Cool Weather Vegetables

To maximize our short growing season here in Michigan, it is best to plant cool weather vegetables in the spring (April) and the late summer (mid-August/September). Our biggest challenge in southwest Michigan is our temperature which moves quickly from very cold to very warm. There are many varieties of vegetables that prefer cool weather. Several of them–carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, produce their best flavor when they mature during the sunny days and cool nights. Prepare your soil; testing to …

Bushel and Berry – Dwarf Berry Plants

Small space? Not a problem with Bushel and Berry™! Bushel and Berry™ plants are low maintenance and make for an easy, delicious addition to your garden or patio! Bushel and Berry is a unique combination of compact, ornamental and self -pollinating berry plants for the home garden. The berries are anything but dwarf and once the plants are established they will fruit reliably for years given the proper care. Grow in containers or in the ground. Blackberries and Raspberries available. …

Tips on Winter Bird Feeding

Winter is a crucial time for the birds that remain in our area. They spend their time facing the elements of bitter cold and snowstorms. There are no insects to eat and the natural seeds are covered with snow; the berries and crab apples are gone. Birds need enough food to maintain their body temperatures and must search for food from sun up to dusk. Fortunately, for the birds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 41 million Americans …

Clever ways to use your Christmas Tree after the holidays.

The holidays have come and gone and we’re all getting ready to take down the decorations. But instead of tossing out that real Christmas tree, we’ve compiled some clever reuse ideas. 1. Mulch… Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on. 2. Create a bird sanctuary… Place your tree in its stand outdoors. Fill bird feeders and hang them from the boughs, or drape the tree with …

Preparing your Roses for Winter

It’s not something that you want to think about, but winter will be here a lot sooner than we would like and now is the time to start thinking about getting your roses ready for winter. Do not prune your roses now. That should be done in the spring. Do not fertilize past the first week of September. You want the plant to put most of its energy into the roots, not producing flowers.  You need to protect the graft, …

What’s in a Name? How Roses Get Their Names

Have you ever wondered how roses get their names? The process of having a rose named is actually very simple. The real difficulty is in hybridizing a rose that’s worthy of naming! A very popular older Hybrid tea, the ‘Peace’ rose was introduced right after the end of World War 2. It was actually sheer coincidence that Berlin fell and a truce was declared on the same day as the naming of the ‘Peace’ rose. In naming the rose, this …

Home Remedies for Plant Disease

Garden Blight Remedy 1 level tablespoon of baking soda 1 level tablespoon of Epson salts 1 level tablespoon of miracle grow (tomato or veg. fertilizer) 1 level tablespoon of liquid dawn dish soap (reg. blue strength) 3 tablespoons of regular rubbing alcohol Mix all in one gallon of water. Spray everything in the garden every 10 days. This works really good on tomatoes and squash. Blight can possibly be avoided by not allowing leaves to come in contact with the …

Common Garden Problems

Each season presents many questions regarding problems in the garden. Generally, these problems stem from light and water issues. Plant tags will include information regarding light and water needs. Other problems may include fertilization, insects and disease. Light – Always use plants in their favored light condition. Shade plants will dry out and leaves may burn in the hot midday sun. Sun lovers may become leggy and blooming will suffer when planted in too much shade. Water – Over and …

Poisonous Plants

Common name Genus species Category Wenke Carries Aconite or Monkshood Aconitum spp Native and cultivated perennial * Alfalfa or Lucerne Medicago sativa Native groundcover Angel’s Trumpet or Devil’s Trumpet or Downy Thornapple Datura spp or Brugmansia spp. Annual * Arrowgrass Trifolium spp. Native groundcover Baneberry or Doll’s Eyes Actaea spp. Woodland perennial Belladonna Atropa belladonna Native plant Bird’s Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus Perennial * Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia Tree Bleeding Heart Dicentra spp. Perennial * Bloodroot or Red Puccoon Sanguinmaria …

Perennials Tolerant of Wet Shade

 Genus Common Name Aruncus dioicus Sylvan Goatsbeard Astilbe False Spirea Astrantia major Masterwort Caltha palustris Marsh Marigold Chelone Turtlehead Cimicifuga Bugbane Eupatorium Joe Pye Weed Filipendula Meadowsweet or Queen of the Prarie Funkia Hosta Genriana andrewsii Closed Gentian Ligularia Golden Ray Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia Lysimachia Loosestrife Matteuccia s. var. Pennsylvania Ostrich Fern Miscanthus ‘purpurascens’ Red Flame Miscanthus Grass Myosotis scorpioides Forget-Me-Not Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive Fern Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern Osmunda claytoniana Interrupted Fern Osmunda …