Bacteria May Improve Vase Life According to Early Results of NCSU Study

By Elizabeth Driscoll, NCSU
http://horticulture.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2013/12/16/bacteria-may-improve-vase-life/

 

Postharvest zinnia study.

Bacteria have long been a foe of cut flower postharvest. Vases and water should be kept clean and clear to prevent bacteria from clogging the xylem that carries water in the stems. Some bacteria even eat away the plant tissue further reducing uptake.  Not all bacteria are bad, however.  Alicain Carlson and John Dole at NCSU and Ann Matthysse at UNC are investigating the use of a particular bacteria species that can function like a “probiotic” in cut flower vase solutions to improve vase life. This research has the potential to lead to an organic floral preservative for use by the growing number of organic cut flower farmers. Floral preservatives have three general components: an acidifier, a biocide, and a carbohydrate (sugar). The acidifier and carbohydrate are relatively easy to find organic sources for, but the biocide is a bit harder. Currently, there are no highly effective organic floral preservatives.



Probiotics worked as well as commercial
floral preservatives in preliminary studies.

Studies completed so far with cut zinnia have found the addition of the probiotic bacteria to perform just as well as a commercial floral preservative. While the exact mechanism is not known, the bacteria may be helpful by preventing reductions in stem water uptake by keeping the xylem clear from blockages and reducing the growth of other bacteria. While there is more research to be done, the potential for this concept has been shown. Rose will be the next crop to be tested as it has global importance to the cut flower industry.


Artist in Bloom: Prints Charming

Archival prints created from Anna Bond’s

 original gouache paintings include the

16-by-20-inch Rosa. 

Courtesy of Rifle Paper Co.

By Julie Cole Miller
Flower Magazine January-February 2014 
http://www.flowermag.com/article/prints-charming/                

Artist Anna Bond must be something of an early bloomer. She and her husband, Nathan, have built a thriving business from the ground up in less than a handful of years. As the creative director of Rifle Paper Co., Anna oversees the product design of the stationery and gift brand that can be found in stores such as Paper Source, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, and Liberty of London. She travels the globe, continually seeking out new inspiration, and blogs about it all along the way. And have we mentioned that she’s not yet 30?



Though she certainly lives a charmed life, it hasn’t always been so obvious. At 24, she and Nathan, then a musician, were living in his parents’ guesthouse in Florida—her home away from her native New Jersey. She had left a job as a graphic designer and was freelancing, creating custom wedding invitations for a few close friends in addition to designing the occasional band poster—that was, up until the band disbanded. “At that point, I needed some help, and Nathan stepped in. We really had nowhere to go but up,” she says.
 

And up and up they went. Today, just a little over five years later, the husband-and-wife team has stationery and gifts in more than 3,500 stores and oversees more than 75 employees in their Winter Park, Florida, studio. With a line of stationery, cards, calendars, journals, even iPhone cases and recipe boxes, Rifle Paper Co. is thriving like the florals that grace so many of its motifs—organically, enthusiastically, and with a charming optimism that stands out among the crowd.


A series of prints. Courtesy of Rifle Paper Co.

Romantic and whimsical, Anna’s designs are carefully stylized and consistent in their palette of mostly pink, crimson, tangerine, olive, verdigris, and black. In addition to flowers, her designs include animals, insects, happy couples, motivational sayings, and the odd collection of hats or grooming tools. Think Little Golden Books and the work of children’s illustrator Eloise Wilkin blended with the quirky aesthetics of filmmaker Wes Anderson. Her designs feel modern, retro, youthful, and nostalgic, and are often personalized with expressive hand lettering.



Though it started with wedding invitations, Rifle Paper Co. now specializes in range of gifts, stationery, and cards, such as the Wildflower thank-you postcards. Courtesy of Rifle Paper Co.

 

Anna says as a child she was always drawn to dandelions and other blossoms in her midst. “I like to think they were wildflowers, but in reality they were probably weeds,” she says in a quiet voice. Like a flufy seedhead transformed by a breeze, the dandelions and flowers of her youth settled deep down in her creative well, only to bloom again in myriad new incarnations—bigger, bolder, and preserved for the seasons on thick, rich paper and printed in the perpetually sunny environs just outside Orlando.



Flowers are incredibly special and important to me as you can probably tell,” she says. “They’re almost like a living palette with endless shapes, colors, textures. You can combine and arrange them to become so many diferent things.”

