Phalaenopsis for your health

(Left: Phal. violacea v. alba at The Little Greenhouse)

Recently a news article was cited on the Orchid Guide Digest by Viateur, who finds all the interesting stories for us. The article makes two claims that are interesting, but unsupported (references are not cited). Do any of you know if these are accurate statements?

"Translucent pots allow light to reach the roots and algae to form on their
surface [is that desirable ?] ? this helps with moisture and nutrient uptake.
...
Moth orchids are effective in removing xylene (chemical emissions from
adhesives, computer VDU screens, paints, photocopiers and varnishes) from
the atmosphere [really ?]"

What is your plant wish list?

Please tell us!

EtsyPHAT team member Griffith Gardens posted a couple forum threads today, one of which asked "what plants would you like to see on Etsy?". As a complement to that discussion, I thought I'd add this blog post as another place where you can list items on your wish list. So what plants are you looking for? Let us know with a comment to this post and maybe we can help you out!

"MySpace" for Gardeners

There's a newly sprouted website called World Food Garden for all the veggie gardeners out there. You can map your garden, create a garden blog, and trade seeds and ideas with other gardeners. For more information, check out this youtube video. If you try it, please come back and tell us how you like it and where to find your blog!

What's new with team member: Julie!

This week we have Julie, who is greenthing on Etsy. Her shop items are displayed on the sidebar this week, and some recent happenings in her world are below.

How did you get started in gardening?
I've loved plants since I was little, but started gardening on a regular basis when I became disabled. It's great therapy for me!

Why did you join the EtsyPHAT Team?
The team is great! It's nice to be in touch with others who love plants and gardening, and to be able to exchange ideas or get feedback from the group is helpful.

Where do you get your ideas?
My goal is to have my entire yard provide habitat for wildlife eventually. That will take years, but I add to my gardens every year. I love to see wildlife in my yard. Also, I read a lot of books!

What are you currently working on?
Currently I'm working on tinctures. I'm excited to be able to offer them in my store. Tinctures are much more effective than pills, and mine will be made from plants I've grown myself so I will know the quality and freshness of them. I''ll have a few of the main ones at first, but I hope to keep expanding. I'm also propagating lilies and roses and hope to have them available by Fall. A couple of lilies are listed already.

Is your Etsy your full time job?
Yes, I'm disabled and Etsy allows me to have some income coming in. I actually run three shops and sometimes it gets overwhelming!

What do you do when you are not gardening?
I work on my other shops, I read, I explore when I'm able to (for my urban exploration photography), and visit with friends.

Recommend a book?
Just one? "The Green Pharmacy" by James Duke.

Favorite from the garden recipe?
Fresh tomato sandwiches are my favorite. Simple, but delicious! I love to use herbs in just about anything, especially spaghetti. I add oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, rosemary and garlic.

Urban Farming

The current issue of ATTRAnews - Newsletter of the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - takes a look at how folks across the country are juggling the effects of urban sprawl and a desire of local produce. The newsletter mentions community gardens, a unique farm stand, social justice, urban agriculture resources and more. You can check out the full issue online at ATTRA. (note: at time of writing I don't see the current issue posted, but watch that space! In the mean time, check out some of their other archives and publications.)

What's new with team member: Craig!

This week we have Craig, who is EarlyForest on Etsy. He keeps a blog about tree species identification. His shop items are displayed on the sidebar this week, and some recent happenings in his world are below.

What's new with Craig?
I am working like crazy and trying to find time to spend with my family (wife, baby, puppy and kitten) while I take on the world.

How did you get started in gardening?
I was gifted with adventerous parents that felt that vaccations should be taken often and outdoors. Our travels took us to some of the planet's most amazing natural wonders. On those trips, and over long weekends camping with my dad and brother, I gained an appreciation for the wilder parts of the world and especially the forests. It was not until college that I discovered bonsai and I became obsessed with trying to grow trees. Most of my bonsai trees are collected wild seedlings or grown from seed, I refuse to purchase grocery store exotic bonsai. Growing bonsai soon led to growing edible plants as well. I now have a good mix of veggies and berries in addition to my trees.

Why did you join the EtsyPHAT Team?
I joined EtsyPHAT to learn from like-minded-individuals and offer my support and encouragement.

