A few months back, I was watering and rearranging some plants, when I accidentally knocked off a few begonia flowers. The flowers were beautiful, and I couldn’t stand to sweep them off the deck. Instead, I brought them into the kitchen to put them in a small vase. That’s when I noticed it. The flowers …
Tag Archives: botany
What is buzz pollination?
Some bees use perfect pitch to release pollen from flowers, a technique called buzz pollination. (Gosh, I wish I could sing a perfect note on cue!) Buzz pollination is like a secret password to gain entry into a clubhouse, because tone-savvy bees can unlock and release the pollen from some flowers when they know the password. Buzz …
Sunflowers: An American Treasure
It’s August! As you walk around your neighborhood, watch out for sunflowers in gardens, or you might spy them in bouquets at the local farmer’s market. Stop and take a minute to appreciate the sunflowers you see, because they’re an American treasure. Most of us know what a sunflower looks like, and you can probably …
It’s a Red Maple Flower!
There are things in life that you can count on happening like clockwork. Even more accurate than a groundhog’s shadow, you know that spring has arrived when you see the flowers of maple trees scattered on the ground. Did you know maple trees have flowers? They do! To find red maple flowers during your springtime …
Start Your Own Baby Succulent Plants
What’s better than a succulent plant? First of all, having five succulent plants is better. Secondly, we can all agree having ten cute baby succulent plants to watch grow up is even better. Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s turn our single succulent plant into many baby plants! Easy Succulents to Propagate: …
Grow a Resurrection Plant
This desert plant has an amazing way of coping when there’s no access to water. The entire plant curls up into a dried ball of leaves for as long as it takes – even years – until water is available to bring it back to life! The resurrection plant I reanimated is also known as …
Green is for Zinnia, Peas and Dill
The color green isn’t just for fans of the Hulk or the Wicked Witch of the West. It’s also a key component of any rainbow garden. Green is good! Zinnia If you’ve followed along so far, then you’ll recognize a theme developing in my rainbow garden. Zinnias! I can’t say enough good things about their …
Yellow is for Zinnia and Bush Beans
In a contest of cheerfully colored flowers, is there anything that conveys happiness more than yellow? Add a pinch of yellow to a garden and you’re guaranteed to maintain a certain level of sunny cheer. Here’s what I chose for my slice of sunshine: Zinnia My yellow zinnias are part of the Hot Crayon Colors …
Orange is for Zinnia, Nasturtium and Calendula
I hold a special place in my heart for orange, because it’s one of the school colors of the University of Illinois. I challenge anyone who is regularly exposed to brilliant construction-orange over several years to not develop a special appreciation for this often overlooked color in gardens. Here are my orange plant picks that …
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Red is for Amaranth and Peppers
R is the first letter in my pal Roy G. Biv’s name, so I’m going to start at the beginning and reveal which pretty and edible plants I’ll grow to highlight one of my favorite colors, red. Amaranth is an ancient grain crop from the New World that can be red, orange or green. A …