The holiday season is upon us once again, and what holiday decorations would be complete without the addition of colorful poinsettias? The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) in its many varieties can bring stunning colors to your holiday season display, but did you ever wonder what the origin of this symbolic holiday plant is, how the colors develop, or how to grow and care for poinsettias yourself? I. Tropical Origins Poinsettias are indigenous to Mexico and belong to the Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) family. Its native habitat is at moderate elevations in deciduous Read More …
Author: cngriffin
Book Review: “The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming” by Masanobu Fukuoka
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” — Masanobu Fukuoka As a 15-year old I moved from rural New Hampshire to suburban south Florida. I quickly grew disenchanted with the artificial environment and found a paradigm for understanding the modern disconnection of humans from nature in Daniel Quinn’s “Ishmael.” Upon graduation, books including “The Unsettling of America” by Wendell Berry and “The Good Life” by Helen and Scott Nearing inspired me to apprentice as a luthier on an Read More …
Tropical Alaska: Growing Indoor Tropical Plants in Anchorage
It’s October and the birch and cottonwood leaves color the ground yellow outside, while the annual flowers planted around Anchorage have been pulled up. The termination dust has already frosted the peaks of the Chugach Front Range, and it won’t be long before winter arrives. So what is a plant enthusiast to do during the dark and cold winters in south-central Alaska? One solution is to visit the Mann Leiser Memorial Greenhouse in Anchorage. Operated by the Municipality of Anchorage from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm daily, the two adjoining Read More …