Of Honey Bees and Orchids

Will a superbee save our honey bees and the many food crops they pollinate?

And what’s the best way to keep alive your gift moth orchid?

Here are two links to recent feature articles by Adrian Higgins, Garden columnist of the Washington Post. 

For his “In search of a better bee,” which appear on the front page of this morning’s Post, CLICK HERE. 

For his December 22 “How to keep a moth orchid alive,” CLICK HERE.

Gardeners, Rejoice!

Gardeners, rejoice!  Spring is coming!

Today, Thursday, December 22, has the shortest day and longest night of the year.  Yesterday, today, and tomorrow all have nine hours and 26 minutes of daylight, but today is one second shorter than yesterday, and tomorrow will be three seconds longer than today.  Soon daylight will be noticeably longer—and winter temperatures will bottom out and spring will be just a few weeks away.

Take a look around your landscape.  Are daffodil leaves starting to poke through your mulch?  Are buds on your maple and redbud trees beginning to swell?  Does that red flag on your mailbox mean you’re mailing your veggie and flower seed order for your 2012 garden?

Gardeners are born optimists.  When days are short, temperatures plunge, and ice coats and snow needs to be shoveled, gardeners smile and plan March plantings of “cool weather veggies” and salivate at the mere thought of next August’s ripe Brandywine tomato.

Yes, spring is coming to your garden—soon!

To expand your weather knowledge, CLICK HERE to read the excellent explanation of the winter solstice by Justin Grieser of the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.  He answers questions you and I haven’t even thought to ask.