How do you gather the most sun in the least amount of space? Who does it better than anything else? What else than a flower named for it, a sunflower. Math Engineer, Alexander Mitsos, from MIT used numerical optimization to find the most efficient space design for concentrating solar power plants, like Gemsolar in Spain. In… Continue reading Sunflowers, a Study in Solar Efficiency
Month: January 2012
A warmer zone map
The new plant hardiness zone map for Colorado has come out from the USDA. As we all know, its warmer here in Colorado during the winter, and the maps are finally catching up. As you can see a good part of the Denver area is now in zone 6a a step warmer than the zone… Continue reading A warmer zone map
Over watering indoor plants
Why is my first inclination when seeing a yellowing plant is to water it more? This is especially true for indoor plants. In an earlier post I wrote about propagating geraniums through cuttings. My main reason for trying to propagate the plant was the fact that the main plant was ailing quite a bit. Today… Continue reading Over watering indoor plants
Spring in January?
There is nothing like a warm day in January to awake the gardening bug. Colorado has had another one of those strange winters where the cold snap in January is non-existent and our mountain snow pack is ensuring water restrictions come summer. But what a lovely 60+ degree day to head out and do some… Continue reading Spring in January?
Gardening in black and white chapter 3
In this installment of gardening in black and white, the plants from the last chapter have been removed. If only it were so easy in the physical world right? These will actually be moved in early spring as soon as I can see where the plants are.
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Red Twig Dogwood Layering in April or May, or softwood cuttings in June, or hardwood cuttings in late fall. Propagation of this plant is extremely easy.
Propagating Geraniums
Taking Cuttings Annuals can add such striking color in our gardens. But like everyone else I am looking for ways to stretch my gardening budget. One way is propagation. Normally I purchase a couple hanging planters each year to give my patio some color. Our local nursery grows wonderful geraniums that just burst with flowers. Each… Continue reading Propagating Geraniums
Becoming a Master Gardener in Colorado
Ten years ago I had grand plans to boost my gardening knowledge. So off the to the Denver Botanic gardens I went, signing up for a number of classes to become a MASTER! But life got in the way and some classes went unused, and then the years rolled into another. Today my wonderful husband… Continue reading Becoming a Master Gardener in Colorado
Pesticides implicated in bee colony collapse
As part of my series on 2012 Garden Resolutions, I hope to improve my yard for my natural neighbors. One of the best parts of any garden are the animals found delighting in what the garden has to offer. I find nothing so happy as a bee flitting from one pollen rich flower to… Continue reading Pesticides implicated in bee colony collapse
What’s in a Name – Buchner in Botany
Today I come across flowers containing the Buchner family name. Could I grow these in a Colorado garden? Genus Buchnera — a plant genus inthe Orobanchaceae family also known as broomrape. This genus was recently moved from the Scrophulariaceae family, also known as the figwort family. The Orobanchaceae family are predominantly parasitic plants using the… Continue reading What’s in a Name – Buchner in Botany