Month: June 2011

WOW again (Why oh Why?)

I’m going along with the “dead tree” theme of the week, but doing a little prognosticating at the same time.  Bert and Holly showed you tree demise on site; I’m going to show you tree demise in the making.  We can call this “dead plant walking.”

I’ve done a few WOW postings in the past, often with a focus at what you might find at a nursery or big box store.  Here’s a recent find at an unnamed BBS, in the “topiary” section:

Unless you intend to have a giant stake as part of your topiary statement, this tree (actually a juniper) will morph into a prostrate form before your very eyes. … Continue reading this article “WOW again (Why oh Why?)”

Right Plant, Wrong Place?

It’s (apparently) Dead Tree week here on the GP!

[To my GP colleagues…we should make “Right Plant, Wrong Place” one of our categories, sort of like  “Knock it Off.” Or maybe just “Dead Plants in Action.”] 

Exhibit A:

Some unhappy little Magnolias. Drip irrigation was running, which leads me to believe salt spray is the culprit.

I was pedaling my sweet Electra beach cruiser down the sidewalk on Cape San Blas, Florida (or Cape San Blarrrgh, if you caught my post last week) and happened upon this tragedy. … Continue reading this article “Right Plant, Wrong Place?”

Read and follow label directions…

Every extension specialist or educator that mentions any kind of pesticide in a talk or article always includes the disclaimer ‘Read and follow all label directions.” However that caveat ranks somewhere between “Your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device” and “Do not remove tag under penalty of law” as the most ignored phrase in the English language. While we can probably rationalize ignoring the last two (If a jetliner ditches in the middle of the Atlantic is a seat cushion really going to save you? … Continue reading this article “Read and follow label directions…”

A jewel of an orchid

Orchid fanciers Derek and Joseph correctly identified Friday’s mystery plant as a jewel orchid, specifically Macodes petola:


Friday’s sparkly leaf photo shows why “jewel orchid” is the common name used for several genera of orchids with showstopping foliage.

And Ray noted that Goodyera spp. (rattlesnake plantain) is a native US jewel orchid with beautiful variegated foliage. Next time you’re hiking in the woods, keep your eye out for this common yet striking plant.

Friday’s guess what I am plant

What am I? (There has been no alteration of this photo, other than cropping, nor was it taken under any special lighting.)

Answer on Monday!

Vinegar: A Garden Miracle!

I’ve been working with homemade garden remedies in one context or another for about 10 years now.  As someone who has spent days searching for odd cures to garden problems I consider myself qualified to say that, of all of the remedies I’ve seen, vinegar seems to be the product with the most (supposed) uses.  You can kill weeds with it, as well as plant diseases and insects.  You can also use it as a fertilizer or even to acidify your soil. … Continue reading this article “Vinegar: A Garden Miracle!”

Grass, sedge, or weapon?

What is it?

Why, that’s a “Mace Sedge” – thus a medieval weapon AND a sedge. Actually…not very menacing.  But very cute. Carex grayi is a wonderful clumping sedge, native to Eastern North America.   Mine is situated at the edge of a home-made bog, and is at least 2.5′ tall with an upright habit.

More common in the trade are the cascading Asian sedges such as Carex dlichostachy ‘Kaga Nishiki’, C. oshimensis ‘Evergold’, and C. morrowii ‘Variagta’, all fabulous plants for the part-shade garden. … Continue reading this article “Grass, sedge, or weapon?”

Does colored glass help root cuttings?

I get a lot of questions about a lot of different products and practices.  New topics send me to the scientific data bases and that’s where I went for today’s posting.  One of my garden writing colleagues asked me about colored glass rooters – glass containers in different colors that can be filled with water and a plant cutting.  The conventional internet wisdom, according to my colleague, is that green and blue glass rooters are the best.… Continue reading this article “Does colored glass help root cuttings?”

Getting to the root of the problem

After getting off to a cool and soggy start, summer has come with a vengeance to Michigan, with heat indices expected to push 100 degrees by Wednesday.  Along with warmer temperatures, summer also means our research season is getting into full swing as well.  One of our biggest efforts these days involves our project to look at pre-plant storage and handling on shade tree liners.

 

As many GP blog readers are aware, emerald ash borer (EAB) has dominated the conversation regarding shade trees in the Midwest for the past 6-8 years. … Continue reading this article “Getting to the root of the problem”

Mystery pits revealed

I’d turned Friday’s picture on end to try to fool you…but to no avail.  Deirdre and Gail both guessed woodpeckers, and yes, this is sapsucker damage:

Though some woodpeckers look for insects under the bark, sapsuckers drill neat lines of wells that fill with sap.  The birds can then move down the line of wells, lapping up sugar water.  (Kind of the avian version of lining up tequilla shots on the bar.)  Healthy trees are generally not at risk of dying from drilling injury, though if the tree is completely girdled that would be a problem. … Continue reading this article “Mystery pits revealed”