#smelly-flowers

#smelly-flowers

The industrious buzz of bees tackling the dregs of cherry blossom was lawnmower-loud, accompanied by back off peeps from blackbirds nesting in the ivy.

Kelsie Hayes of Popup Florist has opened her own NYC event space and creative studio, showcasing fresh floral designs that embody the spirit of spring.

BBG in Bloom runs from April 1 to May 10, showcasing cherry blossoms, magnolias, and other spring flowers, with extended hours and special programs.

Crushed clean, dry eggshells, when scattered over the soil, are intended to stop adult gnats from laying eggs and potentially add natural fertilizer. However, they merely sit on the surface, collecting dust, while the gnats remain attracted to the damp compost.

A study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley has found that ethanol is surprisingly common in floral nectar, the sugary fuel that keeps pollinators alive. Yeast feeding on those sugars produces trace amounts of alcohol, and in this study, it showed up in 26 of the 29 plant species sampled.

These are Scilla sardensis, the common name is Glory-of-the-Snow. They are native to the mountains of Western Turkey but are really comfortable growing in almost any condition, as you can see. They are, for us, the real harbingers of spring. We know that once we start to see this electric blue color, the season is starting for us.

The tulips gained fame in 1912, when it was widely reported that a tulip with four distinct blooms on one stem had been spotted at the palace, and the following year, it was reported that the palace had its best display in many years.

Keukenhof Tulip Gardens claims the top spot with a score of 9.08 out of 10, turning the prettiest gardens in the 'Venice of the North' into a spectacle.

Hanging baskets brimming with multicolored blooms make attractive additions to your patio or terrace, creating a lush environment even in a small balcony.

Research consistently shows that access to green space can significantly boost wellbeing, with studies linking time spent in gardens and parks to lower cortisol levels, improved mood, and sharper cognitive function.

The fierce Maniot people were well described by Patrick Leigh Fermor in his book Mani (1958), but the region has been more recently celebrated in Charles Foster's brilliant The Edges of the World, published in January. In history the Mani was known variously for the relentless and sometimes centuries-long vendettas between its local clans, as a fertile recruiting ground for Mediterranean piracy and as an early outpost for Greek liberation from Ottoman rule.

The show is called The Pollinators. Much of the work draws from her interest in nature, and the pieces in the show reflect on the important work of the planet's endangered pollinators—but there's also a read of them as hybrid creatures with some aspects of the female face and form. They're kind of strange and a little monolithic. They are kind of moth-like and plant-like and relate to endangered species. But they also have neon coming out of their eyes.

Around a third of UK gardeners use pesticides, and our studies found that house sparrow numbers, for example, were nearly 40% lower in gardens where the pesticide metaldehyde was used. By reducing pesticide use, you can actively encourage birds back into your outdoor spaces, as they rely on invertebrates such as slugs and snails as natural prey.

My mother first planted those same bulbs (or their parents) in her garden, which is half a mile from here, in the 1970s. When she died a decade ago, I took them first to our old house and now to this property. I'd actually forgotten the last transfer: a scoop of both the bulbs and surrounding soil, a short car journey, then a hasty reinterment in a hole on this south-facing slope.

To see where the moon melts over the garden,or where the bats flit, or where the air sweetens with pollen and moth-frenzy, I recommend a night walk to discern the perfect patch for it. Under this glow, we could all use a distraction-dig with a silver shovel and choose colors that swoon and moan under our satellite: dusty pinks, baby blue, lavender, white, and butter yellow gems unfurl at dusk until dawn.

Garden angelica, Angelica archangelica, belongs to the Apiaceae family, the same botanical group as carrots, celery, fennel, and parsley. Like its relatives, it produces a large, distinctively umbrella-shaped inflorescence, or flower cluster, called umbels. In its first year, the plant forms a lower mound of bright green leaves. In the second, a thick, hollow stem shoots upward and unfurls the broad green flower heads that resemble wild carrot or Queen Anne's Lace.

You know that moment when you realize you've become a serial plant killer? Mine came last winter when I stood in my kitchen, staring at yet another crispy basil plant that had gone from vibrant green to sad brown in what felt like days. This was attempt number four, and I'd done everything the little care tag suggested. Watered it regularly (but not too much!), kept it on my brightest windowsill, even talked to it occasionally while making morning coffee.

Opening this Saturday, February 7, and running through April 26, "The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic's Concrete Jungle" has transformed the garden's Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a bloom-laden remix of the city itself. Imagine taxis dripping in orchids, fire hydrants flowering over and everyday street scenes electrified by thousands of plants from around the world. "We're so excited to introduce you to the full diversity of the orchid family," said Jennifer Bernstein, NYBG's CEO, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Fortunately for me, roses happen to be edible. While technically the entire plant can be eaten, it's best to stick to the petals, buds and hips (as if I had to tell you not to chomp on their thorns and woody stems). Fresh or dried, rose petals can be used to make rosewater or rose syrup, as pretty garnishes for cakes, and to infuse into sweet treats such as ice-cream and panna cotta.

There is a type of rhododendron which makes a superb container plant, and even performs greatly when pot bound, since many species are epiphytes in nature. https://growplumeriafrangipani.blogspot.com/2011/04/tropical-rhododendron-vireya.html These are vireya rhododendrons. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v32n1/v32n1-leach.htm https://rhododendron.org/vireya/index.html https://rhododendron.org/vireya/gallery.htm https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/archive/StevensNRBGE85.pdf https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/archive/CallardRSF2011.pdf https://www.rhododendron.org/vireya/history.htm http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v46n1/v46n1-moynier.htm Many vireya hybrids were created in the Bay Area, especially at the San Francisco Botanical Garden which was the Strybing Arboretum. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v45n1/v45n1-morebeck.htm