Monroe County Master Gardener Association

Naida contacted me to suggest that we feature a Garden Club each month so that we can become familiar with them in case some of us may want to join.  I thought this was a great idea.  We post most events on our calendar as well.  The feature this month will be the Milan Garden Club.  Publicity Chair – Barbara Gardinier wrote the following information on their club.

 MILAN GARDEN CLUB :     COME GROW WITH US!  We welcome new members!

All ages and genders are ENCOURAGED to attend a Milan Garden Club meeting and see what we are all about. We offer informational programs and educational meetings.  We LOVE to go on field trips!

Our community service and member involvements are: Plant and maintain the Friend-Hack House Museum Memorial Gardens; Marble Memorial UMC Gardens; Milan Veterans’ Wall of Honor, and Blue Star Memorial in Wilson Park.

We also participate in “Sponsor-a-Barrel” and “Adopt-an-Area Programs” with the Milan Beautification Commission; Paddock Community and Learning Gardens; Milan Chamber of Commerce; Milan Summer Fest; Milan Area Historical Society, and Michigan State University Extension Offices in Washtenaw and Monroe Counties.

Other things you might like to know about Milan Garden Club:

1. We have established and now maintain the gardens at historical Friend-HackHouseMuseum since 2000.
2. We contribute to world and local horticultural foundations, scholarships, and Aid in Milan.
3. We co-sponsor two Milan Beautification awards to rural 48160 addresses four times a year.
4. We are members of Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. and National Garden Clubs, Inc.
5. Five of our members have earned Master Gardener Certification.

Our mission is to: educate about plant care, stimulate gardening, promote home and community beautification, encourage conservation, share resource information and have fun! 

Milan Garden Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:45 PM.

During the months of May through September, we meet at Friend-Hack House Museum, 775 County Street and October through April at Marble Memorial United Methodist Church, 8 Park Street in Milan.  Annual dues are $20.00 and membership includes subscriptions to “Thru the Garden Gate” and “The Michigan Gardener”.

For membership or program information, please contact:  Nancy Kuzniar, Membership Chair, 439-1719 or Sandra Miller, Secretary 434-9030.

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This is truly an old-fashioned favorite.  Easy to grow the lilac came from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe.  It is a member of the Olive (Oleaceae) family.  The common lilac will award you with an abundance of fragrant spring flowers. It provides fantastic spring color every year without fail.  You only need to be near one to smell the fragrance in the air.  This deciduous shrubs grows six to twelve feet tall and will get just as wide; so plant them where they will have plenty of room to grow.  They will typically bloom in mid-spring and are available in various shades and tints of purple, and as well in white.  Their blooms contrast beautifully against their dark green foliage.   These shrubs are best planted in full sun and well-drained soil.  It may also be planted in the shade, however it will most likely not produce the much wanted blooms.  Powdery mildew is known to appear on common lilacs.  There are varieties available that are less likely to have this problem.  You can also make sure that they are planted in an area with great air flow to help avoid this common disease.  They prefer a cold climate and are suited best in Zone 3 to 7.  This shrub requires little maintenance.  You can literally plant it and ignore it.  However, you may want to prun it so that you can reach those wonderful blooms for cutting. Pruning is best done right after the blooms are spent.  This will assure you are not cutting off next years production.  This is a great addition to your landscape.

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Since it’s often associated with the first sign of Spring and warm weather.  Our feature flower for March is the Crocus.  Did you that the Crocus is a relative to the iris?  Crocus (disambiguation) is a flowering plant in the iris family.  It grows from corms which are actually the storage organ that the plant survives on during the winter, or in adverse weather such as a summer drought.  Crocus are a native to the woodlands and meadows.  Their colors mimic the spring palette of yellow, pinks, whites and blue to lavender purples.  The foliage comes up as a long slender dark green blade, which could be mistaken for grass.  It’s also a favored snack of squirrels.  There are some ways to help with this problem when you plant or after they are first established.   You might try dipping them first in a repellent to discourage the critters, lay chicken wire  or Cayenne pepper on the top of the soil  to discourage digging in the area.  The corms are best planted in the fall in a full sun to partial shade location that has well-drained soil.  The depth should be around five inches.  They will begin to pop up through the last remnants of ice and snow during the day and will close as evening approaches.  This sweet petite fleur sings of spring when you see it popping through the earth.  Although we associate it with spring, there is a species known as the autumn crocus that flowers in late summer and early autumn.

