Michigan Gardener - May 2013 by Michigan Gardener

May 2013

MichiganGardener.com

Your guide to Great Lakes gardening

Please thank our advertisers in this issue

feature New annuals for 2013 gardener profile A naturalistic style feature Japanese gardens perennials Using foliage in the shade birds Attracting spring migrants to your garden

PLANT FOCUS Special Report

Impatiens Alternatives, part 2

Impatiens Alternatives

The downy mildew fungal blight devastated impatiens last year throughout Metro Detroit. As a result, English Gardens, Bordine’s and other independent garden centers have opted not to sell them this year. Here are some alternatives:

Begonias:

Shade or Part Shade to Sun

New Guinea Impatiens: Sun to Shade

Begonia Whopper Red with Bronze Leaf

Begonia Whopper Rose with Green Leaf

New Guinea Impatien Divine Mix

New Guinea Impatien Divine White Blush

Begonia Bada Bing Series

Begonia Go Go Series

New Guinea Impatien Divine Burgundy

New Guinea Impatien Infinity Electric Cherry

Coleus:

SunPatiens:

Sun to Shade

Coleus Dipt in Wine

Coleus Kong Red

Torenia Argyranthemum Catalina: Butterfly: Shade

Torenia Catalina

Sun

Argyranthemum Butterfly

Sun

SunPatiens Compact

SunPatiens Vigorous

Vinca Cora Series & Zinnia Zahara Series:

Ideal for Sun & Summer Heat

Vinca Cora

Zinnia Zahara Series

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Bordine’s Grown means The Best! The Best Plants… The Best Quality…The Best Selection… The Best Service! Brought to you every day by our Plant Loving ‘Purple People’. Introducing, the new bordine’s grown logo. Look for it on the thousands of plant varieties that are ‘Bordine Grown’ every year for you!

rowing your own edibles can be such a rewarding experience! It is a great way to introduce children to gardening, save some money on your grocery bills and ultimately know exactly where your food is coming from. Our edibles section has an abundance of new varieties this season from mustard greens to hops to ridiculously hot peppers. With herbs, vegetables and fruit all in one section you will be enticed to try something new to expand your harvest assortment this season!

The ‘bordine’s farm’ in Grand Blanc has seen incredible growth over the last decade. The 100 acre site is where we grow the majority of our high quality plants. Retail is open April - October. A few interesting facts you may not have known... ❁ There’s more than 1 million square feet of greenhouse growing space!

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More new plants than you'll see anywhere! Every year, Telly’s brings you an incomparable selection of the latest and greatest plant varieties. We travel from coast to coast in search of the best new plants. Just a small sampling of what’s new this year...

Agastache 'Blue Boa' - Blooms all summer long, deer resistant, & fragrant foliage!

Echinacea 'Supreme Cantaloupe' Exciting new color for a coneflower

Calibrachoa Minifamous Double Deep Yellow - One of two new doubles for 2013

Coreopsis 'Pink Sapphire' Large pink flowers all summer long

Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

contents May 2013 Ask MG.......................................................................6 Healthy Lawns..........................................................8 Vegetable Patch.....................................................10 To-Do List.................................................................12 Books for the Michigan Gardener.................14 Plant Focus: Impatiens Alternatives.............16 Organic Gardening..............................................22 Perennial Partners...............................................24 For the Birds...........................................................26 New Annuals for 2013.......................................28 Thyme for Herbs..................................................36 Japanese Gardening...........................................38 Advertiser Index...................................................39 How-To: Build a rustic wood arbor.............. 40 Weather Wrap.......................................................41 Calendar...................................................................42 Places to Grow......................................................46 Classified Ads........................................................47

Garden Wisdom “Give fools their gold and knaves their power; Let fortune’s bubbles rise and fall; Who sows a field or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all.” — John Greenleaf Whittier Subscription Form...............................................47 Profile: A naturalistic style garden................48 Where to pick up Michigan Gardener............51 Janet’s Journal.....................................Back Cover On the cover: Calibrachoa Superbells Lemon Slice is one of many great new annuals for 2013. See page 28 for more. Photo: Proven Winners

To Our Readers... When planning your garden shopping excursions this spring, be sure to check out the many great advertisers we have in this issue, plus our handy Places to Grow map and our new Destinations directories. There are 3 in this issue: Ann Arbor Area, Downriver, and Macomb Destinations. And when you arrive at your destinations, please be sure to tell those fine businesses that you saw them in Michigan Gardener! Best wishes to you for a wonderful gardening season!

Landscape Gerbera Daisy Sweet Dreams Telly's Exclusive for 2013

Helleborus 'Rose Quartz' - The earliestblooming herbaceous perennial

Publisher/Editor Eric Hofley

Verbena 'Lanai Lime Green' The first lime green verbena

New Guinea Impatiens Divine Series Downy mildew resistant - only $12.99/36ct. flat

Design & Production Jonathon Hofley Advertising Eric Hofley Circulation Jonathon Hofley

TROY 248-689-8735

Editorial Assistant Anna Kowaczyk

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SHELBY TOWNSHIP 248-659-8555 4343 24 Mile btwn Dequindre & Shelby Rd. Spring Hours (both locations): Mon-Sat: 8am-9pm Sun:10am-5pm

find us on

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

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 © 2013 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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ask mg Selecting and growing catmint I would like to grow catmint in zone 6 for a border or even further in the back of the border. Some species of catmint “lay down” and lose their beauty. Are there any species that will stay upright? J.M. There are many varieties of catmint (Nepeta) that can satisfy the border edge as well as act as a backdrop for a border bed. Consider ‘Six Hills Giant’ for the border back. Very hardy and a self-sower, it has violet flowers on 30-inch stems and is frequently used in England to produce that classic sweeping blue haze we see in many magazines. Another erect catmint is Siberian catmint (N. sibirica), particularly the variety ‘Souvenir d’Andre Chaudron.’ It stands staunchly at the back of a bed and requires less frequent dividing than its shorter cousins. Both of these varieties begin flowering mid-summer and go into fall. You can also substitute Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), which also has aromatic leaves, grey foliage, a myriad of tiny blue flowers, and a strong upright mounding habit to 36 inches. It is often confused with catmint. Butterflies and hummingbirds also frequent this woody perennial. For an upfront border catmint, try ‘Blue Wonder’ which grows up to 15 inches and has dark blue flowers. The popular ‘Walker’s Low’ stays very full and gets about 24 inches tall. The key to keeping any catmint from “melting out” in the middle and laying down is to keep it sheared back as soon as the bloom stalks begin to fade. Cut the bloom stalks down past the last flower. Shearing keeps the woody perennial neatly shaped and stimulates a second round of rich blooms. Remember to stagger the timing of shearing so blooms are available for the many pollinators that love them.

Proper plant spacing In planning for a fuller native garden or border, what is the proper spacing for perennials and shrubs? G.,Detroit The mantra for perennials: first year they sleep, second year they creep, and third year they leap. When intermixing perennials and shrubs, site the shrubs first, paying close attention to their mature width. Purchase from a reputable nursery whose staff is trained to assist and describe how the shrubs behave as they age. Leave enough space between shrubs with only a little overlap. It is easier to move perennials than a five-year-old shrub that begins to crowd its neighbor. Shrubs planted too close will affect the shape and health of each other as they compete for nutrients and light. Site your perennials with the tallest to the back or to the center or focal point. Leave yourself hidden maintenance paths through the middle of the bed so you can deadhead, cultivate and weed as needed. Perennials that are sited well for light and moisture will reward you by expanding to fit the space. It is important to research your selections so you understand their growing habits and their spread. Choosing perennials that clump as opposed to “run” will save you from pulling them out the second year they are in the ground. Select shrubs that are evergreen as well as flowering to maximize your color and interest throughout the growing season. Use simple graph paper and make a planting diagram to help you visualize spacing and position. Plan to review the design every three years so that you can divide and thin more aggressive plants to maintain that “pleasantly full” look.

Siberian squill I have a Siberian squill infestation in my lawn. I’ve tried mowing it down, Roundup, and 2,4-D, but I mostly spent 30 minutes ev-

ery day for months pulling it off at ground level to keep it from seeding and feeding the bulb. Left to its own, it reproduces so thick that it kills areas of the lawn. What can I do to eliminate this plant? T.G., East Lansing This is a classic case of gardening gone awry. Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) was brought to this country as an ornamental and is still sold in many a nursery. It is great for naturalizing. Many gardeners find the electric blue spring flower and grass-like foliage far preferable to crabgrass and dandelions. But it has also escaped into the wild and become invasive. It readily spreads itself with a specialized rooting bulblet and is difficult to get rid of, as broken roots often resprout. It is very hardy and cold tolerant, and is left untouched by critters, from voles to deer. Sadly, the same traits that make it attractive as a garden plant are also what make it invasive. Mowing and pulling off the leaves to starve the bulb would be logical, but not in this case as you have found. It is due to its specialized bulb. Removing the leaves stimulates it to reproduce underground. Since you appear to have some larger patches of squill than others, start with those areas to curtail further spread. Use a full-spectrum herbicide that will be absorbed into the bulb and roots. Yes, this will kill the little remaining grass in those areas. Carefully remove the dead grass, making sure to take the shallow buried bulbs with it. Apply a layer of composted top soil and either re-sod or seed the area.

Vines for privacy I am looking for a vine or climbing shrub the will grow on an arbor/fence, and stay green for privacy all winter in zone 5. My goal is an evergreen privacy fence. I have a freestanding 7-foot tall fence with steel posts, 8 feet on center (the posts are 11 feet long including buried length). There is wire or stainless cable tensioned horizontally between the posts to support the plant. How closely spaced should each horizontal wire be to the wire above or below in order for the plant to climb from one wire up to the next? While the plants are getting established, is it necessary to suspend trellis cloth with a 6-inch square grid against the horizontal cables to help the plants climb? M.T., Franklin Your fence support sounds sufficiently strong to hold the weight of your green privacy screen. The horizontal wires should be approximately 10 inches apart to offer new runners a place to grab on. Provide composted, well-drained soil, consistent moisture through the growing season, and the vines will be quite content. There are three stalwart evergreen vines that are hardy in zone 5. All can handle a variety of soil types and thrive in full sun. First is winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei), which comes in both solid green and variegated cultivars. You often see this vine treated like a shrub, pruned and sheared to a ball, when

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all it wants to do is climb and creep. Its coarse stems grow quickly and new plants will make a noticeable impact in one season. Five-leaf akebia (Akebia quinata) is a hardy vine that readily twines on anything, has nice cinnamon color bark, an interesting 5-finger composite leaf and offers a small purple flower with a light fruity scent. It can grow a foot per day given moist well-drained soil and full sun. Third is English ivy (Hedera helix), frequently used as a groundcover. Often seen travelling up trees and power poles located too near its domain, it twines as well as adheres to itself and anything else with aerial rootlets. Using a combination of these along the length of your fence should provide you with full privacy in a couple years. The trellis cloth may not be necessary with these assertive vines.

Soil for growing grapes What are the soil nutrient needs of Concord grapes. I have heard that they are particular about having the proper nutrients in the soil. S.B., Coleman Michigan has predominantly alkaline soils. Grapes in general prefer a soil pH of 5.0 to 6.0. The range of pH is from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. The lower the pH, the more acidic the soil; the higher, the more alkaline the soil. Your first step is to soil test the area where you want to grow grapes. There are over-the-counter soil test kits you can purchase as well as mailorder kits to professional agriculture services. Follow the directions for preparing the soil sample and proceed accordingly with getting it analyzed. The analysis will tell you the soil pH. A professional analysis will also detail necessary amendments to add in what ratio to further lower the pH. Make sure the site for the grape vines is in full sun, that the soil is free of weeds, loamy and enriched with compost, and that consistent moisture is made available during the growing season. Prepare the trellis system according to your preferences. Research the various support systems and make sure pruning and vine training is done during the dormant period. Grapes are susceptible to insects and diseases like any plant. Choosing disease-resistant cultivars is a start. Maintaining sanitary garden practices, weeding regularly, monitoring for insect pests and keeping good air circulation around the plants will reduce their vulnerability to problems. It takes patience to grow grapes of any variety. But if you persevere, you will start to see significant fruit production about the fourth year of growth. Answers provided by Beverly Moss, owner of Garden Rhythms.

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How to measure and apply the proper amount of fertilizer for your lawn Imagine how you would feel after eating much like shocking your body with quick nothing but junk food for an entire month. You sugars that lead to an energy crash. would lack the ability to function properly, and Many fertilizers range between 25 and 50 resorting to quick energy drinks would eventupercent slow-release, with the higher percentally tax your system to its core. At first glance, ages being more expensive. The higher perjunk food may seem inexpensive. It will, howcentage ensures your lawn gets what it needs ever, require you to eat frequently just to mainregularly throughout a 5- to 6-week period. I tain energy, likely making the total cost higher recommend going with the highest percentage than eating healthy, nutritious food. of slow-release nitrogen that you can afford. We can apply similar reasoning to your Soil testing can help evaluate the other two lawn. Specifically, each 1000 square feet refertilizer nutrients. The middle number repquires 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 pounds of nitrogen per resents phosphorous and the last number is year, depending on the performance you expotassium, which are both expensive yet impect. You could feed your lawn 3 times a year portant depending on your soil’s needs. Use by applying 1-1/4 pounds each application, but the same calculation as we did for nitrogen you would have to use a very slowto determine how much is needed. release product that isn’t affected by Steve Your soil report will tell you how weather. Or you could feed your lawn Martinko many pounds are needed so you can 5 times a year at a rate of 0.8 pounds purchase the correct amounts. of nitrogen (4 pounds total per year). If you use organic fertilizers, the Here’s how you calculate how formulas still apply, however the much fertilizer your need. Let’s say measured responses aren’t so cut a fertilizer bag has a 20-0-4 formuand dry. Organics rely on microbial lation. That means 20 percent of the activity to help activate nutrient refertilizer is nitrogen. If you want 0.8 lease, so factors like rainfall and soil pounds of nitrogen, divide 0.8 by 20 temperatures play a key role. Apply percent (0.2), which is 4 pounds of organics too soon in the spring and fertilizer. So, you need to apply 4 pounds of you’re most likely wasting precious product. 20-0-4 fertilizer in order to apply 0.8 pounds So it is important to know your soil temperaof nitrogen to 1000 square feet. ture is above 45 degrees. There is great value You can also determine how much total in using organics rich in seaweed kelp as well lawn that bag will cover by dividing the total as fish and chicken byproducts. bag weight by 4. If the bag weighs 40 pounds, Lastly, crabgrass control is another factor then it will cover 10 (40 divided by 4) times to weigh into your purchasing decision. If 1,000 or 10,000 square feet. you decide to overseed this spring to promote Your next decision is to determine how thickness, you will not be able to use a crabmuch slow-release nitrogen you can afford. grass pre-emergent. That is fine, as long as With a fertilizer that has no slow-release, you know to expect crabgrass this year. It will you’ll get a quick green-up for a few weeks. die off in the fall. With heavy spring rains, you could get a huge Steve Martinko is the owner of Contender’s Tree flush of growth. A lawn that endures energy and Lawn Specialists in Oakland County, MI. bursts followed by slow growth is very taxed,

