Certain Perennials Found to Be  Salt Tolerant
The following article was featured in the January 30th OSU Extension News  regarding the findings of  Laura Deeter's research on the salt tolerance of perennials.  (She was a speaker at the state Master Gardener Conference last fall.)

WOOSTER, Ohio  - Homeowners and green industry professionals looking to beautify sidewalks, driveways and roadways subjected to heavy de-icing during winter now have a variety of salt tolerant perennials to choose from.

Laura Deeter, an Ohio State University Technical Institute researcher, analyzed 38 species of perennials and compiled a list of which plants performed the best under various levels of soil-applied sodium chloride.  She found 15 perennial species that grow well in areas subjected to high levels of salt during winter, such as along driveways and directly along the edge of roads.

"Plants are continuously being subjected to urban stresses, including areas that are de-iced with salt during the winter," said Deeter.  "It would be helpful for us to know what can tolerate that type of urban stress."

For years, researchers have studied the affects  of salt on the growth and performance of plants to identify which species can tolerate salt absorption through roots or salt accumulation on foliage and branches.  Such studies have produced lists of woody plants, ornamentals, fruits, vegetables, grasses and forage crops that are salt tolerant.  This is the first time such a list has been compiled for perennials.

The project involved subjecting perennial species to various sodium chloride amounts over an eight-week period and visually inspecting the growth and performance of the plants for signs of stress.  The sodium chloride levels used in the study ranged from zero to an amount representative of severe northern wintry weather.  Those species that died or faired poorly under salinity conditions were classified as sensitive or moderately tolerant to salt, while those that had healthy foliage, shoot and roots were classified as tolerant and very tolerant to salt.

Species, including Spendens sea thrift, Karl Foerster feather reed grass*, Helen Allwood pinks, blue lyme grass and perennial fountain grass were found to be very tolerant to salt.  Other species that were tolerant included Powis Castle wormwood, Silver Mound artemisia, Elijah Blue fescue, variegated hosta, sea lavender, Cherry Cheeks and Stella d'Oro daylilies, Autumn Joy sedum, creeping lilyturf and Palace Purple alumroot.

Deeter also examined the physiological characteristics of three perennial species to determine why one species performs well under salt conditions, while another does not.  "We determined that the success of a plant under salt conditions appears to lie in its ability to regulate where the sodium goes within the cell," said Deeter.

For example, Spendens sea thrift, which is very salt tolerant, uptakes sodium in huge quantities and utilizes it in osmotic adjustment, whereas Blue Stocking bee balm, which is salt sensitive, uptakes sodium as a replacement for potassium, resulting in toxicity to the plant and rapid death.

The five-year project, which first started in the greenhouse, ended in a hand-salted field.  Said Deeter, "I wanted to see if the results of the greenhouse study accurately predicted salt tolerance during dormancy. And it did for those plants studied."

*‘Karl Foerster' feather reed grass has just been named the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.
 

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Tri-County Bee Keeper's Association Workshop
The Tri-County Beekeepers' Association of Ohio, in cooperation with the Ohio State University Extension, is planning its 23rd Annual Beekeeping Workshop in Wooster on Saturday, March 3rd.  It will be held in Fisher Auditorium at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). 
This year the Tri-County Beekeeper's Association has changed the program to better serve participants.  There will be one keynote speaker, Dr. Diana Sammataro, Penn State University, and three workshop sessions.  These sessions are designed to teach some of the very basics of beekeeping.  The workshop opens at 8:00 a.m. (with registration from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.) and ends at 4:00 p.m.  Following the close of the workshop, the OSU Beekeeping Museum and Bee Barn will open for tours until 5:00 pm.

Pre-registration (prior to February 23rd)  is $10.00 and registration after February 23rd is $12.00.  If you wish to have lunch at the workshop, you must pre-register and the cost of the lunch is $8.00.  The Association wants to encourage young beekeepers, so for anyone 18 years and under, the registration fee will be waived.

If you have any interest in attending this workshop, please let me know.  I have the registration form that you will need.
 

