Hits & Misses: Faithful seeds & spotty damage
Question of the Week: Why are my tomatoes cracking?
Science & Technology: Space bound spruce

Cherry Festival was on last weekend and there I was enjoying myself in…Bruno, Saskatchewan. Where the heck is Bruno and what does it have to do with cherries you ask? Well, the town is a little over an hour east of Saskatoon, and the province is known for its expertise on sour cherries for the Prairies. Specifically, a tremendous amount of research has been done by Dr. Bob Bors, a fruit specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. A direct result of that research is a number of excellent, cold-hardy cherry varieties that have spawned a growing industry in Saskatchewan, as well as Alberta and Manitoba. Officially, I was at the festival as a guest speaker. But as a festival attendee, I also got to sample products including dried sour cherries—their flavour was outstanding. However, the best thing I tasted was the chocolate-covered sour cherries. The tartness of the fruit combined with the exquisite chocolate was out of this world. I’ll never touch another maraschino-style chocolate again…Bruno has spoiled me!

‘Carmine Jewel’ is one sour cherry that was developed in Saskatchewan.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Faithful Seeds
While I was in Bruno, a fellow named Noel LaBrash handed me a dozen seeds from a legendary local tomato. I’m told the unnamed tomato produces huge yields of large yellow tomatoes that are somewhat pear shaped. Apparently, it’s been grown in the Bruno area for over a hundred years and local historians attribute the original plants to a Catholic nun, who handed down the seeds year after year. Noel has taken it upon himself to ensure these outstanding tomatoes carry on by giving seeds to people who are interested. I’m just lucky to be one of the recipients!

Miss: Spotty Damage
Leaf spot on trees seem to be everywhere this year. It appears when pathogenic fungi and bacteria attack foliage resulting in black or brown marks. These spots and blotches often show up shortly after periods of wet weather—something we’ve had an abundance of this year. Provided trees and shrubs are healthy and well maintained, most leaf spot is just an aesthetically displeasing nuisance. That said, dormant season sprays (lime and sulphur combinations or horticultural oil) can help reduce some of the fungi and bacteria that overwinter on bark and twigs.

Question of the Week
Why are my tomatoes cracking?
The cracks on the top of tomatoes are caused by very rapid growth, often during a warm rainy period preceded by dry or much cooler weather. Basically, during rapid growth the pressure inside the tomatoes splits the skins. Cracks most often happen when fruit is full-sized and beginning to ripen. Obviously, you can’t control the weather, but keeping your tomato plants as consistently moist as possible will help prevent splitting.

Science & Technology
Space Bound Spruce
Dr. Jean Beaulieu a researcher in Quebec has been working with NASA, and other partners, to test the affects of zero gravity on white spruce. This winter some room on the space station will be allotted to Dr. Beaulieu’s trees so that researchers can examine how weightlessness changes spruce growth at the cellular level.

Did You Know?
There are close to 50 bumblebee species native to North America, while honeybees are non-natives introduced from Europe.

“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. ”
–Daniel L. Reardon

Hits & Misses: Fungi cropping & deer grazing
Question of the Week: How short should my grass be cut?
Science & Technology: Blooming-good reasons for plants

I’ve just returned from a speaking tour that began in Lethbridge, moved on to Cranbrook and concluded in Kelowna. There were no hitches at the first two engagements, but on the way to Kelowna things went a bit sideways. One highway was closed for four hours because of a head-on collision; another was closed because of a fire. To get to Kelowna, our (yes, this road trip included my family) only choice was to take the detour route, a nine-hour drive that meant we’d barely make it in time for my presentation. Fortunately, we arrived with a half hour to spare, which gave me a few minutes to find a washroom and change my clothes. The Kelowna audience was great, the DVDs kept the kids happy in the car and I don’t think I looked too disheveled at the podium.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Fungi Cropping
With the recent rain, mushrooms are popping up everywhere. The first inclination of many people is to destroy them. Not me. I see them as wonderful, intriguing species in their own right. The diversity of the fruiting bodies (the spore bearing structures of fungi) is amazing. Yes, some, such as the fairy ring fungi, can be rather annoying, although most other species aren’t as intrusive. Some are beneficial organisms (aka mycorrhizal fungi) that associate with tree root systems and help the plants extract nutrients and water from the soil. But if you’re still not sold on mushrooms, remember they’re short-lived and will soon disappear.

