Are there Queen's Tears?

Wake Up on the Bright Side The Grimsby Garden Club will have a speaker on Monday whose topic is the naming of flowers.  My experience so far is that most plants are named after plant discoverers.  Common names, though, seem to relate to how the plant looks or behaves. This first plant has a common name of Firecracker Plant.  It looks like firecrackers amongst the green foliage.  It also has the name of Coral Plant.  This second flower, a Bilbergia, has the common name of Queen's Tears.  The flowers are known to drip nectar when touched.   In comparison to common names, the Latin names of plants seems complicated and extensive. The origins and current day naming are in Latin - references go back to 370 B.C. with Theophrastus, who was Greek. I wonder how it was that Latin has been the universal scientific language from such an early time.  Perhaps Monday's speaker has all the answers. Have a Happy Easter Weekend!

Escape the Cold of February

Escape the Cold

Canadian Winter Escape Thank you for the Birthday Wishes for Gerry!  We go to Florida on the weekend and will escape the Canadian winter cold for two weeks. How many Canadians take a winter trip to the sun?  I saw an article that said 45% expected to take a winter vacation in the sun (the article was in 2000).  That seemed high, so 'expecting'  might be based on the desire, rather than what people do. I take mini-breaks in the winter by going into the conservatories in the GTA and surrounding area.  I can go to the Niagara Falls Floral Showcase, the Royal Botanical Gardens Mediterranean Greenhouse, Toronto's west-end Centennial Greenhouse, and Allan Gardens in downtown Toronto.  And for pure delight, consider the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory. You'll see scenes like these - little versions of Florida botanical gardens. You'll get the benefit of the smells of the tropics too. It is such a contrast with our austere winter landscape and lack of scents in the cold air. So consider a trip to a conservatory - there are two tropical beauties in these pictures - the first is Dutch Man's Pipe - a climbing vine that has these big brim flower at the front and a 'pipe' shape at the back.  And the next flower is an orchid cactus like the Night-blooming Cereus - high white flowers with a lush tropical scent.