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Plant a Shaker Herb Garden

 http://www.growise.com
A religious sect known for their simple approach to life, the Shakers are often remembered for their ingenious furniture design.  However, their greatest achievement was in gardening - which developed into a successful enterprise by growing, processing, packaging and selling vegetable seeds and medicinal herbs to physicians and apothecaries nationwide.  Two centuries ago, their practical views on gardening stressed simplicity, order, purpose and beauty.  A Shaker herb garden can be created by following some Shaker guidelines:
 

Shaker Advice

Choose a site.  A level spot with a southern or southeastern exposure is ideal.  Locate near the kitchen for handy tending and harvesting. 

Garden with good soil.  Different soils require different mixtures of compost.  Loose soil requires heavy compost.  Clay soil requires light compost such as lime and horse manure.  In 1835, Charles Crossman wrote "The Gardeners Manual", published by the Shakers at New Lebanon, New York, and stated, "Deep, dry, light and rich, are the essential requisites of a good garden soil; and if not so naturally, it should be made so."  Priced at six cents, the booklet educated American gardeners about the practical aspects of gardening.

Sow seeds.  Seeds can be sowed after the soil has warmed and the danger of frost has passed.  Never plant too deeply.  Cover seeds with the best layer of soil possible.  Keep seeds watered to encourage germination.

Neatness prevails.  According to Crossman's  manual, the Shakers compared the garden to "an index of the owner's mind", and suggested gardens be neat and tidy; plant rows straight and beds square.  Today's gardens with intermingling plants randomly planted would be considered by the Shakers as creations of a lazy, complacent gardener.  Garden rows were parallel and straight, plants were spaced out in orderly fashion, and weeds were not allowed.  To capture the fastidious appearance found in Shaker gardens, a brick edging, a low stone wall or a picket fence can complement the garden.

Remove weeds.  The Shakers compared the cultivation of a garden to the cultivation of the mind, so it is no surprise that they considered weeding a metaphor for spiritual cleansing - removing weeds was like removing impure thoughts; cleanliness was next to godliness.  Today, mulch is a good weed controller.  The Shakers used mulch only as winter protection and considered it impure refuse placed upon pure, bare soil.

Keep annual records.  Begin a garden journal in the spring.  Note annual occurrences in your area - when particular birds arrive, when others depart; the flowering and leafing of trees and shrubs.  These happenings can serve as an indirect measure of outdoor temperature.  Keeping planting and harvesting records were part of the Shaker belief in order.  Records remove guesswork and serve as references for timing garden tasks throughout the seasons.

Shaker Garden Herbs

SAGE (Salvia officinalis) perennial; gray-green leaves; early summertime purple flowers.  Pleasantly bitter-lemon flavor; seasoning for soups, stews, meat dishes.  Shakers dried leaves for medicinal remedies for colds, coughs or fevers.

SUMMER SAVORY (Satureja hortensis) known as the bean herb; annual; slender purplish-green leaves.

THYME (Thymus vulgaris) hardy perennial; bushy low grower; hint of clove taste; mauve flowers.  Flavor meat dishes, stocks, breads, vegetables; popular French cuisine herb.

BEE BALM (Monarda didyma) or Oswego tea - perennial flower in pink, purple, crimson, salmon and white.  Pungent mint leaves garnish punches, iced teas and fruits.

LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis) lemon-scented perennial; makes soothing hot or cold tea.  Shakers used it to relieve fevers.

ROSES (Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis') apothecary rose and (R. damascena) damask rose were grown by Shakers for fragrant petals distilled to produce rose water; lovely even as perfume and flavoring.

CULINARY SEED HERBS - dill, fennel, coriander and caraway were used for digestive ailments.  Fragrant foliage and tasty seeds are benefits of seed herbs.

Create a Shaker garden and you will be reminded of a well-known Shaker adage, "If you would have a lovely garden, you should live a lovely life."
 

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 -US Department of Agriculture-

Asian Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora glabipennis

 "This beetle's appetite for hardwood
 could spell destruction for America's
 trees and could change landscapes
 for generations to come..."

Asian longhorned beetles are big, showy insects, shiny and coal black with white spots.  Adults are about one inch long.  On their head is a pair of very long feelers (antennae) that are black with white rings.  These antennae are even longer than the insect's body.

This beetle has a voracious appetite for wood.  It especially likes the taste of maple trees: Norway, sugar, silver, and red maple are among its favorite foods.  But the Asian longhorned beetle doesn't limit the menu.  It also feeds on horsechestnut, poplar, willow, elm, mulberry, and black locust.  Females of this species chew into the bark and lay eggs.  When the eggs hatch, the immature beetles, which look like big white worms, chew their way farther into the tree.  When they mature, the full grown beetles chew their way out of the tree.  The beetle life cycle leaves trees riddled with holes oozing sap.

