Here’s the follow up picture from Friday’s puzzler:
As you can see, there’s a street light near the lower half of the maple. (I cleverly hid it behind the utility pole in the first photo.) The green part of the tree never received the message that days were getting shorter, since the street light is bright enough to interrupt the dark period necessary to initiate dormancy.
This is one of my favorite phenomena unique to urban environments. … Continue reading this article “I see the light!”
Here’s a photo I took in Buffalo about 20 years ago. Buffalo, like many places in the northeast part of the country, has fantastic color changes in the fall. This maple seems to have changed its mind part of the way through the process:
What do you think caused part of this tree to retain its green leaves? Answer and another photo on Monday!
I just couldn’t resist posting this picture today. There are a bunch of garden gurus out there who claim that slugs won’t cross crushed eggshells. I, personally, have never seen a slug halted by them.
I know a few folks out there are starting to believe that I’m just an apologist for the nursery industry. While it’s true most of the nursery people with whom I work are hard-working folks trying to do their best to run a successful business and produce a quality crop, there are certainly some issues out there and I’ve got my share of pet peeves. One of the things really that chafes my heiney is what I refer to as “Carrot-top” syndrome in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). … Continue reading this article “Carrot-top syndrome in white pine”
Linda referred to my recent absence from the blog – but it was in the name of education, I swear!
Cocos nucifera, the iconic coconut palm. My office for the past two weeks. Or a Corona advertisement. You pick.
This study abroad to the Dominican Republic sent Virginia Tech students (mostly biology and natural resources majors) to the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation for the entire semester, with faculty rotating in for two-week stints on topics from ornithology to geography.… Continue reading this article “How on Earth Did I Land This Gig?!”
Just kidding. We have no buffalo on the campus of Virginia Tech, just lots and lots of students with the flu. Yuck. But this is much more interesting:
Bouteloua dactyloides (bless you!), better known as buffalo grass:
We’ve recently added a 1-acre meadow to our on-campus teaching and display garden (the Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech).
Native trees, shrubs, perennials,and grasses surround a central lawn of buffalo grass. As one of the components of tall- and short-grass prairie, it is a popular forage in the west and midwest. … Continue reading this article “Where the Buffalo Roam”
…Otherwise known as “splayage”. When vegetatively propagating some species of woody plants, care should be taken when selecting where to take a cutting (piece of stem) to root. Propagation from terminal cuttings (pointy end up) usually results in orthotropism or a vertical growth habit. Cuttings from extremely lateral branches (those that grow parallel to the ground) can, in a few species, result in a spreading growth habit or plagiotropism.
This is not always undesirable – some species are purposefully propagated this way to maintain the prostrate habit that particular cultivar is known for.… Continue reading this article “The Heartbreak of Plagiotropism…”
…because apparently they can fly:
I recently heard that Mike Dirr has come out with the next edition of his book on woody landscape plants. Dr. Dirr (I can’t seem to bring myself to call him Mike, even after all these years) was my major advisor in graduate school, so I’m really looking forward to getting it. In the meantime I heard that he included a section on my thoughts about how to spell the scientific name of the butterflybush, a plant that I worked on to get my Ph.D.. … Continue reading this article “Buddleia or Buddleja?”
[To those new to our blog, there are many past posts of scientifically-proven garden advice and research results…so pardon if we slip off the wagon just briefly.]
In response to the previous post:
Dr. Gillman, I’m simply shocked at your sloppy “materials and methods”.
What is that, a Frisbee? And you drink a beer called Moose Drool? Sounds intriguing, but probably too hoppy. No wonder the slugs were simply mocking your feeble attempts at attracting them.… Continue reading this article “Slugs and Beer: Not So Fast, My Friend…”