September 30, 2011

It seems bees aren't attracted to just any old flower and the same goes for butterflies. According to this article on the BBC website, bees tend to go for flowers that have a much sweeter nectar than those that attract butterflies. And the reason for this has a lot to do with how these insects collect nectar.

September 23, 2011

As our climate changes, it comes as a surprise to nobody that these shifts are being recorded in the rings of trees. This article in the New York Times looks at the famed bristlecone pines of Humboldt National Forest in Nevada, which are some of the oldest living trees on the planet. When the growth rings from recent decades are compared to those dating back several millennia, scientists can see marked differences in growth habits.

September 16, 2011

Few plants deserve the reputations - good or bad - that are heaped on them. Sedum spectabile has got to be somewhere near the top of that list. I can't count the number of gardeners who've told me how much they hate it and the only reason they give is that it's ugly. I respectfully disagree and so does the writer of this profile in The Guardian. I would add rudbeckia and artemisia to the list of plants that should be planted near it to help show it off to great advantage.

September 2, 2011

I found this story about an avid and somewhat eccentric Vancouver veggie gardener in the Ottawa Citizen. My favorite part is where he talks about the time he dragged a dead dolphin home from the beach and used it for compost. Glad he doesn't live near me.