Where do you get your ideas?
I am inspired by literature, art, architecture and gnomes.

What are you currently working on?
Right now it is mid summer, a particularly slow season for tree seed collecting. As always, I have an ongoing tree photography series on my blog. I have been photographing trees like they are going extinct. My favorite locations are the arboreta and botanical gardens in my area. I am getting excited to photograph the trees when they change this autumn. I am also working on assembling some simple woodland survival tools/guides that you can expect to see in the shop soon.

Is your Etsy your full time job?
No, I have a degree in Landscape Architecture and work full time as a professional Landscape Designer. My Etsy shop is a project that I undertook to make tree seeds and information more avaliable to people. Ultimately it is an excuse to persue the hobbies that I am already interested in and hopefully along the way I can help others by offering what they are looking for.

What do you do when you are not gardening?
This year has been a little a-typical with the arrival of my newborn son, so right now I don't do a whole lot more than spend time with my baby boy and work. In past years I spent time with my wife traveling to new places, camping/hiking/kayaking, and reading fiction. Hopefully it won't be too long before we get back to doing all of those things with our son.

Recommend a book?
Plant Propagation: The American Horticultural Society, a book that every gardener should have on their shelf.

Favorite from the garden recipe?
Initially I balked at this question thinking, "Why would anyone want to do anything with garden fresh produce other than eat it straight from the plant?" But then I started thinking about all of the delicious recipies that I could be feasting upon and now there are too many options to just choose one...I suppose anything with fresh raspberries would have my vote.

What's new with team member: Julia!

Its been a while since the last time we had a featured member. 'Tis the season for gardeners to be busy. We're all lost in our herbs and veggies and flowers!! To get the ball rolling again, I'm going to tell you about myself a bit! (photo shows Phrag. schlimii 'Birchwood' (Cardinale) x Cleola)

Hi everyone! I'm Julia, known as SapphireChild on Etsy and also on blogger. My shop items are displayed on the sidebar this week, and some recent happenings are below.

How did you get started in gardening?
As a kid I marveled at my grandfather's garden and enormous houseplants. I'm not sure that inspired my voracity for foliage, but I certainly had it. So my mother sometimes entertained me with a plant here or there from the grocery store and it grew out from there, much like kudzu.

Why did you join the EtsyPHAT Team?
Heck, I was a founding member. :) I felt the green and proud might benefit from banding together so I asked around. There was definite interest and so EtsyPHAT was born!

What are you currently working on?
Repotting. Always with the repotting!! But that's ok, I always feel I've accomplished something when I have a tray full of freshly potted plants. As part of this I'm experimenting with semi-hydroponic growing (see photos) where you take a solid plastic container and poke holes about 1 inch from the bottom. The plant is then set in with an aggregate mix such as expanded clay pellets. I have a few Phragmipediums potted this way and they seem to like it so far but its only been a few months. I will also be trying Miltonias and Cattleyas this way.

Is your Etsy your full time job?
No I have a full time job doing Functional Genomics. Our project website can tell you more about the project I spend the majority of my time working on. Just for fun, go to the 'Reporter Images' tab and type 'flower' or 'trichome' or 'vascular' to see some cool images.

What do you do when you are not gardening?
I'm also addicted to wool, spinning yarn, and knitting. We also have 4 cats, 2 horses, and 1 overly energetic dog. Here's a photo of me chillin' with my horse.

Recommend a book?
I recently read Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden: Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians. It is a fascinating historical, anthropological text not only about agriculture but of a culture long since changed. It was groundbreaking in its time, and indeed I wish there were more accounts of a similar vein, but alas many texts of this type were written with taints of preconceived ideas.

I've also been reading Sprit Walker by Fel, which is published online one chapter at a time. It is not yet completed and I'm itching to see the next chapter!

Favorite from the garden recipe?
I love to saute zucchini with garlic and butter until just soft. I also like to stir fry fresh green beans in olive oil with garlic and fresh ginger (dry won't do! it is chemically/aromatically different) until the green beans turn bright green. Start by warming the oil, throw in the garlic and ginger (and maybe a bit of hot red pepper for kick) then toss in the green beans.