Out of Africa: A Houseplant Discovery
In the late 19th century, Germany controlled most of East Africa and had stationed many officers to oversee its territory including a young German army captain, Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire. Probably because his father was a longtime patron of the botanic garden at Herrinhausen (in Hanover, Germany), the captain was also interested in botany. <Read More>
Deep in the Heart of Texas
I knew we were in for an adventure because the woman seated next to me on our flight to Houston, raised her eyebrows and told me it would be another 1 ˝ hour ride by car from Houston to the town of Brenham in Washington County. We were met at the airport by our media guide from Geiger and Associates and nothing remarkable happened until the last half hour when our guide mentioned she was chosen to take us to our evening’s destination because she had been there several times (meaning someone unfamiliar with the destination would not be able to find it). <Read More>
Radio Remote from Oasis Water Efficient Gardens
Well, I think everyone who attended the Open House at Oasis on Saturday had a great experience. Sharon, Bryan, and John did a live broadcast of GardenLife Radio Show from the Oasis facility, including chats with some of the day’s speakers. Watching their follies in person was a real treat! <Read More>
Franklin Park Conservatory's Community Garden Pavillion
The Franklin Park Conservatory, a botanical garden and conservatory was built in Columbus, Ohio in 1895. At present, it is a horticultural and educational institution featuring exotic plant collections, special exhibits and Dale Chihuly artworks. <Read More>
Hobbits Garden Too!
Once you've walked across the drawbridge, over the moat and passed through ornate iron gates you approach a sign over the courtyard door that reads, “Beyond this place there be dragons." By this time you realize that while your body is in the Dallas suburb of Preston Hollow, your mind is somewhere between there and Middle Earth. <Read More>LA Arboretum
August 21st, 2010 was an especially beautiful day at the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, California. Jill Morganelli gave us a private tour of the gardens. If there is ever a round-up of passionate botanists, Jill would be one of the first-round picks. Her love of plants is deep, her enthusiasm contagious, and her smile is lovely, too!<Read More>A Rose Garden in Trieste
Knowing that I would be in Trieste, Italy for about 10 days this summer, I began web surfing to see if there were more interesting sites that I had not visited before. To my surprise, I came across an article written by landscape architect, Vladimir Vremec who described a rose garden in the Trieste district of San Giovanni begun in 2004.<Read More>A Place of Ever-Changing Beauty
While visiting Chicago for the 2010 Independent Garden Center Show, I was able to break away for a few hours and visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. Even though I had been to the city many times, this was my first trips to the gardens. I was certainly not disappointed by them and was actually quite surprised at their scope.<Read More>Stepping Back in Time: Padua
While visiting family in Trieste, Italy, my daughter Tasia and I took a weekend getaway to Padua (spelled Padova in Italy) and Venice. After a leisurely 2-hour drive, we strolled along the cobbled walkways in Padua where the purveyors of local produce, plants, clothes and accessories displayed their goods at the open air market shaded by the majestic, 13th century Basilica of St. Anthony. Just steps away from the Basilica of St. Anthony is the Prato della Valle, the largest square in Italy, a huge space with a grassy, green island at the center surrounded by a canal and ringed by statues. Past the Prato della Valle, we came upon two ancient magnolia trees, stately sentries guarding the entrance of the famous Botanical Garden of Padua.<Read More>2010 Horticulturists of the Year
The culmination of over 50 years of work in the gardening arena was recognized Monday, August 10th, as Bruce and Sharon Asakawa (that’s right, GardenLife’s very own Sharon!) were named and honored by the San Diego Horticultural Society as the 2010 Horticulturists of the Year.<Read More>A GARDEN OF EDEN REPLACES ASPHALT AT VENICE HIGH SCHOOL
My husband Bruce and I visited a very special school garden at Venice High School in western Los Angeles, California. We were invited as the guests of Kathy Kellogg. Her family’s company, Kellogg Garden Products, has had a long- standing commitment to introduce and encourage youngsters to garden. <Read More>KEEP THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT ALIVE YEAR-ROUND: PLANT A ROW
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 1 in 8 households in the United States experiences hunger or the risk of hunger. Many skip meals and often go without food for an entire day. About 33 million Americans including 13 million children, have substandard diets or must seek emergency food aid. The Garden Writers Association in conjunction with the GWA Foundation, launched a program in 1995 to encourage gardeners to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America's hungry. As a result, over 14 million pounds of produce has been donated by American gardeners and has provided over 50 million meals.
