November Newsletter

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The Last of a Kind by Jon Valley

Droplets of water slithered down from one small, round leaf, onto another, loading each subsequent leaf with the sweet morning rain, until it finally plopped to the forest floor, onto decades of accumulating leaves, decaying into each slow passing minute of endless time. And time was on the mind of a small bird as it raced from one purple flower cluster to another, drinking up the sweet nectar that only this tree could provide him. Crashing thunder rumbled in the distance as this bird shook the water out of his wings.

The slow, steady drizzle had come without warning as it does every year and seemed to be without end, graying the once brilliant blue sky to a dull foggy haze and cooling the once hot air to something more tolerable, if the rain could only slow down some.

The red wings of the bird were more colorful now, as time weighed heavily in on this creature. Mating season had come and was almost gone now and his time had not been as it had in years past, when warm summer days were spent nesting and feeding the next generation of little ones. The world around him had, in recent times, become smaller and smaller until the little bird could only find this one tree left, this one variety of tree that generations of his species had survived with, in a kind of mutual existence for countless millennia. And as he ventured out among other trees in the dense forest he could no longer find others like it, nor could he find others like him.

Internal forces drove the bird to make another attempt to display his fine colors and so by landing on a branch as high up in the tree as possible, he spread his tiny wings and raised his feathers in a ritual dance that had survived so many centuries. A familiar color caught his eye and for a fleeting moment he thought his time had come - to nest once again. But his hopes were dashed as thunder rumbled, closer and steadier this time. Strange sounds followed. Crashing, unfamiliar sounds.

He flew to a tree close to the one that was his world and sat looking about. No flowers there but the leaves were large and gave him brief shelter from the drizzle. The urge to move on grew and he flew from one tree to the next, always in the hope of seeing another like himself. What had happened? Was it so long ago that he had seen another of his kind?

Time and distance flew by until the day had become spent along with the little bird’s energy and it was time to fly back to the home tree. Thunder rumbled as the strange sounds intensified and the crashing sounds neared. The little bird flew hard, knowing he must reach his tree before dark. He flew a path he had covered thousands of times, through many seasons but something was different now. Fear stirred deep within. Had he become lost? Flew the wrong way? The walls of forest suddenly opened into a valley of fallen timber and dying smoke and the thunder diminished as darkness closed in.

Where was his tree? He had reached the edge of the world. He had come the right way, but his tree was gone now and along with it, his home, his existence. Purple caught his eye on the ground below. The little bird landed and reached his long beak into a fading flower and drank deeply a mix of nectar and water for the last season, the last time, and then flew on to parts unknown and a destiny as uncertain.

(Jon Valley is a writer of things western, a romancer of life and all things living and green.)

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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.

Next week – Indoor garden project & Poinsettias

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Did you know?

· An area the size of ten city blocks, of rainforest, is destroyed every minute.

· Each 4 square miles of rainforest is home to almost 700 species of plant and animal life.

· In the coming year an estimated 16,000 plant and animal species will become lost forever from rainforest decimation as 4,000 acres are removed every hour.

· Rainforests are home to half of the planets plant and animal species with 60 percent of rainforest are already irreplaceably gone.

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Cleaning Your Air by Dale Johnson

Not only do tropical houseplants beautify our homes with the splendor of blooming flowers and lovely green foliage but, did you know they also work double-duty as air purifiers? Some of the most common houseplants, like the Spider Plant, are terrific for purifying air in a room from household toxins that build up in our homes from everyday activities like cooking or cleaning.

Pollutants can often build up in our homes without our even being aware of it. Even newly constructed homes use materials that are hidden from our view and can release high amounts of formaldehyde and other toxins. Our homes can be made a better place for the air we breathe by adding plants. Pollutants in our air are absorbed through tiny openings in the leaves called stomata. Particles of pollutants are then transported to the root zone. Microbes in the root zone degrade these particles into food sources for other microbes and for the plant.

