Plant Scoop ... The Inside Story

The only black leaf Phlox paniculata in the world.

Distinct - Upper Crust - Black Tie

Highly polished rake of garden society.


Presenting Lord Clayton Phlox PPAF ... Available 2009 USA.

Read more about this new perennial.

Your garden will never be the same.

G. G.

Commonality Highs and Lows

What do stars and flowers have in common?

They both rise out of darkness and shed light on the world.
They come in different colors.
They are brilliant.
Some are single and others arranged in clusters.
Both are a symbol of great tradition.
They are treasured.
No matter how small they are, someone is enchanted by them.
They appeal to young and old.
Both can speak volumes to us without saying a word.
The world would be dreary without them.
They help us to tell time without a clock or calendar.
When their days of glory ends, each falls to the ground.
Both are a mystery man seeks to solve.
They appeal to young and old.
They mark the passing of the seasons.
Yet one is born of soil and the other of elevations unseen.
So very different with many similar traits.

Fatal Attraction

Echinacea purpurea 'Fatal Attraction'

The ever widening fascination with the beauty of plants is a constant source of entertainment. If it were not for the development of digital cameras, we petal and leaf addicts would surely go bankrupt over the cost of film.

Is this digital? No! I must have several thousand dollars invested in the bin of photos I harbor in the closet. Eighty percent or better in that Rubbermaid bin are photos of plants and flowering scenes. Not all of them are good shots though, so why I am still holding onto them is curious. I suppose it is a memory even if it would be judged poor photography by others.

Perhaps it is a fatal attraction of sorts. The hesitancy to discard the past has some foundation. Like a distant memory there a scenes that are hazy, blurred and wrongly lit ... unworthy of sharing past shuffling through the box. It takes about 2 hours to go through this collection in search of some shot remembered.

Rare pleasant mood - the only such shot ever caught.

In the process of hunting through the proof of an obsession I am reminded of Mr. Crotchety. A fine looking piece of horse flesh with the personality of a rock and demeanor of the devil. It was no wonder they retired him from racing. Smart as a whip, this fatal attraction though very well trained could do some of the most unexpected things.

A horse who thought it hilarious to stand on cat's tails and watch them writhe in agony. I kid you not the baggage could snort in definite hilarity. He would act as if he were lame if a prospective buyer came for a look. He would fall over on the blacksmith while his back was turned, hunched over with a hoof on his knee filing away. Mr. Crotchety was ever a wonder, never boring and always up to something.

Like the time he crawled under the fence and ran away from home. Eight miles away to be exact. It took two sheriff departments and 10 days to find his lousy arse. After it was all said and done, I had to ride the sidewinder all the way home on a 95 degree day. When the house finally came into view through the neighbor's orchard, the blasted jug head came to an abrupt halt. He stood there staring at what he thought to have left forever and grunted loudly. As if to say, "What ... not this place again!"

Mr. Crotchety at his finest.

The horse was so anti-social we had to give back the rescue horse we adopted as a companion. The poor old loving guy was bitten and kicked constantly, living in a nightmare. Mr. Crotchety wanted nothing but to stand in the corner of his paddock with his butt in the wind while dozing in solitaire. If he was dead set against going for a walk, he thought nothing of falling to his knees in the road while at a brisk trot. He actually knew that by bloodying his knees he could go back to the barn.

It is interesting to note that the black devil was owned by women from the minute he came off the track. Suckers for sleek muscles and flashy dressing followed one after another over the years. I bought him from a sheriff's deputy, who bought him from a judge. After 6 years of trying to make friends with him he finally picked a teenage girl to seduce with his charm.

We got a divorce, this black devil and I and for once HE paid the tab. Lured into their trailer with an armload of orchard pears, I waved goodbye to his long flowing tail as it got smaller and smaller driving away. Not one to waste time at an art, he began his treachery before the got him off the trailer. At least he behaved long enough that this poor woman managed to hand me the cash. I couldn't be of much help to her when she called to say she thought he had a broken leg. He did not ... it was part of his act.

They were not as patient as I was. Finally, Mr. Crotchety won the war of pig-headed laziness. At least I am glorified in the knowledge that it was nothing I had done. Lord knows, I was always kind and patient with him as he lashed out and acted a fool. Last I heard he was living large on a retired racehorse pasture somewhere in Kentucky. Best place for him too. No matter how much of a shyster he was - he was far too pretty for glue. The photos are the best I have of him, but they don't really do him any justice save the one where he tries to look like he will eat you if you dare get closer.

G.G.

Guerrilla Gardening USA

I have long been convinced that much of the anger and unrest found in the inner-city is directly due to the lack of connection with the plant kingdom. Humans were after all created to live in a garden. Most downtown areas are a jungle of concrete and buildings with very little plant life save a few street trees planted in squares left for them in the sidewalk. One must go to the park or out to suburbia and beyond to get back in touch with the one thing that is naturally healing and therapeutic to the human psyche.

There is many places in the urban environment that there is soil that no one cares to do anything with. Barren, weed and rubbish strewn spaces abound within the United States. Oh they are widespread around the world, but across the Atlantic there are people who are doing something about the lack of plant beauty throughout large cities like London. Watch these covert activities in action ...



The addition of hope and a reason for tomorrow is something that only ornamental plants can communicate to humans. This is has been shown over and over again. In the urban jungle there is not much hope springing up on the streets. Trees are good, but they tower above humans and while important to cleaning urban air, there is so much more that can be done to change the bleak environment. Small patches of live color would be worth their weight in gold to many street corners and areas along the millions of miles of pavement that run through our cities.

Now if you visit the website where all the guerrilla gardeners around the world communicate you will find that there is very little activity in the USA. The majority of it is operating in California. What about the rest of this vast country? Why have we not taken the ugliness into our own hands yet? I doubt that in this country the police would actually try to arrest us for beautifying a space. City Beautification is important to the USA.

Please spread the word. Respond to this post by counting yourself in on a movement that American spaces are direly in need of. If I can get enough responders, perhaps we can make things happen as a group. It is a small thing to do yet it could change many people's outlook on the world they live in.

To learn more about the Guerrilla Gardening Movement around the globe, visit http://guerrillagardening.org

We can make a difference. I'll be waiting to hear from you.

UPDATE: 7-18-08 ... There is more activity in the USA than previously stated. All these are so covert in their actions they will not so much as answer a query about their site or digs. Wikipedia states that this is often viewed as a political action. Perhaps only the mis-aligned feel free to practice the playing forward of beautification of their communities? I find it very strange that no one is willing to share mere photos of such activity with the masses outside the sanctity of their choice of posting. I have just finished an in-depth article that will soon be published on a prominent internet gardening community regarding this topic. While those practicing this underground artistic movement with live plants and publicize it on YouTube hold no thought for the spreading of such a movement on a broader scale worldwide. If you want a friendly place to get more information on the practice of guerrilla gardening. Feel free to write to Mr. Stamen at www.LAGuerrillaGardening.org. He is the only person to step forward and share proof of the beautification of the digs his troops have done. G.G.

The Plant Money Fund

Yesterday was cleaning day, but after a few hours of that I was struck by a streak of rebellion. Nothing like a little dancing with danger to brighten a Sunday afternoon. So I took myself off to the garden center to investigate the scenery. I vowed not to return there again this season unless I required some more potting soil as dwellers of the porch jungle got too big for their britches.

Lord have mercy! There was a boatload of fresh off the truck fantasies to behold. I drifted about considering this and that. Checked for bigger containers that might be on sale. Then made a beeline back to the six heavily preening little vixens that summoned me from afar. I considered which of them I might not be able to leave unadopted. Tallied the register total mentally and looked in my wallet to find that I had less cash left than originally assumed.

"Smooth move, sister," I scolded my rebellious side. I needed all of that $20 to put gas in my tank. Why the heck didn't I just stay home where no true source of disgust could rear it's ugly head? So much for the pleasure of diversion on a weekend afternoon. Instead I inwardly am cursing the oil companies as I walk quickly to the parking lot ... EMPTY HANDED!

After fuming all the way home, I reverted to surfing the web to take my mind off my mood. With the increasing prices on everything today, it is hard to come up with enough spare cash to buy all the beautiful plants you really want. Cruising along reading this and that I found the perfect way to create more plant money without finding an additional job. If I could cut down on the amount of money I had to pour into my gas tank, I would have more weekend cash.

How would I accomplish this at over $4 a gallon for gas? I found the coolest way to actually save money. Its called HHO and any vehicle can be converted to save money on gas. The equipment only costs about $50 and after you get it all hooked up your engine can actually run better and used far less gas. Imagine being able to convert your gas hog to run on hydrogen power, a renewable fuel. Go green! Save some cash to support you plant habit. Click Here!

To make having more cash at the end of the week sweeter, you also are owed an IRS refund for using green technology in your vehicle. This refund is not available to people with factory assembled hybrid cars. You can't buy a hybrid car for $100 more than a gasoline powered one either. Before you start muttering about it being a scam...

I have done a lot of research on this since finding that first little blip. It kept me up half the night! This is the way to fight back and save money to buy what you want to. For the best hydrogen engine system available read the consumer report. To see the views of the experts watch the videos below.



Isn't it time you regain some of the control of your own money? Saving 15% to 70% on gasoline is something we all need to do immediately. The price is going up and it will never go back down. Why would it? We can't live without it no matter how much they charge per gallon. (Like they don't KNOW this already?) Plus, the IRS has to refund you the full cost of the conversion with a maximum deduction of $2000 for a private car or small truck. (You will need to save all your receipts to take the deduction.)



Aren't you ready to fight back too? Cut down on environment pollution and save cash to buy more plants!......... Click Here!