When planning your herb garden this year, be sure to plant the best breath fresheners!  According to author James Duke, Parsley, Basil and Cilantro are at the top of the list.  They all contain the green pigment chlorophyll, which is a powerful breath freshener.  In addition, Dill (seeds and leaves), Cardamom (seeds), Anise (seeds) and the Peppermints come next.  

Groundhogs can whistle when its alarmed, or when they begin courting in the spring. 

Baby groundhogs are called a kit or cub. 

Groundhog's usually live about 6-8 years, but Punxsutawney Phil receives a drink of a magical punch every summer during the annual Groundhog Picnic, which gives him 7 more years of life.

2012 AARS (rose) - ‘Sunshine Daydream‘ - The only 2012 winner, this Grandiflora rose shows off with large light yellow flowers (25 petal count – low fragrance) finishing cream yellow produced in fantastic abundance above dark green glossy foliage.  Lovely to look at - sure to brighten any garden - excellent disease resistance.  5-51/2’ tall x 4’wide / rounded, bushy plant / cup-like blossoms / all season bloomer.  –Chosen by the AARS  /  www.rose.org   [‘Oso Happy Petit Pink’, ‘Butter Me Up’, ‘Ann Hooper’ – 2012 Mini Rose Award of Excellence]

During an ice storm, stay inside and be safe.   Once the storm is finished, then its time to make an inspection of the landscape, especially the larger trees and evergreens.  DO NOT walk underneath them.  Stand back and inspect them looking for broken, hanging, even cracked branches or trunks.  Even after the ice has melted, do another inspection.  Not sure?  Then call in a certified arborist to help visually inspect the trees.  Again, stay away and do not walk underneath until you have inspected and cleared them as visually safe.    

If smaller younger trees bend over during the ice storm, they should recover;  younger evergreens as well.  In advance of winter / snow and ice storms, if you have multi-leader upright evergreens such as arborvitae, you can help support those leaders by tying them together mid to 3/5 way up using panty hose around all leaders.    Remove in spring.    

If your plants suffer severe damages from an ice storm, do be careful cleaning up the debris.  Anything where you would need to get on a ladder and or reach way above your head to cut, call in the professionals (certified arborists).  More accidents happen after ice storms (cleanup) than during the storm.    If your trees receive 40% or more loss, that’s usually when they are removed / past chances of good recovery.   Broken or ripped branches need to be taken care of with a new clean cut, whole branch removed, etc to help the damaged areas seal / heal properly and insure future health of the tree.    

Trees that were ‘topped’ or pruned incorrectly are generally more susceptible to damages than those not pruned or pruned correctly.    If using ‘professional’ help in removing, repairing tree damages, tree care, make sure they are certified, licensed, trained and have full insurance.  NOTE: If they do not have insurance and something happens while they are on your property, you will be responsible. 

After a drought (along with previous years stresses on trees and evergreens) they could be much more susceptible to snow, ice and wind damages.  So be careful, make sure you visually inspect the trees after the storms and later.  And as we always recommend, have a certified arborist inspect and help maintain your trees on a regular basis, just like you going to the doctor for regular check-ups.  Proper tree care / pruning by certified arborists (if needed) can help keep your trees in good health as well as reduce possible storm damage.

It may be winter outside, but one question I get a lot this time of the year is about dormant seeding the lawn.  When is the best time to dormant seed and how do I go about it?  Well, dormant seeding is exactly that - sowing grass seed during the dormant time of the year, so that the seed will be in place and ready to grow when the weather breaks in the spring.  And typically during this time of the year, the ground goes thru a freezing and thawing process, which helps work the grass seed down into the soil.  And as we know, grass seed must have soil contact in order to germinate and grow.  

3If you're looking to dormant seed, here are a few tips to follow:
-Make sure you use grass seed that is the same or compatible to the grass already growing in your lawn.  
  
-For over seeding an existing lawn, use ½ or less the normal seeding rate.  For bare areas, use the regular seeding rate.   

-Do not dormant seed when there is snow on the ground.  Dormant seeding on top of snow or ice may result in the seed washing away when the snow or ice melts.  So, make sure the ground is clear before seeding.  It's okay if it snows after you've dormant seeded.

-And although dormant seeding can happen anywhere from late November thru mid March, I prefer to dormant seed mid to late February.  The ground is still freezing and thawing, and seed germination conditions are just a few weeks away!

-If you anticipate using a pre emergent herbicide in the lawn this spring to stop crabgrass and other weed seeds from germinating, remember these will also stop your dormant sown grass seed from germinating.  So either skip the pre emergent, or use a pre emergent specially labeled for newly seeded lawns.  Stops the weed seeds, lets the grass seed grow, and feeds with a starter fertilizer as well.  But make sure it is for newly seeded lawns!