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Aug 22, 2019

Column: Plant a tree, hug a bee | Opinions and Editorials - Aiken Standard

Estimates are that around 15% of emissions come from deforestation. Trees also curb other harmful gases, such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, again releasing pure oxygen into the air. If the Democratic Republic of Congo's 150 million hectares of forests were lost, it would generate about three times the world's total annual emissions in 2012.But scientists, including Thomas Crowther, a co-author of the trillion-tree study, were quick to point out that planting trees alone wouldn't work. And how does one go about planting a trillion trees? And where should they be planted?Although tree-planting is a simple solution – effective and cheaper than any other remedies currently in circulation – it isn't a simple matter to plant trees helter-skelter. A forest in the wrong place could have detrimental effects by upsetting the ecological balance.But this seems a relatively easy obstacle to clear.The countries with the most land available for building forests are Russia, China, Canada, Australia, Brazil – and the United States. The Switzerland-based researchers found that adding 1.2 trillion more trees would reverse 10 years' worth of harmful emissions. Over the decades, Crowther says those new trees would absorb about 200 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere.Several countries have signed up for reforestation, including the United States, which has seen an increase in its forestland, thanks in part to the Forest Service's tree-planting initiatives. But we have to figure that the wreath of rainforests that fully wrapped around the globe until relatively recently was surely there for good reason. Satellite images show that the Amazon rainforest – the world's largest – is disappearing at the rate of one and a half soccer-field-sized parcels per minute. What such decimation means to the planet's future can't be good – unless ridding the world of humans is Earth's ultimate survival measure.No trees, no birds, no bugs, no bees, no food, no humans. That's pretty simple, too.This past winter, a record share – 40% – of honey-bee colonies in the United States died, but bees aren't the only ones disappearing. Forty percent of all the world's insects are in decline, according to another recent study, leading scientists to declare that Earth is experiencing the Sixth Great Extinction. Nobody likes bugs – until they're gone and their purposes finally appreciated.Insects nourish birds and fish, serenade us to sleep. Animals pollinate 87% of flowering plant species. If current trends continue, there may be no insects by 2119, with one likely exception – the indestructible cockroach, whose sole purpose is apparently to recycle our messes, thus guaranteeing its survival after all else is gone.Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. .ctct-form-embed.form_7 .

Mar 15, 2019

You have the roses, now create garden magic - Marin Independent Journal

Complement yellow- and apricot-colored roses with similarly hued plants such as Achillea ‘Gold Plate' or ‘Terracotta,’ Cosmos sulphureus, Euphorbia ‘Fireglow', various Helenium, Geum and daylilies, or plants with yellowish leaves, including Hakonechloa macra‘Aureola.' Pink or red roses look good with some of the pink geraniums like G. oxonianum or G. ‘Patricia,’ he notes; other options include Erigeron karvinskianus, Sanguisorba, Sedum, Japanese anemones, aster and Astrantia. • Experiment with extreme color combinations. "The trick is to choose colors that sing with great gusto, not abrasiveness," Marriott says. "It's great fun to play with this." Before you commit, try out the colors first by holding snips of each plant next to each other. "Some combos will sound a sour note and others will sing.” • Use different shapes for visual texture. "The spiky upright flowering spikes of mullein and foxglove contrast wonderfully with the rounded, informal form of shrub roses," he says. Or, choose something with a soft rounded shape such as Hakone grass or Pheasant's grass. • Deep garden beds can host taller plants in back. Good choices include giant scabious, delphinium and tall (New England) asters. • If you’re not sure whether to plan for a long season of garden interest or an exquisite, but short-term, color explosion, Marriott says go for broke" and choose the big, splashy moments even if they last only briefly. Don't-miss events • Learn how to grow berries in a free seminar from 8 to 9 a.m. March 9 during Armstrong Garden Center's Super Strawberry Saturday. Enjoy free refreshment and score a free strawberry plant with any purchase from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or while supplies, last at 1430 S. Novato Blvd. in Novato. Call 415-878-0493 or go to armstronggarden.com. • Prepare your citrus trees for a good harvest by using correct pruning techniques you can learn at a Sloat Garden Center seminar March 9 at either 10 a.m. at 401 Miller Ave. in Mill Valley (415-388-0365) or 2 p.m. at 2000 Novato Blvd. in Novato (415-897-2169). Attendance is limited and registration is required. Admission is $10, free for members. Go to sloatgardens.com. • Discover ways to preserve your fruits, herbs and vegetables through freezing, pickling, jamming or drying techniques taught during a one-evening class, "Easy Ways to Preserve Nature's Bounty," from 6:30 to 9 p.m. March 12 or April 30 at Indian Valley College at 1800 Ignacio Blvd. in Novato. The cost is $113 and includes an information booklet, recipes and take home samples. Call 415-457-8811 or register online at marincommunityed.com. • Design your own chicken coop, with built-in composting and a water-capturing roof, using free tips at a "GardenSmart: Reinventing the Chicken Coop" talk from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 23 at the Mill Valley Public Library at 375 Throckmorton Ave. in Mill Valley. Registration is recommended. Call 415-389-4292 or go to millvalleylibrary.org. PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday and also on her blog at DesignSwirl.co. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.

