Don't 'LEAVE' me!

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf." Rabindranath Tagore, Indian Poet, Playwright and Essayist, Won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1913.

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

• JUST BLOOMED TODAY
• DON'T 'LEAVE' ME!
• GARDEN GIGGLE

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

DON"T 'LEAVE' ME!
Continuing with our garden education, we find that the leaves of the plant are the workers. The basic function of the leaves is to make sugars and other carbohydrates. We have all heard of photosynthesis, where the green material (chlorophyll) uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to carbohydrates and oxygen.


Photosynthesis requires large quantities of water, drawn up through the stem from the roots and into the leaf tissue.There it meets the carbon dioxide through the air, which is sucked in by tiny holes (stomata) located mostly in the leaves' undersides.

 

Stomatas are pretty cool as they can do tricks! As the interior leaf tissues must be moist but outside air can be dry, the stomatas can close when they need to, to prevent dehydration. Plus the stomata also permits the excess water and oxygen to leave. How cool is that?


 The leaf is further protected by an outer skin or coat, which, according to the plant, can be waxy, hairy, or scaly. Soot, grime or dust on leaves can interfere with free air circulation through the pores and reduce the amount of light available to the leaves. So, keep your leaves clean. I have heard of people using mayonnaise on a damp rag to add shine to a plant's leaves. There are commercial leaf wipes on the market. Just make sure you don't clog those pores!!!


GARDEN GIGGLE

What kind of socks does a gardener wear?

Garden hose.

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