Ligule The word ligule comes from Latin “ligula” which 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. It protects the leaf from the entry […]
MY NEIGHBORS’ UGLY BUILDING !
What can I say. Some views are detrimental to your mental health ! 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 in a pot and hoping it works – doesn’t work. […]
SEPALS !
SEPAL The word comes from Latin – separatus “separate” + petalum “petal”. What is it? In Angiosperms (flowering plants) the sepal is a modified leaf found on the outermost part of the flower. They are usually green and therefore more likely to be confused with leaves. They are also often covered […]
VARIATION
THE BASICS This is a natural process which shows itself as slight differences in flower and fruit size and shape. It may lead to the misunderstanding that the plant may have a disorder or that something is wrong. And sometimes something is wrong ! Many times it is simply a combination of growth factors […]
LIGHT ENERGY
BASICS Photons are the particles of energy coming from the sun that plants use to photosynthesize sugar. It is this energy source that runs the plants entire metabolism. Plants trap them in chlorophyll (the green pigment) and pass the energy along to fuel their various processes. When sunlight directly strikes a leaf, 93% […]
PETUNIAS !!!!!!
I was looking online for petunias – the customers’ request was “something different”. OMG – I got lost in all the choices ! Here are some samples of what I found. Hope you like! Call Plant Specialists TODAY ! our Garden Care team can install some petunias in your own garden. Don’t delay – […]
The Best City Landscapers (New York Times)
DODDER
Ah yes… summertime ! Warm sunny days, light breezes and DODDER !!! A tangle of dodder ! What is it? Cuscuta (dodder) is a genus of over 201 species of yellow to orange parasitic plants that look like angel hair pasta! It is in the morning glory family – the Convolvulaceae (morning […]
THE APHIDS ARE COMING !
What are they ? Typical green aphid with live birth young Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects with long, slender mouth parts that they use suck out plant fluids. They tend to feed in dense groups on leaves, buds, stems, or flowers. Some species feed on only one type of plant, while others are […]