This article in the Epimedium series catalogs Epimedium species by their plant form and flower types in order to help you select the best plants for your site. There are too many Epimediums to list in a single article so check out the others in the series to see other categories such as white Epimediums or large Epimediums. The next group are evergreen epimediums that have large flowers in pink to white, but are borne on short flower stalks. Epimedium brachyrrhizum, first described from China in 1997 is similar to another species, Epimedium leptorrhizum (Zone 5-8) that has been known since 1938. Both have spreading rhizomes with Epimedium brachyrrhizum possessing a thicker rhizome, spreading considerably slower. For us E. leptorrhizum never exceeds 6″ in height, while E. brachyrrhizum typically reaches 1′ tall. Both evergreen species are topped in early spring with very short flower spikes of 8-12 flowers ranging from pink to lavender, and occasionally white. E. brachyrrhizum (Zone 5-8) is represented in the trade by two hard to find cultivars Epimedium ‘Elfin Magic’, and soon, the white flowered PDN selection Epimedium ‘Little Angels’. The foliage of E. brachyrrhizum turns a nice shade of lavender in the winter. Epimedium ogisui(1993) (Zone 6-9) is a similar spreading evergreen species with near horizontal spikes of large white flowers. The Chinese Epimedium epsteinii (Zone 5b-8), also named in 1997, is a similar evergreen species with short, but spreading rhizomes and short flowers spikes, sporting up to 12 large bicolored inflorescences of purple cups and spurs, backed by a white outer sepal. Plants in this group make superb groundcovers, often with attractive red mottled foliage. Some of the most showy epimediums are those with large flowers on long spikes. The evergreen Epimedium acuminatum (Zone 5-8) from limestone cliffs in the Southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan leads this list along with its hybrid, Epimedium x omeiense (acuminatum x fangii). E. x omeiense is fairly new to cultivation, first flowering in cultivation in 1982 (W. Stearn 2002). In our studies, the primary easily visible difference is that Epimedium acuminatum has smaller, narrower leaves and is shorter in stature, 12″ tall for E. acuminatum, compared to 24″ tall for E. x omeiense. E. acuminatum flowers with 18″ long arching spikes, each adorned with up to 50 large flowers composed of long dark purple spurs, highlighted by pale lavender inner sepals. The flowers are so large, the spikes can become quite heavy, so much that their tips nearly touch the ground. For this reason, I recommend both E. acuminatum and E. x omeiense be planted atop a berm, so the flowers can be better enjoyed. Both E. acuminatum and E. x omeiense are prized for their long-pointed and wonderfully mahogany mottled leaves. Compared to the tight clumping species, this is a reasonably good spreading species. Heronswood’s E. acuminatum ‘Ruby Star’ (white sepals, lavender spurs, and a purple cup), and Darrell Probst’s E. acuminatum ‘Night Mistress’ (pink spurs, purple spurs, and a purple cup) are the two easiest to find clones on the market. Mikinori Ogisu=s wild collected clone of E. x omeiense released as Epimedium ‘Stormcloud’, Dan Hinkley’s ‘Myriad Years’ (white sepals, light lavender spurs and a purple cup), and the Japanese ‘Akane’ Epimedium are the easiest to find in the market.
Category: Gardening
Learn All About Creative Handicraft
If you need a gift for a special person, or just need some time to unwind, make a creative handicraft. Crafting is therapeutic when you are feeling stressed, and it also can yield a useful or decorative item. Everyone has some measure of creativity, and with modern kits and patterns, a creative handicraft does not have to end in frustration.
If you have a sewing machine, you can learn to make a creative handicraft that will be a useful and welcome gift. Potholders are a great beginning sewing project that can be made from scrap material or unwanted clothing and a bit of double-fold bias tape. Here are the simple instructions for this creative handicraft.
First cut two 8-inch (21 cm.) squares of fabric to be the front and back of the potholder. Choose coordinating fabrics that match your kitchen for these pieces. To make it easier, you can make an 8-inch square pattern from a piece of cardboard to use as a pattern. Cut more 8-inch squares of any old fabric to stack for the filling. You want the stack of fabric squares to be thick enough to protect you from a hot pot, but thin enough to be flexible and able to be sewn through.
Stack all layers so that the outer layers are facing to the outside and the filler layers are inside. You can put a couple of large straight pins through all layers to keep them together. Now sew right across the middle of the stack. Sew across the middle again, perpendicular to the first stitching. You will have divided the square into 4 squares. Sew across the stack again from corner to corner, and again from the other corner to corner. The layers should be joined and sturdy now.
