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January 2001 Newsletters
The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!
1/7/01
Volume 3 Issue 1
In this issue
· Special Note 2001/ special offer
· Did you Know?
· Time and Places by Jon Valley
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Special Note 2001 by Dale Johnson
Well, it seems like yesterday that we launched this newsletter and now, here it is, the first issue of 2001, our third year. Generally speaking the Internet is in constant change and we have faced changing issues throughout the past couple years. Our primary goal, with the newsletter, is to present a newsletter that is informative about the issues and things you want to read about and we are pleased to be able to present that information. And we also want to start this year out on the right foot.
We also, at the same time, want to keep you informed about changes and new items added to the web site. To this end, we have discovered that during the past year, we were unable to keep up with the Web-zine and the newsletter at the same time. We have therefore decided that for this year we will not publish any Web-zine articles, but hope to create a hybrid publication out of the newsletter back-issue section.
The newsletter will continue as usual, but when the back-issues are loaded to the web site, new additions and the layout will be much like the web-zine. This will drastically reduce our workload and allow us the time to bring to you new items for sale and create a better site and newsletter.
So, with that said, we would like your help. We want to give a name to the newsletter and are offering a $100.00 worth of merchandise from www.driftwoodgardens.com for the name that is picked to be the right one for us. If you have any ideas and would like to present them, please respond to this mailing with your name ideas or click here
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm to enter your ideas. There is no limit to the name submissions, but the name that is chosen will become the exclusive ownership and copywrite of Driftwood Gardens.
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm
We look forward to hearing from you!
And remember it could be worth a hundred dollars!
We at Driftwood Gardens want to wish everyone the happiest of New Years!
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If you have an article you would like to have considered for our newsletter please contact us. We would love to hear from you! Just reply to this newsletter for info and let us know about your idea.
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Did You Know?
· When Columbus set foot on the Island of Puerto Rico it was a thick forest of trees and wildlife.
· Little of this forest remains today but what remains is priceless.
· More than 3000 species of plants and over 200 bird species still inhabit the island
· In the Luquillo forests of Puerto Rico, frogs rain down from the trees in the early morning. These coqui frogs hang out on the ground during the heat of the day when moisture is more to their liking than in the treetops. When the sun goes down the frogs migrate back to the insect rich treetops to stuff themselves with this bounty and avoid nighttime predators below. Also the treetops become more humid much to their liking.
Thanks for reading!
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Time and Places by Jon Valley
Time has a way of sneaking up on a person and before you know it a year has passed and then another and somehow all of those projects and things you were “going” to do just never do get done. Something always diverts your attention to some place else, seemingly more important, and the things you really want to do go by the wayside.
I was reminded of this recently when I took my daily trek out to the greenhouse. I built it some five years ago and at the time I envisioned coming home from a hectic day and relaxing next to the calming effect of greenery and blossoms of all colors. I even installed a small waterfall off in the corner to listen to and maybe watch the steady trickle of water flowing over a moss-covered stone.
And when I thought about it, I realized that a couple of years have gone by since I told myself to pick up a new shade cloth to cover over the greenhouse glass. The original one hadn’t lasted long and wouldn’t last much longer. The hot rays of the sun beat it to rags over time and this one wouldn’t last too much longer. Now the cloth seemed to lay in rags at my feet. At the same time I had told myself to pick up a new, larger pot for the calliandra sitting quietly over the small pool.
I sat down that day on the small sandstone bench, strategically placed right where the leaves of the calliandra could gently brush against my arm as I sit. I’m not one to procrastinate, but what happened to all that time? I resolved immediately to head to our local nursery and supply center to put things aright. I picked up a new shade cloth and I didn’t forget the pot and headed straight back to my little oasis to rectify my indifference to things needing done.
With the shade cloth up and the new pot ready to go I tried to pull the calliandra out of its old pot for its new home. I beat on the sides and shook the pot a little. Wouldn’t budge. I beat a little harder and shook even more. Nothing. Good thing this pot was plastic. I took a small saw to it and gently cut down the sides to free the plant. Kind of a shame to waste a good pot, but there was no choice in the matter.
