricultural biodiversity‖.

There‘s also an opportunity that comes with OPs. It‘s the opportunity to breed new, better tasting, more productive varieties adapted to our specific Colorado environment. If and when it‘s developed, we probably won‘t find that tomato in the seed catalogs. 

Editor‘s note: Ed will share his knowledge of home plant breeding, including hybridizing and dehybridizing, on Saturday, January 18, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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INTERESTING INSECTS

A NEW FRUIT FLY IS IN TOWN AND FRUIT MUST BEWARE

by Elizabeth Catt, Horticulture Assistant, CSU Extension-Pueblo County

There‘s a new bug in town and she is a fruit wrecking wench. Drosophila suzukii, aka SWD (Spotted Wing Drosophila) is native to Japan but now found in several states from coast to coast. They are closely related to those pesky little fruit flies you might find in your house periodically.

The males have a dark spot towards the end of their wing tips easily seen with a hand lens. The females lay eggs on fruit just as it is beginning to ripen. Unlike many other Drosophila species, SWD lays her eggs just under the skin of soft fruits with a toothed ovipositor. Within three days, depending on temperatures, eggs hatch and small maggot-like larvae begin feeding on the INSIDE of the fruit. At first glance fruit may appear beautifully ripe but will quickly become mushy and collapse. A single female can lay up to 60 eggs a day and from 200 to 600 in her lifespan! A total life cycle can be completed (egg to egg layer) in as little as one to two weeks. These little flies, like most Drosophila species, are very rapid reproducers.

We have positively identified Drosophila suzukii in Pueblo County, and anyone growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, blueberries, Fruit with adults (above) and larvae in the flesh of berries. apples, pears, or even tomatoes should be aware of These tiny insects with the their presence. They are more prone to laying eggs on ability to reproduce rapidly can softer skinned fruits such as berries, but will lay eggs quickly damage the ripening fruit of many crops, on apples, grapes or tomatoes if the skin is already especially berries. broken.

Photos courtesy of Hannah The first line of defense is to monitor closely Burrack, North Carolina State University your fruit growing beds by placing traps before fruit Bugwood.org begins to ripen. There are many recipes for trap lures including yeast/sugar/water or cider vinegar/wine based mixtures, easily made from frequently found items in most kitchens. You will find recipes for traps and instructions in almost all literature about SWD. Early trapping helps to identify the presence of this fruit invader.

If you have a small bed of raspberries, strawberries etc., placing floating row covers completely around them before SWD appears will help to exclude them and their damage.

If you find you have been infested, remove all ripe and semi-ripe fruit (on the plants and on the ground), place in zip lock type plastic bags, and toss in the garbage. Then begin a spraying regime following the insecticide directions carefully, particularly if you harvest any fruit after spraying.

Lastly, practice good sanitation and be sure to clean around your fruit plants very thoroughly at the end of the season leaving nothing to help SWD over season in your garden.

Because the pest is new to Colorado, management guidelines are still being developed. In the meantime, here are a few links to information on Drosophila suzukii from other organizations:  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/EXOTIC/drosophila.html  http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/20883/em9026.pdf  http://extension.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/news/spotted-wing-drosophila-drosophila-suzukii  http://utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/htm/fruits/fruit-insect-disease/spotted-wing-drosophila

Subscribe to this quarterly horticulture newsletter by contacting Carolyn at 583-6574. Available in paper and electronic formats.

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KNOW YOUR NATIVES

WINTERFAT

by Orla O‘Callaghan, Colorado Master Gardener, 2005, and Native Plant Master, 2007

Winterfat is that plant you see out on the plains in the fall that catches your eye for its beautiful white seed heeds. You probably think to yourself what a beautiful sage, but what you are so captivated by is likely winterfat. I hope that after you read more about winterfat, that you will agree that it is a beautiful low maintenance xeric native plant that should be utilized more in our gardens.

Winterfat, is a member of the Chenopodiaceae or Goosefoot family. The family is so named because some of its members have leaves shaped like a goose‘s foot. Chenopodiaceae family members you may know are saltbush, Russian thistle, kochia, beets, Swiss chard and spinach. Winterfat, the plant‘s common name, refers to the plant‘s value as winter forage for livestock and wildlife, such as rodents, rabbits, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep and deer. Other common names are white or winter sage. Winterfat has several scientific names, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Ceratoides lanata, and in the past Eurotia lanata. Lanata means "wooly" and describes the plant‘s hairy branches, leaves and fruits.

Winterfat is found throughout the arid west of the U.S. and Canada, below 10,000‘. In Colorado it is found on dry open slopes of the foothills, sandy plains, alkali flats, and gravelly ditches or benches in the lower river Winterfat seed head and valleys between 4,000‘ and 9,500‘ in elevation. plant. Photos courtesy of O. O‘Callaghan Winterfat is a perennial subshrub, 1‘ to 3‘ tall and 2‘ to 4‘ wide. The plant‘s form can be open, upright or bending. Branched herbaceous stems grow annually from a 4‖ tall woody base that has yellowish, flaky or exfoliating bark. Small, 1‖, pale blue leaves are simple, whorled, linear and revolutely margined (rolled under at the edge) and densely hairy. The flowers, leaves and herbaceous stems are all covered with woolly hairs. Seed heads are beautiful showy cottony white when ripe in the mid to late fall. Winterfat is monoecious; it has both male and female flowers arranged separately on one plant; generally, 2 to 4 male flowers form in small clusters, while many female flowers grow on short stems. The flowers lack showy petals so are inconspicuous. They consist of 2-5 fused sepals that are greenish, yellowish or whitish.

Winterfat is a long lived cold and heat tolerant native that can grow in clay, sandy, rocky and alkaline soils. Winterfat is very drought tolerant; it needs to be watered until established, after which, it can survive without irrigation. It can tolerate moderate water, but it becomes spindly if overwatered. Winterfat prefers full sun and is intolerant of shade. Winterfat requires almost no maintenance, including no fertilization.

This species is not readily available at local nurseries, but can be propagated by seed or by bare root.

Seeds do not need to be cold stratified, and should be sown in the spring on the soil surface. Seeds should be used within the first year, because it loses viability quickly, especially if woolly covering is removed.

Winterfat can be used in native, prairie, xeriscape, wildlife or perennial gardens, and provides excellent winter interest. It is a good companion to fall colored ornamental grasses, apache plume, or poppy mallow. Winterfat is good for naturalized areas and restoration. It is great for erosion control because it‘s deep taproot and vast fibrous root system stabilizes soils.

Winterfat is excellent winter forage having a similar protein content as alfalfa, namely around ten percent. Once established and producing seed, it can withstand browsing; however, new plants should be protected from grazing. Overgrazing will reduce or eliminate the plant.

The Navajos reportedly use winterfat for burns and fever. They also eat parboiled leaves as an expectorant. Leaves placed on hot rocks in sweat lodges provide a pleasant aroma. The silver leaves can be used in dried arrangements.

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