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vegetable patch The benefits of companion planting A simple definition for companion plantpanions can enhance the flavor or quality of ing is growing two or more mutually benefineighboring crops. cial plants in close proximity to one another. Choosing companion plants That’s a pretty wide-ranging definition, and Examples of good companion plantings besometimes one plant may benefit another gin with the “Three Sisters”: corn, squash, and without actually receiving a real benefit back. beans. The corn provides support for the beans, However, the bottom line is that some plants the beans provide nitrogen, and the squash can benefit others by their presence. While provides weed reduction and moisture protecthere have been scientific studies done which tion. Other examples: basil grown with tomato confirm some benefits of companion plantis thought to enhance flavor, improve growth, ing, much of what we know is from logical and repel flies; a few radishes grown in the hill deduction or the result of simple observation with cucumbers or squash is believed to deter from gardeners sharing information. cucumber beetles and squash vine borers; carThere are three major areas that companrot, tomato, and pepper are good companions; ion planting can affect: environmental growand potatoes like the cabbage family. ing conditions, pest damage, and garden proVegetable companions are not duction. restricted to other vegetables. It is Let’s look at environmental Mary perfectly reasonable to plant flowgrowing conditions first: Gerstenberger ers in the vegetable garden or to 1) Consider that legumes can pull plant vegetables among the flownitrogen from the air, so they ers. Marigolds and nasturtium can draw less from the soil, thus aldeter beetles and aphids. Calendula lowing more nitrogen for heavier may repel tomato hornworm and feeders planted near them. Later, asparagus beetle. Flowers attract when the legumes decompose, pollinators as well as predators to they can increase soil fertility as protect the vegetables. they release the stored nitrogen. It is important to note that there 2) Some trees can pull up groundare certain vegetables that do not do well towater and move it from their deeper roots gether. Pole beans and beets can stunt each to upper roots that may exude some of that other’s growth, as can kohlrabi and tomato. water back into the soil, providing moisture While onion and garlic can benefit a number to plants near them when conditions are dry. of vegetables, they may stunt the growth of 3) Tall plants can provide shade to smaller peas and beans. Tomato and potato should plants that don’t like direct sun or heat, not be planted near each other as they are keeping their environment cooler. attacked by the same late blight, just as corn 4) Low-growing plants with broad leaves, and tomato make poor companions as they such as squash, can act as a mulch, thus are attacked by the same worm (corn earhelping to maintain soil moisture as well as worm, aka tomato fruitworm). shade out weeds. 5) Inter-planting long-rooted and short-rootMary Gerstenberger is the Consumer Hored crops allows moisture and nutrients to ticulture Coordinator at the Michigan State be drawn from different areas in the soil, University Extension in Macomb County, MI. reducing competition between crops. For gardening information from MSU, visit Companion plants reduce pest damage in a www.migarden.msu.edu. variety of ways: 1) One plant can be used to attract a damaging On May 7, 2013, the Macomb County MSU insect away from the other. Extension is offering “When Space is an Issue: 2) One plant may release odors or chemicals Tabletop, patio and container solutions to that will repel insects from the area, theregrowing herbs in limited space.” Troy Huffaker by protecting its companion. of DTL Herbs Ltd. will be speaking at 1-2:30 3) Diversity of plants within the garden can p.m. and again at 6-7:30 p.m. $7.00 per person. make it more difficult for pests to find a Please register for either class 586-469-6440. host plant to feed upon. 4) Companion plants may be used to attract predators of undesirable insects. Companion plant suggestions Garden production can be improved by companion planting simply because it does When researching online, I narrow the provide environmental benefits and pest results to educational websites, so I do an protection. Intercropping plants will provide advanced search (site is “.edu”). A couple more efficient use of garden space, thereby I found with tables of companion plants: increasing overall garden production. Comtinyurl.com/a53g342 panion plants can also attract pollinators tinyurl.com/ak7wxt9 to improve fruit production and some com-

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Annuals • Many garden centers will not be carrying traditional impatiens this year, due to the widespread downy mildew problem. If you’ve planted impatiens in the past, consider this an opportunity to try some new varieties. Begonias and New Guinea impatiens are great options for shade to sunny areas. Coleus provides great variety with striking foliage. For sunny areas, consider SunPatiens, Cora vincas, or zinnias. • Make sure the ground is sufficiently warm before planting your annuals, and be prepared to cover them with a bed sheet or floating row cover (not plastic) if we get a

late frost in May. Planting annuals in containers is a great option because they’re easily covered or moved. • Prepare beds early in the month: remove weeds and mix in organic-rich soil amendments. Good compost is excellent for soil, and can break up clay soil as it’s tilled in. It also helps with water retention in sandy soils.

Vegetables, Fruits, Seeds • Early in the month, plant cool-season vegetables, like peas, turnips, spinach and lettuce. Plant tomatoes, peppers and herbs like basil once temperatures are consis-

Feature Task: Select and plant summer-flowering bulbs Summer-flowering bulbs are often overlooked, but they are easy to grow. The most popular varieties include dahlias, gladioli, lilies and calla lilies. Cannas and elephant ears (Colocasia) are large plants that offer a great show in the garden. Dahlias are one of the best values when purchased from tubers. They bloom later in the year, when other plants’ blooms are waning, and can produce hundreds of flowers in one season. There are many varieties and colors available, ranging from small dainty flowers to large dinner plate size. Plant in full sun for best results, and remove spent flowers after they’ve finished blooming to encourage more flowers. Dahlias are annuals for us and won’t survive a frost. Many gardeners will pull up the tubers at the end of the season, and store in a cool, dry basement until the next season. Or simply compost them with the rest of your annuals—you’ll more than get your money’s worth from one season of color. Gladioli are excellent as cut flowers. They’re perfect for a cutting garden or the back row of a border. Plant some every few weeks and you’ll get continuous color. Plant a little deeper so they don’t fall down. You might also need to stake them to keep them upright. Glads are an annual bulb that won’t survive a frost. Lilies are perennials. Many varieties are highly fragrant, and provide large flowers with lots of color. Plant bulbs with at least two inches of soil on the top for best results. Calla lilies are one of the classiest flowers around. One bulb will produce a nice cluster of flowers. They’re also excellent plants to grow in containers. Cannas grow well in the garden or containers. They add height, texture and color to the summer garden, with brilliant flower colors and striking foliage.

Elephant ears (Colocasia) produce large, tropical-like foliage, often spanning more than a foot across on plants six feet tall. Suitable for the garden or containers, elephant ears provide lots of show. Most bulbs thrive in full or partial sun, and will grow in almost any location with good drainage. A rich, loamy soil that’s been amended with organic materials is best. For sandy soil, add organic matter, such as peat or compost, to give it more texture and water-holding properties. To break up clay soil, add gypsum or pine bark fines. Adding compost or other organic materials every year to soil helps maintain those healthy properties. The planting depth of the bulb depends on its size. A good rule of thumb is to plant at a depth of three times the diameter of the bulb. However, planting depths vary, so follow the package instructions. Bulbs should be spaced according to the effect you want to achieve. Planting in clumps of large groups will give a better show than a straight line. Dig a hole, plant bulbs with the pointed ends up, then cover with removed soil and tamp down lightly. Be sure to water thoroughly. Most summer bulbs are planted after the danger of frost has passed. Dahlias and glads can be planted directly into the ground after that time, but consider starting large bulbs, like cannas and elephant ears, in the house earlier. Perennial bulbs like lilies can be started outdoors. Stake the plants if necessary, but be careful not to damage the bulb when placing the stakes. Remember, do not allow the plants to be exposed to frost, or all of your hard work will be undone. If frost is predicted, cover the plants with rose cones or frost guard fabric. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have beautiful summer flowers!

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

•

tently warm. These plants really hate cooler temperatures, and never really recover from a nip of cold. Prepare beds with a thick layer of organic material like compost. Till it in as deep as possible, don’t just layer it on the top of the soil. After planting, apply a layer of fine mulch or even wet newspaper between the rows to make paths to walk on. Walking on mulch will help keep the soil from becoming compacted and help keep weeds down. Mulch and newspaper will break down over the season and can be tilled into the soil next year. Weed beds regularly. Water the vegetable garden consistently during the growing season. Most vegetables are comprised of water, so consistent levels will increase production. Too much water creates its own set of problems, so be careful not to drown plants. Watch out for critters, because they can find a garden early and destroy it before it gets established. Plan a variety of defenses and change them frequently. Prune fruit trees for proper tree shape and best fruit production. New trees should be pruned to give the tree the best shape for future harvesting. This is one case where a little pruning on a young tree gives big results later. It’s usually safe to sow seeds for warmseason crops, like beans and corn, directly into the soil after May 15. You should also be able to set out your seedlings. Be sure to harden off seedlings before planting them in the ground. Gradually get them used to outside temperatures over the course of several days to a week. Keep a floating row cover available to keep the frost and scavengers away until plants are fully established.

Shrubs and Trees • Spring-bloomers will benefit from a pruning after they’ve finished flowering, but before the 4th of July. Be sure to prune any dead, crossed or diseased branches. Don’t take off more than 1/3 of the plant in any year. Pruning can help rejuvenate older larger shrubs, like lilacs, by making them more compact and promoting more flowering. • Summer-blooming shrubs (those that bloom after Memorial Day), should be pruned early in the year. These plants bloom on new wood (growth from this year). Pruning promotes growth, so pruning back shrubs (but never more than 1/3 of the plant) will produce more flowers and a thicker plant.

Houseplants • After being inside during the winter, tropical houseplants will benefit from spend-

MI Gardener 2005_1-4 pg

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Perennials • Clean up perennial beds before adding any new plants. Remove spent branches and pull weeds. Organic fertilizer can give existing plants a needed boost for the season. • For best results in the perennial garden, plant at least 3 to 5 plants of one variety. You’ll be rewarded with an impactful display. Arrange beds according to heights: tall in the back or center of the garden, stepping down to shorter ones in the front or sides. Also consider color and bloom time. Planning up front will save lots of transplanting time later. • Maintenance is the key to keeping perennial beds looking good. Pulling weeds frequently, removing spent blooms and staking tall plants will keep things neat and tidy. • Give perennials room to grow. Read the tags for spacing recommendations when planting. Fill in any bare areas with annuals while waiting for perennials to reach their full potential. You’ll have less dividing and moving to do later, and plants will be healthier.

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

The Garden Source by Andrea Jones Author and photographer Andrea Jones provides 800 color photographs of garden designs from all over the world in The Garden Source (Rizzoli, 320 pages, $39.95). The author presents private gardens, public spaces and show gardens for anyone in search of new design ideas. A large section of the book is devoted to “Space,” and presents ideas for “visually enlarging” small gardens, from courtyards to rooftops in urban and rural settings alike. The “Divide” section provides ideas for choosing and using common and uncommon hedges, walls, and seating to maximum advantage while teaching gardeners to think in terms of “rooms” as they explore textures in plants and hardscapes. In her final chapter, Jones covers every style of gardening, including minimal, prairie, geometric, dry, landscape, water, exotic, contemporary, modern and Asian. With a series of directories on designers, garden centers, and public gardens, this thorough reference work is filled with useful ideas.

Any Size, Anywhere Edible Gardening: The No Yard, No Time, No Problem Way to Grow Your Own Food by William Moss William Moss encourages small space gardeners with gardening programs on Discovery Channel, TLC, and HGTV, as well as various news programs and radio broadcasts. This book (Cool Springs Press, 200 pages, $21.99) is his answer for the time-crunched, small-yard, or no-yard gardener. Apartments, condos, townhomes, dorm rooms, and trailers offer up boundaries that the author can overcome with well-placed and well-tended containers brimming with vegetables and herbs. He gives a nod to classic growing guides, but insists that small space gardening is a category unto itself. From spacing techniques and raised bed dimensions, to container watering or hanging basket possibilities, Moss tackles the tricks of the trade a small space gardener needs to know. This book walks gardeners through the steps, from where to grow, what to grow, and how to maintain.

The Naturescaping Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Bringing Nature to Your Backyard by Beth O’Donnell Young The Naturescaping Workbook (Timber Press, 226 pages, $24.95) shows gardeners how it is possible to have a landscape that requires little or no pruning, weeding, watering, or mowing. The author explains how to achieve a low-maintenance, sustainable and beautiful garden by working directly with nature. Readers can go through the process with worksheets, guidance, and photographs. The interactive worksheets provide easy instructions to help you identify what you want and need, discover your backyard habitats, create a landscape plan, choose the perfect plants for your yard, work with the water you are given, attract wildlife, identify earth-friendly materials, and build healthy soil. The book’s design goals are to attract birds and butterflies, reduce maintenance, eliminate pesticides, reduce fertilizers, and create a backyard retreat. Discussions expand into how to conserve water, meet four basic wildlife needs, include hardscape and plants in the design plan, care for lawns, and manage pests organically.

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‘Whopper Rose Bronze Leaf’ begonia from the ‘Whopper’ series

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

Traditional wax-leaf begonias

Impatiens

alternatives

A new disease has swept across the country and promises to change the way many of us will garden this year. Impatiens downy mildew has found a way to dethrone the most popular bedding plant in the U.S. Downy mildew first appeared in England around the beginning of the 21st century. It showed up in California in 2004 and limited areas of the South in 2009. Here in Michigan in 2012, impatiens that were thriving one week were defoliated and nearly dead a week later. Regular, seed-grown impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) are the victims of this rampant disease. In the early phase, the leaves yelGeorge Papadelis low and curl. If you turn the leaves over, you will clearly see the downy mildew (white powdery spores) on the underside. In the late phase, plants completely defoliate within a couple weeks. The disease produces spores that can move in the air and overwinter in the soil. Even if you didn’t have downy mildew last year, it is very likely that you will have it this year. Growers can apply specialized fungicides that will protect impatiens for up to 6 weeks, but there is no cure once the plants are infected. It is unpractical for the home gardener to try treating the disease since these chemicals need to be applied frequently by a certified applicator. Many commercial growers have chosen not to offer regular or double impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) this season. The good news is that we have so many great alternatives, including New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri), that can perform beautifully where we used to grow regular impatiens. We will discuss many alternatives in this special three-part series. Explore the second part below and you’ll see that this disease has created an opportunity for gardeners to try several interesting and potentially rewarding candidates.

Benary

‘Big Rose with Bronze Leaf’ begonia from the ‘Big’ series

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

Dragon Wing begonia

Part 2 of 3 Begonias Traditional wax-leaf begonias are available everywhere and offer an inexpensive alternative for either sun or shade. Choose from bronze or green foliage and standard colors of red, white, light pink, dark pink (rose), or mixed. Both foliage colors will tolerate full sun as long as the foliage remains dry when the sun is shining. Green-leafed varieties (except those with white flowers) will develop a pink/red tint when exposed to full sun. They typically grow 8 to 12 inches tall. Wax-leaf begonias require no deadheading and thrive with minimal watering. Dragon Wing begonias have been around since the late 1990s. True Dragon Wing begonias are only available in red and pink. Their unique arching, semi-pendulous habit makes them ideal for hanging baskets, large containers, or beds. Use these in shade to part shade where plants will flower effortlessly with minimal care. They can grow 12 to 15 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide. They are seedgrown and should be available in 4- to 6-inch pots and sometimes 18-count flats. Wax-leaf begonia hybrids. These have become very popular the past several years with the introduction of several outstanding

varieties. The ‘Big’ series boasts flowers up to 3 inches across! There are 3 varieties: ‘Big Red with Green Leaf,’ ‘Big Red with Bronze Leaf,’ and ‘Big Rose with Bronze Leaf.’ They can grow over 2 feet tall and perform beautifully like the traditional wax-leafed begonias. A newcomer on the garden scene is the ‘Whopper’ series. It will grow almost 3 feet tall and 22 inches wide. It also has 3-inch, red or pink flowers and comes with a bronze or green leaf. There is also a little-known series of double-flowering, wax-leafed begonias called ‘Fairytale.’ The mostly double flowers are held well above the green leaves and come in red, pink, white, coral picotee, and mixed. This series is seed-grown and may be available in flats. Tuberous begonias. Tuberous begonias that are grown from tubers are still available, but cost and availability has made them less and less popular. Most tuberous begonias sold today are grown from seed. The most popular seed-grown series is the ‘Nonstop’ begonia. It is an upright grower with large, double flowers and green leaves. The color range includes yellow, orange, pink, rose, salmon, red, white, continued on page 18

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1 MAY 11 & 12: MOTHER’S DAY PLANT SALE & FUNDRAISER A large selection of hanging baskets and containers—perfect for mom—filled with a variety of colors and textures and grown and designed by Matthaei-Nichols staff and volunteers. Also, rhododendron sale. Hours: Sat. & Sun., 10 am-4:30. Free admission.

1 MAY 18 &19: KITCHEN FAVORITES SALE & FUNDRAISER

Herbs, herb containers, & uncommon heirloom vegetables. Proceeds support Cultivating Community and the Campus Farm. Also, herb information, recipes, & more from the Herb Study Group. Hours: Sat. & Sun., 10 am-4:30. Free admission.

1 MAY 19: BONSAI & PENJING GARDEN OPENING

Help celebrate the new home of the Matthaei-Nichols bonsai and penjing collection. Afternoon includes garden tours, traditional Japanese music by Miyabi, Zentangle art workshops, and more. Hours: 2-5 pm. Free admission.

U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens: display gardens, natural areas, children’s garden, year-round conservatory, wedding venues, education programs, gift shop, meeting spaces, and more.

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American Spice Viburnum Discovered in South Lyon, Michigan! Grows 4 feet tall and wide and has a spicy fragrance in spring. Very good fall color: deep red and purple with some yellow and orange.