Some plants are better than others at removing air pollutants and the Boston Fern is one of the best plants for removing larger amounts of pollutants, even formaldehyde. Other plants that are great for indoor pollution control are Dwarf Banana, Pothos, Palms and even the Tulip.

A wonderful book, that covers all the research about indoor plants and air pollution was written by Dr. B. C. Wolverton, called “How To Grow Fresh Air.” His company, Wolverton Environmental Services Inc. has expanded upon NASA’s earlier research in studying 50 different plants and measuring their ability to remove air pollution.

So the next time you’re wandering through the greenhouse nursery and thinking about whether you have room for another plant, you may see them in another light and think about the need for cleaner air. Anyway we all need some reason to add that one more special plant that catches our eye.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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We are looking for article contributors. Put your plant growing experience to work! If you would like to contribute an 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] November 4, 2000. 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.

Thanks for reading!

November 11, 2000

In this issue: Volume 2 issue 45

· Poinsettias by Dale Johnson

· Project for the Winter months

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If we can help with a gardening or tropical plant question, drop us an email to: driftwoodgardens@juno.com

Want to make a comment about the newsletter? Too long? Too short? Want to see something covered in an article? Like it the way it is? Don’t like it? Tell us!

Click here. www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettercomments.htm

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Poinsettias by Dale Johnson

By now you’re starting to see Christmas decorations going up in malls and stores. And maybe you visited your local nursery and you see off in the back, kind of tucked away for now, the festive colors of a plant all too familiar. The reds and sometimes pink and white leaf colors of the Poinsettia ( Euphorbia pulcherima) caught your eye and you realize that, once again, the holiday season is really not that far away.

A native of Mexico, the Poinsettia is a common plant for the holidays and is most often disposed of when the holiday season is over. But it really is a tropical plant that can be grown throughout the year as a houseplant and in due time, with the right conditions, can be enjoyed once again as a holiday showpiece the next season.

The sometimes toothed or lobed leaves are bright green and sometimes have shades or a tint of a purple hue to them. They can grow to about 3’ in a pot and in the wild can grow up to 30’ in height. Many think that the brilliant colors that are produced are a flower, but in reality they are leaves known as pseudumbel or bracts leaves and it is these leaves that actually turn the various colors.

Poinsettias should be pruned back, after blooming, to encourage new growth and to keep the shrub thick and strong. If left unattended it will become very scraggly. When October comes let the plant go through a dry spell for a couple weeks and then water once again. (Don’t let the plant wilt) This will stimulate the plant to produce blooms and once the plant produces blooms the colored bracts are retained for several weeks afterward.

They can be grown outdoors in zones 9b or warmer. They like bright sun and will rarely bloom without it and rich humusy soil that is well drained. Fertilize in late summer. So this year, if you are tempted to throw out a Poinsettia after the holidays, think again and add a new plant to your houseplant collection.

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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.

Next week – Please note that we will be taking a break from the newsletter Thanksgiving week and the week after. All contests and sales will continue as scheduled and we will send out those offer reminders without the articles. The newsletter articles will return the second weekend of December.

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Rainforest seed give-away! www.driftwoodgardens.com/rainforestseedcontest.htm

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Winter Project for the Indoor Garden by Dale Johnson

It’s sometimes hard to get the kids involved in our gardening projects and lets face it, they just may not be as interested in gardening as we are especially in these days of being constantly on the go, computers and video games to keep their interests diverted from hobbies and growing things.

Winter is coming and may be here already for some of us, but gardening doesn’t have to stop now that we have moved indoors and have started to concentrate on our indoor plants. And on some cold day when the snow is blowing outside and the kids are bored, it may be time to get out the dirt and get the kids hands dirty doing something fun, fast and easy for all. But the end result will require some patience.

Some time this fall, when your at the grocery store, wander over to the fruit section and see if they may have a few coconuts to buy and let the kids pick out a couple with the nice, rough exterior and the three dents on the end and shake them to make sure they have the “milk” inside. Take them home and when the snow flies bring the coconuts out and use the opportunity to show the kids a little about indoor gardening by planting a Coconut Palm.

