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Entry bubble I Dream of Sunflowers

By: Joanne | February 05, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Each February I tire of clouds and ice and snow, and I long for warmth and sunshine and lush green leaves everywhere. But Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and it looks like I’m in for 6 more weeks of dreaming of my garden. Lately I can’t stop thinking of sunflowers. I can’t wait to plant sunflowers – and not just the big, tall yellow ones. I’ll plant the yellow polyheads, the velvety maroons, the vibrant oranges and the supermanes. I’ve got the space and I’m always looking for a new variety to plant. What’s your favorite?

Joanne standing in her garden surrounded by sunflowers

There are lots of different kind of sunflowers, just like there are so many varieties of apples and tomatoes and lettuce. We’re used to seeing the few varieties found in the grocery store or in the seed packages in the stores, but there’s really an amazing variety of garden plants out there. I like to do my little part to support biodiversity on this planet, and sunflowers are such a fun way to pitch in.

I found this nice quote attributed to Helen Keller: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do.”

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: biodiversity   flower   garden   joanne   sunflower  

 

Entry bubble Get a Dose of Summer in Winter: Visit a Botanical Garden

By: Jake | January 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

I can’t claim to have a green thumb, but it’s not due to lack of trying. I have successfully planted some houseplants including my hippopotamus chia pet, but my experience is limited since I don’t have a yard.

I know it’s probably too cold to think about gardening, but the topic has been on my mind ever since I visited the U.S. National Botanic Garden (USNB) last month. My parents were in town and my mom, who is a master gardener, wanted to spend some time looking at the holiday exhibit. While the holiday exhibit was impressive, I was struck by the sheer volume of the 4000 plants growing in  the garden year-round.  Also, the USNBG provides gardening tips and recipes.

There are thousands of botanical gardens around the world according to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), a conservation organization that links botanical gardens worldwide in order to preserve and promote plant diversity. BGCI says that botanical gardens hold documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.

It's very likely there is a botanical garden near you since there are hundreds of botanical gardens in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides various resources to find botanical gardens in the U.S. Not all botanical gardens are open to the public, so you should check public visiting hours before you go.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: botanical   flowers   garden   gardening   plants  

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