text:
the mad stash: overwintering tender plants, a q&a with ken druse
by margaret September 30, 2017 November 6, 2020
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN, or almost. Startling as it may seem, the mad stash is looming as fall takes tighter hold, meaning time to figure out where which of those gorgeous but tender plants you couldn't resist at the garden center this spring can possibly be overwintered to live to grow again another season.
I've asked garden writer, photographer and longtime friend Ken Druse of KenDruse dot com to help me answer all your Urgent Garden Questions about overwintering tactics, which is the topic of this month's Q&A on my public-radio show and podcast. In a regular segment plus an overtime bonus 15 minutes, we covered lots of plants, from figs and rosemary to cannas and callas and dahlias and elephant ears, to potted trees (including citrus) and shrubs and more. After each brief discussion of a plant, I've also included a link to more comprehensive how-to about caring for it in the offseason.
Read along as you listen to the Oct. 2, 2017 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
overwintering tender plants: basic strategies
(and fungus gnats)
https://robinhoodradioondemand.com/podcast-player/1161/october-2-a-way-to-garden-with-margaret-roach-ken-druse-overwintering-plants-q-and-a-overtime-edition.mp3
Q. You got lots of answers? You got all the answers?
Ken. Are you tender, Margaret?
Q. Yes, I'm very tender. But you do have all the answers, right? OK, good [laughter].
Ken. I have a question for you right off the bat. What's tender; what do you mean by tender?
Q. Well, not hardy outdoors over the winter, wherever you shall garden. I think non-hardy, right? Can't live outside?
Ken. Yes, so these are perennials that you can't leave over winter outdoors because they will freeze and die.
Q. They might be perennial in Peru, right. We got a bumper crop of questions this time, especially from Facebook, thank you all at facebook dot com slash awaytogarden. We got questions ranging from figs to cannas, dahlias, rosemary, elephant ears, citrus, more, more, more, more, more.
But first, Ken strategically—don't you think we have to talk strategy first, because I mean my places in my house or barn or shed that I might figure out to use to store things aren't identical to yours, right? Let alone someone somewhere in another region.
Ken. Well, you never have enough places, and they're never exactly the right places. We know the first thing we do is we've got those vacationing houseplants outdoors, and we bring them into the house and we put them in the sunniest windows or wherever we can, and they're going to have to survive with the temperatures that we like. But, you know, that's not all that many plants that want the temperatures that we have.
Q. Right, that really like it. And really, what plants like, whether it's in the growing season or when they're being overwintered or whatever, what plants like is a combination of humidity, temperature, light, and then soil moisture, right? It's an equation. We're trying to figure out a simulation, a mix of those four elements that if you're totally dormant, it's probably totally dry and the humidity—as long as you're not rotting and it's not 100 percent humidity it's probably fine, and the temperature is probably low but not frozen. We want to make a formula for each plant or group of plants. But I've killed a lot of things trying to do this, haven't you?
Ken. Well, I'm temporarily dormant. You know, you're making me think of something that we could all do to save energy in our homes and help our plants is drop that temperature in the evening because all the plants want that.
Q. Or have a room or two, if we have [heating] zones especially or if we can turn off some old-style radiators—whatever it is—if we can do something to make some room… Do you have anything like a sunroom or a mudroom?
Ken. Yes, I have a sunroom, and most of my plants go into the sunroom. The temperature's pretty low in there and I keep them on the dry side, so they're not dormant to the point of losing leaves because most of these are evergreen plants from other climates, but the temperature during the day is probably 60 and then it goes down to, at the lowest, 50. But the plants that really like it warm are the ones that aren't here anymore.
Q. I see, because you can't really provide that. You're not really providing that [warmer spot] with good light as well, right?
Ken. And humidity. It's so hard to keep the humidity in a home.
Q. Now, you don't use a humidifier, or whatever, anything like that, or trays of pebbles, or do you have anything else going on like that?
Ken. Well, I have my hospital window, and that's my window…
Q. Wait a minute, you have your what? [Laughter.]
Ken. My hospital window.
Q. Do you have a nurse's uniform? I need to know the details.
Ken. Just the cap, no.
Q. OK, good, good, good, good.
Ken. So I could either serve Good Humor ice cream or be the nurse. The plants that I really have to look at just about every day, that need watering very day or something—and there's metal trays at the bottom of this. It's like a bay window, sort of it projects out, and it's got a metal tray that actually has a heater under, you know, a heat mat, so it's a little bit warm. It's got pebbles and moisture and higher humidity.
That's where either the most beautiful plants go—well, sort of—and the ones that need attention. It's not enough light to start seeds, but most of these things that need to be maybe watered every day, and some begonias, things that need to be just watched. Because the other guys that are in the sunroom, they're lucky if they get watered once a week because there's hardly any room to walk around. Then in the spring they all go outside, and in the fall, a little bit too late, they all come inside.
Q. You said hospital, I had one question from Facebook from Linda L., and she says, "Do you have any secret to get rid of fungus gnats that develop on plants brought in for the winter?" She tried a layer of sand but that did not work, like a mulch of sand on the top of your pots. In your hospital window—would somebody who had fungus gnats be in the hospital?
Ken. We go for prevention here if it's possible.
Q. OK, so how does that work?
Ken. If one has, if you have, fungus gnats—and those are those little things that are like fluttering around close to the soil, and if you look really close you might see these little tiny worms sort of creeping around. Fungus gnats eat decaying matter, and that's a sign of over-watering. The way to get rid of fungus gnats is to let your plants dry out between watering.
Q. Back off between waterings, yes.
Ken. And if you've got a bad case, stop watering and watch the plant. If it's something like an African violet, which are really prone to fungus gnats because they always have a humus-y, very organic matter in their mix, in their medium, so you want to let that plant dry out. You don't want to kill it by drying it out too much, but they're kind of succulent so you can let them dry out quite a bit, keep your eye on it, and dry it out and your fungus gnats will go away. Also, what I do is I have one of those yellow sticky cards sort of above all the plants in the window, and that thing gets covered with bugs, but the plants don't.
Q. So you are luring them onto this sticky, it's not flypaper but it's like the groovy, more modern, greenhouse-y kind of version of flypaper, right? It's sticky that way.
Ken. Sticky on both sides, and it's yellow, and you try not to touch it but you always do. [Laughter.]
Q. Yes, and then it's adhered to your shirt, and then that's very attractive. [Laughter.]
Ken. Oh, my gosh. Or a plant leaf, and then that's it, the plant leaf goes. It's very sticky, and most of the insects are attracted to that yellow color, which in the old days we could have called it Kodak yellow but people don't know what that is anymore. Or taxicab yellow, and people don't know what that is anymore, so it's yellow.
Q. I often refer to things that I overwinter as investment plants, you know, like in other words– in house plants they're sort of investment plants in the sense that I use them to decorate outside as sort of "annual color" in the garden season, but then I enjoy them for their beauty indoors too, so they're sort of an investment.
But what I mean is—again, going back to that tender thing that we talked about right at the beginning—the things that are not hardy like tropical, subtropical, the sort of lavish, almost irresistible things that we see in the garden center in spring. A lot of times they're really expensive, but they make such a fabulous splash if you have them, and you want to adopt them but then uh-oh, what do you do with them at the end of the season?
I think of them as investment plants, as in: I'm going to get my money's worth and more if I can figure out how to make this thing survive.
Just before we go sort of plant by plant, you just mentioned you have your sunroom, which is probably 10 degrees cooler than your house or so, right? And you have your hospital window. Just quickly tell me the other places that you have that you do some mad stashing, and I'll tell you mine, and then we'll go group by group through the plants.
Ken. Well, I have a basement. The basement is a little too dry and it's not that cool. But under what used to be a breezeway and now is the first-floor powder room—a bathroom—that's a space that doesn't have any heat in it but it's attached to the basement, so it's kind of warm. I think at the lowest it goes down to about 20, but usually it doesn't freeze in there.
I pack as many things in there as I can that are dormant, but they would be killed if they went below 20, and actually more like 30.
Some of these are evergreens and you keep them kind of dry, on the dry side. I check them like once a month, make sure they don't totally dry, unless they're overwintering bulbs, some things that lose their leaves completely, and I let them dry in their pods.
Q. We both have our Eucomis collection [above], and I guess that we could go plant by plant, but we both have our pineapple lily collection that goes in our cellars, I think, yes? Or that kind of a place.
Ken. Well, that goes in that cool, cold space because they're hardy to about zone 7, actually, so they go in there and it's not that cold. It would be the equivalent of a winter in zone 8, I suppose.
Q. So those are sort of your three primary storage places, right?
Ken. Yes.
Q. OK, and I'm in zone 5b. I'm in a colder…
Ken. Yeeew!
Q. I know, I know; stop it. Everybody always says that. I can get cold, in the minus double digits for sure and then some, so I have an unheated garage but it's very well insulated. I have that as one possibility, but I can't guarantee that it's going to be more than a couple of degrees above the outside temperature.
Then I have a basement that is probably about…it can be 35 or it can be 45, depending on the kind of winter we're having, because there is a boiler down there but it's not warm. It can be a little humid, not bone-dry.
Then I have indoors in the windowsills, of course. I actually have one of those Bilco doors, those exterior metal doors that you open up and go down a staircase into your basement, a bulkhead.
Ken. A bulkhead, right.
Q. And that's another place., I've never used it, but I know people do use it for certain things that are sort of like that cold space you were talking about. Those are some of the places that I'm using, and then I also have a shed, it's almost like a little cabin like maybe 12 by 9 or something, that I have a tiny little bit of baseboard heat so it sort of is at like 40 degrees and it's got a little skylight. It's not bright, but it's not dark.
Those are my places, so I just thought … and just for a caveat for everybody: You've got to experiment, because again, even though Ken and I just described two cellars, our cellars are different. I mean, they're not the same place. [More on the basics of overwintering at this link.]
into the cellar: cannas
Q. About stuff in the cellar, we have a question from Shelly on Facebook, Shelly D., and she says, "I bought some beautiful variegated canna lilies in the spring and want to store them for the winter." This will be her first attempt.
To me, those are the easiest of the easy, and that's a cellar thing. Is that cellar thing for you too?
Ken. Yes, that can actually go in the cellar that's not that cold.
Q. OK. That's what I put in my regular basement, yes. Just above freezing.
Ken. Right, and in this case it's about dry as more than about cold.
Q. Right, and I let them get hit by frost, blackened by frost, unless no frost comes. But I like the sort of plants to get that trigger. If they're going to go dormant, I like nature to tell it, "Hey, it's time to go dormant," and they do their kind of withering thing, if I can get that, then cut them down so that there's not much stem left.
I usually put them in my garage or something for a couple of days just to dry them off a little bit. And then I just put them in bins or even in garbage bags, not closed though, but just sitting open in the cellar. Boom, and as long as it's above freezing that's what I do with them, and I have them a million years. I think those are super-easy.
Ken. OK, this is the cannas you're talking about. [Cannas getting frosted in an early snow, above.]
Q. Yes, cannas.
Emily, also on Facebook, said she didn't dig them up last year. She's in a slightly warmer place, and she wanted to know how hardy they are. They came back up but they didn't flower this year, which I don't know if that has anything to do with her overwintering them. She wanted to know how hardy they are.
I actually had to look it up because I don't know, I think you can get away in zone 6—excuse me, yes, warmer than zone 6—so zone 7 and warmer you can leave them in the ground, and some people cheat and mulch them a lot if they're on the border of those temperatures. But yes, I mean, I have to dig them.
Ken. I think that one reason they might not have flowered is that they might have been killed back a bit.
Q. Too much, right? Not enough eyes [growing points]?
Ken. Yes, and she's getting some of the smaller eyes are growing.
Q. Right. That makes sense. But those to me are the easiest, and I don't even pack them in any kind of medium. I just kind of pile them up in big flower pots or, as I said, bins or the garbage bags that are left open.
into the cellar: calla lilies
Q. Now, callas, we had a couple questions about calla lilies [above right, 'Fire Dancer' calla], and I do those dark and dry also, same kind of thing, but I usually leave them in the pots just because…
Ken. Oh, I was going to ask you.
Q. Yes. You know, it's just easier, and you can get a few years in the same pot usually.
Ken. You know, when they're outside, sorry to interrupt you, but when they're outside, I turn things like that, I turn the pots on their sides. While they're still outside, I don't want that medium to be wet when I get it.
Q. Good point, so the sort of staging [their gradual trip indoors], right? It's not just bring it in soaking wet if you don't have to.
Ken. Right, so I put the pots and the side and rain won't go in. I try to get them in a sheltered place. If they still need light, they'll get some light. Then when I bring them in they're in the dry soil, because if they're in wet soil and you bring them in, chances are they might rot.
Q. Right, OK. That's very, very good point. Similarly, I said I like to leave the cannas especially, I'll take them out of the ground, and then I like to let them dry, let them cure for a few days in the open air, if I have a place, like in the garage or something.
into the cellar, but trickier: tuberous begonias and dahlias
Q. Tuberous begonias [above left, an apricot rose-form variety]?
Ken. Uh!
Q. I know, don't have a nervous breakdown. To me, it's also in the cellar—I only have one cellar, you know what I mean—but these are a little trickier, right?
Ken. Yes, or impossible, one of those.
Q. Yes, yes. Even the experts frequently say [laughter] the trick to doing really well with these and with overwintering them is grow them in pots, like little plastic nursery pots, and if you want to put them in beds or in a hanging basket, plunge the pot right in the basket or the bed and put mulch over it. Even expert bulb growers have told me that because it's so easy to damage those succulent tubers when you dig them, and that's where they rot. And where to put them, they want more like maybe 50-ish degrees, not your 20-something, right?
Dahlias also, again, I would have to put them in my cellar, but they're a little trickier too, I think. Have you ever stored dahlias? [Above. antique dahlias from Old House Gardens.]
Ken. Yes. The canna thing that you described, that's cannas. The dahlia thing, even though we think of them kind of together, I don't do them like you were describing for the cannas. Sometimes I wrap them in newspaper, wrap them carefully like it's a gift, and tape the newspaper kind of shut, and then I'll sprinkle the newspaper with water through the winter. I've done them in sand. I've done them in peat moss. One time I did them in sawdust, and that worked really well. I've done them in dry leaves, chopped up oak leaves and stuff. All of those things actually have worked.
Q. Christine on Facebook also wanted to know the best way to protect the tubers that she had in storage during the winter from mice. I'm obsessed with mouse traps, so I would say the best non-toxic way is you've got to check your mousetraps in your storage area all the time and re-bait them all the time. I mean, when I say bait I mean peanut butter, not poison.
Ken. You know, I'll bet what you could do if you were wrapping your dahlias and things like that, you could probably put them in a metal trashcan with the top closed, as long as you've wrapped them loosely and it's not going to get too wet, just to protect them. What do you think about that?
Q. Yes, it'd have to have those holes in it, like one of those cans that's meant for burning or something. It would have to have good ventilation, I think, not to get too funky inside.
Ken. Tiny holes.
Q. Yes, tiny holes, I guess.. But Kathy Tracey of Avant Gardens in Massachusetts—you know Kathy.
Ken. Sure.
Q. She says she does a lot of dahlias, and she told me when we spoke a couple years ago about this that she waits for the frost to blacken the foliage. That's an important thing even more with the dahlias than it is with the cannas, to really let nature's cue tell them, "Sleep, sleep, sleep," and let them finish their cycle and wither.
I believe she said that at the place where then she cuts off the stem she sort of turns them upside-down a little bit, almost like hangs them upside-down, so that the excess moisture where that stem was cut kind of drips out. It doesn't drip back in and rot the tuber. Some people use a fungicide and obviously you have to be really careful with that even if you're using a "natural" one like a copper or sulfur one.
But curing them a little bit before storing them, like before you wrap them in your newspaper as you said—and she uses like wood shavings or peat moss, or she even just puts them in dry potting medium and puts them under a bench somewhere in that cool place. Then when it's time next spring she's already got them pre-potted, do you know what I mean? [Kathy Tracey's method with dahlias and other tender plants she stores.]
Ken. Oh, wow, great to know.
Q. Yes, so that's kind of skipping a step, not having to get them out of their storage and then pot them and start them early, so I thought that was kind of good. Yes, so many different things.
where to store elephant ears?
Q. Elephant ears; oh my goodness, elephant ears. These are trickier, and some of these I don't put in the basement. The old-fashioned ones, you know, those giant ones with the sort of scalloped shiny green leaves, I think you could put them under the bed and they'd be OK [laughter], drive them around in your car, I don't know. They seem tough, right?
Ken. Do you let them go yellow and just save the tuber, or do you keep them growing, the big ones?
Q. I mean, I would let them quiet down—like dry off, wouldn't you?
Q. Yes. But it's been getting trickier. You know who has good instructions? Because there's Colocasia and there's Alocasia and there's all kinds of different ones. Now there are the ones with that side of matte kind of purple-y leaves [like 'Mojito,' above], and the ones with shiny leaves. I mean, it's….
Ken. Xanthosoma.
Q. Oh, I don't even know what that is. Forget it. [Laughter.]
Ken. [Laughter.]
Q. But seriously, I mean, I think it was Tony Avent, at Plant Delights—he has a whole giant collection, and he's friends with a number of the leading breeders, and all these new ones that they're developing, he says that some of them, the newer varieties, they don't form corms as quickly—you know, like a mother bulb, so to speak—as quickly as some of the old-timers. So there isn't something under there to store, so leaving them in their pots and even keeping them growing is the approach with those. I've been experimenting with keeping that one called Amazonica, do you know that one? It kind of looks like an African mask; it's a very brightly variegated one with a shiny leaf, very triangular, the leaf.
Ken. Oh, yes, yes.
Q. I've been keeping that growing in a cool place, watering it, growing, growing, growing. Now three, four years in, the bulb is getting of size where maybe I could store it. I'm not sure. I might just not press my luck and just keep growing it instead. It's almost like a houseplant in my cool mudroom.
But Tony on the Plant Delights website has about the best explanation of what's going on with how to figure out which kind yours is. Those [that form big corms] need to be dry, cool, and above freezing if you are storing them, or light and not too hot if you're growing them on as a houseplant, I think. I don't know. I mean, those are tricky.
Ken. I think the Alocasia in very general that we don't let those go dormant. The Colocasia, most of those can go dormant, but some of them you grow outside in the summer in water, you plunge the pot halfway down into water and they like a lot of water. They like to almost grow in water. But then in the winter they don't want to grow in water, and we bring them in and kind of treat them like limping-along houseplants. If you can keep them alive, then they come back kind of in the spring.
agapanthus: bright and cool?
Q. Which one shall we do now? How about the sort of in-your-sunroom kind of a place, or my mudroom. Again it's bright and slightly cooler than the house. Would you put Agapanthus in there? Cecilia on Facebook wants to know. She paid a lot of money, she said, for one; she bought one, and it was a pricey plant, and she wants to know where to overwinter it. [Above, Agapanthus bloom from Edoddridge on Wikimedia.]
Ken. I overwinter it. It doesn't look good. It's not happy. It's alive. The best ones I've ever seen overwintered were in one of the Hamptons houses, right up against very, very bright windows, in a house where they turned the temperature down, way down during the week, or even over the weekend. But so much sunlight, more than I have, with giant windows facing a bay or something. They look just like they do outdoors, and then they start to bloom in the late spring, and they bloom for quite awhile. I think they want to be kept cool, but bright, bright, bright.
