Caladiums are not as difficult to care for as many people think, and they make a beautiful addition to any home or garden.
21.07.2023 - 22:58 / awaytogarden.com
THE SEED CATALOGS are here, and I’m getting organized. Step 1: taking inventory of what’s on hand. But how many of the seeds I have left over are still not just viable, but also have sufficient vigor to perform well start to finish?That’s the sort of “advanced” question I’m wondering about now, after a little episode with a packet of leftover collard seeds that I was feeling so smug about—a feeling that quickly changed to dismay a couple of weeks into their sorry time outdoors.
When taking inventory, first I refer to the general guidelines for how long seeds last, summarized generally in the chart above, and detailed in this article on estimating seed viability. I always suggest a germination test of any packets older than about a year (assuming there are enough seeds left for one).
The collards in question, which were in their third year with me, sailed right through; virtually all of them germinated. But in the ground, things were different: They came up, yes, but then just stood there, like miniatures, never developing.
Germination tests predict viability (the ability to germinate), but they don’t accurately predict vigor—the seeds’ potential for uniform, fast germination and subsequent development in outdoor conditions, not the cozier, controlled conditions of a germination test. Life in the field isn’t the same as life wrapped in a piece of paper toweling in a plastic bag indoors on the kitchen counter, or in the special refrigerator unit of a seed-company testing lab (above).“Seed vigor is a measure of the extent of damage that accumulates as viability declines,” says part of a class curriculum on seed biology at Ohio State University. “Eventually the seed dies, but first vigor declines gradually.”
Like my unfortunate
Caladiums are not as difficult to care for as many people think, and they make a beautiful addition to any home or garden.
An initiative of The Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) started 14 years ago, National Maintenance Week is a drive to raise awareness among owners of all kinds of buildings, not just ancient and period homes, about the importance of regular care and prevention of any damage that time and weather can cause.
How to Naturalize Spring Flower Bulbs in the Landscape
Just because our attention is focused on keeping things steady (ahem, alive) in the garden this deep into the summer, it doesn’t mean we should neglect our leafy loved ones who live indoors—especially if you have travel plans! Houseplants have special needs every season, but summer heat and time away come with their own set of challenges.
How you manage garden pests and diseases is a personal choice, and there are many management philosophies. Two of the most common methodologies are integrated pest management (IPM) and organic pest management. IPM was developed in the 1970s as a response to conventional gardening practices that relied heavily on pesticides. In contrast to those practices, IPM promoted sanitation, the use of disease- and pest-resistant plant varieties, and monitoring pest populations.
For something a bit different this book on botanic art covers some of the unusual colours from black flowers, plants and seaweed like strange green, blue and puce pink.
Everyone loves falafel—it’s a year-round staple, and the frozen options at Trader Joe’s make it incredibly easy to prepare. But today, you should probably rid your freezer shelves of any Trader Joe’s falafel: In the company’s third food recall this week, on July 28 Trader Joe’s recalled its fan-favorite Fully Cooked Falafel after being informed by the supplier that rocks were found in the food.
A pothos at Patch Plants
Pencil cactus plants look like they would be fussy, but they’re actually very easy to grow and care for.
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) is the latest non-native species to take hold in the U.S. This planthopper is large (about a half-inch long) and originally from several countries in the Far East. It was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, and active infestations are now established in Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and as of just last week, North Carolina. SLF has not been detected in South Carolina, but it is an insect for which we need to be on the lookout.
Proper soil preparation when growing vegetables is the key to successful and bountiful harvest but if you neglect to do this, it can greatly hinder the cultivation of demanding plants.
First, the disclaimer. I know I said the plant is specifically Pinus strobus ‘Nana,’ and that’s how mine came to me, but here’s the wrinkle: ‘Nana’ is kind of a grab-bag name for many relatively compact- or mounded-growing Eastern white pines, a long-needled species native to Eastern North America, from Canada to Georgia and out to Ohio and Illinois.Today, you can shop for named varieties that are really compact, with distinctive and somewhat more predictable shapes, like‘Coney Island’ or ‘Blue Shag’ (to name two cultivars selected by the late Sydney Waxman at the University of Connecticut, who had a particular passion for this species).I could have pinched the tips of the new growth, or candles, by half each year to keep