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Moonshine Designs Nursery 

Located in Milan, Illinois                    309-756-1967                                   Fax:  309-756-1058

 

STRANGE BUT TRUE GARDEN NEWS

Just a few tidbits of news we read about concerning gardening and landscaping.

Tiger Poop Keeps the Pests Away
Reuters
CANBERRA (Feb. 17) - A tiger's roar might be scary, but Australian researchers have found that the predator's poo is just as potent.
Researchers at the University of Queensland said Friday they had successfully tested a tiger poo repellant, warding off wild goats for at least three days.
"Goats wouldn't have seen a tiger from an evolutionary point of view for at least 15 generations but they recognize the smell of the predator," repellent creator Peter Murray said in a statement.
"If we can show this lasts weeks ... we've just tapped into probably a billion-dollar market. It's enormous," he said.
Murray said the repellant, made of fatty acids and sulphurous compounds extracted from tiger excrement, also worked on feral pigs, kangaroos and rabbits and might deter deer, horses and cattle too.
In an average year pest animals cause about the equivalent of $311 million worth of agricultural damage in Australia the government has said. Others put the cost in the billions, mostly from European imports such as rabbits, foxes and crop-choking weeds.

Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

News Releases

2006 Perennial Plant of the Year - "Firewitch" Dianthus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2005

The Perennial Plant Association has named Dianthus gratianopolitanus "Feuerhexe" (commonly known as "Firewitch") the 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year. The genus Dianthus contains annual, biennial and perennial species and includes plants with the common names of carnation, sweet Williams and pinks. Cheddar Pink is the common name of this excellent sun-exposed perennial.

"Firewitch" is an evergreen selection with bluish-gray, silvery foliage. The flowers have been described as purplish-pink to magenta-pink, but regardless of which descriptor you feel fits, the flowers are bright and prolific lasting for weeks! Being a member of the carnation genus, the flowers have a spicy, clove-like fragrance. The first peak bloom time is mid-spring. Promptly shear off old blooms and you will be rewarded with a second flush in summer. Shear again, and you should see flowers again in fall.

"Firewitch" is a low growing, mat-forming, alpine plant with narrow bluish-gray foliage that remains evergreen. The foliage height is 3 to 4 inches with flowers stems reaching 8 inches. At bloom time the brilliant flowers cover the plant. Hardy from USDA zones 3 to 9, it will perform well in Illinois gardens as long as it has well-drained soil. Plants placed in poorly drained soils will eventually deteriorate. Dianthus "Firewitch" should be placed in full sun or in light shade if the garden is in a hot microclimate.

 

This Cheddar Pink will be at home in many garden spots. It is excellent as a border edger, as a rock garden plant, planted in wall crevices or as a ground cover on a sunny slope. It will easily fit in an herb garden, a formal border or a cottage garden. The Perennial Plant Association suggests a few plant combinations where "Firewitch" will shine. Try it with Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) in the spring followed by threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticiallata 'Moonbeam' or 'Zagreb'), and in the fall match it with plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides). This fall combo will offer you a double bonus. First, the bright blue plumbago flowers will compliment the color of the Dianthus foliage. Plus, the bronze/red fall color of plumbago looks great with the silvery foliage of "Firewitch."

AND:  A little humor, too................

   Two people  were working for the city public works department.   One would dig a hole and the other would follow behind and  fill the  hole in. They worked up one side of the street, then down the other, then moved on to the next street, working furiously all day without rest, one person digging a hole, the other filling it in again.
 
   An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn't  understand what they were doing. So he asked the hole digger, "I'm impressed by the effort you two are putting into your work, but I don't get it ………………..-- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behind and fill it up again?"
 
   The hole digger wiped his brow and sighed, "Well, I suppose it probably looks odd because we're normally a three-person team. But today the girl who plants the trees called in sick."

 

From the phone lines..................

We get hundreds of phone calls a week inquiring about many different topics regarding gardening, landscape, and general plant questions.  A few of these inquiries can leave us speechless for a moment.  Some of our favorites:

Can I make wine out of the Midnight Wine Weigela?

How tall are the four foot trees?

I ordered blackberry plants from you and they came today.  Why aren't there any blackberries on them?

If I plant catnip around my garden, will it keep the cats away?

What can I plant around my garden to keep alligators out?

Gator bird?

 

 


 Moonshine Designs Nursery

Milan, IL 61264

309-756-1967

Fax:  309-756-1058

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