Weekly View » Ed Myers

Tulip Mania

Ed Myers — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 05:09:42 +0000

There was a short period of time (1636 – 1637) in Holland when a single tulip bulb sold for ten times the annual income of a skilled workman. In some instances, single bulbs were traded for twelve acres of land, four oxen, twelve fat sheep, 1,000 pounds of cheese or — believe it or not — two tons of butter.
As a result, tulip bulbs soon became a luxury item noted for their multicolored and intricate lines and flame-like streaks (caused by a mosiac virus). Toward the end of the craze, tulip traders could no longer find new buyers willing to pay the extraordinary high prices the bulbs were fetching. The demand for them collapsed and prices plummeted.
Ed Myers, an Advanced Master Gardener, is the Steward of the Benton House Historic Garden, 312 South Downey Avenue, where SILVER STANDARD (1750) a white tulip with vivid red veins and streaks can be seen.

Irvington Gardeners of Old . . .

Ed Myers — Thu, 05 May 2016 05:09:02 +0000

The flower beds of Irvington’s earliest gardeners where planted in stiff geometrical shapes including stars, crescents and triangles. For example, the bed in the front yard of Laura Giddings Julian’s (1839-84), home at 115 South Audubon Road, was in the shape of a huge star. It was the pride of the family and often times an attraction to cows which in early Irvington seemed to have “free passage” to roam.
The flower beds of Rachael Johnson (c 1827-99) and Martha Julian (1817-88), both wives of Irvington’s founders, were also geometric forms and were planted in many of the popular flowers of the day including geraniums, verbenas, cigar plants, touch-me-nots, fuchsias, heliotropes, and tuberoses.
Rachael’s husband, Irvington co-founder, Sylvester Johnson (1822-1915), once remarked “All my life I have had a fondness for gardening.” He was noted for his cultivation of fruit trees. strawberries, and grapes on the grounds of their home on the southwest corner of Audubon Road and East Washington. Besides his grape vines, Johnson grew pumpkins (if you want to believe a tall tale) about the size of a cow and weighing as much as a man). Outsized claims aside, many were large enough to take to the State Fair and often times displayed in the front windows of Irvington’s stores.
Jennie Forsyth Jefferies (1853-1932) came to Irvington from Trafalgar, Indiana, in the late 1880s and built her home at 5329 University Ave.. A tulip enthusiast, her garden contained 5,000 tulips and was on two occasions the grand prize winner in Indianapolis beautification contests. Her son-in-law, Robert Hall (1865-1942) also had a fondness for tulips in his garden at 129 South Downey Ave..
Mrs. Lulu Hughel (1868-1963), 5348 Ohmer Ave., was perhaps Irvington’s most enthusiastic, gardener. Hughel, who began “to dig in the dirt” after her children had grown, served as president of the first Irvington Garden Club which was organized on April 13, 1931 and also the president of the Garden Club of Indiana. In addition to 4,000 tulips and 250 cultivars of iris in her garden she favored “rockeries” or rock gardens and often times introduced alpine plants — dianthus, bellflowers, creeping phlox, etc. — suitable for these gardens to the state. Hughel’s garden often times received plant specimens from United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Bureau of Plant Industry which she evaluated for their performance. She was a proponent of “Victory or Liberty” gardens during World War II. Her efforts, along with that of others, lead to not only many home gardens but also gardens in large spaces around Irvington, including the old Butler University campus, nine and one-half acres extending from Fletcher to Hoyt Avenues between Irvington and Butler Avenues, and the 17 acres now occupied by Irvington Plaza.
Note: This article was researched by Steve Barnett, Executive Director of The Irvington Historical Society.

Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. He is also the Steward of both the Benton House Historic and Kile Oak Habitat Gardens. He may be reached by EMyers3670@aol.com

Beautiful But Stinky

Ed Myers — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 05:09:14 +0000

Although I have known of their existence and have grown them at the Benton House (1873) Historic Garden in the past, I recently re-ordered six bulbs of Pineapple Lily (Eucomis bicolor) for planting in that garden this spring.
Eucomis is an amazing, semi-tropical bulb which produces magnificent, late summer inflorescences of long-lasting pale green, purple margined, flowers on 12-24 inch stems which, if you didn’t know the difference, appear as alien-like creatures about to invade.
Upon blooming, each flowering stem is highlighted by a number of leafy green bract at the top of the stem. The flower’s stem emerges from a basal rosette of strap-shaped, wavy 12-20 inch long leaves which are sometimes mottled purple on the undersides.
Eucomis is native to South Africa where they grow in the grasslands, forests, swamps and on river banks but are absent in dry locations.
Cited by English botanist, John Gilbert Baker, in 1878, at close quarters their flowers have an unpleasant smell.

Ed Myers, an Advanced Master Gardener, is a past President of the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. He is also the Steward of both the Benton House and Kile Oak Habitat Gardens. He may be reached by email at EMyers3670@aol.com.

Early Birds in the Garden

Ed Myers — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 06:09:47 +0000

“You might think that after thousands of years of coming up too soon and getting frozen, the crocus family would have a little sense knocked into it.” — Robert Benchley (1889-1945)
Crocuses (crocus, singular) are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and can often be seen flowering in the snow. They bear cup-shaped solitary flowers which taper off into a narrow tube. Predominate colors of their flowers are lilac mauve, yellow and white and their grass-like leaves show a central white stripe.
They grow from corms planted in the fall and are native to the woodlands, scrub and meadows of central and southern Europe and the Middle East. There are over 80 species of crocuses, and also grow in Central Asia and western China.
Crocuses were first cultivated and harvested for saffron (obtained from the stigmas of C. sativus and autumn-blooming species) on the Island of Crete. By the 1560’s they were commonplace flowers in the Netherlands and by the year 1620 they were the subject matter of works of art.
In classical Greek mythology Crocus was a moral youth, who because he was unhappy with his love affair with the nymph Smilax was turned into a plant.
Vivid orange-yellow Crocus flavus (1665) can be found growing at the Benton House Historic Garden, 316 South Downey Ave.
Within a few weeks the warming rays of the sun will entice the flowers of hellebores (Lenten Rose) into bloom.
Due to the work of ardent hybridizers, their drooping, bell-shaped flowers are available in a wide range of colors including slate-grey near-black, deep purple and plum, through rich reds and pinks to yellow, white and green.
Their flowers have five petal-like sepals and cup-like nectarines. The genus originated in Europe and Asia and a great number of the 22 species of this plant can be found growing in the Balkans.
A few are native to western China and one to the border lands between Turkey and war-torn Syria.
One species, H. foetidus, can be seen at the Benton House Historic Garden. This species has succulent stems and glossy evergreen leaves with yellowish-green flowers. Common names for this specimen include “stinking hellebore,” “dung wort,” “setter wort,” and “bear’s foot.”
Unlike other species in the hellebores genus, the nectarines of H. foetidus are colonized by yeasts which raise the temperatures of the flowers which then attract pollinators.
Hellebores prefer deep moist, humus, and dappled shade.
The Greek physician, Hippocrates (C 460-370 BC), used fluids of the plant as a purgative. An overdose of the juice of hellebores in believed to be the cause of the death of Alexander the Great.

Ed Myers is a past President of the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association.He is Steward of both the Benton House and Kile Oak Habitat gardens. He may be reached by email at EMyers3670@aol.com

