Bob Stewart, co-founder of Arrowhead Alpines, passed away on December 16, 2011 after a long and brave battle against cancer. Bob was a brilliant plantsman, with encyclopedic knowledge of diminutive rock garden perennials to towering evergreen conifers, and virtually everything in between. His genius extended well beyond the plant world, including physics, chemistry, politics, the environment, predator birds, butterflies, and the list goes on. For those fortunate to have spent time with him, Bob could easily weave a conversation through all these subjects and more. And when it came to plants, seeing Bob converse with other elite plantsmen was amazing—listening to his full knowledge firing on all cylinders was an unforgettable experience.

Many simply knew Bob through the Arrowhead Alpines catalog. His opening page letter became legendary—ranging from current events to science to the simple (“Winter Sucks”) and back, of course, to plants. Bob tackled this annual, monumental task and produced an epic catalog. Readers got to know him through the thousands of plant entries written with sharp wit in his personal stream-of-consciousness style.

To say this catalog got around would be quite the understatement. While admiring plants in gardens around the world, it wouldn’t be unusual to bend down and read a label that said “Arrowhead Alpines – Fowlerville, Michigan.”

Brigitta Stewart, Bob’s wife and Arrowhead Alpines co-founder, will continue to run the retail and mail-order nursery. The printed catalog will no longer be published; current plant listings will be maintained on the Arrowhead Alpines website.

USDA:

Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 1976-2005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986.

Find your new zone on the USDA website

NPR:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a document yesterday that got no attention on the nightly news, or almost anywhere, really. Its title, I’m sure you’ll agree, is a snooze: National Nutrient Management Standard.

Yet this document represents the agency’s best attempt to solve one of the country’s — and the world’s — really huge environmental problems: The nitrogen and phosphorus that pollute waterways.

There’s a simple reason why this problem is so big, and so hard to solve. Farmers have to feed their fields, before those fields can feed us. Without fertilizer, harvests would dwindle. But lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters lie downstream from highly fertilized farmland, and now they are choking to death on too much nutrition.

Read the rest of the story…

The Ruth Mott Foundation recently received a Key Partner Award from Michigan State University Extension during its annual conference held in October.

The Key Partner Award is awarded annually to individuals, organizations, media, special MSU programs and government officials who have made significant contributions to creating, improving or promoting MSU Extension programs.

Executive Director Steve Wilson accepted the award for The Ruth Mott Foundation of Flint, which has been a key partner of MSU and MSUE for several years, focusing on and supporting the development of viable urban food systems in Flint and Genesee County.

When Extension teams up with the Ruth Mott Foundation, we work together and can expand our reach and do more for Michigan’s residents, specifically for those in Flint,” said MSU Extension Director Tom Coon.

The Ruth Mott Foundation partners with MSU Extension to provide support for edible flint, a network of local food producers and public and private organizations working on improving Flint residents’ access to healthy food. The foundation has been an instrumental supporter of the Flint Farmers Market, helping local producers travel on a learning journey to the Netherlands to meet with global leaders in urban agriculture, supporting new urban farmer efforts through numerous projects and supporting MSU Extension Genesee County food system and nutrition educators.

The Ruth Mott Foundation has the vision and faith in our Genesee extension staff to provide resources that allow us to collaborate with and help coordinate the work of edible flint and the broader Food Based Community Collaborative. We are truly grateful to Steve Wilson and the Ruth Mott Foundation for this support,” said MSU Extension Genesee County food system educator Terry McLean.

The Detroit News:

In the age of urban farming, organic compost made from manure is a valuable commodity.

That’s why two Detroit start-ups say they have hit compost gold after striking deals with the Detroit Zoo and Detroit Police Department’s Mounted Patrol to be their major suppliers. In two different parts of Detroit, two outfits are cultivating the big heaping piles of this product.

Read the rest of the story…

Meijer.com
Frederik MeijerFred Meijer, founder of Meijer, Inc. and noted philanthropist, died Friday, November 25 in Grand Rapids. He was 91.

The Meijer name has became known for many civic and charitable undertakings, but Fred’s most significant contribution came in 1994 with the creation of the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. The conservatory and park combines his passion for sculpture and his wife Lena’s for gardening. 

Comprised of 132 acres of natural wetlands, woodlands, meadows and display gardens, it features indoor tropical, arid, carnivorous, Victorian and seasonal gardens, as well as a sculpture park, children’s garden, farm garden, and amphitheater for summer concert events. 

Since its opening, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has become a top cultural destination in the Midwest region, and known internationally for the quality of its art and gardens.

Flickr / ellenm1
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has become known internationally for the quality of its art and gardens.

The Telegraph:

Always on the mind of the keen gardener is: what’s new? With a long tradition of plant exploration and amateur breeding, in past years the majority of new introductions originated in the UK but, more and more, the latest, coolest plants are coming from across the Atlantic.

Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina likens it to an American version of our Victorian era. Even for some previously British stock-in-trade plants such as hellebores, the bulk of new varieties now come from the United States, sometimes fuelled by UK genetics that hopped the Pond.

Read the full story…

Jeff BallOn Friday, November 11, 2011, Jeff Ball passed away peacefully at home in central Michigan. He battled prostate cancer for 7 years and was with hospice care since September. Jeff was a full-time garden communicator for over 30 years. He wrote 9 books, a weekly yardening column for the Detroit News Homestyle section, and columns on tools and vegetables in Michigan Gardener. He also produced garden videos, a CD-ROM, and a garden planner software package. For 8 years he was the gardening expert on the NBC Today Show in New York City.

It was a pleasure working with and knowing Jeff. He provided practical advice and keen insights to gardeners and homeowners alike. Filled with warmth and wit, his clear writing was a joy to read. He will be missed.

– Eric & Jonathon Hofley

Burpee Home Gardens® is now accepting applications for the 2012 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award. In its third year, the “I Can Grow” program continues to support urban school and community gardens in cities across the United States. To date, the “I Can Grow” program has provided more than 8,000 vegetable and herb plants to help create 16 gardens nationwide.

The 2012 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award will be presented to established or start-up school and community gardens that demonstrate well-developed and staffed plans for a youth-centered educational program, with an emphasis on nutrition and food production, environmental awareness, social responsibility and scholastic integration.

Two grand-prize winners will be awarded up to 500 vegetable and herb plants and $2,500 in garden supplies. They also will receive on-site assistance for initial garden layout and installation from the experts at Burpee Home Gardens, 5 gallons of Daniels® Plant Food, one hose-end sprayer and a Flip Video™ camera to document the garden’s progress throughout the year. In addition, three runner-up winners will receive 500 vegetable and herb plants, 5 gallons of Daniels® Plant Food, one hose-end sprayer and a Flip Video camera.

Educators and community garden leaders can visit www.burpeehomegardens.com to download the application and review eligibility requirements. All entries must be postmarked by Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. Winners will be announced no later than the week of Feb. 6, 2012.

As reported by The Greening of Detroit, 2,276 volunteers planted 2,623 trees throughout the city of Detroit, making this spring’s planting season the largest The Greening of Detroit has ever done. The planting season started on March 26 and continued every Saturday, at two different locations, until June 11. Dedicated volunteers worked diligently to help plant trees and beautify Detroit.