Garden notes December 18, 2012

From Kim Willis
http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/cooking-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/

Hi Gardeners

What an incredibly sad weekend this was.  I had to turn off the TV after a while because there are only so many hours that you can spend watching and crying.  We know we shouldn’t but we seem drawn to immerse ourselves in such tragedy as the Newtown shootings.  Grey days seem to intensify the sadness.  The sun is out today and perhaps our nation will begin to heal.   I find peace in beautiful music with green things around me and chocolate.  May you feel peace too.

I had a beautiful peaceful early morning last Friday.  At 2 am I went outside to watch the meteor shower.  The night was cold and clear and the stars were so beautiful. (My husband wasn’t interested in going out in the cold from a warm bed.) I did not see 100 falling stars in the hour or so I was out there, maybe 30-40, but some of them were quite big and bright.  Even my dogs stayed inside and it was as quiet as could be outside.  The whole time I was outside only 2 cars passed my house.

I was sitting there with a cat on my lap when from about 100 feet away the howl of a coyote started up.  He was somewhere over in the neighbors pasture.   His yip, yip, yoweeeel was answered by what sounded like a larger group somewhere to my east on a bigger farm.  The cat dived under the car; they know to hide from coyotes.  He called a few times then was silent again.  Amazingly neither my dogs or the neighbors barked or howled back.   I have heard coyotes before but this was so unexpected and close it was really startling but I also thought it was beautiful.

Cat lover needed

Speaking of cats a beautiful, long haired black and white female cat turned up in my barn. She is quite large for a female cat and has been declawed, so there is a good chance she is spayed also.  She was probably dumped here.  I have to stop sitting outside with cats draped on neck and across my lap.   She would like to be an indoor cat very badly, which she cannot be here. I have given her the very original name of Fluffy.  She is very friendly. She looks like she was well taken care of before turning up here. Would anyone like a cat for Christmas?

Well it doesn’t look like our chances for a white Christmas are really good. That’s ok, I’m sure we will get some more snow this winter, but I enjoy not having to wade through it, or shovel it, although the mud is pretty messy too.  It is nice to be able to run the hose each day at the barn but I do think we need it to be just a bit colder.  I noticed that one of my landscape roses up next to the house on the south has a set of new shiny leaves and a cluster of tiny buds forming.  They are not hardening off as they should and when we do get that cold snap they will be damaged.

My Christmas cactus is blooming beautifully right on cue.  I also have several colors of geraniums in bloom and an African violet.    I hope there are flowers in your life, they make winter bearable.

Next week there will be no weekly newsletter and the next one will be January 2, 2013- a new start in a new year.  I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with your family and that all of us have a blessed and bountiful New Year.

Really Green batteries

Lithium-ion batteries power many of the gadgets we all use in daily life.  The trouble with them and with many other types of batteries is that they are environmentally and financially costly to both make and re-cycle.  Lithium batteries require cobalt, which is a mined ore that is getting scarce and the mining process negatively affects the environment.  The process of producing or re-cycling the lithium batteries requires high heat, requiring lots of fuel, and releases toxins as waste products. 

Scientists have been working to produce a greener battery and they may have found it.  Commercial trials of batteries produced from a plant, Madder, (Rubia species) will soon be conducted and it looks very good that we will soon have a non-toxic, environmentally sound battery. 

Madder is a plant that grows on several continents and in a range of climates.  It is a sprawling perennial plant that grows up to 8 feet long or high if supported.  It has small yellow flowers that turn into blue-black berries.  The plant spreads by rhizomes and also produces a larger, heavier central root that is generally used for dye production.

Madder has been cultivated as a dye plant for at least 5,000 years.  The dye is made from the boiled roots or a powder made from them and produces a red-purple color.  Traces of madder dye have been found on textiles and leather from the tombs of pharaohs and in the graves of Norsemen.  Ancient Celtic lasses soaked their fingernails in madder solutions to give them a rosy tint and madder root was fed to white animals to tint their skin, hooves or nails.

It’s the plant molecules that produce the color, purpurin, that’s the basis for the new batteries.  Purpurin easily binds to lithium and conducts and stores electricity quite efficiently.  Purpurin binds to lithium salts without high heat, with other natural ingredients such as alcohol, and the new batteries will require little energy to produce or re-cycle. Actually the batteries will probably be disposable as they will decompose into a natural, harmless product.  Researchers say the new batteries are just as efficient as the current ones and devices will not require any modification to use them.