2015 Garden Trends

Ed Myers — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 05:09:21 +0000

At long last we are blessed with signs of spring. I have tulips which are 5 inches above the ground, a few daffodils showing buds, and crocus which have already bloomed.
In anticipation of this year’s gardening season, I recently googled The Annual Garden Trends Report of the Garden Media Group, an award-winning public relations and marketing communications organization in Philadelphia. Here’s their forecast.
New Consumers: They believe that the face of gardening is being changed by new consumers, including Millennials, Hispanics, and young men. Those 18-35 year-olds now comprise 25 percent of the nation’s population and young males in that category are spending $100 more per year on plants and garden products than the average shopper. Additionally, Hispanics, the fastest growing segment of our population, have always been avid gardeners.
Well Being: Consumers will continue to want to make the world around them a better place in which to live. Thus, more so than ever, they will seek out environmentally safe and earth-friendly products.
Garden Entertainment: Spending on outdoor décor products will continue to soar.
Bite-Sized Decadence: Small container gardens will become more common.
Rebel-Hoods: As has already happened in some areas, neighborhoods will rebel against and campaign for the reversal of ordinances which forbid raising chickens, bee keeping, front yard vegetable gardens, and lawn-less landscapes.
Color Pops: This year, trending color palettes ranging from vintage colors to rustics to mauve and teal, will be used as expressions of outdoor personality.
Portable Gardening: Modular, adaptable, and flexible planters with wheels, handles or other moveable parts will be used to highlight the feeling of not being tied down.
Bed-Head Style: Un-styled outdoor spaces will arise as the result of working with natural environments. For some this will lead to an “anything goes” attitude.
My Wishes: First, I hope that more people will realize the merits of growing native plants and especially, if we are to save the monarch butterfly, native milkweeds. Second, I would like to see consumers more critically assess the need and usefulness of a wide mixture of the nursery industry’s offering. What’s wrong with using hoes, rakes, and spades?
Let’s recycle more — including plastic flower pots — and find alternatives for many of the chemicals we use in gardening. Finally, be water-wise.
Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past President of both the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association and the Irvington Garden Club. He is also the Steward of Irvington’s Kile Oak Habitat and Benton House Historic Gardens. Contact him at EMyers3670@aolcom.

Pumpkin Yes, Pumpkin Pie No …

Ed Myers — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 06:09:42 +0000

Our harvest was gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, so that we might after a special manner rejoice together.
— Edward Winslow

Thanksgiving, like Christmas, is so full of fond memories for me. For example, I remember my Mom always prepared two different kinds of dressings — bread for my older brother and cornbread for me.
Not being a fan of turkey, I always ate more of the other dishes on the menu especially sweet potatoes with a marshmallow topping.
Then too, how could I forget my Mom’s chiffon pumpkin pie . . . light, airy and very delicious.
Looking back — a WAY back — our Thanksgiving Day feast is a lot different than that of the pilgrim’s “harvest” celebration in the autumn of 1621.
Not much is known about their meal then, as we have only two firsthand accounts of the three day event observed by the fifty-three pilgrims of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. The first, that of former colony Governor Edward Winslow, was recorded in his “A Letter Sent from New England; A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth” and tells what they did not serve. He wrote that the barley they had sown that spring was “an in different” crop and that the peas which they had planted late in the season were “not worthy of gathering.”
The second record, written by Governor William Bradford, and entitled “Of ‘Plymouth’ Plantation;” cited their consuming cod, bass and other fish, “waterfoule” — swan, geese, and ducks — which were stuffed with onions, herbs, and sometimes oats.
Although “turkie” was abundant, it was not the centerpiece of the feast, as five Wampanoag hunters brought venison to the meal.
Being a multi-day celebration of their first successful harvest and knowing that what the colonists had raised that summer had to last until spring, it can be assumed that much of the food was provided by the 90 nearby Wampanoag “Indeans.”
In fact, if cranberries were served they were provided by them. Other native dishes might have included: nasaump (similar to oatmeal), and consisting of dried “crone,” local berries and nuts, turkey stew (sobakeg) made with ground nuts, dried beans, hominy corn, turkey, green beans, winter squash, sunflower seeds, onions, and clam juice, and pompon (stewed pumpkin).
Other foodstuffs served included Jerusalem artichoke, sweet flag, Indiana turnip, water lily, ground nuts including beechnut, hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts, collards, cabbage, carrots all seasoned with parsley, thyme, and sage.
Desserts included white and red grapes, gooseberries, three kinds of plums, and strawberries.
Pumpkin yes, pumpkin pie no. Pie was probably not on the menu due to the fact that they lacked wheat flour and the other ingredients. Likewise for sweet potatoes which had not yet been introduced into Europe, or mashed potatoes which was considered unfit for animals to eat at that time.
They ate with knives and spoons — forks were not in general use except by those in high positions.
Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of the Irvington Garden Club and Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. He is the Steward of Irvington’s Benton House Historic Garden and Kile Oak Habitat Gardens.

