AU Gardens Great & Small York Co. Horticultural At Tom Becker * r What Holiday Plants And Greens Are Hot This Christmas? Poinsettias with unique cream and pink colors are getting the most attention by shoppers. Local poinsettia crops looked great this year. For example the variety ‘marble’ has unusual deep creamy bracts with a rosy-red heart ‘Pink Peppermint’ has a softly speckled peach-pink bract. Depending on the lighting, pink peppermint is perceived as cither pink, peach or pastel. ‘Monet’ has an outstanding deep pink, translucent color. Multi-bloomed plants are stun ning while single-stem plants arc also popular displays for end tables, or windowsills. Another poinsettia favorite of mine is “jingle bells.” For consumers wanting to cele brate, decorate with traditional red poinsettias, choose green plants with excellent branching and dark green foliage. ‘Celebrate,’ or ‘freedom’ arc my choice of the best red poinsettias. New cyclamen cultivars have 2 to 3 inch flowers with stunning holiday colors including pink, rose, white, salmon, and violet bi color. These dwarf, compact flow ers can spread to about ten inches. Unfortunately, cyclamen is dif ficult to grow in the home. Cycla- NEED YOUR FARM BUILDINGS PAINTED? Let us give you a price! Write: Daniel’s Painting 637-A Georgetown Rd. Ronks, PA 17572 (or leave message) (717) 687-8262 Spray on and Brush in Painting GENERATORS Sales ★ Service ★ Rentals Complete Generator Systems PTO * Portables * 2-1600 KW “We Service It If You Have It And Sell ft If You Need It” 34 W. Mohler Church Rd. Ephrata, PA 17522 Tel: 717-738-0300 lent men requires cool night time temperatures less than 50°F, and bright indirect sunlight, without it, the leaves turn yellow and the buds die quickly. Also, water cyclamen plants as soon as the soil dries out Do not water directly into the crown of the plant Given proper care, cyclamen bloom until March. For holiday decorating, garden ers need look no further than their backyards. Prune yews, Japanese or American holly, juniper, false cypress, arborvitate or red cedar for lovely greens. White pine, douglas fir and norway spruce hie also good ‘green’ sources. How ever, use only the inside branches. Select and remove them carefully to avoid destroying growth from the cut tips. In my mind, ‘pine’ cones are under-used in holiday decorations. Use spruce tree cones to make a garland for decorating a Christmas tree. Older pines, spruce and fir trees supply cones to decorate wreaths and arrangements. The winterberry holly (Ilex ver ticllata) a native shrub drops its leaves in autumn leaving the ber ries to enjoy. The berries ripen in September and persist through January depending on feeding birds. Other bird loving bushes and trees with berries include ACHINERY BEDFORD (Bedford Co.) Horses have always been a part of Ann and Russell Whitfield’s lives. Growing up in sunny Florida, Russ rode in rodeos. Ann, who lived in Everett, showed hackneys and saddlebrcd horses. The couple met through a clas sified ad in the newspaper, got married, and punned their joint interest of hones. Although they live in a spacious home in picturesque, rural Bed ford County, the standard version of equestrians did not fit into the piculre of the Whitfield’s two-acre lot. So, they downsized! Ann Whitfield purchased the first two miniature horses at a sale in West Virginia. Her husband, Russ, was delighted as were their two children, Caitlin and David. “Silver and Princess looted like good horses,” Ann says. “So, we found ourselves a trainer. Bill roses, hawthorens, buckhtom ai elderberry. Or, make a brush pile for the birds out of Fall pruning. Lastly, here’s a gardener’s Christmas wish-list There are a few simple holiday ideas that cost little but mean a lot • Give the gift of an lOU for plant sitting or pet sitting while on vacation. • A box of gardener’s station ary, greeting cards and a subscrip tion to a gardening magazine. • A selection of herbal teas or a bag full of fresh greens for decanting. • All sizes of clay pots includ ing pot shards for using in table displays. Any questions regarding the above article can be addressed to Tom Becker, Penn State Coopera tive Extension at (717) 840-7408. FALL AG-LIME APPLICATION DONT PUT IT OFF PUT IT ON AT FALL HARVEST TIME • SOU TEST TO DETERMINE PHANDAGLIME NEEDS • APPLY AGLIME EARLY FALL TO COMPLETE SPREADING BEFORE WINTER Hi-Calcium rfin LIMESTONE Miniature Horses Bring Family Pleasure LINDA WILLIAMS UmcMter Farming, Saturday, December 14, 1996-BIS Epcrthancr, from York Springs, and Silver walked off with a host of awards at the American Horse Registry Association’s national show in Columbia, Missouri. Included were the National Champion Open Driving Horse title, the National Champion Mens Driving Hone (driven by Epcr thaner), National Champion ■ Driv ; Hone (driven by Caltlln It proud of all the horses but considers Silver to be her own. For prompt delivery contact your local Martin Limestone dealer or call Blue Ball, Pa. Fran Eperthaner), and National Champion Amatuer Driving Horse (driven by Ann Whitfield). Princess, a 2-year-old, won a reserve champion award and even their yearling. Star, was a top ten horse. David, 16, won a national youth driving championship aboard Silver. Hi-Magnesium (717) 354-1370 (800) 233-0205 (Turn to Page B 16) 4 'ir
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers