| Emma's gardening dream a step closer
A NORFOLK mother-of-two has received the latest qualification in her ambition to move from National Trust volunteer to head gardener at one of its properties. Emma Hill's dream is moving closer to reality as she combines work at Oxburgh Hall with a gardening course at Easton College. She has just been presented with her City and Guilds NVQ3 level certificate in amenity horticulture but next month will be presented with a special award by the Worshipful Company of Gardeners for outstanding achievement in her studies. The award also carries a £300 prize and expenses-paid trip to London. The money may go towards her hobby of beekeeping.But the mother of Jake, 19 and Daisy, 15, admits she doesn't always have quite so much time for her garden at East Lexham. “It's a bit of a wildlife garden," she said.
Ask Marianne: Splotchy Photinia? We feel your pain
Q: I have a hedge of Photinia fraseri that gets bright-red new leaves in the spring. Problem is, the older leaves get brown splotches and fall from the plant. Most of the time, this hedge looks just terrible. Is there anything I can do to keep all the leaves looking healthy? -- Y.S., Renton M.B.: I know of nothing that works to keep Photinia leaves blight-free, but before I gossip maliciously about how ugly and acne-prone this popular landscape shrub has become, readers, please chime in if you have discovered any fungicide spray or technique that stops leaf spot once it has infected a Photinia hedge. The spotted leaves that disfigure this plant are suffering from a fungal leaf spot encouraged by frequent rain. In the perfect location -- with full sun, good air circulation, great drainage and excellent soil -- Photinia fraseri can put on a good front as a colorful evergreen hedge.
Cold weather puts damper on gardening
It may be Easter and April, but the cold weather is the only hot topic right now. Talk about getting nipped in the bud. Tulips and daffodils that showed such promise a week ago are lying face down, and budding trees are looking shriveled and spent. The questions are will these trees become too stressed from trying to fight the cold and produce leaves at the same time? Will we again have an apple-less summer? How will other perennials just peeking through the ground survive the temperature changes? What about grapes, strawberries, raspberries, peaches and pears? It is hard to predict what the end result will be. Perhaps as the weather mellows, extra measures will need to be taken to insure healthy growth for perennials. Fertilizing, watering and weed control may be a different game this spring.
Illinois Governor Blagojevich proposes $10.9 billion multiyear ...
April 19, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD – Acting Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Milt Sees today unveiled Governor Rod R. Blagojevich's $10.9 billion multiyear Highway Improvement Program (MYP) for the Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013. The Multiyear Plan (MYP) focuses on maintenance of the current road system. The MYP complements $3 billion in capital road projects included in Governor Blagojevich's Tax Fairness Plan proposed in Senate Bill 1. The MYP and the bonded capital program would result in nearly $13.9 billion of highway investments over the next six years. “The Multiyear Road Program, combined with capital projects that will result from our Tax Fairness Plan, will maintain and upgrade roads and bridges and expand our existing transportation network. These are critical investments that will put people to work and make life better for millions of Illinois drivers," said Governor Blagojevich.
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