Features

Even though that silly Pennsylvania groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that in our neck of the woods.

After a cold blast, we’ve had a few warm days. That means it’s time to get some late winter chores done.

February is the ideal time to cut back ornamental grasses and liriope before new growth begins to emerge. For large pampas grass mounds, a hedge cutter or a chain saw does the job efficiently.

Prune summer-flowering shrubs such as beautyberry, butterfly bush, Clethra, vitex and summer-blooming spireas in late winter to encourage lots of new growth and heavy flowering.

Do not prune back hydrangeas, azaleas or other spring-blooming shrubs or you will loose this year’s blooms. Camellias can be pruned back after they have completed their blooming cycle.

Local rock group Blackwater Outlaws will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Odell Williamson Auditorium to benefit Brunswick County’s fire and rescue squads.

Every 100th ticket sold receives a free Blackwater Outlaws sticker. Band members will be on hand after the show to sign autographs.

Band members include Jason Coveyou, 28, of Ash on guitar and vocals; Myron Norris, 27, of Ash, on guitar and vocals; Travis Norris, 32, of Ash, on vocals; William Norris, 53, of Ash, on bass guitar and vocals; and Butch Register, 51, on drums.

“Garden” may not come to mind when you think of the Brunswick County Government Complex in Bolivia, but the areas around buildings N and F are currently evolving into a great place to learn about plants that work well in our area.

One of the wonderful things about having a local garden is I get to plant things and see how they perform. That’s what we’re doing with the collection of crape myrtles that’s up to about 40 or so now, and you’ll find all 23 of the Encore azalea selections plus lots of other trees, shrubs, vines and perennials.

First and foremost, do not fertilize your lawn at this time. The Extension Master Gardener hotline has received several calls on lawn fertilizing. As warm season grasses are grown in this area and the grass is just now starting to break dormancy, fertilizing now is a waste of time and money.

People usually react negatively to the label: simple. It evokes a sense of naiveté and oversimplification that borders on avoidance and denial. We know the agony of being considered a simpleton. Somehow simple and simplistic have become identified, but there is a significant difference. To be simple is to model divinity. God is simple. Union with God is simple. Yet, neither is simplistic.

When the temperature dips into the 20s and 30s this time of year, sometimes even the teens, maybe it’s time to start thinking about making some good, slow-simmered stew on the stove.

Using a combination of small cuts of meat (beef, pork, veal or lamb) along with bunches of carrots, celery, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions and any other vegetable of your liking, and then placing them in a large covered pot and simmering them in a seasoned liquid for a long period of time would probably constitute being called a stew or a “burgoo.”

Now is a great time for planning weed control in your lawn. There are two kinds of weeds to consider. Winter weeds will be discussed first.

The majority of winter weeds are annual weeds. They grow during the winter, flower and produce seeds, and die during the first hot spell in the spring.

Typically, I avoid Clint Eastwood movies. The violence disturbs me, but I was advised to see “Gran Torino” and to report my thoughts and feelings about the film. So I did. And, I was amazed at what I saw.

The first surprise was there was a nearly full house on a Wednesday afternoon. Gray and graying heads bobbed in conversation, since we all arrived many minutes before show time. I caught bits and pieces of the varied dialogue, mostly about golf, taxes, and maladies—speech that seniors find interesting and informative.