I didn’t see much soil left and my eye beheld a mass of white roots trying to bulge out of its former confinement. That explained the constant need for water. I trimmed the roots down by a fourth, hoping to shock the plant into new root growth and at the same time give it some breathing room for the new pot. I mixed fertilizer into my soil mix and roughed up the remainder of the roots, placed her in the pot and filled with premium soil, (my plants have a tendency to all be “hers”)
With job finished and the plant placed exactly in the right place, I sat back on the bench with a sense of peace, knowing that I could now let the snow fly for another season and I could sit a bit in my little oasis, after long days at work and my plant and greenhouse projects were done. For now. . .
For calliandra pics click
here-
(Jon Valley is a writer of things western, a lover of life and all things green)
Happy New Year! ! !
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We are looking for article contributors. Put your plant growing experience to work! If you would like to contribute a one time, or occasional article please reply to this newsletter with contributor in the subject heading for guidelines. We would live to hear from you! You don’t have to be an expert! Just someone who loves plants!
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Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] January 6, 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.
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Thanks for reading!
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The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!
1/14/01
Volume 3 Issue 2
In this issue
· Quick Note
· Did You Know?
· The Majesty of the Royal Palm (Roystonea)
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Want our new 2001 Exotic Tropical Seed List by Mail? Click below or reply to the newsletter with “catalog request” in the subject header and be sure to include your mailing address.
www.driftwoodgardens.com/catalogrequest.htm
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Quick Note
We want to thank everyone for your terrific newsletter name inputs! We still want your helpful ideas until the end of January. So, if you still have ideas we would love to hear from you. And it could be worth $100.00, worth of merchandise, for the effort from www.driftwoodgardens.com for the name that is picked to be the right one for us.
Please respond to this mailing with your name ideas or click here
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm to enter your ideas. There is no limit to the name submissions, but the name that is chosen will become the exclusive ownership and copywrite of Driftwood Gardens.
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm
We look forward to hearing from you!
And remember it could be worth a hundred dollars!
____________________________________________________________________
If you have an article you would like to have considered for our newsletter please contact us. We would love to hear from you! Just reply to this newsletter for info and let us know about your idea.
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Did You Know?
· The push reel lawn mower was in wide use by 1893 and was advertised as a machine that could cut tall or short grass, wet or dry.
· Hand hedge shears were used, almost identical to ours today. Some were even designed to have long handles and a wheel to roll along the lawn for the most precise of edge trimmings.
· All makes of wheelbarrows could be bought, with long lasting iron wheels. Some with fold down lids, but all very much like ours today.
· And of course, you could buy all types of wood lawn chairs, stone bird baths, benches and even a wooden foot rest to match, to decorate and enjoy the garden with, as early as the mid 1800’s and most were purchased through mail order catalog companies.
Thanks for reading!
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The Majesty of the Royal Palm by Dale Johnson
Some years ago I was lucky enough to visit the Caribbean and I could not help but be drawn to a magnificent tree with graceful fronds swaying in the breeze and tall, slender grayish trunks. The Roystonea was named after General Roy Stone, (1836-1905), an American army engineer in Puerto Rico. Some of the world’s tallest palms belong to this species.
This tree is found in its native habitat along Caribbean regions, parts of Central and South America and even in Florida and Mexico. There are about twelve species and some grow well in bogs and swamps while others need well-drained soils.
On top of the majestic tall trunk are crowns of feathery leaves that shimmer in warm summer breezes and reflect the light of summer suns. Right below the crown shaft, inflorescenes come up that bear tiny, three petaled flowers of both male and female.
These palms look beautiful grown as a houseplant or in the greenhouse and respond well to frequent fertilizing and regular watering. The seed can germinate within one to four months and should be sown at 81° F in a standard potting mix and grown in full sun. Grow outside in zones 10-11
Want to try growing your own Royal Palm? (Roystonea Regia) Origin Cuba.
