Introduction

Chokeberry plants are very good plants for growing as part of your landscape. The black chokeberry (or Aronia berry plant) was introduced to western gardens as a landscape plant around 1700, and that its value is reflected by its receipt of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Merit in 1972.

Landscape

The ornamental attributes of chokeberry plants include three seasons of interest: white flowers in spring, lustrous green foliage in summer and black bluish fruits in late summer, and bright yellow-orange-red foliage in autumn. There is growing interest in this plant as a multi-season native shrub for landscapes. Its adaptability to a wide range of soil conditions and freedom from major problems makes it a good candidate for wetland reclamation projects, roadside and highway plantings, parking lots and use in your garden and landscape.

The chokeberry or Aronia plant is a native North American plant. However recently this cultivar has been developed in Europe as an orchard fruit, but its attractive value was rapidly realized (as it began obtaining awards for its decorative value.). It is now a favorite ornamental fruiting plant grown the world over. It grows in zones 3-8.it is one of the most ornamental fruiting bushes you can grow.

In spring the Aronia bush is covered with clusters of white, sweet fragrant flowers. They are cold tolerant and avoid most frosts by blooming in late spring. This is followed by gleaming green Aronia berries that turn a dark bluish black in summer into early fall, and fire-red fall foliage. The round, pea-sized fruit can be eaten fresh although it has a distinct taste. It is known for making good and healthful juice that also blends nicely with other fruit juices. Aronia is NOT bothered by pests or diseases. Once established the Aronia bush is highly drought tolerant. It’s very hardy, and the pea sized fruit can be eaten fresh. Fresh chokeberries right from the bush are not particularly tasty raw because of their astringency, some people like them when they are completely ripe. Aronia berries have a unique, satisfying flavor. Their astringency is the awareness that most people first notice. They will make your mouth pucker. The dry, puckering taste comes from being high in tannins. The secret is to freeze the berries before using them to break down the tannins. You must wait until September when they are fully ripe before you pick them. The berries can be used to make jam, syrup, juice, soft spreads, and tea.

One person described it as one of the most attractive fruiting bushes I have ever grown. It is a delight in the garden the whole year. Fragrant flowers, attractive fall foliage, and healthy berries make it an essential plant for astute gardeners.

In the spring clusters of sweet-scented white blooms develop among the shiny green to dark green leaves covering this 3- to 5-foot-tall, 5- to 6-foot-wide bush. The flowers attract bees and butterflies. The long-lasting flowers are enjoyably, and are followed by small berries that steadily mature to dark bluish black. The dark bluish black berries of chokeberry hang in groups of up to 12 berries. They do not require trellising, spraying, or bird netting.

The three most popular varieties are Viking, Nero and Autumn Magic. Viking and Nero were developed in Europe as an orchard fruit and recently shipped back to the United States here they are becoming popular. They are also sold as a favorite ornamental fruiting plant. Autumn Magic was developed in the United States from a seedling in the eastern part of the U.S. The Autumn Magic plant is a commonly sold ornamental cultivar. It was selected for its ornamental characteristic white flowers, glossy green leaves, red-orange fall foliage, and purplish black berries. It does not grow as tall as Viking and Nero. Viking grows to a height at maturity of 5 to 8 ft. Nero grows to a height of 3 to 5 ft.

Health benefits

Aronia melanocarpa is commonly known as chokeberry and has a very nice-looking purplish black color. Interest in Aronia berries has been growing because of its health benefits and as a natural organic food coloring. It has a very stable dark pigment.

Chokeberries belong to that group of purple berries that are in today’s news concerning health and nutrition. It fights cancer and heart disease.

The plant produces dark pigmented berries that are extremely high in antioxidants, even higher than blueberries, higher than pomegranates, and higher than cranberries. Its juice has been reported to help people with heart conditions. Chokeberries have been a significant and important part of the Native American Indian diet since before Europeans came to America. It is high in antioxidants, anthocyanins, phenolic acid, flavonoids, vitamin C and trace minerals.

