Today we are going to investigate how plants survive harsh periods when they can’t grow, such as periods of cold weather or drought.

Gather:

• Storage roots:  carrots, preferrably natural with tops (not baby carrots)
• Bulbs: like onions
• Seeds:  dried bean seeds would work well, as well as packets of carrot and onion seeds
• Perennial fruit:  such as blackberries

Or at least gather some pictures.

Look out the window on a winter day. Where are all the plants?

Plants have different life cycles. Some plants are annuals, meaning they complete their life cycle in one growing season. At the end of the season the plants release seeds that fall to the ground. Take a look at the seeds and examine the outer layers, called seed coats.

The seed coat keeps out decay organisms and helps the seeds survive until conditions are right for growth.

A few of our common edible plants are biennials. Plants like carrots and onions require two growing seasons to complete their life cycles. In the first growing season they store up food in the root or bulb. The root remains protected underground over winter. The second year the plants utilize that food to grow flowers and produce seeds. (Show the roots, bulbs and seeds).

Try planting a carrot root or onion bulb. What do you think will happen? (Note:  to save food, simply plant the carrot top and the bottom, white part of a green onion.) See if you can grow the plants until they flower and produce seeds.

Other plants are perennials, which live for three or more years. Of these, some survive the winter as storage structures like bulbs, rhizomes or corms. Daffodils are bulbs, crocuses are corms and irises are rhizomes.  Bushes and trees have woody stems that survive above the ground as well as roots underground. Strawberries, blackberries, grapes and peaches all come from perennial plants.

If you get a chance, go on a walk and look for plant seeds, storage roots and other overwintering plant structures under the leaves and snow.

For a free gardening poster that covers the basics of a plant cycle, go to Welch’s Harvest Grants for school gardens at Scholastic. If you click on the parents’ side- look at the right hand column for a “How Does Your Garden Grow” poster in .pdf format, as well as a garden activity sheet (a maze and seed marker template.) Note:  if you use the poster, you might want to mention the bean seed is found in the green bean fruit and show an example.

For more plant activities, try Kitchen Scrap Gardening activities at GrowingWithScience.

(which reminds me, I should really start working on that again )

Let me know what you find out!

Do you think that is the mother bird or a baby? We know from experience that it is a baby because the mother’s beak is much longer relative to her head size. As you can see, the mother bird is a bit messy about the bird droppings.

I’m afraid this isn’t the best photo. The circumstances are less than ideal to take a photo and I didn’t want to disturb the chicks in any way. The nest is incredibly tiny and very hard to spot.

Take a look around your neighborhood and see if you can locate any birds making nests. You might want to take photos and make records of what is happening to the nest over time. Always be sure to respect the birds and stay well out of their way as much as possible.

If you want more opportunities to watch birds, you can put up bird nest boxes. Take a look at Nestwatch for ideas and projects.

If you can’t find a nest to watch, check the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Nest Cams.
If you have a sensitive youngster, be aware that the owls and hawks feed their young animal prey and it shows on some of the cams.

Looking back, we have had quite a few posts about birds. Here are links to a few.
Build a Bird Nest (Human-sized)

Bird Watching and Making Nest Cards

Desert Bird Curriculum Guide

Pigeon Watching

Have fun and let us know what you see.

1.    Decorate a pot and plant a flower, houseplant or herb for your mother to enjoy.
Gather:

• Clay pot of appropriate size
• Potting soil and water
• Pot paint (preferred) or acrylic craft paint, acrylic paint markers (optional).
• Plant or seeds

Decorate the pot by painting it and let it dry. The acrylic paint dries fairly quickly so you can make designs. Use acrylic paint markers to add words such as “Happy Mother’s Day.”

Cover the hole in the bottom of the pot with a small stone and fill pot about half way with potting soil, if you are using a plant purchased from a nursery. Add your plant and fill remaining soil around it. If you started some cuttings from the plant propagation activity, they would look great in a pot, too.

If you want, you can also start with seeds. Fill the pot with potting soil and plant the seeds according to the instructions on the package. Here are some chives and basil plants just starting.

Remember to keep your plants watered while you are waiting for that special day.

2.    Dye some white flowers her favorite color.
Gather:

• Vases – one for each color you are going to test
• Water
• White flowers such as carnations
• Food coloring

Place the white flowers in vases of water. If an adult is helping you, ask him or her to cut the stem at an angle, preferable under water, so the flowers can take up water easily. Add at least 20 drops of food coloring to each vase, a different color in each one. If you have enough vases and flowers, leave one without food coloring to use as a control. Watch and see what happens for about a day. Compare whether all the colors worked the same. Place all the flowers together in a pretty vase of fresh water and present to your mother.