Nov 15, 2018

Georgia roadsides dazzle with flowers and butterflies galore

So, you gather that this year they combined the Cosmos bipinnatus or Mexican aster with the flaming hot colors of the Cosmos sulphureus or Sulphur cosmos. The partnership is staggering in its beauty. This cosmos is similar in that it is from Mexico, grown as an annual and tough-as-nails. The fact that the winds and torrential rains from Hurricane Michael didn't faze them has to be considered a testimony to their durability. GDOT has been revved up on planting for pollinators along the highway system, and if the powers to be saw what I did they should be doing the happy dance, high-fiving and planning for the years to come. I'll tell you straight-up I was surprised when I walked to the middle of the flowers. There were more Monarch's than I could count. There were also Common Buckeyes everywhere along with Gulf Fritillaries, Sulphurs, Skippers and an assortment of bees and wasps. Cosmos gets its name from the Greek word kosmos as in beautiful, decoration and ornament. Indeed, they are dazzling in the cottage garden, cut-flower garden, backyard habitat and along the road ways. Cosmos have daisy-like flowers 2 to 4 inches in width with orange centers. You'll find some selections of Cosmos sulphureus bearing double flowers. They are so easy to grow from seed, you can sow successive plantings to have blooms the entire growing season, especially if you want to have a bounty of flowers for the vase too. Next spring plant your seeds or nursery-grown transplants into loose, well-drained soil. Fertility need not be high for this Mexico native. Seeds germinate in five to seven days with blooms, bees and butterflies in eight to 10 weeks. Thin the seedlings or space transplants 12 to 36 inches apart depending on your variety. A web search will reveal a lot of varieties of both the Cosmos bipinnatus and the Cosmos sulphueus. Like the GDOT, don't be afraid to plant both species of this Aster relative together, it just may make your show complete. Although considered an annual, the cosmos gives a perennial-like performance by reseeding, which is perfect for the highway system and your pollinator garden too. These are tough plants, so water sparingly but when you do, water deeply, training those roots to go deep. Your volunteer seedlings may look a little different than wh...

Oct 26, 2018

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS: Pink vincas and angelonias for breast cancer fighters

Gardening Solutions says cassia plants serve as larval hosts for three types of Florida butterflies – cloudless sulphur, sleepy orange and orange-barred sulphur. Finally, the meezoo bloom was sent in by Debbie Fugate of Port Orange. She says it's a succulent plant that requires very little water and can be placed in full or part sun. "It thrives in the heat and produces the sweetest little flowers," she said. "I have had this plant for a few years – just a little pruning and it continues to thrive." Beautiful Blooms can continue to thrive, too, as long as you keep sending in your gorgeous specimens for us to share. And since we live in Central Florida, we're hoping you show us your blooms throughout the year. We try to post all the photos sent in each week on our website at news-journalonline.com. Seeing your Beautiful Blooms in print may take a little longer due to space constraints, but we'll keep posting your blooms here and in print as long as you keep sending them. - To submit Beautiful Blooms, email features@news-jrnl.com. Include your name, city and don't forget to tell us about your blooms. Photos must be high resolution (at least 1MB) and emailed as a .jpg attachment. ...

Apr 6, 2018

Palm Beach design: Let tulips color your rooms, inspire your designs

Carleton Varney is president of Dorothy Draper & Co., an international design firm with offices in New York, West Palm Beach, London and White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Visit CarletonVarney.com or email him at cvarney@dorothydraper.com.

Jul 14, 2017

Faux can be fun in design, but go natural when it comes to floral

I often use faux-painted marble walls in decorating projects. At The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, Va., for instance, I had columns in the Main Dining Room faux-painted in the vein of the green malachite versions in St. Petersburg’s Hermitage museum in Russia. I also am no stranger to using faux marble and faux wood grain, when the project demands it.But fake flowers and plants in Palm Beach? Well, let’s just I am not a devotee.If you don’t have a thumb green enough — or a garden of your own — to grow your own flowers, take heart! Palm Beach is filled with live plants that can be purchased during the season at the Saturday and Sunday greenmarkets and year-round at local florists and even Publix. Have you seen the grocery store’s selection of flowers and even orchids?You don’t have to spend a fortune to bring the beauty of live plants into your home, although to say that all orchids are inexpensive would be misleading. Many of the colorful hanging varieties that are sold in the weekend green markets can be costly.Still, my advice is to go for the live when it comes to plants. And that’s why I’m no fan of plastic and “silk” floral door wreaths. Whether for Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day or simply for year-round decoration, these artsy-crafty phenomena often are for sale at craft fairs around the country. Stay away from them. A live wreath during the winter holiday season says “welcome” in a much more authentic way. And my advice for other times of the year is to use a wreath of dr... (Palm Beach Daily News)