And when she paints, she finds she’s most relaxed painting flowers— not the tropical flowers of Florida, but the woodsy flowers of her New Jersey home. “It feels very natural to me,” she says. “When I paint them I sometimes treat it like I’m at a flower market. I pick the flower colors and shapes, the leaf styles, the accent shapes, and then organically work to paint them all together like an arrangement.”

As for what’s up next for Rifle Paper Co., the team is working on a line of wallpaper in collaboration with Hygge & West, as well as an official wedding collection. Right now, the best sellers are calendars and phone cases. “Really useful things do the best,” she says. “I think that’s really important, when something isn’t just pretty, but also useful and functional.”

And how did she learn all this at the ripe old age of 29? “It’s been a bit of a wild ride,” she says today of the venture she and Nathan began somewhat naively by their own estimation. “We’ve taken things as they come and have both carefully and quickly grown the company into what it is today.”

RHS Garden Vacations Available for International Travelers

The Eternal Gardens of Rome.

AAA Vacations is offering a collection of tours created by the Royal Horticultural Society during 2014.

Ten itineraries will explore the many of the world’s most exotic and lauded gardens, and each will provide a notable RHS guide to lead garden tours and also present gardening aspects of featured historical sites.

Destinations include:

• Eternal Gardens of Rome (7 days)
• New Zealand’s Garden Route (21 days)
• Gardens of American History (10 days)
• Floral Wonders of South Africa (15 days)
• The Beauty of Japan (13 days)
• Garden Villas of the Italian Lakes (10 days)
• The Gardens of London (8 days)
• Portugal’s Gardens (10 days)
• The Beauty of Britain (9 days)
• Gardens of the Loire (8 days)

Durham Garden Clubs who would like more information can contact AAA Carolinas Travel Sales Specialist, Heather Bateman at the Greenville, NC office, 252.321.5240.

January Calendar of Triangle Gardening Programs

Botanical illustration by Maria Sibylla Merian, c. 1917.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

NC Botanical Gardens
http://ncbg.unc.edu/classes-workshops/#hh_gardening
Location: 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC.


The DO’s (and some Don’ts) of Pruning Jan.18, 2-5 p.m. This will be an informative workshop on the DO’s, DO’s, DO’s of pruning. Participants will be instructed on the different types of pruning equipment and safety, the best pruning techniques, and the proper timing of pruning. In this workshop the main focus will be on, but not limited to, trees and shrubs. Pruning is beneficial to the overall health of plants, as well as, stimulating new growth and flowering. Participants will spend the first half of the workshop learning about these benefits. The second half will be applying this knowledge and technique with hands-on activities. Fee: $20 Public ($15 NCBG Member).

 

Introduction to Botanical Illustration (Short Course) Jan. 25, 1-4:30 p.m.(incl. weather: Feb. 1). This half-day class covers examples of various types of botanical illustrations and botanical art; explores the history of botanical illustration; describes the coursework for the Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration; and introduces the instructors. No prerequisites. Fee: $40 ($35 NCBG members)

JC Raulston Arboretum

http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/calendar/events.php?year=2014
Location: Ruby C. Mc Swain Education Center, JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC.

Plantsmen's Tour:  "Zone Denial—The Tropical Look in Winter"

Jan. 7, 1-2:30 p.m.

Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections.

Palms, bamboo, citrus, and other plants can keep the winter blues away. We'll check out some of the JCRA's plants that didn't get the notice that they shouldn't be growing here.

"The Road Goes Ever On—Travels in New Zealand"
Jan. 9, 7:30–9 p.m.

Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections.
Mark's trip to Taiwan was canceled due to Super Typhoon Usagi, but he still visited New Zealand in fall 2013 to speak at a conference and to travel throughout the country looking for some great new plants. See the highlights from his trip in this whirlwind travelogue.
Cost: Free for Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum members, NC State University students (with ID), and Department of Horticultural Science faculty and staff, all others $5.00.

North American Rock Garden Society (Piedmont Chapter) Lectures/Friends of the Arboretum Lectures: "Camellia Collecting in China"
Jan. 18, 10-11:30 a.m.

David Parks, Camellia Forest Nursery.

Cost: Free for Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum members, NC State University students (with ID), and Department of Horticultural Science faculty and staff, all others $5.00.

