Plant Gardens 101

The orchid family is not only the largest but one of the most diverse plant flowering families in the world. The orchid was one of the first plants to evolve on earth, it was around in the time of the dinosaur, over 120 million years ago. Given the length of time they have been around it shouldn’t be surprising that there are over 35,000 species with hundreds of thousands of hybrids.

The most famous orchid in the world is the vanilla orchid (planifolia). Coca Cola is the largest customer of vanilla as they use the seed for flavouring. Madagascar is the world’s largest producer. Orchids are very beautiful plants and that is why so much time and care is put into growing them. Vanilla on the other hand is grown for its commercial value rather than for its appearance but it is labour intensive. The vanilla crop is the main source of income for many independent farmers in less developed countries.

Reproduction
One of the ways in which the orchid is so diverse is its ability to reproduce. Some orchids rely on flying insects, others rely on crawling insects and finally there are orchids that rely on the wind for pollination.

The Bee Orchid attracts bees to its flower by its appearance. It looks like a receptive bee which entices the male bee towards its pollinia. Other orchids have long stems which look as they are butterflies when dancing in the wind.

Some orchids have evolved so that they act as a good platform which attracts a weary insect to land. The nectar brought by the visiting insect brushes against the pollinia. Orchids sometimes have very slippery flowers which often results in the visiting insect falling into the interior of the flower leaving only one exit point. This escape route forces the welcome intruder into brushing nectar against the pollina.

Darwin
Charles Darwin wrote about orchids when demonstrating his theory of evolution by natural selection. He made a prediction about the pollination method of one particular orchid, the Angreacum Sesquipidales. He predicted that given this particular species emitted a strong scent at night and was white, the insect that pollinated it would be a moth. Darwin was proved right and it is in fact a moth that pollinates the Angreacum Sesquipidales.

Popularity of Orchids
Orchids have become immensely popular recently but they have been written about and cultivated for a very long time. Orchids were first written about in 700 B.C. by the Chinese and Japanese. They weren’t, however, first cultivated until around 300 years ago when seeds were bought by traders from around the globe. It was only the wealthy that could cultivate them initially but luckily this pleasure is available to many more people these days. Even with our 300 year cultivating experience, many a gardener has been frustrated by the care needed to grow beautiful orchids but this only adds to their popularity.

Nigel owns OrchidCareExpert, a website which contains lots of useful information if you wish to know more about orchid care

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Sunflowers have been cultivated and harvested by many cultures for at least 4,500 years. They’ve been used for a variety of purposes that range from culinary to medicinal. While most people can immediately envision a crop of sunflowers, few realize the important role they’ve played in history. In this article, we’ll provide a brief overview of sunflowers in an historical context. We’ll explain their origin and describe how they’ve been used for generations. You’ll also learn how the sunflower was discovered by those who traveled from other countries.

The Origin Of The Sunflower

The sunflower is considered native to the United States. Many enthusiasts claim that it was first cultivated by Native Americans over 8,000 years ago (though others contend that the plant wasn’t cultivated until 2,600 BC). As early as 2,000 BC, sunflowers were being grown using methods that encouraged bigger seeds and a more bountiful crop. It had already become a major staple in the diet of Native Americans by the time European explorers first visited America. (more…)

Very little was known about the Adirondack Mountain Area in upstate New York prior to the Civil War. After the war the Adirondack woods were surveyed and soon became a popular recreational spot to enjoy the wilderness. People began to move into the area, building houses and hotels, and tourists were soon to follow.

The Adirondack style of architecture was born in the late 1800’s. Buildings and furniture were built, patterned after the Swiss Chalets in Europe, using materials found locally; they were designed to provide comfort, harmonize with nature, and withstand the sometimes harsh elements. In rustic work, the natural curves and knots of native limbs and roots were incorporated into gables, porch railings, and outdoor furniture. (more…)

Flowers are the Natural beauties sent as a Gift by Nature to the World. They add fragrance, briiliance and beauty to the surroundings. The History of the Flowers in this Earth must go to the day when the Plants emerged in the World. Scientific research have shown that the Plants are in this World for the past more than 425 Million years and they have developed from their primituve form of Spores. The seeds for the Plants came in the primitve form as spores the small copies of themselves that can grow in other places. The Plants began to develop protection for the spores and thus came the seeds and there came into being the assured way of propagation and systematic reproduction by following regular Life cycles. The Flowers must have appeared during this stage and the earliest fossil proof of actual Flowers appears only 130 million years ago. But we do not have clear proof of how and when the Flowers developed for the first time as the fossil desposits do not give enough proof in this direction. The father of the theory of Evolution Charles Darwin himself is persplexed over this issue and calls this an abominal Mystery. It is generally assumed that the function of Flowers, from the start, was to involve other Animals in the reproduction process. Pollen should be taken to other places and for this the assistance of other living beings are necessary and it may not be possible without giving any other benefit. (more…)

Do they really exist? Where is the black orchid? These questions and others have on orchid hobbyists minds for centuries.

