Our Newsletter
july 2010
Daisies infinite
Uplift in praise their little growing hands,
O'er every hill that under heaven expands.
Ebenezer Elliott in "The Corn Law Rhymer"
The Asteraceae family (also referred to as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) has more than 22,750 species that can be found all over the world. Most of these are herbaceous, but many are also shrubs, vines and trees. Daisies are easy to grow and maintain, come in annual and perennial varieties, are very attractive, and are some of the most popular flowers in the home garden. (They are also popular in containers, indoor flower arrangements and vases, and in corsages.)
Often grown from seed, daisies can be directly seeded into the flowerbed, and they look best in clumps. For best results, grow daisies in full sun, water them during dry periods, and fertilize them in the early growth stage. For indoor starts, plant them 6-8 weeks before the last frost. With indoor starts, annuals and some perennials will bloom the first year, but most perennials will begin blooming the second year. To promote especially large and bright blooms, you can also use a fertilizer high in Phosphorous just before blooming. Mulch them during cold winters for extra protection. Daisies are rarely bothered by insects and disease. What could be easier?
Brute force crushes many plants. Yet the plants rise again.
The Pyramids will not last a moment compared with the daisy.
D. H. Lawrence
Did you know?
* The name Asteraceae is derived from "Aster" which means “star” in Greek.
* Daisies are found everywhere except Antarctica.
* Daisies are a symbol of fidelity, and have been used in love spells and divination. (She loves me, she loves me not…)
* Daisies were once an herb dedicated to Artemis, the Goddess of women, and used to treat women's ailments.
* In magical circles, daisies are associated with the planet Venus.
* You can get your own Shasta daisies at YART!
The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent
nor the daisy of its simple charm.
Therese of Lisieux
july gardening tips
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Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.
Marcelene Cox
Job #1: Water! When Mother Nature is holding back, you need to take over. Water your vegetables, your flowers, your container plants, your trees and shrubs, your lawn, and yourself! Water makes everything grow and thrive, including the weeds, which leads to…
Job #2: Weeding! Stay on top of it. It may feel like a thankless task, but your veggies and flowers will thank you with their productivity.
Job #3: Pruning! Prune summer-blooming shrubs after they finish flowering, prune spring bulb foliage as it dies back, and deadhead annuals and perennials for a longer bloom.
Job #4: Planting! If a crop finishes up this month, plant a fall crop or some clover in its place. July is a great time to plant fall crops like beets, turnips, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.
Ada Louise Huxtable
july calendar
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1 First U.S. Zoo Opened (1874) 2 World UFO Day 3 Compliment Your Mirror Day 4 Build a Scarecrow Day 6 National Fried Chicken Day 7 National Strawberry Sundae Day 9 Don't Step on a Bee Day 10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day 11 Solar eclipse at 3:33 pm 12 New Moon 14 National Nude Day 15 Cow Appreciation Day 17 Disneyland Opened (1955) 18 National Ice Cream Day 20 First Special Olympics (1968) 21 Ernest Hemingway's Birthday (1899) 22 Hammock Day 26 Full Moon 27 Bugs Bunny Debuted (1940) 31 J.K. Rowling's Birthday (1965) |
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another growing dome goes up
thank you to the ratzlaff family
national blueberry month
July is National Blueberry Month!
BLUEBERRY GRANITÉ (from www.blueberry.org)
Chef Michael Moorhouse, Picholine, New York City
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine blueberries, lemon zest and 1 cup water. Over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until blueberries are very soft. Set a fine strainer over bowl; strain mixture, pressing with the back of a large spoon. Stir lemon juice into purée; chill.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water; over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; chill.
Stir sugar syrup into blueberry purée. Pour mixture into a shallow pan; freeze blueberry mixture until ice crystals form around edges of pan, 45 to 60 minutes. With a fork, scrape the ice crystals from edges and stir into mixture. Freeze mixture until fully frozen, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, stirring several times.
To plate: Serve in martini glasses. Garnish with crisp cookies and fresh blueberries, if desired.
Yield: 1 quart
Blueberries on the Web
US Highbush Blueberry Council
Blueberries on Wikipedia
Wild Blueberries
Blueberries in the News
Blueberry Images
good news
Good News is a new feature in the YART newsletter with a focus on positive and uplifting news from around the world and in our own community. If you have some good news you'd like to share, please email your story to yart@taosgardenstyle.com.