Summary

Chokeberry plants are very good plants for growing as part of your landscape. The plant produces dark pigmented berries that are extremely high in antioxidants. It has award-winning its decorative value. They are higher than blueberries, higher than cranberries, higher, even, than pomegranates! Its juice has been reported to help people with heart conditions.

Once again we in the USA have been chided by President Bush for being addicted to foreign oil. President Bush was speaking to the March 5, 2008 Washington International Renewable Conference, a meeting of global energy officials. He told the attendees, “we gotta get off oil, America has got to change its habits.” He went on to say, “It should be obvious to all, demand has outstripped supply, which makes prices go up.”

He is right; we are addicted to oil. We complain about the gasoline and electrical prices, while eighty five percent of us believe that global warming is real and caused by humans. We have not broken the chains of driving our cars or heating our homes in energy inefficient ways. This is mainly because we are not offered affordable alternative energies to break these addictions. The major bet of President Bush is on ethanol, but we are now seeing escalating food prices as our corn goes to fuel production, and now it is projected to be as contaminating as gasoline. Its saving grace is that it keeps our dollars in the USA.

President Bush can hardly take credit for promoting renewable energies when he has held up incentives like production tax credits and refuses to cap carbon dioxide emissions. President Bush reiterated his call for a global cap on carbon dioxide, the main gas behind global warming, but said the United States should not act until nations like China and India do as well. It is actions like these that make one wonder if we will ever break the chains of addiction.

We are currently a second-tier player in the adoption of alternate energies, and we need government incentives to move us to the top tier. We will have a new administration in January 2009 that will, hopefully, be more supportive of alternative energies. It is a good bet that their first moves will be a “cap and tax” bill but should include incentives to help the solar, wind and geothermal industries. It will take time for the alternate energies to gain traction. This means that we will be dependent on coal as an electrical generation fuel for much longer than we would like.

We will need to stop or reduce carbon dioxide pollution if we are to use coal for a longer period when oil becomes more scarce and out of affordable reach. This brings us to the questions of the readiness of the highly touted Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology. The premise sounds great to enable and maintain a quality of life that we are used to and desire.

An overview of the CCS technology is quite simple. The carbon dioxide is captured from the fossil fuels before burning or in the smokestack. The CO2 is conveyed by pipes or perhaps converted to a solid at the generation site. The captured gas is then compressed and buried in a reservoir to preclude its escape into the atmosphere.

CO2 Capture

Post Combustions Capture: The effluent gases from a fossil fuel generating plant can be scrubbed to remove the CO2 and captured for transport to the intended reservoir.

Pre-Combustion Capture: The fossil fuel is partially oxidized before combustion. The resulting CO2 can be captured in a relatively pure exhaust stream.

Oxy-Field Combustion:The fuel is burned in oxygen instead of air. To limit the resulting flame temperatures to levels common during conventional combustion, cooled flue gas is recalculated and injected into the combustion chamber. The flue gas consists of mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor, the latter of which is condensed through cooling. The result is an almost pure carbon dioxide stream that can be transported to the sequestration site and stored.

These capture technologies are well understood and examples of their use can be pointed out today. The cost of these techniques, however, will be high. There will be additional capital costs to install the technology. Depending on the capture technology, the energy cost to power the capture techniques can add 10 to 40% additional energy costs. The cost of the energy could be two times what we know today.

Conveyance of the CO2 Gas

This technology is, very simply, pipes which will convey the CO2 gas from the generation plant to the reservoir for storage.

The Reservoir

Here we have an abundance of proposals, but none have been proven on a large-scale demonstration. The proposals range from caverns in the earth to the ocean. The proposal is to compress the CO2 gas and then store it as a gas or react it into a carboneous mineral such as limestone for storage. It is estimated that this procedure will add another 30 to 40% onto the cost of energy in addition to the capture of the gas.

Storage Projects in Operation

There are several CO2 storage projects in operation. Sleeper is the oldest project (1996) and is located in the North Sea where Norway’s StatoilHydro strips carbon dioxide from natural gas with amine solvents and disposes of this carbon dioxide in a deep saline aquifer. Since 1996, Sleipner has stored about one million tons of CO2 a year. A second project in the Snohvit gas field stores 700,000 tons per year.

