This is Going to Sting a Little Bit

It isn’t exactly news anymore that we’re losing record numbers of bees due to colony collapse disorder, dwindling habitat and pesticide use. But, don’t worry help is on the way. Like Spiderman and Batman coming to save the day, we now have RoboBees! Harvard’s school of Engineering and Applied Sciences has received $10 million in grant money from the National Science Foundation to build artificial bees.

The RoboBee project began in 2009, when researchers set out to build a robotic bee colony. They were acting primarily in response to Colony Collapse Disorder they stated. Naturally, designing the RoboBee has been a challenge. They have sensors that act like bees’ eyes and antennae, superlight wings and a “pollination appendage.” They say the micro-drone design was based on origami. Besides pollination, researchers say the drones could also be for search and rescue, hazardous environment exploration, military surveillance and high-resolution weather and climate mapping.

I’m sitting here wondering if I should be glad that Harvard is building RoboBees to ensure our future food supply or if I should be angry that we can’t seem to get it together enough to solve the real problem. In Southwestern China, where bee populations have been decimated by chemical use, people are hand-pollinating apple and pear crops. Can you even imagine what kind of a work force would be needed to pollinate one third of the world’s food? I can’t. BeABee Inc. has been advertising, “The Coming Global Crisis Could be YOUR Financial Opportunity.” Well, as you can imagine that made a lot of people very angry and boisterous - just what the creators of this fake initiative had in mind. Check it out, you may want to plant, pledge or donate. Me, I’m going to go work on my bee costume.

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there,

Peggy Anne

The Zero Waste Team @ Gateway!

The Zero Waste Team will be at Gateway Garden Center on Saturday, September 28 from 9:00am to 1:00 pm.  Please come out and support us!  We are trying to promote residential curbside mixed organic recycling.  The largest mixed organic recycling facility east of the Mississippi River is in Wilmington, but Delaware hardly uses it!  We are starting pilot programs around Hockessin that divert organics out of landfills by converting yard waste routes to mixed organics routes and sending organics to the Wilmington Organic Recycling Center.  Most people have yard waste services, but these only take outdoor organics.  The Zero Waste Team is promoting mixed organics recycling that would include not only yard waste, but also indoor organics, such as dirty tissues, soiled pizza boxes, banana peels, meat bones, moldy cheese, dead animals, lint from your dryer, pet hair, and even more.  In a national STEM competition, we won a $25,000 grant to keep this worthwhile project going!

We will be holding an outreach event at Gateway Garden Center, on Saturday, Sept 28, from 9am-1pm.  While we are there, we will have games for kids and information for adults to educate folks about just how easy mixed organics recycling is.  We will also have handouts for those who want to learn more and even a signup for those who would like to take part in our next curbside mixed organics recycling pilot program. We hope to reach as many people as we can.  Please come out and support us!  

                                    ~ The Zero Waste Team

Help Solve the Mystery of the Dragonfly Migration

Wandering Glider

The fall migration is in full swing but it isn’t just birds and monarchs that are headed south. Dragonflies are flying south and believe it or not the wandering glider holds the record for the longest insect migration – twice the distance of monarchs.  Despite this amazing feat very little is known about dragonfly migration. While it’s been suspected for 100 years that dragonflies migrate, Charles Anderson was the first person to tell the full migration story in his 2009 article in Tropical Biology.

 

Green Darner

Much like monarchs, the dragon fly migration takes many generations of dragonflies to complete. The green darner, spotted wing glider and at least 13 other species are suspected of migrating. Since migratory birds and migratory insects are traveling at the same time it is thought the birds are taking advantage of this food source along their way. Kestrels and merlins have been seen feeding on dragon fly swarms.

Spotted Wing Glider

 You can help solve this mystery by helping the Migrating Dragonfly Partnership led by the Xerces Society. Click on link to find information about how you can help by collecting seasonal information for the pond watch and by tracking spring and fall movements. It’s very exciting to think that much of our natural world that is still hidden from us. And, that we can play a part in unraveling the mystery.

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there,

Peggy Anne

Company’s Coming!

A cardinal at a winter birdbath

All summer long the birds have delighted me. I wake to the sound of their voices and they give me a diversion when I can’t think of anything to write. I love to watch them take turns at the bird bath. I don’t mind that they eat the blueberries or that they have developed a taste for figs. Always having birds around me is one of the main reasons I have a garden. Fall is here and the holidays will be upon us before we know it. But, before we freshen up our guest rooms, lets remember our feathered friends outdoors.

Finches and other birds love coneflower seed so don't cut them back!

There are so many things we can easily do to help our wildlife stay safe and warm in the winter. Bird feeders and suet cages are great and I’ll certainly have mine up and ready. Make sure to buy yours now before the snow flies. And, don’t forget you can plant a supply of bird food that will produce year after year. Look for native plants that provide berries, nuts or seeds for birds and other wildlife. That way the birds will be eating their natural diet and you’ll have some pretty branches to cut for indoor decorations too. Plant a variety of things from perennials to shrubs to trees to mimic nature. Evergreens provide shelter from winter storms for birds and other wildlife.

