Go Vertical

I was impressed to see this example of a living wall at my local wholesale nursery. A vertical garden has many advantages; small footprint, lower energy consumption, and a natural buffer between weather and inhabitants. When located indoors, it can improve air quality. No matter where you live, urban or suburban, cold or hot, indoors or out, a vertical garden can add green almost anywhere.

Though there are many ways to construct a living wall, Patrick Blanc, a French botanist intent on creating a garden without dirt, utilizes a three-part system consists of a PVC layer, felt, and metal frame. This provides a soil-free self-supporting system light enough to be hung on the wall. There are also wall pocket systems made of felt, wool, and recycled plastic.

ELT, an Ontario company that specializes in green roofs, began selling living wall systems a little over three years ago and is now one of the biggest suppliers to the United States. Greg Garner, the company’s president, said that its green-wall sales have increased 300 percent since 2008. Four months ago, the company introduced a cheaper, lighter kit to make living walls accessible to the average gardener; prices start at about $40 for a one-square-foot panel.

Click here for in progress shots of the construction of a succulent wall in Newport Beach, CA that was designed by Joe Zazzera for Dr. Andrew Weil. I'd like to see if this concept will fly for a public walkway renovation project that it is the works.

Nature's Graffiti

"What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. 
For me, a weed is a plant out of place."

-Donald Culross Peattie

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Portuguese Man-Of-War Though a beautiful cobalt blue, the tentacles of this jellyfish contain a potent toxins and a sting can inflict severe burns, blisters and swelling. This species of jellyfish is found from Florida to Texas and Mexico, in the Bahamas and West Indies. Australians call them Blue-Bottles because the fin floats on the top of the water and is used like a sail.
The stinging tentacles, which hang below the surface, can catch any fish or plankton passing by. 
The captured animal is usually paralyzed by the nematocysts, and is drawn into the mouth of the jellyfish. Ba-bye!

Photographed in Boca Raton, Florida

Gotta Get It Garden Gear - Fence Fabric

Who needs a fancy-schmancy landscape designer now that 
Fence Fabric has arrived. You can block a view of the neighbor’s yard or create a cozy outdoor room instantly. A few zip ties and... voila! It will look like you installed an expensive rock wall or grew 
a hedge overnight. These lightweight, vinyl mesh fence covers are also available in morning glory, ivy, brick or stone. Just don’t look too closely.

Get yours before they run out!  Faux Fence Fabric

Big Fat Juicy Ones

You may not be able to tell by looking at them, but earthworms are very hairy. They are covered in thousands of tiny hairs which help them move through the earth.

- The Curious Gardener’s Almanac

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Bleeding Heart Vine   
(Clerodendron thomsoniae)
A gorgeous, heat-loving plant, native to West Africa, that is only hardy outdoors in the southern U.S. 
but makes a fine houseplant. It looks best in a hanging container to show off its full, lush foliage and branches that spill over the edge of the container. The bark is reddish brown and has nicely shaped, dark green leaves. But, what really sets BHV apart from typical houseplants are its masses of stunning red and white blossoms. (This vine should not be confused with Bleeding Heart, a Decentra genus. That is a completely different plant.)


Photographed at the United States National Arboretum, Washington, DC

Wicked Plants

Great video teaser for Amy Stewart’s informative and entertaining book that anyone interested in gardening should read. It's fascinating how many deadly, intoxicating, and lethal plants there are out there. Who knew nature was so ruthless?

Classic Casual

Bluestone, which is cut in Pennsylvania and New York quarries, is a sedimentary rock that is attractive, durable, low-maintenance and complements a wide range of landscaping styles. When installed, 
it yields a relatively smooth, flat surface. Though it is called bluestone, colors range from blue, blue/gray, greens, browns, and even lilac. For this project, I chose stones with an irregular cut since I wanted a more informal look, even allowing low plants to grow between the stones.

Plants Recognize Rivals and Fight Play Nice with Siblings

"Plants can't see or hear, but they can recognize their siblings, and now researchers have found out how: They use chemical signals secreted from their roots, according to a new study.

Back in 2007, Canadian researchers discovered that a common seashore plant, called a sea rocket, can recognize its siblings – plants grown from seeds from the same plant, or mother. They saw that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil, they "play nice" and don't send out more roots to compete with one another.

But as soon as one of the plants is thrown in with strangers, it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil...."

Check out the rest of this article at LiveScience.com:
http://www.livescience.com/environment/091020-plant-siblings.html

Landscaping Don't

From the "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" Department.

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Snowflakes that stay on my nose 
       and eyelashes,
Silver white winters that melt
       into springs,
These are a few of my 
       favorite things.

Spring, are you coming?

Eye Candy

This time lapse video is simply stunning.

Gotta Get it Garden Gear - Seed Bombs

Throw and Grow Garden Grenades for guerilla gardeners. 
Finally a way to turn those forgotten areas and municipal scrublands into a wilderness with compacted wild flower seed bombs. In about a week, ryegrass will be the first thing to grow. Buttercups and poppies will emerge around three weeks later. And you thought you didn’t have green thumb! 

Available here in packs of 3.

My Happiness Project

If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk. 
For a week, kill a pig. 
For a month, get married. 

For life, be a gardener.

- Chinese Proverb

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

This lovely couple came to visit
      in the garden today.
They didn’t stay long.
A pair of friendly puddles
       arrived later.
They also skipped town.

How NOT to plant a tree

This photo was taken in the parking lot of a supermarket. 
I’m finding it hard to breathe just looking at this. (Note to self: Do not buy produce from this store.)

He Loves Me

It's official.

Five Trees that Sound Nice in the Wind

• Aspen
• Eucalyptus
• Fig
• Magnolia
• Paper Birch

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Though neighbors and building management may scoff at the unruly look of leaving grasses and perennials uncut for the winter, nature’s less colorful off-shoots create a habitat for small animals, seed heads that feed non-migrating birds, and an ever-changing visual painting created from the dried plants, ice, snow and even shadows.

Garden Challenge Accepted! - Part 2 of 2

The new garden was planted in the Spring of 2009 with the help of local elementary school children. This is the first garden on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II.

Garden Challenge - Part 1 of 2

In 2008, Roger Doiron started a campaign to urge the next President to grow food on the White House lawn. Click below to view his video pitch.

Sunflower Stems

Sunflower stems were once used to fill life jackets before the invention of synthetic material.

- The Curious Gardener’s Almanac