I’m in charge of fauna in our household. Bill handles the flora. He’s the landscaper and gardener who has been nurturing seedlings for peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, etc., for more than a month now. But in December 2022, someone gave me a flowering phalaenopsis orchid, and it was so pretty I decided to see if …
Garden Chats
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Snippets
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(Signe Wilkinson via GoComics.com) My bad; I had a Garden Chat submission queued up, only to discover that my ‘permission’ to view the photos from the new-to-me file sharing system had ‘expired’. So here’s an abject apology to JeffG166 — I hope I’ll be able to share his pics *next* week — and some …
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: SnippetsPost + Comments (50)
The potatoes that grow in the Andes of South America are far more than a starchy staple of the local diet. They are a rich part of the culture.
“There’s one really wonderfully beautiful potato, it looks almost like a rose. And the name of that one is ‘the-one-that-makes-the-daughter-in-law-cry’,” says Tammy Stenner, executive assistant at Asociación Andes, a non-profit organisation in Cusco, Peru, that works to protect biodiversity and indigenous rights in the region. “A potential mother-in-law would ask the young woman who wants to marry her son to peel this potato, but she has to peel it with care, so not wasting the flesh, not ruining the shape.”
It is just one of more than 1,300 varieties of potato to be found growing in the mountains of the Andes, somewhere between 3,200m and 5,000m (10,500ft-16,500ft) above sea level. These are not the smooth-skinned russets or pale Maris Pipers that can be found on supermarket shelves in Europe and the US. Instead, they come in shades of purple, pink, red, and black, as well as white and yellow. Some have so many lumps and bumps that peeling them is enough to bring tears to the eyes.
Others require special methods of preparation. There are some that have to be freeze-dried (using one of two different methods for doing so), some that should only be cooked whole, and those that can be peeled and cut up for cooking. Individual varieties often have wonderfully descriptive names that describe their shape: one name translates to “puma’s paw”, another to “llama’s nose”. Then there are the potatoes named according to the role they play in the field, like the wild relatives of the cultivated potatoes known as the “grandfathers”, or the role they play in local customs.
But now these beguiling vegetables have a new and vital role to play – helping to ensure potato crops can adapt to the challenges of climate change.
Potato Park, located near the Peruvian town of Pisac, was founded by six indigenous communities in 2002 to preserve the genetic diversity of potatoes grown in the region, as well as the cultural heritage of the people that grow them. Other native Andean crops grow here, too, from maize to quinoa. The agricultural methods used in the park have been developed over thousands of years, and resilience to extreme weather, such as that caused by El Niño, is built in. Farmers also vary planting locations within the almost 10,000-hectare (38 sq miles) reserve, and harvest at multiple times across the year.
As well as preserving many varieties of potatoes that might otherwise be lost – along with the agricultural knowledge and traditions involved in growing potatoes at high altitude – farmers are testing which of the existing varieties can best adapt to the kind of extreme conditions that are expected to become more common as the global climate changes…
In fact, you don’t need to be a farmer to save seeds and steward a diverse range of crops for the future. Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organisation based in Iowa, US, dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seeds. The organisation uses a combination of ex situ conservation (long-term storage of seeds in their gene bank) and in situ conservation (sharing their seeds with gardeners and farmers to grow). All of their seeds are open-pollinated, which means that growers can save their own seed year after year.
As well as holding information on the cultural heritage of their heirloom seeds – gathered by specialist seed historians – Seed Savers Exchange is working with a network of 700 gardeners across the US to help it learn which varieties might best adapt to different environments. Those gardeners grow seeds that the organisation would like more information on, then report back on aspects like germination rate, growth habit, and how the plants are doing in their climate. “These are people that are all across the country, so it allows us to be able to start to see what sort of environments some of these crops are thriving in,” says Mike Bollinger, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange…
#Sewers are overflowing everywhere. One solution is right in your #backyard. https://t.co/lcfad2JAom
— Matthew O. Harbour (@MOHarbour) December 10, 2023
… When water is captured by a rain garden, it infiltrates into the ground, evaporates, or is absorbed by plants and eventually returns to the atmosphere. The city is also installing permeable pavement.
The goal is to slowly absorb storm water to keep it out of the combined sewer, said Seth Charde, D.C. Water’s green infrastructure manager…
D.C. is promoting rain gardens in other ways. For $100, the city will design and install a rain garden through an incentive program for homeowners. The city is also helping private projects get federal money.
Less than half a mile from the White House, the streets of the Golden Triangle district are lined with restaurants, businesses, and lots of greenery. The wide sidewalks host tree boxes, pollinator plants, and enough rain gardens to capture 48,000 gallons of water…
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: It’s Cold Out There
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Beloved commentor and expert photographer Ozark Hillbilly: Seeing as we are finally getting a real taste of winter, I thought I’d send some topical pictures. Twins and King’sCup are frost flowers (had to give the braying jackals 2 at least). Not a good year for them, this year. These are from 2019. Not Snow …
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: It’s Cold Out TherePost + Comments (52)
Hoary [at top] and Hoary2 are obviously hoarfrost. It’s not a common occurrence here but it does happen.
The most enchanted morning of my life was on a winter float where the temps got down to almost -20. (We slept in a cave we knew was there). We were floating on a spring fed river and it was absolutely magical the next morning. I took some of the most beautiful pictures of my life that morning (all 3 or 4 of them, then my camera froze up) and I wish I still had them. Long gone now.
IcyMuddyFunGuy is an ice formation I have featured in the past. Maybe I am weird but I like them. Pretty sure OpieJeanne has some much nicer pics of some, they are stunningly beautiful.
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Welp… I place my first plant order for 2024 this week. A Chocolate Sprinkles cherry tomato for the Spousal Unit, while they’re still in stock; a six-pack of heirloom tomatoes, including another Chocolate Sprinkles, just in case this turns out to be my only tomato purchase; and a few more Blue Butterfly columbines (highly recommended, for both prolific flowers and attractive foliage clumps!).
SiubhanDuinne sent me the perfect meme for that…
What’s going on in your garden (planning / memories / indoor), this week?
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Indoor Gardening
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The fascinating transformation from a tomato slice to a thriving seedling in this time-lapse. ???? pic.twitter.com/DkwvxQ3NPj — Tansu YEGEN (@TansuYegen) September 19, 2023 Been saving this video clip as a Keep hope alive! reminder, and a weekend when much of the country is under a winter storm seemed like a good time to share it. …
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Indoor GardeningPost + Comments (43)
Sustainable soils
One of the least sustainable soil components is peat, a rich brown substance formed from partially decayed plant matter at the bottom of bogs and other wetlands. Gardening guides recommend using peat as part of the soil mix for many plants because it retains water and adds structure to the soil…Pell recommends trying out peat alternatives, like coconut coir or biochar, which also retain water in soil mix with less of the environmental baggage. Your local nursery or garden center may sell peat-free potting mix…
Pick your plants wisely
Don’t just pick a plant for its looks. You should choose house plants based on the conditions in your home — such as light and humidity — as well as your level of experience and commitment to gardening…Some plants need bright, sunny windows and others need plenty of humidity. If you put the wrong plant in your dim, north-facing window or above your apartment’s radiator, you may need to use a UV lamp or a humidifier to keep it alive, which will cost you money and use extra electricity. Or, you may simply kill your plant, wasting all the resources that went into bringing it into your home…
If you have a plant that’s in distress, Pell invites you to call the U.S. Botanic Garden plant hotline: 202-226-4785.
Pell is the director of the U.S. Botanical Garden, and yes, they do have a plant hotline, and also a page on their website:
You can send us your plant questions by selecting the “Plant Hotline” option in the form below. If you want to email photos of a plant for identification or to show a plant health issue, email the photos to [email protected].
I’ll admit, my first reaction was to roll my eyes… but then, our indoor plants are a row of weedy pelargoniums descended from garden cuttings, some of the 25 years old. But it seems like this information might be useful to some of you!