Q. You have an evergreen one, and that's one of the things that Cecilia should know. There are evergreen and non-evergreen varieties.
Ken. I can't tell. [Laughter.]
Q. She's got to look it up according to the label on it. The evergreen ones are about zone 7b-ish, and they want that sort of simulation of a cool greenhouse, that I don't really have. My mudroom's the best place; it's just like what you were just saying. But the ones that are easier for us Northerners, I think, are the non-evergreen ones. They have the less-thick leaves, and they're going to go dormant, and those could go in the basement, with no light or water required.
Ken. Oh, I should try that.
Q. Yes, so it's kind of good searching those out for us Northern gardeners. We still have to talk about succulents and rosemary and stuff that you store in the garage, and all kinds of crazy stuff.
Ken. I have so many questions. [Laughter.]
Q. Oh, no, no, no, no. Now, be quiet. We were in the sunroom and we'd stored some agapanthus, or we'd put some evergreen agapanthus in there, and we'd shoved some non-evergreen ones in the cellar dormant.
overwintering tender succulents or citrus
Q. Do you store any succulents, non-hardy succulents, like Echeveria or Aeonium, or you know what I mean. Do you do any of those?
Q. I do a terrible job with these. I have to say, I don't have the right spot.
Ken. Yes. [Laughter.]
Q. OK, good. [Laughter.] Yes, these are tricky, but sometimes you can do a good enough job to get good cuttings for next year, right?
Ken. Right. Well, sure, and keep them alive. They're in there right with my citrus plants.
Q. Right, OK. So now…
Ken. Does that make you think of anything?
Q. That I want to simulate California situations?
Ken. Well, we could mention this because…
Q. Winter in California, I mean.
Ken. I think that you got a question about citrus, I believe.
Q. Yes. I'll have to find it here in my crazy notes. It's here somewhere.
Ken. Oh, you don't have to, but I've got quite a few citrus. I love citrus. All my life I wanted to grow citrus. You know, everybody wants fruit in the winter in the house, and the wonderful fragrance of the flowers. I had plants that lived and lived and lived and never bloomed, but the sunroom, which I redid, it used to have windows that were high-energy, wonderful windows with coatings. I called it dead light because the plants were right in the window but looked like they were in some tiny bathroom window, and they just didn't act like they were in the sun. So I redid it with windows that have no coatings, but that's the sunroom's…
Q. Like full spectrum-y kind of things?
Ken. Yes, and it's all sealed off so it doesn't cool the whole house. Or make it warm, actually, either. They bloom, starting usually in February. I'm looking at some fruits because fruits can sometimes take nine months, like a baby, or longer. I've got some Buddha's hand and I always have finger limes. I love the finger limes. And Meyer lemon, that's about the easiest and best, I think, indoor citrus of all. [More on how to overwinter citrus, with Four Winds Growers.]
Q. Citrus—and in that same room, again, simulating a California winter, you could try your succulents.
Ken. The succulents are in the brightest spot I possibly have, and I keep them kind of dry. They limp along. Sometimes they grow, and that's not so good. Well, it depends on the succulents too, but you mentioned Echeveria. The echeveria, they're alive in March, and then I take them outside and they're a little bit better. But things like aloes, they're fine, and agave even. Keep them really quiet and cool, and they're OK, too. They just sleep, so they're not as troublesome as what you happened to mention Echeveria.
Q. Sorry about that. The reason I said it was because of the other thing I said, which is you're going to get this stretched-out thing. Suddenly it's going to push up and stretch out, even if you haven't watered it, even if it's only like 45 degrees where you're keeping it and it is as bright as you can provide. Then suddenly it's going to stretch out and sort of flop over, and the pot will fall over [laughter] because it's so top-heavy.
But the thing about that, and again, this was another Kathy Tracey tip from Avant Gardens [above, Kathy with one of her succulent pots]. She's the succulent queen; she loves succulents and she's been in her very cold climate in eastern Massachusetts. She's been growing them and collecting them. She's got one of the best collections in the Northeast certainly of non-hardy as well as hardy succulents.
She disassembles all these extravagant, big pots she does in her gorgeous garden and nursery. She puts them in small pots of very fast-draining potting soil, like a cactus and succulent mix. Pots them down, in other words, from her big urns, and brings them into like 35 to 40 degrees, but with tons of light, and hardly ever waters them—I mean, really, really, minimal watering. She said to me, "Yes, yes, the echeverias, they're going to maybe look like hell. But cut off those tops, let them…" What do you call it when they kind of harden off, callus? Is that the word: callus?
Ken. Right, right, callus, exactly.
Q. Leave them out in an airy, dry place, and let them callus for a while, and then root them. It'll take a long time but you're going to have the next generation. She was right, of course, because she's an expert. [Laughter.] Yes, so those can take cool. Again, we're trying to pretend we're in California in the winter. That's what we're simulating, which is dry, cool, and bright, yes?
overwintering rosemary in cold zones
Q. Dare I ask about rosemary? I've killed a lot of them.
Ken. Well, that's a whole different thing. [Laughter.]
Q. I've killed a lot of rosemarys. Well, but I was thinking of your sunroom, because you told me the places you have and I told you the places I have.
Ken. No, I think it's not cool enough.
Q. I think you're right, but your bulkhead, or whatever it is, in the dark isn't going to do it. And your hospital window isn't going to do it.
Ken. No, no, I don't…
Q. That's what I was saying. The sunroom is your closest thing, but it's not cool enough, I think.
Ken. I think that's it. Not cool enough.
Q. Jean on Facebook said she always tries to bring her rosemary in to winter on a windowsill. She's in zone 5b. Then she says [laughter], what you and I are saying, "Only one has made it past March when it usually dries out and gives up."
Ken. It dries, it dies.
Q. Yes. Yes, yes. I should say, I've given up, you know what I mean? I've given up [laughter]. Because they're not too expensive to buy, really. I've given up, and I take the stems off and put them in a plastic freezer bag; I take all the branches off, put them in a freezer bag with the needles on, flatten it out, get all the air out, and freeze it, and I have rosemary to cook with forever and ever. That's what I do with them, use them on roast potatoes and stuff like that. Isn't that awful? But if you really wanted to overwinter them, and this was something I learned from … Do you know Nichols Garden Nursery, Rose Marie Nichols McGee? Have you ever met at flower shows or anything?
Ken. No, no.
Q. She's been in the herb business and the seed business for ever and ever, and they're out in the Pacific Northwest, but even there sometimes they can get cooler. She says, "If you have a rosemary in a pot, first of all, you want the hardiest rosemary you can get." Not all rosemarys are created equal, especially if you're in a cold zone. Anytime it's in the 20s or below, it's got to get sheltered. But if it's not the 20s, like don't bring it in too soon, and don't keep it in too long. You know what I mean? If your weather stabilizes to 37 or whatever, get it out of the house. But it is, it wants very strong light and wants like 50 max; 50 at the most, but more like 40 would be better. It's a really tricky one, guys, and I just don't think people should feel bad about not, in the North, about not having a good spot for that. [Overwintering rosemary, indoors and out.]
Ken. Do you think that's probably the same for Spanish lavender?
Q. Oh, I mean, I can't even grow it. [Laughter.]
Ken. But people, they sell it and I've seen it at the box stores right next to the hardy lavenders, which is horrible. People buy them because they're so pretty. I think it's Lavandula stoechas or something like that, and they're pretty and they bloom and they're not hardy. Or you could move to Tuscany or the south of France.
Q. That's a good idea. That's a way to overwinter them.
Ken. Or Farmingdale, Long Island; you could do that.
Q. Let's talk about some sort of, there were a number of questions. Hil in zone 7b asked about strawberry plants in a strawberry pot, and Coco asked—again, on Facebook—about Clematis in pots. She wants to know wants to know what to do with them.
Jean, who's in I think zone 4, she put paperbark maple trees (Acer griseum) in pots. You know, I grow Japanese maples in big pots, and she wants to know what to do about them. They're zone 5 plants, and she's in zone 4, as I said.
And Leslie, she puts some evergreens—Japanese plum yew (Celphalotaxus) and some other things—in New Jersey in a pot.
People are saying, "What do I do with these things that are sort of hard or almost hardy?" To me, this is the sort of garage or your…
Ken. Oh, exactly.
Q. Or your whatever you call your cold place, right?
Ken. Well, yes. Your garage/barn/garage, that's the place. Because then they'll be out of the wind, and if they're kind of dormant, pretty much dormant—if they drop their leaves, they're not going to get burned by the wind and they're going to be a little protected. But they're going to be allowed to go down to… You know, if you're in zone 4 it'll feel like Zone 5 in there, or Zone 5 it'll feel like Zone 6.
But when you mention the evergreen things, that's a little trickier, I think.
Q. Right, because those can dry out too much, and they do have their leaves on, unlike these other things that are deciduous. They do have their leaves on, so they are not photosynthesizing at a wildly active rate, but they are accustomed to being in light. I put those—I have some columnar conifers, which you and I have talked about before—in pots [above] that I like to use as accents in the garden seasonally. But I don't want them to get all beat up, and besides the pots are clay and they'd explode outside. So I drag them into the garage, and again, an unheated garage, insulated but unheated. I put them by the two windows; that's what gets the windows.
I don't bother putting a Japanese maple or something else that's leafless, even my figs — and we have to talk about figs quickly next—I don't put deciduous things that are dormant near a window. I don't give that precious cold, bright space. I give that to the conifers, if that makes sense. Yes?
Ken. Right, To the plum yew that you mentioned; something like that that's evergreen. Some people think that the products that you can spray, the anti-desiccants, don't work and it's silly, and some people think that they do work, and frankly I think they kind of do work.
Q. Yes, that's an interesting idea.
Ken.They keep the moisture and the needles and the leaves. I wouldn't put it on something glaucous like your conifers, but for the plum yew and something with broader leaves, I might try that. But I think you're covered with that, if you happen to build a garage with windows or have one.
Q. Right, but as far as the clematis in pots, I'm not worried about the clematis. It's that it's above ground in a pot and the root zone is therefore exposed, like a zone colder or so, and the pot's probably going to bust. I'd put it in the garage, and I think those will do great. Same with that strawberry jar.
The paperbark maple, besides the fact that she's in Zone 4 and it's a Zone 5 plant [also sometimes listed as Zone 5], it's a 25-foot tree so it's not going to be too happy too long in a pot, even a very, very, very large pot, so that would be my thing there.
overwintering fig trees
Q. I want to race on before we run out of time because that's one of the most common questions. Joey asked, "I'm in zone 5b, have a potted fig. I want to roll it into the garage. It's just a baby of a couple of feet tall. What should I do, and do I water in the winter?" I always have asked Mr. Fig—I've got a couple of figs myself, and I asked Lee Reich years ago about this. [How to overwinter a potted fig, with Lee Reich.]
Ken. Uncommon fruits.
Q. Yes, "Uncommon Fruits Worthy of Attention" was his first book where we all got to know him, and he's done many since. But, you know, I put mine in Zone 5b in this insulated garage, and they're fine and they live and live and live, right? They don't even get dieback. It can get to zero in there easily, right?
But Lee always reminds me that if it gets too big—he's always like, "How much longer are you going to wheel that damn thing around?" He's like, "Lay it down. Pull it out of the pot on a tarp, and cut off half the root ball. Root prune it because it needs it anyway to stay small in a pot." And then drag it into your cellar, and put a plastic bag around so that all the root ball doesn't fall apart, like wrap it up. Drag it into your cellar. He says you can even cut them back. Because after all, people have grown them in areas where the whole top of the plant isn't entirely hardy, and pruned them hard.
Ken. He's only wrapping the root ball?
Q. Yes, that's what I mean, just so that it's not a mess all over your basement floor. Put it in a plastic bag loosely tied, the root ball.
Ken. I didn't want people to put the top growth in plastic bag.
Q. No, no. Just drag it into your cellar and let it be down there cold, and he says 20 degrees, 30 degrees, perfect, fine, whatever. But he keeps his in a 35-degree-ish space. There are many ways. They're hardier than we think, and then of course there are some varieties that are hardier than others. Again, the variety that a person has is going to make a big difference.
We had more and more and more questions that we're not going to get to, Ken.
Ken. Sorry.
Q. But that's OK. I'll try to answer some of them, maybe you can jump in too, and we can answer some of them right on Facebook. The mad stash, it's just ahead, Ken. Are you ready?
Ken. No, but am I ever? No.
more overwintering advice
this story includes more things like bananas, brugmansia, gladiolus, and others
overwintering potted figs, with Lee Reich
overwintering potted citrus, with Four Winds Growers
stashing a potted rosemary, with Rose Marie Nichols McGee
succulent and dahlia strategies, with Kathy Tracey of Avant Gardens
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Geraniums (pelargoniums) are another easy-to-winter tender plant. I keep a few growing in pots in a very bright southern window; I'm always surprised at the amount of bloom I get. But after years of discarding most and buying afresh in spring (which adds up, I've a big terrace), last fall I shook the soil off most, dried them in the sun for a day, then stashed them in paper bags in a cold closet. They looked pretty sad come spring, but they were all alive. After heavy pruning and repotting, they've done beautifully. The price I paid was a real delay in summer display, three weeks at least. But a lot of money got saved for very little effort.
Oh, something else: sweet potato vines make sizeable tubers, which store and regrow nicely. Again, there's a delay.
Elizabeth E. Brumbaugh says:
Hi Margaret, would you have any tips for overwintering climbing plumbago growing in large urns? Zone 5b like you.
Such a nice plant — sort of old-fashioned. I did find one piece of advice from the former National Gardening Association Q&A archive, which is here, which confirms what I would think it would want. Missouri Botanical says you can even store it cool and dark, really forcing total dormancy I guess. But both sources says give it a serious haircut around the time you plan to bring it indoors.
Thanks so much, Margaret.
Ken's comment about the window coatings is something that I have also noticed here in Wisconsin (zone 5b). I discovered that an east window in a bright southern room was the only way to get my rosemary to overwinter when I was in a building with coated windows. I think the early morning sunlight helped. I had successes many years in a row, then moved to a home with completely uncoated vintage windows, southern exposure, and now the rosemary actively grows in the winter! It still feels a bit like a miracle.
Interesting, Alissa, that even the usually curmudgeonly rosemary noticed! : )
Diane L. says:
My friend had a rosemary plant in an improvised hoop type house. She left it out all winter and it must have been the micro climate that caused it to thrive. It came back the next spring/summer with robust growth and resembled a small bush. Very impressive! I may attempt this on a smaller scale with plastic supported by branches. I live in zone 6-ish.
I'm down to one tender "Clivia Lily" that I still have to haul into the garden room. Hitting your 60's also hits your knees and lower back. I swore years ago that I wouldn't have these "tenders" but a dear neighbor who is now "gone" gave it to me….and it is so beautiful & sweet smelling in bloom.
Hi, Sheri. I confess some of my biggest Clivia never left the mudroom this spring for the great outdoors. They are heavy! : )
LOL! That's funny! I'm actually thinking about leaving the darn thing out and just throwing a garbage can over it, say a prayer and hope it makes it to Spring!
I'm in Zone 4, Rocky Mountains. I bring my Rosemary plants in when the temperatures are getting down in the mid-20's at night, and after many years of dried up dead plants, I found one spot where they will reliably overwinter. It's a very cool (about 45-50 degrees) enclosed north-facing entry with a big roof overhang, so it's really quite dim light. I water them about every two weeks, and though there is some dieback, they have been overwintering pretty darned well for a number of years. Prostrate Rosemary has also been much hardier for me than the more upright forms, less dieback, and I love the droopy gnarly look.
Lucky you, Susan, to figure out just the spot. I think if my mudroom (or Ken's sunroom) were more like 50 day and 40 night (versus 60-50) they'd be OK, too.
Anne Allbeury-Hock says:
Hi Margaret. I love all you write!!! I am still trying to grow Astillaboides Tabulares….two plants
from White Flower Farm dead…replaced, also dead. Two from Annie's in CA. lived through
the summer….tenderly treated to a little mulch, liquid fertilizer and careful watering. Now
it is October…still warm here in Maryland and no rain so more watering. All dead. Last Spring one came up after the winter but later died,. This is all in a north facing bed with daily sun
nearly all day with trees overhead. Huge maples. This is a bed I carved out of a lawn with
a rototiller and adding lots of top soil,etc. The hostas grow well here as well as the hydrangeas .Any ideas? I fell in love with this plant after seeing it in your garden.
Thanks from Anne
Yolanda Reyes says:
Hey Margaret! I just have to say that when you talk about protecting your elephant ears, I cringe. Here in central Texas, they are invasive. They take over river banks and Master Naturalists like me spend many hours in the Texas heat removing them!
CIndy Donahey says:
I guess you can use old man's beard, or sweet autumn clematis,strands for insulation in any number of ways. I used some for Halloween with a decent bat from the thrift store. You can dig pits of varying depths in dry places by buildings too. You have to put a gauge out now to check for rainfall accumulation. People used to swear by maple leaves and pine needles. They would have a layer of pine cones at the base of boxes. Back years ago, you did this yourself or paid. Some people held fires in the spring with this material. Have done very little myself, have not thought about this in decades.
In Michigan near Detroit my rosemary came back outside. I just figured it would have dried/died inside. I was so surprised. I did cut it back hard almost to the ground. I did not even cover it but it was a mild winter here and my parsley overwintered too. I also have a fig that did not bear fruit this year but this year I am splitting into two plants and cutting it back and I'll over winter that in the garage. Do you both think the zone charts will change? Who determines that? I really love listening to You and Ken. I feel like I have found my people.
Tibs says:
I used my unheated attic to store cannas. Worked great until on winter we had a long period of cold. Lost them all. Plus carrying stuff up 2 flights of stairs and thru a bedroom made an awful mess. I have a northeast facing spare bedroom I put all the house plants in. Door is shut to keep cats out and register is closed. It gets down to 50s. I'm going to try to over winter an elephant ear in the pot in there.
Help!! There are tiny ants in my potted Meyer lemon, (in the soil and on the blossoms). How can I get rid of them? I want to bring the plant in, but not with ants. I've tried soapy water, but the ants are still there.
PS The tree is full of lemons.
I'd try ant traps. If the ants like sugary type food sources, there's a borax/sugar type DIY trap you can make. I take plastic lids and saturate a paper towel (or cotton balls) with the solution. The ants take the 'food' back to the queen and eventually they should die off. The recipe is:
-1/2 cup sugar
-1.5 tablespoons borax
-1.5 cups warm water
Found the perfect large saucer for trees!
I have a 40+ year old grapefruit tree that I summer outdoors and then schlep it back inside for the winter. It is in a very big black commercial type pot. The challenge is containing water drainage under the huge pot. I've used concrete mixing bins with some luck, but the plastic sometimes cracks and then I've damaged my oak floor.
I finally found the perfect saucer! It's 25 inches in diameter and made by Gro Pro. The plastic is substantial and thus far is doing well under the weight of the tree. It also is reasonably priced.
Alan Gorkin says:
I have a question; we overwinter our agapanthus in a sunny cool spot and they overwinter very well. They flower well too, but the flowers flop over. Anything we can do?They are the small leafed variety, like Peter Pan. Thx.
Hi, Alan. I have no idea, and even tried doing a little homework but hmmm….I'd be tempted to ask a place with a long experience of growing them like San Marcos Growers — I see they no longer offer 'Peter Pan' and maybe it flopped for them, too! : ) Anyhow, I just don't know.
my latest assignment: a series in 'the new york times'
overwintering tender plants, and hydrangea issues: q&a with ken druse
WONDER HOW to get ready for the mad stash—just how to prep and then where to put all those tender plants to hopefully make it..
best peas, black walnuts, butchered hydrangeas, strawberries in pots: q&a with ken druse
THE QUESTIONS CONTINUE: In part 2 of the Jan. 16, 2017 edition of my public-radio show and podcast, Ken Druse and I answered listener questions..
osage oranges; plant overwintering & food preservation; upside-down pots on stakes: q&a with ken druse
THE MAD STASH is on, time to put up the last homegrown foods and prepare to overwinter tender plants. And this month, Ken Druse and..
Next: houseplants–wild, woolly and otherwise–with jane perrone
Reading: the mad stash: overwintering tender plants, a q&a with ken druse


