Monroe County Master Gardener Association

Michele Buberniak send me the following book reviews to post. She will have a couple more soon for our Newsletter as well. Enjoy

Now that the holidays are over and the new year has begun many of us begin to look to the future with hope and anticipation. These feelings may apply to goals for life in general as well as to our plans for our yards and gardens. The growing season is not far away, soon it will be March and we can start some of our spring yard work. For many of us, our memories are selective, we may forget the challenges we had with a project or particular plant and we are ready to get outside and try again.

Here are some new book titles that you may enjoy while counting off the days until Spring!

Seeing flowers : discover the hidden life of flowers photography by Robert Llewellyn ; text by Teri Dunn Chace 2013
Botanical drawings from the past are truly amazing, talented artists drew and painted flowers and other plants with incredible detail , their eyes and hands doing what cameras do for us today. Although there has been a renewed interest in botanical illustration in the past few decades, the majority of work is done with photos .In this book, photographer Robert Llewellyn has produced stunning images of some flowers in twenty- eight of the most common plant families using a variety of techniques. The photos have a white, backlit appearance reminiscent of botanical drawings and are quite striking .In many cases, this lighting makes the petals appear translucent, and it enhances the beauty of the blooms in a way we cannot visualize in a garden setting.
Teri Dunn Chase provided the text that accompanies the photos in each plant family section As a writer and editor, she has contributed to many publications such as Horticulture and North American Gardener , and books including How to Eradicate Invasive Plants and The Anxious Gardener’s Book of Answers to name a few.
Beautiful as well as informative, the inclusion of the plant family names will educate those that may have forgotten or not known the scientific categories of some of their favorite plants. The Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae) section was especially intriguing and surprising. Take time to enjoy it all!

Garden rescue : first aid for plants and flowers by Jo Whittingham DK publishers American edition 2013.
As with all DK (Dorling Kindersley) publications, this book has great photos and clear large text that helps the reader or browser gather information at a glance. Written for those new to gardening and the problems that can come with it, this book may also serve as a refresher for experienced growers. The book is divided into sections that include vegetables and fruits as well as ornamental plants, with information on trees, shrubs, climbers, perennials bulbs and bedding plants as well as the lawn. The very first section is entitled “Know Your Garden”, and it explains how plants work , and the importance of the right site and soil. Especially helpful within this heading are the two page spreads that explain what is normal for the plant categories. The “Don’t Panic” pages will make you smile and may even teach you something you don’t already know. Although more academic diagnostic books have been published , this book is helpful with charts useful in identifying problems and info “bites”. You may want to recommend it to a beginner and supplement it with an MSU publication. The photos of the pests could have been larger for identification purposes but it is a start for further research. The author, Jo Whittingham is a garden writer with a postgraduate degree in horticulture, and was educated in the United Kingdom. She has also written two other books under this publisher for the Royal Horticultural Society. DK also publishes many gardening titles with the American Horticultural Society in the United States market.

Paul mentioned to me that I should check out MMGA’s Facebook page. There are many great articles on it. If you are a Facebook user and would like to “Like” their page to get the updated articles here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/MichiganMG

When your home bound by 12 to 18 inches of snow and below zero temperatures, you can still enjoy gardening. Indoor gardening has brought pleasure to people for thousands of years. Most are plants that typically we cannot grow in our zone area, such as unusual tropical plants. Here are a few facts to consider when selecting an indoor plant.

First and for foremost inspect the plant. Make sure that the foliage is free from disease and insects. If you are adding to a collection of plants you certainly do not want to bring problems into the collection. Don’t forget to check the underside of the foliage.

Next make sure the plant appears sturdy, clean and potted well. Stand back and take a good look at the shape. It should have good coverage with leaves. Avoid plants with any yellow or brown on them. Also watch that the plant has not been over watered or wilted from the lack of water. Feel free to pull the plant from its container and inspect the roots.
They should be a healthy root system. The roots should appear fibrous with white root tips.
If a plant is pot bound you may choose to re-pot it in a larger container or root prune and repot in the same container. Roots that are circling the inside of the container are looking for air. In heavy extreme cases you may see the soil missing from the bound plant. When pruning the root leave enough root to sustain the plant. It may show some signs of shock for a few days after planting but the plant will perk back up in a few days.

If you already have houseplants and are adding to them, remember that plants do better together if they have the same environmental condition requirements. Make sure light requirements and humidity requirements are the same. Group them with like kind. Most homes have filtered light and the humidity fluctuates. Another consideration is drafts. You may not want to put a tender tropical plant near your entry door or drafty window. A plant that requires humidity might best be placed in the kitchen or bath, where the humidity of cooking or the shower will help. Plants such as succulents can be added to the drier zones of the home. Although succulents like bright light they do not require heavy watering. Soil should dry completely before watering.
Unglazed pots work best to drawn out the moisture after watering.
Make sure you protect the plant during transporting during these sub-zero temperatures. Make sure that the plant is bagged fully and no foliage is exposed to the harsh temperatures. Put the plant in the car, not in the trunk. Most trunks are too cold to store a plant for the time it will take you to bring it home.

Other considerations include:
Ventilation required
The media to use for the plant type
Type of container
Fertilizing,
Insect control
How often will it need re-potted.

There are great benefits from houseplants. Remember that they are filtering the air quality of your home. They add some humidity to an area of the house. Most of all, they are good for our mood. They give us the pleasure of a bloom now and then, along with that green we so miss this time of year. Enjoy your interior garden. Here is a list of some favorites: Aloe Vera, Croton, Jade plant, Parlor Palm, Maidenhair fern, Snake plant, Spider Plant, Norfolk Island pine, Rubber plant, Fig, Swedish Ivy and the ever popular Philodendron.

