Weeding display beds

Today, I primarily weeded the oxalis and mulberry weeds out of the ground beds in Display Room 2 (New Caledonia). The oxalis weeds are virtually everywhere in the greenhouse, from the beds to almost all of the pots. The small leaves easily hide in the tinyest nooks and cracks. I suspect the seeds blow in on the wind. The greenhouse will never be rid of the little devil. I won't even post a photo of the weed for fear it will infest my computer too!

While weeding the beds, I had to be careful not to disturb the small volunteer amborella plants taking root in the bed across from the mature amborella plants. This plant is particularly important since it is native only to New Caledonia in the south Pacific Ocean. The plant is essentially unchanged for the past 250 million years, and was certainly in existance along with the entire history of the dinsouars. It is the perfect specimen to successfully grow in a university greenhouse.

The amborella leaves are thick and waxy, like holly leaves. Small white flowers grow from pedicles along the main stems.

Unfortunately, as with most plants in the greenhouse, the amborella bushes are susceptible to scale insects which extrude fecal sap, which in turn allows sooty mold to cover the leaves and reduce the photosynthetic capacity of the plant. The staff at the greenhouse work hard to mitigate and control the infestations on all of the plants, not only amborella. I've been asked to take a pail of soapy water and scub the amborella leaves on more than one occasion.

It is quite a success to see the delicate small amborella seedlings in a bed across the path from the main bush. The seedlings were eventually relocated to a pot to mature into a larger plant.

Finally on this day in September, I used the nail brush to clean a potted climbing hydrangea bush covered in sooty mold.

Comments

A Sensitive Plant and Common Weed

Mimosa pudica, also commonly called the sensitive plant was a popular houseplant when I was growing up in the 1970s. It was popular for its ability to quicky change shape by folding up its leaves to protect them from herbivore predators. At the slightest touch the plant is able to expell water from special cells in the leaves, changing the shape from frond-like to a stick-form. The plant creeps along the ground, never for than a foot or so in height. In tropical parts of the world this plant is considered and invasive weed. Today, as I was treating plants to remove pests I happened to touch the leaves of a Mimosa pudica , one with a pretty puff-like flower. Sure enough, the leaves all folded up to almost nothing. Mimosa pudica , the sensitive plant Other more routine chores during my four-hour shift at the U of M Conservatory included cleaning three plants of Hibiscus clayi, native to Hawaii. These three plants in particular have suffered repeated infestations with a variety of in...

A Thames River Walk Through Time: Repurposing Tow Paths

I love it when old technologies are repurposed to solve entirely different problems. A perfect example is the extensive system of canals and tow paths throughout England. Before the Industrial Revolution and the advent of railways, these canals were built to transport goods between cities and towns. Narrow boats pulled by horses or mules along tow paths were a common sight. Today, however, these tow paths have found a new purpose: recreational walking. They offer picturesque routes through the English countryside, allowing people to explore the beauty of the canals and rivers. The commerce that once flowed along these waterways may have shifted to railways, but the paths themselves continue to serve a valuable function. This year, I had the privilege of joining three other hikers on a journey along the River Thames tow path, from the city of Oxford to its source, a distance of about 50 miles. Farther upstream, the river gradually narrowed, eventually transforming into a swollen creek b...

Plantulary: Botanical Dance

The title of the dance performance was Plantulary. The theme, botanical. On a whim, my partner suggested we attend a performance of a new dance work by a small immersive arts collaborative, Aniccha Arts. Through the arc of a single year—from growth through to dormancy—the dancers describe the story of plant life using percussive dance rhythms, music, literary, and various vegetable props. For me, this dance performance was a challenge to appreciate; it was no Swan Lake. I didn’t fully understand the connection between many of the sound and dance elements. But, curiously, the memory of it has stuck with me for the past few days. To set the scene, the stage consisted of a simple dark room lit by spotlights and early evening sunlight coming in through large windows. Along the baseboard of the stage were narrow trays of green seedlings lit by fluorescent grow-lights, forming the outer limit of the performance space. To further imbue the stage with plant life, several moss balls (kokedama-l...

City Gardener

Search This Blog