Re: Speaking out
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Speaking out
- From: T* B* A* G* <m*@gardens.com>
- Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 09:32:49 -0800
Dear Ix and others,
In a recent posting Ix said:
>Am I the only one troubled by talk of "yellow oxalis"? Is it too hard for
>some correspondents to identify plants?
Do we have a convention on this mail list that we *must* use scientific
names when posting? I wasn't aware of it. Most of the time we do use such
conventions, but I must confess that my throwing in the reference to
"yellow oxalis" was mostly an afterthought, not the main point of my
posting. Someone had asked for information on corn meal gluten and I was
providing scientific references to its effectiveness as reported in studies
by the University of Iowa. Since the list of weeds it managed was also in
common names, I threw in my yellow oxalis (a commonly used common name!) at
the end -- wishing there was something as effective and non-toxic to deal
with it.
However, as a group if we do require that scientific names always be used
as requirement for posting, we should be clear about this and it should be
so stated to everyone. Who sets the rules here?
Ix continues:
>Now, just to make myself REALLY unpopular, my advice to those who consider
>them (oxalis) weeds is, learn to love all plants ...
I live in a PUD (Planned Unit Development) community and lawns are a
requirement in front yards. Since the strip is quite small I haven't felt
the need to take on the PUD rules as a major battle. But because I do have
this lawn, even though it isn't particularly my first love, I do try and
keep it healthy. The oxalis (Oxalis corniculata) has taken over and I
don't particularly like it eliminating the fescue variety 'Bonsai' that I
have used as a lawn grass.
When I realized I must use some lawn grass I did some research and chose
'Bonsai'. It grows slowly, needing infrequent mowing. It is also quite
drought tolerant, needing only half the water of more thirsty turf
grasses, and it is also fairly resistant to disease. It's quite broad
leafed, won't give that "bluegrass" look. But it's a tough grass and I like
its dark green color.
As to wanting other plant references, I believe that people tend to talk
about what they grow or where they live. As we gather more folks on the
list from other parts of the Mediterranean climate, we'll have more
references to the plants from those regions. BTW, Pinus radiata originates
in a narrow band of coastal land near Monterey, California. I thought most
references to it mentioned this fact, as it's one of those "curiosities"
that are often discussed.
Regards,
Carol Moholt
The Bay Area Gardener <http://www.gardens.com>
**serving gardeners in the greater San Francisco Bay Area**
* email: moholt@gardens.com * phone: 650-968-4480 *
301 Windmill Park Lane, Mtn. View CA 94043
