2008 Perennial of the Year

A Blooms of Bressingham variety. There has never been a Hardy Geranium as versatile, heat- and humidity-loving, and long-blooming as 'Rozanne'! In garden trials at the University of Georgia, it outdid all others by a country mile. In Germany, a single plant exploded with color and airy texture to completely fill -- and spill out of -- a hanging basket! And at the 2000 Chelsea Flower Show, Adrian Bloom (of Blooms of Bressingham) declared 'Rozanne' "the Geranium of the Millennium"!

So what's all the fuss about? Well, first there's the bloomtime. Intensely-colored 1-inch blooms of violet-blue with a large white eye begin appearing on this graceful plant in early summer, and unlike most Geraniums (which fizzle when the temperature climbs too high), keep coming until early fall. Fantastic for bedding, borders, patio, and containers in the South and Southwest, where many Geraniums have short and unsatisfactory bloom seasons.

Then there's the habit. Open and airy as all Hardy Geraniums are, 'Rozanne' is more compact, managing to send up more flowering stems in less space than most others. As a result, you get a much bigger bloom show, and the plant looks lush rather than rangy. (How many other Hardy Geraniums would you care to show off, solo, in a hanging basket?)

This plant reaches 16 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, with larger leaves and more robust growth than most Geraniums. Bred from G. wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety' and G. himalayense, its blooms look like oversized 'Buxton's,' and its wallichianum heritage gives it great vigor.

'Rozanne' is not particular about soil type, provided the drainage is good and it receives plenty of sunshine (light shade is fine in warmer climates). Space plants 18 inches apart. Hardy in zones 4-8.

- Wayside Gardens (link here)

We could use a few more perennial geraniums in our garden.

We have one very nice clump that we have had for many years.

Wisconsin cougars

The DNR has received more than 400 cougar observations since 1994 - there were 87 in 2006 alone.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point researcher Eric M. Anderson estimated that 90% of those who believe they saw a cougar saw something else - coyotes, wolves or bobcats, for example.

- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (link here)

Only DNR guys and UW-system employees are actually dumb enough to believe that a coyote looks like a cougar.

Antero Christmas

It looks like these guys had a very Merry Christmas.

Colorado Ice Fishing

This is how they do it in Colorado.

Seems like an expensive way to go.

Cougar in Wisconsin

Doug Fendry of the Department of Natural Resources took this photo on Jan. 17 in the town of Milton in Rock County of tracks that are suspected to be those of a cougar. If confirmed and if the cougar proves to be wild and not a captive animal that has escaped, this would be the first evidence of a cougar in Wisconsin since the early 1900s.

Cougars, or mountain lions, are pushing eastward. Their population is thriving in the West and this is forcing more competition for territory that pushes some cougars farther east.

The tracks were found about 1 3/4 miles east of the intersection of E. Bowers Lake Road and HWY 26.

- jsonline.com (link here)

Dark Dancer

cv. Dark Dancer. Here's a groundcover with a delightful difference: deep purple to black foliage and white blooms in summer! Ready to spread as far as you will let it, this exceptionally fast-growing, vigorous Four-Leaf Clover keeps its dark foliage from spring till frost, and even year-round in warm climates. The blooms show off the dark leaves to great effect, and the dense habit is quite attractive scrambling across bare ground.

Black Four-Leafed Clover thrives in sun to part shade, demonstrating great resistance to heat, humidity, and other garden stresses. It needs little attention from you to keep looking its best. 4 to 8 inches high, it spreads at least a foot wide unless restrained. Zones 4-11.

- Park Seed (link here)

Lucky four-leaf clover?

Angel's Trumpet Cherub

All Angel's Trumpets deliver a lot of flowers, but Cherub is absolutely the most floriferous yet, with UP TO 250 BLOOMS AT ONCE on a mature plant! Wonderfully fragrant in early morning and late afternoon/evening, these dark peachy-pink flowers are an unforgettable sight!

Developed right here in South Carolina by our own Doc Alston (who brought the world Candylilies as well as several Mandevillas in the past), Cherub sets a new standard of performance for Brugmansia. The petals of these 9-inch blooms are far thicker and waxier than those of earlier varieties, giving them better weather resistance and staying power outdoors. The buds are long and elegant, beginning chartreuse before turning cream and then pale pink. As they open, they abruptly darken to deep peachy-pink -- an amazing sight in itself!

This plant blooms in 3-week cycles all summer long, by far the longest-blooming we've ever grown. It's the ideal plant near an outdoor entertainment spot such as the patio or balcony, for its fragrance is strongest after the sun goes down. Give it plenty of food and water and let it delight you and your guests for months on end!

Plant Cherub in a large, showy container, preferably on wheels for easy moving. A tropical, this plant is hardy only in zones 9-10, so the rest of us will want to bring it indoors or to outdoor shelter before the first hard frost. That said, it will happily live and bloom for many years -- beginning the very first year you plant it!

- Park Seed (link here)

250 huge blooms at once would be most impressive.