By Gail Maifeld, MG

There are two recognized cacti that have become know as the Christmas cactus. Cacti species Schlumbergera Bidgesii is the plant that has gained the title Christmas cactus because pink to dark red blooms appear in December. Schlumbergera truncata, commonly referred to as a Thanksgiving cactus or the claw, lobster, or crab cactus due to the horns that appear at the edges of leaf segments, blooms during Thanksgiving time.

Hybrids of the houseplant Christmas cactus are not the true species. Native to the rainforests, the species inhabits moist tropical forests, and grows in pockets of leaf debris that have accumulated on trees. The densely branching plant will grow to a height of 12” with pendent flat green sections of 1-1 ½ “. Terminal areoles produce single or double blooms, for a long flowering period near Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Both the Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus are easily grown indoors but do ask for special treatment to guarantee bloom. Cooler night temperatures and shorter days cause the plant to bloom. In early fall (October) plant growth will slow. This signals a move to a low light location and given no water for a month. Return the plant to normal light and water regularly.

Just as short winter days begin, the plant will reward the grower with a mass of bright pink to dark red blooms. For more details on growing and caring for holiday cacti, visit the UMN Extension site.

Additional sources:

Better Homes and Gardens;  HOUSE PLANTS.  Meredith Publishing.

Success with House Plants.  The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

The South St. Paul Seed Trial Garden is an important project for gardeners and the community. Dakota County Master Gardeners test plants along with over one hundred other Master Gardeners across the state during the summer to determine some of the best varieties available on the market. Each year the list of trial plants is selected by the State Master Gardener Seed Trial Team.

Master Gardeners also provide horticultural education to fellow gardeners and community members all while raising produce to donate to the South St. Paul Neighbors Food Shelf. The project faced challenges this year due to the coronavirus however, with the hard work of volunteers, the garden donated over 1000 pounds of fresh produce!

This year six varieties each of mildew-resistant basil, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, white cauliflower, purple pole beans and mini cucumbers were trialed. Combined test results for the year will be published on the Arboretum website. The winners for previous years can be found here.

As another testing activity, we participate in testing for PanAmerican Seeds. This year, we tested their Asian Delite Eggplant, PeppiGrande Red Pepper, SimplySalad – two varieties, Tomato Siam, Vinca Tattoo and Zinnia Double Zahara.

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) .