So let me tell you about another website I just discovered that is of interest to the botanically-minded. It’s called Soils Matter, and it’s sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America. These are folks devoted to educating the public about the importance of sustainable soil practices. They also have a website, http://www.soils.org.
Remember back in April, how the white flowers of our Serviceberries (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance”) mingled with pink flowers of the neighbors’ Crabapple?
Global Tree Search is an online tool recently created by Botanic Gardens Conservation International with several partners, including Chicago’s own Morton Arboretum. It’s a sort of worldwide inventory of tree species and their original distribution. Here’s a link.
So here’s something I learned during our recent trip to California: palm trees are not native to Los Angeles.
First, I have to say that I am heartsick over yesterday’s election. Heartsick, and worried about what the future has in store. However, I don’t want to write about the election. I spend a lot of time on politics, and one of the reasons I started this blog was to get my mind onto other …
I stepped outside on Saturday and noticed that the Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) across the street had undergone a significant downsizing. It had suffered substantial breakage from the last couple of storms, and I wondered if its current state was a prelude to being taken down entirely.
For the last seven years or so, we have not had a patio. The old patio disappeared when we rebuilt an expanded back porch. Since then, we’ve been keeping our limited collection of outdoor furniture on the grass. This had several disadvantages. First, heavier members of our family (I mention no names) would find themselves …
It’s been a warm fall. The days have been a bit warmer than normal. More important, the nights have not been nearly as cold, generally about 10 to 20 degrees (F) warmer than average. Weather is only one factor affecting fall color, I believe the shortening days are a bigger one. But I’ve got to …
Charleston was one of the first major towns in the American colonies. The historic district is full of well-preserved buildings from the early 19th and 18th Centuries. In fact, it seems every building in that part of town had a plaque attesting to its age and historic significance. I found Waterfront Park and the Battery …
So there is more to holidays than food. We also had hikes to take, birds to watch, shells to collect. As I mentioned before, we had rented a house on Edisto Island, near the town of Edisto Beach. The back of the house faced on to a tidal creek and salt marsh. In the front, …
gardeninacity 