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Dick and Cole Burrell  and I are very proud that our book on hellebores won the AHS Book of the Year. Click on the Amazon link below for information
The second link is to a great new book by our daughter Helen Kraus and Ann Spafford.

Gruesome threesome at work


  
  
  
 


         What's New at Pine Knot Farms  
We began the winter at PKF with a freak snow the week before Christmas. Freak because it came down Friday as nice soft snow. Then Saturday we had what is known as "freezing drizzle" morning went by without too much happening. Shortly after lunch I went out to check on something in the shipping house and noticed that the Ilex 'Sky Pencil' plants had split down the middle and were making the symbol of the zodiac sign Aries . Not at all what they are supposed to look like. I gathered my gloves, ladder, spools of wire and some tall bamboo poles and set to work staking them up. There are 4 of these in the garden, two 6' tall plants and two shorter plants. It took a while to get them all tied together and in an upright position. Then I began on the other plants that were in trouble. Already the Daphne odora plants were splayed open with their limbs touching the ground covered with icy snow. I broke off the icy chunks, shook off the pants and got them back into the rounded shape they had previously. By this time it's almost dark so the rest of the plants were just going to have to work it out for themselves. I probably should have continued on out to the nursery, maybe then I would have noticed that the shade cloths were sagging over the area we call North West.  The photos below show what happens when icy builds up on shade cloth. Everything comes down. Fortunately, no plants were hurt, but there is a big mess to clean up! We got to the only one of the big houses which still had the shade covering over it, the large sales house before it collapsed, that would have been awful! Dick and I exercised our upper bodies thoroughly poking the plastic from below making the snow slide off. (IF you've never done this imagine holding a large size push broom with both hands, arms straight up over you head, then lift the plastic and shake it so the heavy snow slides off. Not too hard and no sharp edges, can't tear that plastic! Only one of the big houses lost it's plastic covering due to the ice, and that wone was scheduled to be replaced this winter anyway.
 
Looking for a getaway? Check out the places you can visit with either of these great  plantsmen.
Both Barry Yinger and Pat McCracken are friends, good guys as well as knowledgable plantsmen. They will be able to give you an inside look at some wonderful places.
 
One nice thing here, after Ivy died in late February 2009 we were "dogless" for the first time since we were married 45 years ago.  Dick and I realized that we were going to be tied up with plant sales and lectures for the next several months and we thought it would be best to wait to find a new dog. Much backing and forthing this fall while I looked at shelter sites, so many homeless animals out there, they just break your heart. We finally decided partially because our daughter wanted to get a puppy for their kids for Christmas and we thought it would be a good idea if we got siblings. So on Christmas Eve two little butterballs came to the farm. The kids were totally surprised Christmas Morning when they opened a large box containing a leash, a collar and finally a large bag,of puppy chow. They named their pup Buddy and we named ours Holly. Partially as a posthumous salute to Ivy (As in The Holly and The Ivy) and partially as a tribute to Greg's hometown Lubbock Texas' favorite son Buddy Holly and partially in hopes that Hollys feet would golitely over my plants.
                
                     
 
    
 

Pine Knot Farms
681 Rockchurch Road
Clarksville Virginia, 23927
phone 434-252-1990        fax 434-252-0768