48 species of birds love to make a meal of winterberry

This year I’m going to add water to my winter Smörgåsbord on the advice of Conservation Biologist, Carole Sevilla Brown. She recommends using a heated dog dish and I had never thought of that. I’ve done some research and they are not terribly expensive and cost just pennies a day to run. Just like summer birdbaths, it’s very important to keep the dish clean. So skip Bed Bath & Beyond this month and head out to your garden center for a pretty new feeder and some fruit bearing plants. Fat, ripe berries are all the decoration the first round of company needs! 

Here are some plants Carole Sevilla Brown recommends.

Top 10Best Woody Plants in Ecosystem Gardening 

Top 10Herbaceous Plants to Attract Wildlife to Your Ecosystem Garden

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there!

Peggy Anne

Garden Indoors

We just received a large shipment of houseplants and they look gorgeous! While putting the plants on display in our store, I figured it would be a good idea to cover some information about houseplants. Sometimes, they can be tough to successfully grow so here are a few tips on how to not only help your houseplant(s) survive but how to get them to thrive!

• Know the plant's light requirements and know where your light is.
• different houseplants require different amounts of light exposure so be sure to take note of where in your home gets the right amount of light for your plant
• south facing windows should provide the most light
• north facing windows should provide the least light
• west & east facing windows should provide moderate light
• Be mindful of where you place your plant
• avoid spots too close to air conditioning and heating units
• Be cautious bringing in tropical plants you had outside for the summer
• if any of the plants you bring in have a pest issue, they could spread it to others so be sure to inspect before you bring it inside
• Feed 'em
• just like fertilizing your outdoor plants, houseplants like food too! 6-12-6 is good fertilizer to use on indoor plants
• Don't over water and don't under water
• again, know your plant because different plants like different moisture conditions and a consistent watering schedule is a must for a successful houseplant
• When dusting your furniture, don't forget to dust your plants too!
• dust can clog pores and interrupt the photosynthesis process
• avoid using the same material you used to dust your cabinets though because it could transfer unwanted organisms onto the plant

Not too bad right? Once you get it down once, you'll become a pro! Plus, the payoff for the extra care you put into the plant will amaze you.

If you want any more info on what we got in today or houseplant care in general, give us a call at (302) 239-2727, leave a comment here on the blog, or stop and see us!

   

Caterpillar Sanctuary

Most of us consider the caterpillar a pest. It eats up our foliage and can cause damage to agricultural crops. So, there are downsides but there are upsides as well. They are a part of the food chain just like every other living creature. They can be a food source for other wildlife like birds, bears, and rodents. When they grow to be butterflies, they help with pollination and the butterfly population in an area is a good indicator of how healthy the space is. They also help out red maples by eating the foliage of competing trees while leaving the red maple foliage alone. It's amazing what these little creatures can do!

We planted a whiskey barrel full of plants that cater to the life cycle of the caterpillars. There is some dill and fennel for them to eat, some asclepias for them to hang the cocoons off of, and some sunflowers and violas to attract the butterfly! It's a caterpillar party out there! Stop by to see for yourself.

New Plants

What a great day today! The sun was out and the air was cool. We were busy here at the garden center. We had a delivery of some pretty neat plants. Our place is all stocked up with fresh stuff for your fall plantings! Here are three of my favorites.

Corylopsis spicata 'Aurea' 

-6' tall x 6' wide 
-sun to part shade 
-fragrant flower 
-chartreuse spring color turns bronze in fall 

Callicarpa americana 

-8' tall x 5' wide 

-sun 

-Pink flowers June-July 

-Purple ornamental berries in Fall

Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls' 
-8' tall x 8' wide 
-sun to part shade 
-purple foliage in Spring turns bronze-green in Fall 
-native

Give us a call if you have any questions about these plants or to see if we got anything you may have been looking for! Phone: (302) 239-2727

Top Trends in Fashion 2013/2014 – the Color Clash!

You might be wondering what fashion has to do with horticulture but believe me, we are all ruled by fashion whether we know it or not. Plants go in and out of fashion as fast as hem lines. Popular colors influence how you decorate your home and what color accents you bring in. While attending the Independent Garden Center trade show (Horticulture’s Fashion Week) in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, deeply saturated colors were everywhere.

Straight from the catwalks to your garden center, bold colors are what’s happening. I’m sure you’ve noticed the influx of strong color at the garden centers. For me it started with the red, yellow and blue tomato cages a couple years back. Manufacturers are adding strong pops of color to everything from tools to pot wrap to furniture. Emerald the “it” color of 2013, is now joined by the elegant Linden Green, bold Mykonos Blue, exotic Acai, spirited Samba, dazzling Koi not to mention the unruly and wild Vivacious.

If I buy a koi-colored hose, a samba watering can and acai gardening boots will they go out of style? Probably, but I don’t care. Bright colors make me smile and in my backyard I rule the runway.

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there!

Peggy Anne