 

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

420 Anderson St Durham, NC 27708.
http://gardens.duke.edu/events.  Please call 919-668-1707 to register.

Beekeeping for Beginners

Jan. 11, 9:30 a.m.
Gain new skills and knowledge or refresh your skills in this introductory class taught by the Durham Beekeeping Club. You will learn about bees as garden partners and be introduced to the necessary equipment, how to select bees, and the basics of annual management and maintenance in a class that meets over two Saturdays, Jan. 11 and 18. Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 20. $40; $30 Gardens members and Duke students/staff. Home Horticulture Certificate elective course. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.


Winter Gardens, Jan. 18 at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Natural History Discussion Group
Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.  
Using a shared book or issue of interest, the group will enjoy friendly conversation and debate about natural history topics. Bring a dinner and your opinions; discussion will follow! Free. Registration required. Location: Doris Duke Center. Information: 919-668-1707.

Landscapes for Life: A Homeowners Guide to Sustainable Gardening

Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m.  
Work with nature in your garden; it is so much easier, and so much healthier! This program was developed by the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to give you step-by-step information about assessing your garden's health, studying the drainage and water and, finally, making wise choices in plants and other materials. Jan Little, Duke Gardens' director of education and public programs, will guide participants through the development of a sustainability plan for their home sites in this five session class, meeting from Jan. 15 through Feb. 12.
Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. $180; $145 Gardens members & Duke students/staff. Horticulture Certificate elective course. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Zoom In: Winter Botanizing

Jan. 18, 1 p.m.
The winter season is a beautiful time to identify plants. They are pared down to their essence and you can enjoy the bark and twig colors, the buds holding next year's growth, and the seeds remaining from the previous growing season. Join ecologist and local naturalist Jeffrey Pippen to examine the structures, identifying features and unique beauty of the winter landscape while you practice using a plant key.
Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 12. $18; $15 Gardens members & Duke students/staff. Home Horticulture Certificate elective course. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Introduction to Vegetable Gardening: Winter

Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m.  
Winter is the time to slow down in the garden, evaluate the season and plan for next year. In this class, instructor Andy Currin, Duke University's campus horticulturist, will focus on winter season strategies, including sowing winter cover crops and extending your growing season with cold frames and other techniques.
Class includes indoor discussion and outdoor practice in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden. It will meet on three Tuesdays, Jan. 21 through Feb. 4, and Saturday, Jan. 25, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Class textbook is included for those beginning this series. Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. $85; $70 Gardens members & Duke students/staff. Home Horticulture Certificate elective course. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.


Twelve Ways to Improve Your Landscape

Jan. 23, 7 p.m.  
With photos of "good" and "bad" gardens, landscape architect Jeff Evans will discuss common problems in the home landscape, presenting other design choices to consider. Together the class will identify solutions and learn of ways to fix the flaws. Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 25. $15; $12 Gardens members & Duke students/staff. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Landscape Plants for North Carolina Gardens: Winter 

Jan. 29, 3 p.m.

Expand your palette of plants with information from this three-session class, instructed by Jan Little, Director of Education and Public Programs. Each season this class covers another group of approximately 75 plants suitable for North Carolina gardens. You will learn identification skills and design use, and understand the culture of each plant. Winter introduces plant silhouettes and evergreens. Each student receives a portfolio of plant photos. Information/registration: 919-668-1707. Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. $110; $90 Gardens members and Duke students/staff. Home Horticulture Certificate required course.
 

Garden Journaling, Jan. 12, at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Durham Garden Forum

Meetings are held at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m.
Membership is $25 for the year (which runs April – March) or each lecture is $10. No preregistration is required. Contact information is durham.gardenforum@gmail.com.
    

Camellias and Tea  (Rescheduled Feb. 4) 

Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m.
Learn about camellias at the Durham Garden Forum. Presented in partnership with N.C. Cooperative Extension's Durham County Center. Speaker will be Mark Weathington from the J.C. Raulston Arboretum. 



Durham Co. Master Gardeners

Briggs Ave Community Garden - Seed Starting Workshop

Jan. 11, 10-11 a.m.
Presentation by Sara Smith will be held at Durham County Cooperative Extension Building, 721 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701.

Garden Journaling

Jan. 12, 2 p.m.
Learning to effectively use a garden journal will make gardening easier and more enjoyable. Presented by Master Gardeners of Durham County. Sponsored in partnership with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service: Durham County Center.
Location: Doris Duke Center. Free. Registration required. Parking fees apply. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.