The Weyburn project is currently the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project. Started in 2000, Weyburn is located on an oil reservoir discovered in 1954 in Southeastern Canada. The CO2 for this project is captured at the Great Plains Coal Gasification plant in Beulah, North Dakota, which has produced methane from coal for more than 30 years. The first phase finished in 2004 and demonstrated that CO2 can be stored underground at the site safely and indefinitely.

Future Projects

A major Canadian initiative called the Integrated CO2 Network (ICO2N) is a proposed system for the capture, transport and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). ICO2N is an alliance of 15 largest Canadian industrial companies and the Canadian Government. The Alliance has been in existence for two years.

The ICO2N alliance has the stated objective to be the “world Leader in the implementation of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage.” Its goal is to remove 60% of Alberta CO2 emissions and also to enhance oil recovery from mature oil fields. The first phase of operation is planned in 2012-2015.

In October 2007, the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin received a 10-year, $38 million subcontract to conduct the first intensively monitored, long-term project in the United States studying the feasibility of injecting a large volume of CO2 for underground storage. The project is a research program of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB), funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The SECARB partnership will demonstrate CO2 injection rate and storage capacity in the Tuscaloosa-Woodbine geologic system that stretches from Texas to Florida. The region has the potential to store more than 200 billion tons] of CO2. Physical work started in late 2007.

FutureGen was a US government project announced by President Bush in 2003 to build a near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant to produce hydrogen and electricity while using carbon capture and storage. In December 2007, Mattoon Township, Coles County, Illinois was chosen as the site for the plant from among four finalists in Illinois and Texas. Sadly, on January 29, 2008the Department of Energy announced it was withdrawing funding from FutureGen, effectively terminating the project. The Department of Energy has stated that the demonstration was canceled because costs had escalated to $1.5 Billion and it did not believe a demonstration of the technology was now needed. The DOE has asked for existing power plants to submit proposals to be fitted for CCS to be up and running in the 2015-2016 timeframe.

Carbon Dioxide Capture Research

The capture of carbon dioxide is the most expensive component of the technology and is receiving the focus of the world researchers. UCLA’s researcher, Omar Yaghti, has developed ZIF materials which can absorb 80 times their weight in carbon dioxide. After absorption, the material can be decompressed and the CO2 released.

Research at the University of Texas in Austin, led by Professor Gary Rochelle, has developed a chemical process that will absorb carbon dioxide and release it when boiling the mixture. There are many other examples of these new technologies in research to capture carbon dioxide and for sure many others to be demonstrated.

Summary

Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage is a well demonstrated technology that is ready for large scale implementation. The cost of scrubbing exhaust gases or the pre burned fuel and the CO2 Gs compression will raise the energy costs between 40 to 60% over the unscrubbed and storged CO2 technology. There are scores of researchers working to develop materials that can absorb the CO2 gas in the smokestack and avoid the energy cost of scrubbing. These developments are at a minimum of seven to ten years away. We had best encourage this development, because it will be 10 to 15 years before their implementation after they are begun.

Rooibos (pronounced ‘roy-bos tea’ — Afrikaans for ‘red bush tea’) Red Tea comes from South Africa. Long known as the land of long white sandy beaches, lots of wild animals, picturesque landscapes, breathtaking vistas and awe inspiring mountain ranges. By name it is often confused with Chinese ‘Red Tea, whose name is derived from the reddish colour of its processed leaves. Rooibos Red Tea is however actually not classed as a real ‘tea’, as it does not come from the tea plant ‘Camellia sinensis’, but is in fact a bush ‘Aspalathus linearis’.

Where does Rooibos come from: Originally only grown wild in the Cederberg Mountains in the semi-desert Western Cape of South Africa, Rooibos (or Africa Red Tea) — is naturally green but gets its deep red colour and rich flavour from fermentation similar to that of green tea processed to make black tea. Green Rooibos still retains much of its ‘grassy’ green colour and natural taste. Today although still grown in the same region of the Cape it is now cultivated on large tea plantations for the mass market, although there are still some ‘artisinal farms’ producing organic and natural long-cut varieties. Attempts at growing the tea in other countries or regions have thus far all failed as the Rooibos bush seems to only thrive in the dry and often harsh semi-desert conditions of the Cederberg Mountains. The South African Tea Council has also applied for protection of the Rooibos name, much like champagne can’t be called real champagne unless from the Champagne region of France, as also for Cognac, mustard etc.