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Benary

Illumination ‘Peaches & Cream’ begonia

Benary

Illumination ‘Golden Picotee’ begonia

Proven Winners

Illumination ‘Scarlet’ begonia

Tesselaar Plants

Bonfire begonia Proven Winners

Proven Winners

Nonstop ‘Mix’ begonia

Nonstop ‘Mocca White’

continued from page 16

Begonia boliviensis. During the last several years, begonia breeding has produced several outstanding cultivars whose lineage originates from the Bolivian begonia. Most of these are trailing, may have single to fully double flowers, and usually thrive in either shade or full sun. ‘Bonfire,’ with its single orange flowers, was the first Bolivian begonia to become popular. We now have the ‘Waterfall’ series, whose more attractive foliage, single to double flowers, and broad color range has made this the most popular series in the U.S. Look for other great-performing Bolivian begonia series such as ‘Sparkler,’ ‘Bon Bon,’ ‘Million Kisses,’ ‘Beaucoup,’ and ‘Crackling Fire.’

appleblossom, and several others. They are extra happy in a well-drained potting soil but will also grow in the ground in beds. There is a bronze-leafed series called ‘Mocca’ that is identical to the ‘Nonstops’ except for its darker, brownish foliage. For a trailing series, try ‘Illumination,’ whose mostly double flowers cascade from arching plants. These are perfect for hanging baskets or containers—alone or in combination with other shade lovers. There are many individual colors and some exceptional bicolor varieties such as ‘Peaches & Cream’ and ‘Golden Picotee.’ Keep the soil slightly moist and fertilize through the summer.

Beekenkamp Plants

continued on page 20

Waterfall ‘Encanto Falls Orange’ begonia

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Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum 1800 North Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor 48105 734-647-9679 • www.mbgna.umich.edu Display gardens, Conservatory, Garden Store, and lobby: May 1-17: Daily 10-4:30; Wed: 10-8 • May 18-June 30: 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 (opening May 19), large collection of heirloom peonies, yearround conservatory, wedding venues, special events and sales, youth and adult educational programs, gift shop, and more.

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Wild Bird Center 2775 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor 48105 734-213-2473 www.wildbird.com (click on “Store Locator”) May/June hours: M-F 10-6, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5 Owner Lisa Haanpaa has always been an avid bird enthusiast, and is pleased to provide topof-the-line, quality products as well as expert advice and personal service to her customers. Wild Bird Center bird seed and exclusive seed blends are field-tested and proven to attract the widest variety of birds.

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May/June hours: Mon-Fri: 9-7, Sat-Sun 9-6 Just 10 minutes from Ann Arbor or Chelsea, our greenhouse is 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!

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Ball Horticultural Co.

‘Kauai Burgundy’ torenia

Ball Horticultural Co.

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

‘Kauai Rose’ torenia

Today’s vincas have overlapping petals and extra large flowers that strongly resemble impatiens.

continued from page 18

these torenia have a trailing habit. They are great in hanging baskets or as a groundcover. They look great planted under red or pink Dragon Wing begonias. Vinca (periwinkle). Where some sun is available, this seed-grown bedding plant will thrive. As little as four hours of full sun will sustain good growth; even unobstructed northern exposure will suffice. Vincas prefer acidic, well-drained soil that’s high in organic matter. They also prefer to be grown warm, so planting them too early in the spring could prove detrimental. They have a mounding growth habit and come in a broad range of colors. Today’s varieties have overlapping petals and extra large flowers that strongly resemble impatiens. Where enough light is available, this is an economically practical impatiens alternative.

Lobelia is available in seed-grown flats or vegetatively-grown pots. The seed-grown varieties decline rapidly as temperatures increase. By summer they are usually quite brown and inevitably discarded. However, the vegetatively-grown varieties have much better heat tolerance, especially when protected from midday sun. They have a mounding to trailing habit and come in shades of blue, white, and pink. The most heat-tolerant ones are the ‘Hot’ series and the ‘Techno’ series. Being that they are not grown from seed, they are significantly more expensive than impatiens. Wishbone flower (Torenia) is available in seed-grown flats or vegetatively-grown pots. The seed-grown varieties include a relatively new series called ‘Kauai,’ whose performance in numerous field trials has been exceptional. This series offers more compact plants with superior branching in seven colors and a mixture. Choose from pinks, purples, blues, and whites. They form tight mounds 8 to 10 inches tall and wide that thrive in shade or partial shade. The vegetatively-propagated cultivars come in similar colors and thrive in shade to nearly full sun. The big difference is that

George Papadelis is the owner of Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy, MI. Editor’s note: Part 1 of “Impatiens Alternatives” appeared in the April 2013 issue (page 14). That issue can be seen on our website (MichiganGardener.com) by clicking on “EEdition.” Stay tuned for Part 3 of “Impatiens Alternatives” in the June 2013 issue.

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Simple Steps to Organic Gardening ”I’m an organic gardener.” Many of you may wonder what this really means. The answer is quite simple: organic gardeners maintain their growing environment using natural products and processes. Of course, like everything else, the devil is in the details. In this article we will discuss the most important of these—soil health. A common misconception is that by not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides, you are gardening organically. While partially true, there are other aspects to consider that are keys to your success. Your mindset should be, “I’m supporting a healthy soil and ecological environment, and part of that is not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides.” Here are some beneficial things you can do to develop healthy soil and be an organic gardener: • Add quality compost every season. Compost provides a wealth of beneficial components to your garden, including biology and organic matter. The best compost is your own, made from kitchen and yard waste. • Add safe, natural amendments. Organic fertilizers can provide macro and micronutrients, plant growth hormones, humic acids, organic matter, etc. Rick Weller These are all requirements for feeding soil microbial populations and providing for your plants’ needs. • Promote and nurture diversity. Nature provides the tools to maintain a healthy growing environment. Your job as an organic gardener is to provide the elements these natural processes desire. Encourage pollinators by providing flowering plants. Attract beneficial insects by planting wildflowers and flowering herbs. • Have a watering plan. Water management will differ a bit for organic gardeners. By focusing on your soil, you will develop better water retention capacity. Because your plants are healthier, they will be less susceptible to drought conditions. Coarse mulch applied to your growing surface will prevent evaporation as well as help moderate soil temperatures. Your goal is to only use the amount of water your plants require; observe your growing environment and adjust your watering habits to reflect this. • Your garden is talking to you, and you should listen. Observe plant health, soil biology, and insect population. Do you have earthworms, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, deep green foliage, and an abundance of flowers? Each of these (along with many more) indicates how happy your natural environment is. Look for these signs every time you walk into your garden and respond as

Part 1 of 2

required. While these elements play an important role in your success, the key for the organic gardener is to focus on your soil.

Why healthy soil? Physically, soil provides structure for air and water flow, easy rooting, and plant anchoring. But it plays a biological role as well, holding and buffering nutrients and providing a habitat for microorganisms. Every teaspoon of healthy soil contains hundreds of millions of tiny creatures including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, and earthworms. These are all critical for providing nutrients to your plants (nutrient cycling), maintaining soil structure, controlling disease, and enhancing plant growth. A healthy soil will provide the needs of your plant life: physical environment, water, air, food, vitamins, hormones, amino acids, etc. Like humans, when health is optimal, plants grow strong and their natural defenses are more capable of providing protection from disease, pests, temperature variations, and inadequate water conditions.

How to develop healthy soil The answer is complex (pH, air and water flow, nutrients, biology, etc.) but the approach is simple. Soil consists of clay, silt, sand, and organic matter. Our goal is a loamy soil (dark and crumbly), achieved with the proper proportions of these components. In an isolated growing environment like raised beds, a quality garden soil mix is preferable. Naturally-occurring soil in the ground is difficult to convert permanently, so amending these proportions annually is often required. Since organic matter in your soil is constantly decomposing, it should be replenished either each spring or fall. Excellent sources of organic matter include compost and worm castings. Dry, chopped leaves are a simple substitute. Organic matter should be gently mixed into your growing soil. Gardening with organic methods will result in healthy soil and healthy plants. You will be thrilled with the taste and higher nutritional value of your fruits and vegetables, the longer-lasting brilliance of your flower blooms and the comfort of knowing you have improved the safety of your environment. Rick Weller is the founder of Organically Done Plant Products (www.organicallydone.com). Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Simple Steps to Organic Gardening” in the June 2013 issue of Michigan Gardener.

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perennial partners Use foliage color and texture to create season-long interest in the shade

n spring, gardeners are all too often seduced by colorful flowers with little thought of what will follow. Many garden beds are planted with color-coordinated perennials that shine for just a few weeks, becoming little more than a mass of homogenous green as the season progresses. The wise gardener looks for more than pretty flowers when choosing perennial combinations. An effective design—one that will provide interest for an entire growing season— requires that the gardener do some planning before heading out to the Karen nursery or garden center. Bovio Although most gardens can be enhanced by incorporating interesting foliage into the design, no garden benefits more from that consideration than the shady garden. Simply put, the shade garden demands first-rate foliage because there are fewer perennials with colorful flowers for the shade. An interesting shade garden depends on the juxtaposition of differing foliage colors, textures and shapes. Once that foundation is laid, color can be added with a few well-chosen flowering plants such as bleeding heart and foxglove for spring, or wax bells and black snakeroot for late summer. Dark foliage, like that of black snakeroot (Cimicifuga), provides contrasting color against varying shades of green. Use care in positioning dark-foliaged plants because it’s easy for them to simply disappear into the

depths. Dark foliage shows to best advantage when used with pale green, silver, or variegated foliage. In the accompanying photos, notice how the dark central stem of the beech fern provides a color echo with the black snakeroot. Texture and form are well-illustrated in this garden, with the fern providing an upright spire shape that contrasts with the horizontal, layered look of the cimicifuga foliage. The horizontal effect is repeated by the arrangement of the fern leaflets. The broad, maple-shaped foliage of the wax bells (Kirengeshoma) acts as a foil for the lacy-textured, dissected cimicifuga. Another textural accent is provided by the hellebore in the foreground, with its coarse, leathery texture and glossy foliage. All of these elements come together to provide an interesting vignette that endures for the entire gardening season. In August and September, the wax bells will bear pale yellow bell-shaped flowers which appear to be carved of wax, and the cimicifuga will send up fragrant white to pinkish, bottle-brush flowers. When these flowers arrive in late summer, they will seem like a little gift—an additional bonus to what was already a winning combination for the shade.

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

This shady foliage combination looks great, and the flowers in late summer will be a bonus. The maple-shaped leaves of the wax bells (Kirengeshoma) act as a contrast to the lacy-textured black snakeroot (Cimicifuga).

Karen Bovio is the owner of Specialty Growers in Howell, MI.

At a glance Black snakeroot (Cimicifuga ramosa) • Dissected, lacy dark foliage on plants 4 to 6 feet tall • Fragrant white to near-pink, spike-shaped flowers in late summer/fall • Prefers moist, well-drained soil in shade to part sun • Varieties include ‘Brunette,’ ‘Hillside Black Beauty,’ ‘Pink Spike,’ ‘Chocoholic,’ and ‘James Compton’ Wax bells (Kirengeshoma palmata and K. koreana) • Matte-textured, maple-leaf shaped foliage • Shrubby habit, 3 to 4 feet tall with nearly equal width • Waxy, pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers in August • Prefers partial shade in cool, humus-rich soil Ferns (many genera, including Athyrium, Dryopteris, Phegopteris, Polystichum and more) • Mostly upright-growing fronds • Varying heights, from 1 to 3 feet • Prefer shade to partial shade and humus-rich soil • Recommended textural or colorful varieties include Japanese painted, ghost, autumn, Japanese beech, and Christmas ferns

Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener

The dark foliage of this black snakeroot (Cimicifuga) provides striking color against the adjacent fern and varying shades of green.

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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 (313-538-7580).

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for the birds Provide garden and plant materials for spring migrant birds and enjoy the show As temperatures climb, we get out the garden boots and gloves and make our plan to start spring-cleaning. At the same time, brown thrashers, rufous-sided towhees and song sparrows are arriving, among the earliest migrant birds to return from the South. Eager to continue north to prime nesting grounds, they search for protein-rich foods to help them with their journey. These birds are specialists when it comes to finding protein Photos courtesy Rosann Kovalick on the ground. Their food consists of detriA chickadee on a nesting box. tivores, insects that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus, which is the decomposing Nest-building materials plant and animal parts in our gardens. TypiOur cavity-nesting birds begin to nest cal detritivores include millipedes, woodlice toward the end of March and through the and slugs. month of April. These include the year-round When the birds arrive in spring, you can resident birds that choose a woodpeckerhear them shuffling through the leaf litter as produced cavity from the year you walk quietly outside. You can before, or a nesting box that you create this same stopover habitat Rosann provide. Black-capped chickadees, in your own yard by concentrating Kovalcik tufted titmice, and white-breasted leaf litter into areas where the birds nuthatches are all actively looking can forage and refuel. I’ve devoted for nesting material to take inside a corner of my yard to leaf litter, those cavities, where they build leaving it to naturally decompose a custom nest. Within your yard, as opposed to gathering it for colthey will choose the soft fibers lection. I’ve also added a favorite and small grasses in your flower for the thrushes—a fallen log placed beds, along with mosses to add as strategically so I can watch them as a final, soft layer on which to place they walk along its length. I noticed their eggs and provide cushion and warmth that in the woods the thrushes always did for their young. Leaving last year’s foliage this, stopping midway down the length of the in place is a way to provide these birds with log to straighten up, look, and listen. I replitheir nest material needs. cated this environment for them, and it never If you want to supplement the natural mafails to attract the thrushes during migration.

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This oriole is using provided nesting materials. terials that you have, gather cotton, yarns and A hummingbird gathers nesting material. other natural fibers, pet hair and feathers, and place them in a suet cage or onion bag form their nest. Leaving a low spot that will and hang them from a tree so the birds can collect water and provide them with this help themselves. Fibers should be cut down nesting ingredient can be entertaining for to a foot to avoid entanglement. Non-natural you as you watch them gather a beakful of fibers (including dryer lint) should be avoidmud to mortar their grassy nest with. ed, as they hold moisture that will chill eggs Water offered to birds during spring miand baby birds. gration can be a magnet for them. Water is a I recall watching a cardinal on the ground, necessity not only to drink, but also acts as a pulling with all her strength at the bottom of a feather conditioner as a result of bathing. A liatris plant. I had left it over the winter so that clean water source placed in the goldfinches could eat the a sheltered area allows the seeds. The cardinal female migrant birds to perch and was successful in her efforts As you eye preen. When they preen, they to gather this strong mateare re-aligning their cleaned rial, and came back again and your shrubs and feathers to keep them in top again, making for wonderful evergreens with flight condition. bird watching in the yard. As you eye your shrubs There are other materials pruning as your goal, and evergreens with pruning that become a hot commod- help the birds by as your goal, help the birds ity for nest building. Small by keeping a snag (a naked twigs are coveted, and you keeping a snag branch) ready for them to can gather and place them in (a naked branch) perch upon. Great for preena pile somewhere in the yard ing, it is also an advantage for so that you can see it from the ready for them to hummingbirds to perch upon house. Watch how busy your perch upon. when they survey your yard twig station will be, espefor flying insects that they cially when the house wrens consume for protein. Snags are also used by arrive in May. A male wren will sing from the flycatchers that feed in this namesake mantop of the birdhouse and take twigs inside, ner. hoping a female will come along and accept The best part of spring cleaning in the yard his offerings. A male house wren will do this is watching the birds—it makes the work go to as many houses as you offer, and may have quickly, and adds an element of interest to a number of females take him up on his offer. time spent in the garden. He continues to sing and defend his territory from other males, while the ladies get busy Rosann Kovalcik is a Certified Birdfeeding adding their own twigs and re-arranging Specialist and the owner of Wild Birds what he provided, as well as laying eggs and Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI raising the young without his help. (www.wbu.com/grossepointewoods). In addition to grasses, robins use mud to

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US-23

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Just north of Ann Arbor, right off the freeway, we’re definitely a destination for gardeners of all genres. We have thousands of homegrown annuals, vegetables, herbs, and perennials. Hundreds of hanging baskets and planters…all designed, planted and grown in our own greenhouses. Plus beautiful roses, ornamental grasses, climbing vines, ground covers, flowering shrubs, and a fine selection of small fruits…including Michigan-hardy figs, grapes, and kiwis. And, of course, our celebrated 99¢ seed perennials!

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Calibrachoa: Superbells ‘Lemon Slice’

Fury Genetics

Mandevilla: Fire & Ice

Proven Winners (2)

When this gardener ran out of steam in the 2012 summer heat, this tireless plant did not. I have bestowed it with my “Grace Under Fire” award—it looked fabulous from day one in May and continued to look gorgeous all the way into October. This plant seemed to laugh at the heat, the endless sun, and the sudden winds that whipped up out of nowhere. In September, when I was replanting the entrance urns with fall plants, I chose my

colors based on the cheerful yellow and white stripes of these still-fluffy, trailing flowers. I found I was not alone in my admiration—trial gardens across the U.S. observed that ‘Lemon Slice’ earned its stripes because it had stable color and excellent heat tolerance all season

long. From a distance it looks like a yellow flower, so I suggest you take that into account when considering your design. Height: 6-10 inches. Spread: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun.

