Accessible Gardening: #20 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners, 2 by seacanepain

seacanepain wrote:
I wrote a post yesterday, but had a system crash before I posted. I guess it is time to load Windows 10 even though I don’t believe they have all the glitches worked out yet and how a new program will interface with Kay’s screen reading program is always dicey.

I can relate to not wanting to drive in storms, Beth. It would need to be a life or death emergency to get me to drive here in the rare winters when this area has significant snow and ice. From the point of view of a Pennsylvania native, that happens once every decade or two. The locals consider it snow even when there is no accumulation or when it snows at night in January and any accumulated snow quickly disappears as soon as the sun rises. That happens every year or two. The fact that local drivers are dangerous when trying to drive in real snow is understandable.

Minor flooding, on the other hand, is common and major floods are more common than real snowfall. They should know all about hydroplaning, but I can’t count the times I’ve seen young drivers dramatically speed up approaching a big puddle in the road. It’s like they still have the mindset of a kindergarten boy dressed in raingear stomping through puddles to see how big of a splash he can make. Good link, Carrie. Dyslexia always stood between me and the written word, but I’ve always loved the music of language and word play. I originally started reading Lederer’s books because of a chapter on puns.

I am curious. Which medical specialty does MS fall under? I mean what kind of doctor did your GP send you to when he/she suspected you had MS? Are their doctors who specialize in multiple sclerosis?

Beware of learning the botanical names of plants, TTC. I was perfectly sane and a social butterfly before I began learning the scientific names of plants. ;-) I never consciously decided to master botanical Latin. I started reading plant labels at botanical gardens to Kay and she or someone nearby would correct my pronunciation and sometimes translate the meaning for me. Then, Kay couldn’t print the labels and only used Braille. That left we light dependent types (sighted) in the dark as to what was in a flat or pot. I started writing out labels and since common names overlap, I had to write the botanical names to avoid confusion.

Sorry, I think I confused you with the common name spiderlilies. I believe it is true lilies you like and have in mind. When I say true lilies I mean members of the Lilium family. I’m sure there are more than a hundred species in the Lilium genus and then there are the hybrids like ‘Stargazer'. It wouldn’t be too bad if it stopped there, but “Lilly” must be the most overused (misused?) word in the garden. Its use isn’t even limited to flowers that look like true lilies. The word must have been used at one time as a synonym for flower. There are Amazon lilies (Eucharis family), daylilies (Hemerocallis family), peace lilies (Spathiphyllum), ginger lilies (Hedychium), spiderlilies (several families) and that is the tip of the tip of the iceberg. The worst misuses of the name lily is in cobra lily and voodoo lily. You probably know cobra lilies on sight, TTC. They are carnivorous plants native to California. Voodoo lilies look bizarre and smell disgusting. There are members of the typhonium and amorphophallus family called voodoo lilies, but it doesn’t matter which family they belong to. All voodoo lilies look weird and smell like road kill.

With your love for order, learning the scientific names might hold some appeal, but resist the temptation. It is a delusion. Now that it is possible to genetically identify what plant family a specific plant comes from, the system is in the process of being reshuffled. Plants are constantly being moved to new families. Besides, the botanical names for cacti are especially hard on the tongue in my opinion.

If you have the patience for seeds, heck out J.L. Hudson, Seedsman when the impulse to add a something new to the yard hits. You will find unique and affordable plant selection that will grow there. The cacti seeds I’ve seen listed there are surprisingly fast growing by cactus standards.

BTW, I set aside a little dragonfruit plant that is a mailable size, if you are interested. Just tell me when to send it.

Photo #1: This is Lycoris radiata. The plant we call spiderlily at Amargia. It is usually the red spiderlily the Japanese associate with death and reincarnation. Literally, it is reddish. Sometimes the blooms look more pink and sometimes have an orange cast. It is called a red spiderlily despite the variations in color. Nadi tells me in Japanese anime they sometimes use the white variety (Lycoris x albiflora). If you see this flower in the background of a Japanese movie or amine, it is a visual clue that something ominous just happened or is about to. Other common names for this one are hurricane lily and surprise lily)

Photo #2: Lycoris squamigera (a.k.a.: Naked Ladies) Resurrection lilies and they share many of their other common names with L. radiata such as spiderlily, hurricane lily and surprise lily. Some southerners think this one is native because it made itself at home here long ago, but, as far as I know, all Lycoris are from Asia.

Photo #3: This one is called Ox-Blood lily or Schoolhouse lily or… Hurricane lily. Lol. Botanically, it is Rhodophiala bifida. It’s a good xera-scape plant and will grow in light shade. It might be worth considering under an aloe or cactus. It likes dry, alkaline soil.

Photo #4: Mystery plant. Lobelia? One of the new Salacias?

Photo #5: TigerTooth Jujubee with ripe fruit.

I would suggest a couple of aspirin after reading this.

(Jim)