3.    Make a picture or card of pressed flowers.
Did you press any flowers with a plant press from the activity about weeds? Use the flowers to make a nice flower bouquet that your mother can enjoy for a long time.

There are several ways to use pressed flowers. The easiest is to glue the flowers to a piece of paper with white glue. Use a small paint brush and/or tweezers to help move the delicate dried plants. If you have some, special paper glue used in paper arts works best.

Doesn’t this dried flower look a bit like a hummingbird?
You can also use contact and wax paper, as suggested at About.com.

4.    Draw a picture of her favorite flower and/or animal.
Use markers or crayons to draw a picture for your mom. If you want to try something new, try using watercolor markers to draw small circles for the body and head of animals and then add details with a black sharpie.

Mix pressed plants and drawings for a neat effect.

5.    Make a card using the paper you made in the recycled paper activity.

6. Write your mom a poem. Mothers love poems!

For inspiration fold an origami animal, like the butterfly at the bottom of this post, and then write your poem on it.

These are just a few suggestions. If you have more, please let us know.

Weed Activities with Children

1.    Plant identification

One of the first things young children need to learn when they grow a garden is how to identify the various vegetables, flowers and weeds. I’m sure we all have heard family stories about the time the beets got weeded out and the dandelions were left behind. Identifying tiny seedlings is no mean feat, and so learning to observe and identify plant characteristics is key.

Start pointing out things like leaf color, shape, the presence of hairs on the stems, etc. Did you know the name for dandelion comes from “teeth of the lion” and refers to the jagged teeth on the leaf margin? A simple fact like that might help a child remember what a dandelion looks like. Let some of the weeds go to flower so you can see what the entire plant cycle looks like. (Try not to let it spread seeds though).

Save some samples of plants from the garden by pressing them. A leaf press is a useful piece of equipment for studying plants, and also for pressing flowers for crafts. An old telephone book can be a handy substitute if you don’t have a press, or check the Texas Junior Naturalists How to Make a Plant Press.

Identify the plants you find by looking in plant books or online for identification guides. Don’t be afraid to ask for expert help. Many counties have Master Gardener programs. The Master Gardeners are volunteers who help answer gardening questions for the public.

2.    How do weeds measure up to vegetables and flowers?

Compare growth rates of various plants, including weeds by measuring the height of the plants at weekly intervals with a yardstick or tape measure. Take pictures. How many inches does the weed grow versus the garden plant? Which one emerges from the ground first? Which one is ready to flower first? Do you think the weeds might shade the vegetables or compete with them for food and water? Why or why not?

3. Are weeds useful at all?

A weed is basically a plant out of place. If it was growing somewhere besides your garden, it might have some uses. How might a weed be useful?

I think most people have heard of eating dandelion greens. In fact, I saw some dandelion greens at the store the other day for $4.99 a pound. What about garlic mustard? The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has this article Garlic Mustard—A Palatable Pest about how to identify the weed and suggestions for preparing it.

My maternal grandmother studied botany. She often ate plants others considered to be weeds, because she knew how to accurately identify plants and knew which ones were edible at which stages. Just remember, certain weeds are poisonous, so learn from an expert before trying to eat anything new.

Notice whether any wildlife in the area feeds on the plants your think of as weeds. My dad was going to mow a patch of common milkweeds last summer but I showed him how insects feed on the leaves. I heard reports that later in the summer he was proudly showing the neighbors all the beautiful butterflies visiting “his” milkweed patch.

As long as they aren’t introduced/invasive species, many so-called weeds are really wildflowers in disguise.

If you enjoyed sprouting seeds, then here are a few more ideas for seed germination science experiments.

Before starting, however, let’s take a minute and think about how information from experiments on seeds and germination might be important. Last week we discussed how you could use a germination test to see if old seed you have lying around is still viable (able to make new plants). Plant scientists interested in maintaining rare plants, entrusted with ensuring maximum yields from crop plants and/or concerned with storing seeds in seed banks for the future study the changes in seeds over time and how to slow or prevent loss of viability. These scientists subject seeds to different conditions and examine the physical and chemical changes that occur as time passes. Their findings indicate that factors such as temperature, moisture, diseases, and chemical pollutants can all change seed viability.

Experiment 1. Effect of temperature on seeds and seed germination

Think of ways to test whether temperature effects seed sprouting or percent germination.

Example A:
Choose seeds of one kind of plant to test. (Note: Be sure to check the seed package carefully. Some seeds are treated with pesticides). Randomly assign the seeds to three categories. With the help of an adult, place 1/3 of the seeds on a paper towel or on a microwave safe plate and heat in a microwave on high for thirty seconds. Allow seeds, especially oily ones, to cool before touching them.  Add 1/3 of the seeds in a freezer overnight in a freezer. Leave the remaining seeds at room temperature. Then perform a germination test as described last week. Count the number of seeds that germinated for each treatment and divide by the total of seeds (for that treatment) to obtain the percent germinated. If there are no differences, how can you modify this test?