Madder is a renewable, perennial crop that requires little fertilizer and is easy to harvest and as it grows it sequesters carbon as most plants do, actually helping the environment.  Madder stems and leaves can be used as livestock food. This exciting research was recently reported in the journal Nature's online and in Scientific Reports, on December 11, 2012.  Anyone out there ready to start a Madder farm?

Its official- ultrasonic devices don’t work for pest control

The Journal of Economic Entomology will soon publish the complete results of scientific tests on several commercial ultrasonic pest control devices.  A group of researchers was interested in recent claims that the products would deter bedbugs and began research to test the products.  The products also claim to deter (chase off) most other pest insects and even mammals like rats and mice.

You don’t have to be a scientist to be skeptical of these devices but now the evidence is in- they are snake oil products, made to relieve people of their money.  The preliminary report released from the study found that the ultrasonic devices were not effective in repelling bedbugs or any other insects or mammals.

The world’s oldest tree

This report fascinated me.  In the remote Dalarna province of Sweden a group of living spruce trees were found of very ancient origins.  Carbon dating placed the oldest spruce at 9,950 years old and several other trees were more than 8,000 years old.   Think of that tree standing through snow and wind through all of those centuries, the changes in the world, the rise and fall of civilizations.  The oldest human remains in the general area (Norway) are dated only to about 9,200 years.

Before this find the oldest trees were thought to be some pines in North America that are about 5,000 years old.  There are about 17 species of plants that can live to be more than 1,000 years old.  Most of the long lived plants are conifers- evergreens.  Recent genetic research has found that most evergreen species are little changed genetically from pre-historic times.  They evolved into their niche so well that little change has been needed for them to survive for the hundreds of thousands of years they have been on earth.

Scientists in Sweden are just beginning an ambitious program to unravel the entire genetic code of a spruce but we already know that your Christmas spruce tree has about 7 times more genetic material- (DNA) that you do.   Perhaps that is the secret to their longevity.

Lock up your spices

You’ve heard of the exotic chemical concoctions that idiots are using to get high that were dubbed “spice”.  But it seems that real spices in your kitchen cabinet are also inspiring some risky behavior in silly kids.  A new fad, spread by the internet, is called the cinnamon challenge.  Kids try to swallow a tablespoon of dry cinnamon without anything to wash it down. This causes explosive coughing and burning of the throat and has resulted in several hospitalizations. 

Worse is the practice of smoking, snorting or eating large quantities of powdered nutmeg.  Nutmeg does contain a hallucinogenic called myristicin.  No deaths have been reported yet but there have been several people who required medical treatment.

At least 2 recent deaths in pre-teens were caused by an even more seemingly safe item, marshmallows.  Another fad called Chubby Bunny gets kids to stuff as many marshmallows in their mouths as they can and then say “Chubby Bunny”.  Choking requiring medical treatment has occurred in many places and choking caused the two deaths mentioned.  Marshmallows lodged in the throat are very hard to remove, even by experts.   So keep an eye on those kitchen cabinets while kids are home for the holidays and bored.

Celebrate the winter solstice with an ancient tradition

On December 21 the longest, darkest night of the year occurs.  After this night the days slowly start to lengthen.  I myself always feel happy when the longest night is over and we begin our journey to renewal.  I understand completely why this day was so important to early people and why they rejoiced that it had come. 

In earliest times the lighting of the Yule log celebrated the winter solstice.  A large oak log was brought into a city square or a person’s home.  On the eve of the winter solstice, as darkness approached the log was lit.  All other light is extinguished and everyone concentrates on the fire.  First sprigs of holy are thrown into the fire and a person gives thanks for the good things that happened during the past year.  Then acorns and pieces of oak twigs are thrown into the fire and people wish for good things in the New Year. 

The oak log is kept burning through the hours of darkness and only allowed to go out as dawn breaks.  Through the night people sing, eat and dance to celebrate the ending of the old year.  As morning comes people gather pieces of unburned oak for good luck in the New Year and these are often used to start the Yule log fire the next year.

This year let us pray that when the longest night ends we enter a year filled with peace, joy and good luck for everyone and that we leave the violence, heartbreak and fear of the past year behind us. Luck and love to all of you in the coming year and may God bless you and yours.