Boy Inspires Planting of One Million Trees
At the age of nine, Felix Finkbeiner hatched the idea to plant one million trees in Germany. He did a presentation in his school about the idea and people listened. He was inspired by the example of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmentalist who has helped organize the planting of 30 million trees. Felix wanted to plant one million trees in every country he could. Three years later, Germany has an additional one million trees, and Felix’s organization called Plant for the Planet is doing work in 70 countries. Read more...
Old Tires Fuel Green Shoe Revolution
"Oh, yes!" cries Bethlehem Alemu, the dynamic founder and owner of SoleRebels, a game-changing shoe company in the heart of Addis Ababa, the ancient capital of Ethiopia. Working in Africa has its challenges. I'm used to stalking politicians in hallways, riding on the back of trucks with gun-turrets in Sudan, and negotiating UN flights in far-flung territories, but trying on hot pink vegan flip-flops was something new. Read more...
Austrailian Man Prevents 160 Suicides
In those bleak moments when the lost souls stood atop the cliff, wondering whether to jump, the sound of the wind and the waves was broken by a soft voice. "Why don't you come and have a cup of tea?" the stranger would ask. And when they turned to him, his smile was often their salvation. Read more...
Spreading Incurable Optimism: Michael J. Fox Grants Teen Wish
Through the outstanding generosity of Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and national children’s charity Kids Wish Network, the only wish of a teen suffering from cystic fibrosis, a brain abcess and blindness was recently granted. Read more...
Girl Draws for Oil Leak Donations
Olivia Bouler doesn’t have time for anything else these days except to draw and paint. But that’s OK for the artistic fifth-grader, because everything she does is for the birds. The Islip, N.Y., girl, who turns 11 on Friday, has raised an estimated $80,000 by sending her sketches and paintings of birds to people who donate to organizations helping with relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico spill disaster. Read more...
compost
You know you are a real gardener when you think compost is a fascinating subject.
wellness on the web
coffee may reduce risk of diabetes
Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Their findings, among the first animal studies to demonstrate this apparent link, appear in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Read more...
Test Could Detect MS Nine Years in Advance
A simple blood test that can predict multiple sclerosis up to nine years before symptoms appear is being developed by scientists. Read more...
Debbie Purdy, who is campaigning for change in assisted suicide laws, suffers from multiple sclerosis. Photo: EPA
Cheese Boosts Immune System of the Elderly
Eating cheese boosts the immune system of older people, according to a new study by scientists in Finland. Read more...
New Melanoma Drug Halts Some Advanced Cancer
Progress in cancer treatment usually creeps forward. While more people are living longer with more kinds of cancer than ever, the better treatments are often incremental improvements. But every five or 10 years a new medication arrives that totally shifts the paradigm, allowing thousands to live who would have otherwise died. Read more...
Blindness Reversed by Individual's Own Stem Cells
Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells — a stunning success for the burgeoning cell-therapy field, Italian researchers reported Wednesday. Read more...
dear soup
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Dear Soup, I have a houseguest coming in from out of town the second week of July and I have no idea how to entertain them! These people are accustomed to going fancy places that require fancy attire, and I have neither the budget nor inclination to entertain them in the manner in which they are accustomed. What can I do with them to keep them from getting bored without breaking my budget? Stressed out Host,
There is a simple solution—the second week in July is Nude Recreation Week! No worries about a clothing budget or fitting in. Bust out the sunscreen and bug spray and dig in the garden, or head up to Valley View in Colorado. Nothing is boring in the nude! Namaste and Woof, |
announcements
concert at yart
Twelve Conscious Dreamers Concert performed by artist-shaman Daniel Stone on Friday, July 23. Artist Reception at 6pm, concert at 6:30pm. Check our news page for more details as they come in...
ice cream social
FREE ice cream on Saturday, July 24 at YART. Add some sprinkles to your day!
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After tour garden party
Join the Los Jardineros Garden Club at YART on Saturday, August 7 after the Annual Tour. Tickets for the Tour can be purchased at YART.
spirit garden metaphysical fair
Sunday, September 5 at YART. Choose from over a dozen practitioners of wholistic therapies. Come nourish your body, mind, and spirit!
