As many GP readers know I’m originally from Olympia, WA. Once a week or so I troll through the on-line version of my hometown newspaper, the Daily Olympian (“the Daily ‘O’” for short or, more commonly, “the Daily Zero”) to keep up with latest happenings back home and to see if any of my high … Continue reading Creating a sense of place
Gardeners love asters as part of their autumn floral palette. Yet these native asters are blooming now – in the spring! These specimens were purchased last summer and planted in the fall in Florida. Why might they be blooming out of season? Reader Ginny Stibolt contributed today’s puzzle. If you’d like to be a guest inquisitor on … Continue reading Floral fuddlement
Patience: A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue. – Ambrose Bierce We just completed our annual student/hort garden spring plant sale. I spent the better part of three days encouraging, suggesting, wheeling, dealing, and dispersing information, most of it sound, and all for a good cause. Generally enjoyed my legitimate excuse to sell … Continue reading I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have…
Soil solarization is regarded as an environmentally friendly alternative to pesticides for controlling nematodes, weeds and disease. Sheets of plastic (generally clear) are spread over the ground and solar energy heats the soil underneath to temperatures as high as 55C (or 131F). Since the soil environment is usually insulated from temperature extremes, the organisms that … Continue reading Mortal Kombat – garden version
Reader Ginny Stibolt passed this one on to mull over the weekend: “We stayed at the Llano River State Park in Texas where I spotted this weird growth pattern of a gnarly oak–it’s like a puddle of trunk from which the main trunk arises. The camp host, who seemed to be well informed, said that … Continue reading Friday quiz – guest inquisitor!
It sounds like a B-grade horror movie. Millions of earthworms, moving silently beneath soil, wreaking havoc until the entire planet is uninhabitable. Sound a little far-fetched? Not to ecologists that study northern hardwood forests. While most of us grew up thinking earthworms were ubiquitous, turns out they are not native in parts of North America … Continue reading Invasion of the killer earthworms
Yesterday I had the opportunity to listen to Marla Spivak, a very highly regarded bee scientist, talk about how bees defend themselves from disease. Very interesting stuff. I took a lot of information away from the talk, two bits of which I want to share with you. The first is a vocabulary word — propolis … Continue reading Are Pretty Flowers Useful?
A few days ago I got a question from Cynthia about “potting up.” For those of you for whom this is an unknown phrase (and no, it’s not a euphemism for a certain herbal activity), it refers to the practice of moving plants into ever larger containers. She was wondering if there was any “real … Continue reading Plant containers – does size really matter?
Well, it looks like the climate change skeptics are starting to hedge their bets. Global climate is not changing. But if it does change, it’ll change for the better. At least that’s the gist of a book by the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change entitled “The Many Benefits of Atmospheric … Continue reading What can CO2 do for you?!
We make fun and call it “National Forced Affection Day” (NFAD) around our house. But it’s big business. The National Retail Federation did a survey of 8900+ consumers in their 2011 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey They found that the average person will shell out $116.21 on traditional Valentine’s Day merchandise this year, … Continue reading Valentine’s Day, yet again…