Plant Gardens 101

Before taking up the garden vegetables individually, I shall outline the general practice of cultivation, which applies to all.

The purposes of cultivation are three to get rid of weeds, and to stimulate growth by (1) letting air into the soil and freeing unavailable plant food, and (2) by conserving moisture.

As to weeds, the gardener of any experience need not be told the importance of keeping his crops clean. He has learned from bitter and costly experience the price of letting them get anything resembling a start. He knows that one or two days’ growth, after they are well up, followed perhaps by a day or so of rain, may easily double or treble the work of cleaning a patch of onions or carrots, and that where weeds have attained any size they cannot be taken out of sowed crops without doing a great deal of injury. He also realizes, or should, that every day’s growth means just so much available plant food stolen from under the very roots of his legitimate crops. (more…)

Where did orchids originate? One may as well ask where man originated, for like man, the ubiquitous orchid is found on nearly every continent in nearly every climate. Also like man, the orchid has a myriad varieties and forms – so many that one botanist has stated, “There is no such thing as a typical orchid.”

There are over 30,000 varieties of orchid not including manmade hybrids. Most people think of orchids as tropical plants, but there are mentions of orchids in Chinese writings as early as 500 B.C. In the Western world, the Greek botanist Theophrastus mentioned Orchis in manuscripts around 300 B.C. An Aztec herbal dating from the 1600s mentions vanilla, a type of orchid. From Egypt to the Americas, from the South Seas to the mountains of Switzerland, there are native varieties of orchids that grow in the woods, the rain forests, the mountains and even the seashore. (more…)

Most of us regard the orchid as a beautiful, exotic and romantic flower. Most are also unaware of their spectacular history and the passionate efforts which have gone into finding, cataloguing and creating the orchids which we enjoy today.

A register of orchids is held at the Royal Horticultural Society in London. The Vanilla orchid was the first to enter Europe back in 1510. This was the source for the second most expensive flavouring extract (the most expensive being the saffron crocus). Over a hundred years passed, until in 1635 when the Cypripedium reginae was imported from North America, this is when orchids were first appreciated for their decorative features. The interest in the orchid blossomed from this point onwards. However, even as late as the 1800 it was very rare to fine a collector with more than a few samples. In 1804 both the Berlin and the Paris Botanical Gardens both only held seven species of exotic orchid! The Viennese had the most with a whole eleven special which in England there were merely three exotic orchids. These low numbers were not for want of trying, countries were importing orchids all the time, however, they were dying in transit, or not being kept in conditions which allowed for the plants to survive their new climates.

Jean Linden was instrumental in increasing our knowledge of orchids, when in 1845 he travelled to South and Central America to study the orchids’ natural environment. The reports which Linden wrote were crucial in the recreation of the moist environments which we now associate with most orchids.

Many of the early entrepreneurs who thought that this would be the way to make their millions were cut short in their ventures as they experienced huge losses as a result of the number of orchids not surviving the initial journeys. There were only four successful companies in Britain, one of them being Sanders, who continued to grow in the orchid market for many years afterwards.

In the early nineteenth century Dr Salisbury studied the germination of the orchid and from this much was learnt which enabled the industry to progress and many of the orchids which were imported suddenly became a more viable investment. With this new knowledge a gardener working for Veitch first tried to cross different orchid species in 1853. It was not until 1856 that the first orchid hybrid was created. From this time on many more hybrids were to be created. Mr Dominy who managed this probably had no idea how important this was and how it would change the future of orchid cultivation. To this day the perfect black orchid is still being sort after and is still illusive.

Today the special and rare qualities of the orchid are appreciated. In many areas there are species of orchid which are considered endangered and you can be prosecuted for picking or damaging these in any way. Some orchids are definitely for viewing only. The orchid family is the largest flower family known and will continue to grow with hybrids being created each year.

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About Jon Kelly

Jon Kelly is a published author who writes on many diverse subjects that includes advice and tips on Orchids. We hope to provide you with informative articles you can rely on. To find out more please visit: theorchidguide.com

The most familiar form, and well known form of butterfly in North America is the Monarch butterfly. Monarch’s are somewhat large for a butterfly, with a wingspan of about 4 inches, with charming ginger, black, and colorless coloring on their wings – Monarchs are regularly highly required after by butterfly enthusiasts and photographers alike.

Scientists deem the Monarch butterflies are the only family of insects that actually migrate. As chill approaches in colder climates, the Monarch starts to dense down and reproduction stops. Over the summer, they amass fat coffers in their stomach in preparation for the chill. (more…)

John Yoshio Naka was born on August 16, 1914 in Denver,Colorado. He and his family returned to their native Japan when he was eight years old. Having his grandfather as his constant companion, he observed as his elderly shaped and trimmed the trees.

When he was nineteen years old, John took up landscape design. He learned the fundamentals in the relationship of nature – trees, space and stone. After completing his education, he pursued further studies by attending a prestigious art school inJapan.

Because of the building war in Japan in 1935, his father feared that John might be deployed. John was sent back to Colorado to live with Sadao, his bruther. He settled down by marrying Alice Toshito Mizunaga in 1936. They had three sons: Eugene, Robert and Richard.

