… how to combine engineering and life-science learning as you challenge students to solve the real-life problem of growing food in space. Students will investigate plant needs, …
Type: Item Detail
… aromatic and attractive herb. We will have on display other aromatic herbs commonly found in the garden such as Mint, Lemon Balm, Thyme, Lavender, and Rosemary. …
Type: Event for Calendar
… Looking for a fun and novel table decoration for a special event? Here’s an idea. We turned our table … teachers to guess the connections. We provided an easy example to start. You can duplicate this game using our examples or invent your own combinations. Start with a plant that has a fun … A pitcher plant growing inside a beverage pitcher was a favorite table display. (This pitcher is a species of Nepenthes.) Home tips Since these containers were not made for plants, you may …
Type: Blog
… tradition (enough already with the pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cookies), consider this recipe for bourbon pumpkin-pecan fudge. The bourbon gives the fudge a bit of a kick (and who doesn’t need a little jump-start during the holidays?). The recipe is simple enough to get the whole family involved. Think butter…pumpkin…toasted pecans—what’s not …
Type: Blog
… “Where does a titan arum come from?” That’s a question we heard a lot from Spike’s visitors this past weekend. The titan arum, native to the rainforests of the island of Sumatra in … August 6, 1878, he first observed the leaves and fruits of a plant (interestingly, August 6 is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant for the first time. He sent a few tubers and seeds to Florence, Italy, but the tubers all …
Type: Blog
… and pinned them to the foam walls, and v oila! We had a vertical garden again. You can do this at home. Making planting pockets is simple and fun. 1. Plant seeds or transplant small plants and let them sprout. We … to place his or her planter next to a friend’s planter so they could grow close together. Just for fun, we experimented with some other kinds of planters, including plastic bottles and shoes. …
Type: Blog
… same time. But it did not take too long to brainstorm some ideas on what we hope to learn from this rare possibility. The plants have been named Java and Sumatra, in recognition of two of the major islands in the nation of Indonesia. Amorphophallus titanum , the Latin name for the titan arum species, is native to the island of Sumatra. The corms of the Titan Twins were almost identical in weight …
Type: Blog
… In November, I had the unique opportunity to go to the Portland Japanese Garden for a week-long training session—and what a week it was! I arrived in Portland in early November, … of Japan. One of the two pines species most popular in a Japanese garden, the black pine is symbolic of the seashore and referred to as on-matsu (the male pine), because of masculine … qualities perceived in the branching and needles. Although considered a tough species, this pine has soil nematode and fungal disease problems. It prefers free-draining, acidic soil …
Type: Blog
… flowers on long stems,” said outdoor floriculturist Tim Pollak. Flowers appear to float above the heart-shaped leaves, which are often marbled with silver. “They prefer cooler temperatures, …
Type: Plant Info
… stability at the same time. Think you couldn't name a single botanist? You probably know this one—George Washington Carver (c. 1861-1943). Born into slavery, Carver was an extraordinary … scientist, an inventor, and a genius. George Washington Carver did not seek wealth or fame for his work. He found personal satisfaction in scientific discovery and using his talents to … scientist who invented dozens of products for peanuts. What’s most important about his story is why he devoted so much time and ingenuity to peanuts and how he did so much more than make a …
Type: Blog
