Flower of the Month

Amaranthus

Amaranthus is an often forgotten flowering plant for our gardens because it needs to be started from seed. If you have this plant in your garden, it will produce plenty of seeds to gather for next year; this plant will probably come up in your garden the next year on its own.

Amaranthus is a showy and exotic plant, ideal for beds and borders. Amaranthus is also called Amaranth, Tampala, Tassel Flower, Flaming Fountain, Fountain Plant, Joseph’s Coat, Love-lies-bleeding, Molten Flower, Prince’s Feather and Summer Poinsettia.

The plant is large and bushy, growing up to about 3 to 4 feet tall. Many Amaranthus species are grown as leafy vegetables, cereals, or ornamental plants. It usually serves as an annual ornamental, but its leaves and seeds are edible with nutritional properties. The world has recently rediscovered the nutritional properties of Amaranthus.

A native of South America, the amaranthus’ name is derived from the Greek amarantos, which means “unfading”, an appropriate reference to the flower’s long-lasting deep red, green or yellow blooms.

It’s easy to grow from seeds. For strong, vibrant bloom colors, keep the plant in the sun. Amaranthus does not require special soil or a fertilizer schedule, and it’s relatively drought tolerant.

Kingdom: Plantae

Division :Magnoliophyt

Class:Magnoliopsida

Order:Caryophyllales

Family:Amaranthaceae

Genus:Amaranthus

Gardening Topics

October in the Garden

Temperatures, hopefully, will have settled into the 80’s for highs and 60’s for lows by the time mid-October rolls around. We need to begin preparation for colder weather and some dormancy of plants as well as planting fall and winter plants in vegetable gardens and flower beds.

• Plant flowers from seeds or bedding plants of alyssum, calendula, cornflower, dianthus, larkspur, lobelia, ornamental kale and cabbage, petunia, snapdragon, and stock.
• Divide and transplant spring blooming perennials such as daylilies, Shasta daisies, violets, wood ferns, cannas and
• Clean out dead stuff from your garden and flower beds. Put in your compost bin
• Plant trees, shrubs, rose bushes and perennials.
• Plant strawberries for spring harvestin
• Plant cool weather herbs like cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley.
• Seed quick growing cool season vegetables like carrots, lettuce, radishes, and spinach. Set out transplants of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi.
• Get your soil tested and add amendments as needed.
• Amend your soil with a good dressing of compost.
• Turn your compost pile.
• Use your garden debris and leaves to start a new compost pile.
• Dry and save seeds.
• Harvest and dry or freeze herbs for winter use.
• Clean and sharpen garden tools.

Critter of the Month

Earwigs

Earwigs are part of a large group of creatures that are actually sanitary engineers. Earwigs help clean up our environment by feeding on decaying plant material and live and dead insects. Earwigs help to break down this material just like millipedes, pillbugs, and sowbugs do.

Earwigs may look scary with their pincers, or forceps, sticking out from their abdomen. They are NOT. Earwigs can use their forceps to pinch your finger if they get agitated, but earwigs do not sting or bite and they have no venom.

Earwigs get their name from a long-standing myth claiming the earwig can climb inside a person’s ear and either live there or feed on the person’s brain. Any small insect can climb inside your ear; the earwig does not do this any more than other small insects do. Earwigs do not feed on human brain or lay their eggs in a person’s ear canal.

The earwigs don’t die in the winter; they hibernate during cold months either as an adult or as an egg that has not yet hatched. Earwigs have been known to tunnel 6 feet below the soil surface to escape the cold.

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2000 species in 12 families, Dermaptera is one of the smaller insect orders.

Earwigs can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Earwigs are mostly nocturnal and often hide in small, moist areas during the day. They are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. Damage to foliage, flowers and various crops is commonly blamed on earwigs.