In Flanders Fields …              Â
Poppies blooming in Pineville
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow.
 To visit the In Flanders Fields Museum in Belgium, click HERE.
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Newly appointed U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom V
ilsack was in Mercer County today, conversing with a gathering of Kentuckians about agricultural issues.  Forum topics ranged from forestry and water conservation to biofuels, global awareness of and access to a nutritious food supply, and assuring farm viability.  Supporting the development of revitalized rural communities was mentioned as a valuable priority. Â
Vilsack touched on two subjects of direct interest to many home gardeners. First, he quipped that it’s challenging to discuss agricultural issues with people who don’t have any idea where their food comes from. He encouraged educating youngsters to become familiar with gardening basics, perhaps by giving plants as gifts on special occasions like birthdays and graduations. Vilsak also mentioned the People’s Garden, which was begun in February this year, outside the USDA offices on the Smithsonian Mall in Washington, D.C. It honors the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, and Lincoln’s establishment of the Department of Agriculture in 1862.  The People’s Garden replaces pavement with green space, and serves as a model for urban gardeners with displays on organic gardening, pollinators, and composting. Click HERE for more information.
Antique door knockers in Florence, Italy, were once created in an interesting array of unique characters and designs. Here’s a photo collection I gathered while on vacation this month. A few that might tickle your imagination, as well as give you some decorating ideas.  You can click on each photo for a closer view.Â
Kentucky was surrounded to the west, north and east by states already affected by the Emerald Ash Borer, an exotic insect pest which is can be unwittingly transported in firewood.  Now, just this week, the first two occurances in Kentucky have been confirmed in Shelby and Jessamine counties; click HERE for a report from officials with the Office of the State Entomologist at University of Kentucky  College of Agriculture.  Â
 This insect’s larvae feed on wood below the ash trees’ bark, destroying the route that water and nutrients take through the tree. Thought to have been brought to the U.S. in wood used in the shipping industry, the Emerald Ash Borer, so called because the beetles are a shiny green color, has spread south from Michigan since 2002. Take a look at the informative Web page by clicking HERE.
Have you notced all the iris plooms I took a vacation to Italy earlier this month, just in time to see the International Iris Competition in Florence. It makes sense that this region would be a great place for an Iris Competition. The city symbol, like that of France, is a fleur-de-lys, or iris blossom, and the city’s name itself means ‘flowering’. Tuscany was once a major agricultural iris grower, because the climate is perfect, and  the plant’s roots or rhizomes are a source of orris powder, which was a fixative once used in the perfume industry. Synthetic products eliminated the need for the plant material, and now only wild survivors can be found along roadsides. Still, every May since 1954, hybridizers of tall and German bearded irises have competed for the the premier prize in Florences’ International Iris Competition, and the irises are gorgeous. Rhizomes are planted and tended for three years by a gardener in the park’s Iris Garden, just below the replica of the famous statue of David standing in the Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the city from atop one of the surrounding hills. The third year, when the irises have reached a strong point in their growing cycle, they’re judged by an team of experts.   For more information about the Italian Iris Sockety, check out thisÂ
Website The photos were taken at year’s competition, held earlier in May.
Want more Iris Info?Â
For a book review of the new publication Â
The Iris Family: Natural History and Classification Â
by Peter Goldblatt and John C. Manning   … click HERE.
