GAZING AT THE GLASS IS A GAS

Some places, everyone in this business would do well to see. Public gardens, arboreta, conservatories, great garden centers - those go without saying. And a backstage tour of a customer's or competitor's operation is always informative.   Here's a less-intuitive venue: If life takes you to New England, visit Harvard Museum of Natural History and drool over the glass flowers. From 1887 to 1936, over 4,000 replicas of plants and plant parts were commissioned as teaching tools, giving botany classes anatomically-correct specimens anytime. They're so real, it's almost creepy.

  

  

 

DOWN ON THE FARMS

While we shiver in PA, Florida basks in what they call "winter." They don't know Jack Frost. As I type, our Floridians are bracing for a cold snap (here, it would pass for a heat wave) that may send Panhandle temps plummeting into the 30s. We're assembling a relief package of mittens, blankies and cocoa. Contributions accepted. Be brave, Florida! This too shall pass!  But seriously, folks: Inside our nifty new greenhouses, ECG South is making your spring and summer from scratch, dividing, dibbling, sowing, grooming and fattening the liners that will soon fill your pots. Warm weather's coming. Annie Dillard wrote, "Spring is seeping north, toward me and away from me, at sixteen miles a day." Be ready!

Phlox s. 'Candy Stripe'

 

Yeah, I know. PA gets as much sympathy in MA as FL gets here: After the New England Grows show, I fled Boston's 4' of snow just ahead of another 3'. But wintah is a wicked pissah heah, too. February lows hovered just above or below zero. My woodstove has developed an insatiable appetite for my hoarded cords: I've stuffed several whole trees' worth into its maw by now, and I swear I heard it belch. Ironically, snow & ice delayed more shipments to southern states than to, say, NY, MA, CT, etc., where it's mostly been business as usual. Our apologies if your orders were affected, but hey: better late than dead. They WILL catch up.

*Who am I kidding? WE used Google Translate!

RANDOM SEMI-USELESS FACTS DEPARTMENT

■ IPM = Internationale Pflanzenmesse, i.e., International Trade Fair for Plants. ■ IPM Essen is bigger than Cultivate, MANTS and FarWest combined. Ehrfurcht gebietend! ■ Germans love sparkling water, a.k.a. Wasser mit Kohlensäure - literally, water with carbonic acid or water with gas. Yum! Das ist gut, ja?

Cymbopogon citratus

Lemon grass is a staple of Thai cooking and Thai restaurant names: A quick net search netted dozens of eponymous eateries from Alaska to Florida. It's also a perfect fit for today's gardeners as they discover the joy of growing for the table.

Cymbopogon citratus

We serve it up in trays of 38, but it'll soon find a higher purpose as it segues from liner to pot to garden to bowl. Here's a serving suggestion:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/thai-beef-stew-with-lemongrass-and-noodles

Pisces: It was foolish to boast that you get the lion's share (20 days) of the month: Leo overheard, and he's jealous. If you don't wish to become sushi, lie low among the Carex elata 'Aurea' (Bowles' golden sedge), which luckily grows nicely in, not just near, water. Aries: The last 11 days of March (named for Mars, fellow god of war) are yours. Use them to gently remove the mulch from your garlic, unless March is going out like a Leo.

Carex elata 'Aurea'

TRAY BON!

We're freezing our giblets off here in the Northeast, but Old Man Winter's reign of terror will soon wane. We thumb our collective red runny nose at him via a bunch of hot plants with cold names. Which eight are NOT named for white flowers. PERENNIALS Dianthus Frosty Hosta 'Fire and Ice' and 'First Frost' Helleborus Winter Magic™ 'Candy Love' Iberis Snowcone™ and Snowsurfer Leucanthemum 'Snowcap' and 'Snow Lady' Phlox subulata 'Snowflake' Sempervivum 'Forest Frost' Verbena 'Snowflurry' GRASSES Carex 'Ice Ballet', 'Ice Dance', 'Ice Cream' and 'Frosted Curls'

Helleborus Winter Magic™ 'Candy Love' Hosta 'First Frost'

Carex 'Ice Ballet'