Rachel, Janet:

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:38:16 GMT
"Rachel" wrote:

As for the Hellebore subject, they are notoriously difficult to
grow from seed

But once you have one or two plants, you're set, at least with some
hellebores. Last year after the seeds on my Helleborus foetidus ripened, I
laid the flower stalk on the ground and brushed a few leaves after it. Two
of them, actually. Now I have two sets of about 30 - 40 seedlings.


Interesting, I've never seen mine poke up seedlings. I've got 4 nice
clumps, established before we bought the house.

I remember someone used to post a nice site to URG, I think,
with lots of great pics. Tried googling but didn't turn it up.
He/she is/was a big collector of the things and spoke of
the difficulties of seed exchange IIRC.

Don't know about growing them in colder zones though. I'm in
what passes for 8, and mine took a real beating this winter.
They're only just blooming now, usually we have them in january
if not earlier.

Here in 6b they've been in bloom since February. OK, so the year before the
H. foetidus bloomed in November! Anyway, most hellebores are hardy to zones
4 or 5.

Thanks for the info. I avoid those zones, in winter anyway!

Janet wrote:

One of our cats, working at a slightly faster rate, has caught and
eaten (roughly) fifteen thousand voles in her lifetime. She surgically
excises the liver and some other small vole organ (without breaking or
damaging them) and leaves them on the floor. She's never sick. I
suspect those might be the bits that less skillful cats can't eat or
digest.


Our Lucy is less scientific, which is to say she loses her mind
when confronted by raw flesh, or the chance at it, and once the
prey stops moving she ingests.

Very useful in the garden, she more than makes up for the
damage she does in "crazy mode." (Or at least has so
far, hehe.) My main complaint is the size of her range:
she seems to hunt over several hectares, but invariably
throws up the remains near the front step.

[]
I have a couple of young witch hazels in full vole colonies, they
seem OK so far. Hadn't heard about voles causing a problem
for the roots.

I have found voles are a pain at girdling bark on witchhazels,
hazels, and many young trees. I always used guards until the bark was
tough enough not to interest them. Keep grasss away from the stems,
otherwise in snowy weather they use the grass as a teepee with food laid
on.

Not much snow here, or not for long. Anyway I weed and mulch the
base of all young shrubs and trees, and I do use a bit of plastic
grilling at the base. So hopefully I'll be OK. Thanks for the advice.

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies