We’re not talking about something not agreeing with you. We’re asking can plants pass on disease to humans?

Humans have a number of viruses in common with plants and animals. Three such families exist: the Bunyaviruses carried by insects (like mosquitoes, ticks and sandfly) causing the diseases Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and Rift Valley Fever and rodents causing Hantavirus infections; the Rhabdovirus better known as rabies causing encephalitis; the Reoviruses which causes gastrointestinal and respiratory disease primarily in infants and young children.

Many of us have experienced dermatitis from poison ivy and other plants. People often misidentify plants and become sickened or even poisoned after ingesting. A fairly common disease throughout the world is Sporotrichosis caused by the fungus Sporothrix. This fungus exists in soils, plant debris, sphagnum moss, hay, and on rose thorns. It usually enters the body through small cuts or punctures from rose thorns ( sometime called the rose-gardener’s disease). It can manifest as small bumps or blisters at entry site, more seriously if breathed in it can cause a type of pneumonia, and if entry wound is near a lymph node it can become disseminated throughout the entire body.

Another common and opportunistic pathogen is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It’s what causes soft rot in plants, fruits, and vegetables. It is especially dangerous for people with immunity deficiencies causing pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and oral infections. And, similar to the staph that causes MRSA it is antibiotic resistant. Much of what has been mentioned results in disease caused by the myotoxins produced by the bacterium.

More recently in France people have been showing symptoms of fever, aches, and pruritus (a systemic itching usually caused by a disease) after eating peppers with mild mottle virus (PMMoV). Viable virus has been found in salsas, powdered spices, and in the samples of hundreds of people. Viable tobacco mosaic virus has been found in the mucus and thoracic fluids of smokers.

In India tospoviruses causing tomato spotted wilt and groundnut bud necrosis are passed on by insects, thrips, and humans. Live virus is found in ripe tomatoes only to be eaten and passed on through ground and water. Begovirus which causes the tomato yellow leaf curl virus affects tomato production worldwide and, in turn, affects the insects that carry it by shortening their lifespan and their ability to reproduce.

So as you can see, plant diseases have many paths to make humans sick - but none of the pathogens has, of yet, crossed the line of entering the human cell. Plant diseases for now have no direct route as a human pathogen.

I love comedy, especially old fashioned slapstick like Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, and Laurel and Hardy. Fun and silly, light hearted and easy to watch. Watching a character step on a rake that hits him in the head only to back up into another rake that also beans him. Then there’s the guy with the super long pipe swinging it near another guy on a step ladder and you just know what is going to happen next. The timing and choreography it takes to pull off these stunts is a thing of beauty.

But in all seriousness, safety is no laughing matter. It can be hard to plan and implement. It’s usually the first thing to go when you’re in a hurry, and the last thing you want to explain to the boss and doctor when you wind up injured. Nothing ruins a nice summer weekend like a broken anything! I am not here to preach of the importance of safety, everyone knows it. But I would like to share some things that I have learned from other contractors and owners that can help you in your work day.

Knives, we all have them. Mine is as dull as a brick, while the nursery guys across the street could perform surgery with theirs. How many times have we been in a hurry, distracted or lulled by repetitive motion until whoops! Instead, use a multipurpose snip (Fiskars makes a nice one). They can cut almost anything, very hard to slice a leg or arm with, and easier to use for long periods of time. Fatigue can definitely cut you down.

Garbage, it's unsightly and a nuisance. It’s also a byproduct of the process. I have a contractor that has about a dozen 5 gallon buckets throughout the jobsite. He likes bright orange ones that are highly visible. Great for empty water bottles, pulled weeds and other miscellaneous construction materials, and easy to load out at the end of the day.

Speaking of tools, there is a company that paints all of their tools bright orange! No mistaking whose shovel that is or where that shovel is. Hammers, rakes, knee pads, I mean everything! How much time would be saved if you never have to search for, wait where was I going with this?

