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On the Dissing of “Ornamental Plants” by Susan Harris
via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/on-dissing-of-ornamental-plantsbysusan.html September 22, 2018 at 09:49AM
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2018 Farm Bill FOTO Program Sign On Letter
Click Here to Download Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/2018-farm-bill-foto-program-sign-on.html September 22, 2018 at 05:49AM
Thoughts on water, living with water, and storms by Elizabeth Licata
via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/thoughts-on-water-living-with-water-and.html September 20, 2018 at 01:12AM
The Iconoclastic Gardener – Breaking May’s Stranglehold by Scott Beuerlein
Way back in 1914, an awful calamity happened that would ruin gardening in America forever. With the seemingly benevolent stroke of his pen, Woodrow Wilson foisted the Tyranny of Mother’s Day upon us all. Soon after came the backhanded slap from the long arm of the law of unintended consequences.
To be clear, I’m actually fairly okay with honoring moms. I’ve got one, and my wife even became one too. Willingly. What I don’t like, however, is that this holiday has established the second Sunday in May as the one and only epicenter of the entire Horticultural Universe. As if graven on stone tablets, it was apparently ordained that every homeowner in America must cram a year’s worth of yard work, and do all their garden shopping, within two or three days of that holiest of holy days.
As you can imagine, because people inherently buy from garden centers things that are in flower, this has ensured that every last homeowner’s yard explodes into bloom right on Mother’s Day and sheepishly goes out of bloom a week later. Therefore, the rest of the growing season–from June to frost–the vast expanse of American suburbs is a sad, flowerless wasteland, bereft of color, wondering what life is about and why it always feels so empty inside.
Here is what this has cost us. The fun perennials, the really good stuff, all bloom later and, in fact, look absolutely fabulous on garden center shelves right this very minute when absolutely no one is there to see them. Hence, they’re not bought, not in gardens, and not bringing boundless joy to people in their everyday lives.
Late summer and fall blooming perennials tend to be bigger, bolder, and way more impactful. They also usually bloom longer, and they do so with all the star spangled colors of a big refinery fire. They invariably maintain a great form all season–not going to seed and not going limp too early, and they also attract loads of pollinators, which bring their own spastic fun to the party.
So do this. Be a lunatic. A rebel. Be contrary. Log off your computer right now and go to your favorite garden center and buy a bunch of stuff. Your garden and your life will be improved. Your late season garden will look so amazing you’ll want to show it to your mother. You might even invite her over. In September. Maybe October. The Iconoclastic Gardener – Breaking May’s Stranglehold originally appeared on Garden Rant on September 18, 2018. Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-iconoclastic-gardener-breaking-mays.html September 19, 2018 at 01:12AM
Farm Bill Politics 3: Down to the Wire
As the September 30th farm bill expiration date looms, Lindsey checks back in for a status update with NYFC’s National Policy Director, Andrew Bahrenburg. What do the “Fab Four” have to do with farm bill conference negotiations? Will Congress pass a final farm bill in time? And what will happen to the programs young farmers rely on if they don’t? Take action, and tell your... Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/farm-bill-politics-3-down-to-wire.html September 15, 2018 at 09:05AM
“Invasive” Ground Covers and the Case for Allowing Periwinkle by Susan Harris
I have a beef with the inclusion of Periwinkle (Vinca minor) on my coop’s list of banned plants – banned because they’re considered invasive (despite NOT being listed on the Maryland Invasive Plant list). I’ve grown it in two suburbs of DC and in neither location (or the gardens of my neighbors) has it grown vigorously. If anything, my complaint, echoed by other area gardeners, is that it’s not vigorous enough. So let’s find out where it’s invasive and under what conditions, shall we? The Invasive Plant Atlas says it’s “invading natural areas throughout the Eastern U.S. It inhabits open to shady sites including forests and often escapes from old homesites.” The State of Indiana says: “Once established, Vinca minor forms a dense carpet to the exclusion of other plants. This creates a problem where it is competing with native flora.” Moving west, a California source says it “tends to become invasive in hot Mediterranean climates.”
Indeed I finally found a spot where Periwinkle IS clearly a problem. In this photo it’s seen covering much of the ground layer in the Treman State Park in Upstate New York. Plant them in the Right Place Ground covers have a job to do – covering the ground, and not taking too long to do it, either. When they do their job they prevent erosion and weeds. No surprise that successful ground covers can, in the wrong place, do their job too TOO well. So what’s the right place for Periwinkle? Commenters on Daves Garden suggest answers: “Yes, vinca can be aggressive, but I am grateful for that, given the difficulty of getting anything to grow under my Norway maples or in the dirty fill around my 1885 house…I would not grow this plant if I lived where it could escape into a woodland.” One newspaper suggests, “Place this lovely in a nice hanging basket or medium to large planter.” I like what one commenter on Houzz has to say:
David Beaulieu (formerly of About.com, now writing for The Spruce) suggests it as a lawn replacement under trees and lists its many advantages:
The “one drawback” of course is its potential invasiveness:
Back home, here’s a patch of Periwinkle between my front yard and a parking lot. Surrounded by concrete and asphalt in all directions, this “invasive” isn’t going anywhere – because it only spreads by runner, not by birds or wind. It’s nothing like English ivy, which harms trees by climbing up into them, where it makes berries that are then spread by birds. I wish “invasives” weren’t lumped together as they so often are – with little or no details as to how, where, and under what conditions they can damage other plants or natural areas. Plants that are invasive only along streams or in regions with mild winters can get banned from places where they’re no threat at all. In my neighborhood the mistaken (I contend) banning Periwinkle creates a special problem. All coop members are required to cover the ground in their (mostly shady) yards, and banning the shade-loving, pest-free, evergreen Periwinkle leaves us with very few choices – mainly Pachysandra and Liriope. They too are listed as invasives – somewhere – and may end up banned, too. Then what? Flowering Vinca minor photo by Margrit. “Invasive” Ground Covers and the Case for Allowing Periwinkle originally appeared on Garden Rant on September 14, 2018. Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/invasive-ground-covers-and-case-for.html September 15, 2018 at 01:59AM
This is why I don’t grow my own vegetables by Elizabeth Licata
via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/this-is-why-i-dont-grow-my-own.html September 14, 2018 at 01:59AM
How Do We Raise More Farmers? by Allen Bush
via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/how-do-we-raise-more-farmersbyallen-bush.html September 12, 2018 at 11:59PM Drought wildfire hail: is there a USDA Disaster Assistance Program to help your farm or ranch?9/10/2018
Drought, wildfire, hail: is there a USDA Disaster Assistance Program to help your farm or ranch?
U.S. Drought Monitor Map, September 10, 2018 Every year, natural events, from drought and wildfires to hurricanes and hail, impact the businesses of farmers and ranchers across the country. Currently, the Four Corners region of the U.S. is experiencing exceptional drought (the worst category!) and most of the Southwest is experiencing some level of drought or dry conditions. In addition to a very... Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/drought-wildfire-hail-is-there-usda.html September 11, 2018 at 06:55AM
2018 Farm Bill Luján-Bishop Letter
NYFC is excited to share a bipartisan letter in support of programs young and socially disadvantaged farmers rely on in the 2018 Farm Bill. The letter, led by Congressional members Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Sanford Bishop’s (D-GA), was delivered to House Agriculture Committee leadership, with support from 53 Members of Congress. In the letter, the Members requests the creation of the Farming... Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/via Blogger http://wendyimmiller.blogspot.com/2018/09/2018-farm-bill-lujan-bishop-letter.html September 11, 2018 at 02:55AM |
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