Pollenatrix

New Zealand Orchid Poachers Avoid Jail

The two Czech men who attempted to smuggle native orchids out of New Zealand have avoided jail, but have found themselves saddled with "hefty" fines of $7500 plus court costs.

My first reaction was that the fines are not particularly "hefty", but consider this: One, a cardiologist and university dean, makes $39,000 a year in his native Czechoslovakia and has savings of $9000. The other, a Czech Government environmental protection agency inspector and Orchid society president (can you believe it??) earns $24,000 and has savings of $8000. Remind me not to seek my fortunes in Czechoslovakia.

Though one would assume from their careers that they possess a certain degree of smarts, it turns out that these two arrogant and bumbling idiots are not the brightest light bulbs in the pack:

"Before they arrived in New Zealand they had sent the DoC (Department of Conservation) an e-mail outlining their trip and asking permission to take the orchids. That request was refused and to take the plants after that was a deliberate act. "

No means no, fellas! But it was nice of you to announce your intentions -- the natural world would be much easier to defend if all poachers were as accommodating.

Flower Power in San Francisco

In San Francisco, gay couples are lining up around the block at city hall, waiting anxiously for their turn to get married. The City of San Francisco is issuing same-sex marriage licenses as fast as possible, at the same time waging a courageous court battle against the state of California and right-wing conservatives who want to stop them. Back at city hall, couples turned away at the end of each day leave distraught, afraid that by tomorrow, the opportunity will be lost.

Enter BoingBoing.net, who yesterday picked up on a blog entry by a couple in Minnesota. This couple decided to send a bouquet of flowers to a random couple standing in line, to show their support for the cause. "Wouldn't that be cool if people from all over the country, gay, straight and otherwise, started sending flowers to the people waiting in line to get married?... "

Now Darren from Vancouver ("Despite my love of musicals, I'm straight and (what's more) Canadian. I do believe that any two people, regardless of gender or sexual preference, have the right to civil union. ") has set up a Web site to make it happen. In two days he has collected nearly $3,500 US, and is mobilizing people in San Francisco to deliver bouquets from the San Francisco Flower Market to random couples who are waiting in line to get married.

I donated $15 USD. C'mon folks, send a couple of bucks and a message of love. Never underestimate the power of a flower!

I haunted them 'til they gave up

This post has nothing to do with orchids, nothing to do with gardening whatsoever. I do have a life outside of plants, you know.

And, I am happy to announce that W Network has given in to my relentless email campaign (ok, 1 email) to return BBC's Most Haunted to prime time. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, it's an eccentric British television show that takes cameras overnight into some of the most haunted buildings in the British Isles. The squeaks and squeals of its experienced team of fraidy-cat girls are duly recorded, as are the musings of its skeptical paranormal researcher, the half-hearted attempts of stone-faced hangers-on to make contact ("if you can, TRY to show yourself to us"), and the dramatic turns of its colourful psychic and his invisible spirit guide, Sam. The antics of this unintentionally campy crew make me laugh and laugh and laugh, and the history and travelogue aspects ARE kinda interesting.

So imagine my dismay when I settled in for an hour of Most Haunted, and it wasn't on!! I scoured the television listings, and found it moved to 4:30 AM on Sunday morning. Are they kidding?? My fingers flew to the keyboard in protest, and here is their reply:

Dear Sandy,

Thank you for your email regarding 'Most Haunted'.

We're happy to assure you that although 'Most Haunted' has recently been
pre-empted with special programming, this change is temporary.  You can
still experience the chills and thrills of 'Most Haunted' ... returning on Saturday evenings at 8pm E/P as of February 21, 2004.

... Check out the 'Most Haunted' show page or W's web schedule for
more details:
http://www.wnetwork.com/tv_shows/shows/most_haunted/index.asp. 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write to us.

Regards,

W Network Viewer Relations Department

Speaking of pre-empted, here's a little something to get this blog back on topic now that the equilibrium of my life outside of the plant kingdom has been restored: The Ghost Orchid.

Blossom bandits

Homeowners in a California town are being plagued by the theft of blooms and even entire plants from local gardens and yards: "'The police told me that these people steal plants and flowers and then make them into bouquets or arrangements and sell them,' Byrne said. 'Other people use them for decorations at parties and weddings. I guess it's a fairly common thing.' "

The nerve of some people is beyond belief. Even my church, St. Stephen-in-the-Fields on College Street West, suffers from this kind of attention. It has gone on so long, parishioners have practically given up trying to keep the garden along the front of the building looking pretty. New plants generally last less than a week before someone in the neighbourhood digs them up and takes them home; some have had the the cheek to dig up half a plant, probably thinking they weren't doing something quite so bad if they left a bit for the rest of us. I've been tempted to sneak in some poison ivy, but I guess that's not very Christian, is it? ;-) One wonderful lady in the parish hit on the idea of putting native plants in the garden -- grasses, and wildflowers like milkweed. It seems to work; they either grow really fast and fill in the bare spots, or, no one wants them.

