Admitting you’re wrong is difficult. For exhibit A see the recent discussion between me and Jeff over alternative nursery containers. We all like to think we’re open-minded but when push comes to shove we all end up like the Fonz on Happy Days when it comes time to say ‘I was wrrrrr… I was wrrrr…. I was not exactly right.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwkU8-d1gIk As scientists we’re supposed to be objective and base our judgments on verifiable data and careful and repeatable observations.… Continue reading this article “How open-minded are you? No, really.”
Are Goodies Bad?
I can’t decide if I like the fact that various companies read what I write or not. On the one hand, it’s kind of nice to know they care, but on the other, I kind of like to think that I can talk to people without them hanging over my shoulder.
How do I know they’re there over my shoulder?
They send me stuff. Sometimes it’s a nasty or "educational" e-mail after I’ve published something about their product that they don’t like, and sometimes it’s a gift bag (or an offer of a gift bag) if I mention that I like something.… Continue reading this article “Are Goodies Bad?”
The Pop-n-Drop method of planting shrubs
One of the planting practices that severely vexes me is the Pop-n-Drop (TM) method, where plants are popped out of the container and dropped into a hole roughly the same size. When I’m lucky enough to find such installations in progress, I try to take as many photos as possible for later comparisons. Here’s one such landscape that was installed in this manner:
A row of Pop-n-Drops in 2002
And here’s the same landscape 10 years later:
Two rows of Pop-n-Drops in 2012
Some of the shrubs survived, some did not, and certainly none of them are thriving. … Continue reading this article “The Pop-n-Drop method of planting shrubs”
Foiled again!
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!”
A Horticultural Tour of Washington DC
My wife and I were in Washington DC a few weeks back for a wedding. I’ve been to DC a handful of times and it is one of my all-time favorite places to visit. I love history so the memorials, monuments and Smithsonian museums are all high on my list. But DC has a lot to offer plant geeks as well. In honor of Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer vacation season, here are my top three DC Horticultural Highlights.… Continue reading this article “A Horticultural Tour of Washington DC”
Stuck in the 1950s
Today I’m going to throw up a post that’s a little link-heavy, but I encourage you to follow these links because they show how prevalent the technology is that I discuss. And a trip to the garden center will quickly show how infrequently this technology is used.
It’s frustrating.
Why the heck do we still buy plants grown in containers using 1950s technology? I was reading Bert’s post this week about how to treat container grown trees before planting and also considering a somewhat similar experiment which I conducted about a year ago (stats are in and support my points in that article), and I couldn’t help asking, why do we put ourselves through it?… Continue reading this article “Stuck in the 1950s”
Podcast: Subarctic Gardening
Earlier this spring I spoke to the Alaska Master Gardeners at their annual meeting in Anchorage. I’d not been to Alaska before this, so I was on a steep learning curve most of the time. It was fantastic.
In any case, I thought it would be fun to do a podcast on gardens and landscapes at high latitudes. And if you’ve ever wondered what, exactly, you can grow at 51N latitude, you’ll find out
Pest Alert: Red Lily Leaf Beetle
One of the things this blog can do is alert gardeners to the presence of new problems. This is one such instance.
WSU produces Pest Alerts, and recently the Red lily leaf beetle has been found in the Seattle area. The state is monitoring the spread of this nonnative pest, so those of you living in Washington please read this and pass it on to your gardening friends. New Englanders have been dealing with this pest for a while, but any of you outside this region may want to keep your eyes peeled.… Continue reading this article “Pest Alert: Red Lily Leaf Beetle”
Research in real time
It’s been a busy spring around the Cregg lab. In many ways, it feels more like mid-summer than mid-May. One of the items my students and I have been with is installation of the Social Media Designed Tree Transplant Study (SoMeDedTreeS). As loyal Garden Professor blog readers will recall, we conducted a Survey Monkey poll last fall to help develop a study plan to investigate tree transplanting practices of container-grown trees. Based on the results of the survey we designed a study to look the effects of root-ball manipulation and post-transplant fertilization on 96 planetrees.… Continue reading this article “Research in real time”
Truth in advertising, finally.
*drum roll*
Ladies and gentlemen, the latest effort in pinto bean breeding from Seminis Vegetable Seeds:
Windbreaker is an upright, short-vine pinto bean that has produced consistently good yields, especially for the Red River Valley production area. Windbreaker ripens quickly and uniformly with reduced seed weathering. Try Windbreaker in narrow rows for direct harvest.
Relative Days to Maturity: 94-98
Plant Type: Indeterminate, short vine
Color: Brown flecks on buff
Seeds/LB: 1,076
Disease Resistance: BCMV, R (R)