More Information

Cinnamon rolls

This cinnamon roll or bread recipe takes a little time and you must pay attention to details but its well worth the effort. This is the kind of kitchen gift you can be proud of and you’ll want to make some for yourself too. This sweeter dough also makes good dinner rolls and the variation for making them will be given.  Read more,

http://www.examiner.com/article/gifts-from-the-kitchen-cinnamon-rolls?

 Growing Rex Begonias

Rex begonias are a great plant to brighten up Michigan winters. As a houseplant their colorful foliage will add zest to the windowsill. And they can be moved outside in summer to bring color to shady containers and baskets.  Read more,

http://www.examiner.com/article/growing-rex-begonias

Looking for a good garden book? -

Check out the American Horticulture Society garden book awards

http://www.ahs.org/awards/book_awards/2012_AHS_Book_Award_Winners.pdf

December 11, 2012 garden newsletter

We had some freezing drizzle last night and this morning I drove to town down a road lined with glittery trees and diamond sprinkled tall grasses.  The sun was shining and the roads were fine so it was beautiful.  By the time I returned later today the clouds had returned and it was snowing lightly, not so beautiful.

There’s a Geminid meteor shower that should be spectacular this week.  The moon will be new, which means barely visible, and as we are expected to have clear skies viewing should be great, but cold.  You will be able to see up to 100 shooting stars an hour, a sight worth watching, after 1 am on Friday, December 14, although some falling stars will be visible soon after dusk on Thursday, December 13.  This is the best meteor shower this year and probably for a while to come.  Why not set the alarm and go outside and sit in your car to watch?  Or better yet bundle up and sit in a lawn chair.  Shut off all the outside lights and listen for owls calling.

New garden trends

What’s hot in gardening this year?  Terrariums are back in fashion along with dish gardens designed similar to bonsai as miniature landscapes.   Catalogs are featuring both retro and modern terrariums and lots of figurines and miniatures for designing your own fairyland, medieval farm, or desert landscape.  Small plants suitable for dish landscapes are also being offered.

Moss is also popular this year both as specimens to be planted in pots indoors and as a wrap for the roots of small houseplants.  There are many unusual plants in the moss family that make unique houseplants. Sheets of green moss are tied around the root balls of small plants and then suspended in twine hangers or sat in decorative trays.  Sheets of moss are also being sold for those miniature landscapes mentioned above.

Oddly shaped decorative pots or planting containers are also hot, often in bold colors with metallic trim or designs.  The pot is meant to be an art statement as well as a holder for a plant.  Pots for indoor plants are being featured which hopefully means a return to popularity for houseplants.

Old trees dying in record numbers

Scientists around the world are alarmed at the number of huge old trees that are dying.  Trees that have stood for centuries are dying at an alarming rate, probably 5 times more than the average losses twenty years ago.   A combination of warming climate, drought, severe wildfires due to drought, insect attacks, and increased logging and land clearing all seem to play a part in the loss.

Each large, ancient tree represents thousands of square feet for habitat for wildlife and even other forms of plants, lichens and mosses.  It’s estimated that 30% of the world’s bird species require large older trees as part of their habitat either for nesting or roosting.  All continents are losing the large old trees, including North America and all types of trees are being affected.  Trees sequester carbon, provide cooling, return nutrients to the soil and actually influence the environment in their location.

The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) is calling for an urgent global response to the loss of ancient trees, including locating and cataloging ancient trees as well as working out plans to preserve them.  Each tree can represent hundreds of years of history in their location.  It’s vital that we understand what is happening to them and work to stabilize the losses.

Why the frogs are dying

When I was young I remember the yard and sidewalks being filled with hopping toads after a summer rain.  I could sit in my warm, stuffy school room on a bright spring day and hear a chorus of frogs from the swamps several blocks away.  Now the sight and sound of frogs and toads is becoming increasingly rare.  I still see frogs and the occasional toad in my yard and here in the country we still get serenaded in the spring but even in the twenty years we have lived here I have noticed fewer and fewer frogs and toads, even though we provide plenty of good habitat.

It seems that across the world frogs and toads have declined to alarmingly low population rates and many rare species have disappeared.  Researchers have proposed several causes, including chemicals in the water, stronger UV rays from diminishing ozone layers, loss of habitat and climate change.  There is no doubt that all of those things contribute to the loss of amphibians but now researchers have determined that a fungal disease may be the primary cause of frog death worldwide.