If you are looking for a tropical plant with unique foliage and abundant flowers, you might want to consider Fire & Ice mandevilla. This new plant combines beautifully variegated foliage with vividly red flowers. The vining habit grows to 3 feet tall, so it would work nicely as a focal point in a larger container with an obelisk. More vigorous mandevillas are better suited to grow over something like an archway. But this one is just the right size for containers that would dramatically flank an entrance. Its distinctive, silvergreen and cream variegated foliage emerges with a lovely pink blush color and provides a striking backdrop for its non-stop flowers from spring through frost. Length: 3-foot vine. Light: Full sun.

Coleus: Chocolate Symphony Fuseables Coleus: Under the Sun Fuseables “Fuseables” consist of multi-seeded pellets that grow a balanced mix of two or more varieties. We grew these coleus from tiny plugs last summer and you could hardly tell what they were when I planted them into the corners of an oblong flower box. I thought they’d trail over the edge, but that was not the case. They grew bigger than I expected, so I moved them into a morning sun perennial bed. They continued to grow and really filled out the bed with a mound of splashy color. I liked the look. I plan to use them as one of our impatiens replacement choices this year. They come in two mixes: Chocolate Symphony (Chocolate Mint and Versa Lime): Height: 20-28 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Part sun. Ball Horticultural Co. (2)

Chocolate Symphony Fuseables

Under the Sun (Versa Crimson Gold and Versa Lime): Height: 20-32 inches. Spread: 18-22 inches. Light: Part sun or full sun.

Under the Sun Fuseables

NEW ANNUALS continued on page 30

Time To Plant! Come in for some fresh ideas. We can help.

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Geranium: Calliope ‘Hot Pink,’ ‘Lavender Rose,’ & ‘Burgundy’ This breakthrough geranium is a cross between ivy (trailing) and zonal geraniums (upright) and was first introduced in a headturning, dark red color. After a few years of excellent garden performance, we have been waiting for new Calliope colors to become available, and here they are: Hot Pink, Lavender Rose, and Burgundy. These heat-loving Calliope geraniums are drought-tolerant and have continuous blooms all summer long. They have a vigorous, well-branched habit that is semi-trailing/mounding with glossy foliage and semi-double flowers with vibrant colors. The flowers and leaves favor the zonal side of the family, and the ivy genes give it a relaxed stem that hangs from a basket or container gracefully. Height: 10-12 inches. Spread: 18-20 inches. Light: Full to part sun.

continued from page 28

Syngenta Flowers, Inc.

Calliope Hot Pink

Coleus: ColorBlaze Marooned

Begonia: Santa Cruz Sunset The award-winning Santa Cruz Sunset begonia (Begonia boliviensis) won the prestigious Medal of Excellence Industry’s Choice Award and was the Grand Prize Winner of the American Garden Award from the National Garden Bureau. When I think of all the plants that are in the running for these highly coveted awards, it makes me realize this plant must be special. This highly-regarded sibling of the beloved Bonfire begonia is super heat- and sun-tolerant, unlike many begonias. The easy care that requires no deadheading, coupled with a trial

Lobularia: Lavender Stream

Benary

garden report of 100 flowers per plant, makes it attractive for both overworked gardeners and hummingbirds looking for fine dining. Fiery red-orange, 2- to 3-inch long, bell-shaped blooms cover the plant until first frost. The sturdy foliage is a handsome dark green that will overwinter like a houseplant if the plant is brought indoors at the end of the season. After being taken outdoors in the spring, the bloom cycle will begin anew in the warmer months. Height: 12-16 inches. Spread: 16-20 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade.

If you are looking for a sultry, velvety backdrop for other special flowers, this coleus from the ColorBlaze series is a dynamo. That it received some of the highest scores in U.S. trial gardens in the 2012 summer heat is a badge of honor. I placed this plant in mixed combos, especially in a large container in a very prominent spot at the back door. I had the pleasure of viewing it from the patio and from my chair in the family room. Inside and out, it had gorgeous burgundy red foliage with scalloped edging. In the shade, it maintained uniform branching and didn’t become stretched or gangly. This relative of the ColorBlaze Alligator Tears plant from a few years ago has the same stellar shape but a totally different coloring. The branching matters, as it gives this plant a pleasing uniformity viewed from all sides and also stabilized it on windy days. Additionally, this coleus can take full sun and that makes it dramatically darker. Height: 24-36 inches. Spread: 18-36 inches. Light: Shade, part shade, or sun.

Danziger

Butterflies will appreciate this new alyssum. Lavender Stream has a tidy habit and more floriferous ball shape, giving you another choice if you need a more compact filler, versus a spiller, for your containers. It would also be perfect for softening the edge of a path or walk. It is sweetly fragrant and holds its color during the heat of summer, turning even darker with cooler weather. Height: 6-10 inches. Spread: 18-24 inches. Light: Sun to part sun.

Proven Winners

NEW ANNUALS continued on page 32

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May/June hours: Mon-Sat: 8-8, Sun: 8-6 We grow 90% of the plants we sell. Think spring with our annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, combo planters, fairy garden supplies and much more! Visit us in the fall for mums and autumn decor! And Christmas, with our beautiful poinsettias, grave blankets, wreaths and more! Visit our website for classes offered. Like us on Facebook!

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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!

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.

Elya’s Village Gardens & Greenhouses 24200 26 Mile Rd., Macomb 48042 586-749-9212 www.elyasvillagegardens.com May/June hours: Mon-Sat: 9-6, 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. Also full-service landscape installation. Annuals, perennials, hostas, trees and shrubs. Family owned garden center since 1966. During summer, visit us at the Farmer’s Markets in Mt. Clemens and Rochester (8a-1p).

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

continued from page 30

Dianthus: ‘Green Ball’

Ball Horticultural Co.

I bought these flowers as a bunch of fresh cuts for St. Patrick’s Day, and I lost count of how many weeks they lasted in a vase. You wouldn’t recognize ‘Green Ball’ as a dianthus except maybe for the leaves—otherwise, it looks like a ball of Irish moss on a long stem. I am delighted to see them now available as a bedding plant. I can’t wait to try it in one of our borders. Height: 10-14 inches. Spread: 8-10 inches. Light: Full sun.

Proven Winners

Lobularia: Frosty Knight My mom used to plant alyssum in the narrow bed between the sidewalk and the house that lead to our backdoor. I can still remember the scent. When I now smell alyssum, it brings back fond memories of being young in the springtime. Today, there are new versions of these old-fashioned, seed-grown favorites. They are called hybrid lobularias and what sets them apart from the sweet alyssums we’ve known and loved is that they are big and beefy. Plus, instead of being a cool crop plant for spring or fall, they can now also take the heat of summer and manage several frosts into the fall. Frosty Knight has extraordinary variegat-

ed foliage, is more compact than its brethren, and is part of an award-winning series. I don’t remember ever noticing alyssum leaves before, but these medium green leaves are a bit broader than seed-grown alyssum leaves and have a creamy yellow margin. The foliage is actually pretty, which is a novelty unto itself. So in or out of bloom, the plant is good-looking, but expect to enjoy the white flowers all season long. As a bonus, it will attract butterflies too. The fragrance lasts for three seasons and this Michigan gardener does not tire of that nostalgic scent. Height: 4-8 inches. Spread: 18-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade.

Coleus: Under the Sea King Crab Coleus are known for dramatic foliage and this new one from the Under the Sea series is good for both containers or garden beds. This upright, mounding plant has large red leaves with a secondary subset of tiny leaves, creating an interesting texture that resembles golden, claw-like fringe. Height: up to 24 inches. Spread: up to 24 inches. Light: Sun or shade.

Dummen

Petunia: ‘Queen Bee’ Petunia power rises again in a swarm of rich, honey-colored stripes on dark purple flowers that resemble the striping pattern of a bee. This profuse bloomer is covered with flowers all season in a nice mounding habit that makes it ideal for containers. Height: 12 inches. Width: 12 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade.

Hort Couture

NEW ANNUALS continued on page 34

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Coleus: ‘Honey Crisp’ continued from page 32

Ball Horticultural Co

Creamy-gold, serrated leaves flecked with green, edged in rosy-red, and tinged with bright salmon toward the midrib with a bright red underside. That’s a lot going on in one leaf, but that’s what we all love about coleus. It’s a neat, bushy plant that is wellbranched and reluctant to flower, which is a good thing—coleus flowers generally detract from the plant’s attractiveness. On ‘Honey Crisp,’ deadheading is not necessary because the plant is late to flower, if at all, and that translates to low-maintenance. With its myriad of colors, ‘Honey Crisp’ complements many neighbors, making it ideal for combination planters. Height: 18-24 inches. Spread: up to 28 inches. Light: Part shade.

Lobularia: Blushing Princess

Ball Horticultural Co.(2)

Cool Wave Mix

Pansy: Cool Wave Out of the garden gate this spring is an award-winning spreading pansy called the Cool Wave Pansy series. A winner of the coveted Medal of Excellence Editor’s Choice Award, this is the first ever non-petunia to wear the Wave name. This spreader will trail up to 30 inches in a basket or pot, while in the ground it will cover up to 2 feet. Its vigorous trailing habit and better branching results in broad color coverage for the cool season garden. This pansy is tough and long-lasting, so it can shoulder the shoulder seasons of spring and fall and still look good. It is available in white, yellow, purple, frost (white and lavender blend), violet wing (white and purple), and a mix. They have medium-sized flowers

Cool Wave Violet Wing and are reported to be zone 5 hardy based on field trials nationwide.

Another plant that withstood the entire summer and fall of 2012 is this deliciously fragrant giant alyssum. It was located outside my office window and the fragrance that wafted in was one of the season’s highlights for me. When you first see it in the greenhouse, it may have a soft blush coloring because of the diffused light and heat indoors. When you move it outside into a container or a bed, it will color up with a deeper lavender color. Blushing Princess is from the Snow Princess line of alyssum, but it is not as vigorous. These alyssum are heat tolerant, so they will last throughout the whole summer, which is what distinguishes them from the traditional alyssum you buy in cell packs. They also don’t require deadheading, making them a carefree flowering plant that attracts butterflies. Height: 4-8 inches. Spread: 24-36 inches. Light: Part sun to sun.

Height: 6-8 inches. Spread: 24-30 inches. Light: 6 hours of sun for best flowering results.

Petunia: Glamouflage Grape This revolutionary petunia was surrounded by “plant paparazzi” at the big flower show last summer in Columbus. When I was able to get near it, I saw what all the buzz was about. The robust foliage was clearly variegated with wide, creamy, marbled margins. The leaves are paired with bright, purplishcolored flowers, making this a newsworthy introduction. The name is a play off the camouflage-like pattern of the foliage. It may give you pause as you think of what to pair it with in a combination—but that’s half the fun of the container gardening creative process. Height: 6-8 inches. Space: 10-12 inches. Light: Full sun. Hort Couture

Julia Hofley is a plant collector, freelance garden writer, lecturer, and independent sales rep (E-mail: julia@juliasbiglife.com).

Proven Winners (2)

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Annuals Geraniums Hanging Baskets Flower Pouches Perennials Collector’s Hostas David Austin English Roses, Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, and Shrub Roses Clematis, Vines Alpine Plants Woodland Wildflowers Groundcovers Butterfly Plants; Certified Monarch Waystation Native Plants

From the rare and unusual to the preferred and popular

Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Herb of the Year: Elderberry Elder (Sambucus nigra or S. canadensis) is a shrub or small tree, and is an attractive addition in a woodland or mixed border. It has flat clusters of small, white fragrant flowers followed by black berries. It grows in moist places and ditches, in sun or part shade, and in rich soil. Do not prune it if you want flowers and berries. There are several ornamental varieties of elder now available that still have good, edible fruits. With its nice shape and beautiful flowers and leaves, it makes a neat addition to the landscape. Depending on the species, mid-Michigan is roughly its northern hardiness boundary. The leaves and raw berries are poisonous and should not be eaten. When cooked, however, the berries make a tasty wine or jam and contain many health properties. Indeed, we enjoyed a glass of the wine, which we found to be hearty, sweet, and fruity, and it was quite pleasant with cheese and crackers. Everyone who sampled the jam thought it had an excellent taste on toast or crackers, and also made a nice topping on peanut butter.

Uses Elderberry plants grow well in sun or part shade, rich soil, and moist places and ditches.

Raw elderberries are poisonous and should not be eaten. When cooked, however, the berries make a tasty wine or jam.

Our Morgan mare “Misty May” is ready for a trail ride with branches of elder in her bridle to ward off flies.

The elder is an herb that has been used since prehistoric times. It has even been Since olden days, branches of the fresh leaves found in Stone Age villages in Italy and Swithave been put into horse’s bridles to keep flies zerland. It is loved by the gypsies, and is away and farmers have placed leaves on their strongly associated with magic, superstition, hats to ward off flies and mosquitoes. The and folklore. It has been given magic qualileaves have also been used to repel mice and ties, saying spirits lived in it and thus should to discourage moles. not be cut down or burned. Sticks of elder Recipes have been used as a charm against lightning. Elderberry jelly is an old favorite, with a Medicinally, elderberry has been used for rich, fruity flavor. We like Certo elderberry many common ailments. The berry syrup jelly the best. The preparawas used for coughs. A flowtion time is about 1 hour. The er tea was used as a mild Jean & Roxanne Riggs recipe makes about 7 one-cup laxative, and the flower wajars. Ingredients: 3 cups preter was used as a skin lotion. pared juice (about 3 pounds Native Americans used it for fully ripe elderberries), 1/2 many ailments. Berries are cup fresh lemon juice, 7 cups very high in vitamins and sugar, 1/2 teaspoon butter or minerals. margarine, and 2 pouches The hollow stems of the Certo fruit pectin. twigs and small branches Bring boiling water canwere made into flutes, pipes, ner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars whistles, and pop guns. In fact, it was once and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse called the “Pipe Tree” and its Latin name with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat Sambucus is from the Greek word sambuke lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot which means “a musical pipe.” water until ready to use. Drain jars well beThe boiled and strained leaves have been fore filling. used as a natural insecticide, and the fresh Remove and discard large stems from elleaves have been used as an insect repellent. derberries. Crush fruit thoroughly, place in saucepan. Cook until juice starts to flow, stirP h oto g r a p h s by ring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover J e a n a n d R ox a n n e R i g g s and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasion-

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

enrich your y

garden artful f ly composed containers ful statues, urns, and garden iron

tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into water, water must cover jars by one to two inches. Cover, bring water to a gentle boil. Process 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check lids by pressing the middle to see if they sealed. The jars should not have any play on the tops. If they didn’t seal properly, you must refrigerate those jars. Elderberry wine is a favorite for mulled wine and hot toddies. You can purchase it at wine shops or specialty food stores. There are even Michigan wineries that make a wonderful brew. For mulled wine spices, gather 1 tablespoon dried orange peel, 1 three-inch cinnamon stick broken, 1/2 whole nutmeg crushed, 6 whole cloves, and 3 whole allspice. Place this mixture in a tea ball or cheesecloth; combine with a bottle of wine and heat without boiling for about 20 minutes. Garnish with slices of orange, and stir with a cinnamon stick. Toddies can be made of the same thing plus the addition of brown sugar to taste. For people looking for natural dyes for wool and fiber, the roots and bark yield a black color, while the leaves combined with an alum mordant (a compound used in dyeing) make a good green color. The berries with alum produce a lovely purple coloring, and with alum and salt a violet-blue. At one time the berries were used as a black hair dye. With the elderberry having been called “the medicine chest of the people” throughout history, and with the flowers and berries used in many teas, wines, pies and jellies, and the berries, bark, leaves and roots for the dye pot, you can see why elderberry was named the 2013 herb of the year!

herbs & scented geraniums

exquisite hanging baskets

faerie headquarters fae

(miniature plants and accessories) (min

topiaries

CMY

Elderberry wine and jelly is sweet and delicious. ally. Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed, let drip into bowl until all dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 3 cups juice into a 6to 8-quart saucepan. Stir in lemon juice. Stir sugar into juice in saucepan. Add butter to reduce foam. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that doesn’t stop boiling when stirred. Stir constantly. Add pectin. Return to full rolling boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on

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Oakland County Market 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328 248.858.5495 • DestinationOakland.com

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

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

What is it that makes the Japanese garden so unique? This particular garden style is commonly misunderstood, which may make it difficult to replicate. I will offer my experience and insights to help get you started. Enamored with the Japanese landscape and holding a degree in landscape architecture, I traveled to Japan. Surrounded by Emaline Fronckowiak other landscape architects, gardeners, and educators, I was able to immerse myself in the landscape enough to experience Japanese heritage firsthand. I learned that successful Japanese gardens stem from a knowledge based on the lifestyle of the Japanese people and their origins. While there is an enormous amount of information to convey, I will summarize it within three main principles: nature, culture, and garden maintenance.

