Month: January 2013

What’s a view without trees?

A while back I wrote about a Seattle-area neighbor dispute over a tree partially blocking their view.  Sadly, the tree lost out in this case, which was decided a few weeks ago.

Now a second tree vs. view dispute was reported this week.  You’ll have to read the story to see how many things are inaccurate/indefensible/infuriating about the “trimming” of this 90 foot western red cedar (a native species).  My personal favorite: “the tree violated neighborhood bylaws ensuring no house’s view would be blocked.”… Continue reading this article “What’s a view without trees?”

Thomas Knight and the Water Wheel

Classes have begun, and this semester (and every spring semester) I have the opportunity to teach our introduction to horticulture class, otherwise known as Plant Propagation (Hort 1001).  We usually have about 120 students, and I don’t want to brag or anything, but it is just about the best class out there.  Watching the students learn about seeds, cuttings, and grafting in the labs is one of the most motivating things about my job (and it doesn’t hurt that the greenhouses are about 70 degrees while it’s 0 outside). … Continue reading this article “Thomas Knight and the Water Wheel”

Pussy Riot: How far should we go to eliminate destructive alien species?

A short article in our Sunday paper caught my eye this weekend.  New Zealand economist Gareth Morris has launched a campaign to eliminate domestic cats from the country in order to preserve native bird populations.  According to Morris and his supporters, cats represent a serious threat to many rare and endangered bird species in New Zealand, which has the highest rate of cat ownership in the world.  Ironically, one of the reasons the article our paper caught my eye is I have been considering adopting a feral cat from a local program to control mice in our barn.… Continue reading this article “Pussy Riot: How far should we go to eliminate destructive alien species?”

Gardeners plus QR Codes equals Really Happening?

Proven Winners is putting QR codes on plant tags. So is Walters Gardens, a major wholesaler of perennial liners. Growers often purchase tags from the propagator to go along with the liners. In the case of patented plants, that’s a common method of collecting royalties – the finishing grower has to purchase the tag.

Quick response (QR) codes are everywhere. For those that are vague on the concept, it’s a two-dimensional barcode. Install a code-reader app on your smartphone, snap a photo of the code, and your web browser takes you to a specific site for more information. … Continue reading this article “Gardeners plus QR Codes equals Really Happening?”

Selection and Protection: Preventing the heartbreak of splayage

We’ve had considerable discussion over on the FaceBook site concerning snow damage to columnar arborvitae.  This is a common phenomenon resulting in a condition Holly has dubbed ‘splayage’.

 

The question, of course, is what to do about it?  My standard response to addressing most problems related to winter injury is there are two options: selection and protection.

 

Selection means putting the right plant in the right place.  For columnar arbs this means not planting them in areas prone to wet heavy snow.   … Continue reading this article “Selection and Protection: Preventing the heartbreak of splayage”

How to give a better talk

This past week I gave a talk at our state wide nursery and landscape trade show.  After my talk I stuck around and attended a couple of sessions, most of which were pretty good.  One talk, however, set my teeth on edge.  The presenter was a grounds manager for a local college that has embarked on a program of all-organic landscape care, including use of compost tea.  Personally I don’t know much about compost tea aside from the fact that mention of the term causes Linda to go apoplectic. … Continue reading this article “How to give a better talk”

Won’t you help the poinsettias?

Those creative Utah Sate University Extension folks are at it again.  Jerry Goodspeed’s hilarious Gnome Management video was a big hit among the gardening crowd a couple of years ago. 

His current effort is a bit more…film noir. 

"Mission accomplished" if you’ve been shamed into watering that poor poinsettia languishing in the dining room.  A little fertilizer wouldn’t hurt, either.

Balance

By this time most of you have probably read all about Mark Lynas, the anti-GMO activist who decided that GMOs are actually a net benefit to society.  I’ve been asked by a few people to comment on how I feel about Mr. Lyna’s changing sides.  I think they expect me to be jumping up and down for joy.  But that’s not how I feel at all.  I’m happy when anyone decides to let research lead them to a conclusion rather than politics or gut feelings, but in this case it also makes me nervous. … Continue reading this article “Balance”

Where did the 10-20-30 rule come from? Is it adequate?

We’ve been having an interesting discussion over on the Urban Forestry group on LinkedIn on the origins and suitability of the 10-20-30 rule for tree diversity in urban forests.  For those that aren’t familiar, the 10-20-30 rule is a guideline to reduce the risk of catastrophic tree loss due to pests.  The rule suggests an urban tree population should include no more than 10% of any one species, 20% of any one genus, or 30% of any family.… Continue reading this article “Where did the 10-20-30 rule come from? Is it adequate?”

News flash – genes don’t explain everything!

Last week dedicated blog follower Ray E. sent me this link to a story in the Smithsonian magazine.  It’s a fascinating look at adaptive responses by frog eggs and apparently is causing quite a stir in the evolutionary biology community.  Phenotypic plasticity, which is the ability of an organism to modify its appearance or behavior based on environmental cues, is being hailed as a “revolutionary concept in biology.”

I don’t get it.

Anyone who’s studied plants for any length of time knows about this phenomenon. … Continue reading this article “News flash – genes don’t explain everything!”