Category: Diversions

Friday puzzle: unhappy rhododendron

Today we have a diagnosis question. Consider this unhappy rhododendron:

While there is more than one problem with this poor thing, the one I’d like you to think about is why the newer leaves are smaller than the old leaves. (They are fully mature.) There are two parts to this question:

1) What is the physiological reason that the leaves are smaller? (In other words, what is directly causing this difference?)
2) Knowing this, what does this tell you about the underlying problem? (This is related to diagnosing what’s happening in the landscape that you could actually see if you knew where to look.)

I hope that’s not too confusing! I’ll monitor the blog over the weekend and add clarification if I need to.

Answer on Monday!

Random thoughts from the NW Flower and Garden Show

Last week was Seattle’s NW Flower and Garden Show. This multi-day extravaganza features display gardens, educational seminars, and many opportunities to spend $$$. I had a little free time one day and shot some pictures, which I present here along with my commentary:

The Good

The “perfect” lawn is no longer just a monoculture of grass.  At least two of the display gardens had flowers scattered for a designer version of ecoturf:

And a very cool repurposing of old heating vent covers as part of a patchwork of groundcovers:

The Questionable

A gorgeous Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), “born” in 1893:

I’m sorry. I have a real problem with digging up 108 year old trees for a garden display. I would be surprised if this tree will survive its relocation, wherever that might be.  (Perhaps there was an explanation for this that I didn’t see, but mature trees should be moved only if absolutely necessary.)

I also wonder about the ethics of digging up a 700 year old alpine spruce (Tsuga mertensiana). I’m a fan of salvaging plants on sites slated for development, but somehow I doubt the Canadian Cascades are being threatened with condos.

And things that make you go hmmmm…


Pot…socks?  Diapers?


Blackberry vines as tree decor

Mystery teeth revealed

Friday’s puzzle was tough!  Several of you were on the right track – this is a carnivorous plant. Right away Deb suggested a pitcher plant (then got sidetracked with chestnuts), but Derek was spot on with his guess of the “spiky bits” on a Nepenthes pitcher:

What the function of these spiky wings are is not clear to me; I did a little checking in the literature but failed to find anything convincing.  It does seem to suggest a close relationship with fly traps.  Perhaps the ancestral type was a fly trap type plant, which eventually evolved to an enclosed pitcher?  (Perhaps someone out there has a better grasp of carnivorous plant evolution than I do?)

And the scientific name?  Nepenthes alata, or “winged Nepenthes.”

Thanks for playing!

Friday mystery teeth

I’ve spent most of this afternoon at the NW Flower and Garden Show.  During my visit, I snapped a photo of this toothy plant part:

So the questions for today are….

What is this plant part?
What plant did it come from?
(And if you know its scientific name, that actually answers both questions at once.)

My husband is convinced this is too small a part of the plant for anyone to figure out the answesr.  I’m sure someone will prove him wrong!

Answer and a larger photo on Monday.

Breaking up Tree Week with an Important Announcement! (Or Not — depending on how you feel about shameless plugs)

OK, here it is, my one and only shameless plug — because my publisher says: Hey! You need to at least let people know that the book exists!

So — I’m excited to say that my next book, How The Government Got In Your Backyard, which I co-wrote with my good friend (and old college roommate) Eric Heberlig, who is an Associate Professor of Political Science at UNC Charlotte, is finally out.

In case it isn’t immediately obvious, I love to write. This is my fourth book — and in many ways I think it’s my best.  In it Eric and I look at the science and politics behind a number of environmental issues — everything from Plant Patents and Illegal Plants (think marijuana) to Organic Food, Global Warming and Biotechnology.  We look at the political right and left, investigate the science behind what they believe, and try to give unbiased opinions.  Some people have already let us know that we’re wrong!  (Which we find amusing — but that’s another story).

What we don’t try to do in this book is make up your mind for you — that’s your job based on your priorities.

Tree teaser untwisted

Once again you had some great diagnoses!  The popular view was neglected staking material, and you were right:

Peter’s answer was my favorite (I love puns – the worse the better!).  Tom, I hestitate to ask about your previous experience here….

As usual, thanks to all of you for playing our quiz.  I’ll try to be better about doing this every Friday.  Our survey results indicated you like this feature a lot.

Friendly firs follow-up

Looks like I was too easy on you Friday!  Most of the you correctly noted that this “devil’s fork” is most likely the result of topping by a human or nature:

Devil's fork

Given that there are powerlines nearby, and more importantly a view to the water downhill, it’s likely that someone deliberately headed this Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) back.  On the other hand, this species will commonly lose branches, and often their leaders, in a windstorm.

In any case, a tree that’s been topped and not correctively maintained is an invitation to disaster, and indeed this tree has sent up numerous new leaders.  With the proximity of houses, roads, powerlines, etc., it’s a classic hazard tree.  It’s too late to train the tree to a single leader, and the best long-term strategy would be to remove it completely and replace it with a species more appropriate for tiny urban landscapes.