Miss: Deer Grazing
Regardless of which community I speak in, whenever I ask if there’s a deer problem, the facial expressions of the audience are strangely similar to those of my tween daughter when I ask her…well, when I ask her pretty much anything. You know, the duh-what-do you-think look. Deer have voracious appetites and there’s a much larger list of what they will eat then what they won’t eat. This week, the latest victims in one garden were tomatoes. The deer not only ate the fruits, but the leaves and stems were consumed with equal zeal. Tomatoes are in the deadly nightshade (Solanaceae) family and, while the leaves aren’t acutely toxic I wouldn’t have thought they were that palatable, even to deer. At the very least, there must be a few deer wandering around with upset stomachs.

Deer decimated this heirloom tomato plant.

Question of the Week
How short should my grass be cut?
When grass is growing fast, there’s certainly a temptation to cut it very short so that you don’t have to mow so frequently. But that’s not the best thing for your lawn. Ideally, the mowing height should be 6–7.5 cm (2.5–3”). During hot, dry periods raise your mower blade and cut a centimeter or two higher than usual. Taller grass provides shade for roots and helps hold water in the soil. In addition, when it’s longer, not-so-lush grass also looks richer.

Science & Technology
Blooming-good Reasons for Plants
A world without angiosperms (all plants that bloom) would also be a lot hotter and drier, says an article in Science. Researchers from the University of Chicago used climate models to show the probable outcomes. Results suggest the biggest impact would be in South America where annual rainfall would drop by 30 cm. In the wettest rainforests, precipitation would decrease by as much as 80 percent. Now that’s another good reason to support plant conservation.

Did You Know?
Grey mold (Botrytis cineria) is detrimental to many plants, however, it also plays a beneficial role in winemaking where it takes on another name—Noble Rot. When Noble Rot attacks grapes, it causes the fruit to dehydrate, thereby concentrating the sugars. The mold also releases compounds that add to the grapes’ flavour.

“If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”
–
Mario Andretti

T

Jim is away on a working holiday, which has included speaking to gardeners in Lethbridge, Cranbrook and Kelowna, so the Notebook is on hiatus this week. Other than having to detour around a fire in B.C., Jim says it’s been a good trip. He’ll have more details to share next week. Meanwhile, here are some images from the greenhouse. Enjoy!

Hits & Misses: Smooth waters & low light
Question of the Week: How do I keep my container garden looking its best?
Science & technology: City improvements

My Canada Day included a family bike ride to Fort Edmonton Park where we enjoyed travelling back in time. The park offers great opportunities to see what life was like in Canada from the 1800s through to the early 1900s. Throughout the park, actors dressed in period pieces greeted us with “Happy Dominion Day” and gave faux looks of bewilderment to visitors who responded with “Happy Canada Day.” That’s because (for those of you who don’t remember) it wasn’t until 1982 that Canada Day became the official name of Canada’s birthday. Thinking I was pretty clever, I tried to see if I could get the volunteers to break out of character, but their acts were pretty darned polished. Almost makes me suspect they’ve heard from visitors like me before…

Hits & Misses
Hit: Smooth Waters
I’ve been enjoying the Coandă effect recently. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, I’ll spare you the long, complex mathematical formula and just say it explains why water clings and flows around solid surfaces in a smooth pattern. From the vantage point of my office window, I can see a water feature that includes a waterspout above a round stone. As the water flows from the spout, it clings beautifully to the stone causing it to look like a gigantic polished marble. It’s soothing and tranquil, but the Coandă effect is not particularly conducive to getting my work done.

