Now here’s a cool way to make your own custom seed packets! I picked these up at Hortus Botanicus on my last trip to Mendo. Looks like they used coin envelopes and printed labels using their own photos of plants in bloom. Very classy and very clever.
Inside the envelopes, seeds were stored in smaller waxed paper envelopes. Germination instructions were tucked inside as well.
Not sure where to find coin envelopes? See this GardenWeb thread.
Just when I think I’m strong enough to look at gardening books online without being tempted to buy… I stumble upon Roses for Northern California
New website: SacGardens.org
Upcoming meetings:
*FRONT YARD GARDEN MEETING*
To Organize Community Support for the Updating of
Sacramento City’s Front Yard Landscape Ordinance
*To be voted on at the March 20th City Council Meeting*
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
6 pm to 8 pm
Sierra 2 Center, Curtis Hall
2791 24th Street
(parking off 4th Avenue – directions)
————————————————————————
The Front Yard Garden Ordinance is on
the Sacramento City Council Meeting Agenda
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Council Chambers in City Hall
915 I Street
If the same ol’ same ol’ in mainstream garden catalog plant offerings just doesn’t do it for you anymore, you might be a slightly jaded gardener. If, like me, you increasingly need a plant to be rare, or unusual in color or form, or organic, or gourmet, or an heirloom… or a rare, unusual, organic, gourmet heirloom that can only be purchased during a full moon in February in order to feel that high when you buy, you need to look for collector’s catalogs.
Here are a few of my favorite garden catalogs offering the really cool and unusual stuff…
You can also find some very interesting and exotic plant offerings on ebay. Just check the seller’s rating before you buy.
In flowers, too, green is the new red
For Valentine’s Day, choose flowers raised organically and sustainably — or nearly so
Amy Stewart, Special to The Chronicle
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
just before the Big Day… Valentine’s Day. But, hey, maybe her publishers planned it that way so we’d really get it… so we’d already know which flowers to buy someone, where to buy them, when to order them, how to tell if they’re fresh… and how to send the perfect message.
You’ve heard, “Say it with Flowers.” Amy’s book tells you how to “Say it right with the freshest, hippest, most beautiful and lasting cut flowers that also may happen to have been ecologically raised.”
What I also learned is that cut flowers are incorporated into daily life in some countries. Ahem, Americans, you holiday-focused flower buyers. Live a little dangerously every now and then and buy flowers for your soul, not just the souls you’re obliged to buy for.
After following Amy on this information-packed journey in which she takes a flower’s path from conception (in the hybridizer’s mind) to growth to processing to shipping to marketing and finally to its final destination, you will not only be exhausted for Amy, you will be much more savvy about the freshest, hippest, most meaningful and most extravagent floral offerings in the U.S.; and you’ll know where to get the cheap stuff. Hey, nothing wrong with a budget bouquet… except that it might not last very long and it might have been treated to a pesticide drench. Don’t eat the daisies. Really.
You will also become acquainted with a new form of labeling signifying higher ecological standards. Dare I say “guilt-free” flowers? Amy even touches on a store near you carrying high quality flowers at bargain prices. Any guesses?
Delving into post-harvest flower conditions, Amy tells you how to spot the freshest displays and how to maximize vase life once you get those babies home. You’ll also come to understand why cut flowers can be so danged expensive at times, and you’ll learn about the hidden and not-so-beautiful environmental costs and considerations.
I came away from Flower Confidential
Still, knowing “…the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful…” about the flower business does nothing to dim the feeling I get when I walk into a florist shop or the floral kiosk at my local grocery store. Pure romance. Pure swoon. And to the flowers? You’ve come a long way, baby. No really. Holland? Ecuador? You look like you could use a drink.
Check out this video snippet of Amy talking about Flower Confidential:
Be sure to catch Amy on her book tour. She may be coming to a bookstore or garden show near you! Read all about it on her blog.
Successive frosts and freezes and a rainfall deficit means the garden is looking pretty ragged right now. I’m not cutting anything back till frost danger has passed… except my roses, which I should have already pruned but… haven’t. If I do it in the next couple days, the rose police won’t have anything on me.
If you won’t pet me and scratch my head… I guess this shrub will have to suffice.
Fine. Be that way.
Persian shield looooves heat and haaaaates cold.
These pansies and tulips are loving being tucked up against a stucco wall on the southwest corner of the property.
Ooh… Mexican bush sage, lavender and sedum looking fabulously awful.
Wine industry lifts glasses to vanishing glut
Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, January 25, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Happy to have done my part as an Amercan cizen… hiccup… an Amer-i-can Ciz-it-en… hiccup!
Check out their FAQ’s.
Under normal conditions, an EcoForms™ pot will last five years.
What are EcoForms™ made of?
Grain husks (primarily rice hulls) and natural binding agents (a combination of starch based, water soluble binders and biodegradable additives).
Can I plant EcoForms™ in the ground?
No, EcoForms™ are meant to be used and reused above ground only. They will degrade in the landfill.
What colors do they come in?
We currently list 6 colors: Natural, Avocado, Harvest, Sand, Mocha and Ebony.
Can they handle freezing conditions?
Yes, EcoForms™ show no damage when exposed to freezing or thawing conditions.
Are EcoForms™ organic?
Although they are not certified organic, they are ideal for organic production. They contain non-polluting, earth-friendly ingredients.
Where can I buy them?
Call John Hoffman at (530) 320-6829 or Sweetwater Nursery at (707) 566-8133. You may also send e-mail to sales@ecoforms.com.
