AH, THE RELATIONSHIPS! Alongside the mossiest patch of my lawn, a vigorous cutleaf staghorn sumac grows. I use that plant in several other spots in the garden—both the plain green Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata,’ and also the gold-leaf cultivar called ‘Tiger Eye.’
But this particular sumac, the one beside the mossy lawn, always gets colorful, pod-like galls in high summer, as if it were festooned with tiny bright balloons, mostly greenish but some red and appropriately heart-shaped (above). My other sumac plants, not so much.
And I never knew why.
I knew it was an aphid—specifically the native sumac gall aphid, Melaphis rhois—who created the gall, typically found on staghorn sumac or smooth sumac (Rhus glabra). My friend Charley Eisemann had told me that on a walk several falls ago. It doesn’t do any damage, though some leaflets may color up or fall off a little early. The insect is just making a nursery on its host plant to rear its offspring, a relationship that’s been going on like this for at least 48 million years.
What I didn’t know Until Joe Boggs of Ohio State wrote about it recently was the critical moss connection—a case of what’s called an alternate host (not just sumac, in summer, but moss in the offseason). His blog post got me reading all manner of geeky sumac gall literature.
Apparently females lay an egg on the underside of a sumac leaf, which causes a gall to start forming—creating a nursery, complete with food, for its offspring. That single aphid resulting from the deposited egg then produces asexually within the gall—by parthenogenesis—so that many clones of itself eventually also fill the gall.
If all goes to plan, the gall splits in later summer, when the released winged females drop onto or fly off to the
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Interior designer Stephanie Hunt’s seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom Park City, Utah, home is a grown-up, glammed-up, sophisticated version of a funhouse—it’s got so many surprises and delights at every turn. And believe it or not, she got the inspiration for the home on a freezing winter trip to Reykjavík, Iceland. “We were there for a quick weekend trip and I was struck by how the simple barn structures—very close together—looked like one unit. Because we’re art collectors I wondered what it would feel like to have each pod or pavilion, if you will, developed in a simple, honest architectural style, connected by halls and glass elements, with the halls serving sort of in-home art galleries,” she explains.
Ornamental Japanese Maples are widely available for planting in your garden. The autumn colouring makes these trees spectacular when planted en mass in a woodland or Japanese garden setting.
Oak trees conjure up images of Robin Hood and mystical Oak forests. Britain has made good use of Oak trees down the centuries. ‘From little acorns great Oak trees grow’
Hay fever and Asthma attacks can be brought on by Scented Plants as well as pollen or Fungal Spores. Histamin problems can also be exacerbated by scent and smells in the garden.
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.
One thing is sure the climate in your garden will change. You already know one week will be different to the next and I can’t remember when two months or any years were the identical to others. In many areas you can get 3 or 4 seasons in one day (or in Scotland one hour!).
Snowdrops are officially called Galanthus. This snowdrop is Galanthus elwessii with larger than normal blooms and a honey scent the other main species are Nivalis and Plicatus. The snowdrop is very hardy, grows in most soils and prefers partial shade.
Arduaine Garden in Scotland is well-known in international Rhododendron circles for the number of wonderful species grown here, many of which are considered tender elsewhere and grow unusually under a canopy of mature Japanese larch. To some people, rhododendrons are those unpleasant purple-flowered objects which clog up our native woodlands. This is but one species, Rhododendron ponticum or a hybrid of it which spreads rapidly both by seed and sucker. Arduaine’s collection is extensive containing about 400 distinct species. The rhododendrons range from the large-leaved giants such as Rhododendron protistum, Rhododendron sinogrande and Rhododendron macabeanum to the small-leaved, high altitude plants which are often classed as rock plants, a sample of which would include Rhododendron fastigiatum, impeditum and orthocladum. In between these two extremes sit the majority of species of differing sizes with a variety of foliage shapes and an astonishing range of flower colour and form. One of the specialities is the only Rhododendron from Ceylon – Rhododendron arboreum subsp. zeylanicum.
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.
As health and sustainability continue to take precedence for consumers across the globe, the popularity of edible aquatic plants has shot up like never before. Enter sea moss, a sea green that addresses these concerns—and then some. Here’s what to know about its health benefits, eco-friendliness, and how to use it cooking and in all of its forms.