The severe decline of frogs was first noticed in Australia and South America in the 1980’s.  It wasn’t until 1998 that a fungal disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was identified as a possible cause of frog decline.   We know now that frogs in every corner of the world have the disease.  Recent research suggests that Bd is causing much of the decline in the world’s frogs and toads.

Studies by the University of California, Berkley and San Francisco State University found a 95% decline in frog populations after the disease hit the Sierra Nevada area. They found that infected frogs had skins up to 40 times thicker than normal and the thickened skins prevented them from absorbing water and electrolytes through the skin.  The frogs basically died from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Frogs in captivity are easy to treat with common veterinarian fungicides and generally recover.  However it is impossible to treat frogs in the wild this way.  Frogs that are treated and released soon get the disease again.  Researchers are hopeful that a treatment they are developing from normal skin bacteria that live on frogs will eventually be helpful.

It seems amazing that a disease which seems to have emerged in South America could spread across the globe so easily.  Frogs don’t migrate or travel great distances.  I guess they must hitchhike on plants and on boats.  Frogs are the food of other species of animals both as adults and tadpoles and their loss also affects other species of animals.  Frogs also help control insects. Gardeners should do everything they can to protect the frogs and toads in their gardens because they may soon be gone.

137 new species discovered this year

Enough of dying.  This year’s scientific journals have announced that 137 new species of animals and plants were discovered and named this year.  The new species include 83 insects/arachnids, 41 fish, 7 plants, 4 sea slugs, 1 reptile and 1 amphibian.   In 2011 there were 144 new species discovered.  One of the species or actually a new Family of arachnids discovered this year is a clawed spider found in caves in our Pacific Northwest which has been named Trogloraptor, or “cave robber”.

The down side to this is the new species announced may have been identified from specimens locked up in cabinets for up to 20 years waiting to be studied. One of the new species identified this year actually came from a frog specimen collected in the 1930’s.  That’s tragic considering that frog populations are quickly being decimated by the fungal disease discussed previously.   In some cases the whole species may have gone extinct while waiting to be identified since the specimens are often from isolated pockets of territory that were opened up for exploration by being logged or developed for farming and other uses. 

The scientific community really needs to step up their efforts to identify specimens thought to be distinct and new to science.  This is being discussed in many scientific circles and soon we may see a greater focus on quickly identifying collected specimens so populations at risk of extinction can be protected.  By the way specimens discovered by amateur naturalists are often identified much sooner than those collected by professional zoologists and botanists.  That’s because the amateur collector is more eager to identify the specimen, however lowly, and possibly get credit for discovering it.

A good reason to keep cats out of the garden

I spent several hours this week researching and reading about some fascinating new discoveries that link a common cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii with mental illness and suicide in humans.  The protozoan parasite can only complete its life cycle in cats and is shed in cat feces.  People acquire the parasite by eating vegetables and fruits contaminated with it or pick it up when cats contact surfaces where food is prepared or eaten or when humans change litter boxes and handle cats.

In people the parasite often travels to the brain and makes a cyst in brain cells and there is now proof that those cysts secrete a substance that affects mood and emotion.  Research at Michigan State has found that people with Toxoplasma are 7 times more likely to commit suicide than people without the parasite.  The parasite is also linked to bi-polar disease, schizophrenia and other mental illness.   You can read more about this in an article I wrote on Examiner which also has links to scientific articles. http://www.examiner.com/article/common-cat-parasite-is-linked-to-mental-illness-and-suicide-humans

Gardeners should try to keep cats out of gardens, especially if they use them as a giant kitty litter box.  And always keep children’s sandboxes covered to prevent them from being contaminated.  I like cats, I own at least 7- more keep being dropped off- and I don’t intend to let this scare me about keeping them.  But I will be a little more cautious about washing my hands after handling them.

The fascinating history of poinsettias

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. The day was set in 2002 to honor Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, who died on this date in 1851. Poinsett was an interesting man, trained as a doctor; he had an avid interest in botany and natural history. While serving as Mexico’s US ambassador (1825-1829) he often wandered the countryside looking for new plant specimens. In southern Mexico the plant we now call poinsettias grew as tree-like weeds up to 10 feet tall. Read more at the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-fascinating-history-of-poinsettias

December 4, 2012 Garden notes

We sure are having a gray fall.  I keep telling myself that the rain is good for the plants but it sure doesn’t help my mood.  People have been telling me that odd things are still happening related to the unusual weather.  Someone from the mid-south told me that down there some trees that lost leaves are already starting to bud out again.  I noticed that my bulbs are already poking above ground. 

