Here in Pennsylvania, we have had an unexpectedly warm winter this year. Despite the absence of snow and ice, I know that countless salt trucks are anxiously waiting to defend us against these frozen foes. In 1941, New Hampshire was the first highway department to start using salt as a…
Gardening with wildflower seed balls can be fun, simple, and rewarding, but it does require some planning. Planning requires some knowledge. Here are some wildflower basics and how we use seed balls to work synchronously with each wildflower species’ particularities. Shop for wildflower seed balls View a gallery of suitable wildflower…
This year, many of us will enjoy a sweet tasting tuber with our traditional Thanksgiving meal. Although the sweet potato (I. batatas) originated in the tropics of Central or South America, it was rarely used by native people living in cooler regions of North America. Blue Camas (Camassia quamash), a…
Rhizobium Plants need nitrogen, and have to get it from the soil. Unfortunately, many soils don’t have a lot of nitrogen available for plants, and that can limit their growth. But many legumes evolved a symbiosis with a certain genus of bacteria, Rhizobium. The relationship between legumes and Rhizobia is…
Instinct and Intelligence I love birds. I have two feeders outside my work room window and keep them well stocked with seeds, fruits, and suet. I don’t consider myself a birder by any stretch, but I have done some thinking about birds and seed bombs.The picture on left is a young…
Dr. Gro Torsethaugen is a Norwegian plant physiologist. She earned her PhD from the University of Oslo, where she also taught. Currently, she teaches at both Penn State University and University of Maryland University College and resides in Howard, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill Fatula (of Mudslinger fame), and son…