Going, Going . . . Gone

Ed Myers — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 06:09:11 +0000

I have always been amazed by the wonders of nature. For example, the hatching of butterflies, the life cycle of frogs, the effects of short and long daylight hours on plant growth, and the changing colors of leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs to beautiful shades of red, yellow, purple, orange, pink, magenta, and brown.
This year’s display of fall foliage in our neighborhoods has been exceptional due to our adequate rainfall, bright days, and cool but not freezing days.
In fact, I would venture to say that our local “leaf peepers” might declare this year’s display rivaled not only the brilliant coloration of Brown County, Indiana, but, if they traveled afar, those in Vermont, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
With the advent of autumn and its shorter daylight hours the production of the green pigment chlorophyll breaks down thus exposing carotenoid, an organic pigment which triggers the colors of orange, yellow, and their hues. Carotenoids, unlike another organic pigment found in leaves, anthocyanin; are present in leaves year round but are masked by the leaf’s production of chlorophyll and are present in 15 to 30 percent of all tree species including hickories, maples, sycamores, cottonwoods, and ash.
Anthocyanin pigments, unlike those of carotenoids, are not present in leaves until the fall. They are responsible for the purple to red coloration of leaves of maples, oaks, dogwoods, cherry, and persimmon trees and often times blend with the yellow and orange pigments of carotenoids to produce deep orange, fiery reds and bronzes.
The pigment carotenoid is also responsible for the yellow color of carrots, corn, daffodils, buttercup flowers, and bananas as well as coloration of canaries and certain insects, whereas anthocyanin’s give color to cranberries, red apples, strawberries, plums, and persimmons.
Although our city initiated the curbside collection of bagged leaves on November 10, I am at odds with the practice. Why? The environmental friendly practice of mulching them onto lawns or adding them to a compost pile makes good sense in that fallen leaves “green manure” are a valuable source of nutrients and rich in minerals and organic matter. If left on a lawn, grass clippings can replace the use of fertilizer by twenty five percent.

Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of the Irvington Garden Club and Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. Additionally, he is the Steward of Irvington’s Benton House Historic and Kile Oak Habitat Gardens.

Oodles of Pumpkins

Ed Myers — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 05:09:01 +0000

Oh! Fruit of boyhood! The old days recalling,
when wood grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
— “The Pumpkin,” John Greenleaf Whittier (1850)

The word “jack-o’-lantern” dates back to English folklore when it and “will-o’-the-wisp” were used to describe atmospheric lights seen by night travelers over their bogs, swamps, and marshes. Unable to come up with a rational explanation, many believed them to be either mischievous spirits of the dead or other supernatural beings.
While the origin of carving is uncertain, it is believed humans were carving gourds over 10,000 years ago and that rutabagas, potatoes, turnips, and beets were carved by the Irish for many centuries.
Carving Halloween pumpkins as a way of protecting ones home from the undead and as a means of scaring away vampires first occurred in the mid-1800’s.
Today, the popularity of pumpkins is confined to Halloween and pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving. Frey Farms, Keenes, Illinois, devotes 3,000 acres of their land in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, West Virginia, Illinois and Indiana to the cultivation of over 5 million pumpkins. They annually sell one million of them to retail giant Walmart.
Ninety-five percent of all pumpkins raised for processing are grown in Illinois. Furthermore, 85 percent of those processed into foodstuffs are the outputs of two Illinois manufacturers – Libby’s in Morton and Seneca Foods in Princeville.
In 2006 Boston Commons, a central city park of 50 acres in Boston Ma., was illuminated by 30,128 jack o’ lanterns.
Between October 9 and November 2 visitors to Louisville’s Iroquois Park can stroll a one-fourth mile trail lit with 5,000 lanterns.
Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of both the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. He is also the steward of the Kile Oak Habitat Garden and the Benton House Historic Garden. His email address is: EMyers3670@aol.com.