The National Weather Service has issued their meteorological winter (December through March) forecast.   Because of the jet streams, ocean water temperature and other markers, they predict “normal” winter weather for Michigan and most of the nation.  So now we have normal weather, milder and drier, and wetter but colder winter predictions if you add the Weather Service forecasts to both Farmers Almanacs predictions.  Well, someone will be right.

If you are one of the people who worry about the thinning of the ozone layer over us a new finding will get you even more worried.  Recently research has discovered that some of our massive storms that supposedly come from global warming are actually shooting water into the stratosphere, where we think it doesn’t belong.  There it mixes with pollution and forms chemicals that degrade ozone.

Now no one knows if storms have always pushed water into the stratosphere on occasion and whether this was a problem before we added certain chemicals to it from fluorocarbons and other things.  But we do know that wherever large storms with powerful updrafts have been there is a thinning in the ozone layer for several months over that location.  Ozone protects us from harmful radiation.

On to more scary stuff.  Do you believe the world will end on December 21?  I personally expect to be here on December 22nd and maybe a few years beyond that.  There are dozens of scenarios from the rapture to a massive meteor strike being thrown about.  But I planted lots of bulbs this fall and as a gardener I expect that when winter is over, however the weather turned out, spring will return. 

Christmas presents for gardeners

Gardening books and gift certificates to nurseries are welcome gifts for the gardener in your life but here are a few more suggestions. 

Guerilla gardening, where you sneak in and plant things on abandoned land or public spaces has become a popular pastime.  Seed bombs are the weapon of choice.  You lob these bombs into the space you want to re-claim and hopefully plants grow.  One company has made gift baskets that contain various seed mixtures in bomb form combined with slingshots in re-cycled gift boxes.  You can purchase these for about $40 or you can purchase the seed bombs by the pound (about 30 bombs) and make your own kits.  Find the bombs and kits here http://www.greenaid.co/guerilla-gift-box-critters/

How about a quality shovel engraved with the gardener’s name?  You can purchase those at www.diannebbest.com/shovel.php.

Nancy Szerlag has an excellent idea for giving garden magazine gift subscriptions in a recent Detroit News article.  Read the article and get a list of garden magazines to subscribe to at http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121130/OPINION03/211300313/Winter-s-housebound-gardeners-will-enjoy-gift-magazine?

New poinsettias

Thinking about buying a poinsettia for a gift or to decorate your home?  The last few years have seen an increase in the colors of poinsettias that you can buy, although the familiar red poinsettia is still the top seller. 

“Polar Bear” is white with beautiful green veins. “White Glitter” is red with white flecks.  “Ice Crystal” is white with red edges.  Picasso is red with cream streaking.  “Maren” is peach colored.  “Ice Punch” is bright pink with cream centers.  Poinsettias can be saved from year to year although they rarely look as pretty as they did when they came from the greenhouse at future Christmas’s.  A summer outside and being exposed only to natural daylight through fall and winter will help the plant to “flower” again.

Of course plant lovers know that poinsettia flowers are really colored bracts.  The true flower is the yellow tubular shaped objects in the bract center.

New Roses

I promised to talk about new roses for 2013 this week and here are a few I have come across in my reading.

Francis Meilland™ is a tall, very disease resistant hybrid tea rose.  The flowers are large, well formed, pale pink and very fragrant.  It has won many awards in Europe.

Tequila Gold™ is a new shrub rose with beautiful golden flowers.  It is a continuous bloomer with excellent disease resistance.  It could be used as a specimen or as a hedge.

Wollerton Old Hall is an English type rose.  The blooms are cream with a blush of peach and the flowers have an intoxicating myrrh scent.  While not a continuous  bloomer it blooms abundantly for many weeks.  It is almost thornless which makes picking the blooms easy.

Lady Salisbury is a continuous bloomer of pretty pink flower clusters that are excellent for cutting.  It is an English type rose.

Fighting Temeraire is another English rose. It has semi-double flowers of rich apricot with a splash of gold in the center.   It has strong, tall stems and can be trained as a climber.

England’s Rose is striking cerise pink with a strong spice fragrance.  It blooms in waves throughout the summer.  The small to medium size blooms drop their petals cleanly and never look like blobs in damp weather.

