Garden monsters and myths was the topic of the presentation at the last summer meeting of the Elliot Lake Horticultural Society on June 26.
Dianne Vlahovich presented a number of invasive plants of Northern Ontario, with samples from her garden and some from Southern Ontario. She used a chart and brochures from the Clean North Invasive Plant Species Education Project, in particular, the Invasive Species Centre brochure for Sault/Algoma, “Grow me instead guide,” showing ”24 invasive plants to remove and beautiful native alternatives.”
Clean North is a registered charitable environmental awareness group situated in Sault Ste. Marie.
Vlahovich took around a potted sample of garlic mustard, a large hairy-leafed plant that grows tiny white flowers on top. She said many people think the flowers are lovely, but they actually produce thousands of seeds that spreads the unwanted plant.
Originally from Europe, “garlic mustard is edible for humans and toxic to some animals,” said Vlahovich. She said the plant takes over an area by dispersing a toxin that kills other plants. She said it has to be pulled out by the roots then placed in a garbage bag left in the sun to “cook,” then the whole bag is thrown in the trash. The plant is not to be composted.
Other invasive plants shown included the yellow iris, a water iris that lives along waterways, “blocks pipes and streams and prevents natural plants from using the water,” lily of the valley, daisies, goutweed, and stinging nettle.
Vlahovich also talked about hosta plants that are a favourite of northern gardeners because of the shrub’s large, showy leaves. She said there are about “3000 different types of hostas and are the number one selling plant in nurseries next to day lilies.”
She wanted to alert gardeners to the little-known hosta Virus X that spreads by the sap of the plant. She said the virus has been around for 30 to 40 years but has been really spreading in the last five or ten years, moving up from the United States. It may take two to four years to show the infection. There is no cure for the virus; you must get rid of the plant by digging it up, including a round section of earth near the plant, putting it is a plastic bag to “cook” in the sun, then tossing it in the trash. Again, this diseased plant is not to be composted because the virus would just spread.
Because the virus spreads by the sap, it is necessary to disinfect gardening tools, such as shears and gloves, by dipping them in alcohol between snips. Gardeners should also disinfect their hands before moving to other plants.
Vlahovich displayed a large chart with pictures of hostas infected with the virus and took it around the room, pointing out the variations of infection.
Other garden “monsters” discussed included jumping worms from Europe that have a white band on them, as opposed to our earth worms with a pink band in the middle. She said the worms don’t actually jump but when a patch of them is dug up they wiggle. This invasive species of worms creates too much nitrogen in the soil which stops our native plants from growing.
A popular myth that Vlahovich said she wanted to debunk is that dandelions should be left growing because they are needed by our native bumble bees. She said dandelions are another invasive species that should be eliminated because our native bees feed on other plants.
Members of the horticultural society were urged to bring in single stems of flowers from their gardens to discuss with other members and many did so. Samples included peonies, bleeding hearts, day lilies, hare bells, clematis and rose campion.
The society does not meet over the summer months, with the next meeting scheduled for Sept. 25. The theme will be “Come Grow with Us” and members are encouraged to bring a friend. They meet at the Heritage Hall across from the arena. For more information about the society, call Ann at 705-227-0641 or visit the society’s Facebook Page.