Ah - the right tool for the right job. Can’t find my hammer, but I can pound this 10” long spike with my shovel. That always works out great. After they’re done for the day, the foreman of one particular company checks the trucks to ensure all the necessary equipment is there. This ensures accountability of the company’s property and readiness for tomorrow’s endeavor.

Good communication is huge when it comes to safety. Make sure that everyone knows what is going on. Take the time to talk to not just your employees, but to your customer and your customer’s neighbors. I know a guy who talks to anybody within hearing range, especially if they have children. People are curious, and they are not always very smart about feeding that curiosity, especially kids and animals. Another company sends out a flier, and has had great success with new leads from this.

Like the Granger commercials say, “It’s always safety season”. Let’s leave the slapstick to the pros.

If you’re anything like me, this Michigan shelter-in-place quarantine has been quite the eye-opening experience. While I happen to be very introverted by nature, the lack of human connection during this time has me going a bit stir crazy. At random points in the day I find myself talking to the various plants sprinkled around my apartment. The conversations are a little one-sided, but they got me thinking: does talking to your plants benefit them or you? 

Scientific evidence on this particular subject is somewhat sparse. Although this is not a new theory (Many believe the first mention of this particular ideology is “Nanna oder über das Seelenleben der Pflanzen” by Gustav Fechner) few actual studies have been conducted. In Fechner’s 1848 book, he puts forward the idea that plants have a soul of sorts. Although his premise was founded mostly on his own feelings and observations, it has become the basis for the few studies that exist today. A 2008 study from the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Rural Development Administration “identified a set of sound-responsive genes in plants” (1). The study suggests that both genes are responsive to sounds above 125Hz. The typical adult male has a vocal frequency between 85Hz and 180Hz, while the typical adult female has a vocal frequency between 165Hz and 255Hz. Sorry guys, women are just better when it comes to plants! A separate study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany found a link between sound vibrations and several outcomes including: “increase the yields of several crops and strengthen plant immunity against pathogens. These vibrations can also prime the plants so as to make them more tolerant to impending drought.” (2).

While there may not a ton of hard scientific data related to the effect of speech on plants, there is quite a bit of anecdotal evidence! On a 2004 Episode of Mythbusters, seven separate greenhouses were set up with varying levels of noise. Stereos playing loops of speech were set up in the greenhouses; Two of negative speech, two of positive speech, a fifth with classical music and a sixth with intense death metal music. A seventh greenhouse, used as a control sample, had no stereo. The control group grew the least out of the seven after 2 months.

Possibly one of the saddest commercials I’ve seen in recent years (with the exception of the ASPCA ads. The song gets me every time.) is a viral video (3) produced by IKEA last year. It was intended to show the effect of unkind words on children. In the experiment, two plants were isolated in identical, controlled environments and received either positive or negative comments through a speaker. After 30 days, the plant that received negative comments was visibly less healthy. Now obviously this wasn’t a strictly scientific experiment, it was an awareness campaign. It’s entirely possible that there were, lets just say ...outside factors... contributing to that poor plants’ demise. I sincerely hope not, because intentionally killing a plant seems a bit over the top for an ad campaign but this is the world we live in.

Here’s my takeaway: until someone initiates a large scale scientific experiment, we can’t conclude that talking to your plants absolutely will or will not help them grow. Really though, what could it hurt? The worst thing that could happen is people could conclude you’ve gone a bit mad. The Mad Hatter said it best “You’re entirely bonkers! but I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are.” 

When it comes to beneficial animals, there are some that are much maligned and even a little scary. The one I would like to talk about is North America’s only marsupial, the opossum. Their sharp teeth, hissing, beady eyes, and long hairless tail make them less than cuddly to many, but they are actually a great little animal to have around. 

First of all, like most Americans I drop the "o" and just call them "possums". As possums are generally nocturnal, you’ll rarely encounter them during the day. When a possum feels threatened, the first thing it will do is bare its teeth and hiss. This is a bluff, as possums are not aggressive and non-confrontational. Also, they are so slow moving, you would have to go out of  your way to actually get bitten. And though all mammals can contract rabies, it is very rare in possums due to a lower body temperature than other mammals.

