Happy Earth Day!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful Earth Week and has something enviro-friendly planned for the weekend to celebrate Earth Day. In case not, here are some local happenings:

The Science Center's Earth Day celebration on Saturday: There will be container-garden making with Baltimore Contained, herb cooking with Carrie Murray Nature Center, experiments with the American Chemical Society and plenty more eco-awesomeness with local green groups.More info can be found on the Science Center's site here: http://mdsci.org/events-calendar/events/EarthDay.html

Severna Park Earth Day on Saturday: http://severnapark.patch.com/articles/9th-annual-earth-day-expo-at-spms#pdf-9379365 Where the Eco-Goats will be!

Localize It: Baltimore Free Farm Block Party on Sunday: The second annual block party celebrating the value of local artists, musicians, food and social movements at its flagship project, the Ash Street Garden in Hampden. The event will include local craft and food vendors, street performers, live music and family activities. The block party's special attraction is ChiliBrew V, a home-brew competition and chili cook-off organized by BaltiBrew. More info can be found on their website http://www.baltimorefreefarm.org/2012/03/11/localize-it-ii/

If you aren't local, check out the Earth Day Network for information about events near you!

Time to Track the Cherry Blossoms

In 1912, more than 3,000 Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis) cherry trees were donated to our Nation's Capital in the name of the City of Tokyo, and every spring we get to watch them bloom! The official festival is scheduled around the average bloom date (April 4th) but occasionally, unseasonably warm and/or cool temperatures have shifted the peak bloom to as early as March 15th in 1990 and as late as April 18th in 1958 - which means scheduling your visit can be tricky. But fear not, bloom-lovers. You can follow their progress online.

As of March 3rd, Peak Bloom dates are projected for March 29th to April 4th.

Last Blooms of the Season

Now THIS is Brilliant

Have you ever walked by an old gumball machine and thought: Why is that machine filled up with useless cr*p made in factories in China instead of little seed and compost grenades that I could toss into that vacant lot over there to diversify the plants around here??

Me neither. But I wish I had. Am and thrilled that someone did.

Greenaid, a landscape beautification project started by the Commonstudio design firm, is doing it. They call the little eco-grenades "Seedbombs." They are packed with compost and regionally tailored seeds for wildflowers and grasses. Creators suggest chucking them into a vacant lot or cramming them into a crack in the sidewalk. Learn more here.

(Thnx again, Singleton)

Best News I've Heard All Week

Some fantastic scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, West London, have graciously spent the last three years working with more than 200 governments to cut 600,000 duplicate names from the Global Plant List. The Telegraph reports:

"Alan Paton, assistant keeper of the herbarium at Kew, said the information will be vital for any organisation or researcher looking at "economically important" plants, such as those for food and nutrition or medicine. He said: "On average, one plant might have between two and three names, which doesn't sound a great deal, but if you're trying to find information on a plant, you might not find all [of it] because you're only looking at one name. "That's even more critical for economically useful plants: because they are more used, they tend to have more names."

The full results will not be published until the end of the year, but so far the researchers have found 301,000 accepted species, 480,000 alternative names, and have 240,000 left to assess."

Stealing or Saving?

An incident was reported near the clover this morning regarding a few stunning, double variety, Sarah Bernhardt, sugar pink peonies. Some call it theft, others call it heroic. Here's the defendent's side of the story:

"Earlier this morning I was walking my little dog along our usual morning route which, during the month of May, includes the block upon which a few homeowners happen to also be peony growers. As usual we stopped to smell the peonies (which are really on the most public part of this particular property) and - gasp - I realized that the thunderstorm last night had taken quite a toll on these fantastic peonies! And even worse, the stems were not attended nor supported so the bulbs were weighed down heavily with rain water. It was criminal really. So I did what any good neighbor would do and proceeded to shake the rain out of the top-heavy flowers and do my best to support the stems with the resources immediately available. Unfortunately, for some flowers it was just too late. The stems had already cracked and split. After a quick survey of the home I determined that this particular house had been vacant for at least twelve hours. Realizing that I was the only person with the courage to take these broken flowers and put them deep in water to live out the rest of their days in comfort in a vase in my house - I ripped the small shred of stem still connected. I couldn't stand to see them suffer like this."

