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22.06.2024 - 01:53 / sunset.com
As the sun sets, your new petunias start to emit an otherworldly green gleam in your garden. The scientists behind biotechnology startup Light Bio are now selling Firefly Petunias—a genetically modified version of the petunia that glows gently in the dark.
By using genes from a naturally bioluminescent mushroom, scientists have created a self-sustaining bioluminescence in the flowers. More genetic modifications were able to enhance the visible light by 100 times. The bioluminescent blooms transform energy from the daytime sun into nighttime light—creating that gorgeous glow that we’re obsessed with. It’s what Light Bio calls “living light.”
Courtesy of Light Bio
Light Bio CEO Keith Wood has been a part of the decades-long scientific advancements that make Firefly Petunias possible. He was on a team discovering fireflies’ bioluminescence gene and helped create the first glowing plant in 1986: “In the forty-odd years since, we have discovered a new bioluminescence technology that now allows us to bring these delightful plants to consumers.”
The Idaho-based company received USDA approval in September to grow and sell the plants, launching its first batch of 50,000 plants in the spring. Now, the plants are available in the continental U.S. for $29 a pot.
Much like standard petunias—one of the most popular and fuss-free decorative plants—Firefly Petunias don’t take specialized care to mimic moonlight. They’re beginner friendly, especially for those who have dabbled in simple houseplants.
“Light Bio is bringing us leaps and bounds closer to our solarpunk dream of living in Avatar’s Pandora,” says Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotech company partnered with Light Bio. This futuristic plant option is
Looking to step up your flower gardening game? We’ve tapped into the tasteful toolbelt of Hannah Rose Rivers Muller, master florist farmer and author of Designing With Dried Flowers, who shares her selects for stylish yet practical farm gear that she personally uses while busy harvesting at Full Belly Farm. Well known for pioneering the Northern California field-to-vase movement, Hannah is no stranger to getting her hands dirty and knowing the type of quality gear needed when working in a fast-pace seasonally driven industry.
In January I visited the world’s largest horticultural show in Essen, Germany, and came away with some great take-aways, but I was especially impressed with the significant trend of pruning, training and grafting certain plants into new and unusual forms.
There's perhaps no vegetable more humble than the potato. This starchy spud grows quietly underground but, once you've dug up your harvest, you're treated to everything from sides dishes like perfectly crisp homemade french fries to scalloped potatoes to recipes from breakfast to dinner. Potatoes are the versatile workhorse of the kitchen and, depending on the variety you plant, your harvest season could last several months.
Raised garden beds are an excellent choice for gardeners looking to enhance their growing space. The best raised garden beds offer benefits, such as improved soil conditions, better pest control, and easier maintenance. Our expertise at Savvy Gardening stems from years of hands-on gardening in raised beds and thorough research, ensuring that our recommendations are practical and reliable. We’ve narrowed our favorites to a list of six. We meticulously evaluated various factors, including durability, material quality,
When you live with an all-white or neutral kitchen, adding color can feel overwhelming. The wrong color can look stark or out of place, while too much color can seem accidental or sloppy.
Homeowners and renters alike have flipped the switch on how their lighting should feel. Bright and sterile overhead lighting is getting replaced with small and moody ambient lighting as more and more people ditch the big light for more custom options. You’re probably already familiar with the concept of mood lighting, but there are more benefits to leaving your big light behind than just for the sake of ambiance. Try a combination of our creative ideas for unique ways to light up your space without the typical overhead light to discover them for yourself.
There is so much more to mushrooms beyond their cute umbrella tops and juicy stalks. Surviving in the harshest terrains, these ancient OGs never cease to amaze! Today, we take a look at another wondrous feat with glow-in-the-dark mushrooms!
This year Chelsea Flower Show was full of interesting trees and shrubs with lots of dreamy woodland-edge planting in dappled light underneath leafy canopies. Native trees such as hawthorns, hazels and silver birch were the favoured choices in many of the show gardens, with a mixture of native and non-native ornamental plants selected for resilience and sustainability. In Ula Maria’s Forest Bathing Garden, white foxgloves, cow parsley and other umbellifers like Baltic parsley (Cenolophium denudatum) and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) were mixed with the simple shade-loving grass Melica altissima ‘Alba’ while Tom Stuart-Smith showcased intricate tapestries of interesting foliage in different shapes and textures. In other gardens, orange was a popular colour in many shades, from deep rusty orange irises to pale orange geums, especially in Ann Marie-Powell’s exuberant Octavia Hill Garden. As always, the Grand Pavilion is the ideal place to discover new and interesting plants showcased by some of the country’s leading nurseries.
Spring has officially sprung, which means one thing: Pool season is so close, we can practically smell the chlorine. But before you slather on the SPF and do your inaugural cannonball, why not turn your watering hole into a well-designed outdoor destination? Chic umbrellas and cozy chaise lounges might be two easy ways to dress up your backyard, but if you want to take your setup to the next level, some people are using bright tiles and paints to transform their pool floors into maximalist moments.
Jasmit Singh Rangr, a Berkeley-based architect, founder of Rangr Studio, and a lecturer in architecture at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, is technically responsible for building his family’s stylish, minimal, cost-conscious home near the Grizzly Peak summit in the Berkeley Hills. But the behind-the-scenes mastermind who made it possible is his wife, Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, a nonprofit, public interest environmental law firm. Anyone familiar with the area’s cutthroat real estate market won’t be surprised to hear that the search for a vacant, buildable lot in one of the most coveted neighborhoods in the West required Dillen to use all of the skills that make her a great lawyer: creativity, a knack for analysis and research, perseverance, and the art of persuasion.
Whether you want to set up a springtime garden or explore edible plants—or even just test the waters with houseplants—the prospect of becoming a plant parent can be intimidating. Luckily, there are countless handy apps that hold the answers. Getting started doesn’t have to be so daunting. With just a few taps on your phone, you’ll be one step closer to growing the greenery you’ve always dreamed of.