text:
Items where Division is "03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Biomedizin > Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel > Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging (Kaufmann)"
Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging (Kaufmann) (19)
Jump to: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009
Kühne, Michael and Knecht, Sven and Mühl, Aline and Reichlin, Tobias and Pavlović, Nikola and Kessel-Schaefer, Arnheid and Kaufmann, Beat A. and Schaer, Beat and Sticherling, Christian and Osswald, Stefan. (2016) Fluoroscopy-Free Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and a Patent Foramen Ovale Using Solely an Electroanatomic Mapping System. PLoS ONE, 11 (1). pp. 1-11.
Buechel, Ronny R. and Kaufmann, Beat A. and Tobler, Daniel and Wild, Damian and Zellweger, Michael J.. (2015) Non-invasive nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging improves the diagnostic yield of invasive coronary angiography. European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging, 16 (8). pp. 842-847.
Kaufmann, Beat A. and Goetschalckx, Kaatje and Min, Son Y. and Maeder, Micha T. and Bucher, Urs and Nietlispach, Fabian and Bernheim, Alain M. and Pfisterer, Matthias E. and Brunner-La Rocca, Hans-Peter and Time-Chf investigators, . (2015) Improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction and reverse remodeling in elderly heart failure patients on intense NT-proBNP-guided therapy. International Journal of Cardiology, 191. pp. 286-293.
Krisai, Philipp and Wein, Bastian and Kaufmann, Beat. A.. (2015) Isolated double-orifice mitral valve: a case report. BMC Cardiovasc Disord, 15. p. 172.
Reuthebuch, Olivier and Koechlin, Luca and Kaufmann, Beat A. and Kessel-Schaefer, Arnheid and Gahl, Brigitta and Eckstein, Friedrich S.. (2015) Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using the JenaValve: A One-Year Follow-up. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 63 (6). pp. 493-500.
Soliman, D. and Bolliger, D. and Skarvan, K. and Kaufmann, Beat A. and Lurati Buse, G. and Seeberger, Manfred D.. (2015) Intra-operative assessment of pulmonary artery pressure by transoesophageal echocardiography. Anaesthesia, 70 (3). pp. 264-271.
Steinl, D. C. and Kaufmann, B. A.. (2015) Ultrasound Imaging for Risk Assessment in Atherosclerosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 16 (5). pp. 9749-9769.
Studer Bruengger, A. A. and Kaufmann, B. A. and Bernheim, A. M.. (2015) Authors' Reply. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, 28 (3). p. 377.
Zimmermann, A. J. and Bossard, M. and Aeschbacher, S. and Schoen, T. and Voellmin, G. and Suter, Y. and Lehmann, A. and Hochgruber, T. and Pumpol, K. and Sticherling, C. and Kuhne, M. and Conen, D. and Kaufmann, B. A.. (2015) Effects of Sinus Rhythm Maintenance on Left Heart Function After Electrical Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation: Implications for Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 31 (1). pp. 36-43.
Pfister, O. and Lorenz, V. and Oikonomopoulos, A. and Xu, L. and Hauselmann, S. P. and Mbah, C. and Kaufmann, B. A. and Liao, R. and Wodnar-Filipowicz, A. and Kuster, G. M.. (2014) Flt3 activation improves post-myocardial infarction remodeling involving a cytoprotective effect on cardiomyocytes. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol. 63, H. 10. pp. 1011-1019.
Khanicheh, E. and Qi, Y. and Xie, A. and Mitterhuber, M. and Xu, L. and Mochizuki, M. and Daali, Y. and Jaquet, V. and Krause, K. H. and Ruggeri, Z. M. and Kuster, G. M. and Lindner, J. R. and Kaufmann, B. A.. (2013) Molecular Imaging Reveals Rapid Reduction of Endothelial Activation in Early Atherosclerosis With Apocynin Independent of Antioxidative Properties. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, Vol. 33, H. 9. pp. 2187-2192.
Khanicheh, Elham and Mitterhuber, Martina and Xu, Lifen and Haeuselmann, Stéphanie P. and Kuster, Gabriela M. and Kaufmann, Beat A.. (2013) Noninvasive ultrasound molecular imaging of the effect of statins on endothelial inflammatory phenotype in early atherosclerosis. PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, H. 3 , e58761.
Liu, Y. and Davidson, B. P. and Yue, Q. and Belcik, T. and Xie, A. and Inaba, Y. and McCarty, O. J. and Tormoen, G. W. and Zhao, Y. and Ruggeri, Z. M. and Kaufmann, B. A. and Lindner, J. R.. (2013) Molecular imaging of inflammation and platelet adhesion in advanced atherosclerosis effects of antioxidant therapy with NADPH oxidase inhibition. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 6 (1). pp. 74-82.
Belcik, J. Todd and Qi, Yue and Kaufmann, Beat A. and Xie, Aris and Bullens, Sherry and Morgan, Terry K. and Bagby, Susan P. and Kolumam, Ganesh and Kowalski, Joe and Oyer, Jon A. and Bunting, Stuart and Lindner, Jonathan R.. (2012) Cardiovascular and systemic microvascular effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for cancer. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 60 (7). pp. 618-625.
Davidson, B. P. and Kaufmann, B. A. and Belcik, J. T. and Xie, A. and Qi, Y. and Lindner, J. R.. (2012) Detection of antecedent myocardial ischemia with multiselectin molecular imaging. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 6 (17). pp. 1690-1697.
Khanicheh, E. and Mitterhuber, M. and Kinslechner, K. and Xu, L. and Lindner, J. R. and Kaufmann, B. A.. (2012) Factors affecting the endothelial retention of targeted microbubbles: influence of microbubble shell design and cell surface projection of the endothelial target molecule. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, Vol. 25, H. 4. pp. 460-466.
Kaufmann, Beat A. and Carr, Chad L. and Belcik, J. Todd and Xie, Aris and Yue, Qi and Chadderdon, Scott and Caplan, Evan S. and Khangura, Jaspreet and Bullens, Sherry and Bunting, Stuart and Lindner, Jonathan R.. (2010) Molecular imaging of the initial inflammatory response in atherosclerosis : implications for early detection of disease. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, Vol. 30, H. 1. pp. 54-59.
Kaufmann, Beat A. and Carr, Chad L. and Belcik, Todd and Xie, Aris and Kron, Benjamin and Yue, Qi and Lindner, Jonathan R.. (2010) Effect of acoustic power on in vivo molecular imaging with targeted microbubble implications for low-mechanical index real-time imaging. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, Vol. 23. pp. 79-85.
Kaufmann, Beat A.. (2009) Ultrasound molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular research, Vol. 83, H. 4. pp. 617-625.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


