Ice damming

Wisconsin's tenacious winter is taking its toll on home and auto insurers, with damage claims piling up like snow.

At Sun Prairie-based General Casualty Insurance Cos., claims are up about 65% in January and February from 2007. Ice damming, in which freezing and thawing snow on roofs finds its way under shingles, into attics and onto ceilings and drywall, has been a frequent occurrence.

Ann Avery, spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance Co., said preventing ice dams is an important step homeowners can take to protect their property. The company suggests staying off the roof but using a roof rake to pull down snow and ice while standing on the ground.

- jsonline (link here)

The insidious effects of global warming.

Another giant moose

(Thanks to Brian for calling my attention to this story)

This moose was shot near Terrace, British Columbia. It is rumoured that it is a possible new world record! I do not know alot about moose, and it is hard to tell from pictures how big animals really are, but, this bull is a monster. I have never seen palms or paddles that big. I will update if I hear any more about this being a new record, and try to find the official score!

- Deer Canada Blog (link here)

Oklahoma buck

(Thanks to Brian for calling my attention to this story)

On the morning of 10/27/07, my 9 year old son, Baler Dee Stewart, scored this awesome buck with a 50 cal muzzleloader in Ringling, Oklahoma. This was his first time to fire this type of weapon. He fired then said to his dad, Patrick Stewart, "Is this gun on, Dad?" Dad replies, "Yea." "Well then, I got him, Dad.", states Baler.

This deer has not been officially scored. He has 30 points 1 inch or longer. Out here on the farm, we count the ones you can hang a ring on. Those total 41 points.

- Cindy Stewart, biggamehunt.net (link here)

Royal Heritage

Blooms for up to 5 months a year!

After 50 years of dedicated English breeding and 10 years of collection and ongoing, we excitedly offer our patrons the very finest perennial introduction of the decade. Royal Heritage Hellebores are destined to supplant even Hostas as the premiere carefree perennial for shade (and partial sun).

Uniquely superior for its wide range of sumptuous colors (purple, red, near-black, white, green, pink and even yellow) captured by 2-inch flowers with overlapping petals. In our garden the strain produces flowers for nearly 5 months, from winter through spring. Cut and floated, they make an excellent centerpiece, lasting up to two weeks.

A gardener's "dream plant" -- very permanent, very low-maintenance, very disease-free, very pest-free! Easy to establish from our vigorous container stock. Over the years each will develop into sturdy, long-lived clumps 18 to 24 inches high and 2 to 3 feet across. Totally tolerant of heat and humidity, and even periods of drought, if given well-drained, moisture-retentive soil. Can even thrive in clay! Zones 4-8.

- Wayside Gardens (link here)

I planted four of these last fall. Very much looking forward to see how they turn out.

The fathead experiment continues

There are still a couple of fathead minnows alive in the garden pool.

They are very difficult to spot due to their ability to blend in with the background.

I usually have to stand motionless for several minutes before I see one.

Salt vs. ice

This winter has proved to be especially troublesome because cold weather requires more salt.

One pound of salt can melt 46.3 pounds of ice when the pavement temperature is 30 degrees, Sproul said.

When the pavement drops to 5 degrees, one pound of salt can melt only a tenth as much - 4.1 pounds of ice.

- jsonline (link here)

This documents why the ice melter has been having a hard time dealing with the ice on my driveway.

Negritjanka

Its name means 'African Girl,' and their shape may remind you of C. jackmanii. But the color is utterly unique -- a midnight violet with undertones of rich magenta, absolutely spectacular among the other late-flowering Clematis in the garden. One of the most beautiful Clematis of all, this C. viticella hybrid deserves a place of honor in your landscape.

The flowers measure 3 to 3 1/2 inches across, with a central boss of bright yellow stamens and long, widely spaced, angular petals. Cut all you like; they make lovely centerpieces floated in a bowl of water, or held up with florist's wire in a tall, elegant bouquet. Expect them to begin in midsummer and continue through early fall, easing the transition between the seasons in the sunny garden. Very striking!

'Negritjanka' was bred in Kiev at the Botanic Gardens, so you know it is dependably cold-hardy and not about to let a little rough weather slow it down. This woody climber reaches 10 to 12 feet long and 3 to 4 feet wide, with abundant blooms all along its stems. A fine companion to climbing Roses, it is also ideal for threading through the branches of open-habit trees and shrubs, or lacing along a fence. It is a fine succession planting to earlier-blooming Clematis, and adds rich color to the autumn garden. Pruning Group III. Zones 3-9.

- Wayside Gardens (link here)

Put this one on my wish list.

Massive moose

A moose taller than a sport utility vehicle wandered into the backyard of a Vail condo and needed help to get out Tuesday.

Wildlife managers were unable to herd the animal out of the yard, so they called the property owner to tell him they would be carrying an unconscious moose through his condo.

- Denver Post (link here)

We do not have massive moose in our backyards here in the Milwaukee area.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has an interesting summary of information about moose in Colorado (link here).

Giant cougar in AZ

Lots of info but here is just one of many good links:

The Daily Courier

Safflower

One of my favorite seeds for birds is safflower, a white seed, slightly smaller than a black sunflower seed. Squirrels don't like it. Neither do grackles, blue jays, or starlings.

I bit into a safflower seed myself once and found it extremely bitter. Cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers munch it like candy, though, so I keep a good supply available on the platform feeder.

- birdwatching.com

Ken Druse

http://kendruse.typepad.com/

Garden info site sponsored by Wayside Gardens.

