Monroe County Master Gardener Association

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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The Fall banquet for the Monroe County Master Gardener Association was a great success.  It sure seemed everyone enjoyed themselves.  Naida sent me some photos and I took a few for us to enjoy.  If anyone is camera shy, let me know.  I’m hoping no one minds showing how we enjoyed ourselves and what a great group we have in Monroe County.   I couldn’t say anything more than what Naida wrote in her e-mail:  “Cudos to the committees who selected the gifts, set up the tables, cleaned up after and all efforts done behind the scenes.  I thought the table centerpieces were beautiful, food – as usual was excellent, and it was so good to have Bob Bricault visit and have him share with our group what his family has gone through in the aftermath of the Dexter tornado.”  Well put Naida.  Winnie also expressed  how nice it was to see Olga there.   Everyone, have a great Holiday season and see you at the meeting in January.

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Our feature for the month, shown in the header photo is Coleus (Solenostemon).  The colorful foliage and unusual shapes are the main reason most people add this plant to their gardens.  It likes moist rich soil, and can survive in shade or sun. The same variety may appear enhanced, or a particular color will become a stronger element of that same plant when in a different lighting situation.  It’s fun to experiment with cuttings from a plant and see the changes it makes when placed elsewhere in the garden.   In Michigan, we consider it an annual.  However, it is a perennial plant in native tropical Africa, Asia and Australia.  New cultivars with many varieties of colorful foliage have been recently introduced.  Propagation may be done by seed or cutting.  Cuttings seem to propagate fast if kept in moist soil and you can easily transplant them in a short time.  They also root well in water, even without rooting hormones.  It sometimes is susceptible to downy mildew, which appears on the foliage making it look dirty, twisted or curled.  Another disease, that you may find is impatiens necrotic spot virus which is spread by thrips.  Generally, it is an easy plant to grow and offers color without bloom.  It will produce a flower at the top of the leaves, which is usually small in size and purple in color.  The flower is no way as beautiful as the foliage.  Pinching it off will encourage added foliage.     Many a coleus has enriched my garden and I’ve included some of the photos in this slide show.  Please enjoy and  plan a spot now for this plant in your garden.   It’s definitely the workhorse in my garden. 

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