Titles for books yet to be written

[David Nicholson]

Te He, many times

[FrazerHenderson]

'You for a beer? and other mishearings in the garden' [Ed: Another book published for Christmas and remaindered on Boxing Day]

[FrazerHenderson]

"Castroturf: a study of Cuban grasses"

"Merry stems: the joy of cellular botany"

"The Wild Plant Guide: in Livid Colour"

"Harry Potter and the Deadly Marrows"

"Two branches against the sky: the ill-tempered gardener" [with apologies to Geoffrey Dutton]

[SusanS]

"Merry stems: the joy of cellular botany"

    

I'll see if Julie will add this one to the reading list for the cellular biology module. 

[Paul T]

Perhaps another addition fo the cellular biology reading would be...

"Greenhood and his Merry Stems: Orchids in cellular biology"

Alternatively...

"Greenhood and his Merry Stems : How orchid propagation can relieve the rich of their money!"

[SusanS]

 

[Paul T]

I think we really need an "A-Z encyclopedia of Dead Garden Plants"

This can then be used to help identify those corpses in the garden that no longer have tags.  Makes it easier to work out what it is you have to buy a new one of..... but all those pesky encyclopedias only show them when they're alive, which is no point when you're trying to identify a dead one.  

[fermi de Sousa]

I think we really need an "A-Z encyclopedia of Dead Garden Plants"

This can then be used to help identify those corpses in the garden that no longer have tags.  Makes it easier to work out what it is you have to buy a new one of..... but all those pesky encyclopedias only show them when they're alive, which is no point when you're trying to identify a dead one.  

They're called Herbaria, Paul! Any Uni has a decent Herbarium where you can see dead plants nicely pressed!
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Yes Fermi, but "nicely pressed" does not resemble the plant corpses we come across in our gardens and wonder what the heck they are.  Half the time you can barely recognise which bits are which, let alone nicely pressed for comparison to the named and carefully catalogued items in herbaria.    "Nicely pressed" and "crispy critter" aren't very similar.

[SusanS]

I think we really need an "A-Z encyclopedia of Dead Garden Plants"

This can then be used to help identify those corpses in the garden that no longer have tags.  Makes it easier to work out what it is you have to buy a new one of..... but all those pesky encyclopedias only show them when they're alive, which is no point when you're trying to identify a dead one.  

The easiest way to work it out Paul is list your plants by rarity or cost.  The ones which have died are bound to be either really rare or very expensive.    This should help you narrow it down abit. 

[ranunculus]

'Cultivating bog plants' by W.C. Fields

[Paul T]

Susan,

Very true!  Disturbingly very true!!!!! 

 

[rob krejzl]

list your plants by rarity or cost

Fills me with confidence for the Calanthe someone pressed into my trembling hands on Saturday.

[Paul T]

Rob,

I was given a Calanthe (can't remember species) 18 months ago.  Grew fine last year, and I thought it was OK, but never came back after dormancy.    I had it a bit protected so it should have been OK.  Then there are orchids like Stenoglottis longifolia that you just wish others would grow like.    I can't complain really, I grow all sorts of orchids like Pterostylis, Diuris and Thelymitra without any problems..... I just want all the others I can't get like Ophrys etc.  I've had Dactyllorhiza elata going in my garden for a few years now without a problem, but can't seem to get fuchsii going for some reason, it just dwindles out.  You just can never quite know which one is going to go well with you and which one isn't.    Then again that is half the fun of succeeding, isn't it. 

Good luck with the Calanthe.

[rob krejzl]

Dactyllorhiza elata

Now I know what to ask for for Christmas  .