It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – December 2017
by Angela Lassam

Christmas cactus has no real connection to Christmas except the flowering time and the original bloom colour. It is easy to grow as an indoor plant. You can start new ones from a mature plant and give as an inexpensive gift if you are a good ‘potter’. For colour at Christmas time they are as popular as poinsettias.

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is not a true cactus but a forest cactus – a tropical plant native to the mountains in Southeastern Brazil. It was discovered by a French botanist named Charles Lemaire and named after horticulturalist Frederic Schlumberger. The native plant is actually an epiphyte – grows on a tree and takes its moisture from the rain and air.

The plant comes in many colours (red, white, peach and pink).The leaves consist of flat round segments with serrated edges on a stem. The flower comes from the top of the leaf and is a tubular shape. The double structure shows the outer flower curled back and the inner flower protecting the stamen. It blooms for an average of eight weeks from November to January. A mature plant will produce a beautiful display and last for many years with the correct care.

Care of these plants as an indoor plant is a little different as it does not like to be placed near opening doors (drafts) or in a warm location. It prefers a temperature of 20C during bloom season and a sunny location. Misting frequently is necessary as it likes humidity. Fertilize as you would any other houseplant. This cactus also likes a regular dose of magnesium for growth and it can be done by using one teaspoon of Epsom salts in one gallon of water.

In November you can encourage a mature cactus to flower in time for Christmas. You will need to place it in a dark cool cupboard for at least 12 hours a day. Do not overwater just keep soil surface moist. It will take six to eight weeks for buds to form on the end of the leaf segments and these will be the new blooms.

After flowering is the best time to repot the cactus although it does prefer to be a little pot- bound. When not in flower it needs to be placed in a cooler spot and indirect light. Summertime it can be easily set outdoors in a shady area. Direct sunlight will cause yellowing at this stage in its cycle.

Propagation is quite easy using the cutting method and it is best done in late spring. The soil medium to use should consist of 60 per cent potting soil and 40 per cent perlite (well draining). You will need to take leaf segments and allow them to dry off at the end – leave for at least two days. Then press four of these leaf segments upright in a pot. Mist regularly but do not water too heavily or stand in water.

I hope you will consider one of these unusual Christmas time plants. Merry Christmas and a happy healthy prosperous New Year to you all.

Our regular monthly meetings will resume Tuesday January 2^nd 2018 @ 7.30 p.m. in the Senior Centre at the Tillsonburg Community Complex. The speaker will be Jane Magri from Wildflowers Teas. The topic is Tea and Remedies for Well Being. For members it is time to renew your membership. Non-members welcome $2 per meeting or become a member and get extra benefits.

For further information check out www.tillsonburghorticultural.ca or join us on Facebook – tillsonburghorticultural.

by Angela Lassam
It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – November 2017

We are now going into a slow time for any gardener. When the snow comes, the ice rain or just a good frost our garden takes on a very different view. With a little ingenuity it can be made to come alive and interesting. We have a variety of shrubs, trees and plants that add both colour and structure to the landscape outside our windows. It is a time to take notice where there is an uninteresting spot and plan a future purchase for a new focal point. Maybe you can place a floodlight to highlight an unusual planting. Perhaps think of an item of steel, wood or cast concrete to add to the appearance of your own garden.

For colour there are many shrubs which keep their red color. We all know the dogwoods, holly (newer varieties do not need two bushes), burning bush and barberry. There is a yellow dogwood which would stand proud in the snow. Consider a yew that has yellow tips that can peak through the snow. Many evergreens can be trimmed to form shapes for year round interest.

Euonymus is an easy shrub to grow and keeps its variegation over the winter. It can be used to add interest to Christmas arrangements. There are spiky plants that are variegated like iris and yucca.

Trees that show well in winter are the weeping branch type and usually grafted (I have a lilac). Just to name a few that we are familiar with – Weeping Alaska Cedar (Nootka False Cypress), weeping copper beech for both leaves and draping appearance and Japanese larch. Snow looks great on all weeping trees as does an ice storm. Japanese maples seem to hold snow on them and look great at night under floodlights.

Some trees keep their fruit throughout the winter giving us a different view to summertime. A corkscrew witch hazel tree is both interesting in structure and also keeps some tassel-like flowers. Honey locust has long flat pods. A crabapple tree holds its tiny apples. One named Harvest Gold has clusters of small yellow apples. A viburnum called American Cranberry Bush is very showy. Winterberry  ‘Winter Red’ has branches with many red berries. Cotoneaster has many red berries and can be a shrub or groundcover. All of these feed the birds and give us life to watch in our gardens.

Many ornamental grasses left with their feather tops add interest to the winter garden as do the dead heads of many perennials. Sea holly and echinacea both look interesting poking up through the snow. You can leave the dead heads of allium as they can also look attractive.

