UND-Pilsa Blog

Wild roses, of the genus Rosa, are those naturally occurring natives found in Northern Hemispheres around the globe. Wild Roses can be found in forests, canyons, logged wastelands and thickets. They have continued to grow throughout the course of history and across a range of different terrains. Most modern day roses we know are mixed offspring of these wild roses.

Wild roses have had a rich history. They played roles in Greek and Roman culture, symbolizing themes such as love and allegiance. Later they became sought after for cosmetic, medicinal and religious purposes as well. However, with the beginnings of large-scale worldwide trade, rose horticulture and hybridization took root. This forever changed the wild rose landscape from a relatively small number of wild roses across the planet’s surface to today’s world with thousands-upon-thousands of rose varieties.

There are plenty of advantages to cultivating wild roses in modern-day rose gardens. Wild roses are strong, disease resistant plants, which can be grown in almost any less-than-ideal location. They are not dependent on regular fertilization and can tolerate some drought. Requiring essentially no care, wild roses are able to spread on their own, can handle being crowded and withstand transplanting at almost any time of year.

Some popular varieties of wild roses include:

Rosa Nutkana

An arching shrub with pink petals, the rosa nutkana grows in milder climates. Though it is fairly weather-tolerant, this shrub is best cultivated in sunny and well-drained locations. Prune often as thickets grow quite quickly.

Rosa Rugosa

This species, native to China, Korea and Japan, has been made into a number of different rose cultivars. It is a fast growing pink flower with rose-hips resembling small tomatoes. It prefers full sunlight and well-drained acidic soil. Since it is a salt-tolerant plant, it is an ideal shrub in coastal conditions. Light infrequent pruning will help keep growth of the rosa rugosa under control.

Rosa Foliolosa

This is a member of the rosaceae family and is also know as leafy rose or prairie rose. The rosa foliolosa is a lovely little rose found mainly in Central and North Central Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. It is small in size with very thin wood, very elegant little foliage, with usually nine tiny leaflets per leaf. One of its great characteristics is its fern-like bright green foliage.

Rosa Blanda

Another member of the rosaceae family, the rosa blanda, also known as meadow rose is a shrub-like thornless plant which grows to about three to four feet tall and prefers rich soil in full sun to light shade. It produces lovely pink flowers between June and August and the fruit resembles small apples.

About the Author

Ken Austin

Roses and Rose Gardening

Online Discount Shopping Guide

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I love to surround myself with things from the past. To me “heirloom” doesn’t necessarily mean something really old, because memories are always in the making, and displaying a family keepsake can be treasured whether it’s from last year or fifty years ago.

It’s easy to tastefully decorate your home with family heirlooms. Why not put them on display rather than locking them away?

I have many crocheted afghans that started taking up a lot of storage space. When we moved to our new home we had room for our cedar chest off to one side of the living room and I filled the chest with all of the blankets. This also keeps them from being scattered all over the living room. We take one out at a time and just fold it up and put it back in the cedar chest when we’re done using it.

I love to decorate with family photos. Our home has a long hallway where I can display a lot of photographs. Instead of randomly arranging pictures I decided to go with themes. I bought a large collage picture fame and arranged all of our family camping photos in it. Another smaller collage displays pictures of our daughter opening up her presents at Christmas throughout the years. My, how she’s grown!

I’ve also scattered picture frames throughout our home. Black and white photos of generations past are displayed on the piano and china hutch. I don’t know about you, but I love looking at other people’s family photos. Ours are definitely a topic of conversation for visiting guests.

I love needlework. I have on display needlework that was done by my mother, my mother-in-law, and myself, and these masterpieces make a great addition to any room of the home. I’m partial myself to wedding samplers. It doesn’t seem like many people take the time to make these anymore. I made one for my husband and myself that I hope to someday pass on to my children. Birth samplers are also really great and something your children will surely cherish someday. The counted cross stitch project I’m currently working on will probably take me 5 years to complete, but someday it will grace the wall above our piano.

I like to incorporate children’s artwork wherever possible. My favorite is a poem my daughter wrote and illustrated. One year she made several and gave them away as Christmas gifts to family members.

Our family has a lot of books that have been handed down as many as four generations. Those books are displayed on shelves in our entertainment center in the living room. My heirloom cookbooks I keep in a small bookshelf between the kitchen and the dining room. Instead of just filling the shelves with cookbooks, I alternated shelves, arranging my favorite knick knacks in between.

