Hamlin Gardens

06/16/2025

Good to know!

06/15/2025

Incredible!

Brazilian scientists just revived ancient seeds frozen since the Ice Age — and they’re sprouting

Deep in the Amazon basin, a team of botanists made a startling discovery: clay-sealed seed capsules preserved inside a glacial rockfall, carbon-dated to nearly 20,000 years ago. The seeds were from a now-extinct plant species that once grew in prehistoric river valleys.

After weeks of delicate thawing and bio-repair techniques, three seeds sprouted. Their roots began to wind through modern soil, responding to light for the first time in millennia. The plants are a genetic match to no known living species, although they share distant traits with modern legumes and medicinal herbs.

Researchers believe the seeds were flash-frozen during a sudden climate shift, entombed in sediment and preserved without decay. This makes them the oldest viable plant material ever revived — older even than the previous Siberian record of 32,000-year-old wildflowers.

The plants are being grown in isolated greenhouses under heavy security. Botanists are studying their metabolic compounds and unique biochemistry — one of which shows signs of natural antibiotic properties not seen in modern flora.

This revival isn't just about ancient DNA. It’s about resurrecting biodiversity from Earth’s deep past — and perhaps unlocking lost traits we once depended on.

Sometimes, the future grows best when we plant the past.

03/23/2025

Coming back for more!

01/02/2025

Here are a few fun facts about oak trees.

"An example of Black Oak bark (left) and Red Oak bark (right). Black Oak (Quercus velutina) becomes more prevalent in acidic soils, although it can also thrive in soils with a pH of 6.5–6.8, which is considered weakly acidic. In contrast, Red Oak (Quercus rubra) grows at a similar rate in both strongly acidic soils (pH 4.5–6.0) and weakly acidic soils (pH 6.0–6.9). It can even occur in near-neutral soils (pH 7.0), but both species cease to grow in alkaline soils (pH above 7.0).

If you’re experiencing drought, as many parts of the U.S. currently are, you may notice wildflowers, turf grass, and some trees showing signs of stress. However, native trees like Oaks, Hickories, and others often appear unaffected by drought. Their extensive root systems enable them to thrive in grassland and savanna ecosystems, which typically have lower rainfall or drier soils compared to forests. Additionally, many Oak and Hickory species possess bark with varying degrees of fire resistance, allowing them to survive wildfires commonly occurring in these ecosystems.

As climates continue to change, resilient tree species like Oaks, Hickories, Hazelnuts, and blight-resistant American Chestnuts will play an essential role in the future. They can provide sustainable sources of grains and nuts for human consumption while also sequestering carbon and reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. These traits make them valuable allies in addressing the challenges of a destabilized climate."

📷 Everything Wild

01/02/2025

Cedars are beautiful trees.

What we commonly call "cedars" in New England actually fall into three different genera and sport distinguishable leaves, bark, and fruit.

Top row: Eastern red cedar is a juniper (Juniperus virginiana) with deeply fissured gray bark; short, pointed leaves (needles); and round, dusky blue fruits that resemble berries but are actually cones. It can take the form of either a tree (single trunk) or a shrub (multiple trunks) and grows in open fields and also in forests.
Photos: Leaves © Arthur Haines, bark © William Cullina, fruits © Marybeth Hanley

Middle row: Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) has fibrous, almost shaggy brown bark and a thick trunk, with flattened, scale-like leaves that grow in fan-shaped clusters. Its fruits are light blue-green, rough, and spherical. Look for this tree in swamp forests of the coastal plain.
Photos: Leaves © Arthur Haines, bark © Glenn Dreyer, fruits © Donald Cameron

Bottom row: Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is widespread in moist and wet forests of the north. Note its rough, deep-brown bark; flat, scale-like needles; and clusters of oval, light-green or tan fruits. It is one of New England's longest-lived trees, lasting 200-300 years, hence its common name arbor-vitae (tree of life).
Photos: Leaves © 2024 Donna Kausen, bark © Arthur Haines, fruits © Donald Cameron

Photo assemblage by Olivia Newhall-Thayer

11/23/2024

Self-seeding plants are wonderful for spreading beauty.

Never Plant Twice: 10 Self-seeding plants you never need to worry about planting again...Read more…💬

03/27/2022

01/30/2022

Are you a lover of trees?

01/28/2022

Here’s a different way to grow trees.

10/23/2021

It’s nutty this year! Here’s why:

The massive seed production is rooted in last year's weather.