Orchid growers and hobbyists have been trying to grow this orchid for a very long time. They have tried many different orchid plants and hybrid varieties to get to this orchid.

There seems to have been a fascination for black anything. You have people striving for black gladiolus, black canna- lillies and yes even black corn. (I’m not sure if they ever got the black corn.)

There are many other references to “black orchid” in detective mysteries, in names of clubs and restaurants as well as on the stage. In fact, go on to Amazon and look at the book “Black Orchid” by Dave McKean. (more…)

In the modern times throughout the world, gardening is a pleasant hobby, a favorite way to express a skill and a form of art itself. The benefits that individuals and communities gain from gardening have been widely known and advocated.

Certainly, though, it didn’t start a few years ago. Let’s take a trip back in the earliest times as we trot the entire globe to discover the evolution of gardening.

Traces of interest in gardening can be found way back in the 1500 B.C., where ornamental gardens were found in tomb paintings in Egypt. The Egyptians fondness in lotus ponds, acacias and palms were prominent in the paintings. The Egyptian royalty is seen as among the most instrumental civilizations that contributed to the development of the concept of garden, essentially of garden design and actualization.    (more…)

The first ever appearance of the Bonsai stand was in China. A thousand timed ago, the exercise of emergent specimen ranking inside pots happening. These were termed ‘pun-sai’. These plants had rough shrubbery and the trunks were regularly flawed as animals such as birds and dragons.

Because these, the Chinese bonsai often inspired the making of mythology and myths. Since the profile is often associated to serpents and dragons, caring for the stand has become a honored hobby in China.

Japan adopted the Chinese habit in the Kamakura episode. Zen Buddhism was spreading around Asia and this was also the time when bonsai was introduced in Japan. Over the being, the plants were no longer limited in Buddhist monasteries for the Buddhist monks to treatment for. They became a figure of the aristocrats. Soon enough, bonsai symbolized respect and stature in the Japanese ethos.    (more…)

Some flowers spoke with strong and powerful voices, which proclaimed in accents trumpet-tongued,”I am beautiful, and I rule”. Others murmured in tones scarcely audible, but exquisetly soft and sweet, “I am little, and I am beloved”.” — George Sand (Armandine A.L. Dupin), (1804 - 1876) French writer

Joy and jealousy, desire and dejection, solitude and sadness, loyalty and love — flowers echo each voice of the human heart.
While the symbolic and legendary meanings of flowers were known to many during Elizabethan times, it was the Victorians who assigned simple messages to individual flowers. Introduced to the Swedish court in 1714 by Charles II, the Victorian mode of flower language soon spread throughout Europe. (more…)

John Deere was established as a company making implements for agriculture. The tractors of this company are famous for its working and are being used all over the world.

The John Deere Company, more familiarly known as John Deere, is one of the largest and most successful manufacturers of farming equipment in the world. The color scheme of green and yellow immediately identifies a John Deere tractor, even if its trademark design of a leaping deer were not just as identifiable. (more…)

The word “hydroponics” is derived from two Greek words: cidra, meaning water, and punikos, meaning labor; thus, literally “waterworks.” Contrary to popular belief, the grow system we have come to know as hydroponic gardening is an ancient form of agriculture, going back 3,000 years. There are references to the cultivation of plants directly in water in Egyptian records dating back to the time of the New Kingdom and the “Woman-King,” Pharoah Hatshepsut around 1460 BCE.

The best-known hydroponic gardens of the ancient world were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Also known as the Gardens of Semiramis, the Hanging Gardens are reputed to have been located near Al-Hillah in present-day Iraq. These hydroponic gardens were regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. (more…)

For centuries, one of the most popular things to do around one’s home was to create a garden. Gardens were filled with flowers, plants, or food, and they provided enjoyment and sustenance for the homeowner.

The tradition of gardening continues to this day as gardens of all types and shapes can be found around nearly every home. Some gardens are small and might even fit on a windowsill. Others are much larger and can occupy a significant portion of the property.

Some gardens are obviously more than a haphazard collection of plants and flowers, they are planned, organized, beautiful, and often thematic; and those gardens are the product of landscape gardening.

Landscape gardening has origins that go back centuries and to different continents. English gardens of the 18th century had many elements that are associated with modern landscape gardening.

English gardens (or landscape gardens as they were known in England) often revolved around a pond, and would have small bridges and pavilions that were used as vantage points. (more…)