Remarkable Trees at Great Sand Dunes

Filed under: Trees — admin @ 12:29 pm

“I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree.” — Joyce Kilmer

For gigantic trees, head to Sequoia or Redwood National Parks. For colorful autumn trees, head to Blue Ridge Parkway or Arcadia National Park. But, for some unusual and remarkable trees, visit southern Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Our first stop: the Ghost Forest. Portions of the tallest sand dunes in North America (rising nearly 750 feet from the valley floor) sometimes escape the main dune field and try to smother nearby groves of ponderosa pine and cottonwood trees. Sometimes the cottonwoods manage to outsmart the sand by essentially converting low branches into roots. The ponderosas aren’t as adaptable, and many die under the slow onslaught.

As the sand shifts again, the dead trees are exposed once again, evoking ghostly images of a dead forest. Look high up along the bark-less branches, and you may spot the “flood-mark” of the sand at its highest point far above where you stand today.

Continuing up the streambed of Medano Creek along the eastern slope of the dune field, we come to Indian Grove. Here we find nearly 100 ponderosas with portions of their lower bark partially peeled away.

This grove of peeled trees offer a peek into the history of Ute, Zuni, Kutenai, and other Native American groups who passed through this area from the late 1700s through the early 1900s.

As you walk among the peeled trees in a lovely meadow under the majestic beauty of Mt. Herard, you can almost sense the presence of the Indian people who were here hundreds of years ago.

Native Americans were careful not to kill the trees when they used a sharp piece of wood to peel chunks of bark from the ponderosas. The bark was used to make trays, baskets and cradleboards, and was also useful as a building material. The inner bark is highly nutritious, containing significant amounts of calcium and vitamin C. The inner bark could also be used to thicken soup or stew, or to make tea.

Because of their cultural significance, the trees at Indian Grove were added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2000.

“As the poet said, ‘Only God can make a tree’ — probably because it’s so hard to figure out how to get the bark on.”

– Woody Allen

About The Author 

Diane Winger is co-author of The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, and other guidebooks. Visit  www.GreatSandDunes.info  to learn more about this outstanding destination in Southern Colorado                       

Back In The Garden

Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 10:28 am

For many Canadians, gardening is the most joyful activity of summer. But if you love to garden and you also suffer from back pain, you know that you can cause yourself a lot of grief unless you follow some basic ergonomic principles.

Gardening, of course, is a seasonal activity here in Canada. During the winter, few of us make much use of the muscle groups we employ for typical gardening activities. The one exception is washing floors, but, truthfully, how often do you do that?

But even if you linger over the linoleum daily from October to March, it’s still important to warm up and stretch your muscles before you dig. Here’s a tip – the easiest way to warm up your muscles is to take a hot shower BEFORE you garden.

This is called a passive warm-up. You’ll still need to stretch, but you can do this in the garden. Use the same motions you use when weeding, raking, digging, etc. – whatever your planned tasks – but do them slowly, holding each stretch for about 10 seconds.

It’s also important to do some gentle stretching after you garden, especially if you’ve overdone it and your muscles feel tight. Another hot shower can help as well.

Another rule: Go slow! When the weather breaks, it’s tempting to turn over ALL the earth on the first afternoon. Trouble is, by the time your back aches, you’ve already done too much. By pacing yourself, you can ensure that your back will be fit enough to garden again next weekend!

A third principle to keep in mind is that a change is as good as a rest. Vary your activities rather than doing all your weeding, for instance, at once. In other words, shovel for a few minutes, dump, rake, weed, inspect the plants etc etc. Rest for a while, then repeat.

Avoid staying in any one position for too long. Gardening involves bending, kneeling, standing, walking, and reaching; don’t spend more than 15 minutes in any one of these positions before changing to something else.

Also, don’t mix and match activities with positions. If you’re crouching down to weed, don’t suddenly reach up and stretch to snip at a stray vine. Don’t bend forward with your knees straight. And as in any activity, try not to lift and twist at the same time.

Remember to hold heavy objects close to your body. So what if they’re muddy – getting dirty is part and parcel of gardening’s charm.

Finally, organize your tool shed so that heavy supplies are stored at waist level. Invest in some back-friendly tools like a kneeling bench with handles, shears, shovels and weeders with long handles to minimize bending, an angled rake, and a swan-necked watering can.

If you keep this advice in mind, there’s no reason for back pain to keep you out of your garden.

For more information visit  www.backrelief.com .

About The Author 

News Canada  provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada  is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors.

Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often.

Visit  News Canada  and learn more about the NC services.                         

Bare Root Roses

Filed under: Flowers — admin @ 4:08 pm

Bare Root Roses, what to look for when buying

The first thing to look for is the plant’s grade. Nearly all bare root roses sold today are grown in the field and are approximetly two years old. They are sold in three main grades.

Grade 1 is the best and most expensive grade. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least three strong cains, two of which must be at least 18 inches in length for hybrid teas anf grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.

Grade 1 1/2 is the most popular grade due to it’s lesser price. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least two strong canes which must be at least 15 inches long for hybrid teas and grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.

Grade 2 is the least expensive grade. These plants are only required to have two canes 12 inches or longer. These plants can be a gamble as they may be stunted.

Note: Measurements are for plants when dug from the fields. Sometimes the plant sellers will shorten the length of the canes for easier handling. The number of canes remain the same and usually the thicker the diameter the better the plant.

There are three main sources for buying roses.

Nurseries are normally more expensive but are usually the best places to buy your plants. plants are normally kept in sawdust thereby allowing you to inspect the roots. plants with badly damaged roots are less likely to do well and may not make it at all. Additionally, a nursery usually carries a large variety of new and old standards. Finally, a good nurseryperson can provide advice as to which plants do best in your area and climate.

Mail order suppliers are normally less expensive and usually have a greater variety of plants than your local nursery, however you can not inspect the plants before buying and they sometimes arrive damaged. Furthermore, although most mail order suppliers are reputable a few are disreputable and ship very poor quality plants. Additionally, it is hard and can be expensive to return plants that you are unhappy with.

Supermarkets are inexpensive but usually carry a limited variety of plants. Additionally the plants usually come with their roots wrapped in plastic, therefore you are unable to inspect the roots for damage. plants can be treated roughly in supermarkets, not only by the people that stock them, but also by customers. Therefore, there is a much greater potential for damage.

Should you buy newly developed varieties or the old standards?

Which variety of plant you purchase depends on your taste and what is available for your climate.

There are hundreds of varieties of roses, however I prefer the older time proven standards. They may not come in as many color variations but they are reliable, still come in a large variety of colors and are usually more heavily scented (I like to smell the roses). My two favorites are both red. The Chrysler Imperial is a full well shaped velvety dark crimson red flower with a rich delightful fragrance which grows on a heavily flowering medium height bush. Mister Lincoln has long buds with full open dark rich red fragrant flowers with long stems and grows on a tall bush with dark glossy leaves.

Roses, if properly cared for, can last years. Therefore, in order to obtain the most enjoyment from your plants it is a good idea to do your research. Spend some time looking at types, colors, shapes and sizes. Check catalogues, the internet, check out friend’s gardens and if possible go to an arboretum or nursery. Look at and smell the roses before buying.

Published by David G Hallstrom

For more information on what to look for when buying roses see  http://www.nationalrealtorsdirectory.com/planbeforebuyingrosesarticle.html