A few weeks ago came that much-anticipated event, the annual Ig Noble Award ceremonies at Harvard University. Results were anxiously scanned, hoping against hope that they included horticultural happenings. Thanks to a Japanese team led by Naoki Urushiahta, president of SEEM-based Tokyo, we were not disappointed.
They determined that the smell of wasabi, that potent Japanese horseradish beloved of sushi fanciers, is fit to wake if not the dead, then the hearing-impaired in case of fire. Their alarm, for which they have applied for a U.S. patent, earnt them this year’s Ig Noble chemistry prize.
Did your impatiens succumb this past summer? Experts don’t agree on which root or crown rot pathogens to blame. They do agree, however, that growing the same plants at the identical location year after year is an invitation to the Greek goddess Eris, she who encourages chaos and strife, to intervene. Choose other annuals next year lest you end up not only with Eris but also her daughter, the despicable Dysnomia a demon spirit of lawlessness, looking for a respite from Athens.
Diversion No. 1
Carla Bruni says her husband is “interested in every type of thing” – including history, geography, and of course, politics – but it was his knowledge of gardening that captured her heart, it was widely reported in world media. “When I met him, walking around the garden in the Palais of the Élysée, he keeps giving me all these flowers’ names. He knows all the Latin names, all these details about tulips and roses. I said to myself, ‘My God, I must marry this man, he's the president and he knows everything about flowers as well. This is incredible.’”
Winter protection – it’s part and parcel of gardening in Canada Looking ahead to next spring, cri de coeur will resound when unsuspecting gardeners find deer-, rabbit- and mice-ravaged trees and shrubs. The best defence is to mount an offence now – with a liquid applied to trunk and branches that is distasteful to the beasts. Called ‘Skoot,’ it has been around for decades and still does the job avoiding the otherwise inevitable crèvecoeur, heartbreaker.
Protecting from the elements is another essential. A new product, synthetic mesh covers, claims to eliminate the need for burlap wrappings.
NuVue Products claims them to be reusable, cost effective and extremely long lasting. The mesh material allows sun, water and air to penetrate, keeping the plants healthy. They repel road salt spray, heavy snow, freezing rain and animals.
However, if you intend to cover your roses in the traditional manner, instead of soil pile on composted sheep manure. Come spring, this can be spread to provide the mulch their majesties demand to keep them happy, healthy and prolific.
All of which goes to prove the true gardener is subject to seasonal attacks of ataxaphobia, or fear of untidiness.
Diversion No. 2
Certain Australian beetles will try to copulate with discarded beer bottles, but they have to be the right type – the brown ones with bubbly bits on them known Down Under as stubbies. This fascinating observation made almost 30 years ago has finally landed entomologists Darryl Gwynne and David Rentz with an Ig Noble Prize. The pair has published two papers on the subject
Performing these chores, raking the last of the leaves and generally cleaning up the garden may have you breathing heavier than usual. Be aware that you could be inhaling a lot more than vehicle fumes. A study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, has demonstrated for the first time that during winter most of the airborne bacteria in three large Midwest U.S. cities come from dog feces. Noah Fierer at the University of Colorado, Boulder, found the high proportion of airborne dog fecal bacteria after analyzing samples of winter air from Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. But fear of Fido is reduced by the relatively low concentrations found – 10,000 bacteria per cubic metre of air sampled – mean there is little risk of disease, according to Fierer.
Cats, on the other hand, have not been similarly blamed. Their names, however, are another matter, at least in the United Kingdom. A survey by the Cats Protection charity discovered that owners there often think of their own food tastes when naming kitty. One of the most common is Saffron, which certainly sounds nice and perhaps even Sushi could be tolerated but Pringle?
Diversion No. 3
“This is going to sound really crazy, but when they are really at their peak growth they’ll make a sound,” said Don Young, a competitive pumpkin grower in Des Moines, told
The New York Times. “You can feel it. It’s something surging in the pumpkin. Bup. Bup.”
Christmas gifts for that favourite gardening relative or friend? No problem if you are close enough to visit
Richters in Goodwood, Ontario, a short drive northeast of Toronto. Commencing 6 November and until 22 December, visitors to the gift shop can select wonderful herbs, seasonal greenery, stocking stuffers, books, herbal idea and much more, all the while sipping mulled cider, nibbling on herbal goodies and enjoying festive music. Richters is located on the south side of Highway 47 a kilometre east of Goodwood.
Too far away to make it? Visit Rittenhouse online at
Link, who offer a heated outdoor walkway mat. At 20 x 60 inches, these mats are perfect for walkways and landings as an alternative to salt or other ice-melting agents. They plug into a standard 120v outlet and use 300 watts power. Durable construction allows them to be left outside for the entire season.
Diversion No. 4
The non-parasitic use of one species by another for transport is termed phoresy from the Greek root for “carry,” is extremely widespread in nature, writes entomologist Michael Ulyshen in
Natural History magazine. Some species are described as ‘phoretic,’ he says. Delightful descriptions to use at your next wine and cheese party – or political gathering.
A year ago, scientists were telling us that putting the clocks back in winter is bad for health, wastes energy and increases pollution. Putting an end to the practice in northern areas could bring major health and environmental benefits also, they said. Better yet, as Canadians, we would get that extra hour’s sleep we cherish or so a Leger Marketing survey also established. No, an extra hour for adult indoor recreation did not appeal, the survey established and the researchers were apparently too shy to inquire into our gardening habits.
