Hits & Misses: Glorious colouration & fading glory
Question of the Week: I haven’t had a chance to prune my hardy roses. Should I have?
Science & Technology: French fry perfection

So what does one do with leftover Halloween pumpkins? Feed them to an elephant, of course. Well, at least that’s what we decided to do. Lucy, the resident elephant at Edmonton’s Valley Zoo, loves to munch on pumpkins, so we sent her a box full of them. Of course, Lucy was in the media recently thanks to Bob Barker, animal rights activist and former game-show host, who advocated relocating her to a sanctuary in California. Now, I’m not sure how Lucy feels about emigrating, but I am sure she loves the taste of pumpkins—she ate six in one meal. If I could’ve tapped into Lucy’s mind while she was chomping on the jack-o’-lanterns, I’d bet she was thinking these taste great…and the price is right!

Hits & Misses
Hit: Glorious Colouration
In my opinion, ‘Ice Punch’ is the most intriguing poinsettia variety we’ve got this year. I love its art deco look. If you’re not familiar with this newer variety, let me explain that what sets it apart is the mottled splash of white in the middle of each deeply serrated, red bract. It looks like a rich-red poinsettia touched by a thin layer of hoar frost.

‘Ice Punch’ is one of the most interesting looking of approximately
30 poinsettia varieties being grown in the greenhouse this year.

Miss: Fading Glory
I think the novelty of white pumpkins is—pardon the pun—fading. Sales were brisk the last few years, but this Halloween the ghostly pumpkins didn’t sell as well. My wife said it best, “I think white pumpkins are modern, edgy and elegant. If I were having a fall wedding, I would use them for centrepieces. But for Halloween, orange rules with the kids.” Oh, and just for the record, my wife is not planning on remarrying.

Science & Technology
French Fry Perfection
Is the inner flesh of your french fry too dark coloured for your taste? Then blame it on gas accumulation, specifically carbon dioxide and ethylene. In the right combination, at even low concentrations, they can cause dark flesh colour. At least, that’s what researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Nova Scotia found. These naturally occurring gases team up to increase sugar levels, which in turn darken tuber flesh. Affected potatoes (and french fries) are fine to eat, but they’re visually unappealing. The potatoes themselves give off carbon dioxide in storage, whereas ethylene can come from ripening fruit (apples, for example), vehicle exhaust or even disease organisms. Remove the gases and you prevent off-coloured fries. That’s certainly easier said than done for most of us, but for commercial growers, ventilation will certainly be worth the effort.

Question of the Week
I haven’t had a chance to prune my hardy roses. Should I have?
Actually, hardy roses don’t need much pruning (unlike tender roses, which should be pruned back in late fall and then mulched). For hardy roses, prune back any dead growth in the spring, just before their leaves begin to open. To rejuvenate mature, hardy roses, remove one-third of the oldest canes every year or two. This will encourage new growth.

Did You Know?
Less than five percent of all insect species in Canada and the US are deemed to be pests.

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
—Winston Churchill