There is no monthly meeting for December. The Christmas Potluck Supper (for members only) is on Tuesday December 5^th @ 6 p.m. in the Lions Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Complex. The next monthly meeting will be Tuesday January 2, 2018 @ 7.30 p.m. in the Senior Centre. Speaker will be Jane Magri from Wildflowers Teas. Topic is Tea and Remedies for Wellbeing. Remember it is time to renew your membership to get all benefits the society has to offer. For more information follow us on facebook – tillsonburghorticultural or online www.tillsonburghortical.ca.

by Angela Lassam
It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – October 2017

Thanksgiving has been celebrated here in Canada and yet to come in America ever since the pilgrims in Boston. All countries have a celebration when their major crops have been harvested successfully. For most people it is just another long weekend and the real reason seems to be forgotten. It is a celebration for the end of another gardening year when we can gather and collect food we have grown for the wintertime.  Sometimes it is called harvest festival which seems appropriate. Vegetables and fruit that we grow in our own gardens are still similar to back then and most are grown in the same way. Some of them are native although the ways we garden have changed. The traditional dinner has origins from many sources, some having evolved into different dishes but most of them are connected to the settlers from Europe.

Vegetables are primarily squash, sweet potatoes, root vegetables and corn. Also we must not forget the pumpkin for both Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en. Fruit includes apples, cranberries and grapes.

Root vegetables were stored dry like potatoes but they were dried before storing in sacks. Carrots and parsnip could be stored in dry sand if available. All squash need to be placed where they are dry and well aired. Corn could be canned although in days past it was dried and the corn was ground for cornmeal and used as flour for cooking. The settlers learned this from the Indians to replace flour in the early days. Pumpkin was used as a vegetable and in desserts.

When the settlers arrived they had no way to make pies so they made a dessert by removing the seedy center. They probably dried the seeds for the next year or cooked them and ate them as what we would call nowadays a snack. The original dessert made with pumpkin was a custard within the pumpkin called a Pie in a pumpkin. They filled the centre with a mixture of milk, honey and eggs and cooked it whole. I found a recipe online and wish to share it with you http://soufflebombay.com/2014/11/the-original-pumpkin-pie-way-pilgrims.html . Of course the pumpkin is also used for Hallowe’en and can be found in all shapes, colours and sizes.

Fruits that were readily available in early settlers’ time were apples, cranberries and grapes. They used them just to eat as a fruit. Apples came with the settlers and the first orchard according to history was established in Boston but not as we grow them today as cordoned but as regular trees. They made cider as a main drink which was fermented apple juice and used as the drink for Thanksgiving. They also dried them in rings for winter use. In later years they preserved them as apple sauce and butter in jars.

The early German settlers found cranberries in the bogs and marshes and introduced the cranberry sauce for meat accompaniment. Grapes, native to America were used as a juice or made into jelly. The grapes used in the wine industry today is not from the native grapes but an import from Europe.

Corn, pumpkins, squash and ornamental gourds have all the colors depicting the end of the growing season and are being used as natural decorations with dried leaves both inside and outside of our homes for fall and Thanksgiving. Most of these fruit and vegetables can be found in or around our gardens making the connection with Thanksgiving.

Next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 7th @7.30 pm in the Senior Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Complex. This month there will be Hilde Makkink from Makkink Sunflower Farm, Tillsonburg demonstrating decorating ideas. There will be three draws for her creations!  Members remember this meeting is the Photo Competition results and tour sign up.  Non-members welcome $2 per meeting or become a member and get extra benefits.

For further information check out www.tillsonburghorticultural.ca or join us on Facebook – tillsonburghorticultural.

by Angela Lassam
It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – September 2017

It has suddenly become Fall where the garden chores become very different. It is a time for reflection and maybe reorganization. Grass seems to be something we rarely consider this time of year but to get a good appearance next year there are a few things we can do now.

Bare patches in the lawn are easier to repair in the fall as the ground will not dry out and germination will come easily. A scattering of topsoil over the seeds will keep them in place and encourage growth. The last mowing of the lawn needs to be a little higher than summer cutting for protection. It will also allow the chopped leaves to give it a mulching for the winter.

When it seems as if the grass is no longer growing it is time to apply a fall fertilizer. It will sustain the roots throughout the winter and will allow the uptake in the early spring for growth as soon as the temperature is right. If it is done in the fall you can delay application again until May.

In the flower beds you can divide many of the perennials to encourage more blooms. There are several common plants that thrive after this and it also allows us to share with fellow gardeners or to reorganize a tired bed. Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies, Siberian iris all grow extra bulbs attached to the original planted one. Division is a way of expanding your garden colour. Peonies can be lifted and divided in the fall. Astilbe, Veronica and Bleeding Heart will all bloom better after being divided.

