What's in this Issue:

#2 Lynne's Backyard Gardening Tips

#3 New Gardening Product of-the-Month

#4 Odd & Strange Gardening News

#5 Great Plant of the Month

#6 Invasive Plant of-the-Month

#7 Garden Pest of-the-Month

#8 Plant Disease

#9 Feedback - Anonymous

How Plants are Named

Those long names given to plants seem complicated and strange but there is a method to the madness. Official plant names are in Latin and consist of two primary parts (Acer rubrum for example is Latin for Red Maple). Acer = Maple genus; and rubrum = Latin for red.

1- Genus – Defined as a group of related plants 2- Species – Defined as a specific plant within a genus.

Additionally:

• The genus is capitalized
• The species is not

As more plants are discovered or developed, some species are then divided into groups called cultivars. Cultivar names are generally Capitalized and enclosed in ‘single quotes’. An example could be white flowered Zinnias which would be written as: Zinnia angustifolia “White Star’.

The accepted system using Latin to name plants was developed by Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) around 1750. It has made identifying plants universal and consistent. Confusion can occur by using only a plants common name because names vary from region to region. For example: The White Water Lily has over 200 different common names around the world.

By using the scientific name, along with the common name, you can be certain a plant is identified correctly. One reason among many you want to know the scientific name is that one plant sharing a common name may require completely different growing and conditions and care than another bearing the same name.

The next time you buy plants you’ll understand why there is that interesting Latin name attached to the common name.
Click to read Full Article...

Budget Gardening

There are many cost saving measures you can employ in the total scheme of gardening including these:

• Plan ahead
• Start a compost pile
• Start from seeds
• Shop around
• Recycle
• Plants that keep giving more
• Neighbors & Friends

Plan ahead – Instead of winging it, know where and what you want to plant and in what quantities. This will also help prevent over buying things you don’t need.

Compost piles – Compost is free food for you plants and is easy to start. It will save you money by taking the place of fertilizers at the basic levels.

Seeds – By starting as many plants as possible by seed you can save a lot of money versus buying plants already started (Sweat Equity).

Shop around – There are deals to be found by looking around instead of just going where you always have gone before. Also, end of the season sales or overstocks present bargain opportunities.

Recycle – There are many things you use everyday that can be used in your gardening projects. An example might be egg cartons as seed starters or plastic containers as pots.

Plants that keep giving more – Some vegetables produce more than their bush equivalents when planted. Examples of these include: tomatoes, beans, squash, and climbing peas.

Neighbors & Friends – Not only can you share gardening ideas that may be time or money saving, you can also exchange bulbs, seeds, and even borrow each others tools.

Coles Wild Bird Seed

Cole's Wild Bird Products Company is a true "mom and pop" success story. Back in the early 1980's, Richard and Nancy Cole started feeding experiments in their backyard because the "birdseed in a bucket" they bought at the grocery store wasn't attracting the beautiful songbirds they wanted to see.

They would mix and bag their own seed in the garage at night after work and deliver it to neighbors and local stores around town on the weekends. Eventually, demand became so great they decided to devote themselves full time to the birding and nature business.

A few years later, Elaine Cole joined the company, helping Richard and Nancy run what had by then become a true "family" enterprise. Now, 20 years later, the Coles are known throughout the birding community as leading innovators and experts in feeding and attracting wild birds.

For other companies, wild bird feed is just a sideline business, something to back up their pet food line or a seasonal backup for their grass seed sales. Their mixes are full of cheap filler seeds like milo and wheat, and virtually no oil sunflower. With their seed you lose two ways: you pay for seeds that the birds don't even eat, and more important, you miss the increased number and variety of wild birds you could be attracting with a better wild bird feed.

At Cole's, wild bird feed is all they do. They developed the most complete line of wild bird feed based on factual research about what birds really eat. Plus, their feeds represent the highest quality in content and freshness available.

They keep the seeds as close to a natural state as possible. Unlike other brands, They do not wash the feed or coat it with chemicals and mineral oil to make it look better. Plus, each type of seed is carefully selected for its attraction to specific groups of birds – absolutely no cheap filler seeds are ever used! So, you get what you paid for, a better wild bird feed.

The Cole family does believe birds are like people… give them what they like to eat and they'll come back and bring their friends. If you put out wild bird feed to attract and help wild birds, then it makes sense to use the feed that does this best.

Cole’s Wild Bird Seed can be found at: http://www.coleswildbird.com
Click to read Full Article...

Cypress Trees

Cypress trees are relatives of the ancient redwoods and sequoias of California and are common in Southern Swamps in the USA along the Gulf Coast and Lower Mississippi, Florida, The Carolinas, and more. They also reach as far north as southern Indiana near the Wabash River.