One heirloom I haven’t found a place for are hand-embroidered tea towels that have been in our family for many years. I’ve read that you can make them into kitchen curtains. I’m going to have to give that a try!

Look through your family treasures and see what you can dig up. You never know what you might find–like a flower your grandmother dried and framed! And remember, it’s never too late to create new family heirlooms. Your family will treasure them someday.

About The Author

Rachel Paxton

Originally published Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For easy do-it-yourself home decorating ideas for busy moms, visit http://www.frugal-home-decor.com.

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Ready to start your first serious DIY project? Read through the checklist below to make sure you are well prepared to start - and finish! - the job:

1. Do an overview of the project, making sure that you understand all its requirements. Sometimes imagining that you have been hired to do the job may help you take a better perspective on what it will take to complete the task.

2. Be realistic about your expectations. If you are just a beginning DIYer, consider completing a few small projects (like putting up shelves or fixing a garden fence) before attempting a major one. Ideally, for your first big DIY project you should select an area where it will least affect your lifestyle if left unfinished - for example, your basement or outdoors. Don’t attempt replumbing the house as your first project!

3. Know where to seek help if needed. Your sources might include DIY books and magazines, relevant web sites, and DIY-savvy friends and relatives. If you are about to venture into a completely new territory, you might find it helpful to hire a professional for a few hours and try to learn the essential techniques from them.

4. Make a list of materials you need - and buy them all BEFORE you start the project. This will minimize the need for frustrating runs to the store, allowing you to completely focus on the job.

There are many online tools available for estimating the quantity of materials (like paint or tiles) that you need for a project - make use of those to save time. Some useful online estimators can be found here: http://www.construction-resource.com/construction-calculator.php. (It is also a good time saving idea to add about 10% to your calculated material requirements to allow for waste.)

5. Make a realistic budget. Remember to budget for little things such as nails, screws, hinges etc. The little things, when combined, tend to add up to significant amounts that are often overlooked during the planning stage.

6. Make a schedule. Be sure to allow for unexpected delays or having to redo parts of the project. If you project is based outdoors, don’t forget to take weather conditions into account. Consider how possible interruptions in the project are likely to affect your daily routines, and plan accordingly. For example, if your place has only one bathroom, you would want to finish any bathroom renovation project as quickly as possible.

As with material estimators, there are time estimates available online and in printed sources on how long it takes to complete certain tasks. Again, adding 10% to the suggested time requirement may save you unnecessary frustration.

Remember that every project is unique. Think where you are most likely to encounter problems, and allow extra time for figuring out solutions. Some problems are fixed pretty quickly - it is figuring out how to do it that can be time consuming.

7. Know what motivates you best and have a strategy on how to stay motivated. It is important to understand what motivational strategy works best for you, and use it consistently. Have a clear goal in mind all the time while you are on the project. Asking yourself two simple questions - “what will happen if I do?” and “what will happen if I don’t?”- is one effective motivational technique. This is especially true in the case of DIY, where your actions or lack thereof are likely to have immediate - and tangible - results.

8. Last but not least - don’t beat yourself when something does not go according to plan, especially if you are just starting out. This includes bad time estimates that tend to be the number one cause of frustration in DIYers. Remember that no job is exactly the same no matter how many times you do it, so you cannot possibly plan for everything. That said, your estimating and project management skills should improve over time.

About the Author

Alan Woodbridge writes about DIY projects, home improvement, and personal motivation. He is a member of the team that runs DIYProjects.info: http://www.diyprojects.info

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Cocoa trees can grow as tall as fifty feet although they are usually kept pruned and kept much shorter to make it easier to harvest the cocoa bean pods.

The trees reach their maximum productivity when they are thirty to forty years old. A cocoa tree will live approximately sixty years.

The bean pods grow directly off the trunk and thicker main branches of the tree, not off the leaves as many people think. This is because the pods are heavy. The fragile leaf systems of the tree couldn’t support the weight of the pods.

A cocoa tree can have up to one hundred thousand baby-pink and white blossoms every year. The blossoms have no scent. The leaves of the tree vary in color. Young leaves can be pale green, lavender, or purple in color. Mature leaves are dark green. The pods start out green but turn yellow or red when ripe, depending on what type of cocoa tree it is.

