Wednesday Lagniappe...on Thursday

Some photos of some pretty odd flowers at:

http://boingboing.net/2015/02/26/40-of-the-worlds-weirdest-fl.html

Wednesday Lagniappe: Do Plants Have Memory?

Do plants have memory?  Can plants think?  Listen to Michael Pollan, interviewed by Ira Flato, on NPR's Science Friday:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/01/03/2014/can-plants-think.html

Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Wildlife Sighting

An early morning (still dark out) visitor to the last remaining figs on my honey fig tree!

Extra Wednesday Lagniappe

A one-woman  recycling (community composting) event:

Wonder if I will get any?
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Fall "Floral" Arrangements

I like to bring in flowers all throughout the growing season, but especially when frost is threatening, as I might not have any more home-grown flowers till spring.  But my idea of a "floral arrangement" is a bit....off.

For example, here are two recent, um, "arrangements" :

This is the Nana dwarf pomegranate, Punica granatum

And here is another oddball:


Brown cotton or Gossypium hirsutum

The second photo was taken by my spouse as part of a series of a reference photos for a drawing of the plant, but then....I decided I kind of like how it looks and have kept it around in my living room. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of a more "finished" arrangement, but think how cool this might look with some ferns, and a few blooms, around the outer edge!

Happy gardening! 

Wednesday Lagniappe: A Bowl Full of Sweetness

Can't you just taste them?  (A few more blemishes than usual, I blame the rainy summer, but oh, so tasty!)  I am going to dehydrate these in slices (no seeds in these babies). You need firm fruit to dehydrate, and these non-astringent persimmons are sweet while still firm.  To dehydrate Asian persimmons, slice in 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices and place on a dehydrator at 120-130 degrees.  To peel or not to peel is up to you. I love dried persimmons! (For more info on growing Asian persimmons, search this blog for "persimmons").
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: A Seed Grows...in a Library?

Brilliant idea: A seed-swapping service at a library!  Finally, a good use for those old card catalogs cases!  http://www.ilovelibraries.org/seed-lending-library-sprouts-west-concord
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Heirloom Seeds

The "Off the Grid" website has a list of heirloom seed suppliers at: http://www.off-grid.info/food-independence/heirloom-seed-suppliers.html
Enjoy!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Preventing Late Blight

Got blightly tomatoes?  Me too.  Some ideas on blight prevention:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/preventing-late-blight?cm_mmc=facebook-_-OrganicGardening-_-Content-LearnGrow-_-blight

No more potato peels in my compost!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Confirmed by "Science"

One of my favorite programs, NPR's "Science Friday," recently provided validation of my abhorrence of lawns!  Yay!  Listen to this illuminating, 11 minute piece at:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/08/16/2013/for-a-greener-yard-lose-the-lawn.html

Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Gratuitous Photo

A totally gratuitous photo of the Fluff Monster getting a much-deserved bath!  Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Food for Thought

An interesting link on the globalization of landscapes....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-novick/just-because-itll-grow-in_b_3621351.html

Wednesday Lagniappe: Big Trees, Little Trees

Can you see the see the tiny, newly planted trees in this landscape?  These folks have 6, huge, mature, loblolly pines in their yard and just recently planted more than a dozen tree seedlings!  As you can see (look for the stakes) some are planted right next to the huge trees (wonder how they managed to avoid the roots) and others nearby.  I am skeptical about the placement of these trees- some seem to be species that will grow into very tall trees when mature, and they have no space to do so.  In addition, the existing mature trees will suck up all available water and nutrients in the yard (I am surprised the grass looks so good- these folks must water and fertilize frequently) robbing these seedlings of what they need to survive.  The prediction for these seedlings is dismal.  I will have to check it out over the next few years to see what happens.
The bottom line, that many gardeners (including myself in the past) often violate is to know the mature size of the plant and make sure you have the space for it before you plant!  If not, you will crowd out other plants already in the space, the new plant may be malformed and weak, or you it might threaten nearby plants and structures (like the neighbor who planted a row of tiny Leland cypress plants directly under power lines, only to have to chop these fast-growing trees down 5 years later).
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Rocks in the....