Bartzella

For years the Holy Grail of serious gardeners, this Itoh Hybrid from master breeder Roger Anderson sold for more than $1,000 a division as late as 1999, but today is mercifully much more affordable! Yet no other Peony has surpassed it for beauty, fragrance, or sheer flower power, and we doubt any will. With blooms measuring 9 inches across, fully double and redolent of zesty lemon, this Peony would be remarkable even if it didn't have the vigor to produce more than 80 flowers a season on a single plant.

- Wayside Gardens (link here)

$1,000 for a peony does seem a bit steep.

Too many new plants

While at the conference I heard someone say that we have way too many new plants. I agree - there are too many new plants. The problem is that there is no way that people, let alone nursery professionals, can digest so many new introductions, let alone grow them.

I see the same thing when I travel overseas. New plants are a dime-a-dozen. As I've said before the difficulty is not finding new plants, it's finding new plants that are better and superior, and that people will want to put in their yard.

To make matters worse, in one of the clinic lectures, one retail expert said that garden centers need to cut back on the number of plant varieties they offer. His point was that by offering so many choices, we are overwhelming the consumer. Again, I agree.

So what’s the Answer? In my opinion the free market will solve the problem. The best plants will rise to the top as growers, retailers and consumers vote with their pocket books. With this in mind, it’s very important for growers to be careful in introducing new plants or they’ll soon discover that they’ve wasted a lot of time and money.

- Tim Wood, The Plant Hunter (via email, no link provided)

I think this is a good problem, and as he points out, it will get solved via the marketplace.

Australian Spider

Thanks to Allison for the picture of the very cool spider.

The Beagle Wins!

Barking and baying up a storm, Uno lived up to his name Tuesday night by becoming the first beagle to win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.

The only dog consistently listed among America's most popular breeds for nearly 100 years, a beagle had never won in the 100 times Westminster picked a winner.

- AP/ajc(link here)

I would like to have a beagle.

3 Generations

Three generations of tough guys.

This picture was taken just after Logan's win at Rage 47.

Plott hounds

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/plotthound.htm

This web site offers lots of info on Plott hounds and some good pictures, too.

Plott hounds in AKC

Four breeds will make their debut at Westminster this year, the most to be admitted at once since 1991. Along with the Tibetan mastiff, in the working group, the Beauceron and the Swedish vallhund were added to the herding group and the Plott was added to the hound group.

The Plott hound comes closest of the four new breeds to being a native American dog. Brought to the United States in the late 18th century and bred to sniff wild boar and bear, the midsize, brindle-haired dog is still primarily used for hunting. (The breed standard includes this note to judges: “The Plott may have an identification mark on the rump used to identify the dog when out hunting. Such a mark is not to be penalized when evaluating the dog.”)

Joe Burkett is one of only two breeders who have Plott hounds showing at Westminster. “They need to be hunting dogs before they go into the ring for a show,” he said. Of the four Plotts he entered, he said he expected only two — named Trigger and Jeff — would be able to handle the stress of the large, cramped show.

“It’s a tough show for a hunting dog from out in the country,” he said. “But it’s an honor to be invited.”

- NY Times (link here)

Many years ago I was the proud owner of a UKC registered Plott hound.

And now they have made the big time in the AKC.

Trillium

These flowers turn outward on bent stems, showing their faces proudly in the partly to fully shaded border. One of the most charming of native Trillium, T. flexipes offers very long-lasting blooms that continue from spring into summer, followed by showy red to purple berries. This plant is lovely in the shade border or in fine containers, returning for many years to show off its unusual beauty.

The flowers are pure white, 2 to 3 inches wide, and held out flat with recurved edges and nicely prominent veins. A small flush of creamy-chartreuse in the center of the bloom reveals the yellow anthers. But the most interesting aspect is that unlike other Trillium, they do not dangle among the foliage nor stare heavenward; their 1 1/2- to 5-inch stems are bent just before the base of the bloom, so that the flowers look outward!

Like many Trillium, these blooms are very long-lasting, beginning in mid-spring and persisting into summer. Their substantial thickness gives them good weather resistance, and they keep their fresh white color very well. When they finally do pass, they are followed by deep red to purple fruit that continues the show through summer.

T. flexipes reaches anywhere from 8 to 20 inches high and 12 to 15 inches wide. Native to the woodlands of the eastern coast and as far west as Arkansas and Missouri, it thrives in moist, well-enriched soil on the alkaline side, and prefers at least partial shade. This is a fine large planting for the shade border, an accent planting in small groups throughout the garden, or a subject for your very best containers.

- Wayside Gardens (link here)

I have never tried to grow Trillium, but it would be a welcome addition to the garden.

Purple Haze

So compact that it can be grown in containers, this lovely Anise Hyssop sports tall, elegant spikes of lavender with rosy-red calyces in late summer. Lasting for many weeks, the blooms attract butterflies by the dozen, and are ideal for cutting. Even when not in bloom, however, this carefree perennial is attractive, thanks to its richly aromatic blue-green foliage and neat size.

Purple Haze reaches just 18 inches high and a foot wide. Very floriferous, it is perfect for up-close enjoyment, where the slightest brush against its foliage releases the sweet scent of licorice. Bring it onto the patio, up the porch steps, and along the driveway, as well as in the border and as an accent planting. And if you like Purple Haze, be sure to consider another compact variety, Sonoran Sunrise. Zones 4-9.

- Park Seed (link here)

We have one Anise Hyssop plant in the garden, but I would definitely like to add some more.

Logan Petro

Logan delivers a back-handed spin move to his opponent at Rage 47.