Hi everyone! Regardeng BLACKBERRIES, we, on the opposie side of the pool, have the same problems of OVERWINTERING the canes and the flower buds. Admittedly I yet have no own experience as I got interested in blackberries only this fall when discovered the existance of the new thornles and prolific varieties. So I read all that was worth reading in the Russian and US internet, especially the rather high-profile specialised forums of our blackberry enthusiasts.. I discovered that throughout Russia and Kazakhstan which both have areas with very serious frosts blackberry growing in those is nevertheless quite successful. Maybe someone here would benefit from their experience same as e.g. you grow plums of Russian origin such as ptitsin and fofanoff. Apparently Blackberries can bring huge yealds in climates with very low winter temps, even downing to -40C for rather ptolonged periods. The TECHNIQUE below allows overwintering without much problem. Plus some easy principles to follow. 1. All blackberries need to be laid down and covered for the winter, preferably after the first frost when the land is frozen. To ensure that this task is easy and hassle free: 2. Choose thornless varieties only. Those with thorns are said to be hell to lay and cover. 3. In early summer watch for the new canes (primocanes) to emerge. As soon as a shoot reaches 15-20cm carefully bend it 90 degrees and secure with a metal peg. When the cane grows another 40-60cm, secure it parallel to the ground with yet another peg. After it reaches 1 m let it grow as it will but better tie to the lowest string of the trellis Which gets them out of the way. Do not tip the ends as this would increase the leaf mass. Do the bending for all the emerging primocanes. 4. In autumn at the time of first frosts when all the fruiting canes have long been cut down lay the primocanes in lines stretched along one side of the trellis. Peg them to the ground, cover with two layers of 60g/m2 thick white non-woven fabric and secure all sides to the ground with no holes. This is said to help greatly even if serious frosts come before the snow. In milder and wetter climates they also put a plastic film layer on top of the fabric, leaving however the end bits open so there is always air circulation. The advice here is to experiment as all natural circumstaces differ. 5. Take off the cover layers gradually, and completely only after all danger of frost is over. By then the canes are likely to bear some yourg leaves and side shoots, but this is ok. Raise them carefully as the canes of come varieties are brittle, and tie to the trellis. 5. Winer frosts may not be a problem for blackberries, but summers need to be warm or hot. The shorter and milder/cooler the summers, the earlier fruiting varieties should be chosen. 6. Floricane varieties like PA Freedom in cooler and shorter summer climates may very sucessfully fruit if treated in the same way as other primocanes, i.e. as above, in a two-year culture. They would be one of the earliest to perform. If you have any questions do feel free to write me, I will try to help with more information. cathpetro at gmail dot com.

We named our daughter Catherine after St. Catherine of Siena of Italy, which in Italian is Caterina or "Little Catherine". We call her Cate or Catie. I heard that Katherine had a German origin, but doing quick internet research it appears to be Greek. Catharine is the English-only form. See below for the reference. Catherine meaning and name origin Reference: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Catherine Catherine \c(a)-theri-ne, cath(e)-rine\ as a girl's name is pronounced KATH-rin, KATH-er-in. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Catherine is "pure". From "katharos". The name may also have been derived from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of magic. Another possible source is Greek "aikia" meaning "torture". All these meanings might have been associated with Saint Aikaterine of Alexandria (fourth century), who was born a pagan but died as a Christian martyr. English form of Katherine also used in France. Catharine is the English-only form. One of the great traditional names for women, with variations in many languages. The name of several saints and queens, including Catherine the Great, empress of Russia, and three of Henry VIII's six wives. Modern-day short forms are usually Katie instead of Cathy. Actresses Catherine Oxenberg, Catherine Deneuve, Katherine Hepburn, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cate Blanchett; Australian track celebrity Cathy Freeman. Catherine has 211 variant forms: Cadi, Cait, Caitey, Caitie, Caitlin, Caitlinn, Caitria, Caitrin, Caitrine, Caitrinn, Caitriona, Caitrionagh, Caity, Caren, Cari, Carin, Caron, Caronne, Carren, Carri, Carrin, Carron, Caryn, Carynn, Cass, Cassey, Cassi, Cassie, Cassy, Cat, Cataleen, Cataleena, Catalin, Catalina, Cataline, Catarina, Catarine, Cate, Cateline, Caterina, Caterine, Catey, Cath, Catha, Cathaleen, Cathaline, Catharin, Catharina, Catharine, Cathatyna, Catharyne, Cathe, Cathee, Catheirn, Cathelin, Cathelina, Cathelle, Cathenne, Catheren, Catherin, Catherina, Catherinn, Cathern, Catheryn, Cathi, Cathie, Cathirin, Cathiryn, Cathleen, Cathlene, Cathline, Cathlyne, Cathrine, Cathrinn, Cathryn, Cathryne, Cathrynn, Cathy, Cathye, Cathyleen, Cati, Catia, Catie, Catlina, Catlaina, Cato, Catreena, Catrelle, Catrice, Catricia, Catrin, Catrina, Catrine, Catrine, Catriona, Catrionagh, Catryna, Catteeka, Caty, Cay, Caye, Cazzy, Ekaterina, Kait, Kaitey, Kaitie, Kaitlin, Kaitlinne, Kaitrin, Kaitrine, Kaitrinna, Kaitriona, Kaitrionaugh, Kaity, Karen, Karena, Kari, Karin, Karon, Karri, Karrin, Karyn, Karynn, Kasia, Kasienka, Kasja, Kaska, Kass, Kassey, Kassia, Kassy, Kasya, Kat, Kata, Kataleen, Katalin, Katalina, Katarina, Katchen, Kate, Katee, Katelijn, Katell, Katelle, Katenka, Katerina, Katerinka, Katey, Katinka, Katha, Katharine, Katharyn, Katharyne, Kathee, Kathelina, Katheline, Katherin, Katherina, Katherine, Katheryn, Katherynn, Kathi, Kathie, Kathileen, Kathiryn, Kathleen, Kathlene, Kathleyn, Kathline, Kathyleen, Kathrine, Kathrinna, Kathryn, Kathryne, Kathy, Kathyrine, Kati, Katia, Katica, Katie, Katina, Katinka, Katka, Katla, Katlaina, Katleen, Katoushka, Katouska, Katrena, Katrien, Katrine, Katrina, Katriona, Katrionaugh, Katryna, Katushka, Katuska, Katy, Katya, Kay, Kaye, Kit, Kittee, Kittie, Kitty, Riona, Trina, Trine, Trinette, Yekaterin and Yekaterina.