Nature Patterns and elements found in the natural landscape are a primary source for aesthet-

p h oto s by E ma l ine F r o n c ko w iak

ics and material selection in the Japanese garden. This appreciation for the existing environment has been a part of the gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evolution from its inception. A common misconception about the garden is that you need to use many different types of contorted and cultivated evergreens as specimen plantings. The reality is that a few properly selected and placed focal plants will be enough, once supported by the rest of the garden. Try an exercise of imagining how trees grow along the side of a cliff over water. What direction do the branches grow? How does this location affect the look of the tree? How does this compare to the look of a tree grown on flat ground? A good idea is to spend time in nature to better grasp this concept and let it guide you.

Culture The Japanese garden is a direct reflection of the Japanese culture. Many people think that the gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s features have a spiritual or symbolic origin. Although the gardens do serve as a connection to nature, their designs

At the Tei Nishimura old residential home and garden in Kyoto Japan, the stepping stones are arranged in a zigzag pattern, as is traditional in Japanese gardens.

This photo, taken at the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois, demonstrates how plants push each other in nature, creating unique shapes and habits. In this case, a pine is naturally shaping a serviceberry. These themes are often repeated in the Japanese garden.

are often a result of aesthetics and utility. For example, in Japanese gardens the stepping stones are placed in a zigzag pattern. This is because women originally wore kimonos and this arrangement allowed comfortable movement throughout the garden while creating a pleasing pattern with the stone. The use of lanterns is much the same. While originally adding light for temples, they evolved as focal points and as a visual guide through a garden. Lanterns are sometimes overutilized. They should be included, but used as enhancements.

Maintenance The maintenance is just as important to the Japanese garden as the design. The careful details of the maintenance practice are a large part of the craft and skill that result in a top quality Japanese garden. Regular maintenance allows the garden to evolve and change through enhancements such as aesthetic pruning. This is done selectively to focus on and enhance natural imperfections. For example, on specimen trees such as Japanese maples, most branches on the front, or face, of the tree are removed. This is to

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

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The needles have been thinned on the upper section of this pine tree at Imperial Palace Park in Kyoto, Japan. Compare that with the sections that have not been thinned and see what a difference this makes to the look of the pine. show off the curves of the trunk. It is also a practice to rake fallen leaves only past the tree’s drip line in the early stages of fall. Leave the others under the tree until they become dry and colorless, then remove them. This technique serves to “extend” the fall season. On other plants, such as conifers, needles are typically removed by hand and limbs cut to mimic the look of age and maturity. Groundcovers should be cleaned or swept, and kept free of debris so as not to distract the eyes and to give an overall tidy appearance. Don’t let all of this intimidate you; not everything in the garden will need work every day. You may want to hire skilled labor for such items as the aesthetic pruning or for

tasks you do not enjoy. I recommend a regular stroll through with your morning cup of choice to check on things. Take a deep breath at the start of the day—good for the garden, good for the gardener. What makes Japanese gardens unique is the combination of natural and cultural influences that have been refined over time through meticulous maintenance. As an advocate of Japanese gardens, I hope that this brief introduction will encourage you to further explore this magical garden style. Emaline Fronckowiak is Director of Landscape and Design at AguaFina Gardens International in Sylvan Lake, Michigan.

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One of our specialties. Mr. Hunter personally selects and grows tomato plants, including heirlooms, old favorites, and the latest hybrids— 97 varieties this season! Come pick out a plant or two for your garden and taste the difference. Also 20 varieties of peppers this year!

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

how-to Build a rustic wood arbor with limbs and branches In this small city backyard the sugar maple has outgrown its location. It is too big to move and pruning is not an option, so it will be removed (photo 1). The tree was arching over the path into the rear of the yard and the decision was made to use the limbs off the tree to make an arbor over the path. The appeal of the arching branches will remain and the resulting arbor will last for quite a few years if constructed with care. Almost any tree could work, but many are brittle and don’t bend well, while others rot quickly. Some of the better trees to use for this project are deciduous hardwoods, like maple and oak, and evergreens like yew and arborvitae. The limbs used in this arbor were from the sugar maple. They were stripped of their leaves and measured 15 feet long and roughly Steve Nikkila 2 inches in diameter at the bottom (photo 2). Some supple branches were also chosen so they could be bent without breaking. The size of your arbor (height and width) will be determined by the size of the limbs used, so select them appropriately. This arbor will be 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Next, get two pieces of black metal pipe. The black pipe used here is 10 feet long and 1/2 inch in diameter. This size is firm enough to be driven into the ground nearly 3 feet and strong enough to support the finished arbor’s weight (photo 3). Your arbor’s overall size will dictate the diameter of pipe needed. Once the pipe is driven into the ground, the primary limbs need to be attached to it. There are a variety of gadgets that are good for attaching the limbs to the pipe. Place the butt of the limbs just off the ground (photo 4) and use hose clamps to attach the lower half of the arbor (photo 5). They can withstand the inevitable twisting of the limbs during construction better than plastic zip ties. Use zip ties to attach the rest of the upper limbs to the pipe (photos 6 and 7). You can use wires like copper for a nice finishing touch to disguise the clamps and ties. But the wire is difficult to use when first attaching the limbs—that is where the zip ties come in handy. Examine the tops of the limbs to decide how to work them into the arbor. A drawing or sketch may help plot the way the branches will intertwine. Tie some of the branches together in a bundle (photo 8). Then bend the tops together and zip tie them (photo 9). Use the rest of the side branches and entwine

4 2 them together, only cutting off the most wayward branches. You can use some of the same wattling techniques described in “Janet’s Journal” in the April 2013 Michigan Gardener. Finally, do some finishing touches: clip any unnecessary twigs, and finish tying off all the places required for a strong arbor. Your

finished arbor will last quite a while and provide a pleasing focal point for your garden (photo 10). Text and photos by Steven Nikkila, who is from Perennial Favorites in Waterford, MI (E-mail: hortphoto@gmail.com).

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

Temperature

Precipitation March 2013

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Monthly 2.28 1.91 2.06

Actual Monthly 0.74 0.77 0.96

March 2012 Deviation from Normal -1.54 -1.14 -1.10

2013 Year to Date: Jan 1 - Mar 31

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Yr. to Date 6.26 5.02 5.18

Actual Yr. to Date 7.02 6.23 6.18

Deviation from Normal +0.76 +1.21 +1.00

Normal Monthly 2.28 1.91 2.06

Actual Monthly 2.95 2.03 2.78

March 2013 - Average High Deviation from Normal +0.67 +0.12 +0.72

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Avg. High 45.2 43.1 43.5

Detroit Flint Lansing

Normal Avg. Low 28.5 24.3 24.3

2012 Year Total: Jan 1 - Mar 31

Normal

Yr. to Date 6.26 5.02 5.18

Actual Yr. to Date 7.86 5.81 6.39

Data courtesy National Weather Service

Deviation from Normal +1.60 +0.79 +1.21

ACTUAL Avg. High 42.4 39.9 38.2

Deviation from Normal -2.8 -3.2 -5.3

March 2013 - Average Low ACTUAL Avg. Low 26.9 24.2 23.5

Deviation from Normal -1.6 -0.1 -0.8

March 2012 - Average High Normal Avg. High 45.2 43.1 43.5

ACTUAL Avg. High 61.0 60.1 59.6

Deviation from Normal +15.8 +17.0 +16.1

March 2012 - Average Low Normal Avg. Low 28.5 24.3 24.3

ACTUAL Avg. Low 40.4 39.0 39.0

Deviation from Normal +11.9 +14.7 +14.7

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

calendar May / June / July H Denotes Michigan Gardener advertiser

May H Gardening Gone Wild! Landscaping with Native Plants Sun, May 5, 2pm-4pm, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. $20/person, $18/Friends of HLG. Learn how to add native plants to your property. Register: www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu. Living Wreath Sun, May 5, 1-3pm, Pontiac. At Goldner Walsh Garden & Home. $50. All the materials & care tips you need to create a living wreath. Register: 248-332-6430. H Organic Vegetable Gardening Tue, May 7, Novi. By MSU Extension at MSU Tollgate Education Center. Soils, fertility, nutrition, vegetable varieties, organic pest management & weed control. www.oakgov. com/msu. H DIY Container Gardening Tue, May 7, Tue & Wed, 6-8pm, Rochester Hills, Clarkston, Brighton, Grand Blanc. At all Bordine’s locations. $20. Tips, suggestions & soil. Purchase plants of your choice. Register: www.bordines.com. Garden Club Topic: Ikebana Tue, May 7, 11:30am, Northville. By Country Garden Club of Northville at Cady Inn at Mill Race Village. The art of Japanese flower arranging. 248-348-6098. H Lavender Farm Weed & Tea Tue, May 7, Leonard. At Yule Love It Lavender Farm. $3 admission. www.yuleloveitlavender.com. Glimpse of Japan Wed, May 8, 11:30am, Southfield. By Ikebana International Detroit Chapter. Ikebana floral Art, exhibits & tea. www. ikebanadetroit@gmail.com. Nature Saplings: Bees Make Honey Wed, May 8, 1:30-2:30pm, Niles. At Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve. $5. Children ages 2.5-3.5 with adult learn about bees & nature. 269-695-6491. Daffodils & Duds Thu, May 9, 11:30am, Grand Blanc. By Springfield Garden Club at Genesys Conference & Banquet Cntr. Style show & luncheon. $27. 248-634-1680. Container Gardening Presentation Thu, May 9, 7pm, Ferndale. By Ferndale Garden Club at Kulick Com Ctr. Presentation during monthly meeting. 248-541-6427. Tree Talks Thu, May 9, 6:30-8:00pm, Sylvan Lake. At Sylvan Lake Community Ctr. Information, planting techniques, & green infrastructure. 248-682-0209, barbash@sbcglobal.net. Annuals & Perennials of 2013 Thu, May 9, 1pm, Shelby Twp. By Shelby Gardeners Club at Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center. FREE. Speaker George Papadelis, Owner of Telly’s Greenhouse. Growing Hope Plant Sale Fri, May 10, 2pm-8pm, Ypsilanti. At Growing Hope Center. Shop our wide selection of seedlings, & new line of garden products & services. www.growinghope.net. National Public Gardens Day Fri, May 10, 10am-6pm, Niles. By APGA & Rain Bird at Fernwood Botanical Garden. FREE. Download your voucher for admission to any public garden at www.bhg. com. 269-695-6491.

For information about Public Gardens, please visit MichiganGardener.com. Click on "Resources" then "Public Gardens." Plant Sale Fri, May 10, Fri, 3-8pm & Sat, 9am-5pm, Pontiac. At Habitat for Humanity of Oakland Co. Master gardeners conduct gardening presentations on Sat. www.habitatoakland.org. Lake Cliff Garden Presentation Fri, May 10, 1-2:30pm, Niles. At Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve. $10. A look at Lake Cliff’s 7,000 perennials, shrubs, trees, annuals, & tropical plants. 269-695-6491. Native Plant Sale Fri, May 10, Fri, 9am-3pm & Sat, 9am-noon, St. Clair Shores. At Selinsky-Green Farmhouse Museum. Introduce/add more native plants to your existing gardens. 586-778-0443. Herb Sale Fri, May 10, Fri, 10am-5pm & Sat, 9am-2pm, Grosse Pointe Woods. By Herb Society of America at Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Bldg. Pre-order: 313-822-4091. Spring Garden Tour & Plant Sale Sat, May 11, 11am-3pm, South Lyon. By Great Lakes Chapter of the NA Rock Garden Society at Duvall Nursery. H Perennial Plants Program Sat, May 11, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. www.rayhunter.com. 734-284-2500. Plant Exchange & Sale Sat, May 11, 9-11am, Southgate. By MGWWC & News Herald at The News Herald parking lot. Plant sale proceeds fund grants, scholarships for local communities. digitdownriver@gmail.com. H Vegetable Gardening Sat, May 11, 9am at Lake Orion, 11am at Ortonville & 2pm at Davison. At all Wojo’s locations. FREE. All about vegetable gardening from Bill Pioch. Register: www.wojos. com. H Plant Sale Sat, May 11, 10am-2pm, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. Wide selection of choice plants reflecting the collections of the garden. www.HiddenLakeGardens.msu.edu. Plant Exchange Sat, May 11, 9-11am, Westland. By Westland Garden Club at Westland Historic Village Park. Bring a plant, take a plant, or leave a donation. Please label all plants. 734-522-3918. Spring Blooms in the Dunes Sat, May 11, 9am-3pm, Muskegon. By Gillette Nature Association at Gillette Nature Center at Hoffmaster State Park. Native wildflower sale. www.gillettenature.org. Young Beginners Bonsai Workshop Sat, May 11, 10am–1pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $52. 10-16-year-olds will learn to select, prune & repot. Materials provided. Register: MeijerGardens.org/ Education.

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

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June 2013 May 15, 2013 July/August 2013 June 15, 2013

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

43 region’s largest supplier of

Fairy Garden Items!

Check out our expanded fairy garden area... miniature plants have arrived! Beginners Only Bonsai Workshop Sat, May 11, 12:30–3:30pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $57. Pruning, wiring & repotting a juniper bonsai. Materials provided. Register: MeijerGardens.org/ Education. “Morris Midget” Boxwood Workshop Sat, May 11, 1:30–3:30pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $62. Repot your new bonsai & receive care tips. Bring your own tools if possible. Register: MeijerGardens. org/Education. Bring Your Own Tree Workshop Sat, May 11, 2:30–6:30pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $82. Bring 2-3 bonsai & work on styling/ refining with artist Ryan Neil. Register: MeijerGardens. org/Education. Master Gardener Perennial Sale Sat, May 11, 10am-2pm, Owosso. By Master Gardeners at 1535 N. Hickory Rd. Plants inspected by MI agriculture dept. 989-634-5145. Plant Sale Sat, May 11, 8am-2pm, Ann Arbor. By Project Grow at 216 N. 4th Ave. Organically grown plants. www.projectgrowgardens.org. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, May 11, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, May 11, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Bringing Your Lawn Back to Life Sat, May 11, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Lawn care tips after the long cold winter. www.leppeklandscape. com. Chelsea Spring Plant Sale Sat, May 11, 8am-noon, Chelsea. By Chelsea Area Garden Club at Downtown Chelsea. 1000’s of plants & flowers from local gardens. 734-475-9748, www.chelseagardenclub.com. Michigan All State Bonsai Show Sat, May 11, Sat, 9am-5pm & Sun, 11am-5pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. Headlined by Ryan Neil. Handmade bonsai pots, large specimen trees & affordable trees. 616-957-1580. H Mother’s Day Plant Sale & Fundraiser Sat, May 11, Sat & Sun, 10am-4:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Bontanical Gardens. Hanging baskets & containers designed by Matthaei-Nichols staff. 734-647-7600, www.mbgna.umichi.edu. Brick Paving & Retaining Wall Seminar Sat, May 11, 11am, Lake Orion. At Downtown Lake Orion Annual Flower Fair in the Orion Stone booth. DIY seminar by Unilock. 248-391-2490, www.orionstone.com. Michigan’s Farm Garden 10th Anniversary Sun, May 12, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Celebrate the horticultural heritage of Michigan & plant a seedling to take home. www.meijergardens.org. Creative Floral Design Exhibition Sun, May 12, 1-4pm, Ann Arbor. At Zion Lutheran Church. FREE. Creative Flower Arrangers Guild of Dearborn feature creative flower designs inspired by biblical events. 734-434-3795. Bring-Your-Own-Tree Workshop Sun, May 12, 1:30–5:30pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $82. Bring 2-3 bonsai & work on styling/ refining with artist Ryan Neil. Register: MeijerGardens. org/Education. Bonsai from the Wild: A Ponderosa Pine Workshop Sun, May 12, 10:30am-1pm, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. $100. Discover how to collect trees from the wild & transform them into bonsai. Register: MeijerGardens.org/ Education. Hardy Plant Society Meeting Mon, May 13, 7pm, Birmingham. By Hardy Plant Society at Congregational Church of Birmingham. Ruth Vrbensky will lecture about utilizing native plants in smaller urban gardens. 248-693-0334.