If the bluff fails, it will become paralyzed. People refer to it as playing dead, but this is an involuntary reaction (like fainting goats). It will generally take one to four hours for the animal to recover, so if you find one motionless, and it's not attracting flies, let it be.

What they do for us is eat snakes, mice, rats, snails, slugs, insects, carrion, rotten fruit and garbage, and ticks that cause lyme disease. Possums eat 95% of ticks that try to feed on them, accounting for up to 5000 ticks eaten per animal per year. And with the exploding tick population we are experiencing in Michigan, possums are to be welcomed.

Opossum like to live in secluded places that they don’t have to build. Make sure to eliminate access under decks and porches, don’t leave pet food outside, secure the lids on your garbage, and you’ll probably never know they’re there. Something smooth around the trunk of fruit trees will keep them from getting your fruit, and if your dogs are barking at them at night, it’s because they bark at everything if not trained to behave otherwise. If they get somewhere you don’t want them, gently harass them until they move on and secure the area against their return.

I’m not sure if there are any possums in my neck of the woods, but if there are, they can have all the rodents, carrion, and ticks their hearts desire. And they are welcome to rummage around the Hostas for snails and slugs as well.

Here, at the close of the season, I have the privilege of writing the last Sticks and Stones post of 2019.

It is a privilege for two reasons. The first is because we have made it to the end of the season! We persevered through the trials and tribulations of 2019, and now it is time to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

I look forward to this time of year because winter is when I get to hang out with my kids. I hope that you get to enjoy the same opportunity to spend time with family and friends, enjoying the stepping stones in life.

This year’s stepping stone is driver’s education for my daughter. Now I do not know about the rest of you, but when I turned 16 I drove my parents crazy wanting to go the Secretary of State to get my license. This is my second child to go through driver’s ed. My older son wanted to take driver’s ed (mostly because his friends were in the class) but had absolutely zero interest in getting his license. In fact, he turned 16 in September and my wife and I finally forced him to take his road test in February! Now we are on to my daughter who was eligible to take driver’s ed in April, but was in no hurry to even take the class. Really?? Don’t these kids know that I don’t want to be a chauffeur any more?

The second reason is even more simple. In this last post of 2019, I want to say “thank you”. Thank you for allowing us to serve you for another year – our 88th year as Christensen’s Plant Center. Over the past 88 years many things have changed, but as our staff has has ebbed and flowed, as our customers have started a business that has grown and matured, and have maybe retired, one thing has remained constant. There is a certain quality that makes people choose to enter the Green Industry, and even as our customers become ever more diversified, there is a familiarity that I appreciate. Thank you for being a part of the Christensen's family.

Wishing you all a safe conclusion to your landscaping season, and the happiest of holidays.

When I was a kid, my older brother taught me how to play chess. When you’re eight years old, it seems like such a simple, fun game to play: cool looking pieces, each piece goes in a bunch of different directions, and everyone loves to take out an opponent's piece, or better yet, beat your older brother.

My brother, being a good teacher, knew how to put me in my place when I got cocky. I’d smile and laugh and say stuff like “Oooooo I got you! Didn’t see that coming, did you?” And that is when I learned just how much strategy is involved with the game. Sure, I got his pawn or bishop, but he was planning his moves well in advance, predicting what move that I would make next. A few more moves, and he was saying "CHECKMATE", turning my cockiness to a mixture of frustration, shock, and awe. I would be thinking “How did he do that?”, “What did I do wrong?”, and the most popular... “What the $#@* happened?”

My brother and I played at least once a week, until he joined the Army right out of high school. I taught a few of my friends the game, but I haven’t played in a long time. I miss it! But consider this: all of us play chess, if you look at it as the strategy you employ every day. You are "playing chess" on both Personal and Business boards. Let me explain.