OK, I love this book. I sold about 3 dozen copies in my store. Considering I am directly across from a bookstore that is pretty amazing. It is one of the cutest books ever written and on top of it I have made about 8 amazing recipes from it.
I love this book, too! I just grabbed it off the shelf & knew it was mine! I love the design, the fonts (I'm a vintage font freak!), the layouts, everything--so appealing--then you actually get to the food, and....I have no more words!


text:
Hypocrisy not Democracy? No Blood for Oil!
Most Australians undecided on Iraq: PM?
Channel nine and Sixty Minutes? Well Kerry Packer's farts smelt like a dead dog after the peace demonstration. A demonstration like no other against war in Australia that carried an everlasting freshness like splashing water on your face.
Sixty Minutes was defeated before its propaganda monster could be unleashed.
We want optimism and like millions around the world, a quarter of a million NSW voters crossed the line for peace on the globe.
The Prime Minister John Howard believes most Australians are still undecided about whether they support military action against Iraq [Murdering innocent people for their resources].
He wants to scare all the children out of their lives like a mad professor gone wrong.
Howard has refused to back down on the threat of war despite hundreds of thousands of Australians rallying against it. The question is why?
When you Howard have raised a family. When you Howard are told that the family is the fundamental group unit of society, then the suburb then the state then the country then the globe and yes Howard, then the Universe, the greatest power.
What about the people who couldn't get out to demonstrate along side those who could?
Australians who worked, who played sport and those who had other commitments.
Australians from all walks of life took the streets over the weekend in demonstrations against a possible war with Iraq.
The Prime Minister says he still does not believe they represent the majority view.
Howard has told Channel 9 most Australians realise the need to deal with Iraq.
"The one constant in all the polls is that people think that Saddam Hussein has got dangerous weapons. They don't believe him and they think something ought to be done," he said.
[The corporate media never helped some people think that Saddam had WMD?]
HoWARd: "I don't think the mob, to use that vernacular, has quite made up its mind on this issue and it can't really make up its mind until we know what all the alternatives are."
The Prime Minister concedes the majority of Australians would prefer the involvement of the United Nations but he is still not ruling out acting in coalition with the United States and Great Britain should the UN Security Council fail to draft a new resolution.
Opposition leader Simon Crean maintains a UN mandate is the only option.
"This just isn't about the question of how we deal with the disarmament if Iraq. It's how we deal with international conflict in the future. Deal with it through the UN, not unilaterally," he said. He says Mr Howard is clearly out of touch with the community.
By Love Peace and Kindness 17 Feb 03
THE CHILDREN: HOWARD THE HYPOCRITE! TO LIVE WITH FEAR IS A LIFE HALF LIVED.
Red paper classes Australia as terrorist suspects
Australia's old foreign policy red paper says Australians have become targets because their own government is being run by war criminals that are complicit in state terror, torture, murder, occupation and genocide.
Australia backs CIA Reichstag, Downer's propaganda
The Foreign Affairs Minister says the latest message from Osama bin Laden is worrying. [Just plain rubbish!]
UK Reid, Blair and the reichstag London threat!
The nature of the [alleged] terrorist threat to London is on the scale of the [USA false flag] September 11 attacks in the United States, the chairman of Britain's governing Labour Party said.
Bin Laden calls? CIA blind man's bluff!
A [US propaganda, fear-mongering] taped message purportedly from Osama bin Laden has warned Arab nations against supporting a war against Iraq but has branded Saddam Hussein an infidel.
U.S. AMBASSADOR WARNED TO STOP MEDDLING:
The Australian Federal Opposition and Labor Party Leader, Simon Crean, has again warned the U.S. ambassador to stop meddling in Australian politics.
War: Part one The human cost
On the road to Basra, ITV was filming wild dogs as they tore at the corpses of the Iraqi dead. Every few seconds a ravenous beast would rip off a decaying arm and make off with it over the desert in front of us, dead fingers trailing through the sand, the remains of the burned military sleeve flapping in the wind. "Just for the record,'' the cameraman said to me. Of course. Because ITV would never show such footage.
Mandela speaks out against Bush, Blair
Former South African leader Nelson Mandela has lashed out at US President George W Bush's stance on Iraq, saying the US leader has no foresight, and cannot think properly.
All the way with (LPK) Love Peace and Kindness: Dalai Lama
Communication is a two way street. Threats and punishment solve nothing and serve none. In fact it is against the law in most countries to threaten or punish a person.
Hill defends decision to attack Iraq: Step by step?
FEDERAL Defence [War] Minister [Sinister] Robert Hill has defended the government's decision to send troops [ send militia] to the Persian Gulf [ to attack Iraq] in readiness for any [pre-emptive strike that would cause a] conflict with Iraq.
Pleas for peace ring the globe
Anti-war demonstrators turned out in their hundreds of thousands around the world on Saturday to protest against United States military preparations for an invasion of Iraq.
Not too late for Iraq peace, Blix says
But we all know that's rubbish now. The Coalition of the Killing were not seeking WMD in Iraq, they were there for their resource wars. So who gave the 'UN' and Blix the wrong information back then? War criminals!
George Bush's other poodle
John Howard, Australia's PM, is the mouse that roars for America, whipping his country into war fever and paranoia about terrorism within.
US prepares for trade talks with Australia but it's not worth it!
The office of the United States Trade Representative has started formally preparing its negotiating position for the first round of talks on a free trade agreement between Australia and the US.
First strike and you're out!
The ideology of a super loser? John Howard shocks the nation again. A nation who cannot believe Howard's stupidity following his [complicity in the CIA's false flag operation, the Bali bombing.]
UN charter doesn't reflect new self-defence needs: Hill?
The Defence [War] Minister, Robert Hill, says the United Nations' charter needs to be changed to help countries defend themselves against potential threats. [?] [Pre-emptive strikes on soveriegn nation states like Iraq and Afghanistan?]
Australian Propaganda
Middle Eastern: Specific Legislation
"If there is a target person the police would have powers in relation to that type of person," Mr Costa said. Asked what he meant by "type of person", Mr Costa said: "The example that's been given is if there's a description of somebody, an identikit photograph released by Interpol or other agencies ... these powers may well be exercised on that type of person."
Howard defends terror alert
Prime Minister John Howard says the Federal Government would not have issued a terror alert if it had not come from a credible source. (America?) Speaking for the first time since the Government revealed the warning, Mr Howard says he wants people to be more careful, but not to stop living. [As long as they don't go dancing in Bali? And sure we'll all be depressed for as long as John Howard and Bob Carr say so.]
Carr backs Fed Govt's terror alert
New South Wales Premier Bob Carr has defended the Federal Government's decision to issue a warning to Australians about a possible terrorist attack in Australia.
NSW Police Force may get 'special powers'
Civil libertarians are questioning the need for further anti-terrorism laws, which will be announced in the New South Wales Parliament on Tuesday.
When Johnny comes marching home again: 'hoorah hoorah'
Posted on the Resistance web page Bronwyn Powell, an organiser of the youth-led mobilisation told Green Left weekly that "in the face of attacks on civil liberties, it is unfortunate that some union officials have felt they need to submit. It could set a negative precedent for upholding the hard-won right to demonstrate in the street."
PIERS AKERMAN DT 28 Nov 02: JUSTICE John Dowd should be removed from the bench. His crime? Stupidity. In a breath-taking display of hand-wringing sanctimonious morality, Dowd has condemned the State and Federal Governments' anti-terrorism measures, claiming they erode rights and give encouragement to oppressive regimes.
The scavengers of terror
The NSW Government is to introduce increased police powers bill. Legislation giving New South Wales police special powers to deal with an emergency terrorist situation [emergency scapegoat situation] will be introduced into the New South Wales Parliament today.
About Protesting &: Corporate media, Ben English and Rachel Morris who spell their names in capitals? [Yes too right! Ordinary people some protesting against the occupation, murder and genocide of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. And you call yourselves reporters? You should hang your head in shame and go get jobs defending those poor innocent people. Shame on you!!!]
Posted by NSW Community News Network Archive at 4:08 PM
Labels: 2003, australia, corporate-media, democracy, demonstration, hypocrisy, iraq, nsw, peace, pre-emptive-strikes, war, world-politics