Miss: Low Light
Each year, we grow hundreds of petunia barrels for the City of Edmonton and the City of St. Albert. The petunias’ growth has exploded in the past week, and dozens of flowers are now adorning the foliage. I did, however, notice four pots in downtown Edmonton with nary a flower. The reason is simple: the plants aren’t receiving any direct sunlight. They were all tucked close to the entrance on the north side of a hotel. The objective of the placement was obviously to add colour and fragrance as customers entered the premises. Unfortunately, under low-light conditions, petunia growth becomes soft and lanky, and they won’t flower. To solve the problem, the petunias either need to be moved a few metres away from the entrance or replaced with foliage plants that can tolerate low light. In this case, plant needs and human desires simply aren’t compatible.

Question of the Week
How do I keep my container garden looking its best?
Follow these simple steps and you’ll be rewarded with great-looking containers all season long.

1. Water often and thoroughly—until the water pours out the drainage holes.
2. Remember to remove the finished flowers (a.k.a deadheading) to promote repeat blooming.
3. Fertilize regularly. That’s because the large number of plants in a relatively small space soon use up the original soil nutrients. So, add a generous pinch of 20–20–20 fertilizer to your watering can each time you water.

For a visual review of these tips, see our container care video.

Science & Technology
City Improvements
Urban trees and humans are often on a collision course. Disease or a lack of rainfall is often cited when street trees slowly die. But the real reason has more to do with the soil quality and volume than any other conditions. Soil beneath city streets and boulevards is almost always compacted so that the concrete or asphalt above doesn’t crack or slump. But that’s horrible for root growth. As a result, trees grown in compacted soils often die prematurely. To alleviate the problem, researchers at Cornell University have been working on a structured soil that consists of fairly coarse rock, some clay and a hydrogel (a product that holds water and has the consistency of gelatin). Designed especially for urban environments, it’s strong enough to support pavement yet porous enough to allow for excellent root growth. I believe the City of Edmonton is testing structured soils at a couple of sites. I don’t think the results will be disappointing. My feeling is that structured soil will greatly improve our urban tree quality and dramatically reduce tree replacement costs.

Did You Know?
Soil scientists say there are more species of organisms in a scoop of soil than there are above ground in the entire Amazon rain forest.

“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.”
–Daniel L. Reardon

Hits & Misses: Planned buying & still cutting away
Question of the Week: Is it too late to plant annuals?
Science & Technology: Crying the blues

If I hadn’t been cutting through Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton last Friday, I’d have missed out on The Works art festival displays. I’d just completed my regular CBC gardening open-line radio program and was on route to my car. That’s when I noticed four vehicles erratically parked on the fringe of the square and wondered how those people had scored prime parking real estate. But as I squeezed by the cars, I realized they were works of art—botanical ones! Each vehicle was filled to the top of its dashboard with soil. Spruce and poplar saplings were growing happily in the vehicles’ cozy interior landscapes. I doubt any car companies have considered vehicular greenhouses, but given the impact vehicles have on the environment, producing cars that generate oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide might not be a bad idea.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Planned Buying
Our gardening books did particularly well at the greenhouse last weekend. In fact, people were buying stacks of them. Now, I could say the reason was because the author (me, of course) was there to sign copies. But, alas, I know the real reason was that they were one heck of a bargain. Most people I talked to planned on giving the books as birthday or Christmas gifts. Boy, are they organized. Personally, I consider it planning ahead if I buy a gift the day before.

Miss: Still Cutting Away
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, cutworms have been on the attack. In fact, my sister-in-law Valerie, who kindly donates some of her pickles to me each year, reports cutworms have devastated her cucumber patch. Cutworms are particularly bad in our region this year thanks to last year’s warm, dry fall. That type of weather makes flight easier for the female moths and increases survival of eggs, which the moths typically deposit in or on loose soil during late afternoons in early fall. Considering that one female army cutworm moth can lay 1,000 to 3,000 eggs, it’s easy to see how cutworms can become such a nuisance. Valerie has re-sown her cucumbers. Needless to say, I’m hoping for a long, hot summer and an abundant harvest of pickles…I mean cucumbers.

