Since moving to our new home, each season has brought its own surprises. In the winter, we collected an abundance of laurel leaves and holly berries for our Advent decorations. Spring brought fields of daffodils and patches of irises. Summer is here, and I’m exhausted from all the pulling, plucking, heaving, hoeing, mowing, and mulching that it’s taken to get the flower beds blooming. From asters to zinnias and all the lavenders and lilies in between, I’m hoping our garden will eventually grow to be less of an annual burden and more of a perennial blessing.
Over the past couple of weeks, orange lilies have lined our little backroads. Ditch lilies, or Hemerocallis fulva, are not a native plant to America and have been deemed an “invasive” species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. They thrive in moist and dry locations, in sun or shade, so much so that maybe it could a brown thumb’s best friend…but not if they’re trying to grow much else.
Invasive plants get their bad rap for coming in and taking over. They frequently choke or stunt the growth of native plants, even the well-established ones, some of which are necessary to stabilize stream and riverbanks or feed pollinators or woodland animals. What’s a gardener to do?
I’m in favor of choosing native plants over nonnatives, whenever possible. Instead of the showy (and nonnative invasive) Princess trees, Japanese honeysuckle, and English Ivy, select and plant American or Mountain Fly honeysuckle, creeping phlox, or tulip poplars. Instead of ditch lilies, trade for native butterfly weed and your fields will still be painted pretty as a sunset. Unlike the name suggests, butterfly weed, or Asclepias tuberosa, doesn’t misbehave like a weed and take over your garden beds. Their long-lasting, bright petals attract an array of pollinators, and this is even a host plant for monarch butterflies.
But what if ditching the ditch lilies just isn’t an option? I’ve learned that whether it’s a weed or not depends on where it is growing. No ditch lily in my grandmother’s creek bank was ever displaced, be it because she innocently loved the happy orange flowers or because the chunky copperheads guarded them, I can’t exactly say. Though, come to think about it, I did often see her with a shovel—but I still think it was more for the snakes.
A local couple is bringing a new meat and seafood market to Flower Mound this fall.
Flurry’s Market + Provisions is expected to open in October at 2608 Long Prairie Road, in the old Red Hot & Blue restaurant space. Flurry’s will be a “Texas meat market with Louisiana flair,” with a bistro open for lunch and a gift shop. It will be owned and operated by Louisiana natives Clayton and Katie Flurry, who moved to Flower Mound in 2015 for Clayton’s job in the oil and gas industry. Clayton decided to leave his job in March, and they want to fulfill a need in Flower Mound.
“The store concept is based on similar stores in Louisiana, they provide things you can’t get here,” Clayton said. “My wife and I decided to plant a flag here in Flower Mound, which we’ve come to love over the last six years. We see a major need for it, especially with seafood. There are not a lot of fresh seafood counters in the area, outside of large grocery stores.”
Clayton said Flurry’s Market “will offer as much local beef, pork, poultry product as we can, focusing on freshness and quality,” such as Cajun-seasoned ribeyes and bacon-wrapped tenderloins. The bistro will serve Cajun staples like gumbo and po boys — including shrimp, oyster, catfish and more — as well as other sandwiches and burgers. The upscale gift shop will offer “specialty items you can’t find in local stores” that could be a good gift or go with your meat order, such as decorative and functional kitchen items and more.
More than anything, Clayton said, the Flurrys want to be on a first-name basis with residents and be involved in the community.
“We want to grow with the community and provide what the community wants and needs,” he said. “We’re focused on quality, convenience and customer service. We intentionally picked the located to be in the heart of Flower Mound. It’s not about making a buck, it’s about making a relationship.”
SAN MARINO (CBSLA) – The notorious Corpse Flower is ready to bloom at the Huntington Library in San Marino for just the twelfth time in the last 22 years.
A live feed of the Corpse Flower at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., on June 29, 2021. (Credit: Huntington Library/YouTube)
The plant, nicknamed “Stankosaurus Rex” because of its notorious smell, is now 71 inches tall.
The bloom is rare. This will mark just the 12th corpse flower to bloom at the Huntington Library since August of 1999. It last bloomed in September of 2020.
The Amorphophallus titanum, also known as a Titan Arum, has been called the world’s largest flower, but is technically an “inflorescence,” or a cluster of flowers. It can reach more than 8 feet in height when it blooms, opening to a diameter of 4 feet.