History of Rooibos from South Africa: Unlike Green Tea originally from China, Rooibos has a relatively new history dating back only a few hundred years and in fact in Europe just over a century. In 1772 botanist Carl Thunberg was the first Westerner to officially discover the Rooibos bush growing wild, although the indigenous Khoisan who roamed the Kalahari planes were well aware of the remarkable health benefits as they had been brewing it for centuries. The early Huguenot settlers to the Cape from Europe (Belgium, Holland and France) adopted Rooibos instead of expensive black tea from Europe. As did the early English settlers, who used the Cape as ‘half-way’ mark between Europe and the Far East. Russian immigrant Benjamin Ginsberg, first recognised the potential to commercialise the tea in 1904, when he became the first to trade it from the Bushmen and also started its cultivation in special ‘Rooibos farms’. Recently Rooibos has even become popular on TV shows like ‘The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ novels screened by the BBC – with the protagonist a stereotypical South African detective who only drinks Rooibos tea all day long.

Rooibos red packed full of tea health benefits: African red tea is full of natural powerful antioxidants such as such as aspalathin and nothofagin, plus key minerals. Rooibos also contains a number of phenolic compounds, including flavanols, flavones, flavanones, as well as dihydrochalcones. Amongst the long list of health benefits this African red tea is purported to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems. Traditional medicinal uses of Rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems, and even used for treating acne. A recent study performed by premier Japanese scientists into red tea benefits even suggests that Rooibos tea is beneficial in the treatment of acne. This is due to levels of alpha hydroxy acid, zinc and superoxide dismutase present in this herb. It must be noted that although research is not as extensive as for green tea, due to the fact that this tea has only become popular outside of South Africa since the early 1990’s — all new research seems to be confirming what many South Africa’s have known for centuries — Rooibos is good for you! Unlike green tea it has absolutely no caffeine and is very low in tannins, so all round a very healthy beverage — so much so that it is often bottle fed to babies, which explains why many South Africans are so addicted to it!

How to make red bush tea: Before you run off and buy your Rooibos tea or run off to the kitchen to make another cup of this African red tea if you already have some, maybe it is good to remember how best to make it. You don’t want to waste a good speciality tea by making it badly! And also consider that all Rooibos teas are not created equal, so choose wisely and drink slowly. From loose leaf tea, to organic tea, to rare long cut, and single estate, Rooibos has arrived as a premium herbal tea in the world. Life is too short to rush through a wonderful cup of tea! In South Africa it is common to drink Rooibos tea with milk and often honey, prepared similar to black tea in England, but to fully appreciate the tea it is best drunk black. The tea has a unique taste experience: an inviting vanilla aroma, woody flavours and a sweet, mild, fruity taste. If that’s not enough to make you thirsty, then I don’t know!

With an area covering about 1500 square kilometers, the Masai Mara Game Reserve may not be the largest wild life area in Kenya, but it is certainly the most famous. The entire park is nestled within the gigantic Great Rift Valley that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to South Africa. The rolling hills and open savannah are ever teeming with wildlife, climaxing in the annual migration occurring between July and October.

The Mara is easily accessible from Nairobi, on a 45-minute flight. Enjoy this natural and African abundance by staying in one of the small, intimate tented luxury safari camps.

My pick of 6 top tented Safari Camps, not in any order of superiority, are below:

Fairmont Mara Safari Club

The luxurious Mara Safari Club is set in the Ol-Choro Oiroua Conservation Area, bordering the Masai Mara Game Reserve. It is surrounded on 3 sides by the Mara River, and all the tents have there own private river frontage with four-poster beds, verandah and modern en-suite facilities. You can fly in from Nairobi into the Ngerende airstrip for a pick up by the camp vehicles and enjoy a game drive to the camp.