Question of the Week
Is it too late to plant annuals?
No, it’s not too late. But you will want to make sure you’re not buying overgrown bedding plants because they’ll be rootbound and won’t perform. What you want to look for at this time of the year are large, fully branched plants that are blooming or have lots of buds that are ready to open. That way, you won’t have to wait for results. The other option is to buy pre-planted patio containers that’ll add instant lushness to your yard. And don’t forget about vegetable containers—they’ll look great and likely be ready to harvest.

Science & Technology
Crying the Blues
When red roses turn blue, it’s enough to make you cry—especially if you’ve just shelled out for a dozen long stems. That undesirable characteristic (called bluing) has a lot to do with the chemistry of the aging petals. The older the flowers, the higher pH levels in the plant cells—that in turn break down certain proteins—the higher the degree of bluing. A certain amount of bluing is inevitable as roses age. But if you buy high-quality, fresh roses and keep them cool, it will prevent both you and the roses from developing a serious case of the blues.

Did You Know?
Workers in the pineapple industry wear rubber gloves to protect their skin from an enzyme in the plant stems called bromelain, which can digest protein.

“Canada is an interesting place, the rest of the world thinks so, even if Canadians don’t.”
–Terence M. Green

Hits & Misses: Gopher-proof plants & less than a beauty
Question of the Week: How can I get rid of the non-fairy ring mushrooms on my lawn?
Science & Technology: Fine-tuned testing

It’s nice to tune in to the World Cup, see that lush turf and know the grass seed came from the Canadian prairies—Manitoba to be exact. Soccer isn’t one of the sports I’ve played, so there are nuances of the game I don’t fully understand. For example, as hard as I try, I can’t figure out what’s causing some of the world’s best players to suddenly fall and then roll on the turf with grimaces on their faces? In these instances, as far as I can tell, no obvious collisions have happened nor have the soccer players turned their ankles or otherwise injured themselves. Perhaps there’s something wrong with our Canuck grass—like the blades are so stiff and strong that they’re tripping the players? Then again, maybe the grass isn’t to blame because, for some strange reason, complete recovery seems to happen in about 10 seconds—usually just after the referee shows something called a Yellow Card…

Hits & Misses
Hit: Gopher-proof Plants
The sign welcoming everyone at the south entrance of St. Albert has an integrated planter with a sloping flowerbed in front. And every year that we plant this bed, Richardson’s ground squirrels (a.k.a. gophers) test the plants to see which ones suit their discerning tastes. After years of trialing a wide range of gopher-proof bedding plants, we’ve discovered geraniums and dusty millers are quite possibly the only plants those little brown critters don’t touch. Some argue the gophers hate the taste of geraniums and dusty millers, but I believe they’ve finally found the right décor to complement their pasture.

Miss: Less than a Beauty
There are good reasons heirloom tomato varieties have been handed down from generation to generation, but beauty is seldom one of them. ‘Black Russian’ is an excellent example. As I walked through the greenhouse on the weekend, I really noticed how their thin, purple-tinged leaves stood out. But imperfect foliage and fruit are the trademark of heirloom tomatoes, so you need to look beyond the visual shortcomings and focus on the often-superior flavour and texture of these fruits.

Question of the Week
How can I get rid of the non-fairy ring mushrooms on my lawn?
Actually, you don’t need to worry about mushrooms. Unlike fairy rings, they won’t harm your lawn, besides which there aren’t fungicides for killing them. They often appear after rainy weather or when humidity is high and then cease to grow when conditions change. While you wait, consider removing the actively growing mushrooms before you mow. Otherwise they can leave quite a mess.

Science & Technology
Fine-tuned Testing
Precision fertilizer application for crops such as potatoes isn’t something most gardeners worry about. But for commercial potato growers, misapplication can cost a lot of money. That’s why they use the petiole sap test, developed to assess nutrient requirements. By extracting and analyzing a little sap from potato petioles (stems that the leaves attach to), growers can get a fairly accurate measure of the plants’ nitrogen levels. The exact amount of fertilizer needed can then be applied. This new technology isn’t available as a home test, but who knows? Maybe an inexpensive, quick potato sap tester will become a reality in the next few years.

