Gee Farms and the Brighton Farmer's Market

On Saturday 17 members and friends of the Saginaw Valley Master Gardener Association braved Michigan's steamy weather on a trip to Brighton, Michigan to visit the Brighton Farmer's Market. We found plenty to buy including fresh blackberries, corn and you guessed it, plants. It was the last weekend for Specialty Growers to be there so some of us indulged. I managed to wait on the plants and spent my money at Gee Farms, the next stop on our day long excursion. While there I found three plants that I just had to take home with me. First purchase was a Cimicifuga, common name of Black Snakeroot variety Hillside Black Beauty. It is supposed to get 4 to 7 feet tall with a width of 2 to 3 feet. So I need to find a big enough spot for it. I have a tendency not to give my plants enough room so taking a yardstick outside with me to plant is not uncommon.

My next purchase was a Hibiscus called Copper King. I like the leaves of this one too. Leaves are in season all summer long which is why I try to select plants with leave that I like.

And last, but not least I finally bought an Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I have been wanting to buy one for awhile and this particular variety fit the bill. Not only are the leaves of this Little Honey variety a totally different color than usual, it only gets 4 feet tall so I am sure to find a spot for it.

Now the trick is to keep them all alive. Of course if I don't then that too becomes an opportunity to plant something else!

Dog Days of Summer

I know I live in Michigan and since I live in Michigan I am generally either complaining about the snow and the cold or I am complaining about how hot I am. This past week I haven't complained about the cold at all.

Fortunately the Purple Coneflower likes the heat just fine. And it seems to survive the lack of rain as well. I have been watering (with what little rain water my rain barrels have collected) but it never seems to perk up the garden the same way a good rain does. So I am doing another rain dance today and keeping my fingers crossed.

The Russian Sage and Liatris are in bloom now and make a good pastel mix. This was not planned of course since I tend to plop my plants in the ground where I find room. I get nice surprises since the plants don't need me much once they are in the ground.

This is a Hibiscus, variety Luna Red which I planted this year where the butterfly bush died. When plants die instead of crying over them I look at it as an opportunity to plant something else. And no, the flowers aren't bigger than me, but they are pretty darn big and impressive.

The Asiatic lilies have been at their peak these past couple of weeks. And now it is the Stargazers turn. I like the contrast of the petals with the pollen.

Soon, soon, the Juliets are coming! Juliet tomatoes, a small Roma shaped tomato are the first to turn red in my garden. I have a pot on the deck that has some that are starting to turn. It's about time! I look forward to eating these before August. We shall see.

This year I am doing my best to protect some of the apples on my apple trees. I used Surround which is an organic product to protect the fruits from assorted pests. I have also tied some little bags made of nylon I bought from a company last year. So far, so good.

I picked my first peppers this week. I was able to make black bean salad using my own peppers. Now I am waiting on the Juliets!

31st Annual Conference of the Seed Savers Exchange

This past weekend my friend Janet and I drove out to the small town of Decorah, Iowa to attend the 31st annual conference of the Seed Savers Exchange. If you are unfamiliar with this organization as I was until a few years ago you will be amazed at the awesome work they are doing.

The mission of the Seed Savers Exchange is:

"to save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity."

Besides wandering through the hollyhocks, lettuces, kale, phlox and conversing with the ducks, turkey, chickens, horses, cows and other assorted creatures I managed to attend 4 keynote addresses and five additional workshops in a day and a half of intensive information sharing.





Craig LeHoullier is a tomato expert from Raleigh, North Carolina who grows a variety of tomatoes in his driveway. He inspired me to try growing out some Juliet tomatoes, to see if it is possible to stabilize this particular hybrid so that one day it will be an heirloom. The good thing about these types of conferences is meeting other like minded people. I now have the name of someone who is already working at ensuring Juliet continues into the future so I hope to connect with her to help in this project.

Woody Tasch from Slow Money gave a presentation about the movement to bring investors and local food producers together which reflects the new economic, social and environmental realities of the 21st century.

Jeff McCormack entertained us with numerous stories that surround the world of plants. Oral history is an important aspect of connecting people with plants and plays an important role in the continued diversity of the plants we grow. Dr. McCormack is publishing a book 'Bush Medicine of the Bahamas' that will be available in August. This is one book that is definitely on my reading list.

Matthew Dillon gave a delightful presentation about the role of the Organic Seed Alliance in the preservation of our diverse heritage of locally grown seeds and the work being done to ensure that we have a future of healthy seeds.

I also managed to tour several of the gardens, meet and greet various farm animals, and hear Rosalind Creasy talk about the edible landscape. She suggested growing flowers with vegetables since small flowers like alyssum attract other pollinators besides bees which are great for your vegetables. Don't be surprised to see lettuce growing next to the nasturtiums in my front yard next year!

I did manage to attend a session about the library, a wonderful collection of both old and new material. Soon these materials will be listed in the OCLC catalog available at most libraries. This session provided a bit of relief since the library was inside the office building which was air conditioned. Decorah was experiencing the same heatwave as Michigan, but somehow or other I managed to listen and learn without wilting.

Gourds and Lilies

People who know me know that I am not exactly the artistic type. I did, however, manage to take a dried swan gourd from the plant I grew last year and create a birdhouse that is now hanging from one of my apple trees. It doesn't look too bad from far away. What I did was clean it to remove all the black spots after it had dried out. Then, using an exacto knife I cut a circle to create a hole. I cleaned out what was inside, then spray painted it blue. Then I drilled a hole at the top, slipped florist wire through, tied a knot and that was it. Not too bad for an amateur.

Tis the season for lilies and daylilies. I have several varieties of each and they are in full bloom right now. The oriental lilies last a bit longer than the daylilies, but the daylilies have plenty of blossoms and will continue to give color for awhile. They look better when I remove the spent flowers, but they seem to mind this heat less than I do. So who knows when I will get out there to do it. Certainly not today!

Clematis

This is one vine that is worth growing for the sheer volume of flowers on it. The variety I have is Jackmanii and believe it or not, it is blooming for the second year in a row! I haven't managed to kill it yet. If I keep the roots a bit shaded and give the vine itself plenty of sun maybe I will see blooms next year as well. I have it growing up an obelisk. If the flowers cover it completely I will have achieved something. I am always happy to achieve something. One inch at a time...