I am looking forward to seeing those of you who were able to make reservations for our special conference today. We are really excited for the response we have had. Next year we hope to have an even bigger and better one. Hopefully we can have some "hands on" workshops.

Coles County Extension Master Gardeners will be conducting our "open-air" seminars later on this spring and summer. So just keep those things in mind.

W ell, I am here to tell you that we have only 20 days till the first day of spring! Doesn't that sound great? We were able to get away for a week to Florida. It was warm and sunny. Anytime we get to travel to another state I really enjoy the trees.

I have touched on this before but I think it is worth mentioning again. They have some very unusual and large specimens in Florida. One of the fascinating trees we saw was the banyan tree which was in St. Petersburg—and it was huge. The 3^rd largest banyan tree resides on the Thomas Edison estate in Fort Myers, Fl. A native of India, the Edison banyan was the first one introduced to Florida. These huge trees only flourish in Florida and Hawaii. In 1925 Thomas Edison received the young tree as a gift. Today it covers an acre of ground—yes I said an acre—and has successfully withstood hurricanes and unexpected freezes. The one we saw was only about a quarter of the size that the Edison banyan tree is. Instead of growing underground, the banyan roots sprout from branches. As they take in water and food, they strengthen, dropping to the ground to form a sort of prop for the limb. Eventually these roots become a firm part of the tree. The first roots are delicate and hair-like and drop to the ground like strands of spaghetti. The chief arborist at the Edison estate counts the prop roots of this magnificent tree and is up to 323 (this number has increased I am sure). Anyway if you should get down that way be sure and check out this specimen.

GARDEN QUESTIONS FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Q) You're probably are going to think this is a "silly" question, but here goes anyway. It seems every spring I have a couple of clay pots that have their "bottoms" busted due to the fact that I never cleaned them out in the fall. Do you have any ideas on how they could be used in other ways? A) First of all, there is no such thing as a "silly" question. Secondly, I seem to have this happen every spring, also. I came across an article with an idea for this problem. If you have a stump in your yard, then take the pot and place it over the stump and plant it with some of you favorite annuals. You can even scatter these pots around in some of your other beds to add color where and when you want to. I don't have a stump but I am going to add them to my other flower beds. You could use vegetables or even herbs. I think this will add a lot of charm and interest to our flower beds. Don't you?

Q) I am new to the world of birds. This past year I put out some "feeders" and bird-houses and watched the birds for hours. With spring coming (hopefully soon) I was wondering if I need to disinfect these birdhouses? And if so, what should I use and how often should I do it? A) It is important to clean out birdhouses at the end of the season (in your case, now is a good time) to get rid of insects and bird droppings. Particularly dirty houses can be disinfected with a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, then rinse thoroughly with water. Store houses open to discourage mice from using them over the winter.

Q) I see some of the garden center have bulbs available now. Would it be O.K. if I go ahead and plant them now, if not why? A) This is kind of a two-part answer. First, yes you can plant bulbs in spring after the ground thaws. But, you will not get any flowers until next spring. In some instances the bulbs do not develop a good root system therefore they can fail to produce beautiful flowers. Spring-flowering bulbs must be planted in fall or early winter because they require a long cool dormant period. Cool temperatures spark the process that causes bulbs to flower. It's important to plant bulbs before the ground freezes so they develop strong roots. Around our place we planted over 300 bulbs and I can hardly wait to see them this spring!

Q)We have lots of rabbits in our neighborhood and I understand they may destroy our trees and shrubs since the snows have come. What can I do? A) Eastern cottontails feed on bluegrass, clover, dandelions and plantain in our lawns during the warm weather. In winter, the rabbits are forced to feed on buds, bark, and twigs. Rabbits may girdle or otherwise seriously damage trees and shrubs through their gnawing. There are some measures that could have been done before the snow falls came, since rose bushes, as well as young fruit trees, crabapples, dogwood and elm are particularly susceptible to this feeding. Cylinders of poultry netting or hardware cloth several inches larger in diameter than the trunk should be set around the trunk. Include braces between the wire and the trunk to keep the rabbits from pressing the fence against the tree and chewing through the mesh. Rose bushes and areas containing a large number of small trees can be fenced. Use poultry netting at least 3 feet high. Bend the bottom 6 inches outward at right angle and bury it under an inch of soil. This eliminates burrowing and the remaining 2 1/ 2 feet is too tall for rabbits to jump over. Remove snow from around the fence or use a higher fence to keep rabbits from entering the fenced area during deep snow accumulation. Repellents containing thiram (Arasan) can be brushed or sprayed onto the tree trunks and bushes. Although many chemical repellents may wash off or lose their effectiveness during warm weather, one application of thiram should be effective for the entire dormant season. New growth next spring will not be protected by these repellants.