There are two main types of cocoa trees. There is the native Central American cocoa tree called the Criollo, and a type called Forastero which is grown mostly in West Africa and Brazil. The Forastero trees produces approximately ninety percent of the world’s crop of cocoa beans. The beans from the Criollo are more expensive and are used in high quality chocolate.

Cocoa trees like shade so other tropical trees such as banana trees are planted right next to the cocoa trees. These larger trees that provide shade for the cocoa trees are often called “cocoa mother trees.”

The cocoa trees start producing cocoa bean pods after three or four years and continue producing pods for approximately another thirty five years. In most areas, harvesting of the cocoa pods is done twice a year. Ripe pods are approximately eight inches long and three to four inches in diameter. The ripe pods are cut by hand in order to protect the younger pods that are still ripening.

After the pods are cut from the tree they are taken to a fermenting area. There the pods are split open to reveal the pulp and cocoa beans. There are up to forty cocoa beans in every pod. The pulp and beans are scooped out of the pod, placed on banana leaves that are usually laid on the ground (fermenting is also done in baskets and also in large sloping boxes), and then covered with more banana leaves. The pods are left to ferment for several days.

As the beans ferment they lose some of their bitterness and change from a lavender or white color to brown. The fermenting process is important because that is when the beans take on the chocolate taste we are accustomed to. During the fermenting process the beans lose some of their moisture. By the time the beans are ready to be packed in bags for shipping, the moisture content in them is somewhere around five to seven percent.

Dorrie Ruplinger is the publisher of http://www.chocolateistheanswer.com which provides information and resources about Door County Wisconsin parks.

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Rugosa Roses are some of the toughest and most handsome shrub roses available. They are fragrant, black spot and mildew resistant and are vigorous growers - blooming recurrently throughout the season. Rugosa Roses can be distinguished from other roses by their tough, textured, deeply veined foliage and erect spiny stems. In contrast to their foliage, the blooms of the Rugosa Roses appears very fragile, almost like silk that has been crinkled.

Rugosas prefer light, sandy soil in full sun to partial shade, making them especially suited for seashore planting. Rugosa Roses tolerate both salt and drought. Rugosas require no spraying for disease and little fertilization. Unlike other roses, deer never touch Rugosas. In autumn Rugosas have beautiful, orange-red hips, rich in vitamin C, which attract wildlife and are useful for jelly. Rugosa Roses are ideal for hedges and planted in masses for erosion control, especially in sand dunes.

Originally from China, Japan and Korea, Rugosa Roses come in a variety of sizes and colors - white, several shades of pink and red to almost purple. This week we are featuring the most disease resistant Rugosa of them all - a rose with single, pastel pink blooms on a neat compact plant - Fru Dagmar Hastrup.

Fru Dagmar Hastrup - The Most Sought After Rugosa Rose

Created in Denmark in 1914, Fru Dagmar Hastrup is loved for its abundance of cherry red hips in the fall and its elegant pink blooms that emit a sweet clove-like fragrance. Its blooms will reach two to three inches across and repeat exceptionally well throughout the season and it has the unusual ability to display hips and blooms concurrently. The rich, green foliage will turn maroon and then gold in the fall. Fru Dagmar will reach only four feet tall and wide. A lovely addition to any garden.

Planting and Care

Click here to learn more about Rugosa Roses on the Carroll Gardens website.

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You want to buy a chainsaw online and don’t know how to go
about it. Are the shipping charges worth it or should you go to
your local hardware, home improvement or garden supply store.
First you should read all you can on line about chainsaws. Find
out the pros and cons of both gas and electric chainsaws. Check
the ads or the stores in your area for prices, services and
return policy.

Then go on line and look at prices and return policy. When you
buy a chainsaw on line you usually are expected to take or send
your chainsaw to a local authorized service center. Look for
specials like a spare chain or free shipping. Compare the cost
at your local stores to the online cost including shipping.

Choose the one that costs the least amount whether from a local
physical store or an online virtual store. Some retailers that
have both stores and websites allow you to order on line and
then pick up your item at your local store. Shopping on line
lets you shop from just about anywhere in the world and have it
delivered to your door.

Also shopping online allows you to go to sites that compare
prices from several online stores so that you can get the best
possible deals on your chainsaw. Most online stores require a
credit card although some will accept checks. Shipping for a
chainsaw or any other item on line can save you time, money and
cause you less stress since you don’t have to drive to the
store, stand in line and then drive home. You should definitely
consider shopping on line for your chainsaw.

