A while back I was talking smack with Sandy G. in the comment section of some post – about how I was going to have a ripe tomato before the end of May. I’ve been coddling a plant of ‘Orange Blossom’ since about March – it’s been planted and dug up twice, spending frosty snaps in the greenhouse. But 90% of its life has been in the soil on the South side of our house – so I think this is a legit garden tomato.… Continue reading this article “Foiled again!”
Category: Diversions
A Friday treat for taxonomy buffs
I can’t match Holly’s post for cuteness, so I’ll have to settle for constructive criticism. Below are photos that appeared in the Seattle Times earlier this week.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify the errors in nomenclature within each caption. (This may seem insignificantly picky, but scientific names need to be uniformly constructed to avoid confusion.)
Anyway, have fun! Answers on Monday.
I love Sechelt in the springtime
I’ve been out and about (oot and aboot?) much of the spring giving talks to various gardening groups, including the Sechelt Botanical Garden Club last weekend. Sechelt (in English, pronounced "seashell" with a t at the end) is on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, and we did have a sunny April day (reason number one). That made for an enjoyable visit later to one of the lovely private gardens (reason number two):
And then, there’s that Canadian sense of humor as evdienced by a locally made product (reason number three):
Have a great weekend!… Continue reading this article “I love Sechelt in the springtime”
Quiz answer – difference between spores and pollen
You got it! Horsetails don’t produce pollen, and those airborne particles are spores. Primitive plants such as mosses, ferns, and horsetails don’t have the same reproductive structures as flowering plants and conifers. Instead of producing seeds, they form tiny, windborne spores that can be mistaken for pollen.
(To its credit, the Seattle Times corrected this error the next day.)
Friday quiz – what’s wrong with this picture?
My sharp-eyed husband spotted this on the front page of yesterday’s paper:
Answer Monday!
Bees bees bees!
With 60+ newbies in our local beginner beekeeping class, we can safely say that beekeeping is enjoying a surge of popularity. The president of our area beekeeping association is bringing 150 packages of bees up from Georgia next Thursday; all are pre-sold to members. That’s about 1.8 million honeybees (includes one queen per package). An additional 50 packages will arrive the following week for close to 3 million bees. Wow.
I’ve planned to take the afternoon off (Beefest!)… Continue reading this article “Bees bees bees!”
WOW returns! (Why oh why?)
It’s spring, and everyone is itching to buy stuff at the nursery. I’m there too, with my camera as well as my wallet. I thought you might enjoy some of my “Things to avoid when you are plant shopping” collection:
These are called “Serpentine.” I call them unnatural. Like foot-binding.
Rootstock revolt. The surest way to kill off your grafted scion.
A botanical bow? Or a horticultural harp?
And check out the pot! If there’s enough root mass in there to crack the pot, you can bet it’s long past its potting up date.… Continue reading this article “WOW returns! (Why oh why?)”
Rules, guidelines, and to-do lists
Elizabeth: You have to take me to shore! According to the Code of the Order of the Brethren…
Captain Barbossa: First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I ‘must’ do nothing.
And secondly, you must be a pirate for the Pirate’s Code to apply, and you’re not.
And thirdly, the code is more what you call "guidelines" than actual rules.
Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!
— Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
There are ways, and then there are ways.… Continue reading this article “Rules, guidelines, and to-do lists”
The Living Desert
I had to laugh at Bert’s post about how warm it is in Michigan. Two days ago I drove to Vancouver BC from Seattle through a snow storm. Sigh. I’m already wishing I was back in Palm Desert…so today I’ll introduce you to The Living Desert, one of my favorite plant places to visit. It’s got stellar display gardens featuring the vegetation of the southwest desert ecosystems, all labeled, with tidbits of information on natural history, medicinal uses, etc.… Continue reading this article “The Living Desert”
Madison Wisconsin takes care of bees-ness
The bee blogosphere (hiveosphere?) and listservs were abuzz the past two
days with news that Madison, Wisconsin, has taken an active role in
encouraging beekeeping within the city limits. The version of the
story I found a link to was in the Madison Commons.
Apparently beekeeping was prohibited in town (though the prohibition was
rarely enforced, except in the case of complaints). The ordinance was
changed to allow urban beekeepers to keep hives.
There are specific regulations, such as 25′ distance to the nearest
neighbor as well as a requirement to supply a fresh water source near
the bees (very important – especially in urban settings). … Continue reading this article “Madison Wisconsin takes care of bees-ness”