In a blow to all green thumb cruise fanatics, Cunard has moved his first Australian gardening trip to 2023.

Previously scheduled for December 14, 2021, the seven-night gardening trip will now depart Melbourne on February 4, 2023.

In June, Cunard canceled its 2021/2022 Australian cruise season due to ongoing global restrictions.

The trip offers the opportunity to combine the love of gardening while enjoying a summer cruise on queen elizabeth in the southern waters of Australia.

Gardening experts and well-known personalities such as Graham Ross and Jamie Durie will join the trip to share their knowledge and garden trends with guests in informative discussions, shore excursions and intimate dinners.

Topics will include the rose garden, small garden design, beekeeping, lawn care, and growing native plants, to name a few.

that of queen elizabeth Renowned entertainment program will have a green twist with botanical themed tea, ‘garden to plate’ lectures and cooking classes focused on using ingredients from your garden, and even a special animated gardening trivia by the wonderful Julia Zaetta, the longtime former editor of Better houses and gardens.

The cruise will visit the popular ports of Adelaide, Hobart, and Port Arthur with gardening-themed shore excursions. These new tours will be announced soon and are in addition to Cunard’s already extensive tour options.

Take care of your garden

When you grow your existing plants and install new plants, you can rely on the wisdom of the old ones or your own instincts, but success depends on reliable and up-to-date information.

Basic information is available on the Internet or in garden reference books, both organized by botanical names of plants. Knowing the names of plants in your garden, or that you see in a garden center or catalog, provides access to good information about plants.

I am currently researching the name of the plant in my garden, a gift from a friend who did not know its name. This is probably one of the 252 species of agave, but I have yet to find a species with the same combination of leaves and flowers.

If you don’t know the names of your plants and don’t care, you can skip today’s section.

Here is a very brief version of Naming Plants 101, a review for gardeners who know the names of their plants and an introduction for those who wish.

Surprisingly, there are four basic types of plant names.

Botanical names

The ancient Romans began to name plants in an organized manner in Latin, assigning them names that described the characteristics of the plant. After a few centuries of naming many different plants, this approach required multiple words (polynomial names) to provide unique descriptions.

In 1700, French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was the first to clearly distinguish the genus and species of plants, but by the early 1700s, as explorers brought many new plants to Europe, polynomial names became very long. and difficult.

To solve this problem, in 1753 the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published the binomial system, with only two words to identify the genus and species of a plant. Most importantly, this system provides a brief and unique identifier for each plant. Each name can refer to the most important characteristics of the plant, but can also refer to its natural habitat, discoverer or something else.

The binomial naming system is still in use today, in an evolved form. For example, a botanical name can add a reference to a subspecies or to a variety within a species.

The International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants (the title is not fully capitalized, intentionally) provides a set of rules and recommendations for the botanical names of plants. It is called ICN. The International Plant Names Index and World Flora Online use the ICN to maintain lists of plants by genus and species.

Botanical names are always presented in Latin. Genus names are in upper case and species names are not in upper case.

Grower names

Wild plants can be identified only with genus and species names.

Cultivated plants are those whose origin or selection is due primarily to intentional human activity are called cultigens, which includes three categories:

Cultivars: cultivated varieties and hybrids of wild plants (the largest category of cultivigens),

Groups: several cultivars with a common characteristic.

Grex (singular grex): several cultivars with a common heritage (“sister plants”).

The names of cultigens are defined by the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants, which follows the standards for botanical names of the ICN. The Cultivated Plants Code includes several principles that cover various forms of cultigens, including genetically modified plants.

Cultigen’s names are always capitalized. Cultivar names must be unique in combination with botanical names and are identified by single quotation marks.

Common names

Most garden plants have a common name that is familiar to many gardeners and easier to remember than botanical and cult names. Common names generally have a long history and reflect the binomial botanical name of a plant, but not the name of the cultigen.

No agency regulates the use of common names, so they are not always unique for a specific plant. For example, different plants may have the common name of Dusty Miller or Hens & Checks.

Common names are in upper case and without single or double quotes.

Trade names

Plant breeders and traders can designate their plants with any name permitted by the trader’s country, but without regulation by the Cultivated Plants Code. The code, however, requires that “trade names are always to be typographically distinguished from cultivar, group and grex epithets”. Trade names are correctly presented in small caps and without single quotes.

This limited overview of plant nomenclature should be useful in interpreting plant names seen in garden books or magazines, print or online plant catalogs, or garden centers.

In a follow-up column, we’ll explore strategies for finding the botanical name of an unknown plant.

Improve your gardening knowledge

To learn more about the world of plant nomenclature, search the Internet for any of the organization names mentioned in this column.

