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Science Friday > Archives > 2002 > November > November 15, 2002:
Hour One: Gardening and Climate Change / Leonid Meteor Shower

Warmer temperatures are now allowing gardeners to grow many plants that didn't previously survive in certain locations. South American flowers are sprouting in Brooklyn, crape myrtles are flourishing in the Northeast, and a Chinese tulip bloomed for the first time this year in Boston. The American Horticultural Society recently revised the Agricultural Department's Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which provides the average coldest temperature of geographical regions, to reflect these warmer temperatures.

In this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk with two botanists, H. Marc Cathey and David Francko, about how climate changes are affecting our gardens and the new zone hardiness map.

Plus, we'll talk to meteorologist Joe Rao on watching the Leonid Meteor Shower this upcoming Monday night. This year may be your last chance to see these spectacular Leonids for another 30 years!

Call in with your comments and questions at 1-800-989-8255, and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required).

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Guests:
H. Marc Cathey
Professor Emeritus
American Horticultural Society
Alexandria, Virginia

David Francko
Professor and Chair, Department of Botany
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

Joe Rao
Meteorologist, Cablevision News 12 Network of Greater New York
Staff Instructor and Lecturer, Hayden Planetarium
"Sky Watch" Contributor, New York Times
Westchester, NY

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths: Warm-Climate Plants for Cooler Areas" by David Francko. Timber Press, 2003

(find more SciFri books here)

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Related Links:
American Horticultural Society
Bananas in the Backyard
Research transforming campus into luxuriant, tropic-like oasis
Growing Gardens

How to listen for the Leonids on your FM radio
NASA's 2002 Meteor Storm Forecast
NASA's Leonid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign Homepage
American Meteor Society
International Meteor Organization
North American Meteor Network
Leonids 2002: The Grand Finale
The Leonids: King of the Meteor Showers!

This segment produced by Karin Vergoth and Dorothy Lam

 


 

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