To bind off the raw edges of your creative handicraft, trim with scissors so that all the layers are again even at the edges. Open out one folded edge of the bias tape. The wider bias tape might seem to be easier to use, but the narrow type makes a neater finished product. Starting at one corner, line up the edges of the tape with the edges of the potholder, and start stitching through all layers along the first fold line, which will be about 1/4 inch from the edge. Stitch neatly and slowly, attaching the opened tape all around the edge until you reach the beginning corner. Cut the bias tape off, leaving 3 inches, (7 cm.) to make into a hanging loop.
Fold the bias tape over the raw edge so that the middle fold lines up with the outside of the potholder and the other fold is hiding the raw edge of the bias tape. Now, for best results, hand sew the binding down, forming a loop on your creative handicraft when you get to the end.
This potholder is just one example of a creative handicraft you can create if you have a sewing machine. When it is finished, you will have a useful item made from all recycled materials. Feel free to give this creative handicraft away or keep it for yourself.
Something Fungal This Way Comes…
The gardening headlines this week have been plastered with the threat of two new diseases that could potentially devastate Europes indigenous tree population.
In southern France, along the famous Canal du Midi, a plan has been in motion since last winter that will see the felling and destruction of 42,000 plane trees in the region. This is due to the arrival of Ceratocystis platani, a disease that, since the 1970s, has been blitzing across Europe, originating in Italy. It is believed the blight, endemic to North America, was brought across the ocean by U.S. soldiers in World War Two. While the Midi, perhaps due to its recently endowed world heritage title, is certainly the most noticeable among the losses, the disease has also become prevalent in Switzerland, Germany and Greece, where it now threatens a vast percentage of the original Plane population.
The Canal, a world renowned tourist attraction, was originally designed as an economic conduit that allowed the merchants of old to bypass the treacherous Atlantic Ocean en route to the Mediterranean Sea. However, in a somewhat ironic twist, the original species of Mississippi Plane that have successfully adapted to this affliction are being imported in great numbers in order to replace one of the Canals main attractions. Unfortunately, while Toulouse can cater to their favoured humid environment, it is unclear whether this species will be viable to supplement the depletion that chillier areas of the continent have suffered.
The threat does not stop in Toulouse however – given the virility of the affliction, tree pathologist Steve Woodward (University of Aberdeen) agrees that it poses a grave threat to the urban based Planes of cities like Paris and London. It is the Plane that so commonly and attractively lines our city streets.
“We are talking about a massive disaster here if it continues to spread,” he says.
The disease is a fungal infection that, once exposed to the roots of the organism, will completely overrun it within 3-5 years and due to the damage this causes to the plants integrity, it is imperative that it be removed, lest it should fall and endanger passers-by in doing so. The disease is characterized by cankerous sores appearing on the inner bark of the tree, as well as an accelerated decline in both the quality and density of the plants foliage. No wound to the outer bark is too great or small to escape it and contact equals instant infection.
In addition to this threat from abroad, a new menace has been identified in rural Devon as a potential watershed moment for the diminishment of our domestic Yews and Lawson Cypresses in the form of Phytophtora lateralis. Identifiable by the patchy colouring of its trunk, a tree will also often exhibit slightly lighter foliage in places followed by out of season autumn colours. The tree will succumb soon after, as this foliage deterioration signals that the tree has become totally infected. While certain soil drenches can be utilized in the earlier stages of the disease, these will likely prove ineffective once it has advanced past the root structure; aside from which, use of these drenches on a mass scale would likely cause further environmental concerns and prove something of a pyrrhic victory.
Due to this increasing encroachment of pests and diseases, a body has been established to specifically target incoming detriments to our native plant life. This group, known as the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan, has been allocated seven million pounds with which, over the next three years, they will attempt to exert a tighter control on the intrusion of foreign fungi and pathogens that threaten the endemic population.
“If we don’t act now, we could end up with a similar situation to the 1970s when more than 30 million trees in the UK died [as a result of] Dutch elm disease.”
-Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.
The key responsibilities of the plan will include the monitoring of exotic plants allowed to cross British borders, as well as increasing the knowledge and awareness of currently existing domestic threats.
Can Plants Grow Without Soil Hydroponic Gardening Is The Answer!
Hydroponic Gardening is the system in which plants can be made to grow without soil. Using hydroponics to grow plants can be beneficial for many growers since it allows plants to be grown much faster and many times with less problems.