Did You Know?
Kiwi fruits have more vitamin C than oranges and more potassium than bananas.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
–Thomas Edison

Hits & Misses: Super dads & subterranean attacks
Question of the Week: How tall can a tomato plant grow?
Science & Technology: Deep-rooted insight

Playing the mad scientist always intrigues me. So, I was in my element last week experimenting with fertilizer and a product called PurGro. It’s a naturally occurring rock adept at absorbing and holding on to nutrients, which makes it an ideal soil amendment. In my experiment, I dissolved 20–20–20 fertilizer in a bucket of water and dumped in a jug of PurGro. Then, once the fertilizer solution was absorbed, I worked the rock granules into the soil of some of my flower containers. My theory is that the fertilizer-saturated granules will act as a slow-release nutrient source and keep the plants vigorous and well fed for most of the season. I’m not suggesting you try this at home; it’s strictly experimental. But in a couple of months I’ll let you know if it was successful. Another thing I don’t recommend is using the laundry room sink as a pseudo science lab. Let’s just say not everyone in our household grasps the importance of scientific exploration.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Super Dads
Father’s Day always generates a lot of tomato sales. In the gift-giving department what could be better than the chance to produce garden-fresh tomato slices to top pizza (my favourite way to enjoy tomatoes). If you have a super dad, give him an outstanding tomato such as ‘Super Fantastic,’ ‘Super Steak’ or ‘Super Tasty.’ Of course, if things have soured a bit with Dad (maybe he carried out experiments in the laundry room), a ‘Lemon Boy’ might be the tomato of choice…

Miss: Subterranean Attacks
Cutworms are coming on like gangbusters this week. This year they’re late to emerge because of the cooler-than-normal weather, but have now woken up from their slumber. The first sign of cutworm activity is usually a bunch of plants napping on their sides. That’s because cutworms, of which there are several species, hide beneath the soil surface where they chew on plants often severing the stems. Lettuce is particularly prone to cutworm attack, so be vigilant. Carefully till the soil around your plants with a hoe to expose the cutworms and then destroy them. If you have a severe problem, spray the soil with a permethrin-based product in the evening, which is when cutworms are near the surface.

Question of the week
How tall can a tomato plant grow?
If the growing season were long enough, an indeterminate tomato plant (as opposed to a determinate variety that stops growing at a certain height) could reach 9 m or better. In practice, indeterminate garden varieties tend to reach 1–1.5 m in a growing season. But the ‘Tomaccio,’ a new cherry tomato we have this year, will grow 4 m in a warm growing season. We’ll see if they reach those heights this summer.

Science & Technology
Deep-rooted Insight
The conventional image many people have of a tree’s root system probably resembles that of a carrot: one deep taproot with a few fibrous roots attached on the sides. However, a survey in England of 4,000 trees (blown down some time ago by a hurricane) showed that taproots occurred in only 2.5 percent of the surveyed trees. The remainder had mostly lateral roots that occupied the top few feet of the soil.

Did You Know?
Aloe vera (used for dressing small cuts and abrasions) contains an enzyme called bradykinase, which destroys bradykinin—a chemical in our bodies that produces pain.

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
–Jim Valvano

OK, I have a confession to make. It’s a little embarrassing to admit but…well, I saw Sex and the City 2 last week. Yes, me and another guy, and about 500 women watched Carrie and friends haute couture it all the way to the Middle East. I confess I convinced my wife to go in first to find a seat while I used the rather lame washroom excuse as a ploy to slip in after the lights had been dimmed. So, how was the movie you ask? Well, I winced over the portrayal of people in the Middle East, endured the bloated plot, shook my head over predictable one-liners, but left feeling it wasn’t as unabashedly horrible as the film critics made it out to be. Sure, it can be accused of being a thinly veiled infomercial for fashion clothing, yet the movie is shot beautifully and does have some amusing moments. So is Sex and the City fashion brainwashing? Nah, it’s more like a simple rinse.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Memories of Popcorn
Speaking of the movies, the smell of buttery popcorn is wafting through our greenhouses this year. No, not because the growers are eating it or growing it. Rather, it’s coming from the popcorn cassia (Cassia didymobotrya). It’s a semi-tropical plant that has large caragana-like leaves and produces yellow flowers on a tall spike. The flowers and foliage smell distinctly like buttered popcorn and are sure to evoke memories of sitting in a theatre watching movies—even the bad ones.

