Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens’ Post

It is indeed trying to tell you something… The Corpse flower's bloom is unique due to its massive size, rare blooming cycle, and the strong, unpleasant odor it emits. This odor, resembling rotting flesh, attracts pollinators like carrion flies and beetles. The bloom itself is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom and occurs only once every few years. In contemporary contexts, especially in media and literature, the corpse flower can be used as a symbol of exoticism, mystery, and the grotesque. Its infrequent blooming and the striking visual and olfactory experience it provides make it a compelling symbol for themes related to the unusual, the macabre, and the extraordinary aspects of nature. Western Interpretations: In the Western world, the corpse flower might be referenced in discussions about nature’s extremes and curiosities. Its smell and appearance lend themselves to metaphors about the duality of beauty and repulsion, and the idea that something can be simultaneously fascinating and off-putting. In others words, appearances can be deceiving.

Blooming Amorphophallus Titanum, also known as “corpse flower” Some information about it from the Chicago Botanic Garden: "We have heard tales of some titan arums in their natural habitats growing 10 to 12 feet tall with a bloom diameter of up to 5 feet, but more typically in cultivation, an arum reaches 6 to 8 feet in height before the spathe unfurls into a bloom, with a diameter close to 3 feet. While it looks like a 6- to 8-foot-tall flower, the titan arum's bloom is not really a flower: Technically, the bloom is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The tall spadix (flower spike) is wrapped by a spathe (a single, frilly, modified leaf). In its vegetative form, each Amorphophallus titanum looks like a small tree, but is actually a single umbrella-like leaf. The leaf stalk is called the petiole, and is covered in branch-like rachis, supporting the many leaflets. Titan arum leaves can grow 8 to 15 feet tall." #botanicgarden: #blooming #bloom #flowers #unique #weird #rare #worldfamous #flower #spike #deathpositivity #deathpositive #nature #big #tall #wow #palm #corpseplant #corpseflower

Day 69 – toromiro Ascension Day In 1956, one last remaining toromiro was hiding in a volcanic crater on Easter Island. It was about to become extinct.  The last remaining seeds of the last remaining branch of the last remaining plant were carefully detached and saved. In a botanical garden they were planted and cared for with great attention by botanists and none at all by everyone else. Elsewhere, the toromiro was publicly declared extinct. But it wasn’t. After years in darkness, the toromiro seeds started to germinate.  What was ‘extinct’ was now alive. It was a sprout, it was a plant, it was a bigger plant, it was a tree, it was Flowering! The toromiro’s resurrection was proclaimed to the world, and the community around it started to work out how to bring the toromiro home. *** At Easter I reposted this from Day 1, and as I start the Swedish Ascension holiday, it felt like another moment to loop back to the toromiro's story. How are your own toromiro seeds and shoots doing? Reflect: * Ascension marks a completion; where are you in the story of your own toromiro seeds and shoots?  What signs of life are you seeing? Experiment: * What renewed care might you give to unseen places in yourself, to strengthen the possibility for an old aliveness to flourish? Tips revisited An old gardening book suggests paying attention to four things: - Shade (and light) - Enclosure - Water - Symbolism (the stranger one…) #microballroom #toromiroliving  #leadership #personaldevelopment #holiday

CultureComp Stat of the Week: When conducting an internet search for 'botanical gardens' in the US, the closest phrase match keywords in the month of August were: 1. Chicago Botanic Garden 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 3. Desert Botanical Garden 4. New York Botanical Garden 5. Atlanta Botanical Garden These gardens are driving significant traffic to their websites via associated keyword search.

Native azaleas are deciduous shrubs belonging to the genus Rhododendron, and are beloved wherever they grow. They are dramatic bloomers whose flowers are as widely known for their fragrance as for their beauty. This post will introduce you to different types of azaleas that are native to the southeastern U.S. Then we’ll explain how to care for a native azalea in your own home garden. #Azaleas #NativeAzaleas #NativeFlowers

It is not widely known that the two distinct forms (see photo) of the ancient woodland indicator Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) perform botanically different functions for the same plant. The lighter green, more rounded leaves are the non-flowering element. Whilst these start as an erect plantlet, they soon become prostrate to form runners which then root, before the cycle starts again from the rooting point the following year. Meanwhile, the darker green, more urtiform element bears the flowers. It never becomes prostrate, and (hence) doesn’t exhibit secondary rooting. Thus the prostrate element articulates the plant’s colonisation strategy, while the flower-bearer relates to the plant’s relationship with its pollinators. That’s pretty neat.

🌺Geraniums🌺 Geraniums are super popular in Italy for their colorful blooms and relatively easy care. There are two main types: Pelargoniums: The more common type with vibrant flowers in various colors. These are often found in balconies. True geraniums (Geranium): Hardy perennials with delicate, usually blue or purple flowers. Pelargoniums prefer full sun and well-draining soil. They require regular watering but should not be overwatered. Fertilizing every few weeks during the spring is highly recommended. These plants can be grown in containers, hanging baskets, or flower beds and attract pollinators like butterflies and bees. They're perfect environment is usually in the mountains, as there the sun is strong but the temperature remains cool, that allows for the plant to grow a lot in size before blooming.

Trees are the best larval hosts for moths and butterflies, particularly Quercus (Oak), but many homeowners can more easily plant perennials than trees. There is a lot of attention around "pollinator gardens," yet we need to understand and promote that planting "larval host gardens" is as or more important. The top 10 native perennial larval hosts are: Trifolium. (These are native-to-PA mint that are classified as rare. Does anyone reading this know of where to get them? T. stoloniferum; T. virginicum.) Solidago Aster Helianthus Polygonum Eupatorium Carex Lupinus Elymus Viola Panicum #nativeplants #BringingNatureHome #pollinatorgardens #nativebees #NativeTrees

Trees are the best larval hosts for moths and butterflies, particularly Quercus (Oak), but many homeowners can more easily plant perennials than trees. There is a lot of attention around "pollinator gardens," yet we need to understand and promote that planting "larval host gardens" is as or more important. The top 10 native perennial larval hosts are: Trifolium. (These are native-to-PA mint that are classified as rare. Does anyone reading this know of where to get them? T. stoloniferum; T. virginicum.) Solidago Aster Helianthus Polygonum Eupatorium Carex Lupinus Elymus Viola Panicum #nativeplants #BringingNatureHome #pollinatorgardens #nativebees #NativeTrees

The pepper inflorescence refers to the flowering structure of the pepper plant, where multiple flowers are arranged in a specific pattern to facilitate pollination and fruit development. Botanically, peppers belong to the genus Capsicum, and their inflorescence typically consists of solitary or clustered flowers that arise from the plant's nodes. These flowers can be solitary (single #Crops