The family moved toLos Angeles in 1946. Here, John worked as a landscaper and concentrated on Japanese gardens. Striking a friendship with Sam Doi, John Naka was encouraged to read books about bonsai techniques. (more…)

A greenhouse is a type of structure made of transparent or translucent materials such as glass or plastic to let in sunlight and warm the air inside. Greenhouses can be temporary or permanent structures, and they can vary in size from those as large as football fields to ones that are small enough to sit on a tabletop. Greenhouses work on the basic principle that incoming sunlight warms the air and objects inside the greenhouse, and the glass then traps the warm air, preventing it from escaping.

The Romans are commonly credited with inception of the greenhouse. As early as 30 A.D., they had the idea to grow plants in climate controlled environments. At that time, glass was not available, so the Romans used extremely thin sheets of mica, a translucent type of rock material. It is said that the Roman emperor, Tiberius, took a liking to a certain type of vegetable, similar to a cucumber, so much so that he wanted to eat one every day. It is for this reason that the Romans devised the first greenhouses, so they could satisfy the emperor’s desire for the vegetable every day of the year. (more…)

The sunflower is often portrayed as a smiling, happy flower in modern times and with all of its benefits, this analogy is completely accurate. The sunflower has been used worldwide for a variety of reasons and its contribution to mankind’s wellbeing is often understated. It has an interesting history that can only add to its current popularity.

The history of the sunflower begins in the Americas, the land to which it is indigenous. The native Indian cultures revered the sunflower – the Incan sunflower was used as a symbol for their sun god and Olmec (Ancient Mexicans) sunflower rituals and temple sculptures are well documented, but perhaps the greatest use of the sunflower was by the Native American Indians.

Archeological evidence has shown that the Native Americans considered the sunflower a special crop and used it abundantly – as far back as 2300BC. The Native Americans formed very close bonds with the earth and all of the abundances arising from it – and the sunflower was considered among the most important of the crops. Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hiditsa Tribe member born in 1839, tells of the importance of the sunflower and described many rituals based around the plant. She also states that the Native Americans believed singing to the sunflower would help it grow. (more…)

Heirloom roses are always mentioned as something good for your garden, but what exactly are they? Heirloom, also known as antique or old roses are the rose varieties that existed before 1867, the year the first hybrid tea rose was developed in France. Heirloom roses lost favor with gardeners since they did not repeat blooms like the new roses do. Today, a lot of gardeners still look at heirlooms as being inferior to the modern varieties. While modern roses bloom several times over a growing season, heirloom roses produce blossoms in early summer for a period of two to four weeks. When they bloom, though, the fragrance and abundance of blooms is astounding.

If you’re thinking of adding some heirloom roses in your garden there are a few things you should know before you plant them.

1. Heirloom Roses are Hardy and Diverse

It is mind-boggling how many colors, sizes, flower forms and fragrances there are to choose from with heirloom roses. If you want climbing roses, or short roses or tall roses… you’ll find something to fit the bill. With all this variety, you’re sure to find one or three that you can’t live without. (more…)

One of the healthiest members of the citrus family, the grapefruit has a superb record associated with it. In comparison to some of the other prevalent fruits, the account of grapefruits is relatively new. Infact, there are a few stories associated with this fruit chief to a little dilemma as to which system to trust. This fruit of the citrus family is said to have originated first as a ‘horticulture accident’ in Jamaica in the year 1700. Also known as ‘shaddock’ after its originator, a 17th century English convey leader, who brought seeds of the pummelo from the East Indies and delivered them to the West Indies in 1693.

The minute premise offers a tale of deliberate hybridization, suggesting that the grapefruit is cross between a carroty and the pummelo. This premise, however, has no minutes in its espousal. Whatever the basis, the grapefruit can be considered as the offspring of pummelo (native to Malaysia and Indonesia), surprisingly about the magnitude of an orange! This is an interesting observation actually and plainly testifies for the concept of it being considered as fusion of the two citrus fruits. (more…)

The history of roses is very long and colorful. Over the years they have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics. Fossils have been found, which indicate the rose has been around for approximately 35 million years. There are about 150 species of roses spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to South Africa. 5,000 years ago garden cultivation of the rose began, which probably was in China. Roses were widely grown in the Middle East during the Roman period. Roses had several uses over the years. Many times it was used in celebrations as confetti. During that time roses were used for medicinal purposes. Roses were also used as a source of perfume. Large public roses gardens were established in the south of Rome by the Roman nobility. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the roses popularity depended on the gardening trends and fashion of the time.

During the fifteenth century two different groups were fighting for the control of England. The rose was used as a symbol of one side or another. The white rose was the symbol for York and the red rose was the symbol Lancaster. The conflict came to known as the “War of the Roses” because roses were used as symbols at the time.

In the seventeenth century, roses were in extremely high demand. Royalty considered using roses or rose water as a form of currency. They were however used as bartered for payment. (more…)

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.

(more…)

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…)