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A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Gifts for a gardener

My birthday was last week and I received some nifty gardening related gifts. Michael's aunt, cousin and a good friend pitched in and got me this wagon - I guess that is what you call it - and I was excited to get it. My wheelbarrow is on its last leg and I'm sure this little guy is much stronger - they say it will hold 1500 pounds!



I had hinted to Michael that I needed a new pair of lopers and he went beyond the call of duty and gave me these which feature an extension - you rotate the knobs and it will extend a foot or so. I had never seen any made like this and I'm sure they will come in handy when I resume the pruning of Rambling Rector.


Comments

  1. I have that wagon and lopers. You will love them both!

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  2. Cool wagon. What a great gift! Our local nursery has a version of that wagon sans sides. They're heavy but very sturdy but be sure to grease the axles well because I believe the wheel bearings are sleeve bearings and not ball bearings. The ones at the nursery are left out in the elements and are not greased often if ever and some of them are difficult to lug around and even more so when loaded with heavy plants. The ones with inflatable tires are also easier to pull if inflated properly.

    There's many a time when I wished for more leverage using the loppers. That's a great idea to have extensible handles. The only problem is that the cutting head and pivot need to be heavy duty too with the extra leverage you can exert as that seems to be the weak spot with the two loppers I have.

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