Cottars 1920’s Safari Camp

For any one looking for the ultimate luxury safari, romance and a bit of African adventures, this is the place. There are 6 en-suite double tents plus 4 en suite family tents -two rooms in each. Activities at Cottar’s include day and night game drives, bush walks, swimming (at the pool and in the river), sundowners, massage and fishing. You can also have your meals in the bush!

Porini Lion Camp

Porini Lion Camp is situated along the banks of the seasonal Ntiakatiak River within the 20,000-acre Olare Orok Conservancy, bordering the Maasai Mara Reserve. Accommodation at Porini Lion is in 6 luxury en-suite tents. The camp conducts day and night game drives in 4×4 open side vehicles. You and also enjoy bush walks and sundowners while at the camp.

Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp is a small, luxury tented camp on the Koyaki Community Ranch in the northern part of the Mara offers the authentic bush camp experience of starlit night, hurricane lamp and sitting around the campfire. Accommodation is offered in 8 elegant en suite tents including one for honeymooners. Activities will include day and night game drives, bush walk, lunches and dinners, sundowners and cultural visits to the neighboring Masai villages.

Leleshwa Camp

Leleshwa Camp is another small camp with only 6 tents situated in the Siana Community Conservation area. From this camp you can enjoy a personalized safari experienced that is closed to nature without compromising comfort. Game drives are conducted in 4x 4 safari vehicles. Activities include bush breakfasts, nature walks and night game drives.

Mara Porini Camp

Mara Porini Camp, sister camp to Porini Lion Camp, is set within Ol Kinyei, one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. With rolling hills, open savannah, riverine forest and offering spectacular view across the Mara Reserve. The camp has 6 tents shaded by acacia trees. Each tent has a double bed and is en suite. Day time and nighttime game drives are offered in 4×4 vehicles. Other activities include bush walks, sundowners and cultural village visits.

If your date of birth gives you numbers which reduce to a (6) when using fadic addition, you’re on Numerology’s Life Path of the Teacher. If this is your Path, you can find out how your relationships will work out, provided you know your partners Life Path number. Are you fated to have a long-lasting, rewarding relationship?

Life Path Calculation

Your Life Path is your primary number in Numerology; equivalent to your Sun sign in Astrology. You calculate it by summing all the digits of your full date of birth, and then reducing the sum using fadic addition. President George W. Bush has a Life Path number of (6). His date of birth is July 6th, 1946 which in turn gives us the calculation below.

George W, Bush’s Life Path = (7 + 6 + 1946) = (1959) = (24) = (6)

His wife, first lady Laura Bush, was born on November 4th, 1946, so her Life Path number is (8), as shown below:

Laura Bush’s Life Path = (11 + 04 + 1946) = (1961) = (17) = (8)

Determining Their Compatibility

To see how a Life Path (6) person’s Love relationship will fair, like George W Bush’s; we must look at the corresponding entry for their partner’s Life Path.

Please note, all of these relationships can work, but the needs and character traits of the partners will differ.

Partner LP (1)

Opposites tend to attract, and that’s what will bring life to your long term relationship. Your partner will probably need some coaxing to take the step and put your relationship on a permanent basis.

Partner LP (2)

You and your partner both hate to argue. However, to make this relationship grow and prosper, you need to accept that the occasional disagreement will do no harm, and will tend to clear the air between you.

Partner LP (3)

You are generally good about your finances and keeping to a budget, which will tend to balance your partner’s tendency to be a bit of a spendthrift at times. Don’t let your outlook on money become a bone of contention between you, and all will be well.

Partner LP (4)

You and your partner need to be very patient with each other. While you tend to be reserved and reluctant to display your affection, your partner needs a lot of time to develop trust in you. Don’t rush things, and all will be well.

Partner LP (5)

Your partner will discover that learning to open up to you and not conceal their true feelings will help your relationship prosper. You tend to be very open with your true feelings, which may confuse them at first.

Partner LP (6)

You and your partner are both at ease in a relationship; romance takes root and grows quickly here. However, you both need to stay grounded and not let the practical things in life get away from you if this partnership is to last for a long time.

