GHOSTS OF COASTAL CURRENTS PAST
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Back in December 2010, as the 21
st
Century’s first decade waned, this wide-eyed little publication celebrated its first Christmas with you.
That issue (CC #11) featured the bittersweet story of a new greenhouse at our Florida HQ. The sweet part: Hey! New growing space! The bitter: A tall, lovely Japanese cedar tree (
Cryptomeria
japonica
) was in the way. Sayonara. But! Sweet spot #2: Before the tree was felled, our GM Josiah Raymer took cuttings and rooted them.
The new house is still called The Cedar House. But what, we wondered, became of those scions? Happily, they’ve flourished, as you can see in these pictures.
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The original Japanese cedar
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The offspring of that eponymous cedar tree are affectionately known as “Wyona trees,” in honor of ECG’s co-founder, the late Wyona Babikow, whose love for the original tree’s strength and beauty inspired the effort to propagate it. The most vigorous scion, now named Wyona’s cedar, thrives at her erstwhile home, in sight of our greenhouses.
And from the Department of Serendipitous Homonyms: Since the Cedar House is attached to the production facility where we sow most of our seed-propagated crops, it could also be called the seeder house. Rim shot.
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David Babikow and Wyona’s cedar
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As this CC goes to press, precipitation in Lancaster PA is 5” above normal for November, 20” above normal for the year. We’re a tad nervous about that: If winter’s patterns follow the summer/fall model, we’ll have snow to the eaves. The author will have to dig a tunnel from house to woodpile and back. And the greenhouses... let’s not talk about it. Let’s not even think about it, OK? Thanks.
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SCRAMBLED, PLEASE, WITH A SIDE OF ASSUAGE
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Puzzlemeistress Anna Graham is up to her twisted tricks again. For this iteration she tossed the Latin species names (genus and specific epithet) of three perennials and three grasses into her linguistic Cuisinart -- one at a time, luckily. She used no MSG, tree nuts or gluten, and she cleaned the blades between taxa.
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Satanic Ice Vapor
Host Some Cubic Sushi
Open Air Sluices
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Acid Queen Aligns Asia
Unruly Sea Armies
Intense Polite Manure
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You know what to do: Reconstruct the deconstructed taxonomy and send your answers to
anna.graham@ecgrowers.com
Correct entries are drawn seemingly at random. Winners will receive cool ECG swag, possibly in time to re-gift. We don’t judge.
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Last month, a roseate spoonbill was seen on the Conejohela Flats in the Susquehanna River in PA. A tropical species, they’re a very rare sight so far north. For another rare sighting, swing your spotting scope over to our current
Availability
, where you’ll find the elusive and highly-sought-after
Geranium
‘Rozanne’
. A perpetual best-seller, ‘Rozanne’ is a multiple award-winner on two continents. Don’t be afraid to move quickly, it’s not easily spooked. Book it before it flies away to someone else’s benches.
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One of our fave native grasses got some positive press lately.
Andropogon
‘Red October’
, from breeder Brent Horvath, is helping to turn the repurposed Philadelphia Navy Yard into “an ecologically healthy, beautiful and natural area.”
The Navy Yard is now a business campus with over 150 firms. The designers chose ‘Red October’ for its sturdy, low-input self-sufficiency and its dramatic color change through the seasons, from gray/blue/green through purplish red to vivid scarlet.
To make ‘Red October’ part of YOUR beautiful natural area, visit
ecgrowers.com
.
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Sometimes, dreams of a white Christmas are more like nightmares. In all likelihood, the snowiest winter won’t follow the rainiest fall, but there’s no law that says it can’t be so.
Ergo, to that possibility, we say Bah! Humbug!
But to our loyal readers, customers, brokers and friends, in and beyond the industry: We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and/or Copacetic Kwanzaa. May your days be merry and bright.
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John Friel
Marketing Manager
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