Something looks off ! To the average person most nutritional deficiencies in plants are not easy to diagnose. They all tend to look the same to the untrained eye. You can tell there is something wrong but not exactly what. However, by focusing on the the pattern and color differences between the veins and […]
Dominance and Flower Color
Genetic expression Dominance is a description of genetic expression. The various flower color variations are due to the degree at which the individual genes are expressing for this one trait. Plants have two sets of chromosomes in their cells, each containing many genes in a sequence along its length. The ones in the […]
ALLELOPATHY
Our observations Many years ago we noticed how when planting sweet potato vine into containers for a summer display – all the hibiscus also planted with it would stop flowering soon after ! We also noticed how some annuals didn’t do well in pots with marigolds. And nothing liked to be in a […]
LEAF CUTTER BEE
The Megachilidae Many clients, during the summer season call to say they found these perfectly cut out holes in the plant leaves ! A mystery no more ! – these are actually made by a group of bees !!! Typical leaf cut out in roses A common solitary garden bee that […]
Window boxes
You only get one chance to make a first impression – sounds simple enough ! and makes total sense to me ! Your window boxes on your brownstone should be just that – a first impression – one that you only get to make once! The four seasons (or more!) The window […]
PLASMOLYSIS
Turgidity Normal cells are in a state that is called ‘turgid’. That is, they are pretty full of water and hence there is enough pressure against the cell wall for the cell membranes to keep their shape. If the plant does not receive water in time – it wilts. It’s basically a result of […]
DA FAUX
Nope – not writing about the brilliant actor Willem Dafoe – but about faux plants – or “artificial” as some people used to call them! Why now The use of permanent botanicals is currently in fashion mostly because of the amazing realistic presentation of the different plants themselves. We have all stood […]
The English Cottage Garden
History The English invented the cottage garden, probably in the 1400s, to produce food for families. Every bit of space was planted with herbs, fruit trees, and flowers – all jammed together. Aside from being practical, it was charming – even to this day ! English gardener Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932) is the patron saint […]
I want a no maintenance garden – is that doable
The simple answer to that question is NO. There is no such thing as a no maintenance garden anywhere – let alone on a rooftop in Manhattan. Snow will many times create a heavy burden on plants and misshape them. Cleaning At the very least a terrace garden will need to be seasonally […]