Example B:
Choose seeds of one kind of plant and divide into three groups. Prepare each group for germination as discussed last week. Place one group in the fridge, one at room temperature and one in a sunny window or other place warmer than room temperature. Make sure they all stay moist but not too wet. Record the number of days until germination and also the percent germination (see Example B.)

Experiment 2. Rate of germination of seeds from different plants
Collect seeds from different plants (two examples of plants with vastly different germination times are radishes and carrots.) Perform the germination test as described last week.

Note:  because radishes and carrots have different germination times, it is possible to plant them together in a garden. The radishes will come up and mature first. The slower carrots will benefit from the extra room left behind as the radishes are pulled out and used.

Experiment 3. Effect of chemicals or pollutants on seed germination

Use your imagination to come up with treatments that may increase or decrease germination. Think about things like salts (may be present in the water or soil), nutrients, and/or antimicrobial treatments that might change how many seeds of a given batch germinate.

As always, we would love to hear your ideas and/or results.

For further study:
Seeds and Plants (Science Workbook) by Diane O’Hanesian, John Jones (Illustrator)
Grades 2-3

This book does a good job with terminology and also showing concrete, real world examples. Better done than many science books for the younger set.

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow by Joanna Cole (Author), John Speirs (Illustrator), Bruce Degan (Illustrator)

And a treat for adults interested in science and plants:
Seed to Seed: The Secret Life of Plants by Nicholas Harberd

The project this week is both useful and educational. Ever have a pile of leftover seed packets tucked away in a cupboard somewhere? You know, the ones with the “Packed for 2001” stamped on them.

Not sure whether the seed is still viable or whether planting it would be a waste of time? There’s an easy test to find out. It’s called a germination test.

Pull out your old seed packets. Edit: Note: check the packages carefully to see if the seeds are treated with pesticides, such as fungicides and avoid handling treated seeds.

For each packet you and/or your children want to test, gather the following:

• Paper towels
• Either paper plates and plastic wrap /or zip-loc style bags
• Water

Wash your hands and try to keep everything as clean as possible.

All you need to do is select 10 seeds from each packet you want to test, and prepare a damp paper towel for each different packet. Lay the seeds on the damp paper towel and fold it over. Then either lay the towel on a paper plate and cover with plastic wrap, or slip the damp paper towel into a zip-loc.  Come back in 24 hours and 48 hours and look for the tiny root (radicle) poking out of the seed, a sign that it is germinating.  Count how many germinated and how many did not. If none germinated, then perhaps it is time to invest in a new batch of seeds.

Note:  Certain seeds, like carrots, take a long time to germinate, so keep them moist and don’t give up on them right away.

If you have germination, take the tiny sprouted seeds and transfer them to containers filled with moist soil and you’ll have transplants ready when it is time to start your garden.

For more information, explore the kitchen scrap garden science activities at http://growingwithscience.com, for example, sprouting bean seeds.

Tie-in books for the youngest set:
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)

How a Seed Grows (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Helene J. Jordan (Author), Loretta Krupinski (Illustrator)

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Gail Gibbons has definitely been one of our favorite nonfiction authors and this book does not disappoint.

And books for adults:
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth Kent Whealy

Planning a garden isn’t just enjoyable, however, it also can be a wonderful learning experience. By giving your child the freedom to design his or her own space, a budget to work with and a few simple tools, you can have a project that builds a lifetime of skills and memories. Over the next few weeks, let’s cover several fun gardening activities. We’d love to hear your suggestions for projects or resources.

Types of Gardens
First help your child decide on the type of garden he or she would like to plant. Does your child like vegetables? Then a kitchen garden would be perfect. Other types of gardens might be flower gardens or herb gardens. You might want to check our previous posts on theme gardens and theme gardening books for ideas.

Planning
Your local Cooperative Extension office is likely to have information about gardening with children. For example, the University of Illinois Extension has a Planning My Garden area for kids with information on how to grow different plants just a click away. The Colorado State Cooperative Extension has a friendly Gardening with Children website with a section on planning a garden.

If you want to be part of an organization, take a look at the Cooprative Extension’s Junior Master Gardener Program. They have curricula for sale and links to gardening books that have been reviewed and recommended.

Gardening Curricula

If you have had gardens in the past and want to expand your learning experiences even more, now is the time to plan garden activities, too.  These days there are a number of websites and organizations devoted to gardening with children and often they have free curricula. For example,  Kidsgardening.org has a wonderful Pollinator curriculum. While you are there, take a look at the article: Turning Kids On to gardening, as well.