Miss: Starved Cherries
According to quite a few people I’ve talked to, ‘Evans’ cherries are either leafing out poorly this spring or have died completely. Winter cold can take some of the blame, but not all of it. A key factor for all hardy plants to endure winter is the ability to build up sufficient carbohydrate reserves prior to the onset of very cold weather. That didn’t happen last year because of drought stress, which diminishes carbohydrate reserves thereby reducing plant cold tolerance. As evidenced by the Evans cherries, drought stress followed by deep cold is a simple formula for severe tree injury, or worse, tree mortality.

Don’t expect heavy fruit production from ‘Evans’ cherries this year.

Question of the Week
Are any bedding plants poisonous?
First of all, keep in mind that “poisonous plant” is a broad term. It’s applied to plants that cause reactions ranging from mild skin irritation to serious injury via ingestion. Consequently, “poisonous” can be attached to a wide number of bedding plants. However, very few common bedding plants are particularly toxic. That said, gnawing on bedding plants that aren’t deemed edible isn’t something I’d recommend.

Science & Technology
These Boots are Made for Talking
From the Treehugger website comes an interesting way of generating electricity from your garden gumboots. The rubber boots, developed by the Orange and Gotwind companies, take advantage of the Seebeck effect, whereby temperature differences generate electricity. In this instance, heat from your feet warms the top of ceramic material in the boost while cold from the ground underfoot reaches the other side of the ceramic. So just how efficient is it you may be wondering? Well, you’ll have to do a lot of walking. It takes 12 hours to generate enough power for about an hour of cellphone use.

Did You Know?
The reason you’re not supposed to drink water from garden hoses is because some are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which contains a small amount of lead (a stabilizer) that could potentially leach out.

“Happinesss is a habit—cultivate it.”
–Elbert Hubbard

Hits & Misses: Waterproof gardening & weatherproof gardeners
Question of the Week: What is a vegetative plant?
Science & Technology: Sequencing spruce

Who knew chelated iron would capture my fancy. To be honest, using it is quite gratifying. If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to, the answer is testing the latest iron product available to battle dandelions and other broad-leafed lawn weeds. So far, I’m impressed. In my test, the dandelions began to turn to mush within 24 hours of being sprayed. This fast-acting product is also eco-friendly and as a peripheral benefit will turn your grass a richer hue of green. The product information says an additional spraying of iron may be necessary four to five weeks later to deal with any dandelion regrowth. As for those of you who like to eat dandelions (untreated), don’t despair. I can’t image they’ll become an endangered species anytime soon—even with chelated iron doing battle.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Waterproof Gardening
Have you ever worried about watering or under watering your garden plants? Well, there’s a solution: water bowls! Simply fill with water and add aquatic plant species. Provided you keep the bowl filled to a reasonable level, the plants will thrive and you’ll never have to worry about when to water. Many different combinations of water plants will work. For example, you can try cyperus grass, parrot’s feather, lysimachia and rumax. To keep the algae at bay, simply add some PurPond to the bowl. This product is essentially a special type of rock that scrubs nutrients such as phosphorus and ammonium from the water. With the nutrients trapped within the rock structure, algae growth is stopped.

Miss: Weatherproof Gardeners
Let me think…what would make a good miss this week? Hmmm…how about the #!**!# weather! This has to be the worst May weather I can remember. Cold temperatures, rain and, yes, snow—not exactly gardening weather. But hey, we’re hardy prairie folk and I know we’ll get through this maelstrom. Just the same, if Mother Nature is listening, we’re sorry for whatever we did to offend you and promise to behave. Now please turn up the heat!