The defendent has asked not to be identified in this story for fear of retaliation.

"What if they were to steal MY peonies, you ask?!? Apples to oranges. Ours are supported, nurtured and reside on the side of the fence that is clearly not community property. Impossible comparison."

Her dog has also asked to be "left out of the whole thing." He apparently refused participation in the events.

"I tried to get [dog] to carry the flowers because I was afraid someone was watching. If they had a camera phone and snapped a shot of [dog] carrying the wounded flowers, folks would think it was cute, 'Awww look at the little mail dog - he has flowers this time - precious' but noooooo he was too busy peeing on trees."

What do y'all think?

Clover Peonies Finally Bloom!!

Ugh.

Fantastic Article

We here at JustSaying have keep meaning to recommend this superb article from the September 2009 issue of NatGeo, Love and Lies: How do you spread your genes around when you're stuck in one place? By tricking animals, including us, into falling in love so perhaps now that Valentine's Day is just around the corner, it will be some fun seasonal prose for our readers.

(Masdevallia Orchid photo by Christian Ziegler for National Geographic)

Origin of Flowers

(Photo courtesy of Troy Carter)

Carl Zimmer wrote a great article for the NY Times about the evolutionary burst of flowering plants. It's way cool and an incredible reminder that few things in this world happen by mistake. Find it here. Here's the article's conclusion:

In the first flowers, the endosperm ended up with one set of genes from the male parent and another set from the female parent. But after early lineages like Amborella and water lilies branched off, flowers bulked up their endosperm with two sets of genes from the mother and one from the father.

Dr. Friedman, of the University of Colorado, Boulder, has documented the transition and does not think it was a coincidence that flowering plants underwent an evolutionary explosion after gaining an extra set of genes in their endosperm. It is possible, for example, that with extra genes, the endosperm could make more proteins.

“It’s like having a bigger engine,” Dr. Friedman said.

Other experts agree that the transition took place, but they are not sure it is the secret to flowers’ success. “I don’t know why it should be so great,” Dr. Doyle said.

As Dr. Friedman has studied how the extra set of genes evolved in flowers, he has once again been drawn to Goethe’s vision of simple sources and complex results.

Flowers with a single set of female DNA in their endosperm, like water lilies, start out with a single nucleus at one end of the embryo sac. It divides, and one nucleus moves to the middle of the sac to become part of the endosperm.

Later, a variation evolved. In a rose or a poppy, a single nucleus starts out at one end of the sac. But when the nucleus divides, one nucleus makes its way to the other end of the sac. The two nuclei each divide, and then one of the nuclei from each end of the sac moves to the middle.

Duplication, a simple process, led to greater complexity and a major change in flowers.

“Nature just doesn’t invent things out of whole cloth,” Dr. Friedman said. “It creates novelty in very simple ways. They’re not radical or mysterious. Goethe already had this figured out.”

Lovin' Nat Geo Right Now (as always)

Not only is the National Geographic Society sharing 150 vintage prints from their archives at an exhibition at the Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea beginning September 17th (read all about that awesomeness here), their newest issue features an article that truly brightened my day upon discovery. I'll give you a hint: Michael Pollan.

Okay, I'll give you more than a hint. It's about Orchids and it's fascinating. MP's "The Botany of Desire" changed my outlook on life and nature. His insight, study and consideration of the co-evolution between plants and animals captivates me. If you haven't read the aforementioned book, which examines the relationship human beings have had and continue to have with the cultivation of apples, tulips, potatoes and marijuana, think of this article as an introduction to this arena of Pollan's writing. Here's the teaser:

Love and Lies: How do you spread your genes around when you're stuck in one place? By tricking animals, including us, into falling in love.