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Home » How the UK is leading the way in the DeepTech Industry
Andre Malerba / Zuma Press / Avalon
How the UK is leading the way in the DeepTech Industry
written by Tech Reporter 16th Sep 22 2:14 pm
TechWorks is an industry association at the core of the UK DeepTech community with an ambition to harness the country's fantastic engineering and innovation to develop our position as a global technology super-power.
The UK tech sector is continuing to grow rapidly, and a lot of the leading tech solutions and innovations are being driven by the UK DeepTech sector.
The UK now has over 96 tech 'unicorns' (private companies valued at over $1bn), collectively worth £333bn, compared with just eight in 2010 and this growth is expected to continue as the nation continues to lead the way.
While Fintech has historically dominated the headlines in the UK tech sector, the DeepTech sector is starting to gain considerable recognition and market attention.
This advanced tech revolution is the driving force behind key UK tech sectors and industries including Connected/Autonomous Vehicles, IoT and Cyber Security, and Medical Advances and many UK DeepTech companies are leading the way in helping solve global problems such as climate change, food shortages and alternative energy.
The enabling power and potential to catalyse change that the sector has is what really sets it apart from other tech sectors and is why it is embedded in so many vital current and future tech solutions.
Deep Tech firms will often develop core scientific or engineering innovations which is what distinguishes them from the majority of tech firms that focus on the incremental refinement of standardised technologies.
DeepTech is a term used to describe established and start-up tech firms whose solutions are using complex and high-level tech innovation in engineering, scientific advances or a combination of both.
The technology used by DeepTech firms is often driven by AI or machine learning and the UK is in a strong position with a wealth of leading brands and talent and is carving out a leading place in the global DeepTech landscape, alongside superpowers such as the US and China.
The TechWorks Awards provide a fantastic showcase for excellence in the fast-paced DeepTech industry – celebrating achievements & behaviours conducive to a healthy and vibrant industry. The 2022 awards are NOW open, and all awards are completely free to enter, with a quick and simple online process.
Alan Banks CEO of TechWorks, added,"It is exciting to see DeepTech thriving in the UK and I believe this is due not only because of our academic excellence in this field and continued investment in this sector but also our ability as a nation to lead the way with innovation.
"It makes me immensely proud to see the UK leading the way in shaping so much of the technology that will define the future. We have leading minds working on some of the most advanced tech solutions such as AI and machine learning and across so many other exciting technologies.
The UK is starting to become a breeding ground for DeepTech companies that are leading their fields with their innovative advanced tech solutions. The UK must now fortify its position as a leading player in the global Tech Industry and I believe that DeepTech will play the most crucial part in this."
This year, the awards are split into three main categories and are designed to suit individuals, companies and organisations across the entire tech industry. They have historically attracted an impressive number of entries showcasing some amazing tech propositions. The 2022 Categories feature a strong range of awards from Automotive, Manufacturing and IoT to Research Excellence.
Applicants are invited to submit their free online entries from 12pm on Monday 4thJuly with the closing date for entries is Friday 30th September. To find out more and to apply for the awards – please visit the dedicated Awards website
International digital marketing agency, Eskimoz, expands into UK with the...


