Dwelling in northern climes means clearing snow. This could be a source of income, as for Ms. Hepburn in her younger days, or for many, a simple necessity. Unlike gardening, it may not be the healthiest chore, however. Your favourite can be, and is, as has been proven by a couple of recent studies published in respected science journals.
A study by Professor Alan White, of Leeds Metropolitan University, U.K., published in the
British Medical Journal suggests that a peaceful retreat such as a garden shed may help lower blood pressure. White claims the hours spent pottering about also has a positive impact on men’s self-esteem.
When they are not forced to contemplate the eurozone disaster in Germany, scientists there can celebrate the discovery that two hours of “light gardening” a day, along with solving puzzles, bowling and even singing hymns can halt the progression of dementia for at least a year. Those who do so maintain their ability to do everyday tasks better than people simply given anti-dementia drugs, said the scientists. The study by researchers from the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, led by Professor Elmar Graessel, was published in the journal
BioMed Central Medicine.
Diversion No. 1
A Moncton, New Brunswick man has been blown away when the classified snowblower advertisement he posted online went viral, according to CBC News and other media. The ad said it all – with a photo: “This isn’t just some entry level snowblower that is just gonna move the snow two feet away. This is an 11 HP Briggs and Stratton machine of snow doom that will cut a 29-inch path of pure ecstasy.” They tell it like it is in the Maritimes.
The professional press is pushing the latest plant creations for the coming season. Little mention is made of whether these have previously been test-grown locally. Neither are any of their failings – excitement has been intense over new offerings of coneflowers, Echinacea, derived from native prairie perennials. A commercial Ontario grower has already written that he has found these very short lived, so perhaps not so ‘perennial’ after all. Hordes of Heuchera also make the lists – now well on the way to rivalling Hosta and Hemerocallis. But for gardeners with shade problems the Japanese Forest Grass Heakonechloa ‘Sunny Delight,’ while confusingly named, is one of a limited number of grasses that tolerate such problem situations.
Diversion No. 2
The nine-spotted ladybug, New York State’s official insect was found summering in Amagansett after an absence of 29 years. Now scientists are nurturing a thriving colony of the bugs, reported
The New York Times
The 13th January is St Hilary’s Day and, according to English folklore, the coldest day of the year. Here in Canada, according to David Phillips’ Weather Trivia Calendar, on 17th January 2009 in Edmundston, New Brunswick, the temperature dropped to -43.6ºC early in the morning. So informed, you might be looking to get away from winter weather. Seeking a change from Florida? A reprise of the record-setting 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition commenced this past Christmas Eve. The Second International Flora Expo to Bloom will continue through until 8 April. The 2010 event was a breakthrough marking the first time Taiwan hosted a large-scale exposition sanctioned by an international organization, according to
The China Post.
Diversion No. 3
“Lawn No Trample’ was a sign noted by
The Daily Telegraph reader Ray Pitt in Yunnan, China. Elsewhere in the same country Lois Freeke was captivated by similar signage: “Please Feel Me Quietly”
The famed black-and-white ball scene from the film
My Fair Lady was, in fact, unashamedly copied from the earlier movie
An American in Paris. Perhaps so inspired, gardeners have sought similar effects. Last season, Julie Hess, a senior horticulturist at the famed Missouri Botanical Garden, was widely complimented for so featuring the flower gardens around the residence of the garden’s director, explained Constance Casey in Landscape Architecture. “I wanted elegant and understated,” said Hess. This coming season will see a swing in the palette. She plans next summer to feature a “crayon box” – purple, orange and hot pink. Since these will form the background to the numerous receptions and dinners given by the director, they might serve as a starting point for more modest attempts on home turf. Modest they doubtlessly will be too – Ms. Hess has a full five acres in her charge. She changes the flower beds there six times a year.
For those still enamoured with the idea of a black-and-white garden, Julie Hess thinks that more silver should be added. So it is interesting to note that members of the Perennial Plant Association selected Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ as the 2012 ‘Perennial Plant of the Year.’ Discovered at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, B. macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ was commercially introduced in 2000. The deer-resistant plants produce silvery-grey foliage and reach a height and width of 12-15 inches. Plants produce racemes of blue star-like flowers in mid- to late-spring.
Diversion No. 4
Gardener Christine McCallum, 60, in the North Territory of Australia has grown what is believed to be the world’s biggest pineapple, weighing 8.28 kg and measuring 32 cm long with a girth of 66 cm. Guinness World Records has yet to confirm the record [Source: Northern Territory News].
For those whose ancestors, hailing from Bonnie Scotland, who disparage the Sassenach celebration of Christmas but whoop it up on Hogmanay, might consider the country they now call home boast of Haggis Island near Parry Sound, Ontario and Lac Scotch at Sept-Riviéres, Quebec.
We are not sure of the official figures but gardeners who trace their roots back to the Orient are well represented in Canada. In fact, in the country’s largest city, more people are said to speak Chinese than any other one of the dozens of tongues spoken in that cosmopolitan city. So to all of you, Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Dragon.
