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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2023 11 DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826? These two famous signers of the Declaration of Independence both died on its 50th anniversary. James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president, would later die on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge is the only president that was born on the Fourth of July. DID YOU KNOW that plants can be gendered? The idea of "male" and "female" in plants is a bit mysterious to many people, and there are several variations on the theme throughout the plant kingdom. In plants, as with most animals, the male parts are associated with production of sperm, and the female parts are associated with eggs. Thus, in angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (plants with "naked seeds"), the male structures produce pollen (which contain sperm), and the female structures have one or more ovaries (which contain eggs known as ovules). Hermaphroditic plants have male and female parts together within the same flower. A majority of flowering plants are hermaphroditic. Some hermaphroditic plants are self-fertile (e.g. sour cherry, peach, and plum trees), while others still need pollen from other nearby varieties of the same species to produce fruit (blueberry, apple). Dioecious plants house their male and female flowers on separate plants. Examples include holly, kiwi, and asparagus. Monoecious plants can have male and female flowers in separate structures on the same plant. Examples include squash and cucumber. Get to know what you're growing and find out what's recommended for the specific plants in your garden. If you have a fruit tree or shrub with low or no yields, it could just be waiting for some "friends" to help it along.