Marilee Benore, PhD, Professor Emerita of Biochemistry & Biology, U of M-Dearborn, on Mountainmint

Perennial Plant of the Year® 2025 – Perennial Plant Association
Clustered Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

We have a plot of this on campus (but overly weedy) and my lab in coordination with Professor Simona Marincean  have been conducting research on the essential oils. There has been little work on its use in products, but the smell is heavenly. I do not recommend eating or drinking it due to a small pulegone content, but it is a lovely lovely plant, and the stems stay upright all winter.  Picking a leaf or two and rubbing it between your fingers releases a peppermint/spearmint aroma. We distilled the oils and tested the chemistry and its ability to inhibit bacterial growth.

MGAWC's Margot McCormack Celebrates 45 Years as Master Gardener

Link below to a nice article about Margot McCormack’s 45 years as an MSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer, 1980-2025. Congratulations and thank you for 45 years of service to the community and volunteer work in gardens and teaching others. Margot is extremely generous with her expertise, time and plants from her garden.

PLEASE NOTE CORRECTION FOR ACCURACY:

The caption under the photo should refer to the Master Gardener Association of Wayne County (MGAWC) to match the cake in the photo. The picture was likely taken during a special shopping day for MGAWC members and guests at Christensen’s Plant Center. Besides Margot McCormack, other people pictured include Kathy Frank, Tonja Nudi, Wayne Watson, Barbara Greenberg, Martha Forst-Watson and Beverly Evans.

The other cake on the right was likely to celebrate Elaine Weider’s birthday, MGAWC’s treasurer at the time.

Meet an MSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer who trained in 1980 - Gardening in Michigan

LEARNING FROM THE PAST by Gail Morrell, Professional Gardener 

Handout for Gail’s February 2025 presentation to MGAWC members on Zoom:

Perennial Plant of the Year® 2025 – Perennial Plant Association

Clustered Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

Not a true mint but described as robust!  USDA zones 4 to 8; 2-3’ tall & wide; blooms white-light pink July thru Sept with silver bracts; full to part sun; deer and rabbit resistant; pollinator plant and larval food of the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth (Synchlora aerate).

 Hosta of the Year – American Hosta Growers Association

            Skywriter – blue hosta with corrugated leaves and purple stems. 1.5’ tall and 4’ wide

 Moths – 160,000 moth species compared to 17,500 species of butterflies worldwide!

Silk Moths - Caterpillar stage lasts for 37 to 52 days feeding with a ravenous appetite. Adults do not feed; they have no proboscises and only live for a few days to mate and lay eggs!

 Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

            Laval host plants ash, birch, grape, hickory, maple, oak, and pine

             Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

            Laval host apple, ash, beech, birch, elm, maple, oak, and willow

 Parasitic plants

Dodder (Cuscuta) 150 species worldwide.  They are holoparasitic meaning they have leafless yellow/orange stems and use haustoria (modified roots) to get all their water and nutrients from the host plant, they do not photosynthesize so do not produce chlorophyll.  It is a self-seeding annual but once sprouted can only survive 5-10 days without a host plant.

 American Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) 240 species in the Americas.  They are hemiparasitic, most have leaves or scales and do photosynthesize.  They get all their water and mineral nutrients from their host.  Host plants include maples, oaks, ash, walnuts, elm, poplars and more.  They are considered an evergreen shrub.  American Mistletoe is the primary larval food of the Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)

 Houseplants

            Terrariums

            Plastic saucers for containers

 Feeding the birds

            Kensington Metropark

Bring your own seed and hand feed the birds!  Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpeckers, and White-breasted Nuthatch

 Container plant

Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) USDA zone 7-11 (an annual for us) Lilac flowers; airy see through habit; 3-6’ tall, 1-3’ wide; blooms all summer; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

 Discover

            Find and learn about a new insect, butterfly, moth, spider or caterpillar this year!

 Book

            Gardening for Moths:  A Regional Guide by Jim McCormac and Chelsea Gottfried

 Website/Blog    https://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/

Beautiful pictures and a true nature lover.  His blog covers plants, moths and birds!

Nature Journaling Resources from Karen Gourlay

Journaling about nature can be a fun and creative way to spark curiosity and improve your observational skills. Nature journaling can also be a benefit to your annual record-keeping by prompting you to observe your garden more closely, track seasonal changes and interactions, and make comparisons over the years.

Ideas to get started: (1) I notice …, (2) I wonder …, (3) It reminds me of …

Various approaches or languages; start with your comfort zone, then add

  • Words -- descriptions, stories, poems, questions, lists, location, landscape (forest, wetland, garden, etc.)

