​by Melinda Myers
 
For many of us, winter is the start of the gardening season. We are busy browsing catalogs, reading garden articles, and looking for sources of new plants. As the planning process continues, the plant wish list keeps expanding. Once your list is complete and before placing any order online, be sure to check your list for any invasive plants that are prohibited or restricted in Wisconsin.
 
According to the Invasive Species Rule NR40, prohibited plants are those that are not currently found or occur in isolated areas in the state. If introduced into the state, these plants are likely to cause significant economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.  Restricted plants according to NR40 are already established in the state causing harm or have the potential to cause significant harm.
 

The ability to spread and vigorous growth habit of the yellow flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) make this invasive plant a threat to our waterways.  Photo credit:  photo courtesy of Zach Stewart

​It was only after WWII that houseplants became mainstream in everyday homes. As people began to spend longer hours at the office, they wanted the comforts of home. Houseplants were developed to tolerate low light levels and some neglect.
 
Currently, houseplants are seeing surge in popularity. There are several reasons for this:

• It’s a way to care for and nurture something without a large investment (think buying a house, having
  children)
• Plants require less attention than pets
• Any home can have plants, even small apartments or tiny homes
• Plants help with “self-care” and love
• Plants still give you the freedom to travel or not come home at night

Now we have research to support their benefits: 1) improved all around environmental quality, 2) psychologically links us to nature, 3) improve air quality, e.g., remove carbon dioxide, benzene, particulates, & up to 90% formaldehyde, 4) stimulates physiological and psychological relaxation response, 5) increase humidity in dry indoor conditions, from 20% to 30%, 6) supply beneficial bacteria & increase microbial diversity indoors, 7) stabilize & reduce CO2 levels, 8) each 1-percent addition of plants in a room reduces formaldehyde 6-7 percent, 9) have fewer pollutants (like volatile organic compounds)
 
IMPROVE concentration: better at home and office, tasks were more accurate and of higher quality, offering stimulation to senses and mind
 
IMPROVE HAPPINESS: reduce stress & anxiety, more optimism, resulting in being optimistic, more relaxed and happier
 
IMPROVE compassion: increase empathy & concern, healthy relationships, wanting to help others,
 
IMPROVE children in classroom: improve concentration, reduce agitation & stress, help minimize distractions

IMPROVE seniors (in group settings) quality of life: reduce anxiety & stress, allow to care for something, remembering previous positive experiences
 
FEWER sick days, Norwegian study, reduce sick time by 14%, less physical symptoms of illness
 
INCREASE medical recovery: more quickly with less pain medication, a Dutch study of recovery from stressful situation noted quicker recovery due to parasympathetic nervous system kicked in.
 
SCRUB the air clean: of toxins (formaldehyde) by bacteria growing on plant roots, also remove ozone & benzene (found in cleaning products & glue)
 
KEEP dust down: particulates decreased by 20-percent, even if plants are located on the outer perimeter of a room
 
PEOPLE respond to nature, based on experiences and learned habits.

​​I LOVE Toads.  I have always loved toads.  My first memory of a toad encounter was as a toddler, I of course reached over to pick up this unique never before seen creature and it promptly peed on me.  I giggled.  My mother explained, as she gently put the toad back on the ground, when toads are scared they pee on the intruder as a mechanism to ward off the enemy.  Keep in mind I was around 4 years old and I kept thinking about that all day – “How Cool IS that – PEE on someone that scares you!” Now, I knew enough even at that young age, that I should NOT DO that!  BUT, the concept kept me delighted ALL day and for several days afterward.

​I was introduced to starting seeds many winters ago by both my maternal grandfather and my mother.  Several decades later, I can only remember one season that I did not start seeds, but the magic of the season still came upon me.
​
Starting seeds never grows old for me.  Every time a seedling emerges above the soil surface I am filled with joy.  I introduced the seed starting practice to my children which was met with not as much joy and sometimes frustration as the household was taken over by all the seedlings until it was safe to bring them outside.  Frequently the baby plants had grown to young adulthood before they could be moved out – much to their chagrin.  Now, to my surprise, all my adult children engage in plant propagation in some manner.  I am looking forward with great anticipation to introduce my first granddaughter to this annual endeavor as soon as we can play in the dirt together. ​

​Here's our next installment of Kids in the Garden! Did you know that you can compost with worms? It's called Vermicomposting and Master Gardener Volunteer Cheryl is here to teach you how she cares for her super composting worms. Her worms take food waste and newspaper and turn it into a super nutritious amendment for her garden soil.

I recently read On Flowers by Amy Merrick.

Amy Merrick is a rare and special kind of artist who uses flowers to help us see the familiar in a completely new way. Her gift is to revel in the unexpected—like a sunny spring arrangement housed in a paper coffee cup—and to overturn preconceptions, whether she’s transforming a bouquet of supermarket carnations into a breathtaking centerpiece or elevating wild and weedy blooms foraged from city sidewalks. She uses the beauty that is waiting to be discovered all around us—in leaves, branches, seedpods, a fallen blossom—to tell a story of time and place.
 
Merrick begins On Flowers with a primer containing all her hard-won secrets on the art of flower arranging, from selecting materials to mastering pleasing proportions. Then she brings readers along on her journey, with observations on flowers in New York City and at her family’s summer home in rural New Hampshire, working on a flower farm off the coast of Washington State, and studying ikebana in a jewel-box flower shop in Kyoto. We learn how to send flowers like a florist, and how to arrange them like a farm girl. We discover the poignancy in humble wildflowers, and also celebrate the luxury of fragrant blousy blooms. Collected here is an anthology of floral inspiration, a love letter to nature by an exceptional, accidental florist.

Amy shares bouquet ideas. She helps you pick out the perfect vessel to display your bouquet. She encourages you to get creative with what kind of plants and flowers to add to your bouquet.

Amy is full of positive energy and this read will have you smiling.

Take a break, sit in the garden, pour some ice tea and enjoy paging this delightful book.

UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Roseann Meixelsperger provides information on Hummingbirds.