Friday, May 11  In Bloom   Sell the kids for food Weather
changes moods Spring is here again Reproductive glands
Horticultured will return from its extended hiatus shortly.
Tuesday, September 5   ViridianRecently a trip to the Huntington
Botanical Garden opened my eyes to the multitude of plants that
i've never seen or heard of. One such plant (Ecbolium viride)
made me consider the varied pigments that are nearly unknown to
commercial horticulture. Blue color in plants is derived from
anthocyanins such as Delphinidin and Malvidin. Delphinidin was
first isolated in the Delphinium flower, and the genetic
inability to produce this chemical prevents blooms such as roses
from ever naturally occurring blue. Some plants make better use
of their Delphinidin than others to create a color not often
seen in nature: cyan.  Could specialized color expression be an
evolutionary mechanism not being utilized to its fullest?
Trichoderma viride, a parasitic mold displaying a unique shade
of aquamarine, has been found to poss