Grow Me, But Put Me in a Pot

Ed Myers — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 05:09:30 +0000

The large orange-red, two inch papery pods of Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) are often used to accentuate Halloween or Thanksgiving flower arrangements.
Although called “Chinese Lantern,” this perennial is actually native to Japan and southeast Europe where it’s sometimes referred to as ground, Jerusalem, or winter cherry or husk tomato.
Due to its wide-spreading root system, the plant should be grown in a pot or planted in places where its invasiveness is not a problem.
This plant grows best in full sun, however, it will tolerate partial to light shade but not wet soil. When mature, it grows between 18 to 24 inches tall, has heart-shaped leaves, and displays white 5-petaled flowers.
The unripe seeds borne within the papery seed pods of this species are poisonous. Nevertheless, they are used as an offering to the spirits of the dead during “Bon Festival,” a Japanese Buddhist celebration similar to the Mexican “Day of the Dead” three day event held in the fall of each year.
It has had medicinal uses as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and cough suppressant and for fevers, malaria, and bed wetting.
Ed Myers is an advanced master gardener and a past president of both the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. Additionally, he is the Steward of both the Kile Oak Habitat and Benton House Historic Gardens. He may be reached by emailing: EMyers3670@aol.com.

Goliaths

Ed Myers — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 05:09:02 +0000

“Plants are not optional on this planet. With few exceptions neither we nor anything else can live without them.” — Bring Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Douglas W. Tallamy

I have long been a fan of Indiana native wildflowers in that they invite wildlife into an area by providing food, shelter and nesting places for a multitude of creatures.
Additionally, they help conserve water, reduce mowing costs, protect the soil and save money on fertilizer and pesticides. Unlike many non-native plants, when introduced into a landscape they are hardy, less susceptible to pests and diseases and unlikely to escape and become invasive.
Of course, we all have our best loved flowers but three of mine are:
• Compass Plant (Silphium lacinatum). A giant of a plant with triangular toothed leaves, this specimen can grow from 6 to 12 feet tall. It’s a real showoff in any prairie setting where the deeply divided basal leaves tend to point north and south.
Slow-growing and long-lived (up to 100 years) mature plants can have up to 100 yellow flowers that resemble sunflowers which are a favorite of many birds, including goldfinches. Its large, central taproot can extend up to 15 feet into the ground.
Sometimes referred to as Rosinweed, Native Americans chewed gum from an extract of the stem.
• Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) is another tall plant and often cited as the single best species for attracting birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This species has leaves which clasp its stems to form cups which retain water.
Each plant bears 18-40 rich 2 to 3 inch yellow florets which resemble sunflowers and are in bloom for one to one and a half months.
The root stock of this plant was commonly used in smoke treatment for head colds, neuralgia, and rheumatism by Native Americans living along the Missouri River. Additionally, early settlers of the Great Plains could make their way in the dark by feeling its leaves.
Capable of forming large colonies, cupplants prefer full or partial sunlight and are one of over 60 species growing in the Kile Oak Habitat Garden, 5939 Beechwood Avenue.
• Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) acknowledged for its flat-headed panicle of 13 to 30 brilliant purple/magenta flowers which bloom in mid-summer.
Again a tall plant having a tough, rigid stem, ironweeds range from 5-8 feet tall.
Associations with the above three species include skipper, sulphur and occasionally monarch butterflies, moths, various bees, hummingbirds and various birds including goldfinches.
Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of both the Irvington Garden Club and the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. He is also the steward of both the Kile Oak Habitat and Benton House Historic Gardens. He may be reached at EMyers3670@aol.com.