Some "Personal" chess board examples might be:

• “What to wear to work”: Your opponent on the board is Momma Nature, and today she’s deployed a pawn that represents a cold and rainy day. So you counter her move with your pawn that represents a sweatshirt, coat, jeans, hat, and rain gear. 
• "When to pay your bills”: If you aren't that guy who pays them the moment they hit your mailbox, you plan a week a month prior, depending on your pay periods, hence setting up your strategy well in advance to counter “Bill’s” move. 
• "Planning a family vacation": Booking a complete vacation takes more than a single day. You have to counter all kinds of pieces that can be played against you, like bills, medical occurrences, surprise auto repairs, cancelled flights, etc., while also saving up money to finance the trip. Bigger challenge, but winnable.

The “Business" chess board can be even more difficult because you need this board to help you win on your personal board. Daily pawn pieces on your average business day can be:

• Call-ins from employees
• A blown out tire on a truck
• Lawnmower down for the count
• Rain day washout, etc. 

Moves that require more strategy may be:

• Scheduling upcoming booked projects for the week or month
• Vehicle maintenance​
• Scheduled employee time off
• Paying the bills
• Monitoring monthly payroll
• Scheduling time for your own meetings, appointments, and so on. 

Oh, and keep in mind that you ALSO have to keep playing the daily pieces as well. Then there’s the long term strategy, which may include yearly profitability reports, seasonal tasks like fall cleanups and winter snow removal, future employee recruitment, business expansion, continual project bookings, and, well - you get the picture.

Yes, long term forecasting and figuring out strategies to compete can be overwhelming, but fortunately you have pieces on your board that are more than pawns. You may have the same pieces as your opponent, but it’ll depend on how you play them to take the advantage.

Let’s say a pawn is played on a current project that has a potential setback. In that sense, you play a rook or a bishop, maybe we’ll label them crew leaders, to deal with that pawn safely and effectively, and the project continues on without interruption. 

The queen piece could be classified as upper management, exceptional decision makers or problem solvers. This is considered to be the most dangerous piece to play, because it can do almost anything that it wants. It will be played against you, but you can play it back as well, just be smart.

As for the knight piece, it’s that wild card that you usually don’t see coming. It doesn’t move far, but can make an easy encounter more complicated. Every situation, company, or personal endeavor has a knight, so always be aware. Here’s an example: You stop to pick up material, and your credit card is mysteriously declined. So you call the bank to see what’s going on, and it turns out their server crashed the night prior, on a holiday weekend, and won’t be fixed until Monday. Yep, there’s the knight that was played against you! Fortunately, you have a second account from some other financial institution, but there’s not enough in checking. But, they have immediate online capability, so you push a few buttons, switch some funds around, and all is right in your world again. There’s your knight piece!

Always keep in mind that regardless of what board you are playing, your priority is to protect your king piece, which can represent your self, your business, or your family. It moves incredibly slowly, but it can be moved in any direction. And if your game is played VERY well, you’ll never have to move it because you have everything under control. But, if your king is ever taken out, your game is over. In business, maybe you’ll lose the first game, but most of the time you can start another. And, keep in mind, you’ll have more experience, so you’ll be better prepared for your next figurative opponent.

If anyone asks if you play chess, you can honestly reply “Yes, I play every day”, but it may not be the way that they’re thinking. And with that being said, you can look at that as already having an advantage before a game has begun.

On your visits to the Plant Center, you may have noticed us buzzing back and forth across Gotfredson Road with trailers full of perennials ready for sale on the main lot. Did you know that we grow many of these perennials ourselves?

Watch our video and meet some of our all-girl Production Department, and see how we all work together to grow perennials that are Michigan-ready for your landscape jobs.

As the cooling weather encourages me to change over from iced tea in the afternoon to hot tea in the morning and the blazing summer sun relaxes into a lower place in the sky, our landscape is changing too. Don't think that just because summer is over the yard must be dull and boring. In Michigan we are blessed with four seasons, each of them delightfully distinct.

When planning a landscape I love to focus on a few plants for each season so there is something to look at every month of the year. In the spring, trees are flowering and bulbs are popping up. Summer brings on bolder, more vibrant colors from blooming perennials, contrasted by thick, dark green leaves. From late summer into autumn there is an interesting transition period where some of the summer perennials are still showing off, whilst the cooler weather plants begin to display their offerings, like bright fruit and glowing fall foliage. Finally, the days become shorter and our warming sun cannot keep up with Old Man Winter. Branches turn bare, perennials retreat underground, and evergreens take prominence.