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Many do-it-yourselfers pride themselves in their handiwork, you can just see their garages filled to the brim with tools for those all around jobs. But ask any of them, installing roofs or repairing them is an unexciting and trying job, but someone has got to do it. When it comes to home protection against nature’s elements, the roof is one of the most important aspects. A roof with a leak or a hole can cause irreparable and immeasurable damage and harm to your furniture and appliances and don’t forget your carpeting and paint, all of these in just a matter of a short time.

The roof of your house is an essential part of your home; they provide protection from the rain, snow, sleet, hail, and the sun’s light and heat. To fully do this, the roof must be sealed tight against water and such. Roofs should be tough and durable, yet they must be versatile enough to handle all kinds of weather and any factor brought upon by the location of your home. It is ideal that the roof be fire resistant. There are many kinds of roof, differentiating in design, materials used and others. Usually, a roof consists of the roofing material used for the main cover, the frame where the will be attached, and other aspects and components. Building or repairing a roof can be very simple or very complex task, this will depend on the design and finish of your roof.

Now here comes the question, can you afford to do it on your own? Yes it’s cheaper when you slash the labor costs but if you don’t have the necessary skills and know how, it might just cost you more in the end. There are many factors to consider when deciding upon it. Take a deep good look on your skills, tools and the time you can afford, a roof needs to be finished right away, you don’t want your house exposed to extreme weather conditions and to burglars. Be sensible and reasonable about your skills, it is better to downgrade it than upgrade it then soon regret your decision. Building or repairing a roof needs special tools, you can buy some but that would be impractical, you may also rent them but if you damage them you’ll still have to pay for them, remember if your not familiar with the tools don’t use them or at least be cautious.

When it comes to building or repairing things, always be careful. You are using dangerous tools and you may hurt yourself, this is especially considered when doing roofs since your high above the ground. Be patient when building or repairing the roof. If you go too fast you may get confused and end up with more mistakes, which may cost you more. Be wary of your tools, follow the directions provided and make sure that you unplug them when not in use or when changing blades or drill bits. Wear eyes and ears protection always; wear protective clothing and gears such as heavy soled boots. Make sure that when you work on the roof, it is water free and not slippery, clean up scraps and dirt so as not to slip on them. Do not force yourself; in case a material is too heavy or slippery get some assistance. Remember; plan ahead so you can be ready for anything and everything.

Building something by yourself provides great pride and joy after its completion, but take everything into consideration for your own sake. When you have done your roof you could stand back and admire it because you have just provided a roof for your family.

About The Author

Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free payroll tips everyday. To learn more about her free roofing tips, and to sign up for her FREE Roofing articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.RoofingUp.com.

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Be Careful of Over-Mulching Your plants

More is NOT better when it is more than 2 or 2.5 inches at
MOST!!!!

Sometimes people ask me to advise them because their plants seem
to die one at a time. One after another after another aftyer…
That’s terrible! They report that they have watered and mulched
their plants and followed instructions for to the best of their
abilities.

How might I help? Well, when plants die one at a time, that is a
different symptom than when the plants die in a group. Either
“issue” has a definite source, right? We both want to know the
answer and prevent repeating the problem. Even when I didn’t
sell the plant, I don’t want it to die, and I don’t want to see
its owner dissatisified either.

Now, what is the cause of the plant’s demise? Sometimes it can
be the mulch. Look for tip burns on plants. Tip burns can be the
result of esterification of volatiles in cedar mulches. If the
mulch had not sufficiently aged before being used as a mulch,
this could be the problem. If it appears to continue, I’d
suggest that you remove the mulch. You can use it next year so
stockpile it, then reuse it again. You must be able to address
problems before the plant declines to the point where it is
stunted or doomed.

Mulch can act as a barrier to air flow to the root zone. Thus
limit the amount of mulch. Remember that mulch is like asprin.
One or two (inches or tablets) is what the doc recommends. If
you use 10 or 15 you too may die. More is not always better.

Poor quality mulches can also contain plant pathogens. Well
composted mulches that have a heat history should contain less
pathogens. For this reason I try to use mulch sparingly.

You can see more aticles and information about plants at
http://www.seedlingsrus.com

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