By Michael Pollan

Photograph by Christian Ziegler

We animals don't give plants nearly enough credit. When we want to dismiss a fellow human as ineffectual or superfluous, we call him a "potted plant." A "vegetable" is how we refer to a person reduced to utter helplessness, having lost most of the essential tools for getting along in life. Yet plants get along in life just fine, thank you, and did so for millions of years before we came along. True, they lack such abilities as locomotion, the command of tools and fire, the miracles of consciousness and language. To animals like ourselves, these are the tools for living we deem the most "advanced," which is not at all surprising, since they have been the shining destinations of our evolutionary journey thus far. But the next time you're tempted to celebrate human consciousness as the pinnacle of evolution, stop to consider where you got that idea. Human consciousness. Not exactly an objective source.

You know you want to read on. And see Christian Ziegler's amazing photographs. Find the full article here.

Revisiting the Footprint of Flowers

A loyal reader out in Seattle contacted me recently to rave about the town's massive, year-round farmers' market that boasts some beautiful, locally grown bouquets and we got to talking about the smartest and most environmentally friendly way to purchase flowers. Like everything else grown on this good earth, knowing the grower is ideal, but not all of us get to the local farmers' markets regularly or purchase flowers in person, so here are a few tips and suggestions to minimize the carbon footprint of your blooms.

- Always buy in season (theflowerexpert.com)

- I highly recommend flowerpetal.com. Based on their total flower sales every quarter, they contribute to carbonfund.org, a carbon offset program.

- Look for FTD-certifies shops and websites such as 1-800-FLOWERS, Flowerbud, Organic Bouquet and TransFair.

- To ensure the flower was grown sustainably, with fair labor practices, and minimal application of pesticides, look for the eco-labels: Florverde, VeriFlora and FlorEquador.

For more on the sustainability of flowers, check out my previous post, a thorn in my side, or Carolyn Whelan's recent article from Earth 3.0, The Real Price of Flowers.

Words can't describe...

... how excited I am to report that the stems born from peony roots I planted in the fall are emerging! Many of you know that despite numerous lunch hours spent among blooms at Lord Baltimore Florist, no flower has captivated me the way a bright white Marie Lemoine Peony can - and the season for these gorgeous specimens, with blooms so fragrant and dense the stalks barely support them, is almost upon us.

It may not look like much, but the small stalk (pictured) is the first success I have had in the peony department to date. I mean, sure, I've purchased an already-flowering plant from Home Depot and suffered incredible disappointment after all two of the buds/blooms quickly wither away in the Maryland heat, but never before have I been present from the very beginning. And I must say, I am enjoying the anticipation and looking forward to an even greater appreciation for the flowers come late April and May.

Years ago, my sister wrote to me in an email: You've got to plant your own garden instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. It took a while to germinate and of course she was speaking figuratively, but here I am, and I'm going to give her the first bloom.

a thorn in my side...

I love flowers. Who doesn't? In fact, my extraordinary love of Peonies, desperate attempts to grow them in my "urban garden" (aka pot on my city balcony a few years ago) and the incredible image of one on the cover of Charles Elliott's: The Potting Shed Papers, actually led me to pick up that particular book therefore furthering my horticultural hobbies. My interest in the origins and historical role of various flowers and plants, however, came about years earlier from (you guessed it) Pollan's: Botany of Desire. I digress...

For years, I have managed to suppress the reality that the perfect-petaled, fresh-cut roses I bring home to brighten the house in the middle of winter are about as sustainable as asparagus on a supermarket shelf that same snowy season. But when I came across the headline: Blooming Biohazards on VegNews this morning, my heart actually sank. Some of my closest friends are florists. So it is with bittersweet emotion that I share the following term and facts with you:

"McFlowers" - quickly and cheaply grown, factory-farmed flowers from countries with little to no regulation on the use of carcinogenic pesticides and herbicides.

The majority of flowers found in the U.S. are coming from South America. Industry workers there, predominantly women, are poorly paid and often suffer from pesticide-related illnesses.

The cost of transportation. Fresh cut flowers "are kept at very cool temperatures and packed in buckets of water or with individual plastic water tubes on every stem to ensure they keep their 'just picked' appearance. The energy burned to cool and ship these luxury items is, without question, taxing to the environment."

Read Andrea Rose's full article here.

Well, ignorance was bliss.