Scanner art by Craig Cramer, gardening & more
Hat tip as usual to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting. More to scan than time to scan it, but here are a couple. Click on images for larger view.
Nectaroscordum siculum ssp. bulgaricum, Tradescantia, Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’, chives, columbine, lunaria.
Geranium renardii “Nätnävaâ€, Veronica ‘Royal Candles’, knautia, peony, various irises.
Fred’s stones
As if keeping the deer at bay weren’t hard enough, this year two-legged plant thieves are particularly plaguing Cornell Plantations, the botanical gardens, arboretum and natural areas at Cornell University).
Last December, I posted about how Plantations staff spray trees with ‘ugly mix’ to prevent rustlers from cutting evergreens for Christmas trees. But that’s not really an option for the many rare, unusual and valuable plants being carted off — some in broad daylight — during the growing season. According to the Cornell Chronicle:
High-value thefts include a rare, slow-growing, potted specimen-sized Agave and a heavy, glazed container filled with colorful annuals and perennials that was stolen right in front of the Plantations administration building. In perhaps the most brazen theft, the herb garden manager was laying out perennials in peat pots throughout the garden in preparation for planting. She took a short break, only to return to find that many of the plants had been stolen. Most recently, a collection of unusual heirloom vegetable plants were taken from their cold frames located outside the Plantations’ vegetable garden.
Missing plants include:
* Lysichiton camtschatense (Asian skunk cabbage),
* Glaucidium palmatum
* Epimediums (Bishop’s cap)
* Saruma henryi, an Asian woodlander (image above right)
Heirloom tomato varieties:
* Aunt Ruby’s German Green
* Big Rainbow
* Black from Tula
* Cream Sausage
* Giant Oxheart
* Hillbilly Potato Leaf
* Plum Lemon
* Orange-fleshed Smudge, and
* Wapsipinicon Peach
If these have mysteriously shown up in any of your neighbors’ gardens, contact the Cornell Police at 607-255-1111.
WHCU interviews Cornell Plantations director Don Rakow on the plant thefts.
No, I’m not talking about that little kerfuffle with Kerr-McGee back in the ’80s.
There’s areason that radioactive waste signs are purple and yellow. Purple and yellow are complementary colors — colors on opposite sides of the color wheel — like red and green or orange and blue.
They compete for the attention of the eye, and so accentuate each other when located close together. On radioactive waste signs, they screem for attention.
If I were a better designer, I’d take advantage of that. But I do notice when it occurs by happenstance.
Euphorbia and allium…
Purple (columbine) and orange (coral bells) have similar effect, though they aren’t exactly opposites on the color wheel.
Tradescantia with its own purple flowers and some columbine nearby …
More purples that I should team up with some yellows. Geranium … [Update: That’s Geranium renardii “Nätnäva”, judging by pix from Ken in Sweden.]
Closer …
Chives and cow parsnip.
Well, it’s not the kind of contest where I give away valuable swag that the ‘marketing department’ sent me to get a free plug. (That’s because the marketing department never sends me anything.) But if the first person to ID what’s pictured below wants, I’ll propagate any plant here that I can and send it to them.
For a sense of scale, most of these are BB-sized, but the big one is about 1/2 inch in diameter. Click on image for a larger view.
… probably 20 pounds lighter and slowly regaining his strength after three surgeries in a week. He still has a lot of healing to do, but we’re encouraged. Thanks to all who sent prayers and good thoughts his way.
