Garden Variety: Garden facts - Mid-Atlantic gardening: Tips and pictures on flowers, vegetables, public gardens, composting and farmers’ markets

July 26, 2011

What do you mean by native?

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Amy Davis

"What do you mean by native?"

That's as difficult a question to answer as "What do you mean by organic?"

Also, what's the difference between a hybrid and a cultivar?

If you hare having trouble mastering your gardening vocabulary, Joel Lerner offers help.

In an article written for The Washington Post, Lerner, president of Environmental Design in Maryland, takes a shot at defining the most common -- and some of the newest -- mis-used terms in horticulture.

Take a look. There will be a quiz Friday.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden facts

February 21, 2011

Presidents' Day in the garden

Garden facts for Presidents' Day!

The 'Abraham Lincoln' heirloom tomato is introduced in 1923. It is large, dark red, round, firm and resists splitting.

George Washington experimented at Mount Vernon with many seed varieties, tried dozens of fertilizers, practiced crop rotation and designed a 16-sided barn.

And you thought Thomas Jefferson was the gardening president....

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden facts

February 1, 2011

Groundhog Day

Photo credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar

Seems like we just did this....but tomorrow is Groundhog Day and the world will hold its breath waiting to see if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow when he emerges from his winter hole.

If he doesn't see it, that means spring is right around the corner. If he does see it, he will return to his burrow because spring is at least six weeks away.

According to the well-worn history of Phil, he was first chosen as a weather forecaster in 1886 when the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit, Clymer Freas, reported that local groundhogs had not seen their shadows that day, and he predicted that spring was not far away.

His prediction was probably based on European believes that badgers and hedgehogs can provide clues about the weather.

But you probably knew that about groundhogs. Here are some things you might not know, thanks the National Wildlife Federation:

Continue reading "Groundhog Day" »

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden facts

August 12, 2010

Changing leaves

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Jed Kirschbaum

It has been a hot summer in the Mid-Atlantic, and everywhere else.

Seventeen nations have tied or broken summer temperature records, and the humans aren't the only ones suffering.

The hot weather is causing leaves to change color far ahead of schedule as the trees in our region fight to survive the heat and lack of water.

The stress can cause trees to produce pigments called anthocyanins, which turn the leaf red. The chemical helps leaves deal with stress and remain on the tree longer, allowing the tree to absorb nutrients.

In addition, the heat causes trees to redirect resources to its most vital parts, conserving water and energy by redirecting them to the trunk and causing the leaves to dry out and fall.

Be kind to your trees. Water them slowly and deeply.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden facts

December 14, 2009

What's in a name? More on poinsettias

Jingle Bells poinsettia

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

Orion, Orange Spice, Shimmer Surprise, Winter Rose, Silver Star Red, Freedom Red, Polly Pink, Prestige Maroon.

Freedom Salmon, Picasso, Arctic White, DaVinci Peppermint, Holly Point, Cinnamon Star, Pueblo, Bavarian Pinwheel, Strawberries and Cream.

Those are just some of the fun names for the varieties of poinsettias on display at the Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Garden in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore this holiday season.

But there is one variety Baltimoreans should remember: Jingle Bells. It is a variety discovered and cultivated in our fair city in the greenhouses of John Fantom.

It is one of the country's most beloved poinsettias, but it was an accident, a chimera, a mutation, a sport, as they say in horticulture.

It was 1971 and a red poinsettia was growing in one of Fantom's greenhouses. It inexplicably sprouted a leaf cluster, or bract, that was irregularly mottled in shades of raspberry and pink.

This look had appeared on poinsettias in other greenhouses, but Fantom was the only one who knew instinctively that it should be saved and propagated. The other growers just tossed their plants out.

Today, there are several varieties under the Jingle Bells moniker.

Check out the poinsettia show at the Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park through Jan. 2. Admission is free but a $2 donation is appreciated. The Conservatory is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See if you can find the Jingle Bells!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden facts

December 13, 2009

Fun poinsettias facts

poinsettia

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Jed Kirschbaum

It seems only appropriate, as Christmas approaches, to talk some more about poinsettias.

Or "points" as Kate Blom at Baltimore's Conservatory and Botanic Garden calls them.

The Conservatory is decked in reds, whites, pinks and, yes, oranges for a holiday poinsettia show that should not be missed.

So here are some poinsettia fun facts to toss around at holiday parties.

First, you pronounce the 't,' the 'i' and the 'a.' It is poin-set-tee-ah. Not point-set-ah.

Second, the colored petals, called bracts, are actually leaves. The pea-sized buds in the center of the plant that look like they might be the stamen are actually the flowers. They will mature, change color in some varieties and then just blow away. The don't really "open."

Poinsettias are fussy, and most of us have killed more than our fair share. They like to be wet, but they don't like standing in water. So they need to be watered often, but allowed to drain.

Don't get any water on the bracts.

The blue and purple poinsettias you see for sale aren't grown that way. They are painted with floral spray paint. And it is considered an abomination by true poinsettia fans.

Poinsettias need complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., starting in September for about eight weeks. Any accidental light during that period and your poinsettia is finished.

Growers have been known not only to unscrew the light bulbs in their growing houses to prevent "accidents," they have been known to hide them from well-meaning volunteers who discover their absence and decide to fix things.

Poinsettias have been known to bloom until May when they can move into the garden. That doesn't happen for most of us. First the green leaves drop off because of poor watering habits.

"But the bracts persist, prolonging your guilt trip," said Blom.

Oh. And they aren't poisonous. Children and animals are safe. (Although they do release a milky white sap that can cause a skin irritation.)

The poinsettia show at the Baltimore Conservatory runs Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Jan. 2. Admission is free, but a donation of $2 is greatly appreciated.

And you can buy poinsettias at the show, too, for from $6 to $25, depending on the pot size. But you have to pronounce it right or they won't let you have one.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden facts

May 11, 2009

Speaking of mosquitos

Speaking of mosquitos and gadgets to discourage them: There are weather predictions, and now there are mosquito predictions.

If you go to The Weather Channel's Web site at weather.com and click on the tab marked "Health," you can type in your zip code and get a prediction for mosquito activity for the next 24 hours, ranging from "none" to "very high."

There is also plenty of mosquito information, including how to avoid making yourself a "mosquito magnet" and the true risks of West Nile virus.

(There is plenty of information here for a science report or a home-school lesson, too.)

Photo credit: AP Photo/Great Falls Tribune/ Robin Loznak

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden facts

April 16, 2009

Garden calories

This from the folks at Prevention.com:

A 40-year-old woman can burn 30 percent more calories gardening for one hour than in an aerobics class for one hour: 392 calories versus 306 calories.

My question is this...what kind of aerobics class are we talking about? And what kind of gardening?

Photo credit: Dreamstime.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden facts

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