Reply to this email with “free seed” in the subject heading and we will send you 5 fresh cleaned seeds free! Be sure to remit your shipping address. Offer ends January 31, 2001 Item#rsd-67
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We are looking for article contributors. Put your plant growing experience to work! If you would like to contribute a one time, or occasional article please reply to this newsletter with contributor in the subject heading for guidelines. We would live to hear from you! You don’t have to be an expert! Just someone who loves plants!
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Refer a friend! And if you like, feel free to forward this letter on to your friends. Just hit the forward button in your e-mail program.
Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] January 12, 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.
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You have received this mailing by signing up for it at the Driftwood Gardens web site or someone you know has sent this to you as a referral. We never send this to anyone for any reason unless you want to receive it! And don’t forget that by entering the contest you will receive this newsletter. www.driftwoodgardens.com If you would like to be taken off this mailing list, or you are receiving a duplicate, please send an e-mail to driftwoodgardens@juno.com with cancel newsletter, or duplicate written in the subject heading.
Thanks for reading!
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The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!
1/20/01
Volume 3 Issue 3
In this issue
· Quick Note
· Seeds and the Rainforest
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Quick Note
We want to thank everyone for your terrific newsletter name inputs! We still want your helpful ideas until the end of January. So, if you still have ideas we would love to hear from you. And it could be worth $100.00, worth of merchandise, for the effort from www.driftwoodgardens.com for the name that is picked to be the right one for us.
Please respond to this mailing with your name ideas or click here
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm to enter your ideas. There is no limit to the name submissions, but the name that is chosen will become the exclusive ownership and copywrite of Driftwood Gardens.
www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm
We look forward to hearing from you! And remember it could be worth a hundred dollars!
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Seeds and the Rainforest by Dale Johnson
A plants ability to move from one place to another is, in most cases, non-existent. How then do plants get from one place to another without the intervention of humans digging them up and moving them? By the diversity of seeds and the many ways a plant has developed, over time, to propagate itself and along with the co-existent behavior of other organisms, insects and animals that rely on seeds and plans for food and shelter.
It is vital that a plant not only reproduce itself with viable seed, but also that viable seed be able to receive the conditions that allow it to germinate. Out of the many thousands of seeds that are produced by a plant in its lifetime very few ever really become an adult plant or tree. Animals or insects eat the rest, while others, either do not germinate and rot, and those that do germinate can succumb to disease or other events that cause its demise. But the most important thing is that some do survive and become mature plants.
An extremely complex web of events can often happen before a seed is to germinate. First the flower must be pollinated. This can happen in many different ways and by just as many pollinators, including, birds, bats, insects, primates and even rodents. Seed must develop from the flower and ripen and then fall to the forest floor or be blown by the wind to various other parts of the forest. Some seed is dependant on one kind species to ingest it and the stomach acids eat the outer coat off and when it is passed through the animals system it is then ready to germinate. Others are dependant on certain light conditions or a certain amount of darkness. All weave together to create a single dependency, one upon the other, to survive. And when one thing is missing, then the whole is affected.
Some species of trees are alive today, but the pollinators have long since been destroyed and when these trees die they will be lost forever. Another problem interrupting the life processes of Rainforest seed germination is the steady cutting down of trees leaving pockets of forest to continue living. But what effect does this have on the future germination and reproductive habits of the species?
According to findings by researchers from the University of California Davis, seeds from small pockets of Rainforests are three to seven times as likely to not sprout than those that fall in larger forests. According to Emilio Bruno, a doctoral student at UC Davis Population Biology, Rainforest fragments are subjected to many conditions that make it a more hostile environment for seeds to develop. Conditions, such as, more light, hotter and drier conditions all have a negative affect on seed germination. He says that, “these aren’t the conditions that Rainforests plants are adapted to. . .” He goes on to state that these new findings suggest that the seeds cannot survive and coupled with another problem, that of plant inbreeding the reproduction rates will drop so low that the forest fragments will eventually die.
