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PLEASE NOTE: In the autumn of 1995, we hatched the idea for a free, local gardening publication. The following spring, we published the first issue of Michigan Gardener magazine. Advertisers, readers, and distribution sites embraced our vision. Thus began an exciting journey of helping our local gardening community grow and prosper.
After 27 years, nearly 200 issues published, and millions of copies printed, we have decided it is time to end the publication of our Print Magazine and E-Newsletter.

We will continue to update our Website with articles and enter current gardening events in our website Event Calendar. All the best wishes for 2024 and beyond.

Michigan’s Hemlock Trees Face Big Threat from a Tiny Insect

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Michigan Department of Agriculture recommends inspecting your hemlock trees

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a tiny, aphid–like insect that damages hemlock trees by inserting its mouthparts into the base of the needles and removing plant fluids.
The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a tiny, aphid–like insect that damages hemlock trees by inserting its mouthparts into the base of the needles and removing plant fluids.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) is reminding homeowners and landscapers that although hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) can be seen year round, spring is one of the better times to inspect hemlocks for their presence.

“The HWA is a tiny, aphid–like insect that damages hemlock trees by inserting its mouthparts into the base of the needles and removing plant fluids,” said Gina Alessandri, director of MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. “This feeding activity results in needle loss, reduced twig growth, dieback and death. HWA can kill an entire tree in as few as three years.”

HWA was first discovered in Virginia in 1951 and has since infested hemlock trees from Maine to Georgia. HWA has decimated hemlock stands across much of the eastern U.S.

Approximately 100 million hemlock trees are present in Michigan forests and hemlocks are commonly utilized in landscape plantings. At this time, HWA is not known to exist in Michigan although it has been found here before.  HWA has been documented in the Harbor Springs/Petoskey area (2006, 2007, and 2010), the Utica and Clinton Township areas of Macomb County (2010), the Grand Haven and Holland areas (2010) and the New Buffalo area of Berrien County (2012). At each of these sites, MDARD required the removal and destruction of infested trees, treated hemlocks in close proximity to those infested trees with insecticides and is conducting follow-up surveys.

The biggest threat of introduction of HWA into Michigan comes from the importation of hemlocks, primarily through the nursery and landscape trade, from areas where HWA is established.  If you have ever had hemlock planted on your property, your hemlocks could have an increased risk of having HWA. Michigan’s Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Quarantine restricts the movement of hemlock into the state, and includes a complete ban on the movement of hemlock from infested areas of the country into Michigan.

Examine your hemlocks for the presence of white cottony masses on the underside of the outermost branch tips where the needles attach. As it matures, HWA produces a covering of cottony-like wax filaments to protect itself and its eggs from natural enemies and to prevent them from drying out. The “cotton” can be readily observed from late fall to early summer.

“Most positive reports of HWA in Michigan have come from alert and conscientious arborists and landscapers,” said Alessandri.  “This underscores the importance of citizen involvement in invasive pest detection.”

If you suspect you have seen HWA, immediately call MDARD’s Customer Service Center at (800) 292-3939 or via email at MDA-Info@michigan.gov and report it.”

Website Extra: The artistic country garden

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The garden of Judy and Larry Rowe reflects their love of art and creativity

To read the full profile on Judy and Larry Rowe, pick up a copy of the June, 2013 issue of Michigan Gardener in stores or find it in our digital edition.

Photos by Sandie Parrott

Purchased from a neighbor, this manure spreader is the center of attention in the front yard, along with a white dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Weaver’s White’) and a pink-purple rhododendron (‘Elsie Lee’).
Purchased from a neighbor, this manure spreader is the center of attention in the front yard, along with a white dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Weaver’s White’) and a pink-purple rhododendron (‘Elsie Lee’).

 
Larry made the arbor for this corner garden that sits next to their sunroom where they relax and listen to singing birds playing in the water. There are two ‘Jackmanii' clematis on the arbor, several hostas, and two Alberta spruces for seclusion.
Larry made the arbor for this corner garden that sits next to their sunroom where they relax and listen to singing birds playing in the water. There are two ‘Jackmanii’ clematis on the arbor, several hostas, and two Alberta spruces for seclusion.

