Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Keith Creagh recently announced that Michigan’s horticulture industry ranks 5th in the U.S. for gross sales of horticulture crops with $566 million in sales in 2009.

“Michigan’s horticulture industry is strong in both wholesale and retail sales of our products,” said Creagh. “The sale of our horticulture products on a national level helps bring money into Michigan’s economy and supports our local communities.”

In addition to the national ranking for gross sales, Michigan ranks 2nd nationally in retail sales with $108 million and 5th nationally in wholesale sales with $459 million. Michigan ranks 1st in the nation in the production of begonia baskets, Easter lily pots, cut geraniums, geranium seeds, hostas, petunia baskets, New Guinea impatiens baskets, and impatiens in both flats and baskets.

The 2009 Census of Horticulture was recently released by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

It found that Michigan has 1,089 horticulture operations statewide which grow annual bedding and garden plants, herbaceous perennial plants, potted flowering plants, propagative materials, transplants for commercial vegetable production, cut Christmas trees, foliage plants, and food crops grown under protection.

Since the 1998 Census of Horticulture, Michigan’s sales of horticulture crops increased by 10 percent. The next census will be conducted in 10 years.

As reported in a recent edition of The Avant Gardener…

We may not be able to grow turmeric (Curcuma longa) but recent research shows that we should be incorporating it into our diets. The rhizomes of turmeric supply curcumin, which gives curries their golden color. Researchers at the University of Louisiana have found that curcumin breaks up brain plaques of a protein called amyloid beta, which is known to be an important causative agent in Alzheimer’s disease.

Friends of Belle Isle’s Environmental Stewardship Committee needs your help removing invasive plants in the park’s old growth forest. Each stewardship day, volunteers will meet and enjoy a breakfast snack, a hot drink, and a meet-and-greet.

Bring your favorite water bottle, warm boots, and a smile. Tools and work gloves will be on hand. Most work days we will remove woody invasive plants such as honeysuckle, privet, and buckthorn. The work is not very strenuous. We work along a paved path in the forest.

Upcoming dates:
Saturday, Feb 19, 9am-12pm
Saturday, March 19, 9am-12pm

Friends meet at the Belle Isle Nature Zoo at the East end of the island. Please RSVP to Mebby Pearson before each event so there will be enough bagels & coffee on hand.

248-647-7841
Melvadean.Pearson@gmail.com

Following the day to day progress of plant growing from seed never gets old. Even better is watching the progress in a time lapse video. It’s like watching a symphony—mesmerizing. Check out this great video by Dave Le.

The gardening world mourns the loss of Fred Case, a teacher, botanist, and true plantsman. Case passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. He and his wife Roberta authored three books, including “Trilliums,” and many articles for magazines and scientific publications about native orchids, trilliums, insectivorous plants, wildflowers and gardening.

A full obituary can be found here.

Gardening is a healthy activity with many benefits. That said, you may not know that you are burning significant calories when you are out in the garden. Here is just a sampling of averages complied from various sources:

272 calories/hour – Gardening in General
306 calories/hour – Weeding
306 calories/hour – Pruning Trees or Shrubs
306 calories/ hour – Mowing with a power mower
340 calories/hour – Digging

Above calculations assume a body weight of 150 lbs.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) recently confirmed small infestations of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) at sites in Emmet, Macomb, and Ottawa counties.

“Nursery operators, landscapers and homeowners should never accept hemlock from quarantined areas, and never accept hemlock without proper certification,” said Ken Rauscher, MDA Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director.  “Examine your hemlock for the presence white, cottony masses on the underside of the branches where the needles attach.  If you suspect HWA, contact MDA immediately.”

The positive sites in Macomb and Ottawa counties were discovered by two alert arborists who reported their suspicions to MDA.

“These detections underscore the importance of citizen involvement in exotic pest detection,” said Rauscher. “Without these alert and conscientious individuals, these detections may have gone unnoticed for months, or even years, making eradication of this devastating pest much more unlikely.”

These infestations represent the first detections of HWA in Michigan since 2006, when it was found in hemlock nursery stock grown in West Virginia and planted for residential landscaping in the Harbor Springs area. This population was eradicated, and the area was subjected to several years of intensive pesticide treatments and surveys.

The new infestations are also believed to originate from hemlock nursery stock originating from HWA-infested areas of the U.S.  The infested trees at each site have been removed and destroyed. Nearby trees are being treated with pesticides and surveys are being performed to determine if HWA has spread.

“MDA is requiring removal of positive trees and treatment with an approved insecticide and will also conduct survey activities where HWA has been confirmed,” said Rauscher. “Homeowners should be on the look out for white cottony masses at the base of the needles and report any suspects to MDA.”

HWA is a small, aphid-like insect that uses its long, siphoning mouthparts to extract sap from hemlock trees. Native to eastern Asia, HWA was discovered in Virginia in 1951, and has since spread over an area from Georgia to Maine, decimating hemlock stands across much of the eastern U.S.

Over 100 million hemlock trees are present in Michigan forests, providing valuable habitat for a diversity of animals, including birds, deer, and fish. These trees are critical to the ecology and aesthetics of Michigan’s northern forests.

Michigan law restricts the movement of hemlock into the state, and includes a complete ban on the movement of hemlock from infested areas. Details on this quarantine and more information on HWA can be found at www.michigan.gov/mda.

Berkshire Middle School
Berkshire Community Garden grew an impressive crop for local charities in 2010.The Berkshire Community Garden at Birmingham’s Berkshire Middle School grew a bumper crop of vegetables in 2010. The total harvest included 700 tomatoes, 481 peppers, 286 cucumbers, 231 onions, 138 zucchini, 124 eggplant, 68 radishes, 44 squash, 29 beets, 21 carrots, 16 heads of broccoli and one large bushel of string beans.

Produce was donated to Forgotten Harvest, Gleaners, South Oakland Shelter, Lighthouse, Baldwin Center, and Matchan Nutrition Center in Pontiac.

Congratulations to the many volunteers that worked in the garden to contribute to this bountiful harvest.

The majesty of winter’s quiet beauty is a breathtaking backdrop for discovering birds on a crisp morning at Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. Birders have seen and heard the beautiful notes of songbirds and witnessed migration overhead.

Ford House and Rosann Kovalcik, owner of Wild Bird’s Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods, continue their partnership by offering novice and experienced bird watchers the opportunity to walk among the magnificent grounds during the Winter/Spring Bird Walk series at Ford House. Over the years, participants in walks have discovered more than 190 species of birds. 

The Winter/Spring Bird Walk series begins Saturday, Jan. 15 and continues on the following days: February 12, 8am; March 12, 8am; and April 16, 7:30am. 

Reservations are required and may be made by calling 313.884.4222. Admission to the bird walk is $7 per person. For additional information, visit www.fordhouse.org.

This is the time of year to start thinking about what to grow in your vegetable garden this summer. If you’re considering spinach, this informative piece from the National Garden Bureau is a must-read.

Forget Popeye! Spinach contains many more nutrients than just iron. Actually, the amount of iron in spinach comes way down the list after vitamins A and C, thiamin, potassium and folic acid (one of the B complex vitamins). Dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach, contain lutein and zeaxanthin, both carotenoids. Studies show carotenoids help your eyes stay healthy as you age by preventing macular degeneration and the formation of cataracts. Vitamins A and C, both antioxidants, keep your cardiovascular system healthy, thereby reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Folic acid is essential for the production of red blood cells and for normal growth, and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. It’s particularly important for pregnant women.

Read more…