Tomatoes. The quintessential summer vegetable. But wait, it’s not a vegetable at all! Botanically, it’s a fruit! And not just a fruit, but a berry! So here are some other interesting facts about this quintessential summer berry: Tomatoes – the 80,000-Year-Old Treat Tomatoes are truly American, originating in South America over 80,000 years ago. The … Read more
The peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower is here! According to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke, the Perseids are perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year. Typical rates are about 80 meteors an hour, but in outburst years (such as back in 2016), the rate can be between 150-200 meteors an hour. The … Read more
Did you know that citrus fruits are berries botanically? Or that citrus is native to Southeast Asia? In fact, in many languages, they are known as Chinese Apples. Here are some more citrus fun facts! From Color Changes to Record-Breaking Lemons Christopher Columbus Brings Oranges to the New World Oranges first reached the New World … Read more
Well, the new, larger birdbath in my backyard is working. Yesterday evening, I saw two dragonflies! Don’t you find something a little bit magical about them? Dragonflies – Millions of Years Old Dragonflies are an ancient family of insects. They were around 300 million years ago! They were much bigger then, though, with a wingspan … Read more
It’s Mid-Summer. I just finished feeding my tomatoes, so what should I do with my indoor plants now? Let’s Put “Light” on Summer Plant Care In summer, light changes at a slightly different angle than just a few months ago. That means I need to double-check my light levels. In my house, once the trees … Read more
Most people know what Annuals are—plants that grow from seed to flowers that set seed again but do not survive the winter. Most people know what Perennials are—plants that grow to maturity in one season and die down in the winter but do come back the following spring. There are even Biennials—plants that grow from … Read more
Why I Love Herbs I love herbs! I love the fact that deer and rabbits are put off by their strong scents. This means I can tuck a few in my flower or vegetable gardens and let them go to work by emitting their fragrances and deterring some critter damage. So, I use herbs a … Read more
We know gardening is creative. We visualize how those purple petunias will look with those yellow marigolds, how that pretty pink beebalm will look with that white Angelonia, or how that huge fluffy Boston fern will look by the front door. But how would you classify your gardening style? Mad Scientist Gardener Some of us, … Read more
Last week the EPA’s Administrator issued a proclamation announcing June 17th to the 23rd as National Pollinator Week. My thoughts? It’s about time! One third of our food supply requires pollination. And that’s not even counting food that our wildlife eats. How to Help Our Pollinator Friends We all know we should plant more pollinator-friendly … Read more
This coming Thursday, the 20th, is the Summer Solstice—the first official day of summer. On this day, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, creating the longest day of sunlight and the shortest night. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the beginning of winter. Meteorological Verses Astrological Summer However, meteorologically speaking, the first of June … Read more