 
Larry made the wishing well from an old barbeque grill. The arbor Larry also made is covered with clematis, while clay drain tiles serve as a border. Insulators line the paths to keep hoses out of the gardens and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), hardy in Michigan, surrounds a planted cactus dish garden.
Larry made the wishing well from an old barbeque grill. The arbor Larry also made is covered with clematis, while clay drain tiles serve as a border. Insulators line the paths to keep hoses out of the gardens and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), hardy in Michigan, surrounds a planted cactus dish garden.

 
Judy collects cacti, even though most are not hardy in Michigan and must be taken inside. The pot of succulents is made of five drain tiles turned upside down and wired together to form a flower shape. The display is crowned by a hypertufa pot made by a fellow Master Gardener.
Judy collects cacti, even though most are not hardy in Michigan and must be taken inside. The pot of succulents is made of five drain tiles turned upside down and wired together to form a flower shape. The display is crowned by a hypertufa pot made by a fellow Master Gardener.

Website Extra: Janet’s Journal – Give your garden a raise

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Photos by Steven Nikkila

For the full article on raised garden beds by Janet Macunovich, pickup a copy of the June, 2013 issue of Michigan Gardener in stores or find it in our digital edition.

Most landscapes offer the possibility of building raised beds from recycled material. For example, we removed the raised beds constructed at this house as an accent edging 30 years ago. The pressure treated lumber was mostly intact. We couldn't pull out the spikes that held it together, so we sawed it into sections intending to haul it away. We reconsidered when we learned there would be an extra charge to dispose of it since it could not be accepted at the organic waste site.
Most landscapes offer the possibility of building raised beds from recycled material. For example, we removed the raised beds constructed at this house as an accent edging 30 years ago. The pressure treated lumber was mostly intact. We couldn’t pull out the spikes that held it together, so we sawed it into sections intending to haul it away. We reconsidered when we learned there would be an extra charge to dispose of it since it could not be accepted at the organic waste site.

 
In the back yard at the same house, a steeply sloping corner that ccalready begun filling the area with sod and soil cut out in other projects in the yard. The plan had been to retain this bed with straw bales now, replacing them with a fieldstone wall once funds were available. We revised that to reuse the lumber.
In the back yard at the same house, a steeply sloping corner that ccalready begun filling the area with sod and soil cut out in other projects in the yard. The plan had been to retain this bed with straw bales now, replacing them with a fieldstone wall once funds were available. We revised that to reuse the lumber.

 
It was a puzzle to piece together the lumber we'd pulled out of the front beds in this new space, but simple math assured us there was enough to make the missing third edge of this triangular raised bed. So now, the earth holds two sides of the bed and we've retained the third with a wall that should last at least five years and probably much longer. No more mowing headaches—just a deep raised bed.
It was a puzzle to piece together the lumber we’d pulled out of the front beds in this new space, but simple math assured us there was enough to make the missing third edge of this triangular raised bed. So now, the earth holds two sides of the bed and we’ve retained the third with a wall that should last at least five years and probably much longer. No more mowing headaches—just a deep raised bed.

 
Mortared brick raised beds are worth considering if regular and varied pressure will affect the sides. That's often the case at botanical gardens where many people perch there regularly and wheeled vehicles frequently pass and occasionally bump the beds.
Mortared brick raised beds are worth considering if regular and varied pressure will affect the sides. That’s often the case at botanical gardens where many people perch there regularly and wheeled vehicles frequently pass and occasionally bump the beds.

 
As with wood, use some imagination and mixed stone can be recycled too. Karen and George Thompson made their steep slope into this large, safe garden by cleverly combining two sets of salvaged blocks plus a few bricks.
As with wood, use some imagination and mixed stone can be recycled too. Karen and George Thompson made their steep slope into this large, safe garden by cleverly combining two sets of salvaged blocks plus a few bricks.

 
George works out a pattern...
George works out a pattern…

 
...and settles on this elegant solution. Note the brick and block combination on the lowest terrace.
…and settles on this elegant solution. Note the brick and block combination on the lowest terrace.

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