New Page 1

After improving the soil choose a dry day to plant your shrub. You will need to dig a hole about twice the width and a little deeper than the root ball.

Mix the removed soil with organic matter and fork over the base and sides of the hole to loosen the earth. Water the hole and allow the moisture to drain away.

Gently ease the shrub out of its container and position it inn the hole. Use a stake to check that the plant is at the same depth as it was in its original pot.

Backfill around the shrub with the mixed soil and organic matter, firming gently with your heel or hands as you go. Apply a mulch, such as cocoa shells, over the soil.

The practice of natural target pruning makes use of the branch collar to identify the proper location to remove a branch. But there is a three-cut process that must be used to remove branches in order to preserve the bark tissue and the branch collar.

There seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding rose pruning, as well as lots of "rules" to follow in order to do it correctly. If I have learned anything over the last decade of pruning hundreds of roses, it is that roses are very forgiving. If you cut too high, too low, at an inward facing bud rather than an outward facing one, in the long run, it really will not make a lot of difference. If the resulting growth does not grow in the fashion or direction you desire, cut it again to correct it. Once you realize that there is not too much one can do wrong, it makes the whole job much easier.

1. Do not prune old roses (once bloomers) at this time. The blooms on the old roses are produced on current growth. If you prune them now, you are pruning your spring flowers away!

2. Do not prune newly planted roses - they need to get established before you remove any growth (other than dead wood).

3. Prune first year roses (those you have grown for one season) lightly. They may not have developed a lot of top growth the first season, and need all their canes to continue to thrive.

1. Invest in a good pair of shears and keep them oiled, adjusted and very sharp! Do not use anvil-type shears because they bruise the bark. If you use loppers, make sure they are also the pass-through type. A small pruning saw is a necessity for large canes and for getting into places that cannot be reached with shears or loppers.

2. Wear good, strong, durable gloves. They should be sturdy but flexible. It is also beneficial to use gloves with gauntlets that cover the forearm. Wear hard finish clothing such as denim and wear long sleeves.

3. Remove every leaf from newly pruned bushes; diseases tend to carry over in winter on old green leaves left on the bush. Once pruning is done, it is an excellent time to do a dormant spray; this will reduce insects and disease in the upcoming season.

4. Pay attention to where you are placing your hands. Roses don't stick you; you stick yourself on the roses! Experienced pruners rarely get severely scratched but it is a good idea to check to see if you have had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years.

5. Start at the bottom of the bush but look to the top before cutting. Do not let the "decisions" about what to cut make you tense or slow you down.

6. The cane will tend to grow in the direction the top bud is pointing - cut to an outside bud on uprights bushes and to an inside bud on sprawling bushes. Cut about 1/4" away from the bud, If cut closer, the new hygrowth may break off. If cut longer, an unsightly stub will remain.

7. Cut back to good healthy wood. Discoloured pith (interior of cane) may indicate frost or disease damage, and while such a cane may bloom, it will usually die back come summer. At best it is a poor framework for future growth.

8. Remove about one-third to one-half of the volume of the plant, leaving healthy canes, and the centre of the plant open.

9. Large canes can be cut easily with sharp shears if they are bent slightly away from the cutting edges of the shears.

10. Do not worry if the cut cane bleeds; there is no evidence to show that it is harmful to either roses or grapevines. It is not necessary to seal cuts.

Poisonous plants

Knowing which plants are safe to eat could save your life. Mushrooms can be particularly tricky to identify and the symptoms of poisoning can be mistaken for gastroenteritis, meaning victims often fail to seek medical help.

There are plenty of other poisonous plants, some of which you might not imagine could harm you.

Rhubarb, for example, contains oxalate crystals and can cause poisoning when large quantities of raw or cooked leaves are eaten.

Rhubarb also contains chemicals called glycosides, the same group of compounds that make foxgloves and lily-of-the-valley dangerous. These are found low in the stalks, so only ever use the middle of the stalks.

Sweet pea seeds are particularly poisonous. In India, where the related grass-pea is still used for flour, a condition called neurolathyrism can lead to paralysis.

There are many other examples, from laburnum to poppies, deadly nightshade to aconitum.

Don't forget to check the plants inside your home too. The leaves of the Swiss-cheese plant (split-leaf philodendron) can cause problems if chewed by a baby.

General symptoms of poisoning include blistering of the skin, hoarseness, irritation of the mouth, and allergic reactions and itching.

Animals are just as vulnerable as humans and sometimes less discerning about what they chew. There have been reports of dogs, cats, and even pet monkeys becoming ill after eating leaves and green berries from ivy, for example. These contain another glycoside, causing mouth, stomach irritation and even coma and death when consumed in large quantities.

Poinsettia plants are another potential danger. All parts may be toxic but in particular the milky sap can cause skin, mouth, eye and stomach irritation. Affected animals typically shake their heads, salivate, and paw or rub their mouth or eyes.

Before you panic and rush off to convert your garden into a Japanese art form of stones and water, keep things in perspective. Research has shown the risk of harm from plant poisons is low - less than one in 10 million.

Why not start a weekly walk with your children to educate them about the beauty and the beasts in your garden?

While plants add a touch of colour and fragrance to our daily lives they also inject an element of danger into the lives of our pets. More than 700 plants have been identified as producing physiologically active or toxic substances in sufficient amounts to cause harmful effects in animals. Poisonous plants produce a variety of toxic substances and cause reactions ranging from mild nausea to death. Certain animal species may have a peculiar vulnerability to a potentially poisonous plant.

Below is a list of some of the common plants which may produce a toxic reaction in animals. This list is intended only as a guide to plants which are generally identified as having the capability for producing a toxic reaction.