The Cactus & Succulent Society of America will host a live virtual tour, “The 35th Annual Intercity Cacti and Succulent Plant Show and Sale,” at 10 am Saturday. This Southern California event is the largest cacti and succulents show and sale in the United States. To register for this free event, visit cactusandsucculentsociety.org/. For more information on the in-person show, visit intercityshow.com/.

The American Iris Society will present the “Dwarf Bearded Irises: The Three Types of MDBS” webinar at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Presenter Tom Waters, President of the Dwarf Iris Society, will discuss the origins, different types and cultural requirements of Miniature Dwarfs (MDBS). This event is free for AIS members. If you are not a member, email [email protected] to learn how to join the webinar.

The Monterey Bay Iris Society will hold its annual rhizome sale in person on both Saturdays, August 7 and 14, at the Aptos Farmer’s Market, located at Cabrillo College on Soquel Drive in Aptos. Sales continue from 8 a.m. to noon each day. This is not a webinar, but irises are popular garden plants that are very attractive and easy to grow. Now is the time to add irises to your garden. This sale offers a wide selection of plants at great prices, and members of the local iris society (my friends!) Will help you advance your iris gardening knowledge.

Pacific Horticulture rescheduled the webinar, “Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, and Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving,” with author Frédérique Lavoipierre, at 5 pm on October 19. The publication date of his book has been changed. To register, visit pacifichorticulture.org/.

Enrich your gardening days

You can enjoy your garden more and enjoy more gardening success when you know your plants. This knowledge begins with the full names of the plants.

Enjoy your garden!

Tom Karwin is the past president of the Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, the Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society, and the Monterey Bay Iris Society, and UC Lifetime Master Gardener (certified 1999- 2009). He is now a board member and garden coach for the Santa Cruz Hostel Society. To view daily photos of his garden, https://www.facebook.com/ongardeningcom-566511763375123/. To find an archive of previous gardening columns, visit http://ongardening.com.

Catherine ross

Like general gardening, school gardening is very popular during a pandemic, and families and teachers say the practical lessons can be applied to many topics.

Finding the expertise, effort and funding to maintain a schoolyard can be difficult. However, some professionals and teachers are finding creative ways to make it work.

“The garden is a great way to get kids out with a purpose. The garden allows them to see the beginning, the middle and the end of the project and to achieve concrete results. “Masu,” says Susan Hobert, a former elementary school teacher at Lakeview Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin. Comes with 12 raised beds.

“The garden relaxes kids and gives them a whole different perspective that you can’t get just sitting at your desk,” she says.

Each spring, the school program cultivates seedlings through a training program at a nearby state prison. During the spring break, a group of churches come to prepare the garden for the return of the children and during the summer, volunteers from Americop look after the garden.

“If I had to buy a shrub it would cost $ 3 per shrub and I couldn’t afford it,” says Hobert.

“If you look at your relationship, the community around you, and all the larger networks, there are many creative ways to find help.”

When Michelle Obama planted a garden at the White House and asked elementary students for help, interest in the school’s garden increased dramatically, said Toby Adams, who oversees the Edible Academy of Three. acres at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. to say. Another interest has grown since the start of the pandemic.

In the school garden, you can give practical lessons in health, science, social studies, as well as humanities and arts lessons.

“Fortunately, the big trend right now is the growing number of organizations and support networks, especially regional networks, to support school gardens,” Adams says. “And since the pandemic, online learning has really exploded. “

“Especially if the teacher is excited about it, it gives the kids a chance to come out and get their hands dirty and find the worm, which is huge,” he says.

For schools with small gardens but no space, looking at botanical gardens and local parks may be the solution.

“We are in the Bronx. The Bronx is essentially a 6 story wall apartment. It has limited space and vandalism, and attracts 30 children, not to mention issues such as access to water. It’s hard to find the right place for you, ”says Adams.

“Gardening doesn’t have to be a big lot outside. It could be a container garden, a hydroponic garden – there are all kinds of gardens and the way it works, ”he says.

Hobert suggests finding a master gardener program that can be offered by the university, as graduates must work free labor hours to qualify. “It took me ten years to get here, but I did,” she says.

Nathan Larson, head of the Cultivate Health Initiative, a joint project between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and statewide partners to support Wisconsin school gardens, said when he realized the group supported two gardens, each within a radius of five miles. They say the time for “Ahaha” has come. Others, and neither of them knew that others existed.

“It became evident that the teachers and parents involved in the school yard felt isolated and didn’t know where to look for help,” said Larson, who wrote the free downloadable book Teaching in Nature’s Classroom. Said.

At the national level, the two main resources for school gardens are the national farm-to-school network and the network of school garden support organizations.

There is also a National Symposium for Children and Youth sponsored by the American Horticultural Society, which trains teachers. Symposia are organized every year in various regions of the country. It has been online for two years.

