Dear TGBill Hole’s State of the Industry
Where did all this need for commercial air fresheners come from? We have allowed ourselves to be convinced by big corporations that we all need to buy bottled air fresheners that mimic what Mother Nature does better. Why not just add more plants to your home? Study after study has proven that homes and offices that have lots of live plants help to keep people healthier and happier. It isn’t rocket science. Plants add humidity and oxygen, while removing many toxins from our air. Instead of spending all your money on the myriad of air fresheners, how about going natural? Your mind and body will love it.
Hits & Misses: Chutzpah & extra space
Question of the Week: Why are my corn seeds pink?
Science & Technology: Green Gold
As our tree and shrub buyer/rose aficionado, Stephen Raven, and I were perusing this year’s crop of roses, I asked him what criteria he used for choosing the varieties. Stephen said that while he tries to have a fairly wide selection of colour choices, outstanding garden performance is the most important factor in the selection process. As Stephen succinctly put it to me, “Although I appreciate colour, choosing varieties that perform well in people’s gardens is far more important than bringing in some wimpy rose featured in a glossy magazine. Choosing the best is my job.” Makes sense to me.
Scentimental, a tender Floribunda rose.
Hits & Misses
Hit: Chutzpah
I mentioned in last week’s notes that we had received some 50,000 bare-root cuttings that we ‘stuck’ in a day. And while I’m amazed by the Herculean effort it took to get them all planted, it also never ceases to amaze me how all those plants figured out that they’d been lopped off their mother plants and needed to develop roots. I mean, I wouldn’t expect that if I lopped off one of my baby fingers that my highly evolved, human body would have the chutzpah to grow another finger. If it weren’t for the fact that plants ‘learned’ how to grow roots from severed stems, our gardens would look very differently than they do today.
Miss: Extra Space
The bananas are going…well, bananas! Although plant vigour is an admirable trait, in the greenhouse, it’s also a double-edged sword. Typically, vigour translates to great garden performance, but around here, it also means finding extra space in the greenhouse at a time when space is at a premium. Knowing that they will fly out the door when it’s time to sell them is a consolation, but that won’t be for a while. Bananas can be held in gardeners’ homes for a few weeks (if you have a sunny spot) but can’t be put outdoors until the weather is warm. Hmm…if I could just figure out a way to control the exuberance of these bananas between then and now, I would be set.
Question of the Week
Why are my corn seeds pink?
The pink coating on your seeds is a fungicide treatment that helps prevent corn seedlings from rotting in the ground. Colouring the fungicide so that it can be seen also clearly marks the seeds as treated, thus indicating that they cannot be put into animal feed or human food.
Science & Technology
Green Gold
Researchers have discovered that algae could be the most economical organisms for converting sunlight into biofuel. Apparently, some algae species are comprised of about 50 per cent lipids (fats) that can be transformed into fuels ranging from jet to biodiesel. One company in particular, called GlobalGreen Solutions, has taken the algae/biofuel equation to the next level and developed a system that converts entire greenhouses to algae-producing factories. The system is called Vertigro, and it’s comprised of select species of algae that are grown in transparent, water-filled, plastic mats. Growing algae vertically allows the company to pack in the maximum number of algae per cubic metre in the greenhouse, which maximizes the amount of lipids the algae can produce from the available sunlight. Once the algae population has reached its pinnacle, the algae are pumped out of the tubes, the lipids are extracted and fat becomes engine fuel.
Trend Spotting
They’re back! Only this time, basket chairs have taken on a European inspired, Neuvo look. This particular line of furniture is incredibly sturdy, made from resin and designed to stack together, making storage a breeze.
Did You Know?
One of the ingredients found is Worcesteshire sauce is—wait for it!—Devil’s dung (Ferula assafoetida). As its common name alludes, the plant has a rather strong and unpleasant smell but still somehow manages to make the sauce taste great.
“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”
–Doug Larson
