The poppies look absolutely fantastic this year, the best I remember them. I think the cold spring has actually been a big help to them as the flower stems are much shorter and stockier than they usually are, and they haven’t flopped over at all. Since I never get around to staking anything, this is [...]
This lovely plant is at its best in late summer, with its tall airy stems topped with bright purple flowerheads wafting gently in summer breezes. But don’t let its delicate appearance fool you! It is very tough, a perennial that survives the harshest winter conditions and comes up smiling. A strong and cold autumn or [...]
Horticulture News From Around the World 1. England: Celebrating the Oak May 29 is oak apple day, which commemorates the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The oak apple was chosen to represent the oak that Charles II hid in after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. Many of the customs that take place [...]
by Linda D. Harris, Horticulturist, Ferry-Morse Seed Company Winter covers the ground everywhere north of Zone 8. Right now your next garden is still a dream. Begin now to make the dream real. Start planning on paper. Then begin thinking about which seeds to start for the next garden’s flowers, herbs and vegetables indoors. Growing [...]
“Pruning Houseplants” by David Tarrant January is a good time to prune certain houseplants, particularly such vigorous growers as hibiscus and bougainvillea. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Chinese Hibiscus) is a beautiful and easy houseplant. With the many indoor cultivars of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, if they are in a well-lit sunny window, they continue to send out the odd [...]
BELGIUM: Sick Plants… Everyone knows that plants can be infected with viruses, but no one realised, until now, that they develop a fever at the onset of infection. Researchers at the University of Ghent, Belgium, have proven that tobacco plants with mosaic virus develop higher temperatures on the parts of their leaves that are under [...]
(A) First, the myths and legends: The common name of the plant is derived from the ancient belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings. This belief was related to the then-accepted principle that life could spring spontaneously from dung. It was observed in ancient times that mistletoe would often appear on a branch or [...]