Northwest garden lovers can learn about New Zealand or bees

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By Valerie Easton

Talk explores islands apart

I'm eagerly awaiting this fall's Miller Memorial Lecture to hear why the Chatham Islands are the newest "It" destination for plant hunters. Gordon Collier, garden editor of New Zealand House and Garden, is traveling to Seattle from Down Under to fill us in on what's so special about these islands between Chile and New Zealand.

Collier's illustrated lecture, "A Land Apart," explores the unique flora and fauna on these isolated islands. His talk is a gift to Northwest gardeners from the Miller Charitable Foundation, and will be at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus. A reception with refreshments follows. While the event is free, you do need a reservation, which can be made by calling the Miller Library at 206-543-0415 or e-mailing hortlib@uw.edu.

Why not just weed?

Scientists are busy theorizing what legions of contented, long-lived gardeners already know: Spending time in nature improves your health. Turns out it's not just the joy of tending a garden that strengthens us. Plants exude chemicals that help build our immune systems. These chemicals are called phytoncides, which act as a kind of force field to shield plants from rotting and insects. These same chemicals benefit humans by boosting our levels of white blood cells as well as lowering blood pressure and pulse rates.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, people in Japan have taken these therapeutic effects to heart and regularly visit nature parks; they call it "forest bathing." Wouldn't they get all the benefits, as well as the satisfaction of a harvest, by tending their own trees, flowers, fruit and vegetables? It's called gardening.

Go with the solar glow

My favorite new garden product is Moonlight Solar Lanterns, which I have hanging all over my garden. They look like pretty Japanese paper lanterns, but they hold up to wind and rain, plus collect the sun and beam it out when darkness falls. They look great hanging on tree branches, arbors, screens or the side of the house, and are as attractive in daylight as in the evening when they're doing their stuff. Each lantern is topped with an efficient solar collector that gathers enough sunlight, even on cloudy days, to glow for three to six hours into the night.

Best of all, there's none of that sickly blue solar light. That's because the weather-resistant lanterns come in warm, bright colors like chartreuse, melon, violet and yellow. They have on-off switches, rechargeable batteries, steel handles and internal armature, yet somehow manage to look sheer, fragile and festive. Moonlight Solar Lanterns cost $18.95 and $26.95, depending on shape (square, oval or round), and are available at www.GardenBasket.com and Swansons Nursery in Seattle.

Honeybees are the new chickens

While chicken fever runs rampant (not a disease, but a craving for keeping a few chickens in the backyard), more gardeners are turning to beekeeping. And it's not just worry over the declining honeybee population so vital to the health of our gardens, agricultural production and economy. Between the culinary and medicinal benefits of fresh, pure honey, the fragrance and utility of beeswax, and the fascination of bee rituals and communal life, we've become enamored with the little buzzers.

It's legal and encouraged to keep honeybees (Apis mellifera) in major cities like Paris, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago; a ban on rooftop hives was recently overturned in New York. You can find out about all the local rules, regs and possibilities from the active and friendly Puget Sound Beekeepers Association. The public is invited to attend work parties at the association's apiary in the Washington Park Arboretum. Beginners are welcome; bring your bee suit if you have one, and get some hands-on honeybee experience. See www.pugetsoundbees.org for dates, times and directions.

Source: The Seattle Times