Partner LP (7)

You tend to look at the bright side of life and stay upbeat. You don’t let the little bumps in the road get to you as easily as your partner does. Work on helping them overcome their anxieties about day to day living and your relationship will grow strong.

Partner LP (8)

Your relationship makes a good partnership because you compliment each other. You help your partner learn to not take things too seriously; while they help you to be more practical. This is a good combination.

Partner LP (9)

This can be a very trying relationship. Your partner tends to set extremely high standards on what they expect from a relationship. They also find it difficult to open up and share their feelings with you. It will take all your warmth and understanding to ease their fears and make this relationship grow.

Gardenia plants are a notoriously fickle and complicated plant to grow in your garden landscape. However the allure of such a beautiful shrub with its sublime fragrance, awe-inspiring blooms and rich green foliage is too much for many of us to bear and we give in… we buy them and we ‘stick’ them in our gardens and then wonder why they flower once, lose their leaves and then ultimately die, leaving us with a very impressive dead shrub in the garden.

So we’ve arrived home with our newly purchased gardenia, but what do we need to do in order to give our new plant a chance of survival or rather what do we need to do in order to guarantee its demise?

Here are my best 5 tips on how to kill a gardenia:

1. Always plant your gardenia shrub near concrete buildings, foundations or walkways. The chemicals (namely alkalis) held in the concrete leach out over time and collect in the soil. Planting your new gardenia near concrete will ensure that it has a slow lingering death. Although, before dying completely it will reward you with a striking display of yellow leaves which will eventually fall to form a yellow carpet around your ex-gardenia.
2. Whatever you do don’t test the pH of the soil. Gardenia shrubs flourish in a slightly acidic soil that has a pH value of between 5.0 and 6.5. You shouldn’t test your soils pH and under no circumstances use acidic compost when planting, as this will only lead to you growing a healthy gardenia. By not testing the soils pH and by not planting in a suitable medium you will ensure that your gardenia leaves will eventually turn yellow, fall and the shrub die.
3. Don’t fertilize your gardenia monthly with acidifying fertilizer like those designed for azalea plants as this will only help your gardenia and prevent the leaves from turning yellow.
4. To ensure that you kill your gardenia plant swiftly, plant it in a zone that experiences consistent low temperatures. Gardenias grow best in zones which have daytime temperatures between 68 to 74 degrees F. and about 60 degrees F. during the night. Obviously some varieties of gardenias are more temperature tolerant and established plants will survive sudden drops in temperature. Plant a gardenia in a zone that doesn’t experience these sorts temperatures and you’ll be sure to get a black leafed dead gardenia in no time.
5. Don’t provide your growing gardenia with the right amount of water. The soil should be moist but not soaked. If you over water, your gardenia won’t flower (the buds will drop off before they break) and those glossy green leaves will turn yellow.

By following any one of the above points you are destined to kill your gardenia or seriously impair its chances of survival. By not following the above your gardenia stands an excellent chance of surviving and providing you with many years of pleasure to come.

Mulberry is the name given to plants in the Moraceae family which were introduced to the US from Asia. There are different types of mulberry that grow into tall trees or short bushes. White mulberry grows incredibly tall while the black type only grows into a 30 feet mulberry bush. Red mulberry lies somewhere in the middle but rarely grows beyond 70 feet.

Mulberry fruits

The tree’s name might get you thinking that it produces berries but that isn’t botanically correct. Mulberry trees and bushes produce a collective fruit that can be eaten raw. The type of tree doesn’t dictate color of fruits produced. White mulberries can give you lavender, white or black fruit which is very sweet. Black mulberry fruits are highly regarded for the rare combination of sweet and tart but red trees produce fruit whose flavors are in between. Quality clones of the red mulberry often come close in flavor to the black types.

White, red and hybrid mulberry fruits are ready for harvesting spring while black is ready in summer. To get fruit from white mulberry simply lay a sheet on the ground and shake the tree for a bountiful harvest. Black mulberry tree fruits tend to be quite a hassle as they easily stain clothes. Once collected, mulberry fruits can keep fresh in the fridge for several days but only if stored in a covered container. When you are ready use them to make jellies, wine or tarts and pies. Fresh fruits can also be eaten out of hand. Black varieties make excellent dried fruits.

