July 4

Our Love For Blue Flowers: It’s Complicated

| May 22, 2019 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Closeup of a beautiful hydrangea. Do you see blue or lavender, or something in between? Photo: LL Marei, Flickr - Creative Commons License
With Memorial Day coming up and the Fourth of July not all that far away, the red, white and blue decorations are starting to appear, including garden and floral displays. Commercial garden centers and big box stores are putting their red, white, and blue flowers and plants front and center. Forty years ago when I sold flowers downtown, the only option I could offer to patriotic customers were red, white and blue carnation bouquets. I’ll let you in on a secret: those blue carnations were NOT found in nature. Naturally blue flowers aren’t just rare. They don’t exist. True blue pigment doesn’t exist in plants of any kind.… Read More

Hooray for Red, White, and Blue: Patriotic Plants for July 4th

| June 29, 2017 | Categories: Gardening, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
With the Independence Day holiday immediately ahead of us, I see people showing their patriotism with a lot of red, white and blue. American flags are flying. People are wearing their stars and stripes. They are even decorating their homes with red, white and blue plants and floral displays. Back when I was still selling flowers downtown, the only thing I remember offering were red, white and blue carnation bouquets. I hate to break it to you, but those blue carnations aren’t found in nature. You can find orchids, mums and Peruvian lilies and more dyed blue. Perhaps blue hydrangeas are close, but that comes from adding aluminum sulphate to the soil.… Read More

You Don’t Need 4th of July Fireworks to Show Patriotism

| July 3, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company
In April 2010, San Diego Magazine named me one of four regional “Eco-Warriors.” Since then we’ve affectionately adopted the name on our business cards and uniforms. We are all “Eco-Warriors” at Good Earth Plants and our sister company GreenScaped Buildings. My son Ted Photoshopped my head onto Superman’s body complete with a flowing green cape, shorts and boots, giving us an endearing image of what an Eco-Warrior might look like. San Diego attorney and Coast Law Groups Managing Partner Marco Gonzalez was also named an “Eco-Warrior.” He is also the former attorney for the well-regarding environmental organization San Diego Coastkeeper. Marco is one of a small handful of activist attorneys taking on high-profile and publicly controversial matters inappropriately sited desalination facilities, statewide septic system regulation, and irresponsible highway widening projects.… Read More