Our 2018 holiday video: 10 Fun Facts!
2) The principal actress, Michaela Washburn, picks up The Break to read. She is also the voice of The Break the audiobook!
3) Lisa Moore appears reading her daughter Eva Crocker's collection of short stories, Barrelling Forward. Eva is in the video too!
5) 8 Anansi staff members appear in the background!
10) The video was a Sterling Road production! We worked with Archipelago Productions whose office is just across the street from our bookshop!


Geller, Esther, 90, died Friday, July 13, 2018 at West View Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. She was the beloved wife of the late Leonard Geller for 67 years. Born in the Bronx, NY, a daughter of the late Harry and Mary (Leinwand) Friedman, she had lived in Warwick for 6 years, previously living in Rockville Centre, NY. She was owner of the former Elgen Books with her late husband, retiring 6 years ago. Esther earned an MLS from Simmons College, Boston and was an active member of the Beatrix Potter Society. Devoted mother of Mark Geller and his wife, Jocelyn, of Colorado Springs, CO, Joshua Geller and his wife, Anna, of San Miguel De Allende, Mexico, and Naomi Geller Lipsky of West Warwick. Dear sister of the late Max Friedman and Anita Goldberg. Loving grandmother of Aaron, Julia, Hannah, David, and Tenzin. Funeral services will be held Monday at 1:30 p.m. in SHALOM MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 1100 New London Ave., Cranston. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to your favorite charity. Shiva will be observed at Tamarisk, 3 Shalom Dr., Warwick, Monday through Wednesday 6-8 p.m.
I am sorry for your loss. I remember several times being in your mother's company, either a Passover Seder or kiddish at Tamarisk. I always enjoyed her company.
I am sorry for your loss. I was fortunate enough to know your mother and I know what a good daughter you were to her.


