December
19, 2001
Talk
About A Green Christmas...
Although the Winter Solstice arrives on Friday the weather
sure has not felt much like winter. This weather is playing
tricks on my garden. I have alyssum in full bloom and my
primrose thinks it's spring. My miniature roses continue to
surprise me with new blooms. I am beginning to think that I
am going to have a garden all winter. Not possible.
The cold winter air will arrive soon enough and finally lull all
of my plantings into a long sleep. My pansies would look
great if I could remember to water them. I need to start
reading this newsletter a little better. I believe that I
have been preaching about watering and keeping things moist due
to lack of rainfall. Oh how the cobbler's children have no
shoes.
I have been scurrying around like everyone else preparing for
Christmas! What an exciting time. Of course the
children are beside themselves and every morning when they awake
it is the same question, "How many more days 'til
Christmas?" There is nothing quite like getting
together with all of your family for the holidays. We are
headed to Maryland to spend the Christmas holiday with Kevin's
side of the family. My side of the family is meeting in
Phoenix to welcome a new member to our family. My sister
gave birth to Nicholas Reed Bornhoft on December the 9th.
Nicholas will make the 5th grandchild on my side of the family.
Our families keep growing at a rapid rate. We are expecting
two more babies next spring on the Marsh side of the family.
It is always so much fun when all of the kids get to see their
cousins.
Kevin and I have had such a great year. The children are
growing and becoming more independent every day. It is
amazing how fast they grow up. Morgan will be turning 11 in
January and Noah is 5 and Jake brings up the rear at 3. It
seems like only yesterday that they were babies. What a joy
it has been watching them reach certain milestones.
Parenthood is truly a blessed thing!
Be safe throughout this holiday season and Kevin and I thank you
all for your support. Merry Christmas!!!!
~
Shelly
Hey Bud,
What Are You Doing Here?
We were a little surprised to venture outside last week to
find our magnolia tree full
of buds. Did we sleep through winter? All over
the metro, and apparently across the country, trees have been
budding out, forsythia have bloomed and all manner of plants are
just plain confused by the mild temperatures. Surely this
can't be good? We put the question to Dennis Patton at the
K-State Extension office who offered the following encouraging
but cautionary notes:
- Plants
should be fine as long as any flower buds are protected by the bud scales.
Problems may arise if this (mild) weather continues and the buds "plump" more.
- Flower buds are
more
likely to be damaged in the spring by a late frost when color is
starting to appear in the flower.
- If
temperatures stay below 50-55
degrees there should not be any additional development of the
buds.
- A rapid temperature drop could
create more problems then a slow slide.
All we want
for Christmas is some steady rain and a gradual decrease in
temperatures toward normalcy!
Goin'
Buggy...
Most homes in winter become dry as bone meal. Keep an eye
out for spider mites on your houseplants - they thrive in that
dry air. Females lay about 200 eggs and the life cycle may
be completed in just 7 days. Do the math - it gets ugly
fast!
At the
first sign of any insect infestation, isolate your plant.
Several thorough washings with soapy water (two teaspoons of mild
detergent to a gallon of water) should bring them under control.
Acid
Test...
Mulching your perennials is very important in
wintertime. If possible mulch the root zones of your azaleas and rhododendrons
with oak leaves, shredded oak bark or pine needles. Each
will add a little bid of acidity to the delight of these
acid-loving plants.
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Meet Me
Under The Mistletoe...
Mistletoe is easily one of my favorite seasonal traditions.
A parasitic plant with white berries, it is one of the most
sacred plants in European folklore. It was once considered
a bestower of life and fertility. A good mistletoe crop
foretold Welsh farmers a good crop for the upcoming season.
Mistletoe was also thought to help individuals who had problems
bearing children. Mistletoe has long been a symbol with
both magical powers and medical properties. Mistletoe from
sacred oaks was especially precious to ancient Celtic Druids.
It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices for
indoor decoration. Mistletoe was so sacred to the Druids
that if two enemies were to meet under it, they had to lay down
their weapons and observe a truce until the following day.
The name
mistletoe came from a mistake made long ago. In ancient
times it was observed that mistletoe would often arise on tree
branches where birds had left droppings. This led to the
misguided belief that mistletoe was propagated spontaneously from
bird droppings. Mistel is the Anglo-Saxon word for
"dung" and tan is the word for "twig".
Hence, mistletoe means "dung-on-a-twig".
The
tradition of kissing under the mistletoe began in England.
It was believed that kissing under the mistletoe increased the
possibility of marriage in the upcoming year. After every
kiss, a berry was removed from the bunch and discarded.
When the berries were gone, the kissing would stop.
Source
Winter
Water Wisdom...
Winter watering is the single most important thing you can do to
ensure healthy bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, and lawns next
spring. Take
advantage of the mild temperatures now to water as much as you
can. It's not crazy to have a sprinkler going in December -
especially if it's been unusually dry. Also, make sure to
give evergreens a really good soaking once a week as temperatures
allow.
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Winter
Wisdom...
When I say evergreen do you think of pine trees? Well
stop it! After all there are so many more interesting
evergreens that grow well in our area. How about Azaleas, Rhododendrons,
Holly, the list goes on. If you're a little green about
evergreens you'll want to read this
week's Winter
Wisdom...
Keep Off
The Grass...
While our daytime temperatures have been mild lately the
overnight lows are dipping into the low 30's and high 20's.
Grass will respond to these freezing conditions by
moving water to areas outside the cells. Ice accumulates
in spaces between the cells and individual grass blades become brittle.
Walking on frozen turf will force the ice and cells together and
can cause permanent damage to your lawn. Do your best to
avoid it.
Finally... "May
you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love." ~
Ada V. Hendricks |