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So What can you do with Poor Drainage?   Here are Six ways to improve drainage:

1.  Fill in low levels with good quality topsoil.
2.  Amend clay soils with 4-6 inches of organic matter and rototill it to about 12 inches deep.  Make sure the soil isn’t wet when you till.
3.  Use a raised bed or berms.  Not only do these help with poor drainage, but they also help as you harvest, weed and prune by not bending over  so far.
4.  Create a dry creek bed.  Vary the size stone and rock used for texture and interest.
5.  Make a bog garden.  There are many plants that enjoy having their  feet wet.  Keep in mind that some maybe invasive so research first.  You  may be better off using a tropical that won’t go “wild” on you.  Or, if it  does you won’t have to worry about it after our winter.
6.  Install a French drain to route the water into another area.

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Ornamental crabapple overlooking my favorite summer reading spot

While going through the Blog to clear out a few items that were outdated, I found this post in the Dashboard.  It was as a draft from Sue Ryan.  Her photos are always so interesting.  She does such a great job with photography.  I hope she won’t mind, but I felt I should publish it for all to see. I’m sure she put it on the dashboard to eventually publish it.  Thank you Sue for this post.   She writes:

“I must admit I get excited at the first snowfall. The drab brown of late fall gives way to newness and light. I keep my gone-to-seed plants through the winter to provide a food source for birds. The colors and textures of the various barks, seeds, and evergreen foliage create an understated beauty and a sense of calm.  We can indeed enjoy four-season beauty even in Michigan gardens. The beauty may not be stereotypical but it’s there for the looking!”

I even think kindly towards honeysuckle after a snowfall!

Coneflower heads remind me of cotton bolls

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• Do the same:  use clear glass containers and clear glass beads so water levels and root growth can be observed; after removing from cooling area, place on unheated window sill out of direct sunlight so plants emerge slowly 
• Do differently:  use first year bulbs; keep in cooling area longer than 7 weeks to ensure bigger blooms

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Our feature flower for January 2013 is Hellebores (the Genus Helleborus). This plant is sometimes referred to as “Christmas Rose” or “Lenten Rose” since they begin to show blooms in late winter and early spring. Their blooming season is generally between December and March and often continues through April and May. Its large leaves may stay green thru the winter and add some interest to the garden. I understand that there are both evergreen and herbaceous varieties. The feature photo is from my backyard. This particular Hellebore is a single black variety. Sorry I don’t have the name since I usually purchase at the end of the season to be a bit more frugal. Name tags aren’t always on the plants. However, in spring you will find them available in a variety of colors both single and double blooms. It has been my experience that some tender loving care and frequent watering is best until they become established. Once established they are quite drought tolerant. They are often sold in the nurseries as a shade plant but do very well in light sun or dappled sun. This plant was put into the soil two years ago. It produced a few the first year, however this past year there were dozens of blooms on it. It was planted near my pond that gets at least six hours of early sun. Possibly the mild winter helped as well. Propagation may be done by seed; but that may take up to several months for the seedling to appear. It also does not guarantee that your seedling will be similar to the parent plant. It’s easier to propagate through a cutting or division. However you obtain them, you will find Hellebores to be a great addition to your garden.

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Our feature for this month is the beautiful Amaryllis, a genus of southern African bulbs.  This spectacular bloom is generally sold during the Holiday season in our area for a Winter bloom.  I’ve included some photos taken when the 2010 Monroe County Master Gardener class visited Hidden Lake Gardens.

Many gardeners feel that this “exotic” looking plant must be difficult to grow. On the contrary, you often find them growing right from the boxed container on a clearance rack in a department store.  There is a wide variety of colors available, including white, peach, pink, magenta, cream and of course the reds.   Some hybrids also have stripes, veining, darkened edges, white and light yellow centers.   In addition, the hybrids often produce flowers in a fuller circle rather than a “side facing” habit like the “old-fashioned” pink.   You can often water and fertilize the hybrids year round.   These beauties will also tolerate dry summer condition as well.  The bulbs that are often sold during the Holidays are in the genus Hippeastrum.   

It is best to place the base and roots of the bulb into warm water for a few hours before planting.   Then plant the bulb in a potting compost mix up to its neck.  Be care so you don’t damage the roots.  Firmly press the soil around the bulb and place in a warm area with plenty of light.  It likes temperature from 68-70 degrees, since heat helps the stem to develop.  Water sparingly until the stem appears and then gradually increase the watering.   Plan ahead, because it will take seven to ten weeks for the flower to appear.  Then sit back and enjoy its beauty.

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