Hydroponic Gardening Mon, May 13, 7pm, St. Clair Shores. By Yardeners of St. Clair Shores at St. Clair Shores Pub. Library. Hydroponic gardening & developing sustainable communities. 586415-7110. Plants I’ve Known & Loved Mon, May 13, Noon, Mount Clemens. By Mount Clemens Garden Club at Mount Clemens Library Auditorium. $3/ non-member. Wild, old-fashioned, & favorite flowers presented by Huron-Clinton Nature Center. Register: 586-212-9084. H 41st Annual Spring Plant Sale Tue, May 14, Tue, 10am-7pm & Wed, 10am-2pm, Bloomfield Hills. At Cranbrook House & Gardens. FREE admission. The best in native plants & wildflowers, perennials, greenhouse plants & heirloom tomatoes, orchids, herbs, vegetables, annuals & more. 248-645-3149. H Lavender Farm Weed & Tea Tue, May 14, Leonard. At Yule Love It Lavender Farm. $3 admission. www.yuleloveitlavender.com. H Flora & Fauna Water Color Painting Wed, May 15, 10:30am-1:30pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $94.75. World famous artist Peggy Abrams will assist you in creating an old world botanical collage. Lunch included. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm. com, 810-629-9208. H Putting Pizzazz in Your Perennial Garden Wed, May 15, 7-9pm, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. $20/person, $18/Friends of HLG. Add pizazz with flowering bulbs, annuals, tropicals & ornamental grasses. Register: www.HiddenLakeGardens.msu.edu. Plant Identification Hike Wed, May 15, 7pm, Westland. By Southeast Michigan Butterfly Assn. at Nankin Mills Nature Center. $3. Identify common butterfly host plants & unusual species. www. sembabutterfly.com. Meadow Brook Plant Sale Thu, May 16, Thu & Fri, 9am-6pm, Rochester. At Meadow Brook. Boutique & silent auction 8am-2pm on Thu. www. meadowbrookhall.org, 248-364-6210. Eight Months of Color Fri, May 17, 9:15am, Rochester. By Meadow Brook Hall Garden Club at Meadow Brook Family Garage. $5. 248364-6210, www.meadowbrookhall.org. Spring Plant Sale Fri, May 17, Fri 9am-5pm & Sat 9am-1pm, Waterford. By Waterford Garden Club at Waterford Senior Center. Nonprofit proceeds support civic enhancement efforts. Spring Plant Sale, Garden Market & Garage Sale Fri, May 17, Fri, 10am-3pm & Sat, 9am-1pm, Dearborn. At The Henry Ford Estate. Perennials, wildflowers, shade loving plants, herbs, annuals, & more. www.henryfordestate.org. H Campbell’s 30th Anniversary Fri, May 17, Fri & Sat, 9am-6pm, Sun, 10am-5pm, North Branch. At Campbell’s Greenhouses. Sales, drawings, music, food & more. www.campbellsgreenhouses.com, 810-688-3587. H Lavender Farm Opening Day Fri, May 17, Fri & Sat, 10am-4pm, Leonard. At Yule Love It Lavender Farm. $3 admission. Guided farm tour at 10am, $5. English or Luncheon tea by reservation, concert & workshops. www.yuleloveitlavender.com. MDA Annual Plant Sale Sat, May 18, 10am-2pm, Dexter. By Michigan Dahlia Association at Dexter Mill. Dahlia plants & tubers will be available. 734-429-5796. H Annual Plants & Planting Program Sat, May 18, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. www.rayhunter.com. 734-284-2500. Heirloom Tomato, Herb & Flower Sale Sat, May 18, 9am-1pm, Wayne. By MGWWC at RESA/ MSU Extension. Over 35 varieties of heirloom tomato plants, herbs, flowers & peppers. mgwwcorg@gmail.com. continued on next page

Kids Fairy Garden Class Wed, May 22, 4:30pm, ages 6 & up, $16. Adult Fairy Garden Class Wed, May 22, 7pm, $24. In both classes you will learn about fairy lore, miniature plants, and create container gardens. Reservations required.

734-944-8644 6400 E. MICHIGAN AVE SALINE, MI 48176

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Uncle Luke’s Feed Store 6691 Livernois, Troy • (1/4 Mile S. of South Blvd.) 248-879-9147 • www.unclelukes.com Mon-Fri 9-6:30 • Sat 8-6 • Sun 9-5 Visit our 2nd location in Flushing: Flushing Lawn & Garden • 810-659-6241

Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

continued from previous page H Wildflower Walk Sat, May 18, 11am-noon, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. $5/person, $3/Friends of HLG. Walk through the wildflowers that adorn the natural areas of Hidden Lake Gardens. Register: www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu. Perennial Plant Exchange Sat, May 18, 10am-noon, Troy. By Troy Garden Club at Huber Park at Troy Civic Ctr. Plants must be pest free, labeled w/type & bloom color. 248-641-7904. H Soil Test Kit Sale Sat, May 18, 9am-2pm, Detroit. By MSU Extension at Eastern Market Shed 3. $25. Get the info you need for growing season with a soil test kit. hahnk@anr.msu.edu. Plant Sale Sat, May 18, 9am-2pm, Dexter. By Dexter Garden Club at Monument Park. Presentations at 10am & 11am. Master Gardeners on hand to give advice. sharronwiz@chartermi.net. H Ponds & Water Garden Sat, May 18, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Spring Plant Sale Sat, May 18, 10am-2pm, Birmingham. By Metro Detroit Hosta Society at First United Methodist Church. Hosta & companion plants. Hgold2843@comcast.net. Perennial Plant Exchange Sat, May 18, 9 -11am, Royal Oak. By Royal Oak Garden Club at Mahany Meininger Senior Ctr. Bring labeled plants, bagged/potted to exchange. The How to’s of Hydrangeas Sat, May 18, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Hydrangea growth & care tips. www.leppeklandscape.com. Seed Bombing for Kids Sat, May 18, 10am-noon, Pontiac. At Goldner Walsh Garden & Home. $15. Kids 5+ will learn how seeds are spread in nature & create their own seed bombs. 248-332-6430. Herbs 101: Growing, Cooking, Creating Sat, May 18, 10am-noon, Pontiac. At Goldner Walsh Garden & Home. $30. Grow, store, & use the most multifunctional herbs for our area. Register: 248-332-6430. H Stained Glass Tree Class Sat, May 18, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $92.75. Create a piece of art for your garden using copper wire, pipe, glass & beads. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. Spring Plant & Garden Sale Sat, May 18, 9am-1pm, Highland. Highland Twp. Beautification Comm. at Highland Adult Activity Ctr. Proceeds go to help fund & beautify public areas. 248-887-3791 ext. 134. H MSU Plant Sale Sat, May 18, 7am-2pm, East Lansing. By MSU Horticulture Gardens at Plant & Soil Science Building. Perenni-

als, grasses, annuals & more. All proceeds benefit the gardens. www.hrt.msu.edu Wild Edible Tasting & Identification Sat, May 18, 1-4pm, Niles. At Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve. $25. Lecture, program, food sampling, & trail walk. Register by May 16: 269-695-6491. Plant Sale Sat, May 18, Sat, 9am-3pm & Sun, Noon-3pm, Belle Isle. By Golightly Agriscience Advisory Board at Belle Isle Greenhouses. Perennials, annuals, herbs & more. 313-824-3316. H Kitchen Favorites Sale & Fundraiser Sat, May 18, Sat & Sun, 10am-4:30pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Bontanical Gardens. FREE admission. Herbs, containers & uncommon heirlooms. 734-647-7600, www.mbgna.umichi.edu. H Specialty Growers Open House Sat, May 18, Sat & Sun, 9am-5pm, Howell. At Specialty Growers. $5. Guest vendors, and presentation by Janet Macunovich. 517-546-7742, www.specialtygrowers.net. H Lilac Festival Sat, May 18, Sat & Sun, 10am-5pm, Emmett. At Sunny Fields Botanical Park. FREE. Michigan’s largest & most diverse lilac collection. Over 300 varieties. www.visitsunnyfields.org. Flower Market Field Trip Sun, May 19, Dundee. By Four Seasons Bonsai Club. Carpool to The Flower Market in Dundee to check out their bonsai selection. Bring cash. www.fourseasonsbonsai.com. Growing Hope Plant Sale Sun, May 19, 11am-5pm, Ypsilanti. At Growing Hope Center. Shop our wide selection of seedlings & new line of garden products & services. www.growinghope.net. H 47th Annual Flower Day Sun, May 19, By Metropolitan Detroit Flower Growers Association at Eastern Market. 100’s of growers on over 15-acres of the highest quality annuals, perennials, foliage, shrubbery, trees, exotics, tropical plants, flats, hanging baskets & more available for purchase. The Tasteful Window Box Sun, May 19, 2-3pm, Niles. At Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve. $12. Ideas & techniques for planting your window box or container. info@fernwoodbotanical. org, 269-695-6491. Stone Covered Chalet Birdhouse Sun, May 19, 11am, Fenton. By Garden Angel Art Works at Gerych’s Flowers & Gifts. Create a chalet birdhouse. All materials included. Register: 810-629-5995. H Bonsai & Peijing Garden Opening Sun, May 19, 2-5pm, Ann Arbor. At Matthaei Botanical Gardens. FREE admission. Garden tours, Japanese music by Miyabi, Zentangle workshops & more. www.mbgna. umichi.edu.

380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303 248 645.3149 gardens@cranbrook.edu housegardens.cranbrook.edu

$1 Off Any Purchase at our Annual Spring Plant Sale or $1 Off Cranbrook Gardens Admission With This Ad. Cranbrook Gardens Open for the Season: May - October Come see what’s in bloom! Enjoy the gardens all summer long with a season pass! 41st Annual Spring Plant Sale: May 14, 10 am -7 pm & May 15, 10 am - 2pm Featuring the best in native Michigan plants & wildflowers, perennials, greenhouse plants & organic heirloom tomatoes, orchids, herbs, vegetables, annuals & more. Free admission to Cranbrook Gardens during the sale. Cranbrook House Tours: Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays, June - October Experience a guided tour of the oldest manor home in southeastern Michigan. All tours include a garden visit. Tickets can be purchased online or at our Gatehouse.

H Vertical Gardening Wed, May 22, 6:30-8pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $165.75. Learn to plant a vertical garden & receive a GroVert form & wood frame. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. H Adult Fairy Garden Class Wed, May 22, 7pm, Saline. At Nature’s Garden Center. $24. Learn about fairy love, miniature plants & create container gardens. 734-944-8644, www.naturesgardencenter.com. H Kids Fairy Garden Class Wed, May 22, 4:30pm, Saline. At Nature’s Garden Center. $16. Ages 6+ learn about fairy love, miniature plants & create container gardens. www.naturesgardencenter.com. Junior League Gardeners Flower Show Thu, May 23, 10am-4pm, Grosse Pointe Farms. By Junior League Gardeners at Grosse Pointe War Memorial. FREE. jldetroit.org. Containers & Cocktails Thu, May 23, 5-8pm, Pontiac. At Goldner Walsh Garden & Home. $20. Tips & tricks for container gardening. Soil provided. Register: 248-332-6430. H Pruning Flowers & Shrubs Program Sat, May 25, 11am, Southgate. At Ray Hunter Florist & Garden. 734-284-2500. H Wildflower Walk Sat, May 25, 11am-noon, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. $5/person, $3/Friends of HLG. Walk through the wildflowers that adorn the natural areas of Hidden Lake Gardens. Register: www.hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu. H Soil Test Kit Sale Sat, May 25, 9am-2pm, Detroit. By MSU Extension at Eastern Market Shed 3. $25. Get the info you need for growing season with a soil test kit. hahnk@anr.msu.edu. Iris Show Sat, May 25, Sat 1-5 & Sun 11-5, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. Old favorites & new hybrids grown by local enthusiasts. Free children’s activity 1-4pm both days. 616-957-1580. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, May 25, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Gardening with a (re)Purpose Sat, May 25, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Seminar on repurposing garden odds & ends. www.leppeklandscapes.com. H Plant Sale & Workshop Fri, May 31, Leonard. At Yule Love It Lavender Farm. $3 admission. 10 varieties. www.yuleloveitlavender.com.

June H Hypertufa Head Planter Sat, Jun 1, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $88.75. Dress for mess as you create a round planter out of hypertufa. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm. com, 810-629-9208.

H Hypertufa Head Planter Part 2 Sat, Jun 1, 9am at Lake Orion, 11am at Ortonville & 2pm at Davison. At all Wojo’s locations. $25. Learn to plant the containers you created at the April 6th session. Register: www.wojos.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 1, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Composting Class Sat, Jun 1, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. All about composting. www.leppeklandscape.com. Plant Sale Sat, Jun 1, 9am-noon, Ypsilanti. By Ypsilanti Garden Club at Ypsilanti Senior & Community Ctr. Featuring shade & sun perennials. www.ypsilantigardenclub.org. Perennial Plant Exchange Sat, Jun 1, 8:30am, Clarkston. By the Clarkston Farm & Garden Club at Village Parking Lot. Plants should be potted & labeled. www.ClarkstonGardenClub.org, 248620-2984. Flowering Perennials Sat, Jun 1, 10am-noon, Ann Arbor. By Project Grow at Leslie Science & Nature Ctr. Learn to grow beautiful flowering perennials. www.projectgrowgardens.org. Hardy Plant Society Meeting Mon, Jun 3, 7pm, Birmingham. By Hardy Plant Society at Congregational Church of Birmingham. Socialize with fellow gardeners & bring some special plants for an auction. 248-693-0334. H Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat Tue, Jun 4, Tue, Thu, Fri & Sat through Sep 7, 10am-2pm, Westland. At Barson’s Greenhouse. Butterfly life cycle & native host & nectar plants. www.ButterfliesInTheGarden.com H Pre-School Series Wed, Jun 5, 10-11:30am, Tipton. At Hidden Lake Gardens. Bring your child to learn & play. $8. 517-431-2060, conleyj9@msu.edu. H Indoor Pest Control Thu, Jun 6, Novi. By MSU Extension at MSU Tollgate Education Ctr. How to control unwanted indoor pests. www. oakgov.com/msu. H Faerie House Sat, Jun 8, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $86.75. Build your own faerie house for your garden. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. H Rhubarb Leaf Fountain Sat, Jun 8, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $99.75. Create a 15” leaf shaped concrete fountain. Dress for mess. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810629-9208. Home & Garden Tour Sat, Jun 8, 10am-6pm, Southwest MI. A tour of splendid, professionally designed homes & gardens in SW Michigan. Tickets: http://homeandgardentour.com, 312-660-1344.

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

PLANT SALE

Saturday, May 11, 10am-2pm

Offering a wide selection of choice plants reﬂecting our collections. Annuals, Conifers, Hosta & companions, Native Plants and “Woodies” (Trees & Shrubs). Featuring presentations by Drew Lathin (11am), Clarence Owens (12pm), & Don Wild (1pm).

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

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

H Kid’s Club Plantable Paper Sat, Jun 8, 10am, Davison, Ortonville & Lake Orion. At all Wojo’s locations. FREE. Make your own paper with seeds embedded. Register: www.wojos.com. H Perennial Gardening Sat, Jun 8, 9am at Lake Orion, 11am at Ortonville & 2pm at Davison. At all Wojo’s locations. FREE. How to grow a perennial garden that has interest all year long. Register: www.wojos.com. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 8, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. The Herb Garden Sat, Jun 8, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Gardening with herbs for cooking. www.leppeklandscape. com. H Ann Arbor Garden Walk Sat, Jun 8, 10am-4pm, Ann Arbor. By Ann Arbor Farm & Garden at 6 private gardens. $15. Community nature preserve, marketplace & more. www.annarborfarmandgarden.org. Franklin Gardenwalk Wed, Jun 12, 10am-4pm & 6-9pm, Franklin. By Franklin Garden Club at Village Green. $14. Artisan market, student art show & Master Gardener presentations. 248-851-1066. H Brick Paving & Retaining Wall Seminar Wed, Jun 12, 6pm, Lake Orion. At Orion Stone. DIY seminar by Unilock. 248-391-2490, www.orionstone.com. Special Program with Janet Macunovich Thu, Jun 13, 1pm, Shelby Twp. By Shelby Gardeners Club at Burgess-Shadbush Nature Ctr. $5. Janet Macunovich, author, educator & garden designer. Register by May 15. Mail checks to: Shelby Gardeners Club PO Box 183324, Shelby Twp., MI, 48318. H Garden Design with Robert Schutzki Thu, Jun 13, Novi. By MSU Extension at MSU Tollgate Education Ctr. Special lecture with Dr. Robert Schutzki, MSU Department of Horticulture. www.oakgov.com/msu. H Caring for Roses Sat, Jun 15, 9am at Lake Orion 9, 11am at Ortonville & 2pm at Davison. At all Wojo’s locations. FREE. Bob Filter will guide you through the care & culture of roses. Register: www.wojos.com. H Ponds & Water Garden Sat, Jun 15, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. The Kitchen Garden Sat, Jun 15, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Discuss the use of plants in cooking. www.leppeklandscape.com Trenton Garden Walk Sat, Jun 15, 10am-4pm, Trenton. By The Moonglow Garden Club of Trenton at 7 Trenton gardens. $8. Door prizes, master gardener booth, vendors & lunch. 734-281-6504. Milford Garden Walk & Market Sale Sat, Jun 15, 10am-6pm, Milford. By The Milford Garden Club at 6 Milford gardens & Milford’s Central Park. $12/ day of, $10/advance. www.themilfordgardenclub.org, 248-684-2149. Grosse Pointe Garden Tour Fri, Jun 21, Fri & Sat, 10am-4pm, Grosse Pointe. By Grosse Pointe Garden Ctr, Inc. at 7 private gardens in the Pointes. $15. 313-881-7511. Wayne Garden Walk Sat, Jun 22, 9am-3pm, Wayne. By Wayne Garden Club at 8 private gardens. $10. Rain or shine. 734-721-8232. Master Gardeners Garden Tour Sat, Jun 22, 10am-4pm, Jackson. By Jackson Co. Master Gardener Assn. at 5 private gardens. $10. Tour questions answered by Master Gardeners. nancyewmg@hotmail. com, 517-629-7225. Spring Rose Show Sat, Jun 22, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. www.meijergardens.org, 616-957-1580. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 22, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Companion Planting Sat, Jun 22, 10am, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. What plants work best together in proximity. www.leppeklandscape.com

H Silver Anniversary Garden Party Sun, Jun 23, 11am-4pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. Celebrating 25 years of business. Free party & lunch. 20% off all purchases. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. Master Gardeners Garden Tour Sun, Jun 23, 10am-5pm, Genesee County. By MMGAGCC. 7 gardens in Argentine Twp/Gaines. www.GCgardentour. weebly.com. Rhubarb Leaf Fountain Sun, Jun 23, 11am, Fenton. By Garden Angel Art Works at Gerych’s Flowers & Gifts. Create a 2-tier cascading concrete fountain. Register: 810-629-5995. H Canning Jams Wed, Jun 26, 6-9pm, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $58.75. Learn to make an herbal infused strawberry jam. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. Standard Flower Show Fri, Jun 28, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. www.meijergardens.org, 616-957-1580. The Bartenders Garden Fri, Jun 28, 6pm, Brighton. At Leppek Landscapes. Create festive drinks with herbs & fruits. www.leppeklandscape. com. 2013 Lakeside Garden Walk Sat, Jun 29, 11am-5pm, Lakeside. By Lakeside Association at 9 unique gardens. $35. Proceeds benefit the Scholarship Fund for area seniors. thelakesideassociation.org. H Bonsai Club Annual Show Sat, Jun 29, Troy. By Four Seasons Bonsai Club at Telly’s Greenhouse. Bonsai master Jim Doyle demonstrates tree styling. Exhibit, raffles & sale. www.fourseasonsbonsai. com, 248-689-8735. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jun 29, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. H Brick Paving & Retaining Wall Seminar Sat, Jun 29, 10am, Lake Orion. At Orion Stone. DIY seminar by Unilock. 248-391-2490, www.orionstone.com.