If you want to have the seed catalog experience, here are some links to seed company websites. Most are still willing to send a paper copy of their catalogs, if you want one. These are just the first few that came to mind, no endorsement is implied. Many of these websites also have a wealth of information about gardening. Hope you spend a few minutes and do a little garden dreaming, too.

Burpee
http://www.burpee.com/

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Company
http://gurneys.com/default.asp

Johnny’s
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/home.aspx?ct=HG

Park Seed Co.
http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=10066&storeId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=page1

Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/

Seed Saver’s Exchange
http://www.seedsavers.org/

Houseplants
One way to have flowers during the cold months is by growing houseplants that bloom. I still remember the way my grandmother’s Christmas cactus erupted into a riot of red blossoms every winter, even though it was over thirty years ago. She also grew African violets in a wide variety of colors. She often took the leaves that had been knocked off or trimmed and started new plants by dipping the stems in water. You can use fallen African violet leaves as an opportunity to teach about plant propagation.

Our family has been watching one of our orchids for the last few weeks. It put on buds and then a few days ago the first flower opened. Since we had been babying the plant for over two years, we felt a sense of accomplishment. We learned that orchids have very different requirements for growth than some of our other houseplants.

Bulbs
Another way to bring spring inside is to grow bulbs indoors. A great favorite are the amaryllis. I often buy them after holiday sales when they are cheaper, making sure the bulbs still look firm. They grow fast, so they are a good project for young children who are impatient for results. Here in Arizona they can be set out into the garden to grow and bloom another year.

To add some science to the project, have the children measure the plant every day or every other day and record their results. Try to find out where amaryllis plants are found in nature, and what their natural environment is like. Plant several bulbs and grow them under different conditions to see which they prefer. Finally, you can get bulbs that are different colors and see if they grow any differently under the same conditions. We’d love to hear what you find out.

Other bulbs that can be grown indoors are tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, narcissus and crocuses. Most of these bulbs need a cold period before they will bloom, so make sure they have been properly chilled before planting.

Cuttings of Outdoor Plants
Bringing in branches of flowering trees and shrubs and putting them in a vase is another wonderful way to have some early spring flowers. Wait until a day when the temperature is above freezing and then cut a few branches from your forsythia bushes, pussy willows or fruit trees. Try to get branches with nice plump buds. Remove any side branches at the base that will be under the water level and then place the cut ends in a vase of warm water. Keep the vase filled with enough water, and you should have flowers in about two weeks. This is a quick project that doesn’t require a lot of effort, but that result in a lot of enjoyment.

Maybe this video of forsythia will inspire you.

Other activity suggestions:

• gather an assortment of different plants and learn about differences in plant families and their flower structure
• draw the flowers for an art project
• study plant parts (anatomy) by identifying the stems, leaves, roots, etc.
• explore plant propagation techniques

If you would like more details on any of these, please let me know. Hope you have fun!

I’m always excited to see these seedlings coming up, because I know in a few short months the seedlings will grow into showy flowers called lupines.

Lupines are fun because they self-seed readily. I first planted these over 15 years ago and they have come up every year since. On the other hand, they have not spread aggressively to other areas; they stay right where I put them.

The name lupine is thought to come from the idea that lupines were like “wolves” (lupus) eating all the nutrients out of the soil, because they always seem to grow in poor soil. Now people have realized that these members of the pea family can make their own nutrients in conjunction with bacteria found in nodules on their roots.  Thus lupines can grow in soils that are too poor for other plants rather than causing the soil to be poor. I’m not sure what that says about our yard. ☺

Lupines are fascinating to children because the hairs on the leaves catch raindrops and leave perfectly round droplets of water shining like gems.

Down side:  If you are thinking of planting lupines, be aware that the foliage of some types are poisonous.

Check the color of these flowers.

Now look at the centers of these.

Are they a different species? No, lupine flowers change color when they have been pollinated. Bees are attracted by the white centers of un-pollinated flowers, but ignore the red-centered ones (bees don’t see red). Lupines “talking to” bees, cool!

The sight of the lupines coming up always reminds me of the book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. In this popular book, the main character spreads lupine seeds so that the flowers bloom everywhere. So check out a copy and you can enjoy the beauty of lupines any time.

I planted these seeds last week after I took them from a fresh pumpkin. Looks like they are more than capable of growing. They are planted in moist potting soil in a newspaper pot.

By the way, the question was a good one because some seeds, for example apple, pear and blueberry, need a cool period ( a winter dormancy) before they will germinate.

November is a good month for gardening in Arizona. We plant many what we call “cold season crops” at this time of year. Lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots and chard can all withstand the slight frosts we get here in the winter, and so go into the ground now.

The basil in this photograph does better in the warm summer months, but will make it through if we don’t get a heavy frost or if someone remembers to cover it.

Hope everyone has a good week. I think I’m going to go make a salad.