T Shirt Designs

At school we have a Horticulture Club. They want T-Shirts and of course asked if anyone had artistic talent. I really did not want to volunteer since I have too many things on my plate at the moment, but no one raised their hand and I thought, well one more thing couldn't hurt. I raised my hand to do the T-Shirt design and everyone got a surprised look on their face and some asked... are you sure you can draw. People tend to under estimate what I can do, but that is okay.

Anyways, no one had any design ideas and the group is mostly male. Being a female it's hard to think of what the male Horticulture lovers would want on a shirt. They suggested a tree and that is what they did last year, but I really wanted something better and not so cliche. I drew out some flowers and a tree, all things that grow well in our area. Here they are:

Esperanza

Plumbago

Crape Myrtle


I showed these 3 to some group members both girls and guys. The girls loved the Esperanza and the guys didn't like any of them and wanted a more strong and manly tree. I think they are being selfish, really. I made the crape myrtle thinking it would please both sides. It's got flowers and is feminine but it's a tree and doesn't scream too feminine. After getting input from the males I went home and chose a more manly tree. Really I think it would be better for the males to have their manly tree and the females to have their esperanza. The tree is just so cliche and I like flowers I'm sorry. When I think of tree I think of arboriculture and not Horticulture as a whole.


Manly Tree (Live Oak wannabe)


Hopefully now the tree will appease the males. I'll have to wait until the beginning of October to get a group vote and see what everyone has to say. It's hard to do this Horticulture Club because everyone is so used to the way that it has always been run. The previous semesters there were leaders that did not participate and then leaders that are so lax that hardly anything happens. I have a genuine want for the club to be fun and useful for everyone. This semester I want it to continue for the entire semester and to do fun things besides a plant sale. I'd like to meet 2 times a month instead of once a month. Meeting once a month would only be a total of 4 meetings for that semester. We have already had one to just get organized a bit and then the next would be getting together the plant sale. I really wanted to meet every week so there could be more activities and fun things to do and give everyone a good chance to attend some of the meetings. No one really liked that idea but agreed to 2 a month.

I'm Vice President but I might as well be the President as the one that was elected is scattered, unorganized, and not much initiative. The members of the club can't agree on anything but don't have a real want to do much of anything that is suggested but anyone. I threw out so many ideas at the meeting and everyone was just not on the train for much if any of them. The person elected PR hasn't done much along the lines of finding people to come and talk and places for us to go. I some how got chosen to be the person to find plant donations when it had been discussed as being a whole group task and everyone's responsibility. I'm feeling like the group just doesn't want to do much of anything really and they are just there for the food that first meeting. My hopes and dreams are just too high I guess. I really shouldn't care but I do feel hurt. The club could be so much fun and really connect us and new comers and get the students more into the city community and the actual Horticulture community. I know people have full time jobs and families but it's just a half hour to an hour 2 times a month before or after your regular classes. I'm busy too, very busy and just so overwhelmed.

Sorry again for the rant. Really if anyone has input on how to drive the clubs spirit and logo design ideas that appeal to all please do say. I really wanted a logo on the front but no one is into that, they are boring.

EDIT
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As suggested I did a tool. This might just work!! Tell me what you think.

Dirt and Trowel

Home but not Garden Television

Morning Glory 'Lt. Blue Mnt. Fuji' and Sweet Potato Vines

On Plurk a couple of garden bloggers brought up the dreaded H(G)TV. Being gardeners we are peeved that there is no garden in Home and Garden Television. The station has been overrun with home improvement and house makeover shows that I can't say when I last saw a garden show. It's been brought up that if they don't have garden shows why not just take out the garden from their station title.

I used to watch HGTV often and don't ever remember seeing a single garden show, but I'm young so maybe once upon a time there were some. Really if HGTV would put garden shows on their station they would get more ratings right? Apparently they don't believe so it seems. To them those home improvement shows are the big money makers. That could be why now a days not many people go into gardening and don't have appealing gardens or appealing neighborhoods anymore. Very rarely do I see a totally nice neighborhood or more than one house that has a great well kept garden. There are probably more people who are into interior designing, buying selling houses and what not because that's all the shows they televise. I have a feeling if they put more garden shows on their station more people would know what to do with their yards and how to grow plants and have just more general plant knowledge. I could be wrong, but it would be nice for us gardeners to have stuff to watch too. I don't have a home to renovate but I do have place to plant stuff.

