By Reba Kocher

Listen to this blog post: Rugosa_Roses_Blog_Post.mp3

One of the Rugosa Bushes in our rose garden.

A close up photo of a double petal Rugosa Rose from our rose garden.

A close of a single petal Rugosa (not at Clary Gardens)

We are so pleased to tell you that our beautiful Rugosa Roses (rosa rugosa) have bloomed! These roses are very fragrant and have gorgeous flowers, and you can find them planted in the rose garden near the amphitheatre!

Rugosas, also known as Beach Roses, Japan Rose, the Letchberry, etc., are an heirloom rose plant that is native to Eastern Asia. You can find these roses growing in the wild in parts of China, Korea, and Japan. They were brought to Europe from Japan around 1796 (this is the date of our first European record of the plant), but they did not become popular in Europe until around 1845 as more people became interested in planting ornamental plants (https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/47835). 1845 also marked the year that these roses were introduced to Canada and the United States. Ever since then, the Rugosa has been a favorite to plant. They come in various pink hues-- from deep pink to rose pink to white.They have a unique wrinkled flower, which gives it the name rugosa (meaning wrinkled in Latin) and they can be either double or single petal. They begin blooming in early summer and, if deadheaded properly, can continue to bloom until the first frost in early winter. Last year, we had our Rugosas blooming until November! In addition to this, they are very hardy and can grow in a variety of habitats. It has been found growing in gravely and sandy beaches, in woodlands, and in grasslands. One reason it remains a horticulturist favorite is because it is extremely resistant to black spot (read about it here), powdery mildew (read about it here), and most insect attacks!

Rugosas, like many other species of roses, have been used in folk medicine, for cosmetics, and for food for hundreds of years. In Eastern folk medicine, the entire plant is used to promote healing. The leaves have been used to lower fevers. The flowers used externally are said to promote blood circulation by acting on the liver and spleen. The flowers used internally are to fix a poor appetite and poor digestion. Additionally, in the East, specifically China, roses are used to make blush and lipsticks. The combined color and fragrance make them an awesome candidate for cosmetics. In the East and West alike, the rose hips (the fruit of the plant) and petals are used in a variety of culinary treats. Rose syrup is made with the petals and can be drizzled over ice cream, used in cocktails or spritzers, added to preserves (it’s great with strawberries and raspberries!) , or used in baking. If you collect the rose hips, you can make Rugosa Rose jam and then put it on warm buttered toast!

We hope to have our Rugosas blooming all summer and into winter, so stop by the Gardens and smell the roses! We are open everyday during daylight hours, and we would love for you to visit!

References & Further Reading

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/rugosa_rosa.htm

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286364https://extension.illinois.edu/hortanswers/plantdetail.cfm?PlantID=436&PlantTypeID=8

https://kusabueroses.jp/en/WildRosesInJapan/

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/rugosa-rose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNsLgnuRgf4

https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_roru.pdf

http://www.historicfood.com/conserve%20of%20roses.htm

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/ingredients/rose-recipes

https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/47835

By: Reba Kocher

Big Ear Lamb's Ear

Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear

Cotton Boll Lamb's Ear

I remember being a child and planting Silver Carpet Lamb’s Ears with my dad. I loved petting their super soft leaves and seeing their striking silver color, especially contrasted with the orange daffodils and pink bleeding hearts that were planted nearby. Lamb’s Ears are great for growing with kids or if you are looking for a beautiful foliage ground cover for your flower beds. There are several varieties and range from being blue/green to silver. Three of the most common Lamb’s Ears are the Big Ear’s, Silver Carpet, and Cotton Boll. All of which are stunning in their own way.

Lamb’s Ear (stachys byzantina) is a herbaceous perennial, which means that once you plant one, it will keep coming back for at least two years. Lamb’s Ears are native to the Middle East, specifically Turkey, and because of this, they are drought resistant. They can withstand very hot temperatures and like full sun (but they can handle part shade). In addition to this, they can also tolerate dry and poor soil. Their hardiness makes them perfect for gardens, and their soft, wooly leaves make them deer-resistant and rabbit-proof. You won’t have to worry about coming out and seeing them being munched on! Even though Lamb’s Ears are really easy to plant and to care for, it is important to deadhead (prune) them! They are considered an invasive plant in North America because they are self-seeding and they have creeping stems that root once they hit soil, so they could grow out of control. Another thing to watch out for is rotting when it gets humid out. Be sure to plant them in well draining soil and don’t overwater!

If you want to plant a flower bed with your child, Lamb’s Ears are a great addition. Your child will love petting their soft leaves, and they will get so excited to see them come up for years to come. They are also hardy enough that your child could take care of them mostly by themselves. Now is a great time to get them because certain varieties, like the Cotton Bolls, will begin to bloom between May-July!

Care Guides:

https://www.thespruce.com/lambs-ears-uses-how-to-care-and-control-2132610

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=p980

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/lambs-ear-plant-care-43444.html

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/lambs-ears-natures-most-touchable-plant

https://www.hunker.com/12619824/how-to-prune-a-lambs-ear

By: Reba Kocher

You may remember that we announced we were planting Milkweed in March. We are super excited because it is starting to sprout up now! As we get into the warmer summer season, the milkweed will start blooming and bringing in lots of pollinators!

