Things Organized Neatly

Has anyone seen this tumblr? Things Organized Neatly

Pine needles:

Ursus Wehrli

Cacti:

Martin Creed

Almost like my blog header!

Kim Knollenberg, organic farmer



I could look at this all day.

Why Hello!

I can't wait to eat you.

Golden Nuggets

Well. I am a month late starting my tomato seeds. Between being in India for most of February and my seeds being lost in the mail for most of March, I have not been able to start the germination process until now. In a way, I am glad I waited this long since today is the perfect day to start my seeds for two fabulous reasons. One, it is the first day of spring! Which means the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of darkness and, to mark the occasion, Google had a great Marimekko inspired logo today:

A second reason why it is an especially fine day to start my tomato seeds is that today is the one year anniversary of my blog! Woo-hoo!

This year I have decided to try my hand at growing cherry tomatoes. Using the usually reliable Johnny's Selected Seeds I purchased golden cherry tomato seeds aptly named "Golden Nugget." They are apparently great for containers, easy to grow, and *bonus* organic.

Using the same steps outlined from last year here, I poked holes in some paper cups, filled them with moist germination mix, dropped the small seeds in a shallow hole, lightly covered and watered them, and placed them in the window. Fifty-six days later, these little seeds will be mature plants and ready to go outside. Let's hope it goes better than it did last year. :)

Floral Remix

A Chinese artist named Fong Qi Wei uses flower petals instead of brush strokes to "remix" some classic pieces of art.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Van Gogh's Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers

Kind of cool, but I think her "Exploded Flowers" series is a little more successful.

Chrysanthemum

Hydrangea

Check out more: here.

Drugs, Guns, and Cacti?

Imagine if Walt and Jesse dealt with smuggling cacti across the Mexican/US border instead of meth. I am sure they would still botch everything up with their rookie antics, get a few cactus needles stuck in their legs along the way, and suspense and hilarity would ensue. However, this is a real and growing problem in Mexico. Smuggling cactus plants is the third biggest racket, behind drugs and guns. The demand for cacti is on the rise as more and more gardeners are opting for a "zero scape" garden or one that requires very little water. To meet this demand, people are taking cacti from Mexico's natural desert landscape instead of cultivating them legally. The WWF has reported some rare species being trafficked out of Mexico to buyers willing to pay $10,000 for a single plant. Lax law enforcement has allowed this racket to become very profitable with very little consequence. Salvador Arias, a cacti expert at Mexico's National Autonomous University says, "You can tell the smuggled plants. They tend to be more damaged and come without that perfect look you find in garden centres. It is sad that Mexico's floral heritage is being squandered for money. Once these plants are gone, they're gone."

Recent efforts to curtail illegal cacti harvesting include outfitting some of the most wanted species with tracking devices. The chips will allow officials to easily sweep nurseries and landscape centers. When purchasing large cacti at nurseries or garden centers, please ask how they were cultivated and where they come from. For more information check out this and this.

Witch Hazel

It might not feel like it in New York right now, but spring is on its way. Daylight savings is fast approaching and, matching that extra hour of sunshine, is the pop of yellow the witch hazel plant produces this time of year. Witch hazel is one of the first plants to bloom at the end of winter; a Punxsutawney Phil of the plant world. Its spidery yellow blooms bring a smile to my face, even if it that same face is covered with a scarf. Come on spring, we are ready!

(8th Avenue and Horatio Street)

More witch hazel images here.