Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Radishes Nouveaux!


5 radishes a day ...

a) ... are better than a kick in the mouth?
b) ... keep the dentist away?
c) ... both of the above are true, as a pair?

First crop of 2013 (excluding oranges or course, and possibly cayenne, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, oregano...)

Radishes Nouveau 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Are Non-Native Palmtennas invasive and becoming naturalized in So-Cal?

Non-Native Date Palmtenna Specimen

If you are a connoisseur of plantenas, a sort of hybridized mutation of large trees commonly used in landscaping, you will probably agree that this is one of the most spectacular palmtenna specimens to-date.  At least it's the most beautiful and perfect one I've ever seen.

Taller than its cousin, the Phoenix Dactylifera, the typical date palm of the southland and low deserts, its fronds are also significantly shorter than those of its cousin.  But if you are a southern california resident, wouldn't you agree that it is much healthier looking than some of the specimens one might see in the Inland Empire, along the I-10 corridor?!

This is the first specimen I see in an urban setting, near residential areas.  Palmtennas appear out of nowhere, like a giant mushrooms, but only for their development to then be frozen in time, with no further measurable growth. Are they borg equivalent of vegetation?

Unlike normal palms and trees, they do not produce oxygen, but contribute to the health of cellular phone networks, allowing bars to grow on your cell phone screen, as if by magic!

What an interesting and useful mutation...