  • Pictures -- drawings, boxes, arrows, maps

  • Numbers -- counts, time, date, charts, graphs,

 When facing a blank page, start with meta-data, maybe a block on top with:

  • Date

  • Time

  • Weather

  • Temperature

  • Location

Then add some boxes or circles for a note, a sketch, a map, break the page into small sections for focusing on different aspects

On the first page of new journal, maybe:

  • Favorite quotation

  • Goal

  • Table of contents (or opt for an index at the back)

Focus your attention on something that catches your interest

Focus on the process, not the page

 Prepare a journaling bag—that you keep by the door or in the car—that might contain:

  • Current journal

  • Favorite writing utensils (pens, mechanical pencils, colored pencils, whatever)

  • Binoculars

  • Small jar or plastic bag to collect something

  • Tape measure or ruler

  • Handheld magnifier

  • Small watercolor kit with water brush containing water in the barrel

 Have fun — It’s just for you — Doesn’t have to be perfect or anything you ever share with anyone else

Dean Krauskopf, Ph.D., with Science Updates for Gardeners

DIF: https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/controlling-plant-height-without-chemicals

CO2 Levels: https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2

Bioluminescent Petunias: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bioluminescent-plants-are-now-even-brighter-light-bio-to-begin-selling-firefly-petunias-to-consumers-with-usda-approval-302050054.html

GMO Orange Petunia: https://www.science.org/content/article/how-transgenic-petunia-carnage-2017-began

https://www.greenhousegrower.com/crops/genetically-engineered-orange-petunia-deregulation-now-official/

GMO Purple Tomato: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/04/28/1244374630/gmo-purple-tomato-seeds-baker-creek-controversy

MISIN: https://www.misin.msu.edu/

Balsam Wooly Adelgid: https://www.canr.msu.edu/bwa/index

https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/balsam-woolly-adelgid-in-michigan

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/hemlock_woolly_adelgid_e3300

Cicadas: https://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Michigan/Index.html https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-this-zombie-fungus-turns-cicadas-into-horror-movie-sex-bots/

Onion Weather Oracle: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-consult-an-onion-calendar?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

Alternatives to Callery Pear: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/callery-pear-alternatives-an-invasive-and-troublesome-tree

Abscisic acid and mite resistance: https://phys.org/news/2024-05-drought-stress-hormone-block-snacking.html

Contaminant Testing Labs: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/testing-for-contaminants-in-soil-water-and-plants

Ergonomic Practices: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/promoting-health-and-productivity-through-ergonomic-practices-for-farming-and-gardening

Plant Identification Apps Updated: Plant identification? There’s an app for that—actually several! - Landscaping (msu.edu)

MSU Recorded Gardening Education on a Variety of Topics

Ways to Earn Education Credits - Master Gardener Program (msu.edu)

Free Recorded Webinars:

Geophytes for Neophytes  (1.25 hrs) Isabel Branstrom and Dr. Sarah Rautio, MSU Extension

Spruce Decline (1.25 hrs) Dr. Monique Sakalidis, MSU Dept of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences; MSU Dept of Forestry

Managing Habitat for Monarch Butterflies (MSUE Hort Cafe) (1 hr) Dr Nate Haan, MSU Dept of Entomology

Berries and BIrds (MSUE Hort Cafe) (1 hr) Dr Jen Owen, MSU Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife

Seed Starting - To the Windowsill and Beyond! (MSUE DIG IN) (1.25 hrs) Dr. Lori Imboden, former MSUE Consumer Horticulture Educator

Smart Shorelands (Part 1) Michigan's Water Resources-Exploration of Shore Plants and Practices (MSUE DIG IN) (1.5 hrs) Erick Elgin, MSU Extension Water Quality Educator

Smart Shorelands (Part 2) Stormwater is Everyone's Problem! (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Bindu Bhakta, MSU Extension Water Quality Educator

Smart Shorelands (Part 3) Kool Critters that Live Near the Shore and Impactful Rain Gardens (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Paige Filice, MSU Water Resource and Aquatic Educator

Smart Lawn Alternatives - Sedges and Much More! (MSUE DIG IN) (1.25 hrs) Barslund Judd, MSUE Consumer Horticulture Educator

Berried Treasures (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Dr Nate Walton, MSUE Consumer Horticulture Educator

