Some of you know we have a you-pick blueberry farm; we work very hard on it and have been successful thus far. It also happened to come with 6 acres of Fraser firs. Most were already in the 10′ to 18′ range when we bought the place in 2007. There is limited value in an over-grown Christmas tree; right up there with a poinsettia still on the store shelf on December 26th.
They look MUCH better covered in snow. … Continue reading this article “How NOT to run a Christmas Tree Business”
I just can’t resist telling our Christmas tree hunting tradition.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, we drive out to Monroe (about 45 minutes north of Seattle) to our favorite tree farm, where we look for the perfect noble fir. Here, Jim demonstrates his dubious taste in trees:
This year, Charlotte brought a tennis buddy home from college. Nasko lives in Bulgaria and wasn’t traveling home for a holiday they don’t celebrate. So he got to experience the Great Scott Tree hunt for himself:
My son Jack (on the left) complained that he NEVER got to choose the tree (Mom retains veto power over all selections), and happily for all of us this year he picked the winner:
Jim does the cutting, and the kids do the carrying:
This tree farm also has hot chocolate and candy canes, which we all enjoy before returning to town (Monroe that is) and having lunch at the local Taco Bell.… Continue reading this article “Bert, I’ll see your live tree hunt and raise you one Bulgarian”
My post on Christmas tree safety got blog readers Michael and Thad into the never-ending debate of what’s better for the environment: a real Christmas tree or a fake one. As is often said: “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” In the interests of full disclosure I will admit my bias is on the real tree side. My first job in high school was shearing Christmas trees back when minimum wage was $1.65 /hour (1976).… Continue reading this article “The Real vs Fake Debate”
Some great guesses!
Most identified the seed head of a Clematis – this one is Clematis tibetana, also known as Orange Peel clematis due to the leathery golden-orange petals/bracts. It’s a late bloomer anyway, and the profusion of swirly seed heads sparkle in the autumn sun. Quite vigorous when compared to the large-flowered clematis species and hybrids; more along the lines of sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora). Covers small structures and slow-moving terrestrials in a single season.… Continue reading this article “Quiz Answers”
Happy Friday, all! Here’s a wee quiz for you.
Here’s a of couple close-ups inspired by my love for critters of the ocean.
Plant parts? Sea creatures? Eh?
#1 Anemone tentacles?
#2 Coral polyps?
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Over the years I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to compost. I’m not a composting expert, and don’t want to pass myself off as one, but I do understand the basics and I like to think of myself as a proponent of composting. Having said that, there is a composting practice which I’m asked about frequently that I never know quite how to answer. Should you put meat into your compost?… Continue reading this article “Meat in Compost?”
I’ve been teaching plant physiology or related courses for a long, long time, and one of the tenets is that woody plants don’t heal. In contrast to animal tissues, when trees and shrubs are wounded the damaged tissues are permanently destroyed. Wounds are compartmentalized and covered with wound wood. Arborists are fond of saying "plants seal, not heal."
That’s all fine and good for woody plant parts, but what about grafts? Since grafting reconnects cambial and phloem tissues, is this "healing?" And… Continue reading this article “Do plants heal?”
We’re popping out the podcasts like crazy! This week the theme is “Gifts that keep on giving.” Along with the news tidbits and myth busting, I had a lot of fun interviewing shoppers at some Seattle nurseries. I started out with two relatively simple questions about gardening gifts, and you’ll enjoy hearing the responses. There are some great ideas out there!
As always, feel free to let me know if you’ve got suggestions for future topics. … Continue reading this article “Yet another fine podcast”
(with apologies to Blue Oyster Cult)
‘Tis the season for all things Christmas, including the annual hysterical reports of the dangers of real Christmas trees. Along with heartwarming reports of Thanksgiving feasts at the local homeless shelter and live remotes of frenzied Black Friday shoppers, footage of Christmas trees going up in flames seems to be a staple of every network affiliate in the country. In fact, in some cases the intrepid reporter will go to great lengths to insure that the Tannenbaum ignites the obligatory conflagration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9dNS5WPncU… Continue reading this article “I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’ for you”
While our US readers enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays, you can all enjoy this week’s podcast, entitled “Leftovers.” We discuss good leftovers (transforming orange peels into useful chemicals) and bad leftovers (fertilizer runoff), and then take a trip to an innovative company (Recovery 1) that recycles building demolition materials:
Huge piles of wood, wallboard, and other materials left over from demolition.
The initial sorting process – metals like nails are pulled out, wallboard is separated into components, and wood continues…
…to the end, where it’s chipped into different sizes to create a recycled mulch product.… Continue reading this article “Another podcast to chew on along with Thanksgiving leftovers”