When in one of its ultra-rare blooms, it gives off an odor akin to rotting flesh, attracting insects that pollinate the flowers deep inside.
The blooming plant produces two key gases — dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide — that also are present in decomposing animals and vegetables, Turner-Lowe said.
What prompts a particular plant to start the blooming process largely remains a mystery, Turner-Lowe said, but the corpse flower tends to bloom during hot weather.
Once it blooms, it will be opened to the public for a limited in-person viewing in the Conservatory. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Tuesdays.
Only the front of the Conservatory (where the corpse flower is located) is open to visitors.
Reservations are not required to visit weekdays, but reservations are required for weekends and the Monday holiday.
June 29, 2021 at 08:44PM
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/06/29/stinky-surprise-corpse-flower-set-for-rare-bloom-at-san-marinos-huntington-library/
Stinky Surprise: Corpse Flower Set For Rare Bloom At San Marino’s Huntington Library - CBS Los Angeles
Gardening has been having a moment while people rediscover the appeal of spending time close to home
We’ve highlighted 3 favorite Champaign-Urbana area flower gardens to visit, and 4 area farms that are growing flowers for you
According to an article from 2020 in the Washington Post, “People are starved for safe outdoor activity. People are starved for something that refreshes the soul.” No wonder gardening is still having a moment. We could describe the vegetable gardens people are growing in their backyards, or the landscaping projects that people have pursued while they were stuck at home. But for this post, we wanted to focus on flower gardening in public spaces and market places, where we can social distance but still be part of a shared community that is hungry for beauty and renewal.
The first stop on this “Tour of Bloom” offers a wide range of garden experiences, all under the auspices of the University of Illinois. Each area of the Arboretum has an educational mission, and all of it is FREE to visit. Experience the serene landscape surrounding Japan House, roam the variety of formal and open spaces throughout the Arboretum, or narrow the focus of your visit to the Idea Garden.
The Idea Garden is an ongoing project of the Champaign County Master Gardener volunteers of the U of I Extension, and so it changes every year. It usually highlights different gardening themes such as vegetables, rock garden, rose garden, tropical garden, sensory garden, berry garden, or serenity garden. Like moths to a flame, kids will be drawn to the children’s garden, which encourages interactive fun (like hiding, smelling, or touching). Detailed resource information on plants and design is available for each section of the Idea Garden… or just relax in the gazebo and take it all in. Metered parking (and handicapped parking) available at Japan House, at the Idea Garden, and along Lincoln Avenue.
Less an educational location than a functional one, Allerton is currently operated by the University of Illinois as an event and lodging space. It began its existence as the private estate of artist and philanthropist Robert Henry Allerton around 1900. Its public outreach today focuses on art, nature, and history. Visitors can explore 14 miles of hiking trails, wander through multiple formal gardens (the most well-known of which is the Peony Garden), play “pose like your favorite statue” throughout the grounds, or participate in organized programs including outdoor concerts, youth summer camps, themed dinners and educational events, nature hikes, and tours. (Did we mention the gardens are FREE?)
With this garden we leave university-run properties and enter a different non-profit world, that of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Your tax dollars again pay for your FREE admission to this garden, as well as to the nearby Museum of the Grand Prairie. Much like the gardens of Allerton Mansion, the creation of the Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden was spearheaded by one man — H.I. Gelvin, the founder of the Forest Preserve District. The garden is named after his late wife Mabery.
The 8-acre garden features beds of beautiful flowers as well as several Instagram-worthy locations: the bridge pictured above, the artificial waterfall, the giant Lake of the Woods chair, or the gazebo pictured below. Its educational focus is not on its flowers, but on its trees. Each tree — and every tree at Mabery Gelvin seems to be a large attractive specimen — gets its own informative plaque. The garden also offers some hands-on fun for the younger set: giant tic-tac-toe and checkers, tree stumps and rocks on which to clamber, and a nature trail in the shade. Free parking (and handicapped parking) available at the Museum of the Grand Prairie as well as a small lot a little further along the access road.
Now that we’ve toured three area flower gardens, let’s visit four area farms that raise flowers.
Perhaps you’ve seen them (below) at Urbana’s Market in the Square? Established in 2011, Delight Flower Farm is a sustainable, women-owned, flower farm. They grow a wide variety of cut flowers to sell wholesale as well through business subscriptions, farmers markets, CSA memberships, and through their online shop. Other products of their farm include CBD hemp, edible flowers, medicinal herbs, and evergreen wreaths in winter. They teach a variety of workshops as well as provide flowers for weddings.
Look for Delight Flower Farm bouquets in C-U at Harvest Market, Common Ground Food Coop, Hopscotch Bakery & Market, the West Kirby County Market, and the Rose Bowl Tavern. And keep an eye on their social media for events held on their farm, which often sell out.
Since 1999, Kent Miles has operated Illinois Willows as a specialty cut flower grower with material to sell year-round, through direct-to-consumer sales and for the wholesale trade. His is another familiar face at Urbana’s Market at the Square, where his lucky customers benefit from the more than 60 kinds of flowers, foliage, and woody ornamental branches from his farm. Or consider purchasing a share in a CSA, so that every other week during the summer and fall, you receive a large, farm-fresh bouquet. (And note that he currently offers free delivery to Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and Mahomet for orders placed on his site.) Illinois Willows also offers various levels of training to help independent farmers/growers establish their own successful agricultural businesses.
Photo from Illinois Willows on Facebook.
What about farmers who want YOU to garden?
The last two stops on our Tour of Bloom are farms that have both chosen a particular focus — flowering plants in the genus Hemerocallis, known commonly as daylilies, to grow and sell to the home gardener.
It’s no accident that both farms have chosen the humble daylily: it is hardy, easy to transplant, thrives in good and not-so-good soil, doesn’t need much watering, comes back each year in bigger clumps, and most importantly? There are a mind-numbing 89,000+ registered cultivars, according to the American Daylily Society.
Ben Montez can be frequently found at Urbana’s Market at the Square, selling pre-dug daylily plants — as well as multiple hosta varieties — ready to be taken home and planted. However, at the field where he farms (adjacent to Illinois Willows) he grows 350 varieties of daylilies, along with another 250 varieties at home. He sells the plants either by pre-order (and he will bring them to the Urbana Market), by appointment, or at two open house days: one for early/mid-season bloomers, and one for late-season bloomers. At these open houses, your plants are actually dug while you wait. He prices his daylilies by the number of plants you buy: one for $8, 3 for $20, 4 for $25, 10 for $50. The first open house of 2021 is coming up on July 3 so don’t miss out!
A visit to Rod Kroemer and Jim Wuersch’s farm is something to be savored. 5-Acre Farm Daylilies is like a botanical garden, a farm, a business, and a home all rolled into one idyllic package (off High Cross Road, south of Philo). Here they grow over 700 varieties of daylily, some of which they have hybridized themselves.
The routine for customers during daylily season (roughly, June-September) goes something like this — you show up on a weekend (or by appointment) during daylily season, you wander the landscaped beds as well as the more utilitarian fields, ooh-ing and ah-ing over the infinite variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and smells. You write down the names of your favorites, found on tags buried at the base of each and every plant. Then you take a seat in the shade, sip some water, go through your list, and find out how expensive each plant is. (Prices range from about $11 to $75; in past years they have grown at least one named cultivar that tops $100! Rarity and novelty have their price.) Then you look in your wallet, sigh, cut your list way down, and make your final decision. You’ll have to schedule another trip back to the farm to pick up your new garden babies.
In case you wondering, the daylily pictured above is the Sarah Christine, its ginormous bloom is 6″ across, and a double fan would have set you back a mere $19 in 2020.
5-Acre Farm Daylilies also has a robust mail-order business, which is why they generally don’t travel to markets, unlike the other three farms in this post.
May you all bloom where you are planted. Happy gardening!
All photos by Kathy Richards except where indicated.
Did you enjoy this Tour of Bloom? Email us to suggest other flower gardens or flower farms in our area.
SAN MARINO — Another corpse flower is about to bloom at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino and is on track to claim the title of the library’s biggest.
Stankosaurus Rex grew six inches Sunday night to 71 inches, according to Susan Turner-Lowe, The Huntington’s vice president for communications & marketing.
It is not known when it will bloom. Limited in-person viewing is available during public hours in the Conservatory. The Conservatory is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and closed Tuesdays.
Only the front of the Conservatory (where the corpse flower is located) is open to visitors.
Reservations not required to visit weekdays, but capacity in the Conservatory will be limited. Reservations are required for weekends and Monday holidays.
A live stream of the corpse flower is available at www.huntington.org/corpse-flower. This will be the 12th corpse flower to bloom at The Huntington since August 1999.
The Amorphophallus titanum, also known as a Titan Arum and corpse flower, has been called the world’s largest flower, but is technically an “inflorescence,” or a cluster of flowers. It can reach more than 8 feet in height when it blooms, opening to a diameter of 4 feet.
When in one of its ultra-rare blooms, it gives off an odor akin to rotting flesh, attracting insects that pollinate the flowers deep inside.
The blooming plant produces two key gases — dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide — that also are present in decomposing animals and vegetables, Turner-Lowe said.
What prompts a particular plant to start the blooming process largely remains a mystery, Turner-Lowe said, but the corpse flower tends to bloom during hot weather.
When a corpse flower was first displayed at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in the late 19th century, at least one Victorian woman was said to have swooned when she got a whiff of the bloom.
The flower was first displayed in the United States in 1937 at the New York Botanical Garden.
If you love color, texture, and variety, you may want to dedicate time to growing flowers in your home or garden. The blossoms add vibrant hues to any landscape, and whether it's a spacious backyard, tiny terrace, or small balcony, there are plenty of possibilities for cultivating something beautiful.
Plus, flowers are an integral part of a garden because their colorful hues attract an array of pollinators, such as bees, birds, butterflies, and lesser-known pollinators that are beneficial for a thriving ecosystem.
If you're just rolling up your sleeves to get your hands in the soil or you have years tending your garden, there are books covering everything from container gardening to finding the right flowers for your region. I spoke with several gardeners and horticulturists about their favorite flower gardening books and why they recommend them.
TikTok user @songsbyralph shared what began as a sweet moment with a friend, only to turn into a much darker story, involving "the world's scariest drug."
The video, shared by singer Raffaela Weyman, known professionally as RALPH, showed her and a friend innocently smelling flowers found in a bush next to a sidewalk. Seemingly, the women had a photoshoot of sorts while doing so, with Weyman uploading the images to Instagram.
However, the story took a darker turn, when the women claim to have begun feeling "f**ked up," later in the night.
"Me and my BFF found this beautiful flower and spent the night deeply inhaling its smell," she wrote. "When we arrived at our friend's bday, we both suddenly felt so f**ked up, and had to leave."
"When I got home and fell asleep, I had the craziest dreams and experienced sleep paralysis for the first time in my life," she added.
The flower Weyman and her friend had been smelling was actually angel's trumpet, which is regularly used as a hallucinogen. Often, the flower is brewed as a tea or the leaves are dried and smoked.
Angel's trumpet contains large amounts of belladonna alkaloids, which include atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine. Scopolamine, which is also known as "Devil's Breath" has a large reputation as being extremely dangerous and is often used to commit crimes in Columbia.
In 2012, Vice filmed a popular documentary on scopolamine, and dubbed it the "world's scariest drug," describing it as the "worst roofie you can ever imagine times a million."
Vice spoke to Columbia toxicologist Dra. Miriam Gutierrez, who explained that it's perfect for crimes, as the drug has the ability to turn victims into a hypnotized zombie-like state but wont knock them out or affect the ability to speak, making them even willing to help the perpetrators commit the crime on themselves—often robbery or sexual assault. The victim also doesn't remember anything the next day, and so won't report it to the police.
When used by criminals, the "Devil's Breath" is extracted from the plant, rather than ingested with the flower. Often, it will be turned into a pill or powder form, and criminals are even able to blow the powder in the victim's face, or have them unknowingly move their face close to it and accidentally inhale it.
After waking up the next morning, Weyman turned to Google to discover exactly what kind of plant she had been smelling in the TikTok video.
"Turns out the flower is super poisonous and we accidentally drugged ourselves like idiots," she wrote.
Reportedly, most symptoms of the plant are caused by directly ingesting it, but according to Queensland Health, "the perfume can cause respiratory irritation, headaches, nausea, and light-headedness."
Newsweek contacted Raffaela Weyman for comment.
Angel's trumpet flower. A TikTok user filmed herself smelling the flower, only to realise that it's highly poisonous.Getty ImagesThe Link Lonk
June 28, 2021 at 10:59PM
https://www.newsweek.com/women-smell-poisonous-flower-angels-trumpet-worlds-scariest-drug-tiktok-1604733
Women Film Themselves Smelling Flower, Turns Out to Be 'World's Scariest Drug' - Newsweek
