By Wes Porter ——Bio and Archives--July 1, 2015
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Black Thumb? He thought Karl Marx liked herbal tea because all proper tea is theftGarden stakes of prolific selections are available at garden centres and hardware stores – at a price. And as every good gardener knows, a dollar saved goes towards what gardening is all about: more plants. Besides which, dogwood and other shrub branches look more natural when used as stakes than do metal ones. Other sage advice for the perennial display includes deadheading, removimng dying and dead blooms on all except rudbeckia which, left on the plant, are a wild bird attractant. When the Peegee Hydrangeas commence to bloom, cease fertilizing perennials. Daylilies will grow anywhere but prefer rich soil with plenty of well-rotted manure in sun or light shade – yellow daylilies go well in front of blue iris – while delphiniums do not like being planted in any peat moss. Annoyed at the time that the foliage of tulip, daffodil and other bulbs takes to die back? Consider planting peonies to camouflage the unsightly remains. These will also fill in gaps where oriental poppies have vacated until the following season. Check out the local garden centres for these and other perennials and shrubs. With the season progressing, some price reductions may be found by adventurous – and persistent – gardeners.
Don Featherstone, creator of the iconic pink flamingo garden ornaments in 1957, has died aged 79. Featherstone was a classically trained painter, a talented sculptor and artist who embraced having created the ultimate piece of American suburban kirsch, suggests the National Post. Those less enthusiastic might disagree with this assessment.
The 13th North American Manure Expo will be held at Lesher’s Poultry Farm, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 14 July, showcasing the latest technology in manure handling, treatment and application.Even the very best of rosarians struggle when it comes to identifying wild roses. So perhaps we shouldn’t join the gleeful Sassenach chorus when all 56 Scottish National MPs took their seats in Westminister wearing boutonnières of white roses for the opening of Parliament. Supposedly these were a tribute to symbolizing the Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘Little White Rose’ poem – eulogizing his homeland’s native rose, cultivars of Rosa pimpinellifolia. As it turned out, the floral adornments were instead florists’ white roses from an establishment of that nature in Westminister, originating not from Bonny Scotland but East Africa, purchased to the tune of a couple of quid each. Perhaps they should have chosen a thistle. But the again, there is considerable argument as to just which species of that prickly plant is Scotland’s floral symbol. Still, on can only admire the fortitude of a people who chose such a symbol whilst exposing themselves by adopting the kilt.
Is organic food tastier? No, it’s all in the mind, says the Daily Mail citing scientists. ‘Moral satisfaction’ of eating items produced in an ethical way means you’re more likely to enjoy it. Academics at Abertay University in Dundee found in flavour tests, supporters of ethically produced food convinced themselves that samples tasted better than normal produce – even when they were the same.The squash family – ‘cucurbits’ as professionals term them – are a sexually adventurous lot. And when it comes to cucumbers, none more so. Ask a plant researcher how the sex of a cucumber plant is determined and the person will tell you, “its complicated.” Depending on a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors, cucumbers can be seven different sexes, recently explained online EurekAlert! Some varieties are designated monoescious, producing both male and female flowers. Others are gynoecious, with only female flowers. The latter are much preferred by commercial greenhouse growers for their high yields. How to tell the difference? No need to sneak out at night, peaking under leaves to see what naughtiness they’re up to – female flowers have a green swelling at their base that will later yield crops. What ever would Dr. Samuel Johnson, no lover of cukes have thought? Quothe he in 1785:“A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.”
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Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.