Based in Santa Cruz, California, LifeLab offers workshops for educators across the country on how to attract young people to their gardens and farms. The Junior Master Gardener Program is a youth gardening program run by a collaborative extension network at the University of Texas A&M. Other resources for teachers and others include the National COVID-19 Field Learning Initiative, Edible Schoolyard Network, Slow Food USA School Garden Network and Big Green.

Ron Finley has candidly supported the transformative power of teaching city kids about species and growth. His non-profit Ron Finley project aims to “change the culture around food”.

Finley recalls being surprised as a child when he witnessed “the seed literally destroys itself and becomes food” as part of a class project at a school in south-central Los. Angeles.

“Having a garden at school is just as important as any other education,” says Finley. “The act of gardening learns where our food sources come from and respects the soil. If children respect the soil, they respect themselves and that Respects the planet. Gardening should be part of the main program. Gardening is not a hobby, but a life skill. I think this is one of the most valuable lessons of mankind. “

MADISON, WI (AP) – Like gardening in general, school gardening has become extremely popular during the pandemic, with families and teachers saying its practical lessons can be applied to many subjects.

It can be difficult to find the expertise, manpower, and funding to maintain a school garden. But some experts and teachers are finding creative ways to make it work.

“Gardens are a great way to bring children out with a purpose. With gardens, children see a beginning, a middle and an end to their project, with tangible results,” says Susan Hobart, retired teacher at elementary school in Lake View. Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin, which now oversees the school’s large garden with 12 raised beds.

“Gardens relax kids and give them a whole new perspective that they wouldn’t just sit at their desks,” she says.

Each spring, the school’s program grows plant seedlings through a training program at a nearby state prison. A church group comes during spring break to prepare the garden for the children to return, and during the summer a volunteer from AmeriCorps tends the garden.

“If we were to buy the plants, they would cost $ 3 each and we could never afford it,” says Hobart. “If you take a look at your connections and the community around you, then at all the larger networks, there are many creative ways to find help.”

Interest in school gardens increased dramatically when Michelle Obama planted a garden at the White House and invited school children to help, says Toby Adams, who runs the 3-acre edible academy at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. , where school children learn how to grow food. There has been another surge of interest since the start of the pandemic.

School gardens can teach hands-on classes in health, science, social studies, and even humanities and the arts.

“Fortunately, the big trend right now is that there are more and more organizations and support networks, especially regional networks, to help support school gardens,” Adams says. “And online learning has really exploded since the pandemic.”

“Giving kids the chance to go out and get their hands dirty and find worms, especially if their teachers are enthusiastic about it, is huge,” he says.

For schools without space for even a small garden, looking to botanical gardens and local parks can sometimes be the solution.

“We’re located in the Bronx, which is basically six story wall-to-wall apartment buildings. Space is limited and vandalism, and it’s hard to find a good place to gather 30 kids, let alone the issues. like access to water, ”Adams says.

“Gardening doesn’t have to be a big lot outside. It can be a container garden, a hydroponic garden – there are all kinds of gardens and ways to operate,” he says.

Hobart suggests finding a master gardener program, sometimes offered at universities, as graduates must devote a certain number of free working hours to gain certification.

“It took us 10 years to get here, but we did,” she says.

Nathan Larson, who heads the Cultivate Health Initiative, a collaborative project involving the University of Wisconsin-Madison and statewide partners to support Wisconsin school gardens, says his “aha” moment has come. when he realized that the group was supporting two gardens within 5 miles of each. the other, and neither of them knew the other existed.

“It became clear that teachers and parents involved in school gardens felt isolated and didn’t know where to turn for help,” says Larson, who wrote a free downloadable book, Teaching in Nature’s Classroom .

Nationally, two important resources for school gardens are the National Farm to School Network and the Network of School Garden Support Organizations.

There is also the National Children and Youth Garden Symposium, organized by the American Horticulture Society to train teachers and others. The symposium takes place each year in a different region of the country; for the past two years it has been held online.

Life Lab, based in Santa Cruz, Calif., Offers workshops for educators across the country on how to engage youth in gardens and farms. The Junior Master Gardener Program is a youth gardening program run by the Texas A&M University Cooperative Extension Network. Other resources for teachers and others include the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative, the Edible Schoolyard Network, the Slow Food USA School Garden Network, and Big Green.

Ron Finley has been a staunch supporter of the transformative powers of teaching town children about seeds and cultivation. His non-profit Ron Finley project aims to “change the culture around food”.

Finley recalls being amazed as a child when he witnessed, as part of a class project at his south-central Los Angeles school, how “a seed literally destroys itself to become food”.

“Having a garden in a school is just as important as any other education,” says Finley. “The act of gardening teaches you where our food source comes from and teaches you to have respect for the soil. If children have respect for the soil, they have respect for themselves and respect for it. planet. Gardening should be a major one Gardening is not a hobby, it is a skill of life. I consider this to be one of the most valuable lessons of mankind. “