OK, I know we gave you a tough assignment for the weekend, so I want to post something fun as well. (Think of this as dessert after your healthy meal!) Take a look at the photos below:
This hedge is regularly sheared and no one part of it has been maintained any differently than another part. Both sections of the hedge face east, and the damage is anywhere from 2 to 4 feet from the ground. … Continue reading this article “Friday puzzler addendum”
Recently I was asked to comment about a rash of e-mails floating around cyber-space concerning the toxicity to dogs of mulch made from crushed cocoa bean hulls. Cocoa mulch is by-product of cocoa production. The dark brown mulch is aesthetically and aromatically pleasing, giving the garden a rich, chocolately scent. Since theobromine, a naturally occurring compound in chocolate is toxic to dogs, the internet is now filled with cyber-legends of dogs eating cocoa mulch and keeling over dead.… Continue reading this article “Will cocoa mulch kill my dog?”
So back in September my department head (who is, for all intents and purposes, my boss) handed me a New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/garden/24garden.html) about the grass at Harvard which is now being managed organically. We share the opinion that many organic techniques, such as compost tea, are “Voodoo Science” (that’s a term I stole from Mike Dirr) and so she thought I’d be interested in the techniques that Harvard was using. She didn’t say it explicitly, but I think she thought I’d get a laugh out of it. … Continue reading this article “If Harvard Says That It Works Then It Works Dammit!”
I just had a long conversation with Michele Owens (of Garden Rant fame) about vegetable gardening. This isn’t one of my strong areas, either professionally or personally (I do have containers of herbs, but that’s as far as it goes). But what piqued my curiosity was her revelation that the vegetable gardening is just as full of myths and misinformation as my field of ornamental landscaping.
I’ve ventured into the realm of vegetable garden science now and then, especially in reference to having soil tests done before planting edibles (good!),… Continue reading this article “Veggie gardening science – whaddya know?”
Following up on Holly’s theme of “I can’t believe I get paid to do this”, last Wednesday I participated in a walk-through and inspection of the Justin ‘Chub’ Harper Collection of Dwarf and Rare conifers at MSU’s Hidden Lake Gardens in south central Michigan. The Harper collection is widely regarded as one of the premier collections of rare and unusual conifers in the world.
Harper Conifer Collection with fall color background. Photo: Jack Wikle.
A little background: Chub Harper was the former grounds supervisor for John Deere’s world headquarters in Moline, IL, an avid plant collector, and a founding member of the American Conifer Society (ACS). … Continue reading this article “The World According to Chub”
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?!”