Today we launch Garden News, a series devoted to keeping you (and us) up-to-date on what's new in the world of gardening, landscape design, and the natural environment:
California's Ancient Sequoias Are Stressed
Above: Avenue of the Giants along Highway 101 in Northern California. Photograph via Flickr.
California's ancient sequoia redwoods are showing signs of stress from heat and drought for the first time in recorded history. Researchers from the US Geological Survey and Stanford University are monitoring the trees after noticing significant dieback of foliage. The hardy trees—they've lived for thousands of years—until now have been immune to the effects of droughts (including the Dust Bowl period in the 1920s and 30s). Said one USGS ecologist: "We're treating the drought as if it's a possible preview of the future." Read it at The Guardian.
Bees’ Tongues Are Shrinking (Also: Bees Have Tongues)
Above: A bee at work in Oregon lavender. Photograph by Meredith Swinehart.
A paper published Thursday in the journal Science suggests that bumble bees' tongues are shrinking in response to warmer temperatures. Bees with long tongues are specialist feeders on long-tubed flowers, and bees with mid-length tongues are generalists, able to feed on flowers of many sizes. The study suggests that while warmer temperatures are causing flowers of all sizes to decline, the long-tongued bees are responding by developing shorter tongues to allow them to feed on more sizes of plants. Why does this matter? It may be an example of rapid evolution of a species in response to warming temperatures. The effect on the long-tubed flowers is yet to be seen. Read it at the Washington Post.
First Jony Ive-Designed Apple Store Features Allée of 8 Live Trees
Above: Live trees in the first Apple store in Brussels. Photograph via Tech Insider.
Indoor gardening enthusiasts (and Apple enthusiasts) may be interested to know that the first Apple store designed by designer Jony Ive features an allée of eight potted trees in the center of the store. Ive, chief design officer at Apple, partnered with Apple SVP of retail (and former Burberry CEO) Angela Ahrendts to oversee the interiors of Apple’s first Belgian retail outlet. The blogosphere is calling the design a familiar—but more polished—interpretation of Apple's existing stores, suggesting that the trees are there to make the store feel less sterile. Read more at Wired and The Verge.
London Design Festival Ends Today: Garden and Eco-Design Recap
The nine-day annual London Design Festival ends today, bringing to a close hundreds of installations and events across the city. Here's what's being talked about among landscape and garden enthusiasts:
Above L: Mexican architect Frida Escobedo created an installation of reflective surfaces in the John Madejski Garden of the Victoria & Albert Museum. The work, called "You Know You Cannot See Yourself So Well as by Reflection," is laid in a pattern referencing the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City. Read more at London Design Festival. R: Designer Lee Broom transformed his flagship London store into "The Flower Shop," an immersive floral experience in which he showcased his furniture, lighting, and vases. Read more at Dezeen.
Above L: Plumen presented the "Glowing Oak," a live 16-foot-tall oak tree draped with Plumen bulbs and located on the top floor of former London courthouse Old Sessions House, which is usually closed to the public. Read more at Inhabitat. R: In Somerset House, designer Max Lamb installed 131 logs from a 187-year-old dying ash tree he cut down on his grandfather's farm. The preserved logs are for sale, ranging in price from £100 to £14,000. Read it at Dezeen.
World’s Largest Green Roof Awaiting Approval in Silicon Valley
Above: A development company's rendering of redevelopment plans for the 50-acre site. Image via Quartz.
A Silicon Valley development company has proposed a very green alternative to an existing failed shopping mall in Cupertino, California, in the heart of the Silicon Valley. The plan—designed by Peruvian architect Rafael Viñoly with Philadelphia's Olin Landscape Architects—includes nearly four miles of walking trails, an orchard, vineyard, playground, and a 30-acre rooftop park set atop offices, retail, and apartments. Funding is apparently not an issue—the US subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund is on board. The plans now await city approval. Read it at Quartz.
More happenings this week:
- Current Obsessions: At the Farm.
- Trending on Remodelista: The New New.
- 15 for 2015: Best Garden Design Trends for Fall.
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