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  • Quick test: is it a weed or a plant? If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
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    August 31, 2010
    Trim Trees Up

    When we first moved to our current house, the pine trees in the back yard were a hot mess.  In fact, it was clear the previous home owners paid no attention to keeping their yard trimmed back – even the hedge shrubs were about six feet tall.

    The first thing we did was trimmed them to about 4 feet tall.  We didn’t want them so high that someone could hide behind them since our place is somewhat isolated.  After that all the trees were trimmed up so that we could walk underneath them without a branch hitting our heads.

    Take a walk in a local park and observe … you’ll see that you can walk under trees and even magnolias, pines, evergreens, etc. can look gorgeous when their branches are not growing so that they touch the ground.  Though it’s a lot of hard work, trimming trees up will give your yard the “park-like” appearance.

    For more information about the best time to trim, visit here.

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    August 25, 2010
    Wordless Wednesday: Thirsty


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    August 20, 2010
    Birdbaths Wonderful During Summer

    We have a birdbath that we need to pay more attention to.  When it’s there, birds flock to it.  This was pretty neat, I thought, for a Friday Fun Video!

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    I tried to videotape our hummingbirds today as they now love our feeder since we used plain sugar and water.  No luck, though.  Have a great weekend!


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    August 4, 2010
    Map: The World Forests

    We’ve heard for years that the forests of the Earth are disappearing at an alarming rate.  The new map created by NASA is the very first global map using a uniform method for measure that show the height of the forests.

    The new map confirms that the world’s tallest forests are clustered in the Pacific Northwest of North America and some parts of Southeast Asia. Temperate conifer forests—which are moist and harbor species such as Douglas fir, western hemlock, redwoods, and sequoias—have the tallest canopies (over 131 feet high). Undisturbed tropical rain forests are about 82 feet high, around the same height as oak and birch trees.

    It looks like my part of the country has a multitude of tall trees, but we’re about to lose a holly in my own yard that’s growing into the power lines.

    H/T Les Jones.


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