E-Edition
MSU Extension:
After last year’s (2012) drought and very warm temperatures, Michigan State University Extension expected to see more pollen cone production in conifers. This is a major concern for Christmas tree growers. However, we are also seeing heavy pollen cone production in conifers in the landscape this spring. The problem has been most acute in spruces, especially Norway and Colorado blue spruce, but we are also finding it in Douglas fir, several true fir species and pine.
Governor Snyder recently named May as the Plant Michigan Green month in an effort to highlight the impact of Michigan’s nursery and landscape industry. Michigan boasts the fifth largest nursery industry in the nation at over $5.5 billion in annual revenue and employment of over 36,000.
For more information on how to care for the environment, find a landscape professional, garden resources or to just enjoy the scenery, visit their website at www.plantmichigangreen.com.
NPR:
And it’s true: Nettles are high in iron, potassium, manganese, calcium and vitamins A and C (and are also a decent source of protein). The word “nettle” describes more than 40 different flowering plant species from the Urtica genus, which comes from the Latin word “uro,” meaning, “I burn.” The plant is native to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, and is found throughout the continental United States. Nettles are readily available in spring and summer.
Continued from page 50 of the May 2013 issue.
Photos by Sandie Parrott
Bob Grese tends to a witch hazel tree (Hamamelis virginiana). Native Americans used the tree bark to treat sores, tumors, skin ulcers, sore muscles, coughs, and colds. Yellow blooms in early spring and yellow fall color make this a beautiful tree.
The striking plumes of bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) in late summer are beautiful in any garden setting.
Grese grew Yukon Gold potatoes in what is typically called a grow bag. They are great reusable containers for vegetables and now come in many colors and sizes.
One of Grese’s favorites is prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum). “I love the broad leaves and tall stalks. The leaves orient on a north-south axis and are wonderful backlit against the sun. The coarse texture is an effective contrast with fine-leaved plants,” he described.
Continued from page 54 of the May 2013 issue.
Photos by Steven Nikkila
Practical and pretty: This raised brick edge keeps loose material in the beds, nudges feet aside, and looks great in this traditional herb garden at Cranbrook House and Gardens in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
There are no plants surrounding these beds at the Detroit Zoo so there’s no reason to install a root barrier. Yet there is need for a foot barrier in a place so heavily trafficked. Weathered logs and dead branches are used because it’s readily available material that’s in keeping with the overall landscape, where wood from pruning or tree removal is used in exhibits as animal enrichment.
Metal can be longer lasting than plastic edging but it is just as likely to be forced up out of the ground if not set in well to begin.
Enjoy the look but don’t rely on small fence or edge sections to block weeds. Even if they are deep enough to thwart the adjacent lawn or groundcover, they’ll need help at the seams.