What the true fate of the forests are, no one knows, but if the trends of the last century continue, much more will be lost and gone forever never to be recovered again.
Thanks for reading!
In the coming months: How seeds spread, diseases of tropical plants, propagators, tropical water gardening, deck gardens and tropical plants, more from Jon Valley, and much more!
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Refer a friend! And if you like, feel free to forward this letter on to your friends. Just hit the forward button in your e-mail program.
Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] January 20, 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.
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Thanks for reading!
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The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!
1/27/01
Volume 3 Issue 4
In this issue
· Quick Note
· Tropical Plant Disease “Rust”
· Did You Know. . .
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Quick Note
We want to thank everyone for your terrific newsletter name inputs! We still want your helpful ideas until the end of January. So, if you still have ideas we would love to hear from you. And it could be worth $100.00, worth of merchandise, for the effort from http://www.driftwoodgardens.com for the name that is picked to be the right one for us.
Please respond to this mailing with your name ideas or click here
http://www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm to enter your ideas. There is no limit to the name submissions, but the name that is chosen will become the exclusive ownership and copywrite of Driftwood Gardens.
http://www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettername.htm
We look forward to hearing from you! And remember it could be worth a hundred dollars!
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Topical Plant Disease by Jon Valley
I was looking at a poor, quarantined plant the other day. It had been afflicted by one thing after another and this time it was rust colored leaves and an overall dry appearance, with parts of the leaf edges brown and dead that took me by surprise. It seemed to creep up on the plant and I kind of ignored it, thinking it needed a little fertilizer, until I couldn’t ignore it any further. The once dark green luster had all but disappeared under a loosing battle of weakening health. Throw it away, some say, but this plant has been with me for a while and I held out the faintest of hopes that it would survive.
Commonly known as rust or orange rust, this disease is fungal in origin and its problems have been recorded as far back as 1861 when the coffee industry, in Sri Lanka, took note when massive plantings were lost quite rapidly. 90% of the coffee plantings were abandoned and Sri Lanka took to growing tea instead. Today’s production of coffee involves a lot of chemical fungicides so as not to face such a crisis again.
The leaves turn a yellow to orange color, under the leaves at first, and eventually spots with a powder-like appearance develop. Some halos may develop around the powdery legions after which they turn to a grayish color. Leaves drop, weakening the plant further and if not treated the plant will die.
Since the disease is tropical in origin, a host has yet to be found because the plants grow year round and do not have weather cycles of freezing and warmth. Insects or wind and even our own human hands spread the disease spores. Basic control is with the use of fungicides or sulfur. And the substance must be in contact with the leaf surface in order to be effective.
Being organic in spirit, I thought long and hard about the use of a fungicide and without too much delay I felt that if my plant were to be saved, I needed to use it. A week went by and the plant started looking better. Another week was to pass when I then saw the dreaded mealy bug’s white cotton and needless to say the battle was over for my prized plant. Another pestilence it could not win. I sadly removed it to the trash, pot, soil and all. Such is the life of a gardener, at least this one anyway.
(Jon Valley is a writer of things Western, a lover of life and all things green.)
Thanks for reading!
In the coming months: How seeds spread, diseases of tropical plants part II, propagators, tropical water gardening, deck gardens and tropical plants, more from Jon Valley, and much more!
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Did You Know. . .
· Insects are the major contributor of spreading plant disease and in the greenhouse or home our own hands can be the culprit.
· Keeping your plant at optimum health can resist disease attacks and often prevent the spread of diseases. Keep the pot clean and free of dead leaves and check regularly for insects and any signs of disease under the leaves where they might be hiding.
· Start new seedlings or cuttings in new soil.
· Keep air circulating around the plant. Diseases love warm stagnant air.
· It is better to keep the air temperature a little on the cool side verses warm, by just a few degrees.
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Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] January 27, 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.
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Thanks for reading!
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