We always knew British royals had their secrets, but according to this People Magazine exclusive, deadheading seems to be the Buckingham Palace garden’s biggest hush-hush. First it’s offff with Meghan Markle and now, the shriveled roses—proving you don’t need much of a green thumb to pinch off a fed-up flower. Apparently deadheading might be better than full-on pruning in some cases, according to a study quoted in this article:
“The RHS [Royal Horticultural Society] found that bushes where deadheads were ‘snapped’ were left with more leaves. Leaves are what the plant uses to turn sunlight into food. If a significant number are lost through deadheading, the plant will work to replace them first, and flower production will have to wait.”
So, cutting off the whole stem of a flower for a cut vase might be a great idea if you’re bringing blooms inside. Or if you’re grooming your girlfriend:
…But the plant will want to grow those lost leaves back at the expense of a second flowering cycle. Then again, if you’re killing time waiting for another flower hour (or for your outdoor furniture to finally get delivered), you could just plant another garden: June isn’t too late to get some summer veggies and flowers in the warmer ground. Or get to know all the predators, parasitoids, decomposers/recyclers and pollinators that call your backyard home. You’ll find that possums, while hideous, love to eat ticks!
Also ticking is the clock for Ghana to save its forests. The country planted 5 million trees to counteract all the chopping that’s been going on. Check this out:
“Under the ‘Green Ghana’ programme, the government provided free seedlings to people from all walks of life, including celebrities, officials, parliamentarians, traditional leaders and schoolchildren.”
Isn’t that neat? A bit more proactive than plain ol’ forest conservation that Biden’s doing in Alaska (well, better than Trump-era logging Biden’s reversing).
You don’t need to chop down a tree to make coniferous creations like these beautiful baskets by a artist based in Jalisco, Mexico. Also in the article is a pine needle prank we can’t wait to try:
“Yes, like many a hiker, I had discovered — the hard way — the remarkable ability of pine needles to ascend pant legs thanks to their pointy tips and the built-in spring action of their shape.
This allows them to move up but never down, in this way perfectly simulating the movement of whatever creeping creature you would least like to feel scurrying up your leg and heading for your private parts.”
It wouldn’t be the reason, then, why this pant-ess pooch is prancing oddly:
**Pine-needle wriggle exit, stage left**
Aerate