Tag: Deborah Makarios

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You Know You Read Too Much When…

Last week, I got nerd-shamed by a car.

I had just been for my weekly visit to the localish library (behold my resplendent self-control), and was proceeding to depart the carpark in the usual manner, i.e. in a car, when I beheld a warning light upon the dashboard.

Lit up in red, the combination of a pictogram and a numeral, the warning light was there to inform me that the front seat passenger did not have their seatbelt on.

This was a matter of concern. Not because of the increased danger to life and limb caused by an absence of seatbelt-wearing, nor even because the driver of a car containing an unseatbelted person (if under 15) can be fined for the omission. No. This was a matter of concern because I was alone in the car.

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The Nasty Secrets of Scientific Nomenclature

Of late I have been reading a good many gardening books, and a good many of them use scientific nomenclature for plants. This is to avoid confusion – or at least it would be if those in charge of said nomenclature didn’t keep changing the names between books. Still, once you have a bit of Latin (and occasionally Greek) under your belt, you have a nifty resource for extracting information about the plant in question.

The first part of the name is the surname or family name; and the second part is the specific species name. To give you an example, if I was a plant I would be Makarios deborah, or, if members of the family Makarios were the subject of discussion, just M. deborah.

Camellia sinensis, to give you an actual plant example, is a camellia from China, and is the plant that produces tea. Camellia japonica, on the other hand, is from Japan, and… also tea. If you like. It is said to be higher in caffeine and lower in tannin, so if you need to absorb iron but also stay awake all night, Camellia japonica tea may be for you.

You are going to need a bigger teapot.
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In Praise of Old Technology: The Gallus-Gallus

What, you may ask, is a Gallus-gallus? The domestic Gallus-gallus is an older garden technology, now having a well-earned return to popularity. It is absolutely the top of the line in horticultural multi-function, and quite possibly the most environmentally friendly investment you will ever make in your garden. Let’s look over some of the features.

When you see one operating, the features which come most clearly to the fore are the two cultivators. These are primarily used for weeding, but can also be deployed in the turning of compost. Though it is not solar-powered (more on this later) the cultivator function is operational throughout the daylight hours.

Cultivator3tand

Flowing on from the cultivation function, the Gallus-gallus also provides a variety of pest removal services, including insect, slug, and snail disposal – and it’s entirely organic! No hazardous residues, no stand-down periods, just one dart and it’s gone. Select models also dispose of small rodents.

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