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We’re currently in the middle of our first snow event of the season. Therefore, the Spousal Unit & I spent the first part of the weekend scurrying to relocate the (heavy, frozen) tomato rootpouches & clean up fallen leaves from our driveway, so that the car could be relocated to the paved ‘pulloff’ that serves as my tomato garden every summer, giving our contracted snowplow guy space to clear the driveway properly. And, of course, I’m rethinking whether it’s worth the labor of growing our own tomatoes… or, at least, looking into wheeled dollys for next year’s plants.
Anybody got suggestions on a dolly big enough for a 20gallon planter that won’t break the bank?
What’s going on in your gardens (indoor / retrospective / planning), this week?
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Late Fall & Early Winter Seattle Gardens
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Amazing color shots from skilled landscape designer / photographer Dan B: In mild Seattle it is possible to have bloom and something of interest year round although it can be tunnel vision in mid winter if you want to have seasonal changes. When I first arrived in Seattle in 1972 high end landscapers tried …
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Late Fall & Early Winter Seattle GardensPost + Comments (20)
Also wonderful starting in June and continuing, albeit fitfully, through the winter is Gaura lindheimeri. This one is ‘Little Janey’ who is new to me. She’s supposed to be one foot tall. So… shes decided that two feet tall and partially blocking the front steps is what she aspires to.
Some Fuchias, especially small flowered forms, are prolific bloomers. This golden leaved form is in a big container at my partner’s house / garden. It’s got company with a Heuchera and dwarf Acorus gramineus.
Still going on December 12th is a Hydrangea relative Dichroa febrifuga. Say that fast three times. Or better yet just enjoy the blooms in peace and quiet.
A designer’s ‘not-so secret’ is color from things that are not blooms. This white flowered Crepe Myrtle, Lagerstroemeria indica (for those intrigued by botanical feats of elocution), has started to show its striated bark after ten years. They were marginally hardy until 15-20 years ago. Seattle got upgraded to Zone 9a this year, the same as central Louisiana and Central Georgia.
Also at my partners garden is this combination of Miscanthus gracillimus, a dwarf form, and a blue/ purple leaved Smoke Bush. Mid December color and texture from leaves.
One of the easiest mid winter tricks for color are Arums, Jack in the Pulpit. This is an Asian form Arum italicum that is a hybrid of a very vividly variegated form, marmoratum, and an unnamed form with black spots. It doesn’t have the vivid variegated or the mass of black spots but I really like it. It produces a large Jack in the Pulpit (spathe) that’s soft and clunky. Then a stem emerges covered with orange berries the size of Blueberries. And they sprout new hybrids that demonstrate their wanton (slutty?) ways.
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The garden catalogs are showing up here in New England — and we haven’t even gotten any snow yet! Plenty of rain, though — this was the rainiest December in meteorological memory — so maybe those of us on the opposite coast should start taking notes on PNW gardens…
What’s going on in your garden (overwintering / planning / indoor), this week?
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: The Beauty of A Winter Garden
by TaMara| 13 Comments
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Sedum TaMara was kind enough to share some of her photos for our Sunday morning enjoyment: The beauty of a winter garden. The majority of my yard is native plants, butterfly, bee, and hummingbird attractors and we are encouraged to leave everything as-is through the winter and spring for the wildlife to enjoy. I …
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: The Beauty of A Winter GardenPost + Comments (13)
Lambs ear and another echinacea
Zebra grass and bonus ducks
The resident crocodile. He came with the house and I think he should have a name
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A bit of a break from winter..I went to LA for a week. Here are some December sunrises and sunsets:
Golden Hour sunrise at Venice Beach
Sunset at Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica sunset
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Assuming there’s any space in the holiday schedule… What’s going on in your garden (wrap-up / maintenance / planning), this week?
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: NYC Flower District to the Rescue!
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When you absolutely, positively need a greenery fix… Ace photographer & commentor Ema:
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: NYC Flower District to the Rescue!Post + Comments (32)
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