What can I say. Some views are detrimental to your mental health ! OMG – cover that up ! Thank you Tourdumonde autstop.fr What should I plant on my rooftop to block the view of that ugly building ? – this is something I have heard countless times. Now … Throwing a plant […]
Ligules and Stipules Oh My !
Ligule The word ligule comes from Latin “ligula” and means strap. It is a thin outgrowth at the junction of a leaf and leafstalk. Ligules occur only in some grass species. Basically, it acts in a passive way in protecting the culm and leaves that it encloses. Mainly from the entry of water, dust […]
UV – What I can not see !
LIGHT – The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from low frequency, low energy radio waves to high frequency, high energy gamma rays. The human eye however, only perceives visible light. This lies in a narrow range from around 380 nm to 780 nm of the spectrum. Interestingly enough, this visible light is continuous! In […]
Where did all my Butterflies go?
The Basics Butterflies and moths are two evolutionarily related group of insects. They are in the Lepidoptera. All of them have wings covered with scales. Their family name comes from the words for scaly (lepido) and winged (ptera). Most butterflies are very colorful and usually active exclusively during the day. In contrast, most moths are […]
BLUE !
In my top three favorite spring flowers is Scilla siberica – Siberian squill. It even has blue pollen ! Thank you Nora Goosen ! And since my favorite color is blue (cerulean blue and especially a sky blue) this spring flowering bulb rules ! Looking from afar at planter full of Scilla is like looking […]
THE SHAPE OF LEAVES
What is a leaf? A leaf is the main organ attached to the stem. It is specialized for photosynthesis. Over time, it has evolved into a plethora of different shapes, sizes and characteristics. These vary considerably depending largely on their adaptation to climate. Leaves have also adapted to the available sunlight, presence of grazing animals, […]
MODERN FLOWERING PLANTS
Although still very old ( as in 125 million years ! ) flowering plants are considered “modern”. This is because they produce a seed inside a vessel. Unlike their ancestors, they also produce a flower containing both male and female reproductive structures. Flowering plants evolved into two main groups. Monocotyledons and dicotyledons. A cotyledon is […]
REPRODUCTION IN PRIMITIVE PLANTS
BRYOPHYTES (mosses) Umbrellas ! Thank you Wikipedia. When a bryophyte spore settles somewhere, it sprouts and grows into a gametophyte (the egg and sperm producing plant) – this is the stage we mostly see as green. They may be green and leafy, but usually small. Commonly called liverworts, their reproductive organs (eggs and sperm) are […]
MORPHOLOGY
What a plant looks like can give hints as to where it evolved and therefore where to place it in a garden! Focusing on the plants’ main characteristics will help you to make a better decision on compatibility with other plants, as well as cultural care. Hairs, glands, the wax on leaves and stems, the […]