Plants are grown in a solution which consists of water and dissolved nutrients required for the particular plant. There are several hydroponics techniques and systems that are used in producing thriving plants
The different types of hydroponics systems and techniques include the nutrient film technique (or NFT), aeroponics, and the aeration technique.
With the aeroponics technique, plants are secured using rigid pipes, screens, or films. The nutrients are dissolved into the plants’ water supply and the plants’ roots are suspended within the water. The plant then obtains its food nutrients directly from the water or from an air mist which is sprayed directly onto the plant roots.
Hydroponic gardening also requires the use growing media. Different mediums can be used which have to retain the food rich moisture. They must also be able to physically support the plant roots. The following have been the most effective media so far: expanded clay, perlite, styrofoam, sand, rockwool, vermiculite, pea gravel.
Many types plants that can be grown in a hydroponics system. Some plants will grow better in hydroponics system than others, but some of the most popular are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, watercress, and various other edible plants.
Tree seedlings and flowers can also be grown using hydroponics. Hydroponic greenhouses have been producing millions of plant seedlings every year. These are then transplanted and grown at other locations where they are later planted into soil.
If you are just a beginner at hydroponic gardening, you will no doubt be satisfied with the quality of your crops and the faster rate of growth. Hydroponically grown plants will grow and mature faster and yield an earlier harvest of vegetable crops.
There are many benefits to growing your own plants in a hydroponics system. Hydroponic gardening doesn’t require a fertile farmland or a large water supply growing plants. Vegetable and plants can be grown year round. Hydroponic vegetables and plants in almost any small space, or a basement, or even an apartment balcony.
The hydroponic systems require less space because the plant roots don’t have to spread and search for food and water. The smaller space requirement makes hydroponic gardening perfect for limited space home gardeners.
Hydroponic plants can also be grown in nurseries and greenhouses as well. The benefit of growing these plants without soil in a sterile medium includes not having to remove weeds or dealing with soil-borne pests and diseases. And since all the nutrients necessary for the plant are readily avaliable to it, the plant is noticeably healthier than the plants grown in soil.
The greatest benefit to hydroponic gardening is the ability to automate the hydroponics system with timers and remote monitoring equipment. This reduces the time it takes to maintain the plants and the growing environment. It also allows the grower to leave their system for long periods of time without worrying about watering plants.
Hydroponic growing without the use of soil is not simple, but with time it will become an easy routine. Hydroponics offers the advantage of many techniques that can be beneficial to your plants and produce a richer and healthier plant.
The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Having Wooden Doors
The exterior door might be the very first thing that someone who visits the home is bound to notice. Therefore, most people are likely to put in considerable thought into it before selecting which type or design of exterior door they want to match to their homes.
Wooden exterior doors are very common amongst house owners. There are a number of reasons for this, for instance wooden doors are cheap and easily available. Strong wooden doors could be obtained in various designs and materials that range from oak, mahogany, pine and timber covered with veneer. In case of wear and tear with time, wooden doors could be easily replaced, redone or modified by altering the locks, adding a fresh coat of paint or just applying a fresh layer of varnish. They can be cut and adjusted to the desired size more easily than other materials such as steel and/or PVC.
The largest benefit regarding solid wooden doors is that they can be made to appear in such a way that they easily miss the attention of miscreants such as thieves and vandals who prey upon unsuspecting residents if the exteriors of a home catch their eye.
The first and foremost concern of a home owner is to ensure sufficient safety for his or her household when deciding on the exterior doors of the house. Wooden doors can have locks and latches attached to them easily.
Nevertheless, determined robbers are capable of break the latch and drill holes to break the lock if they wish to go in the home. Another disadvantage of having wooden exterior doors is that they need constant care and attention in order to maintain them.
Wooden doors have a tendency of acting upon the effect of weather. In summer time the high moisture content of the air is absorbed by them therefore causing the doors to expand, creating cracks on the side of the doors and getting stuck while opening or closing them. This damages the property more if care isn’t taken. In winter the reverse occurs and the door contracts so leaving gaps between the walls and floor, allowing the cold from outside to go through the door and enter the home.
Wooden doors are also susceptible to attacks from termites. Unless they are made from good quality timber and are treated with anti termite solutions regularly one quickly finds that the entire door can crumble from the attack. This is very dangerous so far as security is concerned. Besides termites can cause severe dust allergy. Due to this fact, wooden doors can easily be eaten into and destroyed unless they are taken care of.