There are more than 200 hybrids of lilies. This high number offers the gardener a variety of colors and forms. Some are large, miniature, and noted for fragrance. Lilies have a long bloom time, are easy to grow, and make an excellent cutting flower. Just as the gardener enjoys the beauty of lilies, they are also a delicacy for deer.

One type of bulb lily that thrives in Northern gardens is the martagon. Martagon lilies have delicate upside down blooms. They grow well in dappled shade in rich fluffy soil. Grown by private breeders, Martagons are pricey. Despite the cost, Martagons are an interesting and carefree lily to grow in your garden. Individual stems are sturdy with dark green leaves that do not require staking. Once established, the bulbs will form bulbils that will mature into a blooming lily. Be patient, it takes 2-3 years for the bulbils to bloom. Left alone the plant will produce more bulbs and additional lilies. No additional care is required other than cutting back the yellowed stems in late summer.

Dealers advertise the bulbs as ready to bloom. If the dealer does not state this, ask the question if the bulbs are guaranteed to bloom during the next gardening season. Plant the mature bulbs as you would plant tulip or daffodil bulbs in late August through September but not later than October since the bulbs need time to develop roots. Mulch the ground above the bulb plantings for the first winter. Martagon lilies come up later than the spring bulbs for a rewarding midsummer bloom.  

Martagons come in pale yellow, freckled orange, and a deep burgundy bloom called Claude Shride. The deep burgundy color makes a dramatic garden statement. The delicate, upside down blooms will evoke garden envy from friends.

By Dr. Jim Lakin, MD & Master Gardener

Are you one of those gardeners that dreads late August? Those Big Beefsteak Tomatoes are beckoning. Those gorgeous green cucumbers are calling. You poke your nose outside and all you get are red, itchy teary eyes, sneezing, runny nose, drainage and cough. Yuck! You have hay fever. Hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis is unfortunately quite common. From 10 to 30% of the population suffers from it. A lot of gardeners note that just about the time these agonizing symptoms start, goldenrod blooms.

It is a wonderful late summer, fall bloomer loved by pollinators and providing a needed touch of color to the landscape, It’s a shame that this beautiful native plant has taken the rap, when in reality the real culprit for fall hay fever is ragweed (Ambrosia sp.) a rather un-prepossessing roadside weed that produces copious amounts of pollen from late August to the first hard frost

As you may have guessed, goldenrod is insect pollinated. In consequence its pollen is not particularly buoyant but rather is a bit sticky, suitable for adhering to a bee or wasp making his nectar rounds. In contrast ragweed falls into the category of some 10% of plants that are wind pollenated. Its microscopic pollen grains are light, buoyant and easily transported for considerable distances and altitudes. If you are allergic to ragweed, when you breathe in one of these pollens that your body’s immune system reacts as if it were an invading microorganism, creating immediate inflammation of the nose, eyes and sinuses. Many trees and grasses are similarly wind-pollinated and can cause hay fever in the spring and early summer.

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So, what to do if you are a late summer mess but still have to get at those tomatoes and cukes? Going “Up North” for a few days of ragweed free breathing is a pretty good bet. It used to be that by the time you got north of Hinkley, the pollen would die out. Unfortunately, ragweed will seed disturbed ground readily. So, as development has expanded northward, so has the plant and its pollen. The North Shore is still a good bet to escape ragweed season, but with global warming that may change. If you can’t get away from ragweed, the University’s Health Care System has a number of excellent resources to help you get through to the first hard frost:

(https://www.mhealth.org/care/overarching-care/allergy-care)

(https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/allergies) .

“Leaves of three.  Leave it be!” or some variant thereof has been an age-old memory device to avoid contact with poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans).  Problem is a lot of plants have three leaves all coming out from a common point.  How do you tell them apart?  Fortunately, poison ivy leaves have a unique characteristic.  The stem (petiole) of the central leaf is noticeably longer than those of the two side leaves, as shown in this illustration. 

Also, come July a single stalk appears bearing a number of tiny purple flowers, just to warn you it’s there.  Those of us that react to poison ivy, and that’s 85% of the population, know well what happens if we come in contact with it.  After 6 to 72 hours your skin itches like crazy.  Then fluid filled blisters pop out on all the skin that contacted the plant’s oils.  It looks like this:

We scratch and spread the oils.  So-called satellite lesions start popping up.  We’re miserable!  The eruption can last a week or more.

So, what to do to prevent this and what to do if you don’t?  Obviously, avoidance is the best course of action.  Carefully dig up the plant if it pops up in your yard.  Large patches might require an herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup©).  If you use an herbicide, be careful. Read and follow the instructions on the label.  Wear protective clothing and face wear.  If you are going out in the woods or other area where poison ivy might be found, wear long sleeved shirt and full-length pants.  If you think your skin has contacted the plant, wash with a strong soap or detergent as soon as possible.  If a rash appears, an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream applied three to four times a day can help.  An aloe vera cream can soothe the skin.  The itching can be reduced by an oral antihistamine such as loratadine or fexofenadine.  Your pharmacist can help point you to the right products.  If you have an extensive rash, eye or face involvement, you’d best consult your physician.

Contributor: Jim Lakin, MD and Master Gardener Intern