Use forethought when designing the landscape. Plant diversely and consider what each of our splendid seasons has to offer and how your plant choices will display during each. Hiding in plain sight during warmer months are the showstoppers of colder months. Leafy bushes shape the structural backdrop, whilst other plants offer contrasting foliage to your summer flowering showcase. In the fall, these ignored plants begin to get some attention. You may hardly notice a crabapple after it’s week of spring flowers, but then in the fall it begins to display shiny red apples. A juniper can get lost in the scene until it’s steel blue needle tips poke through the windblown leaves and snow.

When those first chilly end-of-summer mornings surprise you, look around and you’ll notice the Great Lakes native Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) standing tall. Another striking perennial is Helenium, with it’s daisy-like flowers in deep oranges and reds, blooming late summer into early fall. 

Ninebark is a fantastic three-season shrub that offers spring and summer foliage interest, late summer flowers, and has cool weather hangtime with colorful seed capsules and handsome, peeling bark. Consider Diabolo® for it’s stunning dark foliage, or Summer Wine® for a more compact version.

When snow has covered the ground, don’t fret! There are plenty of plants in our landscape to keep the winter doldrums away. The red chokeberry, for example, is a great choice for those lower damp corners that you don’t know what to do with. Aronia arbutifolia  ‘Brilliantissima’ should make your shortlist as it offers something in every season. White flowers, red fall color, glossy red berries, with dark woody twigs for the snow to settle on. Remember the clumping grasses you planted in the spring? What about the hydrangea you added soil amendments to? Standing clumps of dormant brown grasses and sturdy dried flower heads can present an engaging contrast to the white winter snow that sits atop of them.

Another aspect of our Michigan winters is the colorful population of birds. Wherever there are berries and seeds you will also find birds. Picture a tufted titmouse in a crabapple, hopping from branch to branch. For persistent fruit, Malus ‘Adams’ is still a popular choice. For a darker, almost red flower check out ‘Prairiefire’ and Royal Raindrops­®.

Color in the garden is important, but don’t forget texture. Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides) is a plant that I recently noticed while meeting with a customer on their jobsite. It’s a small tree (or large shrub) with white flowers in late summer or early fall immediately followed by showy, red-pink calyces, and a peeling brown bark that reveals lighter tan beneath for winter interest. This is one of those plants that few people know about and they can be hard to find. We get a few in now and then and can also special order for you, so please inquire.

In my time off from Christensen’s I love going to different zoos and gardens to shoot photos. I’ve been into photography for about 35 years and now my oldest daughter is into it as well. I’m a self-taught photographer and became more interested in photography when a Lowland Silverback Gorilla threw a clump of grass at me that came within inches of my head. I wish I had been able to capture that shot!

 I shoot with a Canon EOS 800D and a Tamron 18-400mm zoom lens, and this kit gives me a lot of flexibility for shooting both landscapes and wildlife.

My favorite place to go is the Detroit Zoo. Within the past two years the zoo has opened two new exhibits that feature plant material from Christensen’s Plant Center. The new exhibits are the Holtzman Wildlife Foundation Red Panda Forest and the Devereaux Tiger Forest.

Christensen’s has supplied massive amounts of plant material over the past two years for the new exhibits. The red panda exhibit has a suspended bridge over two display areas that are fully landscaped. The pathway to the end of the tiger exhibit is spectacular, it goes on forever it seems, featuring trees, shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. The tiger area has tripled in size from the old display area and the tigers really seem to enjoy their new habitat.

In addition, over the past five years we have supplied plants for the river otter and giraffe exhibits, and many of the display berms and gardens throughout the entire zoo. Next time you are visiting the Detroit Zoo, look at the plant displays as well as the animal habitats, you might get some great inspiration for your landscaping designs. We know where you can get the plants!