In 1819, Alabama was covered with rich forests, prairie, wooded grasslands and canebrake (bamboo). Most of that landscape has been lost.
During the ensuing 200 years, we turned our rivers into lakes, forests into farms and lost and then brought back deer, turkey and the Bald Eagle.
When I was in the 4th grade, I took my first Alabama history class. Without fail, each day, the teacher outlined Alabama on the chalkboard–the rectangular box with the “high heels” that is Baldwin and Mobile counties. At the end of each class, she would wipe away that outline of the state.
How secret and unexplored is the diversity of Alabama’s trees and plants?
Continue reading “Alabama has a secret: Its unexplored forests and plants”
By: Bill Finch
Wouldn’t it be great if you could train your yard to be more resistant to drought?
Expecting our modern lawns and gardens to weather a drought is like expecting a hopeless couch potato to run a marathon. The way we water our yards has actually created weak and breathless plants that can’t survive under normal conditions, much less when things take a turn toward drought.
Continue reading “Train Your Yard to Defeat Drought. You can do it. Yes, you!”
By: Bill Finch
Trickle down politics may not have helped your pocketbook, but trickle-down watering will make all the difference in how your plants survive this drought.
Dripper hose. Courtesy of LowesTrickle-down watering is simple: You simply set the end of your hose on the plant you want to water, and you let the water trickle out, drip, drip, drip. Sort of like a leaky faucet. And it affects your water bill about like a leaky faucet: You’ll barely notice.