I still like my poison ivy idea.

Keeping it reel

I was very sad to see that my favourite video store, Just4View, went out of business this past week. It was a small business that has been a fixture in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood for years. The owners were a quirky couple who were very knowledgeable about their large selection of old and foreign films, and who always had a cookie or two behind the counter for visiting dogs. Jake, my border collie, was a shameless beggar; the minute we walked through the door he'd station himself in front of the counter, sitting motionless and staring at the owner in his silent but demanding way. If it was a busy night and it took too long to get service, he'd rear up on his hind legs and slam his front paws down on the counter, like a drunk pounding his fist on the bar for a drink. It never failed to produce a grin and the desired results.

In mid-December, Rogers Video moved in almost directly across the street. A big glitzy chain with lots of capital, they immediately made their mark by undercutting prices. Now that the competition has been annihilated, I have no doubt they'll raise prices to market levels, if only to afford the legions of poorly-paid pimply part-time teenagers behind the counter. Well, I'm taking my dog in, but this time it's gonna be his hind leg that he lifts against the counter.

Fortunately, the competitive environment is not nearly so bleak in the orchid community here in Toronto...

The hired help

Last Sunday, I volunteered to cover Jocelyn of Beaver Valley Orchids' (www.beavervalleyorchids.com) booth at the orchid society meeting, since he was going to be away. I thought it would be fun, and better yet it would keep me and my wallet away from the other vendors.

I got off to a rough start. My very first sale was a nice yellow cattleya with a red lip on two blooms. The buyer had a business selling flowers, and as she started writing out the cheque I reached for a bag in which to place her purchase. My elbow caught a stiff leathery leaf, and though I managed to grab it before the plant hit the floor, the rest of the contents of the pot flew in all directions. I stood up slowly, propping up a broken bloom with a sheepish look on my face. Needless to say, she put her pen away and closed the chequebook. Drats. However, the hub-bub must have caught people's attention, because suddenly a dozen people converged on my table. Most were just curious, but one lady, off to the side, kept picking up a cattleya and putting it down. I was distracted by a question for a moment, and when I looked back, the lady was gone. The spot where the orchid had been was vacant, and I looked wildly around the table, wondering if she'd put it down in another spot. Hoping. I took a quick count, but confused by the questions coming at me, I never did manage to convince myself that she hadn't done a grab and run.

My first real sale brought it's own problems. I forgot to bring a float. The fellow at the next table obligingly broke a twenty for me, and later, he did it again. And again. As more people stopped in front of the table and started enquiring about the orchids, I realized that a plant had lost its price tag, and another, its name tag. I was seriously flustered. John Marcotte walked by, did a double take at the look on my face, and immediately jumped in to help answer questions. Lucky for me he had decided not to take a booth of his own that day. With John's help, and the help of my banker at the next table, I managed to muddle through and actually sell five plants without dropping any more. Though I was kind of like a beginner cook in a kitchen, and left a hell of a mess on the floor when it was all over.

Jocelyn called me later to see how I made out, and I fessed up. Hey, you can't fire me, I quit!! Just kidding, Joe.

200 plants for 200 years

      It's the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) of England's bicentenary this year, and to celebrate they've drawn up a list of what they consider the top 200 plants of the last 200 years.

Wouldn't it be interesting if someone created a garden using all of these plants?

Looking for wartime gardening stories

The January 2004 ICanGarden.com Newsletter contains an interesting article about someone who is looking for gardening stories from the 1939-1945 era:

"During the years of WW1 and WW2, Canadian gardeners were asked to support the war effort by planting gardens to produce food for the war effort. I believe part of the program was called Patriotism and Production , and was an organized effort to help the Canadian war effort by food production both rural and urban. I am looking for information and stories, and any other information I can find about this time in our Canadian gardening history. I am also interested in any organizations which participated in the program and perhaps grew out of it.

Anyone with stories or resources about the WORLD WAR I - CANADA FOOD BOARD and the Canadian War Poster Collection I would love to hear from them in particular. If you have a story to share, a memory, a picture, particularly media releases (newspapers, flyers) , I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more. If you know of Canadian resources about wartime gardening I would be very excited to locate them.

I am gathering this information for personal interest, although I may eventually create a display for our local Agricultural Fair Archive and Museum if I find enough information. I am also interested in learning more about the school gardening program across Canada and its roots and history. This is an intriguing time in the history of gardening in Canada and our national development. Thanks for sharing your information and any resources you may have."

Contact Ann Marie at allena@rogers.com if you can help her with this.

Gone... orchid that's all roots

"Once common in Singapore forests, this orchid was last seen here in the 1990s. Now, scientists studying this evolutionary wonder say its disappearance is a worrying sign of the health of the forest."