May 21, 2019 Bolting Rhubarb, Alexander Pope, Henri Rosseau, Pope’s Grotto at Twickenham, The Land of the Blue Poppies, Frank Kingdon Ward, Installing Garden Paths, and Richard Walter Pohl
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Monologue
Is your rhubarb bolting already?
When your rhubarb seems to be bolting too early, ask yourself these questions...
- Is your rhubarb an heirloom or a new variety?
Older varieties tend to bolt sooner. Try planting a newer variety.
- Is your rhubarb very established?
The older your rhubarb, the quicker it bolts. If you divide your established rhubarb, it revitalizes your plant and can thwart flowering.
- Has it been super cold, hot, or is your rhubarb otherwise stressed?
These threatening conditions can cause rhubarb to bolt. Make sure to mulch around your rhubarb to keep it cool as a cucumber.
Unlike other bolting edibles, bolting rhubarb does not affect the taste of the stems. So you can chillax about that.
Now, for what to do with that rhubarb flower...
I have a friend who cuts them, puts them in a vase, and treats them like cut flowers.
Botanical History On This Day
1688 Alexander Pope, poet and passionate garden designer, was born. He later shaped the English landscape garden with his Twickenham villa, ingenious grotto, and belief that poetry, politics, and planting could share the same ground.
1844 Henri Rousseau, the self-taught painter, was born. His lush jungle scenes were inspired not by travel, but by hours wandering the Paris botanical gardens and dreaming among the hothouses.
Unearthed Words
Alexander Pope's love for his grotto is captured in verse. To Pope, the wonder of subterranean water, reflected light, and nature were a living inspiration for his poetry.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener's review of
The Land of the Blue Poppies by Frank Kingdon Ward
Buy the book on Amazon:
The Land of the Blue Poppies by Frank Kingdon Ward
Today's Botanic Spark
1916 Richard Walter Pohl, agrostologist and devoted plant collector, was born. He is remembered for a life spent studying grasses and for bamboo that bloomed in unison at the moment of his passing.
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