Some scientists predict an increase in natural disasters as a result of global warming. But somehow I think something else is responsible for all the volcanoes I see erupting in my neighborhood.
‘Volcano’ is the term coined for that mound of mulch that folks pile around a tree this time of year. Even though all the credible references advise against this, it somehow seems to be very popular. I drive through developments in which landscapers have generously heaped the mulch into a nice pyramid around every tree.
After spending a fair amount of money on new trees, you would think a homeowner would want to protect that investment. One of my neighbors recently built a series of volcanoes around the trees throughout his yard. It looks kind of cool, but just like Mount Vesuvius, these volcanoes can be deadly. That pile of mulch heats the base of the tree and holds moisture up against the bark. Not only does this encourage pests and diseases, but the tree responds by sending out new roots into that pile of mulch. Instead of spreading outward, these new roots grow inside the pile and over time can girdle the tree as they expand.
The International Society of Arboriculture recommends mulching tree root zones to help retain moisture in the ground and act as a weed barrier. But to avoid decay, disease and pests, ISA calls for mulch to be kept one to two inches away from the base of the tree. So a good gardening practice after mulching is to go back and sweep away any that might have piled up on the tree flare.
The trees will thank you.
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Here is one more book review written by one of our four high school seniors completing her time with us, Katie Kinkopf. She chose a book from our Rare Book Room:
Herbarius Latinus, incipit tractatus de uirtutibus herbarum
When I think of field guides I picture a colorful Peterson’s guide full of everything you need to know about a plant accompanied by glossy and attractive photographs. Today I had to opportunity to flip through one of the most unusual and interesting field guides I have had the privilege of viewing. Arnoldi de Nova Villa’s 1491 Latin field guide, titled Herbarius Latinus, incipit tractatus de uirtutibus herbarum. Touching a book that was printed 519 years ago feels incredible and humbling. The intricate drawings feature German woodcuttings and are accompanied by frequent notes (in Latin) by a previous owner.
Incredibly I find that my life is a mere 20 years of those 500 that have passed since Leonardus Achates published not only this book, but also the first printed folio of Virgil’s works, Euclid’s findings and calculations, and Crescenzi’s manual on agriculture, some of which are now stored in Britain’s Royal Library.
In the past 500 years many wars have been fought, inventions integrated into our everyday lives, and empires have crumbled and new ones built to replace them. The magnitude of this realization profoundly astonishes even the most experienced bibliophile.
Cleveland Botanical Garden acquired the guide in the mid 20th century, through the generous donation of Warren H. Corning, whom had previously had an extensive collection of rare horticulture books. The Warren H. Corning Collection of Horticulture Classics was split among the Cleveland Botanical Garden, The Holden Arboretum, and the Allen Memorial Medical Library at the Case Western Reserve University.
In contemporary horticulture and biology Arnoldi’s book may seem outdated for science research and practical application, however as a sociological artifact, readers and anthropologists can unravel the ways in which scientific knowledge was spread throughout Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Books such as Herbarius Latinus are invaluable as collector’s items, as anthropological artifacts and as interesting reads for bibliophiles that enjoy Latin field guides.
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The New Family Activity BookletsThings
Cleveland Botanical Garden introduced this month a new way for you and your child to connect with nature at home and in Hershey Children’s Garden.
Families who pick up a Family Activity Booklet at the children’s garden front gate will find activities they can do with their children at home and on a garden visit. Each month families have five new activities they can do on a garden visit and five activities they can do at home. Each month the suggested activities and themes change. June is about fairies and trees while next month is all about water. Families receive a stamp in their booklet each time they participate in an activity. Complete any five activities, collect five stamps and earn one free admission for a child. Now there are more ways to make each visit special. . .earn a friend a free visit to enjoy new ways to have fun with you.
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What’s there not to love about a book with a foreword by ‘HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES’!? Prince Charles and hostas … who knew?
But seriously, this book is great. Any book that focuses on just one type of plant has a pretty fair chance of getting high marks from me. I don’t know why, so don’t ask. And this book goes absolutely crazy by describing over 700 varieties of hosta. I didn’t always love the hosta; in fact I didn’t always even like the hosta. But when given a yard with dry shade and tree roots, I’ve become a fan.
This book’s chapters are divided by leaf color — how useful is that?! Considering that foliage is probably the main reason so many people love hostas, it’s a good way of organizing. Hostas with green leaves, blue-gray leaves, streaked leaves, marbled leaves and stippled leaves are just some of the categories. A whole chapter on hostas for connoisseurs as well as one called “Miniature and Very Small Hostas” covers the spectrum of foliage. I was able to ID a specimen in my yard (‘Kiwi Full Monty’, page 300 in case you were wondering) just by perusing the useful photos.
The book is big and heavy, but still useful enough to carry over to our Hosta Hill and immerse oneself in shady perennials. Dig through this practical tome and see if you can find your own new favorite. Available in our
Eleanor Squire Library.
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Most people are familiar with the perennial yellow coneflower or black-eyed Susan(Rudbeckia fulgida). It’s a tough, cheery-looking garden perennial that has earned a place in native gardens, wildlife gardens, and just plain hot, dry difficult sites. Here’s something just a bit different. Like its tough little relative, Giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) is a native perennial with seeds beloved by finches and other songbirds. But once this one starts to sprout in the springtime, it’s like it forgets to stop! Glaucous bluish leaves give rise to vertical stems that keep growing and growing straight up. Seven feet later, a familiar-looking yellow flower with a green cone in the center pops open, ready to do what coneflowers seem to be good at: producing nectar for bees and butterflies and making birdseed. Here at the Garden it is planted in the Sunken Garden area at the base of Hosta Hill, near the Japanese Garden. You can also see it from the big windows in the hallway outside the Eleanor Squirres Library. We think of it as a seven-foot -tall birdfeeder that we don’t have to refill.
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