It’s hard for me to believe how much dahlias have changed our lives in the last few years…
You can read more about it here, but long story short, my husband came home from work one day and declared that he wanted to start growing dahlias.
As our love for dahlias grew, we read everything we could get our hands on… and my husband even joined the West Michigan Dahlia Association so he could soak up knowledge from dahlia experts and enthusiasts.
From the book, Our sentimental garden by Agnes Castle and Egerton Castle (1914). Works Illustrated By Charles Robinson . There are many lovely pieces of art in this book and I will be sharing them over the next several weeks. You can download the entire book from the Internet Archive.
DON’T have evergreens in your garden because they are evergreens ; a melan- choly shrub is not less ugly because it does not shed its leaves in winter!
Conophytum bilobum is a small, stemless (or with a short stem with time) succulent, up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) tall, with paired leaves up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) wide. The surface is slightly harsh to the touch, chalky-green and dotted with darker green. The leaf-tips are free in profile, triangular in shape and keeled. The margins and tops of the lobes are green and often with a reddish or deep purple line. The flowers are diurnal, bright yellow to red-orange, up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and appear in fall (rarely in summer). — World of Succulents
I never really thought about coloring books existing int he 18th Century, but that is exactly what this book is. Black and what plates are presented with guidelines for coloring the botanical drawings to be true to life. Amazing! — Douglas
Mimosa pudica[2] (from Latin: pudica “shy, bashful or shrinking”; also called sensitive plant, sleepy plant, action plant,[3]Dormilones, touch-me-not, shameplant, zombie plant, shy lady or shy plant) is a creeping annual or perennialflowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae and Magnoliopsida taxon, often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending themselves from harm, and re-open a few minutes later.[4] In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society‘s Award of Garden Merit.[3][5]
The species is native to South and Central America, but is now a pantropical weed, and can be found in Southern United States, South Asia, East Asia and South Africa as well. It is not shade tolerant, and is primarily found on soils with low nutrient concentrations[6]Mimosa pudica is well known for its rapid plant movement. Like a number of other plant species, it undergoes changes in leaf orientation termed “sleep” or nyctinastic movement. The foliage closes during darkness and reopens in light.[7] This was first studied by the French scientist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan. Due to Mimosa’s unique response to touch, it became an ideal plant for many experiments regarding plant habituation and memory..— Wikipedia
What are your thoughts on this Interesting Plant? Drop a note in the comments!
Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas
If you’ve ever failed at something, we know it can be hard to want to try again. Don’t give up! Even the best of the best have killed a plant or two in their days. Read on to learn from this one gardener’s mistakes!
“One of my go-to fantasies when life is tough is that I’ll run away to start a vegetable farm. I’ll spend long days covered in sweat, soil caked underneath my fingernails, satisfied with the knowledge that I was able to feed myself through hard work and a deep understanding of the natural world. Given our current circumstances—living in an unprecedented global pandemic resulting in much more time spent at home and much more stress when we have to venture to the grocery store—this fantasy is seeming particularly appealing.
Succession sowing is a way to make use of available, open space in the garden throughout the season. As one crop finishes producing, you can plant another crop in its place.
A great example of this in July is garlic. Once the lower leaves on the garlic stalk begin to brown, you can dig up the whole plant for harvesting. Be careful not to dig too close to the garlic bulb — you do not want to risk slicing it with the shovel’s blade. I let the soil around the roots dry and then I shake it off before hanging and storing them in a cool, dry place to cure.
