SCIENCE IN OUR KITCHEN GARDEN

"How can I have red hair, when my Mum and Dad have brown?"

This was the question that led Bungwahl Public School into the discussion of genetics and how this can affect the outcome of cross pollinating Day lilies.

Over the final weeks of the 2009 school year, our students started an adventure of cross pollinating Day lilies, doing the bee's job. To our students surprise they couldn't believe that they could possibly create a flower with a different colour to the lily that they started with, mixing colours to create their very own coloured flower.  They collected pollen from their chosen coloured flower, then used that pollen to pollinate another flower that was either the same or different.

"What colour flower do you think you will create Isabelle?"

"Dark blue", she said excitedly.

In the Christmas school holidays finally the pods cracked open revealing their seed. Surprisingly some had only a few seed and some had as many as twelve. Returning to school in 2010 meant that the children now had to sow their seeds and it was time to nurture the colours of their future lilies. All the children are very excited to see what might be the outcome of their experiment and they have to patiently wait until Spring 2010 (it will be like waiting for Christmas). .

    Will the student's prediction be correct?

        What colour did you create? Will you be right?

        Wow!  Genetics is very interesting.

DAY LILIES

Day lilies are a beautiful lily originating from China. Every part of the plant is completely edible and the flowers add wonderful colours to a salad.

Preferring full sun, Day lilies are very hardy and will grow

 in just about any condition, needing water once or twice a week in the hot summer months. They will also grow in wet boggy soil and shade. But under these conditions the Day lily will still thrive but may not flower as well.

Nikki Dixon

Kitchen/Garden Specialist

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program

Bungwahl Public School