Milkweed is an awesome and beneficial plant to have around. Even though Milkweed has “weed” right in the name, it actually is not invasive nor pesky at all. Milkweed is found in lots of diverse ecosystems--from meadows to prairies and from woodlands to wetlands. It attracts many species of beneficial insects, especially our beloved pollinators! Pollinators like honeybees, native bees, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and butterflies LOVE Milkweed. Milkweed attracts so many pollinators because of the abundance and good flow of high quality nectar. Their flowers also have a very unique shape that makes them very enticing for several insect species. Pollinating bugs like flies, beetles, and wasps have short tongues and can more easily drink the nectar from these flowers. Milkweed is also very important to butterfly species--specially the Monarch-- because they lay their eggs on Milkweed, and then as they become caterpillars, Milkweed leaves are actually the only food that they can eat!So, what do pollinators do and why should we care? Pollinators move pollen from male structures of plants, called the anther, to the female structures of plants, called the stigma. This movement of pollen results in fertilization and the production of seeds. Pollination is SUPER important for food sources. Think about all of the fruits and vegetables you love--avocados, broccoli, tomatoes, apples. Without pollinators, like bees, we would lose all of these and more! Plants, like Milkweed, help save these important creatures, so don’t pull it out! If you can, plant Milkweed and other pollinator friendly plants at your house. In the meantime, come to the Gardens and see these beauties popping up! Maybe you’ll even meet a pollinator!

References & Further Reading:

Check out this list of foods we would lose without bees! https://honeylove.org/list-of-food/

https://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/resources-and-outreach/what-are-pollinators-and-why-do-we-need-them

https://xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Milkweeds-of-Central-US_plus-vendors_XercesSociety.pdf

https://www.beeculture.com/milkweeds-honey-plants/

https://www.americanmeadows.com/perennials/milkweed/how-to-grow-milkweed

By: Reba Kocher

These pictures look pretty gross and scary don’t they? Well, fear not garden-goers! This is Nostoc Commune, a type of cyanobacteria. Because of its appearance, it is sometimes called star jelly, star-shot, star slime, and witch’s butter. It is actually a non-toxic, gelatinous colony of microscopic bacterial filaments (a filament is a multicellular state of cell chains). It’s actually a super cool and beneficial organism--despite its scary appearance.

N.Commune is bacterial that behaves like a plant. It has been mislabeled as blue-green algae throughout time, but it differs from algae because they are Prokaryotes instead of Eukaryotes like algae and other plants. This means that the N. Commune has single-cell organisms without a nucleus. It is not as cellularly complex as other creatures.N. Commune gets even cooler. It is commonly found in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats and is 2.45 BILLION years old. It is thought to be responsible for the rise of oxygen on Earth! Because it has literally been around since the dawn of time, it is a remarkable organism that can live in a variety of environments. It can withstand extreme temperatures and freezing-thawing cycles. This means that not only can you find star slime in Ohio, but you can also find it in places like Antarctica! N. Commune also is constantly changing appearance, which can lead to misidentifications. In wet weather, it appears to bubble up from the soil, and it is a rubbery yellowish-green to bluish-black color. In dry weather, which is its most common form, it collapses and turns black. It can lay dormant in its dry form for long periods of time before quickly regaining metabolic activity once being rehydrated.

Kickstarting the Earth’s oxygen isn’t the only thing this little bacteria cluster can do, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen. As you might know, nitrogen is super important for plant growth. Nitrogen is the building block for amino acids, proteins, and DNA. For plants, nitrogen is the most important for the creation of chlorophyll, which is needed to photosynthesize their food. N. Commune, as a nitrogen fixer, is able to provide important nutrients and nitrogen to plants. In the human world, N.Commune has been used for century in the East, like China, for folk medicine. It is believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In Western medicine, scientists have found evidence that it might also have anti-carcinogenic properties as well. They are looking to find more medicinal uses for this amazing bacteria from cancer treatments to cholesterol medication. If you see a scary looking gelatinous mass the next time you’re walking through our woodlands, remember this blog post and how awesome this bacteria is! Try not to step on it so it can help all of our plants thrive!

References & Further Reading

https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1258

https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Nostoc

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5865699/

An article about N. Commune in Antarctica! https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/soils-and-landscapes/antarctic-soils/microbial-life/terrestrial-cyanobacteria-in-antarctica

By: Reba Kocher

I’m sure that by now you all know that the Great Garlic Mustard Pull is happening on 5/18 at 9:30A.M.-11:30A.M. We wrote a blog post earlier in the week about why we are having this event (you can check it out here: http://clarygardens.org/blog.php?d=68), and in it we told you that you can take home as much as you want to eat. We decided that it would be a great idea to make a post full of Garlic Mustard recipes! If you give them a try, please let us know! Now, without further ado…

A Link to the Garlic Mustard Cookbook: http://www.dmna.org/sites/default/files/Garlic%20Mustard%20Recipes%20Book_0.pdf