Michigan’s Largest Bonsai Nursery

Outstanding collection

of spring-blooming trees, shrubs & perennials available

Japanese maples

Colorful leaves in spring, summer & fall! Come see our 55 varieties

Over 2,000 Trees in Stock Tropical Bonsai Trees Hardy Bonsai Trees Pots • Tools • Soil Mud Men • Classes 8930 S. Custer Rd.

Nursery & Garden Center

5 MI EAST OF CABELA’S ON M-50

Monroe, MI 48161

2781 Scio Church • Ann Arbor 734-665-TREE (8733)

734-269-2660 FlowerMarketDundee.com

ImpROvE yOuR wORld wITh hElp fROm OuR knowledgeAble StAff

July H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jul 6, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Clarkston Garden Walk Wed, Jul 10, Noon-8pm, Clarkston. By Clarkston Garden Club at 6 Clarkston Gardens. $18. 248-625-9665, www. clarkstongardenclub.org. Troy Garden Walk Wed, Jul 10, 9:30am-3pm & 5pm-8:30pm, Troy. By Troy Garden Club at 6 private gardens & Troy Historic Village. $15. www.TroyGardenClubMI.com, 248-540-4249. H Cobblestone Covered Planter Box Sat, Jul 13, 10am-noon, Fenton. At Heavenly Scent Herb Farm. $86.75. Make a stone covered planter box. Dress for mess. www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com, 810-629-9208. Gardening in Harmony with Nature Sat, Jul 13, Bloomfield Hills. At Manresa Jesuit Retreat House Grounds. Speakers, marketplace & entertainers for garden & nature lovers. 248-644-4933, www. manresa-sj.org. Daylily Show Sat, Jul 13, Grand Rapids. At Frederik Meijer Gardens. www.meijergardens.org, 616-957-1580. H Brick Pavers, Walls & Steps Sat, Jul 13, 10am, Washington. At Rocks ‘n’ Roots. FREE. 586-752-4900. www.rocksnroots.com. Open Gate Garden Tour Sun, Jul 14, 10am-5pm, Fenton. By Open Gate Garden Club at 7 Fenton area gardens. $10. 810-210-9637, www. opengategardenclubgardentour.com. Midsummer Blooms DeWitt Garden Walk Sun, Jul 14, Noon-5pm, DeWitt. By DeWitt Millennium Garden Club at 5 DeWitt gardens. $10. 517-668-6592. Traverse City Garden Walk Thu, Jul 18, 11am-7pm, Traverse City. By The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City at 6 Traverse City gardens. $10. Tickets available at Traverse City Visitor’s Ctr. 231590-6946. H Hurrah for Hydrangea Sat, Jul 20, 9am at Lake Orion, 11am at Ortonville & 2pm at Davison. At all Wojo’s locations. FREE. Joe Lutey explains pruning requirements & care of different types of hydrangeas. Register: www.wojos.com.

THOMPSON EVERETT Thompson EvErETT GardEninG GARDENING SERVICES Specializing Specializing in: in… • Personalized consultation • Personalized consultation • Seasonal containers • Renovation • Renovation • Special Events • Maintenance • Maintenance • Holiday decoration • Beautiful containers SERVING THE TRI-COUNTY AREA SINCE 1998 …and so much more! • Sustainable practices • Weddings/graduations kim thompson everett - Advanced master Gardener ... and so much more! 248-626-2830 • ThompsonEverettGardening@gmail.com

KIM THOMPSON EVERETT Advanced Master Gardener

248.626.2830 thompsoneverettgardening@gmail.com SERVING THE TRI-COUNTY AREA SINCE 1998

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Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.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, Clio, Gladwin, Midland, Roscommon, Saginaw

North Branch

Lapeer

Emmett Imlay City

Flushing Lennon

Port Huron

Hadley Dryden

Grand Blanc

Flint

Bancroft, Owosso

Metamora

macomb

Lakeport

Almont

grand blanc H Bordine’s

Fenton

Oxford

Ortonville

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

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

Farmington Hills Farmington

Ann Arbor

Canton

Troy Sterling Hts.

Southfield Oak Park Ferndale

Dearborn Dearborn Wayne Heights

Ypsilanti

Taylor Romulus

Saline

Tecumseh

H Denotes MG Advertiser addison twp H Yule Love It Lavender Farm 960 Yule Rd. 48367 248-628-7814 www.yuleloveitlavender.com

Brownstown Twp.

Southgate Trenton Grosse Ile

Rockwood, Monroe

H Haley Stone 3600 Lapeer Rd. 48326 248-276-9300 www.haleystone.net H State Crushing

birmingham H Blossoms 33866 Woodward Ave. 48009 248-644-4411 www.blossomsbirmingham.com

bancroft

Grand Oak Herb Farm

H Plant Station Tiffany Florist

American Tree

bay city

brighton

ann arbor

H Begick Nursery & Garden Ctr 5993 Westside Saginaw Rd. 48706 989-684-4210 www.begicknursery.com

almont

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

auburn hills

Clinton Twp.

Eastpointe

Grosse Pointes

Westland

New Boston Tipton

New Baltimore

Detroit

Belleville Manchester

Macomb

Utica

Livonia Redford

Dexter

H Westcroft Gardens

St. Clair Berkley Roseville Shores Madison Royal Oak Heights Warren

Plymouth

Cement City, Chelsea, Jackson, Stockbridge

Shelby Twp.

Auburn Hills

Sylvan Lake Commerce

grosse ile

Ray

Rochester

Pontiac

Milford

Washington

Oakland

Drake’s Landscp & Nurs

belleville

Banotai Greenhse Gardeners Choice H Pinter Flowerland H Zywicki Greenhse

berkley

Garden Central Westborn Flower Mkt

bloomfield hills Backyard Birds

H Beauchamp Landscp Supp H Bordine’s Brighton Farmer’s Mkt Cowbell Lawn/Gard Leppek Nurs H Meier Flowerland

brownstown twp Bruce’s Pond Shop Ruhlig Farms & Gard

canton

Canton Floral Gardens Clink Nurs Crimboli Landscp/Nurs Keller & Stein Greenhse Wild Birds Unltd

cement city

Hallson Gardens

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

chesterfield

Van Thomme’s Greenhses

clarkston

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

clinton twp H English Gardens 44850 Garfield Rd 48038 586-286-6100 www.EnglishGardens.com Michigan Koi H Tropical Treasures

clio H Piechnik’s Greenhouse & Garden Ctr 13172 McCumsey Rd. 48420 810-686-9211 www.cliogreenhouse.com

columbiaville Hilltop Barn

commerce twp

Backyard Birds Zoner’s Greenhse

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

dearborn

grosse pointe

Fairlane Gardens Westborn Flower Mkt

Allemon’s Landscp Ctr Meldrum & Smith Nurs

dearborn heights

grosse pointe woods

H English Gardens 22650 Ford Rd. 48127 313-278-4433 www.EnglishGardens.com

detroit

Allemon’s Landscp Ctr H Detroit Farm & Garden 1759 21st St. 48216 313-655-2344 www.detroitfarmandgarden.com

Wild Birds Unltd

hadley

H Le Fleur Décor

hartland

Deneweth’s Garden Ctr

haslett

H English Gardens 22501 Kelly Rd. 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

Gerych’s Flowers/Gift H Heavenly Scent Herb Farm

ferndale

Casual Modes Home/Gard Green Thumb Gard Ctr

flushing H Flushing Lawn & Garden Ctr 114 Terrace St. 48433 810-659-6241 www.unclelukes.com

fowlerville H Arrowhead Alpines 1310 Gregory Rd. 48836 517-223-3581 www.arrowheadalpines.com

gladwin

H Stone Cottage Gard

manchester

McLennan Nurs

mason

H Wildtype Nurs

metamora

Gilling’s Nurs

milford

One Stop Landscp Supp Milford Gardens H The Pond Place

new baltimore

The Greenhouse

highland

holly

Ariel’s Enchanted Gard

Green Carpet Sod

higgins lake

dexter

eastpointe

madison heights

monroe

Colasanti’s Produce/Plant Fragments Highland Garden Ctr One Stop Landscp Supp

H Fraleighs Landscape Nursery 8600 Jackson Rd. 48130 734-426-5067 www.fraleighs.com

H Wiegand’s Nursery 47747 Romeo Plank Rd. 48044 586-286-3655 www.wiegandsnursery.com

Christian’s Greenhse Van Atta’s Greenhse

H Eastern Market 2934 Russell St. 48207 313-833-9300 www.detroiteasternmarket.com H Bloom! Gard Ctr Dexter Mill

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

H Rice’s Garden Ornaments 10510 North Holly Rd. 48442 810-694-2915 www.ricesgardenornaments.com

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

imlay city

H Earthly Arts Greenhse

jackson

The Hobbit Place Schmid Nurs/Gard

lake orion

Lake Orion Lawn Orn H Orion Stone Depot H Wojo’s of Lake Orion 559 S. Lapeer Rd. 48362 248-690-7435 www.wojos.com

lapeer H Iron Barn Gard Ctr 6823 N. Lapeer Rd (M-24) 48435 810-358-0010 www.theironbarn.com

lennon

Krupps Novelty Shop

livonia

Bushel Mart Superior Growers Supp Westborn Flower Mkt

H The Flower Market H Meldrum Bros Nurs

new boston

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Bob Grese stands in his front yard prairie. This is the street view of the house and garden.

Prairie, woodland, and rain gardens are all part of Bob Grese’s landscape design To the untrained eye, the tall plants in Bob and Susan Grese’s front yard might look like giant weeds, but they are part of a carefully planned garden with each plant specifically chosen and nurtured. As he described it, “My garden is a naturalistic garden style, attempting to idealize the beauty of native woodlands and prairies in a small space.” Grese’s house doesn’t have a typical residential garden with green space and perimeter garden beds. And Grese is not a typical home gardener. He is Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. Grese started to love garden design at a young age. At five years old, he was making mud pies and picking wild strawberries in his Memphis, Tennessee yard. He was fascinated with growing trees; when really young he would sometimes plant sticks in hopes Sandie that they would grow. In fifth grade his Parrott parents let him replant an area near their back porch with annual flowers. That same year he worked with his brother and mother to create a vegetable garden. “All of this certainly contributed to my growing interest in landscape design, alp h oto s by S a n d i e Pa r r ot t u n l e s s ot h e r w i s e i n d i c at e d

Bob Grese

This vegetable garden is located in the prairie garden. So far it receives enough sun to thrive. Wine bottle edging keeps the mulched paths intact.

A rain barrel doesn’t have to be boring—this one has a plant area on top. Grese added several colorful annuals since this sits next to his porch.

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

Bob Grese’s garden pictured through the seasons…

Bob Grese

Near the house, the prairie plantings transition to woodland species. In spring, as new plants are emerging, Grese picks the weeds while they are still seedlings in what he calls “just-intime weeding.”

though I didn’t know a field such as this existed at the time,” he remembered. Grese purchased this Ann Arbor house and city lot in 1988 as a fixer-upper with a garden in mind. “I loved that it was set back on the lot with a good southern exposure for a garden in the front. I was looking for a place where I could experiment with designing and growing a prairie garden. The house needed a lot of work, but I liked that I could tailor a redesign of the house to my own interests and lifestyle. We remodeled again in 2004. We were also excited about the prospect of adding a green roof on the garage so I could trial native plants adaptable to green roof plantings,” Grese recalled. The earliest gardens were a prairie garden near the street, woodland near the house, vegetable garden on the west side, and more woodland in the rear. After the 2004 remodel, the vegetable garden on the west side was eliminated and a new walkway was built along the garage. Later, they re-routed their sump pump to empty into a rain garden created in the front woodland. The overflow from a rain barrel and green roof also drain into this space. In 2009, Grese removed a section of prairie and planted a front vegetable garden. As the oak and hickory trees in the front have grown, the prairie garden is evolving into an oak savannah with fewer grasses and more shade-tolerant forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses and grass-like plants). Grese described his favorite spot in the garden, “We love sitting on the front porch and looking out to the street over the woodland garden, especially in the early spring and summer. Fall is also a special time of great color from the diversity of shrubs and the goldenrods, asters, and grasses.” Grese spends a lot of effort to make sure his plantings are not mistaken for weeds. “My biggest challenge has been to insure that the wilder plantings show signs of being cared for. This means selective cutting of plants that become too tall

Summer near the house. As time passes, three main trees (basswood, bur oak, and shagbark hickory) are producing more shade and changing the plants that thrive in the garden.

The same view in the fall. Autumn colors and late-blooming native plants characterize the scene.

Bob Grese’s green roof project In 2004 the Greses decided to remodel their house. Bob Grese recalled, “We decided to rebuild the garage with a green roof. At the time, I was intrigued with green roof technology and wanted to experiment with native plants that would thrive in shallow soil mixtures and dry conditions.” The green roof consists of several layers. Oversized joints are used for the extra weight of soil, plants, and moisture. Three-quarter inch decking is topped with hot asphalt sealant for waterproofing. Next is a pre-formed plastic drainage layer and above that is a root barrier. The soil consists of expanded clay, shale, sand, and 5 to 10 percent organic matter. The 4- to 6-inch deep soil is held in place by aluminum edging. A one-foot strip of washed ballast rock frames the roof edge. The roof slants one-quarter inch per foot to the east for drainage into a standard gutter and rain chain. Grese explained the plant choices, “In considering plants for the roof, I explored lists of green roof plants and several types of habitats. I started with about 35 species, a quarter of which were native grasses and sedges, and the rest forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses or grass-like plants) and broad-leaved plants. I used locally-collected seed where available, including nodding onion (Allium cernuum), pussytoes (Antennaria parlinii), columbine (Aquilegia caor staking plants that would tend to fall over. I have included “Wild Ones” and “National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat” signs near the front sidewalk to explain to visitors that my wild garden is intentional,” explained Grese. Other maintenance includes raking leaves and grinding them into mulch for the woodlands and vegetable garden beds.

nadensis), Bicknell’s sedge (Carex bicknellii), purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Others I secured from Wildtype Native Plants and Native Plant Nursery. These were flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata), northern bedstraw (Galium boreale), prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), and prairie dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis). I also harvested a few plants from my front yard prairie, especially wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana).” The plants have generally done well and there are very few weeds. The green roof cools the garage in summer, and filters and absorbs rainwater. It offers a more pleasant view from their bedroom window with the changing textures and colors of the seasons. After the plants’ original establishment, Grese did not water for several years. During occasional 100-degree temperatures, however, he was forced to water once a week or the plants would go dormant or even die. The mix of plants has changed over the years as some have disappeared completely, some have temporarily gone dormant, and others have expanded. “I see great value in a green roof system that is modeled after native ecosystems with much built-in resiliency,” Grese affirmed. Grass and forb “thatch” (a build-up of garden leaves, stems, and debris) from the prairie area is used as mulch on paths and around vegetable plants. At the end of the season, this mulch is worked into the soil. Every couple years, Grese conducts a continued on next page

V Website Extra

Michigan Gardener | May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

Go to MichiganGardener.com and click on “Departments,” then “Website Extras” for: • Additional photos of Bob Grese’s garden.

continued from previous page “burn” of the prairie area. “If I don’t do a larger burn, I may use a propane torch to burn select crowns of plants or patches of weeds,” said Grese. Speaking of weeds, Grese calls his weeding style “just-intime weeding.” He has now identified most of his garden’s weeds as seedlings, so he can watch and pull them out when they first show, before they become a problem. His caretaker style, like his garden, is natural. No fertilizers are used, just compost. Watering is done from three rain barrels on the property. Mostly native plants are selected for their value to butterflies, birds, and insects as a wildlife habitat. Sandie Parrott is a freelance garden writer, living and working in Oakland County, Michigan.

