Horticulture Guy

The Hori Hori Knife is one of the most popular gardening tools to be imported from Japan. Hori is a form of the verb horu, which means “to dig”. Although most people describe the Hori Hori Knife as a tool used in Japan by bonsai collectors I always wondered why it looked so much like a weapon.My theory is that the Hori Hori Knife evolved because Japanese farmers needed their farming tools to double as weapons.

During the middle ages (1536-1598) there were farmer-warriors who earned this title because in addition to being farmers they were also part time warriors. The feudal Lords perceived this as a threat in the form of armed rebellion. During Toyotom Hideyoshi’s rule of Japan a clear distinction was made between four castes warrior (Samurai), farmer, artisan and merchant. He implemented what was called Katanagari (sword hunt) to confiscate arms from all non-warrior castes - especially the warrior-farmers. So it seems plausible that in response the farmers who were stripped of conventional weaponry would fashion their farming tools to double as “legal” weapons.

The Hori Hori Knife has a straight edge and a serrated edge and can cut plant roots, weed and be used for digging and planting. The modern Hori Hori Knife is slightly smaller than the Japanese short sword (shoto - wakizashi). Gardeners interested in having the versatile Hori Hori Knife to use in their own gardens have their choice of the black high carbon steel Hori Hori Knife or the Stainless Steel Hori Hori Knife.

Question: I’d like to ask you a question. Recently I ordered garden seeds from a licensed nursery in another state. These seeds came shipped in clear cellophane with no directions or instructions of any kind such as sun, shade, when to plant ,etc, etc. I complained and they said tough - no refunds. What I’d like to know is what is required in packaging to ship seeds across state lines? Don’t packets have to contain certain specific information? How do I file a complaint against this dealer? I’d appreciate any help you could offer. Bob - new castle, indiana

Answer: I believe there are minimum standards like name of plant, year it was packaged. If you would like to pursue this further I wood contact the USDA’s (United State’s Department of Agriculture’s) Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch:
Write to: Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch
801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C
Gastonia, North Carolina 28054-2193
email: seed.ams@usda.gov
or call: Phone: 704-810-8870
FAX: 704-852-4189 (Lab), 4109(Chief)

Question: I’m trying to identify a flower. We live in Athens, Georgia (she’s about 20 minutes outside of Athens.) and this is something that has been in my friends yard since she moved into the house, and until this year she’s been pulling them up because she thought they were clover. Looks like 2 flowers put together, totally different parts of them. Front part is white w/yellow stamens and back part is purple and looks almost lily-ish.She hadn’t gotten to it this year, and they bloomed. Here’s the link for the pictures… Thanks, Wendy R.
Answer: That is a type of columbine (Aquilegia) a garden perennial. The darker colored part are the sepals and the white the petals. There are many types of columbines. Some produce flowers in a single color or like the one your friend has are bicolored.