The only way to get rid of Asian longhorned beetles is to cut down, chip, and burn the trees.  Since 1996, more than 3,000 trees have been destroyed to eradicate this pest in New York and Illinois.  This beetle's appetite for hardwood could spell destruction for America's trees and could change landscapes for generations to come.

Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria

 "Although it is very attractive, this plant
 is deadly to American wetlands
 because it crowds out the native
 plants that support bird and animal
 populations in marshy areas..."

Purple loosestrife is a pretty, purple-flowered plant that was brought to the United States from wetlands areas in Europe in the early 1800's, most likely because of its ornamental value.  Although it is very attractive, this plant is deadly to American wetlands because it crowds out the native plants that support bird and animal populations in marshy areas.  Purple loosestrife, also known as the purple plague, got its American start in New England.  From there, it spread rapidly north into Canada, south into Virginia, and west through the states bordering the Great Lakes.  Currently, it can be found throughout the United States and is menacing the wetlands in the Northeast and upper Midwest.

Purple loosestrife is a big, long-lived perennial (life cycle lasting longer than 2 years) that can grow almost 6 feet tall.  Its square, tough stems grow in a cluster and support lance-shaped leaves about 3 inches long.  At the top of the stems are flowers ranging in color from deep purple to bright magenta.

Each mature plant produces more than a million seeds that can be carried by wind and water.  Adult plants can also regrow from just roots or pieces of stems.  These qualities make purple loosestrife a terrific reproducer.

This plant is used for landscaping in some states because of the beauty of its flowers.  Purple loosestrife is also used by beekeepers because of its sweet nectar.  Currently, purple loosestrife is listed as a noxious weed by about two dozen states.  This means that the plant cannot be brought into those states or sold in nurseries there.

Unfortunately, researchers have not found any species of wildlife that can make use of loosestrife.  Once it starts to grow in the wild, it displaces native plants that are useful to wildlife.  The fact that purple loosestrife is a long-lasting perennial and can produce so many seeds makes it a serious threat to the wetlands in the United States.  It can take over areas such as lake shores, streambanks, and marshes and then outspace most native plants, including some species of endangered  orchids.  After only a few summers, fields of the purple plague can grow to thousands of acres, virtually eliminating marsh and wetland habitats with its dense clusters of stems.

Zebra Mussel, Dreissena polymorpha

 "This pest is a plague and shows
 that even pint-size invaders 
 can cause big trouble..."

A relatively new invader, the zebra mussel is believed to have come to America in the ballast tanks of a transoceanic ship.  Native to Europe's Caspian and Black Seas, the zebra mussel was first found in North America in 1988 in Lake St. Clair between Lakes Huron and Erie.  Since then, the zebra mussel has spread throughout the Great Lakes and waterways of at least 19 states, including the Hudson, Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.  Currently, the zebra mussel is extending itself to the West via the Arkansas River and other tributaries.  It remains unstopped by predators and parasites, leaving all waterways of North America wide open for invasion.

Zebra mussels are very small with brown and black bands.  Fully grown, they are only two inches long.  By themselves, these mussels don't look threatening.  But one adult female can produce 30,000 young each season, and occasionally there are two spawning seasons in a year.  The first season is from June until mid-July and the second, when it occurs, takes place between August and October.  The zebra mussels' young can attach themselves to any hard surface - a rock, a pipe or even the shell of another sea creature.

The threat of the zebra mussel lies in its ability to reproduce in large numbers and in the fact that it can stick to anything hard.  Oftentimes, zebra mussels will block intake pipes to factories and water treatment plants.  The mussels will blanket marina and can crowd out native bivalve species like freshwater clams.  Sea creatures with shells often fall victim when literally hundreds of zebra mussels cover them, preventing them from feeding, growing, moving, breathing and reproducing.  Two years after the zebra mussel's introduction into Lake St. Clair, all hard-shelled native species in the lake were encrusted by the invasive mussel.  Several native species were destroyed completely. 
This pest is a plague and shows that even pint-size invaders can cause big trouble.