The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) has been in cultivation for thousands of years and its origins are not really certain. They have even been able to weather ocean voyages by floating for miles across the seas to land on some deserted island and plant itself on the sand.

The word Cocos was derived from the Portuguese for monkey because of the “facial markings” on one end. They are easy to grow but will need a constant, non-fluctuating, warm soil temperature. The top of the refrigerator works great because it is warm and the seed doesn’t need light yet. Plant the nut in a pot big enough to cover the nut with several inches of soil. The soil should be a standard soiless mix with sand mixed in, the object being to have as well drained a mix as possible. Keep moist at all times. It will take about five to six months to germinate, but the wait will be worth every moment and just imagine the excitement the kids will have when it does finally come up.

Keep the plant in as bright a sun as possible and keep the soil wet. It will grow fast but will probably never produce those prized coconuts unless you happen to be in a warm tropical environment where it can grow outside. But in the meantime you will have sown the seeds of gardening in your children and you can enjoy something truly exotic and tropical in your home, that you grew yourself from seed and which will surely become a topic of many conversations.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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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!

Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] November 11, 2000. 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.

Thanks for reading!

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November 17, 2000

In this issue: Volume 2 issue 46

· Tropical Bulbs?

· Did You Know?

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If we can help with a gardening or tropical plant question, drop us an email to: driftwoodgardens@juno.com

Want to make a comment about the newsletter? Too long? Too short? Want to see something covered in an article? Like it the way it is? Don’t like it? Tell us!

Click here. www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettercomments.htm

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Tropical Bulbs? by Raymond Farber

Every year an annual trek to the nursery occurs from September to October. With the search for spring color in mind, gardeners from all over hand pick imported bulbs of all kinds, ranging from Tulips, Daffodils to the unusually shaped Anemone. Then the planting begins and ends. Then the wait begins and continues through months of cold air and gray skies. We almost forget that we planted them until sometime in early spring all colors of flowers poke through the ground and sometimes with a backdrop of snow we see that all of that color was worth the wait.

But what if we could somehow bring exotic colors indoors? Some force traditional bulbs in vases, but the wait is still there. For tropical lovers the answer could lie in a plant called the Caladium. The color lies in the foliage, though and not the flowers. But the experience of bringing a bulb-like plant to life in the winter is all there.

Caladium is a genus of seven species of tuber-like perennials from the tropics of South America. They are mainly grown for their arrow-shaped variegated leaves. Colors range from pink, white or red mixed with the natural green of the leaves and often times the veins are a darker pink to red.

Caladium bicolor was brought to the Europeans by the Portuguese in the 1700’s to instantly become a favorite houseplant. The plant loves a moist; rich well drained soil with a cooler atmosphere. You can propagate the plant by division and the plant should be allowed periods of rest so you can pot them up once again to enjoy their fantastic color.

Although they are usually grown in the spring, tubers can often be found at local nurseries and department stores along with Amaryllis bulbs. Sometimes you can find a plant already started.

Coming after the holiday- another winter project, the Pomegranate, more from Jon Valley and more!

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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.

____________________________________________________________________

Rainforest seed give-away! www.driftwoodgardens.com/rainforestseedcontest.htm

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Did you know?

Native Americans used the following plants as a food source-

· Cattail roots were washed and eaten raw. Some dried roots could be made into a flour.

· Prickly Pear Cactus flower buds were added to different stews in the southwest.

· Moss gathered from white pines would be boiled and stuffed into fish.

· The flower of the common milkweed was cut up and added to stews.

· Dried corn silk would be used as a seasoning in stews and broths.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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Refer a friend!

Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] November 18, 2000. 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.

Thanks for reading!

Unless otherwise noted all photos are taken by Dale Johnson or Jon Valley and are Copyright © [Dale Johnson - Driftwood Gardens - Summers Seeds] All rights reserved. No picture may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher.