The peace lily prefers Bach. The cactus craves heavy metal, the spider plant grooves on classic rock, and the Dieffenbachia digs Brubeck. We’re being facetious, of course. We know that plants respond to music, but we haven’t determined their playlists —...
Does the name evoke images of steamy tropical romance? It shouldn’t. “Passion” refers to the Passion of Christ. 17th-century Spanish missionaries in South America saw the flowers as symbols of the crucifixion and named the plant accordingly. Passion...
Mark Twain called it “the most delicious fruit known to men.” He was referring to the cherimoya, a living fossil from the highland valleys of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Ripe cherimoya spoils quickly and is hard to ship, so it’s considered a luxury...
Nothing lasts forever. Civilizations rise and fall — none have endured more than a few thousand years. The sun will run out of usable hydrogen in roughly 5 billion years. The Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda Galaxy in ~4 billion years, forming a new galaxy....
Everything has its fads — even gardening. Pizza gardens with each “slice” growing a different pizza ingredient. Plant parenting, or treating garden plants like pets or children, complete with names, personalities, and even Instagram accounts. Moon...
Remember Earth Day? Yes, it’s still a thing. Rising public concern over pollution, smog, and environmental degradation fueled the first Earth Day in 1970. Sustainable gardening may seem like an Earth Day sequel, but many traditional cultures have practiced it...