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Home is where the hate is
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
-- Rodgers and Hammerstein
I like to take my 3-year-old daughter to a lot of different playgrounds around town. One of the things I like about doing this in Seattle is that she gets to meet a lot of different kinds of kids of all different colors; it is, for one thing, a real contrast to my own upbringing in lily-white Idaho Falls, where I can't remember ever seeing an African American until I was about 7 years old.
It's obvious, too, that race is meaningless to the innocent. Fiona plays with anyone who wants to have fun with her, and they do likewise. Their different features are no more meaningful than hair and eye color -- which is to say, not much at all. This is true not just in the playground but at her Montessori preschool too; her "best friends" there are two Asian girls and a very cute blonde boy, and a young African girl is part of their circle of chums.
Where do children learn to hate? Most of the time, it's from their parents.
They aren't learning it in the curriculum taught in schools. Most educators, both public and private, work hard to weed out prejudice and bigotry in their students, and modern curricula often include tolerance-oriented teaching. In some cases, the drive for tolerance reaches absurd PC heights -- but it certainly beats the alternative.
Especially since, by all indicators, racial and religious bigotry are still alive and well in America, even if they have been forced to retreat to the shadows. Take, for instance, recent problems in Grays Harbor County, Washington, where minority service members have been forced to relocate because of harassment, and minority children in the local schools have been forced to endure assaults and racial epithets. This county is, of course, also the setting for the events described in Death on the Fourth of July.
A number of the events in Grays Harbor involve young children who have clearly picked up racist beliefs in their upbringing. And the odds are high that those beliefs come from the home.
In some cases, there are parents who specifically cultivate such attitudes in their children. This can, of course, create real conflicts in schools where tolerance is being taught. Indeed, many of the parents who harbor these attitudes find themselves chafing under the public-school system and withdraw their children to home-school them.
Generally speaking, I think home schooling can be a terrific idea for certain families -- especially if the parents are diligent, well educated themselves, and cultivate education not as the union card it's often treated as within the system, but a lifelong process of self-advancement and cultivation. The results of sound home schooling speak for themselves.
Unfortunately, home schooling in America also has a distinct downside: It can act as a cover for abusive and hyper-controlling parents, particularly those with extremist political, religious and cultural agendas. The Andrea Yates case in Texas was really only the tip of this particularly iceberg.
The Akron Beacon-Journal recently reported on one of the more troubling aspects of home schooling's dirty little secret:
Racists can use home schools to train youths
The story opens with a horrifying anecdote that is familiar to many: The home-schooled child who refuses to participate with minority children. It goes on to explore the subset of white supremacists who populate home schooling's fringes:
... Home schooling has a strain of racism running through it that may reflect similar ideas held by others in the broader society. There are no studies or numbers to put racism and home schooling in perspective, but home-schooling laws that ensure that parents have the freedom to make socialization choices for their children also allow some families to completely withdraw from society.
In Texas, a librarian told the Beacon Journal that some home-schooling parents objected to the book selection on the shelves. They lobbied the library to bring back older editions -- books that depicted the United States in the 1950s, prior to the landmark 1964 civil rights legislation.
That idea is espoused on a number of racist Internet sites, where people who have a common hatred of minorities -- especially of African-Americans and Jews -- converse.
Stormfront, a white supremacist organization, has a Web site on "education and home schooling." The overriding theme is to home-school to avoid exposure to other cultures.
Among the discussions is one in which a member suggests stealing and destroying books from the public library -- a popular resource for home schoolers -- to eliminate material that portrays the United States as anything other than a white, Protestant culture.
The piece also features a sidebar [registration req'd] that describes some of the white supremacists who take the home schooling route.
It's important, of course, to keep in mind that these people are a minority:
Scott Somerville, an attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association, acknowledged that there are racists in the home-schooling community.
"They are not welcome here, and they know it," he said. "We're trying to build a strong, unified, intelligent and effective home-school movement so that the crazies feel very much marginalized."
He acknowledged that fringe elements of society -- such as unreconstructed Confederates and militia members -- home-school, but he said they are a small percentage of the overall movement.
"That's the challenge of trying to advance a vision of liberty where parents have the freedom to do what's good for their children," Somerville said.
Obviously, that same freedom allows people to brainwash their children, if that's what they want to do. That's not a right that should be taken away -- but it is, nonetheless, a real problem.
Clearly, a line needs to be drawn at preventing abusive situations, and authorities need to do a better job of monitoring this aspect of home schooling. But in the end, hate that is taught at the home can only be undone by society at large -- a functioning society that puts the lie to the dogma of racism and unteaches hate by enunciating clear ethical values and setting a clear example.
That work, as always, is incrementally slow, painful, and difficult. It is also, for a democratic society, imperative.
Posted by David Neiwert at 11:44 AM
Keyword: privacy
Feeding us the mandate
Healing the heartland


Community Involvement COMING SOON !!
We are always looking for ways that the Yorkville Junior Women's Club can better the Community and it's Residents. If you have any ideas that the YJWC may be able to help or support , please submit your suggestion to us !


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UPDATE: Wood River Fire Caused by Exploding Target
Blaine County Sheriff's Office
UPDATE, 7/31: The Bureau of Land Management says the Sharps Fire was caused by someone shooting at an exploding target. The latest fire size estimate is about 27,000 acres and is burning to the northeast. BLM says more than 142,000 gallons of water and retardant has been dropped on the blaze. The Great Basin National Incident Management Team One is managing the fire. Mandatory evacuations are still in place by the Blaine County Sheriff's Office for the Little Wood Recreation Area campground as well as all living on Little Wood Reservoir Road and Flat Top Road north of the reservoir. People living on the Fish Creek Road are under a pre-evacuation notice and have been told to be prepared to leave if told to do so.
UPDATE: The Blaine County Sheriff's Office says the fire has grown to an estimated 20,000 acres and is continuing to move towards Carey. New video this morning from the sheriff's office shows sheep being moved away from the blaze. Currently no structures are threatened by the blaze.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) Evacuations have been ordered for people living near the Little Wood Recreation Area because of a fire Sunday afternoon. The Blaine County Sheriff's Office ordered the mandatory evacuations at 7:30 p.m. on the Little Wood Reservoir Road and Flat Top Road north of the reservoir. The Sharps Fire is burning in the area and is estimated to be 3,000 acres. The sheriff's office told people to load up their families, pets, medications and valuable documents and leave. Some on the Fish Creek Road were told to be prepared to leave if they were told to. The High Five Creek was also evacuated this evening. The sheriff's also said it had moved into the Cold Creek, High Five Creek and Carey farm areas. The fire is being managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Filed Under: Blaine County Sheriff's Office, evacuations, fire, Little Wood Reservoir, public safety, Sharps Fire


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Brachymyrmex gaucho é uma espécie de inseto do gênero Brachymyrmex, pertencente à família Formicidae.

Referências

Formicidae
Himenópteros descritos em 1917

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A group of animal lovers founded Our Dumb Friends League – the original name for Blue Cross – to care for working horses on the streets of London.
We bought the first horse ambulance to be used on London's streets for £500, to transport injured animals to hospital.
We opened our first animal hospital in Victoria, London, thought to be the first of its kind in the world. It has never once closed its doors to needy animals since.
We launched the Blue Cross Fund to help animals during the Balkan War. We also helped animals in the First (1914-1918) and Second (1939-1945) World Wars.
To help servicemen bring dogs back from overseas, our boarding kennels in Blackheath, London, were used for quarantine purposes.
We launched national children's dog shows to encourage children to care for their pets.
We became officially known as The Blue Cross.
We opened our new animal hospital in Grimsby.
After 13 years of campaigning, we successfully persuaded the Irish government to ban horse exports.
Our new head office in Burford, Oxfordshire, was officially opened.
We were the first animal welfare charity to employ an animal behaviourist to help owners with problem pets.
Our animal hospital in Merton was officially opened.
We open our new horse welfare centre in Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire.
We unveiled our new facilities at Thirsk and Southampton rehoming centres.
We refreshed our Blue Cross brand so we could embrace the changing times, reach out to new supporters and help more pets.
We now have 12 rehoming centres, four hospitals and by the end of 2014 we will have around 50 shops.
Opened three new pet care clinics in Luton, Torbay and York.


We have a similar (although not lake) water situation in a similar (northern NY) area. We've just ordered a mineral insulated, in-pipe heating system which works in below freezing weather. The company name is Pyrotenax and the product is the Retrofit Sureflow. If the lake you refer to is Lake Champlain, near Plattsburg, call Terry at Hulbert Brothers.
: I draw water from a 60 foot lake line that comes out of the ground just past the waterline and runs along the lake bottom (10 feet down) from there. We will be getting city water next year, but I am concerned that we might freeze this winter. Is there something I can do in the meantime? We did move in this year when the lake was frozen and we had no water troubles (miracle?). I live in northern New York.
: We have a similar (although not lake) water situation in a similar (northern NY) area. We've just ordered a mineral insulated, in-pipe heating system which works in below freezing weather. The company name is Pyrotenax and the product is the Retrofit Sureflow. If the lake you refer to is Lake Champlain, near Plattsburg, call Terry at Hulbert Brothers. : : : I draw water from a 60 foot lake line that comes out of the ground just past the waterline and runs along the lake bottom (10 feet down) from there. We will be getting city water next year, but I am concerned that we might freeze this winter. Is there something I can do in the meantime? We did move in this year when the lake was frozen and we had no water troubles (miracle?). I live in northern New York.