So HGTV, make more garden shows and educate your viewers into making the outside of their home look good too. It's not all about the inside. Or just take out the garden from your name and us gardeners won't be peeved that there is not gardening on your channel.




I'm always surprised to here people say 'You must have a green thumb to be going into the Horticulture Industry'. Well just a year ago I thought I couldn't grow anything not even ivy. Most people has this idea that gardening is hard and just so time consuming. It's not time consuming if you find it fun and pleasurable. It does get hard to go out and garden in 100 degree weather and seeing your plants suffer despite your best efforts. In my mind having shows to reeducate the generations that gardening is not this impossible thing, and with knowledge you can grow stuff and make a pretty place. Most of the time I hear people say 'I don't have time'. But yet they are able to watch tv for 3 hours or spend their time doing something else ridiculous when they could be out there taking care of their wonderful garden. It's rewarding, more rewarding then watching tv. After saying that then why bother have a tv station show gardening? It gets out to those out there that maybe want to garden but don't know how, and it would maybe give them a boost and inspiration into making a garden and beautifying their world and space. I bet everyone wants a beautiful garden but many just don't believe they can take care of it, grow plants, have the time, have the money, etc. Just my thoughts on what I have noticed in general of the people I talk to.

Blotanical Awards 2008

Blotanical is having it's first Blotanical Awards. If for those garden bloggers that are a part of Blotanical. For all that read my blog please go and vote for your favorites. Of course I would be honored to even be chosen for one of the categories but even if not it's great to award those that do a great job. Go and vote all even if you don't vote for me. Award the special bloggers in that you love who are part of Blotanical. If you are not part of Blotanical and have a garden blog or like reading garden blogs do join! Hurry up there are only 12 days left. My how time does fly.

More Seeds

Seeds from Select Seeds

I've been on a seed buying craze these past few months. Whenever I see a site that has seeds on sale I just have to look and of course there are things I find that I just NEED. I just purchased seeds from Select Seeds from their clearance section. I thought I would need more annuals as I have mostly perennials and they just out grow the containers so fast. I made an effort to get more herbs and more annuals in different colors.

Here is what I purchased:
Feverfew 'Virgo'-chrysanthemum parthenium
Bronze Fennel 'Smokey'- Foeniculum vulgare
Salvia annual clary 'Blue Denim'- Salvia viridis
Castor Oil Bean 'Zanzibariensis Mix'- Ricinus communis
Love Lies Bleeding- Amaranthus caudatus
Calendula 'Pink Surprise'- Calendula officinalis
Jasmine Tobacco- Nicotiana alata
Love in a Mist 'Miss Jekyll Blue'- Nigella damascena
Cosmos 'White Sonata'- Cosmos bipinnatus
Larkspur 'Scarlet King'- Consolida ambigua
Shirley Poppy- Papaver rhoeas (Free with order)

I'm not sure if some of these will do well here but I might as well try. I have been wanting to get the Bronze Fennel after seeing it at the Botanical Gardens and the Love in a Mist has been on my must have list forever. I tried to pick colors that would look good together easily and some texture differences. I'm going to have to make a plan so that my balcony will look organized instead of looking like a plant bomb landing on it.

Corkscrew Buds

Corkscrew Vine Flower Bud


The corkscrews are coming! My corkscrew vine (Vigna caracalla) has buds. I can't believe that I will be getting actual blooms from this vine. I really lost hope as all year it has been growing and taking over my balcony but no sign of any flowers. While spraying (Stupid mites and white flies) I saw buds, everywhere!f I've been so disattached to my balcony garden that I didn't notice. It's been so disappointing to go out and water all the wilting plants that are infested with bad bad bugs that I can't get rid of. Now that the weather is cooling I hope my plants can get healthy again and fight off the bugs. It's so hard to keep them all properly watered when I am gone for 8 hours. I deeply water them all before I go to work but it does not help them all. The corkscrew has been doing really well but it is starting to get mites and the white flies love to hide behind all those leaves. I can't wait to see and smell these blooms. They better come soon before the bugs take over.