I have a very occasional peice "Love it or Hate it?" but I thought the answer was obvious here.  People living somehwere nearish to me have removed the few perennials they had (mostly daylilies) and replaced them with...rocks (and this photo only shows a portion of the total rocked area).  They used the kind of rock you use for drainage or for a driveway.  Gray, chunks of...rock.  I understand why businesses (and apparently some homeowners) do this, thinking it is a permanent mulch, and will not need to be replaced.  I'm guessing weeds will still come up, unless they sterilized the soil bed, applied a landscape fabric and no weed seeds fall on the area.  But even then.  This is really one of the more unattractive landscapes I have seen.  That, and the hedges these folks cut into balls.  I would rather waist high weeds.

Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Seed Pack Art

I have seen some lovely seed packet art, including that from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  The Washington Post recently reported on commissions given to artists by Hudson Valley Seeds to grace their seed packs, illustrated above.  To read the article, go to:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/a-seed-farmer-cultivates-art/2013/06/13/b73d9382-ce2e-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html

This project combines two of my loves, art and gardening (even if the company expressly did not want the kind of art I do, botanical illustration, on the packets...I can still really appreciate the creativity shown here!).  I want to purchase these seeds just to get the art!

Happy gardening!  Get out there in the cool of the morning to beat the heat!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Garden "Whispers"

Remember that game in elementary school, where the first child in a long row of children had to repeat a message whispered to him or her?  By the end of the chain, the message was usually so distorted that everyone had a good laugh! (I also remember that my brother deliberately distorted the message wildly, so it would be really crazy at the end!).  Some call the game "telephone" some "whispers" and there are many other names. Above is a photo of two plant tags for the exact same variety of sedum.  I bought them at a volunteer plant sale.  I suspect that the "whispers" phenomenon accounts for the fact that one is called "Emperor's Wave" and the other (maybe?) "Emperors Slave!"
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Love It or Hate It?

At one point, I started a series of occasional posts called "Love It or Hate It?" but found that I like most any plant I see and that most landscaping practices are fine by me.  I recently got a fall bulb catalog (I do get a few gardening catalogs, but not as many as you might imagine) that had this on the back cover: the tulip "Ice Cream."  Do you love it or hate it?  I formed an opinion right away: I despise it!  It looks like a diseased or infected plant, part tulip, part ...  well, I will be polite.  It also looks like someone stuffed tulips with tissues.   I guess I get the idea, like it is a pink bowl full of vanilla ice cream, but...yuck! The white center petals ruins the graceful form of the tulip. Anyone have a different opinion?  I will be kind!

Wednesday :Lagniappe: The Washing of the Garden Gloves

     We do a thorough cleaning of our garage every spring, after the overwintering plants in pots have been carried outdoors.  Good thing, it is usually awash in soil, gravel, dead leaves, stakes, fencing and trellising, watering cans, hoses, other garden paraphernalia brought in from the outdoors and garden critters taking advantage of the disorder (this year we found two shed snake skins).  And most years, I collect and wash my garden gloves.  I seem to have amassed quite a collection!
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe: Weird Name, Great Plant

Hellebore

Hellebore (also called  Christmas or Lenten rose) has an odd Latin name. But this is a great shade plant!It comes back reliably in zone 7, blooms in winter and voles don't like it. The flower is charming, in white and pink with a speckled interior.  It will stop blooming as the weather warms, but will come back for you and bloom again in dead of winter.

Happy gardening!
(Thanks to RS for the correction on the earlier version of this post)

Wednesday Lagniappe: Green Flowers?

I borrowed an electronic copy of this book from a public library, just for fun.  I was interested to see if the book could convince me that green flowers were worthwhile in the ornamental garden (this former Jersey girl likes her bright colors).  I realized, after reading it, that I do have some plants with green flowers already, that I enjoy: a hellebore (Christmas rose) and two euphorbias (spurges).  I guess I was biased against green flowers because so much else in the garden is green already, but green flowers can be unexpected, a surprise as you meander down your garden paths.  This book, with its lovely photographs of green flowers, convinced me that they have a place in my garden.
Happy gardening!