People who don’t wish to eat the fruit or keep collecting it prefer planting non-bearing mulberry trees. These are kept for their stunning foliage and excellent shade in hot summer days.

Growing conditions

Mulberries need adequate sun and space to grow with recommended distance of 15ft between trees. It is not ideal to grow them in sidewalks as the fallen fruit will strain walkways. The trees grow well in warm, well drained soil preferably loam. Mulberries are quite drought resistant but you need to water them in drought to keep them from dropping fruit before it has ripened naturally. When choosing the mulberry to plant, make sure it is suited to your environment. There are several cultivars of mulberry each of which might survive in certain conditions and fail in others.

Pests and diseases

These trees are quite sturdy against pests and diseases but there are some conditions that affect them. Cankers and die backs could occur but it is popcorn disease that is a real problem for mulberry fruits in some areas. Birds can also be a problem as they are very much attracted to the ripe fruit. However since the mulberry trees produce so much fruit you will be left with a lot to harvest|to reap after the birds have had their fill.

Lifespan

Mulberries have a reputation of growing quite rapidly when young but that rate dwindles as they age. The trees often start bearing fruit at a young age and continue do so well into old age. Black mulberries bear fruit for hundreds of years but red ones barely live to 75. Most trees grown in landscapes live only an average of 30 years.

Caring for mulberries

Like many deciduous plants the mulberry needs some pruning to remove dead and overcrowded wood. If you don’t want a mulberry bush, keep things tidy by developing a set of main branches. Heavy pruning is not ideal as it could cause the tree to bleed at the cuts. It is wise to check out mulberry growing regulations in your area before planting. This is because they are considered invasive in some parts where people are not even allowed to plant new trees. You should also conduct research into the plants to understand their needs and provide the right environment for growth.

If you notice that the main branches are drying and dying, it is probably the right time to remove the tree.

Mulberries are quite a misunderstood plant but that isn’t to say that they aren’t important. Everything from the fruits, foliage and even dried wood can be sued to improve daily life. It could be a tasty treat, great shade or excellent firewood that go on to prove that the mulberry is indeed a great plant.

First Things First – Starting Lavender The Right Way

Most lavender bushes start from a cutting taken from a Mother plants. This often works well. Growing lavender from seeds may sound like a good idea, but it can be difficult. It is hard to find the seeds, and they have a short shelf life (even if you find them, they may not grow). And it can take a long time to grow the seeds into sizeable bushes. The most difficult situation is that the most popular lavender varieties do not make seeds!

Pruning Lavender

It is important to prune lavender in order to maintaining a young, healthy bush. When pruning lavender, the key is to begin when plants are young and still in pots. Pinch out new growth to support lateral branching. Cut off the flower buds in the first year so that you will get a larger bush and more spikes in the second year.

Cut back the plant at yearly. If you prune the plant in the fall, do it well in advance of a hard freeze. You can easily use a weed eater or a hedge trimmer when pruning lavender. You can also prune the plant after it flowers I the spring or early summer. When you do prune lavender, make sure that the leaves are still green.

Cut off about 1/3 off of the plant and shape it into a mound. This encourages new growth. If you do this every year, it will make sure your plants don’t get too woody and knotty. You can begin this pruning in the second year.

If you did not prune the plant when it was young, it may not survive a significant pruning. If the bush is 3 years or older and you have never pruned it, you may be better off replacing the bush. If there is still young growth above the wood part of the plan, you can begin with a light pruning to encourage lower growth. Then, continue each year to prune a little more aggressively. But as close to the woody part – but don’t cut the wood. If you cut too much into the wood the plant will die.

Cut spent flowers to create healthy plants. Cut off dead branches in the spring, after your plant shows growth.

Lavenders types of lavender plants, like dentate, don’t require much pruning unless you want to grow them as a hedge. In these cases, the best time for pruning lavender is in the summer.

