Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:11:50 GMT http://www.hort.net/ Top horticulture stories from around the world en-us webmaster@hort.net (webmaster) webmaster@hort.net (webmaster) http://www.hort.net/topstories/#517 France has held firm in its opposition to Monsanto's genetically modified MON 810 maize - and the agri-chemical multinational has admitted defeat. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:11:50 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#516 It's the first fungus species to be able to survive exclusively on polyurethane and, more importantly, able to do so in anaerobic conditions—the same conditions found in the bottom of landfills. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:20:19 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#515 The "Indigo Rose" tomato steps out this year as the first "really" purple variety to come from a program at Oregon State University that is seeking to breed tomatoes with high levels of antioxidants. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:15:17 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#514 The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:57:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#513 After six months of repairs following a brutal hailstorm that destroyed roughly half of the glass-encased greenhouses, the Garfield Park Conservatory opened the last two rooms that had been closed for repairs Sunday. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:16:23 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#512 Analyses of bees found dead in and around hives from several apiaries over two years in Indiana showed the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are commonly used to coat corn and soybean seeds before planting. The research showed that those insecticides were present at high concentrations in waste talc that is exhausted from farm machinery during planting. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:29:19 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#511 Authorities in Florida suspect that an arsonist destroyed one of the oldest cypress trees in the world. The 3,500-year-old tree, known locally as “The Big Tree,” went up in flames early Monday morning. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:11:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#510 An Indian government agency has agreed to sue the developers of genetically modified (GM) eggplant for violating India's Biological Diversity Act of 2002. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:42:19 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#509 We were on the scene yesterday at the New York Botanical Garden, as carving master Ray Villafane whittled away sections of the 1,818.5 lb pumpkin to reveal an incredibly intricate three-dimensional scene of zombies and demons busting out of the orange shell. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:55:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#508 ...recent findings by Kremer and other agricultural scientists are raising fresh concerns about Monsanto's products and the Washington agencies that oversee them. The same seeds and chemicals spread across millions of acres of U.S. farmland could be creating unforeseen problems in the plants and soil, this body of research shows. Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:02:54 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#507 To put it another way, while Monsanto spends billions of dollars trying to develop and market climate-ready wonder seeds, these farmers have already developed sufficient genetic diversity within their farming systems that they don't need Monsanto's wonder seeds Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:38:02 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#506 All charges dropped against Julie Bass, the Michigan gardener threatened with jail time for growing vegetables in her own yard Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:32:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#505 Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added. Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:46:12 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#504 Their front yard was torn up after replacing a sewer line, so instead of replacing the dirt with grass, one Oak Park woman put in a vegetable garden and now the city is seeing green. 'They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front, that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. They are going to take this all the way -- 93 days in jail if they win.' Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:55:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#503 A rare species of fungus discovered growing in Scotland by researchers at The James Hutton Institute has been chosen to feature in a nationwide competition to give it a name. Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:11:59 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#502 Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of Washington measured tree-ring growth from forests that included 800-year-old trees. They learned that snowpack reductions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries were unlike any other period dating to at least the year 1200, according to new research published in the journal Science. Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:02:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#501 An ambitious lawsuit against the agricultural firm Monsanto got a little bigger this week, and a lawyer for the plaintiffs hopes that this is only the beginning. The farmers want assurance from Monsanto that they will not be sued for patent infringement if their farms become contaminated with the company's genetically modified crops. Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:32:20 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#500 Talc is toxic. Talc particles cause tumors in human ovaries and lungs. Numerous studies have shown a strong link between frequent use of talc in the female genital area and ovarian cancer. Tue, 31 May 2011 15:08:40 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#499 Dr. Don Huber did not seek fame when he quietly penned a confidential letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in January of this year, warning Vilsack of preliminary evidence of a microscopic organism that appears in high concentrations in genetically modified Roundup Ready corn and soybeans and "appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals and probably human beings." Tue, 17 May 2011 11:19:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#498 Take a moment and imagine a world without plants... Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:24:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#497 The state has agreed to pay $300,000 to move a massive, 150-year-old oak tree in Iberia Parish within the next few weeks in order to complete a service road along U.S. Highway 90. Bill Fontenot, a regional administrator for the state Department of Transportation and Development, said the department agreed not to cut down the tree - called 'Mr. Al' by local residents - after several residents and the Optimist Club of New Iberia petitioned to save it. Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:54:37 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#496 Auburn University today confirmed that an herbicide commonly used to kill trees was deliberately applied in lethal amounts to the soil around the Toomer's Corner live oaks on campus, and there is little chance to save the trees. Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:50:46 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#495 Hidden among dense underbrush on an Austrian hillside, a great-great 'grandparent' of one of the world's most popular white wines survived wars, turmoil and insect pests for 500 years. On Thursday the grapevine was found chopped to pieces by vandals... Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:56:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#494 A 1-month study led by Agricultural Research Service chemist Betty J. Burri and former ARS biologist Betty K. Ishida, both based in California, has provided new evidence to suggest that, ounce for ounce, tangerine tomatoes might be better sources of lycopene -- a powerful antioxidant -- than are familiar red tomatoes. Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:22:06 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#493 Gardeners have been warned today about the hidden dangers of compost after a pensioner was infected with Legionnaires' disease after handling it. The 67-year-old man ended up in intensive care after being infected through a cut on his hand which he got while using a trowel. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:00:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#492 Forced to rethink and rebrand, gardens are appealing to visitors' interests in nature, sustainability, cooking, health, family and the arts. Some are emphasizing their social role, erecting model green buildings, promoting wellness and staying open at night so people can mingle over cocktails like the Pollinator (green tea liqueur, soda water and Sprite). Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:41:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#488 One of the dirty secrets of California's wine country is now on everyone's lips. Somehow a voracious grape-eating moth has found its way nonstop from Europe to the heart of the Napa Valley, the land of three-figure cabernet. With valuable fruit at risk, the region's fast and loose play with federal agriculture quarantine laws is getting new scrutiny from investigators and researchers. Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:02:26 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#491 Two new compact oakleaf hydrangea cultivars ideal for small gardens have been released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:14:42 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#490 Data from the US Department of Agriculture show a 29 percent drop in beehives in 2009, following a 36 percent decline in 2008 and a 32 percent fall in 2007. Research conducted in 23 US states and Canada and published in the Public Library of Science journal found 121 different pesticides in 887 samples of bees, wax, pollen and other elements of hives, lending credence to the notion of pesticides as a key problem. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:41:25 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#489 Some researchers say an age-old cash crop long the focus of public health debate could be used to help solve the nation's energy crisis, by genetically modifying the tobacco leaf for use as a biofuel. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:43:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#487 For weeks, it was difficult to find strawberries at grocery stores. Now, the shelves brim with cartons of berries and the prices are especially low. But while shoppers are scoring on sales, the story out in the fields isn't so happy. Many farmers are plowing bushes filled with ripening strawberries under because they're not making enough to cover their costs. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:41:16 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#486 Bioacoustician Bernie Krause has recorded the amazingly rhythmic vascular systems of thirsty trees. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:51:45 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#485 Michelle Obama believes school gardens are a weapon in the fight against childhood obesity in America. Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast believes they are a magnet for pests. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:32:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#484 To serious green thumbs, the Western Hills Nursery in the Sonoma County town of Occidental is sacred ground. But all its influence on local gardening culture and aesthetics hasn't saved Western Hills from the foreclosure crisis. Now a bank is looking to sell off the garden, which is suffering from the curse of many other foreclosed properties - neglect. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:02:09 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#483 The researchers netted a number of interesting genes in their screen, but one in particular, Argonaute 9, caught their attention immediately. The finding raises the possibility that many -- or maybe even all -- plants have the ability to reproduce through apomixis, but that potential is suppressed by Argonaute 9. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:52:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#482 The largest meat-eating plant in the world is designed not to eat small animals, but small animal poo. Botanists have discovered that the giant montane pitcher plant of Borneo has a pitcher the exact same size as a tree shrew's body. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:17:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#481 From purple loosestrife to salt cedar to hydrilla, over 5,000 exotic plant species have established in the wild in the United States. A paper recently published in the journal Biological Invasions is the latest contribution to ... controlling the spread of invasive plants in the horticultural industry. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:39:49 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#480 But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds skyrocket. The price increases have not only irritated many farmers, they have caught the attention of the Obama administration. The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:21:48 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#479 Genetically modified (GM) plants have always been a hot-potato issue in Europe. And it's about to get hotter. On Tuesday, the European Commission gave the green light to the cultivation of a genetically modified potato for industrial and feed uses. It also approved three varieties of GM corn made by the American biotech firm Monsanto for sale, but not cultivation, within the European Union. Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:25:11 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#478 A Chinese nun has found an Udumbara flower, which Buddhist legend holds blossoms every 3,000 years, growing under her washing machine, a newspaper reported. Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:59:58 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#477 Organic farmers fear this year's spring breezes will be carrying pollen from genetically altered sugar beets, which they say could render their crops worthless, and they hope to persuade a federal judge this week to halt the plantings nationwide. Experts and industry groups say such an injunction could jeopardize U.S. sugar supplies, about half of which comes from the biotech beets planted on more than 1 million acres in 10 states stretching from Michigan to Oregon. Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:38:16 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#476 University of California at Irvine researchers and British colleagues from Oxitec Ltd. and the University of Oxford have created a new breed of mosquito in which the females are rendered flightless but the males can fly and successfully breed, reports Reuters. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:04:12 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#475 The Ha family has been in a legal dispute with Orange for more than a year because of their lack o' lawn. According to the city, 40 percent of residential lawns must be traditionally landscaped... Instead, the couple, in an effort to conserve water and save cash that they'd otherwise be spending on a manicured lawn, decided to replace their conventional grass lawn with a drought-tolerant garden. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:16:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#473 After a string of mild winters, we'd tucked thoughts of deep freezes away with our heavy coats. We'd grown bolder and slipped Norfolk pines into the garden. What the heck? The houseplants were too tall for indoors anyway. We unleashed tropicals in the landscape, the bravest giving plumerias permanent homes in garden beds. Forget dragging potted plants to the garage for a winter's nap. But January's big chill jolted us back to reality. Consecutive nights in the 20s freeze-dried lush green landscapes into silent brown husks. February has been one of the coldest on record. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:32:36 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#472 Parker, a forest ecologist at the Smithsonian Institution, has spent the past 22 years on a research project so repetitive, so time-consuming, that it impresses even researchers with the patience to count tree rings. Since 1987, he and a group of volunteers have embraced thousands of trees, slipped a tape measure behind them, and wrapped it around to measure the trees' girth. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:38:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#471 Munching caterpillars produce oral secretions that activate a whole series of defense responses, Dr. Baldwin said, including the production of toxins and protease inhibitors that decrease the caterpillars' digestive ability. The change in flowering time, he said, is a fourth major group of events that are activated by caterpillar attack. Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:48:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#470 Scientists from the University of York have confidently predicted they will have high-yielding anti-malaria crops available for wide spread plantation in developing countries within two years. The discovery of the genetic map of the medicinal herb Artemisia annua has been hailed as a significant breakthrough that could save countless lives. Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:21:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#469 Hebert, a zoologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, is the father of an idea known as DNA bar coding. The notion holds that just about every plant and animal species on the planet can be identified by quickly analyzing a short stretch of DNA'in much the same way that scanner reads bar codes in a store. Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:55:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#468 Botanists have discovered for the first time that the plants are carnivorous predators who kill insects in order to "self-fertilise" themselves. New research shows that they capture and kill small insects with sticky hairs on their stems and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:26:46 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#467 Scientists in Germany have taken the humble potato and genetically modified it to produce a new variety that produces a starch used by the paper, textile and food industries. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:24:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#466 There's an experiment going on in the redwood forests of northern California: people are trying to turn trees into "carbon banks." The idea is to manage forests so they absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and slow down global warming. Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:59:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#465 A three-metre long "pee bale" has been installed at Wimpole Hall. Head gardener Philip Whaites is urging his male colleagues to pee on the straw bale to activate the composting process on the estate's compost heap. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:33:55 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#464 On one of the Galapagos islands whose finches shaped the theories of a young Charles Darwin, biologists have witnessed that elusive moment when a single species splits in two. In many ways, the split followed predictable patterns, requiring a hybrid newcomer who'd already taken baby steps down a new evolutionary path. But playing an unexpected part was chance, and the newcomer singing his own special song. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:04:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#463 The world's longest-lived trees appear to be growing more quickly because of higher temperatures on the mountaintops where they grow, a finding that's a new "smoking gun" signal of increasing temperatures in the late 20th century. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:03:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#462 For Impatiens plants grown with strangers, the plants increased their resource allocation to their leaves relative to allocation to stems and roots, an indication of a competitive response. By moving their resources into leaves, these plants not only positively affected their own growth by enhancing their ability to acquire a limited resource but also negatively affected their competitors' growth by shading nearby plants and decreasing the competitor's light acquisition abilities. However, these differences in response based on the presence of kin or strangers were only observed in those plants grown with root neighbors, indicating that communication among roots may be necessary for plants to recognize kin. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:37:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#461 Hundreds of experts from 50 nations are set to agree on a "DNA barcode" system that gives every plant on Earth a unique genetic fingerprint. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:17:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#460 Kathy and George Norris lived under the specter of a covert government investigation for almost six months before the government unsealed a secret indictment and revealed why the Fish and Wildlife Service had treated their family home as if it were a training base for suspected terrorists. Orchids. Mr. Norris ended up spending almost two years in prison because he didn't have the proper paperwork for some of the many orchids he imported. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:05:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#459 A global team of researchers has mapped the genetic code of the world's most popular vegetable ' the potato. The draft of the potato genome released last week represents the work of more than 50 scientists from 16 institutions and will provide a starting point for other researchers to develop sturdier, more nutritious potatoes. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:12:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#458 While they might hog the bulk of the resources, trees still leave enough "crumbs" for smaller neighbouring plants to eke out a living, researchers say. The finding contradicts previous notions of plant competition and adds support to a new view of how a plant's size affects the survival and composition of its neighbouring species. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:24:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#457 It's a product that could change the world, one bite at a time. For now, however, the owners of what has been touted as the world's tastiest sweet corn just want to figure out how to get their ears on American plates. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:19:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#456 There are probably hundreds of majestic and magnificent trees in the world of these, some are particularly special. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:14:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#455 Farmer Hao Xianzhang, who owns an orchard in northern Hebei province, is turning fiction into fact by attaching baby-shaped fiberglass and plastic moulds to young pears for six months. He also hopes to export his fruit overseas and won't be limiting himself to babies -- Hao said he hopes to cater to Western tastes by growing pears in the shape of Biblical characters and screen legend Charlie Chaplin. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:13:33 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#454 West Lafayette, Ind. ' The Purdue University Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory has confirmed late blight infecting tomatoes in several Indiana counties, including Tippecanoe, Vermillion and Bartholomew. Growers who identify late blight should plow under or pull out and destroy infected plants, Egel said. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:40:58 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#453 I would like to alert readers to the fact the new release from Timber Press, 'Black Plants' following hot on the heels of their release, 'Green Flowers' and the earlier release in 2005 'Striking Silver'. It is not coincidence that these titles relate directly to my own titles 'Black Magic and Purple Passion' first edition in 2000, now in its third edition; 'Emeralds' released in 2004 and Silver Lining just one month before Timber's book on the subject in 2005. So why the similarity? Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:00:29 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#452 Twice as many of today's young Brits - compared to older generations - are getting into gardening before the age of twenty. But they have turfed their parents 'old practices' on the compost heap. But the new breed of 'Instant Bloomers' don't understand latin names, don't know what a perennial is and aren't able to identify a hoe. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:20:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#451 The US alone plants over 50% of the world's GM crops; The GM industry has not marketed a single GM crop with enhanced nutrition, drought-tolerance, salt-tolerance or any of the other 'beneficial' traits long-promised by the industry; GM crops have contributed substantially to increased pesticide use Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:53:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#450 A British company has created an irrigation system that can grow crops using salt water. The dRHS irrigation system consists of a network of sub-surface pipes, which can be filled with almost any water, whether pure, brackish, salted or polluted. The system can even take most industrial waste-water and use it without the need for a purification process. Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:44:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#449 Scientists at Montsaint Genie Tech Inc. announced today that they have successfully transferred the gene segment that produces the psychotropic chemical THC in cannabis plants to many other common garden plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and more. Vale says that her company is working on a spray that will transfer the segment to many plants simply by spraying the leaves of seedlings. Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:01:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#448 A man who Cincinnati Police say is responsible for stealing several plants has been arrested after he was seen carrying a large tropical plant down an alley. Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:21:37 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#446 The findings, published in Ecology Letters, raise the tantalising possibility that plants, just like animals, often prefer to help their relatives over unrelated individuals. The ability to distinguish self from non-self is a vital one in nature. Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:36:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#445 A sensor is slipped onto the plant leaf that connects a tiny electrical current through the water in the plant tissue. Once the water goes away, the current is broken and a signal is sent to a computer, which results in a message sent to the gardener indicating which plant is thirsty. Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:34:01 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#444 Iowa State University researchers are putting flu vaccines into the genetic makeup of corn, which may someday allow pigs and humans to get a flu vaccination simply by eating corn or corn products. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:49:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#443 Each year the International Institute for Species Exploration makes its picks for which new species are the most interesting in terms of unique attributes, surprising facts or peculiar names, according to Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist and director of the institute. And there are still thousands, if not millions, of species that have yet to be discovered. Sat, 23 May 2009 00:42:02 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#442 Trends in lawn-mowing are moving ahead in leaps and bounds as more gardeners turn to home-bred wallabies to keep their paddocks in trim. Mon, 11 May 2009 08:31:24 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#441 Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Massachusetts General Hospital have used a genome engineering tool they developed to make a model crop plant herbicide-resistant without significant changes to its DNA. The new approach has the potential to help scientists modify plants to produce food, fuel and fiber sustainably while minimizing concerns about genetically modified organisms. Tue, 05 May 2009 06:55:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#440 Foreclosures in Riverside County have left many lawns dead and brown. An entrepreneur is painting them over with green paint. Just add water, some chemicals -- and a willing suspension of disbelief. Mon, 04 May 2009 19:56:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#439 The gene for death has been isolated -- and reversed -- by scientists. Not a bad day's work, you might say, and a bright ray of light in this dark winter of gloomy news reports. Sorry, it's not the death of human beings that's at issue. But it is a gene for death that's embedded in a plant on which we all directly depend each day. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:45:49 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#438 Saplings from the tree Anne Frank used to measure the seasons while hiding from the Nazis could be planted in 10 cities around the United States. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:07:28 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#437 Neighborhood organizations across the U.S. that want to improve the environment are using a surprising weapon: seed balls. The technique has worked its way to Brooklyn, N.Y. In the Greenpoint neighborhood on a recent Sunday afternoon, a small group of activists walked the streets carrying paper bags filed with little balls made from clay, compost and seeds. They are members of a local group called NAG, or Neighbors Allied for Good Growth. They drop the balls on dirt piles and throw them into abandoned lots. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:55:59 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#436 With the global economy spiraling downward and Mother Nature preparing to reach upward, it's a good question to ask and a good time to ask it. There isn't one right answer, of course, but I'll give you mine: $2149.15. Last year, my wife Jacqueline suggested to me that we calculate the total value of the produce coming out of our garden over the course of the growing season. Initially, the thought of doing that was about as appealing to me as a recreational root canal. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:49:54 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#435 fark.com photoshop contest Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:09:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#434 Barbara from Ballard is looking for someone to take the lead. Aeranthes of Capitol Hill is into sun-ripe tomato-basil salads. And Mimi is ready to go Dutch in Ravenna. They've all posted on Urbangardnenshare.org, a new local web site poised to become the Match.com of the spade-and-shovel set. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:58:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#433 Seven new iceberg lettuce breeding lines with resistance to bacterial leaf spot (BLS) have been released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:46:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#432 She was off to one side of the lawn, raking and singing to herself, said her mother, when she make a stroke with the rake and noticed what looked like a face looking up at her. She leaned over to get a closer look. There, etched in black on the edge of a fallen maple leaf, was what looked to her like an image of Jesus. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:27:48 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#431 Armed with brown gardening gloves, knees pressed to the earth and surrounded by a group of eager helpers, the first lady planted the first fruit and vegetable seedlings in the new White House kitchen garden, according to the Associated Press. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:22:20 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#430 A class of undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created a set of robots that can water, harvest and pollinate cherry tomato plants. Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:16:33 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#429 Chris Mroz has developed a prototype for a curved wood floor at his studio in Gig Harbor. Some developers envision such a structure for a South Korean shopping mall. If Mroz gets the job, he stands to earn more than $6 million making about 1,200 such 7-by-7-foot sections. Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:19:16 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#428 Designed for Nintendo DS and released last week, Gardening Mama allows players to nurture 37 pixelated varieties of fruits, flowers and vegetab Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:30:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#426 As winter retreats northward across the nation, gardeners are cleaning tools and turning attention to spring planting. But climate change is adding a new wrinkle, and now a standard reference the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Hardiness Zone Map is about to make very clear how much rising temperatures have shifted planting zones northward. The guide, last updated in 1990, shows where various species can be expected to thrive. A revision is expected sometime this year, and while the agency hasn't released details, horticulturalists and experts who have helped with the revision expect the new map to extend plants' northern ranges and paint a sharp picture of the continent's gradual warming over the past few decades. Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:50:40 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#425 A TREE discovered in a search for new species has been named after a no parking sign. The prosaically-named no parking whitebeam is one of 14 new species of tree just given names in a project led by the National Museum of Wales. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:17:46 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#424 It has always been suspected but never proven that within a species, old trees grow slower, said Bryan Black, an assistant professor of forestry at Oregon State University, who works out of OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore. The oldest trees, though, are not necessarily the biggest. Even though they have longer lifespans, the long-lived trees grow so slowly that they rarely get as big as their faster-growing, shorter-lived counterparts. Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:34:01 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#422 A new revolutionary way to garden (video clip) Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:49:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#421 Climate change will likely shuffle some of the West's most troublesome invasive weeds, adding to the burden faced by farms and ranchers in some areas and providing opportunities for native plant restoration in others, according to a new study. In many cases, a warming climate will provide more welcoming conditions for invasive plants to get a foothold, spread quickly and crowd out native species, the study by Princeton University researchers said. Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:57:17 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#420 Motorists will be forgiven for doing a double-take when driving past this tree shaped like a chicken on a roadside in Cambridgeshire. Bob Widd, an arboriculturalist with tree surgery firm Global Tree Solutions, of Willingham, Cambs., said time and weather had formed the tree into its remarkable shape. Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:45:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#419 In an alarming yet little-noticed series of recent studies, scientists have concluded that Canada's precious forests, stressed from damage caused by global warming, insect infestations and persistent fires, have crossed an ominous line and are now pumping out more climate-changing carbon dioxide than they are sequestering. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:52:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#418 Just six weeks before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, the Bush administration issued revised endangered species regulations Thursday to reduce the input of federal scientists and to block the law from being used to fight global warming. The changes, which will go into effect in about 30 days, were completed in just four months. But they could take Obama much longer to reverse. They will eliminate some of the mandatory, independent reviews that government scientists have performed for 35 years on dams, power plants, timber sales and other projects, a step that developers and other federal agencies have blamed for delays and cost increases. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:53:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#417 The New England Flower Show is folding after bringing a spring preview to a winter-beaten region for 137 years. The society has been beset with problems this year. It lost money on the show, and had to borrow heavily to pay bills. It recently fired 18 of 30 staff members, including the woman who had run the show. Last summer, its new executive director, Bob Feige, resigned after revelations he spent three days in prison for failing to pay employees at a business he owned. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:09:09 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#416 Steve Connollyu2019s prized pumpkin could yield enough pie to feed an army u2014 or comfortably house a family of six. But instead, his goal is to smash a world record with the orange behemoth currently squatting in his pumpkin patch. Just two decades ago, 400-pound pumpkins were looked at in wonder, but these days, even a 1,000 pound pumpkin looks like a pipsqueak to competitive pumpkin growers. Playing around with pumpkin genetics and feeding them fertilizer fit for a garden king has produced whoppers such as Joe Jutras' current record holder. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:25:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#415 Hines Horticulture, Inc. ('Hines Horticulture' or the 'Company') today announced that it and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hines Nurseries, Inc. filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the 'Court') to facilitate the going concern sale of all or substantially all of the Company's assets. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:50:26 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#414 French vinters are turning to outer space to outwit foreign rivals, with new satellite technology giving an overview of vineyards' physical characteristics and potential. The satellite images, produced by French wine consultancy body ICV and geo-information provider Infoterra, give growers information on water stress and grape composition amongst others, allowing better management of the vinification. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:37:15 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#413 We are extremely disappointed that the PNHC has determined not to move ahead with the acquisition of Heronswood Gardens, due to lack of sufficient community commitment and financial support. For the last two years, we at Burpee have not only actively searched for a buyer committed to preserving the gardens and plant collection, but also lovingly maintained the entire estate. It was opened to the media and the public twice last year and will be open this summer, all day on July 26th. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:58:55 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#412 With sadness we inform you that the Pacific Northwest Horticultural Conservancy (PNHC) has ended its attempts to acquire the Heronswood Garden property. The appraisal and the feasibility study were both completed recently. With this information in hand, the board determined that the project was no longer viable as envisioned. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:56:17 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#411 Citrus farmers in Florida could have their crops saved by the same chemical that is in aspirin, a report said. A citrus grower in Orange County, Maury Boyd, is spraying thousands of his trees with nutrients, minerals and salicylic acid to help curb the spread of citrus greening across the Citrus Belt, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Monday. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:42:03 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#410 I first became aware of the fertilizer/radioactivity connection on a tour of a nuclear power plant where an explanatory sign mentioned the Florida phosphate industry providing uranium as nuclear fuel. This is the yellowcake of the weapons-of-mass-destruction fiasco - it does not come just from Niger. Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:31:15 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#409 The Japanese company that created the world's first genetically modified blue roses said today it will start selling them next year. Suntory Ltd, also a major whisky distiller, hopes to sell several hundred thousand blue roses a year, company spokesman Kazumasa Nishizaki said. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:31:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#408 Lawmakers are busy drafting plans to ease Georgia's water restrictions, but Georgia's top environmental official isn't ready to sign off on the idea yet. The record-setting drought forced the state to ban outdoor watering in North Georgia and order public water providers in the region to cut their water withdrawals by 10 percent. But recent rain and snowfall has inspired some lawmakers to discuss relaxing the restrictions as spring approaches. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:59:03 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#407 Botanists say they have identified a new species of palm that is so enormous it can be spotted from space and whose bizarre life cycle requires the plant to kill itself after it has flowered. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:30:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#406 A botanist who used to work on his studies in various remote parts of the Sonora, Mexico, mountains says that work now is being left incomplete because of a health problem that developed for him on the job. 'I got kind of allergic to pistols being held to my forehead,' botanist Richard Felger said in a report on the impact drug smugglers are having on various scientific endeavors. The Arizona Republic report was published on the website of KPNX, Channel 12, television in Phoenix, and documented the scientists' inability to complete studies on jaguars, various insects, bats, fish and other subjects of scientific inquiry. Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:36:58 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#404 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has concluded an investigation into alleged compliance infractions by The Scotts Company, LLC. The investigation related to regulated genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant creeping bentgrass. Under today's settlement agreement, Scotts has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $500,000 which is the maximum penalty allowed by the Plant Protection Act of 2000. This is a severe civil penalty and underscores USDA's strong commitment to compliance with its regulations. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:41:03 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#403 Genetically modified plants that can break down pollutants may be an effective way to clean soil contaminated by industrial chemicals and explosives used by the military, according to scientists. Tests on six-inch tall GM poplar cuttings which had a gene from a rabbit inserted into them showed that they could remove up to 91% of a chemical called trichloroethylene from the water used in their feed. This chemical, used as an industrial degreaser and one of the most common contaminants of ground water, was broken down by the plants into harmless byproducts more than 100 times faster than by unaltered plants. Sat, 20 Oct 2007 23:20:17 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#402 It's been a brave new world for genetic crops for some time now but Chicago-based researchers say they have developed a method to take crop manipulation to a higher level: the chromosome. An artificial chromosome can carry several desired genes and be inserted in a targeted location in a plant, she said, giving scientists the power to imbue plants with desired traits much more quickly and reliably than has been possible before. Sat, 20 Oct 2007 23:18:25 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#401 Bumblebees are responsible for pollinating an estimated 15 percent of all the crops grown in the U.S., worth $3 billion, particularly those raised in greenhouses. Those include tomatoes, peppers and strawberries. There is no smoking gun yet, but a recent National Academy of Sciences report on the status of pollinators around the world blames a combination of habitat lost to housing developments and intensive agriculture, pesticides, pollution and diseases spilling out of greenhouses using commercial bumblebee hives. Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:08:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#400 Scientists have discovered 11 new species of plants and animals in Vietnam, including a snake, two butterflies and five orchid varieties, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Wednesday. Three of the new orchid species are leafless, which is unusual for orchids, WWF said. The other new plant species include one in the aspidistra family, which produces a black flower and can subsist in low light, and an arum, which produces yellow flowers surrounded by funnel-shaped leaves, it said. Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:39:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#399 A report issued this week examined several recent studies by food scientists, nutritionists, growers and plant breeders. It found clear evidence that as the produce we eat gets larger, its vitamins, minerals and beneficial chemical compounds significantly diminish, as do taste and aroma. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:54:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#398 With authorities promising tighter borders, some farmers who rely on immigrant labor are eyeing an emerging generation of fruit-picking robots and high-tech tractors to do everything from pluck premium wine grapes to clean and core lettuce. Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:55:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#397 The onset of autumn always brings heightened advertising for grub control products for lawns. With the winter of 2007-2008 not far off, however, comes an urgent reminder from beekeepers about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which wiped out tens of thousands of hives of bees across North America last winter and spring. That desire for a grub-free lawn has placed some homeowners and landscape contractors in direct conflict with the bee industry. �he issue is that the primary product used to control grubs contains a chemical compound known as imidacloprid, which is most commonly marketed as Merit,�said Paul Tukey, founder and spokesman for SafeLawns.org, a national nonprofit organization. �midacloprid is known to be toxic to bees, and many beekeepers see a direct link to this chemical and the disappearance of bee hives. Many countries are employing the �recautionary principle�and pulling imidacloprid from the shelves. In the U.S., homeowners and farms are using more and more of it, especially since many of the other products with diazinon that folks were using to kill grubs and other insects have already been banned due to their proven toxicity. Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:09:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#396 Instead, by precisely planting four varieties of rice with differently colored leaves in fields their ancestors have farmed for centuries, the people of Inakadate Village have this year grown remarkable reproductions of famous woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). With pictures. Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:55:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#395 The bugs made their way into the Southern Appalachians around 2002, and now many hemlocks in neighborhoods all over western North Carolina display the distinctive white, cottony balls on their branches. Without any natural predators, the adelgids have flourished, feeding on Eastern and Carolina hemlocks, which are only found in the Southern Appalachians. The adelgids inject toxic saliva into the trees that effectively kills them over a period of years. In the Southern Appalachians, hemlocks are typically found in riparian zones, areas of vegetation near streams, and are a keystone species, meaning they play a unique role in the ecosystem. 'There's only a few that are keystone species that if you lose them, it can disproportionate effects on the ecosystem,' Vose said. Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:03:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#394 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Gardeners and scientists alike are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how a Sandy woman says she found a strawberry growing inside her tomato. Ashlee Smith was picking some tomatoes from her Grandpa's garden when she discovered not one, but two odd fruits while making dinner. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:35:53 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#393 An ancient forest of cypress trees, estimated to be eight million years old, has been discovered in Hungary. The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Budapest says the wood of the trees is still brown in photographs taken by the archaeologists, giving the impression that it has only just been split. Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:32:01 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#392 Among the human-tailored landscapes that influence carbon and water cycles in America are lawns. This color-coded map shows satellite-derived estimates of the fractional turf grass (lawn) area across the United States in shades of green. Areas where a large fraction of the land surface is lawn-covered are deepest green, while locations where the lawns cover a very small (or no) fraction of the land surface are lightest green or white. Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:50:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#391 Scientists announced Monday the discovery of a rare ? and stinky ? orchid species that flourishes only in the wet meadows of a beloved portion of Yosemite National Park. Botanist Alison Colwell said the species' minute, tennis-ball yellow flowers weren't what first led her to it, but rather the smell of sweaty feet that the Yosemite bog-orchid emits to attract pollinators. Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:17:32 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#390 Norman Borlaug, a pioneer of the 'Green Revolution' who was born on a Cresco farm in 1914, will become one of only five people in history to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom. The others are Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel and Nelson Mandela. Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:59:59 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#389 For the past three to four years, the Danish agricultural engineering scientists have been working on a solution to control weeds for vegetable farming. Enter Hortibot. An approximate three-foot-by-three-foot, self-propelled, global positioning system, directed, weed-eliminating, automated robot. Depending on the needs of the farmer and the kind of vegetable crop, Hortibot has a variety of weed-removing attachments and methods. It can manually pick weeds, spray, or remove them using flames or a laser. Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:06:06 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#388 Occupying a picturesque quarter-acre, amidst a sea of oats and rye grass, are 14 rows of revolving shoulder-high cylinders. Seven-hundred and fifty in all, they're comprised of clover-shaped racks, six per stack. Roughly 15,000 strawberry plants - particularly green and leafy specimens - grow from the racks, some bearing fruit almost the size of apricots. Thu, 05 Jul 2007 01:34:29 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#387 One of the world's worst weeds is thriving in the southern summer and it's not kudzu. It's called cogongrass. The invasive weed has already infested about a million acres in the southeast and continues to spread. And it may be fueling wildfires in Alabama and Georgia. This weed is particularly dangerous in Lee county, Alabama where it's been known to catch fire in forest areas. Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:57:03 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#386 Californiaâs most troublesome tourist, a tiny, mud-coloured moth from Australia with a taste for Napa valleyâs finest grapes â not to mention all other crops and the stateâs fir trees â is generating panic. As Californiaâs farmers have found out, the Australian light brown apple moth is a very hungry creature. It might have a passion for grapes but it will happily eat anything else grown by Californiaâs farmers. Its caterpillars will eat everything from corn and tomatoes to cherries, peaches and plums. It is able to procreate at an astonishing pace even if its life-span is shorter than the average summer holiday. Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:44:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#385 Plants are able to recognise their siblings, according to a study appearing today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. Researchers at McMaster University have found that plants get fiercely competitive when forced to share their pot with strangers of the same species, but theyâre accommodating when potted with their siblings. Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:52:45 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#384 - CT scanners used for decades to peer inside humans are now being trained by scientists on hardwood trees to detect knots, cracks and other imperfections in a bid to help lumber mills make the best possible cuts of valuable logs. ADVERTISEMENT With the nation's hardwood lumber industry facing growing foreign competition, technology is needed to help mills obtain more high quality lumber from trees, Purdue University researcher Rado Gazo said. Gazo is overseeing a summer project at a northern Indiana lumber mill filled this spring with a CT scanner that's comparing logs cut after being subjected to the high-resolution X-ray scans with logs cut after being sized up the traditional way. Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:11:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#383 A Dewey Beach woman and her handyman have been charged with poisoning a sycamore tree on a nearby playground that blocked her view of Rehoboth Bay. She had encountered problems with the club in the past, she said, and decided to have her handyman kill a tree on the club's playground so she could have a better view of the bay, police wrote in court records. Sat, 26 May 2007 17:06:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#381 Under Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a longtime proponent of changing the landmark 1973 law, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials have circulated proposed regulations that would alter how it is enforced. The most significant alterations would clear the way for projects that have already been determined to threaten plants or animals with extinction; limit the listing of endangered species by requiring that they face elimination within 20 years; and shift much of the responsibility for protecting them to the states. It also would give states veto power over the re-introduction of wildlife like wolves and bears into areas from which they had been eliminated. Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:44:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#380 THIS parsnip doesnât look too appetising â with a face like an evil witch. Green-fingered Brian Davy didnât look twice at the hideous root vegetable after digging it up on his allotment. Thu, 22 Mar 2007 19:15:20 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#379 Rising temperatures fueled by global warming are causing forests of spruce trees to invade Arctic tundra faster than scientists originally thought, evicting and endangering the species that dwell there and only there, a new study concludes. While in many places the idea of more trees is a good one, this Arctic takeover endangers species like caribou and sheep that thrive in the tundra, as well as the native people who depend on these species for their survival. Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:42:19 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#378 This fragile ecosystem is under threat, menaced by an aggressive foreign invader that, left unchecked, will choke the life out of the woodland. Rhododendrons, introduced to Scotland from Africa in the 18th century, may be pretty, but they are also lethal. Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:46:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#377 Over the past five years, Chiquita worked with Boston consulting firm GEN3 Partners Inc. to figure out how to delay the banana's ripening process. Bananas ripen more rapidly and delicately than many other fruits as bananas interact with carbon dioxide. They can turn from inedible green to yellow with overripe brown spots in just a week. More rugged fruits such as apples and pears ripen much more slowly. The company found that the pharmaceutical industry had engineered plastics that regulate air flow in boxes and decided to apply that technology to the bananas. Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:57:04 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#376 There are many ways to get rid of weeds. You can dig them up, spray them, cut them to pieces or burn them. But noxious weed eradicator Trevor Thompson prefers to shoot them. Displaying Kiwi ingenuity, Conservation Department employee Mr Thompson is having great success shooting inaccessible pest plants on Mana Island using a paintball gun. Mr Thompson modified a paintball gun last year, replaced paint in the balls with a mix of diesel and herbicide Grazone and, with the department's blessing, started shooting at boxthorn growing on steep rocky cliffs. Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:00:13 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#375 Purple Chinese space potatoes are the latest fad in the ultra-trendy commercial hub of Shanghai. The spuds were bred from seeds that mutated while being carried aboard a Chinese spacecraft. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:57:35 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#374 The power plant and acreage for the crop, scientific name Arundo donax but dubbed e-grass, will be somewhere in south Florida. Its total output, 130 kilowatts or enough to power about 83,000 homes, will be acquired by Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of North Carolina's Progress Energy. That means a 12-foot-tall reed - rather than oil, coal, natural gas or nuclear power - may someday be generating power for homes in the Tampa Bay area. Sun, 11 Feb 2007 08:44:29 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#373 Unseasonably warm weather may have tricked the world's smelliest plant into blooming in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter, botanists at the Eden Project where the native of Sumatra is housed, told Reuters. Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:13:01 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#372 If you like living the good life outdoors -- planting perennials and then barbecuing a few ribs on the grill -- there are some new twists in store this year. Trends include 24-hour gardens, bold and bright foliage, big accents and environmentally friendly techniques. Mon, 22 Jan 2007 04:39:32 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#371 Prince Albert of Monaco inaugurated Europe's first so-called "climate sink," in a bid to help fight global warming. The concept of carbon sinks is based on the natural ability of trees, other plants and the soil to soak up carbon dioxide and temporarily store the carbon in wood, roots, leaves and the soil, thus purifying the atmosphere by absorbing part of the carbon dioxide generated by human activity. Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:40:04 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#370 George Bush is preparing to make a historic shift in his position on global warming when he makes his State of the Union speech later this month, say senior Downing Street officials. Bush and Blair held private talks on climate change before Christmas, and there is a feeling that the US President will now agree a cap on emissions in the US, meaning that, for the first time, American industry and consumers would be expected to start conserving energy and curbing pollution. Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:07:12 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#369 Whether it's because of global warming, El Nino, or just a really long warm spell, weather in New York City this winter has been awfully strange. With temperatures continually hovering around the 50 degree mark and even occasionally nearing 60, perhaps the most bizarre weather-related incident happened in Brooklyn where cherry blossoms decided to make an early appearance. At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it hardly seems like the dead of winter. Most cherry blossoms don't bloom until the beginning of spring when the winter chill finally begins to warm up. But there hasn't been a winter chill for most of the season, and for that reason, a cherry blossom tree was in practically full bloom on this the second day of January. Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:00:14 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#368 In a revised map of "hardiness zones" -- bands of similar temperatures where similar trees are likely to grow in winter -- the foundation reclassified the entire Washington area in the same zone as parts of North Carolina and Texas. In 1990, the region was on the border of northern and southern growing zones, but a foundation official said that has changed after 15 years of balmy winter weather. In the foundation's revised map, the southern climate zone has swallowed the remainder of the area, taking in parts of the District, Montgomery County, and western suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. All of Zone 7 has shifted north. The zone now takes in most of Tennessee and Virginia as well as parts of North Carolina, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:10:46 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#37 The Pacific Northwest Horticultural Conservancy (PNHC), a non-profit organization, has been created with the mission to acquire and preserve the internationally renowned botanical garden and plant collection at the former Heronswood Nursery property.The goal is to establish a community-based, self-sustaining horticultural research and education center, collaborating with educational institutions such as the University of Washington and Olympic College. Thu, 14 Dec 2006 04:39:01 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#367 The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers. At the news conference Saturday, Walters tried to emphasize to the largely Afghan media members in attendance that spraying was perfectly safe. He said the herbicide glyphosate - sold commercially in the United States under the name Roundup - would be used, and that it was a safe and common weed killer. Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:09:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#366 The discovery of a 100-million-year old bee embedded in amber -- perhaps the oldest bee ever found -- "pushes the bee fossil record back about 35 million years," according to Bryan Danforth, Cornell associate professor of entomology. A report on this major fossil discovery, which the researchers say supports a new hypothesis in bee evolution, was published in the Oct. 27 issue of Science. Sat, 09 Dec 2006 23:45:50 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#365 To prevent the destructive emerald ash borer beetle from spreading farther, the federal government announced a statewide quarantine Tuesday restricting the movement of lumber, logs, wood chips and firewood across Illinois lines unless the material has been treated to remove the threat. Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:15:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#364 Back in the Dust Bowl days, the Prairie States Forest Project encouraged people to plant red cedar trees as wind-breaks â or shelterbelts, as they were called â to keep the middle of the country from blowing away. It worked, but those red cedars went on to do a lot more. âTheyâre a tremendous nuisance,â said OSU Extension Educator Roger Williams. Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:11:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#363 It's going to take a lot of money to combat a tiny bug that's attacking eastern Kentucky's hemlock trees, forestry officials warned Thursday. The exotic insect, called the hemlock woolly adelgid, has been detected in only two Kentucky state parks, but the minuscule aphid-like insect has already destroyed hemlock trees throughout Appalachia. Fri, 03 Nov 2006 07:41:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#362 The incident took place in Kraafontein, South Africa, where a malefactor in a red dress and makeup was spotted making off with rare cycads from a private garden in the night. It was only when the suspect's fake breasts fell off in the ensuing chase that police realised they might not be dealing with a lady thief. Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:20:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#361 A beetle that feeds on the hemlock woolly adelgid -- an insect that poisons the majestic hemlock trees in the Smoky Mountains National Park and elsewhere -- appears to be helping save the trees in Connecticut. And park officials say they hope the beetle works here too. Sun, 17 Sep 2006 09:23:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#360 By comparing the complete genome sequences of two plant-killing pathogens and related organisms, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), in collaboration with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and others, have uncovered crucial aspects of the disease-causing mechanisms of 'Sudden Oak Death' (SOD) and soybean root rot disease. The research, the result of a four-year, $4 million multi-agency project supported by DOE, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), appears in the Sept. 1, 2006, edition of Science (vol. 313, No. 5791). Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:35:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#359 A father-son team from this Sabine County town broke the state watermelon record three times in one summer, with melons adding up to a total weight of 677 pounds. The really big buster, at 252.4 pounds, was cut from its vine Friday in front of two witnesses from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Wed, 30 Aug 2006 02:31:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#358 To the bafflement of insect experts, gigantic yellow jacket nests have started turning up in old barns, unoccupied houses, cars and underground cavities across the southern two-thirds of Alabama. In previous years, a yellow jacket nest was no larger than a basketball, Ray said. It would contain about 3,000 workers and one queen. These gigantic nests may have as many as 100,000 workers and multiple queens. Wed, 23 Aug 2006 04:37:33 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#357 An unapproved type of genetically engineered grass has been found growing in the wild in what scientists say could be the first instance in the United States in which a biotechnology plant has established itself outside a farm. Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:33:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#356 An orchid growing in harsh conditions defies gravity to twist its male sexual organs 360 degrees to fertilize its female organ, Chinese scientists have discovered. In Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, LaiQiang Huang of the centre for biotechnology and biomedicine at Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, China, and colleagues report what they say is a new type of self-pollination mechanism. Thu, 22 Jun 2006 08:38:44 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#355 Heronswood, the world-renowned Kingston plant nursery founded by Hinkley, and a place treasured across the Northwest and around the world for its collection of exotic plants, had just been closed by the Philadelphia-based Burpee seed company. Wed, 31 May 2006 17:51:44 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#354 Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy. The noxious vine grows faster and bigger as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, researchers report Monday. Tue, 30 May 2006 05:06:04 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#353 The recent discovery of one of the scarce giants has energized entomologists and soil scientists, who fear it may be near extinction. The native giant earthworms have been found by scientists only four times since the 1970s. None had been seen since the 1980s until Idaho graduate student Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon dug one up while studying other earthworm species in May 2005. It wasn't until last January that worm experts confirmed she had found Driloleirus americanus, the giant Palouse earthworm. Mon, 29 May 2006 05:03:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#352 The South Central Farm, which is believed to be the largest urban community garden in the United States, will disappear shortly unless members of the public lend a helping hand. Created by the City of Los Angeles after the 1992 Rodney King uprising, the 14-acre farm in South Central Los Angeles, offers plots of land that 350 low-income families use to grow their own food. The City of Los Angeles sold the land to a developer in a backroom deal. Mon, 22 May 2006 05:09:33 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#351 ALBANY, Ga. - A stand of American chestnut trees that somehow escaped a blight that killed off nearly all their kind in the early 1900s has been discovered along a hiking trail not far from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House at Warm Springs. The find has stirred excitement among those working to restore the American chestnut, and raised hopes that scientists might be able to use the pollen to breed hardier chestnut trees. Fri, 19 May 2006 21:52:46 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#350 It was a sod story for a Mojave Desert homeowner whose entire front yard â grass, bushes and sprinklers â was hauled away by a thief. The homeowner telephoned San Bernardino County deputies to report the yard in front of his under-construction home on Tourpey Street was gone, sheriff's spokeswoman Staci Johnson said Tuesday. Thu, 18 May 2006 13:57:13 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#349 A genetic analysis of 151 isolates of the Sudden Oak Death pathogen provides new evidence that the commercial plant trade possibly helped introduce the microbe to the United States, according to plant pathologists at the University of California, Berkeley. Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:38:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#348 Marine researchers in Hawaii discovered a new way to clean ocean water from invasive algae -- sucking them up with an underwater vacuum. The device sucked 800 pounds of the plant per hour, work that would have required 150 volunteers and 10 divers to perform manually. Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:23:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#347 It is the latest gang to explode in the concrete canyons of South London, bringing not knives, nor drugs, nor guns -- âbut plants. They congregate at night beside roundabouts and road junctions, armed with trowels and spades. They call themselves the Guerrilla Gardeners and in five months they have grown from one man with a passion for shrubs to more than five hundred. On a Thursday night they appeared at a triangular traffic island a mile south of Waterloo, carrying sacks of mulch, a water dispenser and tools. Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:22:44 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#346 Giving some potted plants diluted alcohol -- whiskey, vodka, gin or tequila -- stunts the growth of the stem but does not affect the blossoms, said William Miller, director of Cornell's Flower Bulb Research Program. As a result, the houseplant does not get so tall that it flops over. Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:30:28 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#345 Some people like to talk to their plants. Now, students at Singapore Polytechnic say they have created a plant that can communicate with people -- by glowing when it needs water. Wed, 08 Mar 2006 03:12:39 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#344 Painting of greens has recently become the No. 1 alternative to overseeding greens for winter color. Tue, 28 Feb 2006 05:13:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#343 "Nature is directly connected to our health," Louv preached to the converted during the recent American Camp Association conference in Chicago. "It helps us feel better physically and psychologically. It helps us pay attention." Nature also is being looked at as a form of treatment, in conjunction with behavioral therapy and Ritalin. Groundbreaking work from University of Illinois researchers has shown that exposure to ordinary natural settings may effectively reduce attention-deficit symptoms in children. Mon, 27 Feb 2006 07:27:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#342 The world of professional flower growing is one dedicated to the pursuit of beauty. But it is also a world of rapacious piracy, as was revealed by a break-in at the offices of one of Italy's most successful flower growers last week in which a computer containing the firm's most closely guarded secrets was stolen. Police on the picturesque Ligurian coast - known as the Riviera of Flowers - said the theft was committed by a professional gang, and that they were dealing with a clear case of industrial espionage. Sun, 19 Feb 2006 06:55:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#341 A VAST swath of forest, filled with grizzly bears, eagles and 1,000-year-old cedar trees, is to be protected after an unlikely deal between loggers, environmentalists and native tribes. The agreement, struck after compromises on all sides ended an often bitter ten-year battle over the wilderness, will protect 4.4 million acres from logging, with strict controls preventing destructive logging in another 10 million acres. Wed, 08 Feb 2006 05:38:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#340 Scientists exploring an isolated jungle in one of Indonesia's most remote provinces discovered dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants â as well as mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT The team also found wildlife that were remarkably unafraid of humans during its rapid survey of the Foja Mountains, an area in eastern Indonesia's Papua province with more than two million acres of old growth tropical forest, said Bruce Beehler, a co-leader of the monthlong trip. Wed, 08 Feb 2006 04:25:57 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#339 A giant radish is making the Japanese evening news headlines after it was rushed into intensive care in an agricultural research centre. The daikon radish, a staple ingredient in Japan, became an unlikely object of public admiration when it started growing through a pavement last year. The resilient radish was then attacked last year by a mysterious assailant. The local town council has since been trying to re-grow the radish from its severed top. Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:57:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#338 Christopher Lloyd, whose gardens at his country house, Great Dixter, and voluminous writings inspired generations of gardeners around the world, died Friday in Hastings, England, near the house, where he was born and lived for 84 years. Tue, 31 Jan 2006 22:18:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#337 Fanatical collectors of "trophy" orchids that can cost thousands of dollars are fueling a $10 billion orchid black market. A single, rare orchid can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market and those infected by "orchidelirium" describe an addiction worse than alcohol or drugs. Mon, 23 Jan 2006 02:10:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#336 Growing a home from living trees instead of building a home from felled timber is the goal of an architect from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mitchell Joachim, part of the MIT Media Lab's Smart Cities Group, along with ecological engineer Lara Greden and architect Javier Arbona, propose a home that is actually an ecosystem. Sat, 21 Jan 2006 14:26:42 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#335 The National Forestry Office decided to fell the Morat last autumn after it began losing a battle against the great capricorn, a boring beetle. Their aim was to make use of the timber before it deteriorated further. The fine grain wood of the slow-growing sessile oak (quercus petraea) is prized by wine-makers for the flavours that it bestows during ageing. Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:34:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#334 Lagadonis said tests have generated 0.8 volts to 1.2 volts by driving an aluminum roofing nail half an inch into a tree attached to a copper water pipe driven 7 inches into the ground. But the electricity is useless because its unstable and fluctuates. The trick will be to learn how to filter and stabilize the electricity so it can be used to charge batteries, Lagadinos said. Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:54:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#333 German scientists have discovered a new source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide in its impact on climate change. The culprits are plants. They produce about 10 to 30 percent of the annual methane found in the atmosphere, according to researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:52:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#332 A Dutch company began selling 'Glowing Flowers' - freshly cut glow-in-the-dark roses and chrysanthemums - on Friday in what it claimed was a first. The flowers appear white in regular light but emit an eerie green glow for several hours in the dark, FloraHolland BV said in a statement. Sat, 03 Dec 2005 17:03:13 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#331 The Commerce Department says it will sharply cut duties on Canadian pine, spruce, and other softwood used in homebuilding after numerous rulings by NAFTA panels in favor of Canada. America imposed punitive and anti-dumping tariffs totaling about 20 percent. They will now fall to about five percent. Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:11:50 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#330 Ancient live oak trees uprooted in Mississippi by Hurricane Katrina are going to escape being turned into wood chips, instead being used to restore what is believed to be the world's last wooden whaling ship. Timber from 170 of the trees will be used to rebuild part of the frame, backbone and stern and stem posts of the Charles W. Morgan. The ship, a national historical landmark, is set to undergo a $3.5 million overhaul at Mystic Seaport starting in the spring of 2007. Sun, 20 Nov 2005 05:37:24 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#329 In a mystical use of genetic modification, a U.K. art group based in Japan has found a way to ensure that a person's DNA lives on long after their demise. Biopresence, founded by Georg Tremmel and Shiho Fukuhara, intends to infuse the DNA of recently deceased loved ones into trees, turning the plants into living memorials. Wed, 02 Nov 2005 17:39:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#328 An infestation of forest tent caterpillars is costing the state's timber industry millions of dollars and causing maple syrup producers added worry. The 2-inch-long caterpillars defoliated about 70,000 acres around the state this spring. State experts are asking syrup producers to follow conservative tapping guidelines - one tap on trees with a diameter of 12 to 18 inches and two taps on anything bigger - and to monitor for declining health. Foresters should avoid cutting in affected areas. Mon, 24 Oct 2005 20:09:14 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#327 Mount Allison student Ben Phillips found the tree while walking along the Bay of Fundy coast last summer. He took a core sample, and then counted all 445 rings under a high-powered microscope. His research team estimates the tree took root in 1560. Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:34:29 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#326 Researchers at New York's Colgate University have found evidence that the brilliant red hues of autumn aren't just there for our personal enjoyment. They're engaged in a kind of chemical warfare, releasing poisons that could kill off the competition. Thu, 20 Oct 2005 15:26:23 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#325 The U.S. Forest Service employee was doing a field survey for a new road on Guanella Pass, south of Georgetown, when she discovered several types of a plant she had never seen before. She took photos to a lab where initial studies found, the plants may be new species of moonworts. Thu, 20 Oct 2005 06:01:58 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#324 The House reversed three decades of conservation policy Thursday by approving a bill that narrows the reach of the Endangered Species Act and pays farmers and developers for saving threatened creatures. The Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, as Pombo's bill is titled, replaces the much-maligned 'critical habitat' system with something more narrowly focused. For the first time, it reduces protections for 'threatened' species compared to 'endangered' species. Sun, 02 Oct 2005 04:22:19 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#323 According to Frederickson, devil's gardens consist almost exclusively of lemon ant trees. Local legend in the Peruvian Amazon holds that the gardens are cultivated by an evil spirit called the Chuyachaqui. Two previous studies had shown that lemon ants cultivate small stands of other tree species. These observations led Frederickson to test whether the lemon ants are the cultivators of the devil's gardens. Thu, 22 Sep 2005 22:59:26 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#322 On Mars, plants would have to tolerate conditions that usually cause them a great deal of stress -- severe cold, drought, low air pressure, soils that they didn't evolve for. But plant physiologist Wendy Boss and microbiologist Amy Grunden of North Carolina State University believe they can develop plants that can live in these conditions. Their work is supported by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:10:37 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#321 For 18 years, Patricia Davies has tended to her botanical garden on the corner of Dekle and Albany in South Tampa. Then she just discovered that since 1999, she had been fined $35 a day for code violations, which added up to a $73,000 lien against her house. Fri, 05 Aug 2005 19:49:18 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#320 But that could change if Gov. Kathleen Blanco decides that Louisiana's sinking and disappearing coastline just can't take another culling of its majestic delta forests. The governor faces a difficult decision on whether some sections should be off-limits. Mon, 01 Aug 2005 17:41:24 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#319 Planting trees can create deserts, lower water tables and drain rivers, rather than filling them, claims a new report supported by the UK government. Sat, 30 Jul 2005 07:26:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#318 New research finds that taking the popular herbal remedy echinacea does nothing to treat or prevent colds. The federally funded study was what fans and foes of such substances say they have long needed - rigorous, scientific testing. It found that patients who took an echinacea plant extract fared no better than those who took a dummy treatment. Fri, 29 Jul 2005 03:38:02 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#317 A deadly fungus used to control the spread of unwanted varieties of blackberries overseas has landed in the United States, infecting numerous fields in Oregon, the capital of America's blackberry industry. Wed, 27 Jul 2005 03:41:09 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#316 Among the merit badges offered this year at the 2005 Boy Scout Jamboree will be the Landscape Architecture merit badge, sponsored in part by the ASLA. About 2,000 Landscape Architecture merit badges were earned last year. Tue, 28 Jun 2005 18:22:11 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#315 Israeli doctors and scientists have succeeded in germinating a date seed nearly 2,000 years old. The seed, nicknamed Methuselah, was taken from an excavation at Masada, the cliff fortress where, in A.D. 73, 960 Jewish zealots died by their own hand, rather than surrender to a Roman assault. The point is to find out what was so exceptional about the original date palm of Judea, much praised in the Bible and the Koran for its shade, food, beauty and medicinal qualities, but long ago destroyed by the crusaders. Sun, 12 Jun 2005 19:01:13 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#314 It took more than two decades and involved milestones of scientific discovery by more than five ARS scientists and their cooperators. Now, a new class of insecticidal compounds is being introduced that offers a safe and effective alternative to conventional chemical insecticides. They are based on a family of compounds named polyol esters, which are sugar esters. The best of them would provide relief to agricultural crops, household and garden plants, and even honey bees embattled by a variety of pests. Wed, 08 Jun 2005 06:40:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#313 The growers of a rare flower, the giant but malodorous titan arum or "corpse flower," say a large plant that blossomed four years ago is about to blossom again, and may be on a record-setting pace for cultivated titan arums. Includes streaming video and high resolution photographs. Wed, 08 Jun 2005 06:04:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#312 The winter moth Operophtera brumata, is a new invasive defoliator that has recently become established in eastern Massachusetts. Wed, 08 Jun 2005 05:57:54 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#311 Authorities are on the lookout for pistil-packing activists who apparently planted endangered wildflowers in order to block a housing development. The state Department of Fish and Game has determined that Sebastopol meadowfoam discovered in the Laguna Vista subdivision in Sebastopol was deliberately transplanted from another location. Tue, 07 Jun 2005 19:42:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#310 A flower long thought to be extinct was rediscovered in a California state park more than six decades after it was last seen, scientists said Wednesday. The pink wildflower Eriogonom truncatum, known as the Mount Diablo buckwheat, was found in a remote section of a Contra Costa County park about 30 miles east of San Francisco. The plant resembles baby's breath used in floral arrangements. Thu, 26 May 2005 14:22:40 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#309 In April, Laura and Edmund Gerstein of Boca Raton, Fla., who want to save their beloved backyard grapefruit tree from the state's citrus canker eradication program, formally claimed immunity for the tree under a provision in the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Fri, 13 May 2005 00:30:48 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#308 After tapping and boiling their way through a weather-shortened season, the state's maple syrup producers say their final numbers will be down. The sap ran more slowly in the eastern part of New York, leaving producers with a third to half their normal amounts of syrup. A surplus of Canadian syrup will guarantee there is no shortage of syrup to be found, though consumers may see higher prices anyway, given the rising cost of oil. Sun, 01 May 2005 21:08:14 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#307 Kudzu, that notoriously fast-growing vine that covers vast tracts of the South, has spread its green, choking blanket to at least 27 Southern Indiana counties, posing a threat to woodlands and the state's soybean industry. Sun, 01 May 2005 03:51:12 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#306 Long believed to be extinct, a magnificent bird - the ivory-billed woodpecker - has been rediscovered in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas. More than 60 years after the last confirmed sighting of the species in the United States, a research team today announced that at least one male ivory-bill still survives in vast areas of bottomland swamp forest. Thu, 28 Apr 2005 22:23:16 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#305 The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday canceled a controversial study using children to measure the effect of pesticides after Democrats said they would block Senate confirmation of the agency's new head. Over the study's two years, EPA had planned to give $970 plus a camcorder and children's clothes to each of the families of 60 children in Duval County, Florida, in what critics of the study noted was a low-income minority neighborhood. Sun, 10 Apr 2005 23:17:18 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#304 Despite having one of the most coveted labels in the industry - "pure Vermont maple syrup" - on their products, Harlow and other sugarmakers in the state are struggling to compete with Canada, where maple syrup production has more than tripled since the 1970s. As temperatures rise and weather patterns become more erratic, New England's maple trees are facing growing threats that may eventually force syrup aficionados and leaf-peepers out of the region and into Canada. Thu, 07 Apr 2005 15:45:39 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#303 "In Sweden, they're already bundling up what we're leaving in the forest after a timber harvest and using it as bio-fuel," Foster said. "Bio-fuel" is all-inclusive term that includes any renewable resource used to generate energy. As with ethanol distilled from small grains byproducts and methane from animal-waste, wood refuse is another renewable energy source. The key word is "renewable," Foster said. "As compared to fossil fuels which take hundreds of millennia to create and are not renewable," he said. Mon, 04 Apr 2005 05:01:21 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#302 The elm, in precipitous decline in recent decades, was once the quintessential civic tree of city and hamlet alike, rising to 100 feet, vase-shaped and coming together from both sides of a street to form a protective arch over the communities it shaded. Dutch elm disease, a blight carried by a burrowing beetle, arrived in the 1930s and spread throughout the land, decimating elms in parks, streets, campuses and gardens. Only diligent care has kept old specimens alive. But as the new White House elms attest, a handful of disease-tolerant specimens emerged, some by serendipity, others through single-minded research. None is immune to the disease, but they cope with it, especially with good care. Mon, 04 Apr 2005 04:52:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#301 Alan Bloom, one of the most important people in the development of perennials, died this week. He introduced an astonishing number of new plants, documented in his book, Alan Bloom's Hardy Perennials (Croom Helm, 1991), and his style of gardening using island beds changed the way we grew perennials. Sat, 02 Apr 2005 18:46:00 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#299 Don't forget to set your clocks forward this weekend. Sat, 02 Apr 2005 08:33:06 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#298 THE NEW SLOGAN of the American Daffodil Society says it all: "Daffodils - they're not just yellow anymore." And in the Delaney-tended Samuels and Heckman Bulb Gardens, as well as in beds all around reflecting pools leading up to the Climatron (tended by senior horticulturist John Sweeney), are examples of 504 different daffodil cultivars, Delaney says. Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:38:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#296 Wed, 30 Mar 2005 08:21:26 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#295 You may or may not be aware that USDA-APHIS is proposing major changes in the regulations for the importation of nursery stock, i.e. what they are now calling "Plants for Planting", which means ALL plant parts capable of growing - rooted and non-rooted cuttings and plants, seeds, corms, bulbs and tubers. Fri, 11 Mar 2005 18:03:28 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#293 The American Society of Landscape Architects has declared April 2005 as National Landscape Architecture Month. The theme will be Design for Active Living, highlighting ways landscape architecture and community design affect daily activity levels, and, in turn, overall health. Wed, 02 Mar 2005 09:07:18 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#292 Hawaii's construction boom has brought business to landscape architects, but firms are being stretched by demand on major projects. Hawaii has 70 registered landscape architects, with the majority on Oahu. The state needs at least 10 to 20 more landscape architects, said Stan Duncan, PBR Hawaii executive vice president and president of the Hawaii chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Wed, 02 Mar 2005 09:02:03 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#291 Daniel-Jean Primeau, artist and sculptor, exhibits his gallery of trees that have swallowed man-made objects in the landscape. Wed, 23 Feb 2005 09:06:31 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#290 The detention center serves more than a dozen localities, including Williamsburg, York, James City, Poquoson, Gloucester, Charles City, New Kent, Middlesex and Mathews. It typically houses about 40 adolescents -- mostly teens, but occasionally children as young as 11 or 12 -- for periods ranging from a few days to a few months, said Merilee Fox, the center's principal. Gardening is recognized as "an effective and beneficial treatment for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities," according to the American Horticultural Therapy Association's Web site. It improves people's bodies, minds and spirits, the organization says. Sun, 20 Feb 2005 06:22:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#289 The population of Monarch butterflies has suffered a drastic decline, but Mexico -- where deforestation has long devastated Monarch wintering grounds -- is now blaming the United States and Canada. Mexico's Environment Department said on Wednesday that 75 percent fewer Monarch butterflies have appeared in 2004 compared to previous years. Sun, 20 Feb 2005 05:07:35 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#288 Strawberry latent ringspot virus, a problem for the past 30 to 40 years in Europe, has just been discovered in North America by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators. Scientists with ARS, Oregon State University, and Elmhirst Diagnostics and Research of British Columbia found the virus on 17 percent of the California strawberry samples and on four percent of British Columbia strawberries. The virus was also found in a variegated mint. Sat, 19 Feb 2005 04:10:15 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#287 The Kyoto global warming pact went into force Wednesday, seven years after it was negotiated, imposing limits on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases scientists blame for rising world temperatures, melting glaciers and rising oceans. The United States, the world's largest emitter of such gases, has refused to ratify the agreement, saying it would harm the economy and is flawed by the lack of restrictions on emissions by emerging economies China and India. Wed, 16 Feb 2005 15:38:07 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#285 The oldest tree in the grounds of the palace of Versailles -- Marie-Antoinette's oak -- was pulled down more than 320 years after it was planted. Wed, 16 Feb 2005 05:49:37 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#284 White-tailed deer may wipe out most, if not all, wild American ginseng populations within the next century, a new study has concluded. Sat, 12 Feb 2005 06:54:44 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#283 Researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry invented a method for removing energy-rich sugars from wood. The sugar xylan can be fermented to produce ethanol, making northern hardwoods a source of sustainable energy. Wed, 02 Feb 2005 02:34:32 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#282 Scientists say wildlife extinction rates are soaring. The die-off, they claim, threatens the planet's web of life or biodiversity which sustains farming, forestry and oceans. At a Paris meeting last week scientists called on world leaders to catalog and save species. Wed, 02 Feb 2005 02:30:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#281 Although Toronto has a variety of green spaces -- parks, parkettes, squares and even gardens -- it doesn't have a botanical garden. Until now, that is. Edwards Gardens, at the corner of Leslie St. and Lawrence Ave. E., will be the site of the facility, for which Welch and her colleagues have already raised $6.7 million. Recognizing a good thing when it sees one, the city contributed $1.2 million. Wed, 02 Feb 2005 02:28:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#279 China has opened the world's highest botanical garden in Lijiang, a picturesque city in Yunnan province in the southwest. The Lijiang Alpine Botanical Garden, believed the highest botanical garden in the world, has opened in Lijiang in Yunnan Province. Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:17:27 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#278 American and French scientists believed they have explained how one of nature's marvels, the Venus flytrap, snaps shut to snare its victims. The answer, according to a study published on Thursday, is tensile strength. Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:12:42 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#276 Indonesian Forestry Minister M.S. Kabansay says the government plans to replant 600,000 hectares of mangrove forests along its coastline to help reduce the impact of possible future tsunamis. Sat, 29 Jan 2005 22:28:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#275 We are all seeing rather less of the Sun, according to scientists who have been looking at five decades of sunlight measurements. Sunlight was falling by 10% over the USA, nearly 30% in parts of the former Soviet Union, and even by 16% in parts of the British Isles. Sat, 15 Jan 2005 08:20:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#274 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Monsanto Co.'s 'seed police' snared soy farmer Homan McFarling in 1999, and the company is demanding he pay it hundreds of thousands of dollars for alleged technology piracy. Fri, 14 Jan 2005 17:46:23 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#273 The PPA has just announced the 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year: Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch' ('Feuerhexe'). Mon, 10 Jan 2005 03:57:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#272 Callitropsis contains the following two species with disjunct distribution: Callitropsis nootkatensis (native to western North America), and Callitropsis vietnamensis (native to moist karst forest in northern Vietnam). The change is made to accommodate the recently discovered species Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, but that name didn't follow the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Fri, 07 Jan 2005 07:39:15 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#271 Property owners can receive notice of pesticides that will be applied to lawns, trees and shrubs in the neighborhood by professional landscape companies, but only if they have joined the Landscape Pesticide Advance Notice Registry by Feb. 1. Wed, 05 Jan 2005 20:24:05 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#162 Wed, 05 Jan 2005 03:32:10 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#270 A new law effective January 1st will require California homeowners in forested areas to clear brush and flammable vegetation more than three times farther away from their homes than before. Fri, 31 Dec 2004 16:21:36 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#269 In Lesotho, there's no frenzy, just patient teaching. This is the poorest country in southern Africa, because of a debilitating cycle of environmental and social problems. The keyhole garden is an invention which can break that cycle because it addresses both sets of problems. It will grow vegetables efficiently in a baking landscape of bare rock, at negligible cost, and an elderly widow, or even an ill man, can maintain it. Mon, 27 Dec 2004 06:09:06 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#268 Hunters and other outdoors groups are angry with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration over the cuts, fearing the department will end up neglecting its roles as gatekeeper for outdoor attractions and promoter of a tourism industry that contributes nearly $23 billion annually to the Illinois economy. Sat, 25 Dec 2004 00:21:09 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#267 The federal government is preparing to issue sweeping restrictions on the shipment of nursery plant to try to prevent the spread of a virulent disease. Thu, 23 Dec 2004 19:25:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#266 Thu, 23 Dec 2004 16:27:54 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#265 Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:00:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#264 Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:00:02 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#261 Tue, 21 Dec 2004 01:34:38 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#260 Tue, 21 Dec 2004 01:33:16 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#256 Tue, 21 Dec 2004 00:53:59 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#255 Thu, 16 Dec 2004 03:31:11 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#254 Wed, 15 Dec 2004 18:15:55 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#253 Tue, 14 Dec 2004 20:40:32 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#252 Tue, 14 Dec 2004 18:32:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#251 Mon, 13 Dec 2004 18:33:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#250 Mon, 13 Dec 2004 07:29:08 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#249 Mon, 13 Dec 2004 06:52:20 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#248 Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:39:41 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#247 Sat, 11 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http://www.hort.net/topstories/#87 Wed, 12 Mar 2003 07:49:51 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#81 Mon, 24 Feb 2003 21:42:43 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#86 Thu, 13 Feb 2003 23:44:18 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#85 Sun, 09 Feb 2003 05:44:09 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#84 Thu, 06 Feb 2003 17:40:47 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#83 Tue, 04 Feb 2003 23:52:36 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#80 Mon, 27 Jan 2003 20:44:56 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#79 Thu, 23 Jan 2003 20:30:34 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#77 Mon, 13 Jan 2003 08:52:30 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#76 Fri, 10 Jan 2003 22:10:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#75 Sun, 01 Dec 2002 20:11:52 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#74 Tue, 26 Nov 2002 05:58:40 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#73 Mon, 25 Nov 2002 06:43:22 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#72 Tue, 19 Nov 2002 22:17:10 GMT http://www.hort.net/topstories/#71 Sat, 09 Nov 2002 16:40:01 GMT 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