Other new plants of note

A Fantastic Foliage® Selection, Flashlights is a new seed grown Milium effusm, that gives gardeners another shade tolerant ornamental grass.  Flashlights makes arching clumps of chartreuse leaves to light up the shade.   It’s excellent for bedding or containers and gets about 10 inches high by 8 inches wide.

The new Jams 'N Jellies Blackberry vinca provides another fantastic bedding plant that could be used in place of impatiens.   It has a velvety purple, almost black flower with a light pink center and would be beautiful paired with light pink, lavender or white flowers. 

Jade Princess is an ornamental millet that has chartreuse leaves with upright purple flower heads that when they are mature, give off a molasses smell.  It would be a neat choice for a sunny container planting on a patio or porch.

Reading the genes of wheat

It may not seem like a big deal to the average person but scientists are excited that the genome of wheat has finally been sequenced, that is we have a map of the genetic make up of wheat.  Did you know that wheat has 94,000 to 96,000 genes which is about 5 times as many genes as a human has?  We think of ourselves as extremely complex organisms but some living things that seem less complex than us have a much more detailed set of building blocks. 

Wheat is the most valuable crop in the world and is facing an emerging disease threat  that poses a serious threat to global food security.  A disease called Ug99, a stem rust disease, has popped up in wheat growing areas of Africa and has spread to the Middle East and Asia.  Ug99 causes almost 100% loss of a crop when it hits an area and current controls for other types of wheat stem rusts are not working well on Ug99. 

Our ARS (Agricultural Research) scientists are working with international groups in a research facility in Turkey to find a cure or treatment for Ug99 before it spreads to the US.  They hope that now they have a map of wheat’s genetic makeup they will be able to identify what genes are involved in resistance to the new disease and develop varieties of Ug99 resistant wheat.  Yes this is genetic modification but it’s a good thing.  If wheat was wiped out across the globe millions of people would starve.

Scientists discover why hybrid plants grow better

It’s long been suspected but researchers have recently confirmed that the reason that hybrid plants (and animals) are more vigorous and productive is that the crossing of two individuals that are not closely related provides back up copies of genes that may have become defective or have gone missing from genetic lines that have been inbred for long periods of time.  Every inbred generation loses some genes through mutation or destruction. When the cell DNA divides during sexual reproduction so that each parent provides half of the chromosomes to an individual many mistakes can happen that damage or destroy genes on those chromosomes.

Many of those faulty or missing genes don’t make substantial differences but sometimes even a single gene that becomes damaged or that is lost can cause great differences.  Usually however the constant loss of a few genes here and there just cause a decline in vigor and productivity over the generations of inbred (purebred) lines.

A hybrid plant, a cross between two varieties of plants that are not closely related, often has 350 or more genes than one of its parents.  These extra genes can replace missing or damaged genes inherited from one parent with healthy ones from the other parent. And sometimes two sets of a certain gene bolster health and production.

Researchers in Israel produced 50 different varieties of tomato plants that had just one genetic mutation after the tomato genome was sequenced so that researchers had an idea where to look for gene mutations.  Crossing these tomatoes with each other provided a variety of enhancements to plant vigor and productivity.  They found that just one gene can increase the sweetness in tomatoes and one gene controls the numbers of flower clusters that form. 

Research on the tomato genome has produced some other interesting things.  A tomato gene was discovered that when injected into cancerous tumors of animals caused the tumors to “die”.  Trials on human cancer will begin soon.  Other tomato genes may become helpful in controlling or preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Gardeners who avoid hybrid seeds may be missing out on plant varieties that are healthier and more productive than those grown from “open pollinated” or purebred lines.  And it is important to stress that hybrid seeds can be produced organically.  Just because a variety of seed is open pollinated does not mean it is organic.

Here are some articles you may want to read.

Poisonous Holiday plants you may want to avoid

Plants have been brought into the home to decorate it around the winter solstice for hundreds of years. They have become part of the tradition and lore of the holidays and the practice persists even today. But not all holiday plants are safe for children and pets and knowing which ones are poisonous is important for a happy holiday.

http://www.examiner.com/article/poisonous-holiday-plants-you-may-want-to-avoid

Using Ginger

Ginger is commonly associated with ginger bread and other pastries but ginger root is a staple of Asian cooking, especially in stir fry. Ginger is often used in sauces and marinades for fish. Ginger also combines well with fruits like peaches and apples as well as vegetables like squash. Ginger is also well known as an herbal remedy for nausea.

http://www.examiner.com/article/preparing-and-using-fresh-ginger