Gardening
Gardening Under a Black Walnut Tree
The leaves and a nut of a black walnut tree.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Wilting, yellow leaves, or stunted growth means it is time to look around your landscape and surrounding landscapes for clues. A common cause of these symptoms is the black walnut tree.
This native tree, prized for its lumber, makes gardening in its vicinity a challenge. All parts of this tree including the fruit, leaves, and branches contain juglone and the roots can also excrete it into the soil. Juglone-sensitive plants exhibit symptoms and even kill tomatoes and their relatives when they contact the juglone. This interaction between plants is known as allelopathy.
The concentration of juglone varies throughout the growing season. There is a greater concentration in the actively growing leaves in spring. The amount in the roots remains relatively high throughout the summer with the juglone concentration increasing in the hulls as the nuts mature.
The black walnut tree's close relatives like butternut, pecan, shagbark hickory, and English walnut contain juglone. The concentration of juglone in these trees is much lower and rarely affects juglone-sensitive plants.
The greatest concentration of juglone is usually within 50 to 60 feet of the trunk of large black walnuts. Rule out other causes such as a lack of sunlight, over and under watering, and over or under fertilization.
One solution to this challenge is to grow juglone-tolerant plants. Review lists of juglone-susceptible and resistant plants prepared by several universities. These lists are by no means complete, but they do provide a good starting point. You may want to test plants you want to grow but do not appear on any lists. Just plant one or two and if they thrive you can add more. If they suffer, you may want to add them to your "Do Not Plant" list and try something new.
Minimize your frustration by growing susceptible plants at least 50 feet away from your black walnut tree. The further you move away from the tree, the lesser the concentration of the toxic juglone.
Or create a juglone-free raised bed. Cover the soil and line the sides of the raised bed with water-permeable weed barrier fabric. The fabric can help slow or prevent the invasion of black walnut roots into the raised bed garden. Cover the barrier as you fill the bed with fresh topsoil free of juglone.
Removing the tree, if it is on your property, is not an immediate solution. The juglone remains in the soil until the roots, nuts, and leaves totally decompose.
Consider this as another factor when selecting the right plant for the growing conditions. Selecting juglone-resistant plants can greatly reduce your frustration and increase your gardening success.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Antiques, Auctions and Collectibles News
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
Today's roundup of the latest antiques, auctions, and collectibles news begins here in New England, where a rare envelope sent via Pony Express will be hitting the auction block later this month. The letter was postmarked October 5, 1861, and sent to John H. Lyons in Colchester, Vermont, according to CNN. The letter is no longer with the envelope and there is no return address, so the sender remains unknown. The Colchester Historical Society said Lyons "served in the 13th Vermont Regiment, Company D during the Civil War, incorporated a local butter and cheese factory, and later became postmaster." The Pony Express operated across the United States from April 1860 to October 1861. At the time, horse and rider relay teams were considered the most efficient way to communicate cross country. The letter cost $1 to send, which would be equivalent to $35 today. It's believed that only 250 letters were delivered by Pony Express and most were delivered to metropolitan areas, so the Northern Vermont address is rare. Bidding will begin at $2,500 and I'll report on what the letter brings in a future column.
Across the pond, a doll that was destined for the dumpster ended up bringing a tidy sum for an English family. The "Kammer & Reinhardt Walter 102" bisque doll was produced in Germany around 1910. It is one of a few examples known to exist after the dolls became less popular following World War I, according to "Business Insider." The British family was clearing items out their mother's home. The doll had originally belonged to the grandmother of the woman handling the sale. She said she remembered the doll always being in the living room growing up. A "naughty puppy" at one point chewed off the doll's foot. She and her husband were sorting items to keep and those to be discarded. She placed the doll in the trash pile, but her husband moved it aside to keep it. The doll had very lifelike features and was described as creepy and spooky looking. Despite its looks and the dog damage, a British auction house sold it for £52,675 (approximately $66,000 USD).
We are offering a large doll collection in our Chicopee estate sale, as well as other antiques, collectibles, and thousands of other items. The sale will take place on June 23rd through June 25th. Our online auction of antique and vintage toys, baseball cards, sports memorabilia, guitars, and pop culture collectibles is running now through June 21st. We will have another online auction later this month starting with gold and costume jewelry, sterling silver, nautical paintings and memorabilia, other art, pocket watches, stoneware, duck decoys, antique firearms, and a wide variety of other items. It will end in July. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to upcoming events.
Please contact us at: www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com for antiques and collectibles auction services.