Category: Botany for Gardeners

Posted on in Botany for Gardeners

A Plant by Any Other Name…

Blue Columbine - Aquilegia caeruleaHow do you pronounce Gomphocarpus physocarpus? What is it? And how can we ever remember how to spell it? What’s Aquilegia caerulea? You might know it as Colorado’s native Blue Columbine (right). Or how about Symphyotrichum novae-angliae? Isn’t it simpler just to say New England Aster? Scientific names are enough to drive gardeners crazy, so why in the world do we need to bother with them?

Scientific names, also called Latin names, can be annoying, but they serve a valuable purpose. We owe a huge thank you to Carl von Linné, the Swedish biologist who, back in the 1700s, invented what we now call binomial nomenclature. He also had the bright idea to use Latin, or at least to Latinize the words from another language, in order to avoid giving preference to any nationality. Scientists all around the world use the same Latin name to designate a particular species.

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Posted on in Botany for Gardeners

Botany for Gardeners: Photosynthesis (part 2)

Food begins with photosynthesis
All food begins with photosynthesis

(If you missed last week’s post about how photosynthesis works, you might want to read it now. I’ll refer to it below.)

As gardeners, we all want to grow healthy plants. Knowing what they need is helpful, but knowing why they need it is even better. Today I’m going to go over what plants need in order to feed themselves—and us. That’s what photosynthesis is for.

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Botany for Gardeners: Photosynthesis

Cibotium schiedei - Mexican Tree Fern @DC LAH 042cIf you ever took high school biology, you’ve heard about photosynthesis. You know that it’s the way a plant takes in sunlight and carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. You probably remember it has something to do with chlorophyll—the pigment that causes plants to be green. But how often have you considered photosynthesis since you passed your final exam that year?

Most people, even gardeners, take photosynthesis for granted. It’s just something plants do. But knowing a bit more about the process can help us have healthier gardens—more, tastier veggies, sweeter fruit, prettier flowers. How so? Let’s take a look.

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Posted on in Botany for Gardeners, Gardening

What’s This Plant?

unknown plantWhat’s this plant? Gardeners aren’t the only ones who find themselves wanting to identify a particular flower or shrub. Hikers like to learn the names of wildflowers, new homeowners want their landscape labeled, and most of us just get curious at times. With my new job (answering plant-related questions, either identifying them or diagnosing a problem), I’ve been identifying a lot of plants lately (if you missed it, I’m now working for a gardening app), and I’ve learned some tips.

There are two approaches to plant ID. The easiest for a non-botanist involves noticing some eye-catching feature and then either flipping pages in a colorful field guide or searching the internet for that attribute. Most wildflower guides are arranged by color, simplifying this process.

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Pollen Season

Ponderosa pollen_BlkForest-CO_LAH_7558-001For the past few weeks, my blue car has been yellow. Drifts of fine mustard-yellow dust cover our patio, our deck, and the floors indoors. I dust, and dust, and dust again; each time the rag comes up yellow. What is this dull yellow layer that covers everything? It’s pollen. More specifically, Ponderosa Pine pollen.

ponderosapollen - npsFor those of us who live with pine trees, the pollen season is a yearly event as predictable as the throngs of Miller Moths currently beating themselves to death against our windows, and happening at the same time of year. Because we had a lot of rain at the end of last summer, 2014 is particularly pollen-y. All those trees, once dying from thirst, have a new lease on life, and they’re taking full advantage.

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Posted on in Botany for Gardeners, Gardening, Seed Starting

Seeds to Sprouts

Lettuce seedling_LAH_9671In spite of the snowstorms this week, spring really is on its way. If you’re starting seeds indoors, it’s time to be sowing tomatoes, peppers, and other crops that take about eight weeks to reach transplant size. (Hold off on the cucumbers, squash, and melons—here in Colorado they should wait until early- to mid-May.)

Even if you’re waiting for warmer weather to plant, you may already have your seeds. Just think—that one little envelope might hold hundreds of zinnias or carrots, or thousands of zucchinis (at least)! How does something so innocent and seemingly lifeless turn into a magnificent flower or an overabundance of squash? How does that seed know to bide its time until it’s planted? What actually happens down there in the dirt?

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Posted on in Botany for Gardeners, Gardening

Seeds: Plants in Suspended Animation

Last month we talked about plant sex. If you missed that post, you can read it here. I’ll also post the same diagram from last time, from the University of Illinois Extension, so you can refer to it as we go along:flower12Imagine that the flowers in your garden are in full bloom. (I know, it’s still winter, but you can pretend.) The bees have been busy, and pollen from an anther has arrived at another flower’s stigma.  Now what?

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Posted on in Botany for Gardeners, Gardening

Where (plant) Babies Come From

Every spring, gardeners go out to plant. We prepare the soil and carefully bury a tiny seed. We might water, if the soil is dry. Mostly, we watch and wait. We fully expect that seed to germinate and grow to maturity. But what is actually happening beneath the warming soil? What is a seed, anyway? How does it know when to break dormancy and germinate? How does it know which way to grow? Since spring is approaching, I thought I’d write a series of posts on seeds—where they come from, what they are, what happens to make them grow. (more…)