This time of year the seed & plant catalogs, as well as the garden magazines, contain some of the “New” plants for 2014. Many of them are from new 2013 trails and have shown to be successful. From all of those reviewed, I’ve picked my favorites. These include the following:

Sedum “Sunsparkler” Blue Pearl: This sedum has a blue hue along with deep maroon and purple. A rich addition to a garden if you rely on foliage plants for color.

Acalypha wilkesiana Jungle Cloak: A tropical plant with multi-colored vegetation. It can be overwintered indoors but the color will be a great asset to your containers

Clematis Sweet Summer paniculata: A new twist from our Sweet Autumn that so many of us enjoy. This one is very similar with the exception of color. It has a small petite flowers that are cranberry-violet in color.

Andropogon gerardii ‘Rain Dance’, an ornamental grass that has the red-tipped foliage like that of Japanese blood grass but is for zones 3-9. I’ve not been successful with the Japanese blood grass for overwintering (zones 5-9). I am hoping this will work better.

And for vegetables my pick is a grafted tomato: Indigo Sun. It’s a cherry size tomato that is yellow with deep purple at the top. Very colorful and by all I’ve read it bears an abundance of fruit.

If you have found an interesting 2014 pick, let us know about it. I urge members to check out these picks the web. You’ll find images and

What’s your favorite Christmas Tree? Well according to my research it just might be the Colorado Blue Spruce. I would much rather see these beauties outside with some lights and not cut down and in the house. The Colorado blue spruce is a native of the Rocky Mountains. It can grow up to 75 feet high, however grown as an ornamental tree it will probably only reach 49 feet in our yards. Did you know that it’s the state tree of both Colorado and Utah? Best if grown in Zones 2-7; this evergreen has slow to medium growth. Often when homeowners place them far too near the home. Remember, not only may it reach that 49 feet height but it will spread out 10 to 20 feet in diameter. So prepare ahead and give it plenty of space for future growth. It likes full sun and can grown in various soil types (acidic, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, wet, wide range, and clay soils). Although there is no serious insect or disease problem, it is susceptible to needle cast, canker and rust. You should watch for aphids like the spruce gall aphids. You may also see scale, budworms and bagworms. Spider mites can be invasive and may cause significant problems with new growth and overall tree health. It’s truly a beautiful tree.

Jennie sent me some added photos from our demo garden. She writes:
Here are some shots of the one in our demo garden in case you want to use them. One shows flowers and one shows where rabbits are eating the berries and stems in winter. They often chew it right down so we scarcely have to prune it.

Callicarpa americana: American beautyberry. from the Verbenaceae (Verbena Family). This shrub will grow to 3-5 feet and about the same in width. It has long arching branches with clusters of berries at leaf axils. These beautiful iridescent-purple fruit grown in the fall and winter. It’s a favorite to so many birds since the fruit has a high moisture content. They are also favorites of the opossum, raccoon and squirrels. White tailed deer consume the fruit
in the fall after leaf drop. During spring and summer, the deer consume the foliage. These shrubs may be propagated by softwood cuttings, but they are primarily grown from seed that require no pretreatment to germinate.
Due to the numerous fruits many volunteers will produce and are very hearty. These may be dug up and transplanted in other locations. The flower cluster that forms appears on new growth, so prune only after the fruits are gone to encourage next seasons growth and berry production. This plant can withstand a hard pruning. You may take it to the ground level in winter months if you desire. Although the berries are most commonly found in the rich purple, they are also available in white. It certainly has earned its name.

Chris had a few more photos she wanted to share.
I can share additional pictures. Please post if you think it would add to the article. If not you can just enjoy them.
The first four show the beautiful vegetable garden. I really was impressed by their use of containers, growing flowers, herbs and vegetables together in the garden, and the use of chalkboards to inform visitors of what was ready for harvest. I would love to have raised beds made of bricks, but that is just not in the budget. The final photo is a view of a terraced bed in one of the flower gardens.

Sandy O’Connell recently visited Kingwood Center and sent this article and photos.

These are a few pictures of my pictures taken at Kingwood Center located in
downtown Mansfield, Ohio. The estate consists of a total of forty-seven
acres with gardens, mansion, pond, and a horticultural library and is open
to the public year round. The mansion was built in 1926 for Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Kelley King. Mr. King began making his fortune when he was hired by
the Ohio Brass Company as the its first electrical engineer in 1893. After
his death in 1952, he left most of his estate to the private foundation that
continues to operate Kingwood Center today. The home consists of twenty-six
rooms and is built and decorated in French Provincial style. Visitors can
view the mansion at no charge. The main floor is primarily displayed in a
manner similar to its original arrangement with many of Mr. King’s
furnishings which includes the dining, flower, and drawing rooms. Peacocks
also like to roam the gardens and don’t mind the visitors.

Naida shared this with me and I felt it would make a great blog article and link for members

Once every three years, there is an international competition in horticultural sculpture, called “mosaiculture,” in a major city in the world. This year it is Montreal.
This is not topiary but rather creating sculptures out of living plants. The greatest horticulturalists in the world, from 20 different countries, submitted plans a year in advance. Steel armatures were then created to support the works (some 40 feet high); they were then wrapped in steel mesh and filled with dirt and moss and watering hoses. Then they ordered 3 million plants of different shades of green and brown and tan, and these were grown in greenhouses all over Quebec.

In late May, these horticulturalists came to Montreal and planted all of their plants in the forms at the Montreal Botanic Gardens, and they have been standing for three months now. There were 50 major sculptures along a path two miles long. They were incredible. If you would like to visit a few and walk along the path with me, click on

http://myvirtualgarden2.blogspot.com/2013/09/mosaiculture-exhibition.html