Strawberry runners can be transplanted to either tidy up an existing bed or enlarge it. Careful lifting is necessary as they are tender with small roots but snip the runner and plant it as you would any annual.

There is always the task of planting some of the new varieties of spring bulbs and maybe invest in some of the more unusual ones. After browsing through a new catalogue I found some interesting bulbs. Fritillaria is an old spring bulb but worth a mention. There are many to choose from either as a crown of colour or a bells formation. I also saw a Camassia Blue Melody which is a violet blue flower with variegated foliage. Eremurus commonly called foxtail lily has a spiked flower and is available in various colours. It is deer resistant and drought tolerant. I found a Muscari Golden Fragrance. Its common name is Grape Hyacinth but not typical in appearance. The flowers are a novelty to see with golden tubular florets and a topping of purple tubes.

Lastly leaves can be used as mulch for the winter on the flower beds and will encourage early growth to all perennials. If there is an abundance of leaves on the lawn in late fall it is advisable to rake them up as the snow and rain will create a mat which will stifle new growth next year.

Next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 3rd @ 7.30 pm in the Senior Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Complex. Speaker for this meeting will be Larry Peterson, Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph. He will talk about fungi and what lies beneath the soil.  Members remember this meeting is the Photo Competition. For details check the Tillogram. Non-members welcome for $2 per meeting or become a member and get extra benefits.

For further information check out www.tillsonburghorticultural.ca or on Facebook – tillsonburghorticultural.

by Angela Lassam
It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – August 2017

We all know about aphids especially on roses, the slugs on hostas, and the tent caterpillars that are very noticeable on the trees this time of year. But what do we really know about Japanese beetles?

The Japanese beetle, as the name implies, originated in Japan and was first detected in the U.S. in 1916, and has since become a big nuisance for the gardener and horticulturalist. It is a big problem in the Niagara farming belt. It is a colourful beetle with a metallic green head and copper hard shelled body only measuring ½” but is very destructive. It does not discriminate on what it eats – just about anything leafy, fruit leaves, vegetables, ornamentals and even weeds.

Their life cycle starts mid-summer as eggs dropped into any open soil. Then as grubs they eat any roots and go deep into the soil for the winter. The following year as soon as the soil warms up they rise to the surface devouring all roots in their path and mature to the Japanese beetle.

As soon as it gets warm and sunny you will see the beetles flying around. It is said that a ‘scout’ beetle will precede a swarm and they will continue to invade your garden everywhere. This will last up to six weeks and is the time you will see the skeletal destruction on large leaves. They only survive one generation but they are very prolific laying many eggs.

When they are grubs moles will eat them underground. Raccoons and skunks will dig them up for food and the bigger birds will pick them up.

There are a few methods to control them. Early in the season you can actually pick them off plants into a bucket of water and dispose later. They are sleepy at this time and also they do not see well which helps us catch them. The normal insecticidal soap will work but needs to be repeated often.

A home-made solution of soap, water, garlic powder and cayenne pepper applied with a garden sprayer will leave a gross taste as a good deterrent but also a tedious daily chore.

There are beetle traps available at any nursery which will catch them easily. They work on the principle of a pad with pheromones on it which will attract them and a bag attached below it to catch them. They fly into a plastic fin (remember they do not have good eyes) and drop into the bag. Empty the bag daily. The trap needs to be hung away from all vegetation to be effective.

There is new information which shows that geraniums have a toxic effect on the Japanese beetle. Many were found dead underneath some plants suggesting this to be true.

I hope that many of you have taken the time to admire the gardens in town tended by the Horticultural Society volunteers. They can be seen outside the Senior Centre at the Community Complex. A colourful sight is outside the Livingstone Centre. The Station Arts Centre is a popular place to visit as we’ll as the market that is there on Saturday. Many events happen at the Royal Canadian Legion especially for the 150^th Anniversary. Annandale House was one of the venues on Canada Day and the gardens have had a rejuvenation there. Woodingford Lodge is an ongoing challenge but the residents and visitors enjoy beautiful gardens there. Library Lane has also been added recently to this list of locations. On a final note the large urns everywhere and the smaller ones outside businesses downtown have added colour and life to our town.

Regular monthly meetings will resume on Tuesday Sept 5th @ 7.30 pm in the Senior Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Complex. Speaker for this meeting will be Mitchell Hewson, Registered Horticultural Therapist.The topic is Power of Nature – living healthy using remedies through horticulture. Members remember this meeting is the Grow and Show Flower Competition. Non-members are welcome with a $2 per meeting or become a member and get extra benefits.

For further information check out www.tillsonburghorticultural.ca or on Facebook – tillsonburghorticultural.

Take a minute to look at these photographs of the beautiful urns at Annandale National Historic Site where Horticultural Society members design, plant and nurture the gardens each year.