Bob Grese

Backlighting on prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) shows off the plant’s large leaves.

Three apple tree stumps are used to support birdhouses. Using 4x4 posts left over from the house remodeling and cuttings from nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), Grese fashioned a twig fence and property divider.

Bob Grese

A view of the green roof in bloom over Grese’s garage.

Wild coffee, also known as orange-fruited horse gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum) has bright orange berries that emerge in late summer to fall after inconspicuous early summer red flowers at the base of the leaves.

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

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Janet’s Journal continued from back cover

Plants with reach need an edge with breadth Some plants have no depth to speak of, or spread aboveground as well as below. Ajuga, ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), bentgrass, and other creepers run along the surface or root from the nodes of tall stems that flop or arc outward. Myrtle (Vinca) creeps under and above. In either case, width becomes a measurement to consider. Since ground ivy can extend an arm only about 12 inches and then that limb must develop some roots before it can reach farther, a 12-inch span of dry pavement or rock without moist crevices may stop its spread. Myrtle has less reach, English ivy (Hedera helix), more. That may sound impossible until you realize that those spanners can grow only a limited number of inches and that vertical aerial distance counts as much as straight-line width. So the measurement of vertical faces count, too. A curb that forces a plant to go up before it can go over and then down is as daunting to that plant as a wider level space.

Thinking ahead about edging can save a lot of grief. Whenever possible move edges way out from a big tree, where it’s possible to install the root barrier well enough to stay down. If you combine vertical plastic edging and fieldstone, reverse the relationship you see here so a vertical root barrier will keep the lawn from infiltrating between stones.

The second universal consideration The other thing to always consider is whether tree roots are present and how their growth will be affected by the edge or impact the edge over time. Installing an edge with any depth under some older trees may be difficult at best. The tree’s flare roots may have been forced to grow at the surface because soil below is compacted. Perhaps our edge has been cast where the tops of an old tree’s much-enlarged flare roots are near the surface. Notching the edge to span roots is tedious, may girdle roots, and diminishes edging’s effectiveness since plants can invade or escape through the gaps created below ground. Cutting the offending roots is never a smart move unless at a considerable distance from the tree trunk (one foot away for every inch of trunk diameter). Young trees present a slightly different challenge to edgers. The tree’s genetics or the site may have kept all its flare roots very near the surface—in which case, edging that blocks them can ruin the tree’s health and stunt its growth. In some cases, the stress of constricted roots predisposes the tree to other problems. Other times, it’s a killing blow. Even a tree that does grow well with its roots contained—its needs met with more frequent irrigation—may become a tipping hazard as its canopy increases beyond the roots’ ability to counteract sway. Even if you put edging in place without encountering tree roots, main roots that were initially well below may lift the edge in time since a tree’s major roots increase in diameter just as its trunk and limbs do. A young root an inch in diameter lying with its center 5 inches below grade may eventually be 10 inches in diameter and will then appear to “surface.” In the years just before its appearance, it may

A cut edge does not have to be any deeper than the roots of the plants it excludes or contains. Here where sod is shallow-rooted, an edge about three inches deep serves well. Re-cut in fall, this edge succeeded in keeping the lawn out through the great grass-growing season of late fall to early spring. distort or buckle the edge. Edges can certainly be reset or notched. Sometimes as trees grow we reposition the edge or change its nature. Either way, the presence of a tree influences not only the original edging choice but its ongoing maintenance.

Edging options, reviewed Here are edging options with notes about effectiveness and practicality. Negative comments do not mean don’t use that edge. A person may like a given edge so much that any disadvantages are acceptable. A situation may demand a particular edge to unify new and existing beds. Then, extra cost or maintenance is just another factor to consider.

A cut edge This is not only the simplest edge but my

A cut edge can become shaggy in midsummer and need trimming for a sharp look. favorite because it’s low-cost initially and the bed shape remains flexible. It requires more maintenance than other edging but often it’s a compromise when long-range plans call for beds to enlarge gradually or merge as trees and shrubs grow. The extra maintenance may cost or wear less than lifting, replacing, and adding to edging materials at interim stages. How does it work? Trench around an area, then keep the cut open. Roots won’t cross the line. They can’t grow into dry air and for reasons beyond the scope of this article, we can be sure they don’t turn down and then out to go under the gap. Outline the edge with a sharp spade, lift out the sod, and push loose soil away from the cut face into the bed. Make the trench as deep as it must be to bar whatever roots are being blocked or confined. Mulch the bed but not the trench—moist mulch is a good root-

For a classic cut edge, cut down and push the loose soil forward into the bed, creating a wide V. Roots can’t grow out into air. growing medium that undoes the trench’s effectiveness. Recut this edge at least twice a year, in spring and fall. It may be shaggy in midsummer. For a sharper look, recut more often. When you recut, don’t let the line creep out unless by design. Use a sharp spade or edging tool to shave the original trench, removing only the soil that gravity pulled into that space and roots that have grown in. I dream of overcoming one disadvantage with redesigned lawn mowers: a mower’s wheel may fall into the cut edge and scalp the edge. On the other hand, if the mower swerves wide, a fringe of grass remains that must be trimmed.

Vertical plastic barrier Probably the most common structural edging is black polyvinyl strip. It can be pur-

www.MichiganGardener.com | May 2013 | Michigan Gardener

its heavier thicknesses. Pieces well over ten years old can be lifted and re-used. Lighter weight strips tend to become brittle and so have a shorter life and less potential for re-use.

Vertical metal barrier

Carpet runner plastic, cut into strips, becomes an edging deeper than black polyvinyl, up to the task of keeping this thistle at bay. Cut the trench with its outer side as vertical as possible. Line that side with the plastic allowed to stand just enough above grade to stop the lawn’s upper creep.

Root barriers must be as deep as the running roots of the plants they contain or exclude. This steel strip is not deep enough to stop chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’), which may develop roots forming three or more horizontal levels from surface to 6 inches deep. Fortunately, those roots are bright white and thick so an observant gardener sees when trenching the edge how deep a root barrier must be.

After digging a trench around a bed, you can line the cut with aluminum bed edging from a roll, ready-made steel strips, or even metal flashing (as used in roofing) for a deeper barrier. Initial considerations and installation are the same as for plastic. A metal edge has greater longevity than plastic. For very high traffic areas where edging will be trod upon or rolled over a great deal, steel is a good choice. Don’t be fooled into thinking that metal will go down easier or stay down better over roots or where it’s installed against a slanted cut. Ice can move metal as easily as plastic. The cost of metal, particularly the steel strips, is higher than plastic. Steel is heavier and less amenable to tight curves than plastic. Metal edging strips, like this one being prepared to be installed, serve the same purposes as plastic edging strips and are installed the same way. The advantage is in longevity and ability to take wear at the upper edge.

Edging where bed meets concrete walk? Edging may seem superfluous along a concrete walk. Plants may encroach by lapping over during the growing season but certainly can’t advance year by year by way of underground runners. Yet the bit of a lip the edging provides can keep loose materials such as mulch from cascading onto the walk. It can also help divert salty run-off from the walkway during winter if the bed has been lowered to prevent the loose materials problem.

Beating plants’ reach with wide flagstone perimeter

This granite curb holds the bed from tumbling onto the walkway.

This wide stone edge is apparent in spring as poppies bloom. By high summer it will be barely visible. The separation spares the lawn being disfigured by smothering border plants that in their turn enjoy the warmth of stone and separation from invading roots.

chased as 20-foot flat lengths, each with a rolled top. Other versions, black or green, are sold in a roll but these are more flimsy so may not last as well when nicked by mowers, and the strip is narrower so it cannot create as deep a barrier. Less common but more versatile is the heavy vinyl sold as carpet runner, meant to be unrolled along heavily-used hallways or tacked down on stair steps. At 27 inches, it’s too wide to be used for any but the most extreme edging work, but it’s handy when the black plastic strips are not deep enough. The roll can be sliced to produce strips of the needed edging depths.

Lay the strip along the vertical face. Do not make the mistake of trying to force a strip down into a narrow slit in the soil. The time is well spent to dig a proper trench and seat the strip well since it will draw a much more graceful line and will not need to be reset every spring. Set the strip so its top is just above soil level—beneath the mower blade but high enough to stop grass plants from sidling right over. It’s enough work to place or change this edging that it will curb any tendency to keep reshaping a bed. So it’s great where you are sure you like a bed’s shape and will continue to like it for many years. It’s lasting, at least in

Anchoring stakes may be packaged with the plastic strips or purchased separately. Be sure there are enough stakes to anchor the edge every five feet. The same stakes can be used to anchor carpet runner. Install strips by digging a trench as for a simple cut edge, but with the face to be cut as close as possible to right angles to the soil surface. The angle is important for keeping the strip flush against the cut through curves in the bed line. If the wall slants outward, as is natural for a spade cut, its upper edge will pull forward from the soil on every curve. In winter those gaps fill with water that freezes against the strip, loosening the stakes as it expands.

Give me an unlimited budget and I’ll choose a border of close-fit flagstone set on sand or gravel inside a vertical plastic or metal barrier as the perfect edge. Underground runners are stopped at the vertical barrier and the stone prevents topside creepers from rooting and continuing on. This requires stone at least a foot wide; 18 inches is better. An important note about those creepers: No matter the edge, it’s necessary to clip them back periodically. Mat formers like sedum and thyme can root into their own leafy debris as it accumulates on stone but are not sprinters, so we put about 12 inches of stone in their way and still trim them annually. Those with more reach or speed, such as English ivy, wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), and myrtle can also go a year without a cutting if given a wider edge of perhaps 18 inches. Unfortunately, if a bed is under siege by fast growers like ground ivy, we cut every few weeks even if the bed has an 18-inch no man’s land. Stone is not only a good plant barrier, it supports the mower wheel and provides dry ground for the kneeling gardener in spring. Plant what will blouse out over the warm rock—that includes most deciduous groundcovers and front-of-the-border perennials. continued on next page

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This brick is beautiful and formidable but every seam is a potential path for a root. For the lowest care short of treating the brick periodically with herbicide, line the outer edge with plastic or metal. continued from previous page The majority will lap over at least a foot, so what looks like a path in spring is just a few inches wide or completely covered by June. Avoid soft rock such as sandstone or shale, with its tendency to split into fragile layers. Water penetrates these rocks when they’re in contact with soil, and the freeze-thaw cycles turn stone into gravel. Lots of creeping plants love to root into gravel.

Brick borders Paver bricks rank close behind a wide flagstone edge, with the same need for width and/or partnering with a vertical barrier. However, brick has more seams, and that means there will be more places for dust and organic matter to fall and mingle as a rooting medium for creepers and a home for seedling weeds. Bricks that are well laid on a very well-drained base tend to be weed free longer than less carefully constructed surfaces, but all do open up to weeds or moss sometime. Flame is a good treatment, if applied when the invasion first begins. Brick reclaimed from house walls is not good for paving. It’s porous and will shatter, creating the same mess as sandstone or shale.

A large stone necklace is not always a gem An edging of large stones looks good when first put in place. But it quickly becomes a maintenance nightmare as every creeper in the ground threads its way between the stones which must then be lifted to extract all the runners. Overground invaders cuddle up to the rocks, creating a shaggy edge that must be clipped for appearance’s sake and/or to keep the stems from scrambling over the barrier. When we are pressed to use this kind of edge or to maintain it, we move the bed edge forward to place horizontal space or a vertical

Rock gardeners know to eliminate lawn along rock edges, or face a never-ending battle with invading grass. Similarly, gardeners who look at all the edging options and ask, “What does this edge have to do for me?” can make smart matches as well.

For easier care of fieldstone or reclaimed concrete as an edge, give it a set-back from the lawn—a simple bare strip. You will have the great look and the chance to stop invading roots before rocks must be shifted to unseat the infiltrators.

V Website Extra Go to MichiganGardener.com and click on “Departments,” then “Website Extras” for: • More edging photos and advice in-ground barrier in front of the rocks. Or we remove the plants outside the bed in favor of a paved or wood chipped path as a neighbor. Then we can enjoy the look without cursing the work of maintaining it.

Outlining with wood This works when the wood is in unbroken pieces deep enough and/or tall and wide enough to exclude the local resident invaders. The edge lasts as long as the wood remains intact, so cedar planks and timbers are best for this use. Seams need an overlapping backing such as plastic or sheet metal to bar the questing root that will find the gap and then explode into a vigorous colony upon reaching the rich, unmowed far side. Decorative wood strips that scallop, checker, or picket the edge are only as good as their dimensions and structural integrity, so they are better used like the stone necklace, inside some better plant-stopper. Edging options are about as numerous as gardeners and their dreams. We could continue on into curved split bamboo doing the Loch Ness monster wave along a path, vertical barriers of inverted wine bottles, driftwood seated in sharp sand and fronted with a moat, or combinations of everything already mentioned. For now, it’s good to have outlined the basics for you. 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.

The edges of these beds are not root barriers but foot-stoppers, preventing soil in the beds from being crushed. They’re also a feature that can be personalized with paint, to the enjoyment of the young people who work in Detroit’s Georgia Street Community Garden.

If the purpose an edge serves is primarily decorative, then combine it with an edge that serves the practical needs. This wood is attractive and in keeping with the landscape lines, but doesn’t pretend to be the edge that separates lawn from bed.

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| May 2013 | www.MichiganGardener.com

janet's journal

Edging your garden beds Options for separating lawn and path from your garden

n edge is a line with lots of dimension. It is what we create to define the garden’s outer limit: “I will make a stone edge for this bed.” It describes both the act of creating and maintaining that demarcation: “How will you edge this new garden?” “Is it time to edge the beds?” In addition, it’s the cutting side of a tool: “Put a sharp edge on your spade before you begin.” Finally, my favorite type of border, the simple cut, makes edge both an advantage and a drawback: “We can just edge that bed out a little wider where those shrubs have grown,” and “Look how wobbly this line has gotten where it keeps edging out!” When people ask, “How do you edge a

At the edge we deal with both the practical and the highest aesthetics. Here we used a simple cut edge to lead the eye around a small yard more gently than the stark line that black polyvinyl can create. garden?” My answer is, “It depends.” Start with universal considerations and then choose from among edging options that fit the developing picture.

Consider two universal factors Given a choice of brick or flagstone, flag may be better for control of sprawling, creeping weeds because it offers more width with fewer seams. Soil and organic matter eventually accumulate in every seam, providing root space for weeds.

spreads aboveground, the edge’s height and width must be sufficient to discourage that reach. If a bed is surrounded by tame bluegrass or fine fescue, an edge can be effective at 3 to 4 inches deep with just enough rise to dissuade a lateral shoot. If the lawn is mowed short and contains quack grass, thistle, or other running root weeds, an edge 4 or 5 inches deep may contain it. However, the same undesirables maintained as a field that is allowed to get

Janet Macunovich

Two points are pertinent to just about all edging decisions, so deal with them first. One is the particular habit of the plants being contained or excluded at an edge. How deep or wide do they reach? The edge must extend vertically into the ground as far as the running roots of a subterranean invader. If the plant

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

quite tall between mowings might not be stopped unless the edge extends 6 or 7 inches into the soil. That’s because taller plants have more leaf surface and thus more energy to put into roots when compared to the same plants discouraged by regular mowing. The only way to know what you’re getting into is to lift some sods along the perimeter, look at the established roots, and gauge the need. Janet’s Journal continued on page 52