Michigan Gardener - Your guide Great Lakes gardening: Garden Event Calendar / Expert Advice / Plant Profiles / Tree Care

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.

Burpee “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award helps school and community gardens across the nation

November 14, 2011 •

Burpee Home Gardens® is now accepting applications for the 2012 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award. In its third year, the “I Can Grow” program continues to support urban school and community gardens in cities across the United States. To date, the “I Can Grow” program has provided more than 8,000 vegetable and herb plants to help create 16 gardens nationwide.

The 2012 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award will be presented to established or start-up school and community gardens that demonstrate well-developed and staffed plans for a youth-centered educational program, with an emphasis on nutrition and food production, environmental awareness, social responsibility and scholastic integration.

Two grand-prize winners will be awarded up to 500 vegetable and herb plants and $2,500 in garden supplies. They also will receive on-site assistance for initial garden layout and installation from the experts at Burpee Home Gardens, 5 gallons of Daniels® Plant Food, one hose-end sprayer and a Flip Video™ camera to document the garden’s progress throughout the year. In addition, three runner-up winners will receive 500 vegetable and herb plants, 5 gallons of Daniels® Plant Food, one hose-end sprayer and a Flip Video camera.

Educators and community garden leaders can visit www.burpeehomegardens.com to download the application and review eligibility requirements. All entries must be postmarked by Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. Winners will be announced no later than the week of Feb. 6, 2012.

What is a plant volunteer?

November 13, 2011 •

What do people mean when they say a particular plant is a “volunteer?”

A plant is called a volunteer when it grows in an area it wasn’t planted. These can either be desirable or undesirable plants. If you like the way it looks, it’s a desirable plant; if you don’t, of course it becomes undesirable. Another word for a volunteer plant is “weed.” The definition of a weed is any plant that grows where it’s not wanted. A beautiful sunflower is a weed/volunteer when it appears in a bean field. There are several ways these plants can get to your flower bed or garden. They may come from roots or seeds you planted the previous year, animals may deposit them in their feces, birds can drop the seeds, or the wind may blow them in. If you like the plant… leave it; if not…remove it!

What are the bugs on my nicotiana and how can I control them?

November 12, 2011 •

I grew Nicotiana sylvestris for the first time this year and I have three questions. First, as the plants started to blossom this spring, tiny white and brown bugs appeared all over both the flowers and the foliage, especially the undersides. Near the end of the season, there must have been thousands of these bugs all over the plants! The foliage and flowers were healthy and bloomed wonderfully all season. I tried insecticidal soap in the early summer, but that didn’t seem to faze them. Should I be worried about these bugs overwintering, and what, if anything, should I do differently next year?

Second, at season’s end, I noticed that each seed head had dozens of tiny, brown particles. Are these all seeds? If not, is there just one seed per each “head”? It seems difficult to determine what exactly the seed is. Does this plant self-seed? Third, should this plant be deadheaded throughout the season? As each white bloom faded to brown, I plucked it out, but should I also have cut off the oval seed heads?

What you probably had on your Nicotiana were aphids. They attack the tender new growth and buds of fleshy plants, including Nicotiana. When these insects shed their exo-skeleton they fall on the foliage and give the appearance of thousands. Aphids reproduce rapidly, especially in hot weather, therefore it is difficult to get rid of them quickly. Insecticidal soap will work, but must be applied every 6 to 8 days to kill any eggs that might hatch. For another natural way of getting rid if these pests, try ladybugs. They can be purchased at your local garden center and can take care of a large population of aphids in a matter of days.

The seed pod on Nicotiana is the green, oval shaped part at the base of the flower. These should be removed for flower longevity. In mild winters, Nicotiana can self-seed if the seed pods are left on the plant.

Digital Editions