Harvesting Lavender

Cut the lavender stems which have flowers, and cut them in the early morning after the dew has dried but before the sun dries up too much of the plant’s essential oils. The essential oils create the scent, and you want to preserve them as much as possible.

You can dry lavender in bunches or on screens, and store it in a cool dark place.

After pruning lavender, you can use the pruning clippings as your harvest. Lavender is wonderful for crafts and decoration.

Interesting Notes

Plant lavender bushes in full sun and only in a soil that drains well. Water the bushes generously during the first year after planting – but do not water lavender from above – this can cause a fatal fungus!

Don’t prune into the old wood (where there are no leaves) or your lavender will not grow back in that place.

Written by: Bob Woodward

487 pages

ISBN: 1-4165-5897-7

Simon & Shuster Publishing

$32.00

5 Stars

Book four of Woodward’s on the Bush presidency examines the President’s decision making process and how he guided the war through 2006 and into the early half of 2008. The writing is crisp and sharp. Woodward’s observations and conclusions will stun the reader.

Woodward opens the book with a cast of characters to help the reader understand the principals involved in the war’s decision making. Woodward then takes the reader in for a hard landing as he discusses the rising violence in Iraq and how the generals on the ground, Casey and Abizaid, appeared oblivious to the fighting, focusing more on “numbers,” because that’s what the President wanted to see.

While Casey and Abizaid strive to downsize, the conditions on the ground won’t let them. Early in 2006, President Bush realizes the strategy isn’t working, but instead of pursuing the more traditional channels like the Dept. of Defense or the Joint Chiefs of Staff for answers, he commissions his National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley to do a study to determine why the war strategy is failing and what can be done to fix it. As Hadley is pursing this agenda through back door channels, the bi-partisan Iraq study group is formed with five ranking democratic and five ranking republicans to determine what the war strategy is and to offer suggestions to fix it.

During the summer of 2006, Hadley and the study group, working independently, conduct numerous intensive interviews. Also shaking up things behind the curtains is retired general Jack Keane, who has a sharp, precision laser-like understanding of Iraqi society, it’s leadership, and what the U.S. can do to bolster it’s strategy. Keane guides the key players in the game toward a viable strategy that might work. It’s Keane who inspires General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to convene a counsel of colonels to examine the U.S. war effort. It’s Keane who recommends General David Petraeus to take over from General Casey, and it’s Keane who has a side door “in” with Chaney and Bush.

Bush’s strategic overview done by Hadley and the Iraqi study group finish around the same time, approximately six-to-seven months after they began. Most of the Bush team recommendations mirror the study group – including a surge. Sadly, as Woodward points out, it took six-to-seven months for Bush to reach a change in strategy – something that should have happened on a tighter time table. Another change is a result of pure partisan politics – Bush waits until after the November 2006 elections and the loss of both houses of Congress to the democrats to let Rumsfeld go, the implication being if the republicans retained the Congress, Rumsfeld would have stayed.

Bush holds no one accountable – not Rumsfeld, nor Casey and Abizaid who each receive a promotion. His lack of a timetable for a new strategy prolongs the destruction in Iraq. He fails to seek the advice of those in place to give it – the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Woodward’s writing is tight. He breaks down the hard to follow issues in such a way the reader understands the situation and the consequences of Bush’s action. “The War Within” is a fascinating study of the President himself, his makeup, and the legacy he will leave the nation with.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers to grant an unpaid leave of absence for employees who can’t work because they are ill, have a newborn child, or must care for family members who are ill.

Under the FMLA a covered employer (one who has 50 or more employees) must grant an eligible employee up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:

* for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;

* for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;

* to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or

* to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition

The definition of “serious health condition” is rather lengthy but you may read it for yourself at the Department of Labor website: http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_825/29CFR825.114.htm

You will find a wealth of information at that site including FAQ and the actual regulations from the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations).

Employees become eligible for the FMLA benefit after working for a covered employer for one year and working at least 1250 hours during the 12 month period preceding the leave.

Once an employer has granted the 12 weeks required by law the benefits are exhausted for that 12 month period. In that case, in may be helpful for an employee to check with human resources, to see if there any other benefits available that would allow one to remain off work longer.