But more can be done. If every household with a yard or garden in the U.S. planted just one extra row of vegetables and donated their surplus to local food agencies and soup kitchens, we could make a real difference in solving the major issue of hunger in America. People helping people is such a simple, but effective way to feed the hungry. Call the PAR Hotline at 1-877-492-2727 for your local food organizations that need your home-grown fruits and vegetables and plant an extra row and visit www.gardenwriters.org for more information.
POINSETTIAS AND POLAR BEARS?
This holiday season the Paul Ecke Ranch will make a donation to Polar Bears International for every creamy-white 'Polar Bear' poinsettia sold. Polar Bear International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat through research and education. Look for the 'Polar Bear' poinsettias at your local garden centers with polar-bear (what else?) decorated cover pots. If visiting Las Vegas this month, stop by the green-certified Palazzo Hotel for a larger-than-life floral polar bear made of thousands of new 'Polar Bear' poinsettias. This stunning display is made up of 8,000 poinsettias and stands 16 feet tall!WORLD'S FIRST PROSTRATE CAMELLIA
Monrovia Nursery, one of the nation's largest container plant growers, will be introducing in 2010, the 'Marge Miller' camellia. From a breeder in Australia, it is the first prostrate camellia and not only makes a marvelous ground cover, but can also be grown to cascade over walls or hanging baskets as well as a weeping patio tree. In the fall or early winter, full, petal-pink flowers form along the stems against a glossy, forest-green foliar backdrop. It adapts to USDA Zones 7-10, prefers filtered sunlight and acidic, well-draining soils. For the nearest retailer, go to www.monrovianursery.com.
FIND YOUR THRILL ON BLUEBERRY HILL!
'Sunshine Blue' is an evergreen, Southern Highbush blueberry that thrives in a wide range of temperatures, USDA Zones 5-10. Instead of the usual white blossoms, Sunshine Blue bears massive pink flowers along its branches in spring, followed by a bumper crop of sweet, dime-sized berries (5-10 pounds per plant). The plant itself remains a compact 3-4 ft. tall and as wide making it perfect for containers as well as in-ground plantings. In autumn, the foliage transforms from silvery-green to brilliant reddish-purple. Typical of its Southern Highbush cousins, it requires only 150 chill hours making it an ideal choice for mild-winter regions, but also adapts to frostier climates. Plant this wonderful edible ornamental in full sun with well-draining, slightly acidic soil. Visit www.davewilson.com or Monrovia Nursery.
AND THE WINNER IS...
The AARS has announced 'Easy Does It' as the only 2010 designated winner. It is a gorgeous, fragrant floribunda with ruffled petals in delectable hues of mango-orange, peach-pink and ripe apricot. Add this fruit cocktail of a rose in the landscape or in containers for a colorful, beautiful, fragrant and disease-resistant plant. Go to www.rose.org or weeksroses.com.
HOLIDAY POINSETTIAS
Poinsettias became popular in the early 1900s when the Ecke family started farming these euphorbias in southern California. Each year breeders continue to create hardier and more beautiful cultivars from bright reds, maroons, purples, oranges to pinks, variegated color combinations and some that resemble roses while others have colorful serrated bracts and foliage. Also look for planter combinations with poinsettias and the Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'. It resembles a sprinkling of dainty-white snowflakes surrounding the poinsettia. Visit your local garden center for the latest colors, shapes and sizes and fall in love again with the king of holiday plants.
THE PERFUME OF PAPERWHITES
The most common paperwhite is 'Ziva' famous for its large clusters of snow-white flowers filling the air with their sweet, musky perfume. For those who think the fragrance is too pungent for indoor enjoyment, plant Narcissus tazetta 'Galilea', 'Inball' or 'Winter Sun'. See www.easytogrowbulbs.com or vanbloem.com for more information.
A SPECIAL POMEGRANATE
'Desertnyi' is part of an exclusive Turkmanistan collection from renowned pomegranate hybridizer Gregory Levin. The outer skin is an unusual orange coloration with deep-red arils. Translated, Desertnyi means dessert and true to its name, it is a dessert treat with a distinctive balance of sweet-tart flavors and citrus overtones. For a non-staining, very sweet juice, try 'Eversweet' a red-skinned pomegranate that grows 8-10 feet. Grow pomegranate plants successfully in USDA Zones 7-10. For more information, go to baylaurelnursery.com or crfgsandiego.org.
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