Smart Soils - Sustainability Beneath the Surface  (MSUE DIG IN) (1.25 hrs) Dr. George Bird, MSU Professor Emeritus, Department of Entomology

Insect Life Cycles—Web of Headliners (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Dr. David Lowenstein, MSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Educator

Smart Gardening—Veggie Garden Season Extension (MSUE DIG IN) (1.25 hrs) Rebecca Krans, MSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Educator

Brighten your Day! Lighting for Indoor Plants (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Christopher Imler, MSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Educator

Creating Smart Pollinator Meadows (MSUE DIG IN) (1 hr) Isabel Branstrom, former MSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Educator

Garden-Size Trees (MSUE DIG IN) (1.25 hrs) Rebecca Finneran, MSU Extension Senior Horticulture Educator

Resources from Dean Krauskopf, PhD, at April Meeting

Learning from the Past, 2023 Edition

Perennial Plant of the Year® 2023

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’)

Resistant to Septoria leaf spot.  Slightly lighter golden flowers.

USDA zones 4 to 9; 22-27” tall; 40” wide; Blooms July to October; full to part sun.

 

Green Darner Dragonfly (Anax junius) and American Kestrel Hawk (Falco sparverius)

Migrating dragonflies.  September 1, 2022

 

Myrtle (Vince minor) and Soil pH

Most plants do best when soil pH is between 6.2-6.8

0, is extremely acid to 14, extremely alkaline

Site soil found to have a pH of 8.3

 

Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) annual

Planted May 11, 2022, yellow June 20, 2022, two weeks of Epson salts, greening up by July 5.

Periwinkle prefers soil pH less than 6.  Notice marigolds, prefer soil pH between 6-8

                       

Tree planting distance & list of trees suitable for planting near power lines in southeast MI

https://www.newlook.dteenergy.com/wps/wcm/connect/e5e177ef-8c0b-45ad-9c1b-56de926dae51/TreeSpeciesChart.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

 

Barrenwort or Fairy Wings (Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’)

Perennial; shade to part shade; USDA zones 5-8; good as a groundcover; blooms between May and June; semi-evergreen/evergreen

 

Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale)

Perennial bulb; USDA zones 4-8; full sun to part shade; blooms in the fall; spring foliage

 

Sedge (Carex)

Perennial grass like plant; USDA zones 4-10; sun to shade; wet to dry

Mt. Cuba Center in DE; four-year trial, 65 natives & 5 cultivars

 

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Winter annual, reproducing by seed and able to produce seed 5-7 weeks after germination.  Four generations possible in a growing season.  Thrives in cool wet conditions and needs light to germinate.  A good layer of mulch will help with control.

 

Tools

2-tine hand weeding fork by Sneeboer  www.GardenToolCompany.com  $54.00

Jekyll Weeder www.LeeValley.com  $37.50

Stainless Steel Soil Knife www.amleo.com  $24.14

 

Interesting Books

The ingenuity of animal survival Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Summer World a season of bounty by Bernd Heinrich

URLs* from Dr. Dean Krauskopf's Presentation on March 10, 2022

Presentation Slides

Land PKS:  https://tellus.ars.usda.gov/stories/articles/want-to-know-what-s-in-your-soil-there-s-an-app-for-that/

Media Characteristics: https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/growing-media-report-capturing-a-substrates-potential/       

Peat Sustainability: https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=25542

Fertilizer Availability and Cost:  https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/12/13/world-nitrogen-demand-increase-2022                      https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/12/15/geopolitical-trade-disputes-darken                                                https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/12/17/sanctions-affect-world-potash-supply 

Soil Lead and Vegetables: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-lead-before-planting-vegetables

Disease Susceptibility/Resistance of Apple Varieties: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-132-W.pdf   https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/scab_immune_apple_varieties_can_reduce_pesticide_use_for_the_backyard

Spotted Lanternfly Fungal Diseases: ttps://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1903579116

Spotted Lanternfly Distribution: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/slf#:~:text=Spotted%20lanternfly%20has%20not%20yet%20been%20confirmed%20in,other%20pests%20can%20cause%20these%20symptoms%20as%20well.

Joro Spider:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-parachuting-spiders-could-soon-invade-the-east-coast-study-finds-180979694/   

https://news.uga.edu/joro-spiders-are-here-to-stay/

Samurai Wasp in Michigan: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/increasing-samurai-wasp-for-biological-control-of-brown-marmorated-stink-bug

Spongy Moth: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/science/spongy-moth-romani.html

*URL = Uniform Resource Locator (per Alexa)