PLANT	TOXIC PARTS	PLANT TYPE
Aconite	roots, foliage, seeds	garden flower
Apple	seeds	cultivated tree
Arrowgrasses	leaves	marsh plants
Atropa belladonna	entire plant esp. seeds, roots	garden herb
Autumn Crocus	entire plant	garden flower
Azaleas	entire plant	cultivated & wild shrub
Baneberry	berries, roots	wildflower

Bird-of-Paradise	pods	garden flower
Black locust	entire plant esp. bark, shoots	tree
Bloodroot	entire plant esp. stem, roots	wildflower, herb
Box	entire plant esp. leaves	ornamental shrub
Buckeye	sprouts, nuts, seeds	tree
Buttercup	entire plant esp. leaves	wildflower, garden herb
Caladium	entire plant	house plant
Carolina jessamine	flowers, leaves	ornamental plant
Castor bean	entire plant esp. beans	house plant
Chinaberry tree	berries	tree
Chockcherries	leaves, cherries, pit	wild shrub
Christmas berry	leaves	shrub
Christmas Rose	rootstock, leaves	garden flower
Common privet	leaves, berries	ornamental shrub
Corn cockle	seeds	wildflower, weed
Cowbane	entire plant esp. roots	wildflower, herb
Cow cockle	seeds	wildflower, weed
Cowslip	entire plant esp. leaves, stem	wildflower, herb
Daffodil	bulbs	garden flower
Daphne	bark, berries, leaves	ornamental shrub
Day lily	entire plant is toxic to cats	garden & wildflower
Death Camas	leaves, stems, seeds, flowers	field herb
Delphinium (Larkspur)	entire plant esp. sprouts	wildflower
Dumbcane	entire plant	house plant
Dutchman's breeches	roots, foliage	wild & garden flower
Easter lily	entire plant is toxic to cats	flowering house plant
Elderberry	leaves, bark, roots, buds	tree
Elephant's ear	entire plant	house plant
English Ivy	entire plant esp. leaves, berries	ornamental vine
European Bittersweet	entire plant esp. berries	vine
False Flax	seeds	wild herb
False hellebore	roots, leaves, seeds	ornamental flower
Fan weed	seeds	wildflower, herb
Field peppergrass	seeds	wildflower, herb
Flax	seedpods	wildflower, herb
Foxglove	leaves	wild & garden flower
Holly	berries	shrub
Horsechestnut	nuts, sprouts	tree
Horse nettle	entire plant esp. berries	wildflower, herb
Hyacinth	bulbs	wild & house plant
Iris	leaves, roots	wild & garden flower
Jack-in-the-pulpit	entire plant esp. roots, leaves	wildflower
Jatropha	seeds	tree, shrub
Jerusalem Cherry	unripe fruit, foliage	ornamental plant
Jimsonweed	entire plant esp. seeds	field plant
Laburum	seeds, pods, flowers	ornamental plant
Lantana	foliage	house plant
Larkspur	young plants	wildflower
Laurels	leaves	shrub
Lily of the valley	leaves, flowers	garden & wildflower
Lupines	seeds, pods	shrub
Manchineel Tree	sap, fruit	tree
Matrimony vine	leaves, shoots	ornamental vine
Mayapple	unripe fruit, roots, foliage	wildflower
Milk vetch	entire plant	wildflower
Mistletoe	berries	house plant
Monkshood	entire plant esp. roots, seeds	wildflower
Moonseed	fruit, roots	vine
Morning glory	seeds, roots	wildflower
Mountain mahogany	leaves	shrub
Mustards	seeds	wildflower
Narcissus	bulbs	garden flower
Nicotiana	leaves	garden flower
Nightshade	leaves, berries	wildflower, vine
Oaks	shoots, leaves	tree
Oleander	leaves	ornamental shrub
Philodendrons	entire plant	house plant
Pokeweed	roots, seeds, berries	field plant
Poinsettia	leaves, stem, flowers	house plant
Poison hemlock	leaves, stem, fruit	field plant
Potato	shoots, sprouts	garden plant
Rattle box	entire plant	wildflower
Rhododendron	leaves	ornamental shrub
Rhubarb	leaves	garden plant
Rosary pea	seeds	house plant
Sago palm	entire plant esp seeds	ornamental plant
Skunk cabbage	entire plant esp roots, leaves	marsh plant
Smartweeds	sap	wildflower
Snow-on-the-mountain	sap	field plant
Sorghum	leaves	grass
Star of Bethlehem	entire plant	wildflower
Velvet grass	leaves	grass
Wild black cherry	leaves, pits	tree
Wild radish	seeds	wildflower
Wisteria	pods, seeds	ornamental plant
Woody aster	entire plant	wildflower
Yellow jessamine	entire plant	ornamental vine
Yellow oleander	entire plant esp. leaves	garden plant
Yellow pine flax	entire plant esp. seedpods	wildflower
Yew	bark, leaves, seeds	ornamental tree

PLANTING A SHRUB

PRUNING ROSES 101
by Nanette Londeree, Consulting Rosarian

7. Cut back to good healthy wood. Discoloured pith (interior of cane) may indicate frost or disease damage, and while such a cane may bloom, it will usually die back come summer. At best it is a poor framework for future growth.

Poisonous plants

PLANTING A SHRUB

PRUNING ROSES 101 by Nanette Londeree, Consulting Rosarian

7. Cut back to good healthy wood. Discoloured pith (interior of cane) may indicate frost or disease damage, and while such a cane may bloom, it will usually die back come summer. At best it is a poor framework for future growth.

Poisonous plants

PRUNING ROSES 101
by Nanette Londeree, Consulting Rosarian