My earliest US ancestor came from Wales to the Virginia Colony on the SW side of Chesapeake Bay in ca 1735. From there, with the Dodson(s), they removed ca 1750 to what is now Pittsylvania Co, VA. My ancestor established a 420 acre plantation. I suppose his reason for coming to the colonies was agricultural, and a chance to acquire land. My Franklin ancestor (of my Dad's Mother) came to the colonies for a very different reason. He lived in Acton, England and saw his father hanged for being a Presbyterian. He made up his mind that Acton was not the place for him and left for the colonies hoping to establish a life for himself and wife and children. They were literally penniless upon arrival. They arrived in Boston in the 1700s. He first tried making a living with candle making and found that was not adequate. During the Rev. war, a British Officer brought a wounded conscript Scotsman, Hugh McCoy, to the house of my Franklins (who were now in New Jersey) to recuperate. Hugh McCoy did recover, caught the eye of his benefactor's daughter, and refused to sign up again when his term expired. Daughter and Hugh marries and Hugh now stays in contact with his new family. (This is the only Scot that I can verify in my line.) Near the end of the Revolutionary War, my Franklins, and Hugh McCoy, removed to Burke Co, NC using land warrants from the French and Indian Was and the Revolutionary War to buy land in N.C. After 6 children were birthed, Hugh supposed that he had some property coming to him in Scot,and. He takes passage on a ship. He and the ship is never heard from again. It is supposed the ship was lost at sea. These Franklins move through Boone Gap into Kentucky and thence onward to settle in Franklin Co. TN. One of Hugh's children married a John Brown. It is this couple who came to Illinois in 1828 when the southern portion of Illinois opened for settlement. They produced my Grandmother.

The difference I see between garden purchases at big box (Lowe's, Home Depot) stores and independent garden businesses around here (NJ) is the availability of curbside pick up at the independent places. This is not a thing at Lowe's or Home Depot. Also, big box stores (from what I read in the newspaper, under the headline, "Is Mulch Essential?"), are way more crowded. Yesterday the sheriff here raided Lowe's for lack of social distancing and served a notice to stay closed until a health-and-safety plan had been approved by the county. By this morning a plan had been approved--it is essentially the company-wide plan announced weeks ago, but with an explicit limit on the number of customers inside the store at one time. That store has curbside pickup, but not for the garden-center items I need. I had already planned to expand vegetable and cutting-flower plantings, and because of thin, rocky soil almost all of my gardening is in raised beds. Thus, I need soil mix for the raised beds, which is not available for curbside pickup even though they have plenty. The reason seems to be that it can't be shipped, and the ordering process is the same for both shipping and pickup. The independent store that I rely on for hard-to-find things doesn't officially offer curbside pickup, but I'm fairly confident that if I order and pay over the phone, they'll be happy to load everything in the back of my car anyway.