Question of the Week
What is a vegetative plant?
Vegetative refers to a specific propagation method by which cuttings (usually branches) are taken from plants and rooted to produce genetically identical offspring. The kinds of plants often propagated this way produce either little or no viable seed, or have genetically inconsistent seed. Some plants naturally reproduce this way (think of runners on strawberries). In the greenhouse business, we use this type of propagation to grow bedding plants such as petunias and coleus.

Science & Technology
Sequencing Spruce
According to Science, Swedish researchers are going to spend $10 million sequencing the Norway spruce genome. It’s a significant project not only because it will be the first conifer to be sequenced but also because the Norway spruce feeds Sweden’s timber industry. A better understanding of what makes the species tick is, therefore, crucial for the long-term health of the industry. But if you think the sequencing will be a simple job, think again. The Norway spruce has 7 to 10 times more genes than a human genome. The project leader, Par Ingvarsson of Umea University, says they especially want to identify the genes that control wood properties. Now if Par could identify the genes one needs to put that damn Norway spruce-based Ikea furniture together, I’d be happy too.

Did You Know?
Soft water isn’t soft on plants. It contains high levels of sodium, which are detrimental to plant health.

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”
–James Dean

Hits & Misses: Shapely lavender & safety first
Question of the Week: I just bought some drought tolerant plants. Do I have to water them?
Science & Technology: Sexist scent

Ice cubes popping out of potting soil? Yes, it was a little bewildering to one customer who witnessed the rise of what looked like ice cubes from the soil of her patio planters. The cubes were actually supersaturated Moisture Mizer granules, and they appeared after several days of heavy rain. The product is a hydrogel—a fine-crystalline structure capable of absorbing large quantities of water, and is touted as being able to prevent containers from drying out. But do they work? Well, the reality is that hydrogels will, at best, buy you a few more hours between waterings. So although, they’re not a miracle product, give them a shot if you have a hot, dry spot. Just don’t be alarmed if the blobs rise from the soil like zombies.

Given the right conditions,
hydrogels can look like ice cubes.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Shapely Lavender
Lavender’s purple flowers, which remind me of bursting fireworks, always stand out from the crowd. They’re even more dramatic when pruned into a tree-form with the blooms set against spherical shaped foliage. These tree-form lavenders are unique-looking potted plants. They’re perfect for patio tables and are sure to get the barbeque crowd talking. And, of course, they smell wonderful too.

Miss: Safety First
Most of us (or maybe it’s just me) have a tendency to use a new product first and to read the label second—usually after the product doesn’t perform as expected. For some products, the worst that happens is you waste your money. But for others, the consequences can be much more serious. I had a customer who erroneously assumed he could use Doktor Doom House and Garden Insecticidal Spray to control bed bugs in his home. Thankfully, he’s okay, although he did suffer from dizziness and need medical attention. The important lesson is that pesticides must be used only for specified purposes—labels must be read thoroughly and followed exactly. The customer’s story ended well, but reinforced the point that you should read first, use second.

Question of the Week
I just bought some drought tolerant plants. Do I have to water them?
You sure do. Just because a plant can withstand drought doesn’t mean it will thrive without watering. It’s also important to regularly water newly purchased drought-tolerant plants until they’re well established.

Science & Technology
Sexist Scent
Women have a greater sensitivity to odours than do men but as always, there’s an exception to the rule. In the May issue of Science, researchers from Linkoping University in Sweden report men are more sensitive to the chemical (bourgeonal) that gives lily-of-the-valley its distinctive fragrance than women are. Strangely enough, in lab experiments the researchers also found that sperm cells make a beeline toward bourgeonal. They don’t know why this is the case, but I know there’s a joke inside that data just screaming to get out…

Did You Know?
The word horseradish probably came from the old German word meerrettich, meaning sea radish, which aptly describes the plant that grew wild in European coastal regions.

“The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser—in case you thought optimism was dead.”
–Robert Brault