Note: Southern Indiana once had tens of thousands of acres of bald cypress trees, but farming and river dams have taken their toll. In 1987 Twin Swamps Nature Preserve was set aside to help save one of Indiana’s last stands of bald cypress tree.

Cypress swamps are forested wetlands dominated by cypress trees. They are located along rivers and streams, springs, ponds, or slow moving water. Swamps can often have long periods of flooding but the cypress tree is the most flood-tolerant of all tree species.

There are 14 species of cypress found throughout the world including China, Japan, Tasmania, Formosa, and North America.

The unusual "knees" of the bald cypress are distinctive. The roots send up knobby extensions that protrude from the water, sometimes taking odd shapes and appearing like knights or kings. The biological function of these knees are still a mystery but are reported to serve to supply oxygen to the roots of the trees and also anchor and support the tree in an unstable environment. The knees are a part of the root system which grows above the soil and can reach heights of several feet.

Yellow Waxbells

Botanical Name: Kirengeshoma palmata

Hardiness Zones: 5-9

Height: 4 ft Spread: 2 ft Form: rounded

Type: deciduous shrub

Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches

Flowers: Yellow

You can grow Yellow Waxbells best in moist, humas-rich soil along with bright open shade (if they get too dry they tend to wilt). Yellow Waxbells look their best when naturalized ad will spread to form colonies. You can grow from seed or propagate by division in the spring or fall.

Flowering Dates: Late Summer to Mid Fall

Winterizing: Mulch is advisable for the colder climates

Foliage: Hairy green leaves, 6-7 inches across

This is a very pretty flower that can be combined with many different flowers and especially shade loving plants.

Johnsongrass

Distribution

Originally native to the Mediterranean, this grass now occurs in all warm-temperate regions of the world. It is widely distributed in tropical America, common in the southern USA, but is found throughout the United States. This species occurs in crop fields, pastures, abandoned fields, rights-of-way, forest edges, and along stream banks. It thrives in open, disturbed, rich, bottom ground, particularly in cultivated fields.

Johnson grass invades riverbank communities and disturbed sites, particularly fallow fields and forest edges, where it crowds out native species and slows succession. It quickly dominates the herbaceous flora, reduces plant diversity, and is unsightly to observers.

Some of the Ineffective methods to eliminate Johnsongrass include:

• Mowing
• Burning
• Herbicides (single application)
• Tillage
• Grazing

If you encounter Johnsongrass it is advisable to contact your local County Extension Agent or local Master Gardeners for advice. They will know which methods work best in your particular region and circumstances.

Rabbits

Rabbits live in tunnel systems called warrens and don't venture far to feed. If you are experiencing problems from rabbits they are living very close-by. The best ways to keep rabbits out of your garden are by fencing, repelling, or trapping them.

Rabbits are nocturnal and will feed on just about any plant they are able to reach. Succulent pansies, just about any garden vegetable or fruit and several ground cover species of shrub are all targets for hungry grazing rabbits. Since they strike at night, rabbits may go unnoticed for weeks. Eventually, the gardener may notice plants are simply disappearing or dying. A sure sign is when you find their droppings which are round and small.

Rabbits will eat randomly. Instead of ingesting the entire plant, they may only chew the flower or half the plant before moving to the next. This behavior tends to maximize the damage they do. Once eating patterns are established, it can be difficult to change.

The best method for controlling rabbits is to keep them out in the first place. There are products out there that are designed to repel rabbits. The best one I’ve seen so far is called “Rabbit Scram” by the makers of “Deer Scram” They can be found at www.deerscram.com.

Gray Mold

Botrytis is sometimes confused with old age and thrip damage. Botrytis blight can infect any plant part. The pathogen can cause collapse and damping-off of seedlings, blossom blight, fruit rot, stem or crown rots, or shoot blight. The fungus normally establishes itself on stressed, aging, dead or inactive tissues.

The disease often over-winters on infected dead plant material. Sanitation is important. Dead head dying flowers and remove all infected plant tissue. Burning is the desired method of destroying infected tissue.

The first symptom is typically a water-soaked spot which later collapses. If the humidity remains high, a grayish-brown fuzzy coating of fungus growth develops on the diseased tissues.

Small (up to 1/4") black, hardened resting structures of the fungus called sclerotia may be produced on fleshy parts of stems or fruits. Often embedded in decayed tissue, these enable the fungus to survive when conditions are not favorable for growth.

The disease often over-winters on infected dead plant material. Sanitation is important. Dead head dying flowers and remove all infected plant tissue. Burning is the desired method of destroying infected tissue.

Control of Gray Mold:

As always, it is a good idea to ask our local County Extension Agent or local Master Gardener for advice. They are always willing to help with regional specific information. Keys to controlling Gray Mold include allowing plants to dry out during the day time, Allow good air flow and circulation , good ventilation in greenhouses, and keeping your plants maintained.

Feedback Form