Spring is upon us and we're finally out of the winter weather, I think. It is time to transition into the mindset of enjoying the fresh outdoors again if you've been bottled up this winter. With the change in seasons comes a change in tastes and of course the wine we enjoy with that cuisine. No more hearty soups, stews and heavier meat-based dishes. We're now starting to think of fresh vegetables and other lighter fare to go along with it. Maybe for some us there is a shift in wine preferences from the bolder, heartier Italian red wines to lighter style reds or the transition into white wines. Even though Italy is known a lot for its reds, there are plenty of great whites grown throughout Italy to be enjoyed.
Today I'm going to highlight one white grape from each section of Italy including the north, central and southern part of Italy. Maybe you'd like to try and seek out something different to add to your wine repertoire this spring.
One of my favorite parts of Italy for white wines is northern Italy. I tend to gravitate towards this part of the country when it comes to selecting white wines. I personally enjoy the crisp, clean and refreshing whites that are produced there. The regions in northern Italy have a lot of climatic influences of lakes, seas and breezes blowing from the alps. These changes and fluctuations in temperatures between the day and the night are what helps create a great balance and acidity in the wines produced there.
With so many white wines to choose from it's hard to pick just one, but today I'm going to share with you the garganega grape. Found in other regions of Italy, garganega can be found mostly in the wines of the Veneto where it produces wines known as Soave.
Soave is a "white wine in the land of reds". When it comes to reds the Veneto is known for their valpolicella, bardolino and amarone, but the whites here are not to be overlooked. Soave is primarily made up of the garganega grape, but can also be blended with trebbiano di soave, chardonnay and additional grapes. There are different designations of Soave including Soave Superiore, made from higher alcohol and longer aging, and Soave Classico, from the historical area of Soave, worth seeking out. There is even a recioto di soave, which is a sweet style of this white wine, but may be a tougher find. Also, the Soave wine region just recently joined the national heritage list.
I've always enjoyed the Vernaccia wines of San Gimignano when it comes to central Italian whites, but over the last year I have had some enjoyable white wines of the Le Marche wine region that I wanted to highlight. Those wines are made of the verdicchio grape, the star of this region when it comes to white wines. Not a region one rushes to grab a bottle of wine from, but the Verdicchio wines of the Castelli di Jesi and Matelica areas of Le Marche are wines you should be considering. Producing slightly different styles the wines, Castelli di Jesi produces wines with mineralality and that are softer and rounder styles of verdicchio, where the verdicchio produced in Matelica are florally, but a little sharper and with a little aging it will help to relax these particular wines.
In southern Italy you typically face warmer climates and the white wines here tend to bring on more tropical, richer notes than those of the north. Another difficult choice with so many whites to choose from, but I'm going to go with the region that my father's side of the family is from, Campania, and more specifically, Avellino. Known as enotria, or the "land of wine", many wonderful reds and whites are produced in Campania. The most notable grapes here that produce white wines are greco di tufo and falanghina, but along with that is the fiano grape. Fiano is produced in Avellino (known as Fiano di Avellino), one of the top areas for wine production in Campania. Fiano is a wine consisting of good body, complexity and produces rather aromatic notes.
Obviously this is only a sampling of a white grapes from each part of Italy, but with the summer months coming we have many more to highlight and for you to explore. You can find further information on each of these regions and grapes on my site, Vino Travels, along with some particular wine recommendations. As always I welcome emails and I'm happy to offer further suggestions.


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Author Spotlight: Jane Sutcliffe
Annie's Book stop of Worcester is happy to host children's author, Jane Sutcliffe on our Friday Spotlight blog. Jane was part of our Carnival of Children's Authors and Illustrators this past Saturday, April 11th.
Thank you very much for joining us, Jane! Can you please tell us briefly a little about yourself and your writing? How would you like us to introduce you?
I am the author of over two dozen nonfiction books for young readers, ranging from picture books to middle grade books. My latest book, The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814 was a Notable Social Studies book and was named a Blue Ribbon Title by the Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books. My newest picture book, Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk, will be out next year.
For readers unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe what you write? What can readers expect from your work?
Many of my previous books have been biographies. Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be is not all that different. It is a biography, not of a person, but of a masterpiece of Western art, from its humble beginnings as an unwanted block of stone to its creation by the artist. As familiar as we all are with the iconic David, many people do not realize that Michelangelo was not the first artist to try to carve that particular block of marble. From the first, Michelangelo saw his David—in finished form—in the stone, and then spent three years, day and night, carving away what was not David to complete his work. The result is not only a triumph of vision but also a lesson in sheer muscular determination.
What kind of research went into writing this book? What is your favorite research story? What cool facts and findings didn't make it into the book, but you loved discovering?
I always do extensive research before I start the writing process—sometimes too much. Research for me is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Much of my reading for Stone Giant involved not only Michelangelo but other Renaissance artists as well. In a biography collection written in the sixteenth century I came across a fascinating story about a monster painting that Leonardo da Vinci did as a teenager. The monster was supposedly so realistic that it frightened Leonardo's father half to death. I thought it was a pretty cool story—no one thinks of Leonardo as a teenaged prankster—but it clearly did not belong in Stone Giant. There was only one thing to do. I set aside my research on the David and started writing a picture book about Leonardo and his scary painting. Leonardo's Monster was published by Pelican in 2010.
What draws you to the particular genre or style that you write? What do you think draws readers to these kinds of books?
I've always been a bit of a nonfiction nerd. I am hooked by the words "true story." No matter how scary or mysterious or funny a story is, isn't it always made better by those words?
I also love the research process in nonfiction. I know that my story is already there in all those details, just waiting to be revealed in the writing. That's something that Michelangelo would have understood. Writing a nonfiction book really has a lot in common with sculpture. When the artist first saw the block of marble he was to carve, he saw David—his David, the David we have come to know so well. Michelangelo saw his task as simply carving away what was not David. Nonfiction writers are sculptors of words. Our job is to recognize the story that's waiting in the research and to carve away whatever doesn't belong. And never, EVER, to add anything extra. How cool is that?
What else can we expect from you in the near future?
So glad you asked. Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk will be published by Charlesbridge in 2016. It is a description of seeing a Shakespeare play at the original Globe, told using Shakespeare's own words—words that are very much a part of what we say today. It is the story of how phrases like "household words" became, well, household words. And it's pretty funny, too. Plus it features the wonderful illustrations of John Shelley, who also did the illustrations for Stone Giant. I've seen a sneak peak and they are awesome!
Where can people find your work? (Besides ABSW ;)–though they should totally check here first!)
The usual places—bookstores, online bookstores, or directly from the publisher. I usually have a few in my trunk, too.
How can we follow your work, share your awesomeness, or otherwise stalk you in a totally non-creepy way?
Hmmm, not sure about the awesomeness part, but I'm always happy to be followed on Twitter (@jane_sutcliffe) or liked on Facebook (search for Jane Sutcliffe, Author).
Thank you, once again, Jane, for the interview and for joining us for the Carnival of Children's Authors and Illustrators!
Categories: author spotlight, events, Friday, interviews, Spotlight•Tags: author interview, Author Spotlight, children's books, children's picture books, local author, Spotlight•
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I am often surprised when people say they can't grow fruit trees in Colorado. Growing up along the Front Range, I have fond memories of playing in my grandmother's miniature orchard. She grew several varieties of apples, cherries and peaches. She taught me that fruit trees are a long-term investment through the annual rituals of pruning, harvesting and canning. Even though it takes several years for trees to bear fruit, they will bring decades of enjoyment if cared for properly.
After purchasing my first home, friends and family gave me saplings to get started. I couldn't turn down free trees and, better yet, I knew they were acclimated to the area and produced delicious fruit. Today, most people buy trees at local garden or big box stores. If you want to make the best choices, it helps to do a little research first.
Four things to consider are the tree's hardiness, the length of time for cold weather dormancy, the length of the growing season and disease susceptibility. Trees that can survive minus 25 degrees and do well in most of our state are apple, sour cherry, plum and pear. Peaches and nectarines also grow well but suffer damage at minus 12 to minus 14 degrees unless planted in sheltered locations. In general, you will have more success by selecting varieties with shorter growing seasons.
Colorado State University Extension Service suggests fruit trees suited to Colorado's climate. I've had success with Red and Golden Delicious, Honeygold, Regent and Keepsake apples; Luscious pears; Montmorency tart cherries; Autumn Star and Madison peaches; and Toka plums. It's important to note that some trees, like apple and pear, do not self-pollinate, so you need to plant more than one for cross-pollination.
Pruning is an important step in ensuring strong, healthy fruit trees. If you begin proper pruning while trees are young, they will only require moderate annual pruning, and the branches will be less susceptible to breakage when bearing fruit. Pruning is best done in late winter or early spring, just before buds break out. Even though well-pruned trees will be less likely to succumb to disease, you should keep an eye out for common diseases, such as fire blight, powdery mildew and Cytospora canker.
Once your trees start producing, you will probably have more than you can eat. When I was young, we canned our fruit. Drying was also an alternative, but since we made jelly, canning was our preferred method of preservation. After freezers became affordable, my family switched to freezing fruit. It's the simplest preservation method and the fruit retains much of its freshness and shape. We wash and dry the fruit, cut to desirable size, and sometimes add ascorbic acid to preserve the color. Then we freeze in bags at 0 degrees for 8 to 12 months.
There are many benefits to growing your own fruit trees. The fruit tastes better picked right off your own tree, it's healthier if you avoid pesticides and you can enjoy it for months with friends and family when you have abundant harvests.
Gardener Vicki Spencer has an eclectic background in conservation, water, natural resources and more.


If you have an iOS device, specially the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and the 3rd or 4th iPod Touch, then you probably like to use them for taking pictures and videos etc. You must've also heard of the app called Instagram, which lets you take photos using iOS device, apply filters and effects to it and then share it with your friends online. This app was so popular after it's release that Apple finally named it the Best App of the Year 2011. Now, here's another new app called Cinemagram, that does the same thing with videos and lets you create animated GIF from video.
Cinemagram is a new app that creates a hybrid between a photo and a video that is amazing to look at and very creative. All you have to do is take a short video with the help of this app and select the area that you want to create GIFs from movie video.. The app is super easy to use and has a beautiful UI. After you've downloaded the app on to your iOS device, launch it and go through the introduction process. The app has 5 tabs at the bottom that can be used to check out the popular images, latest images, create images, check your album and edit the Settings.
How to create animated GIF from video?
As soon as you check out the popular or the latest section, you'll know how amazing this app is and what kind of things can be done using it. So, lets get on to the filming process then.
Select the capture button and record a short video, preferably 2-3 seconds, using the front or rear camera. It's best if you record something that's in motion or something around the subject is in motion.
Edit the video if you want, adjusting the length and hit Save. Now, draw the area on the video that you want to animate. Tap the screen once and start drawing. Make sure you draw only the area that you want to be animated! You can even pinch to zoom in to that area to make it easier.
You can choose from one of the 4 filters for the image, try them and apply them to make the result look much better. That's it! That's how you create animated GIF with the help of the amazing Cinemagram app. You can then give it a title and share it on the app itself or on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. It's a really amazing app and I really enjoyed creating animated GIFs using it.
Cinemagram is currently available in the App Store for $1.99, so if you're in the mood to create some stunning hybrids of videos and photo, then you should definitely try this app out. Have a look at these samples here, to see what I mean!
1 How to create animated GIF from video?


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