Landscaping

Pike are a formidable predatory fish that displays different behaviour in different seasons. During the summer months the pike are generally quite active and can often be seen chasing after small fry and silver fish. Whether the pike are chasing them because they are hungry or whether it is the aggressive killer instinct that is being displayed no one really knows, however if you see small silver fish jumping out of the water it is likely there is a pike close by.

During the winter months, when it is cooler, the pike are generally more sedate. Whilst they will still chase fish they tend to do so less frequently and are more likely to lie in ambush, such as some reeds or weed, and strike at unsuspecting fish as they swim past. During the winter months pike will also become scavengers and will pick up injured and dead fish of the water’s bottom.

Because of the different behavioural patterns of pike the best method of fishing for them will depend upon the season and the angler needs to adapt the approach accordingly.

When pike are more active, i.e. during the summer months, a great way of fishing for them is to use a lure. When using a lure the angler is not trying to entice the pike to feed, instead the idea is to play on the pike’s natural aggressive instinct and prompt it in to attacking the lure and becoming hooked in the process. This method means the angler may catch a pike even if it is not hungry, which is a great bonus.

Pike are said to be a territorial fish, therefore they are unlikely to travel too far even when they are at their most active. However, it is up to the angler to go and find the pike, as opposed to letting the pike come to them, and lure fishing is perfect for this. Lure fishing is an active way of fishing and allows the angler to explore an awful lot of water. The constant casting out and retrieval of the lure means the angler can fish the lure at all depths, from right near the water’s surface to pulling the lure along the water’s bottom, and all depths in between, in order to seek out the pike.

A good way of exploring the water with a lure is to make the first cast to the left, before retrieving the lure, before making each subsequent cast a bit farther to the right until the final cast is over to your right. This ‘fan’ casting method ensures the maximum amount of water is covered. Once one fan is complete, the angler can repeat the pattern but vary the retrieval speed of the lure so it is at a different depth to the first series of casts. Once the first swim has been fished at different depths the angler should then move swims and repeat the process. If the angler catches a pike in a particular swim it should be released and the angler should then move to a different swim because, as a result of their territorial nature, it is very unlikely there is another pike in the same area of water. Pike tend not to be a shoal fish.

Landing a pike in the summer can be an exciting experience. The pike tend to fight very hard and there is often lots of head shaking and, on occasion, tail walking which is where the pike leaps out of the water and shakes in mid air. Fighting a pike in this manner really gets the adrenaline pumping through the veins and provides a wonderful and memorable experience.

Once a summer pike is on the bank the ‘fight’ is unlikely to stop there since they are a very lively fish that will thrash around. Because of this it is important all pike anglers have the correct kit, which consists of a large landing net, an unhooking mat and a long pair of artery forceps or blunt pliers for hook removal. The kit not only protects the pike from damage by potentially being dropped, but it also protects the angler and helps to ensure the pike doesn’t bite. The best way of holding a pike is to put your stronger hand under the gills and hold it head up, with the weaker hand supporting the body. This method helps to keep the head stationary, hence preventing the bike from biting, so the pike can be photographed and returned to the water to fight another day.

During the winter months a lure can be used, but because the pike are more sedate it is unlikely a pike will chase the lure. The angler may be fortunate to pull the lure past a pike’s hiding place where it may dart out and take the lure, however this is a game of odds. If an angler does prefer to lure fish during the winter months a good tip is to seek out weedy areas and reed beds and pull the lure past these potential pike holding spots.

The most suitable method of winter pike fishing is to fish either a live bait, which of course will be tethered by the line, or a dead bait.

When using live bait it is important to use bait fish that are caught in the same water as where they will be used to try and catch pike. Moving fish between waters is a big no no since it may lead to cross contamination of diseases that may wipe out the population of fish where the live bait is used. The idea when using a live bait is to keep the bait fish as alive for as long possible therefore it is advisable to hook the bait either through the lip or through the back. When using multiple hook rigs one hook can be put through the lip, and the other through the back to ensure maximum hold.

Some anglers don’t like using a live bait and prefer to use dead fish as bait. When using a dead bait the angler can enhance the bait further by injecting it with some fish oil before breaking the skin of the bait fish and casting it out. Hopefully, this will result in a slick of pungent oils that will lead right to the dead fish. Hopefully, any pike will follow this trail to the fish before devouring it.

When using live bait or dead bait the pike is likely to turn the fish around to swallow it head first, therefore it is important not to be too keen when the rod tip begins to quiver or the bobber goes under the water. If the rod tip quivers or the bobber goes under wait a few moments to let the pike turn the fish around before striking in to the fish. Striking too early will result in a dropped fish.

Fighting winter pike is not normally as exciting as fighting summer pike. Whilst it is likely there will be some head shaking, although this is likely to be reduced, tail walking does not usually happen. During the winter months a pike will tend to hug the bottom and kite from left to right in order to get away.

A winter pike is unlikely to thrash around on the bank as much as a summer pike, however the angler still needs the same kit of large net, unhooking mat and forceps or pliers. In addition, winter pike should also be held under the gills with its head up. Winter pike may still bite so the angler still needs to take care with the fish.

Regardless of whether the angler is lure fishing or using a live bait or dead bait there are a few other items that should be used, including;

Treble hooks. In addition to the rows of teeth, pike have bony mouths and hooks may bounce off the bones and not take hold of the mouth, which will ultimately end up in a sot fish. To increase the chance of a hook hold treble hooks, i.e. three hook points coming off one shank, should be used. In addition to this many pike rigs, and lures, will have more than one treble hook.

A wire trace. Because of the and rows of small and razor sharp teeth which can easily cut through monofilament line, so a wire trace of about a meter is used to overcome this.

Both summer and winter pike fishing is very rewarding but in totally different ways. Catching a pike in the summer involves a lot of moving around and locating and then catching a pike is rewarding. In the winter the reward comes from knowing that you managed to outwit the pike in the battle of wits.

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Gardening in May out west is always fun… greenthumbers can hardly make a mistake, since nature has joined forces to warm up the soil so that seeds germinate faster. And as the days lengthen, and the sun warms the ground, annuals and vegetables will literally spurt from the ground.

Even cuttings root more easily. Plant foods applied to growing specimens bring almost instant reactions.

By the same token, fast-growing weeds can be knocked over quickly with any of the selective chemical weed-killers.

May is a kind month to greenthumbers because it seems that the garden suppliers, the weather and soil conditions are such that even a beginner will find it easy to plant his garden. The colorful seed display racks at the garden centers quicken the pulse, and the average temptation is to scatter so many seeds fore and aft of the house, that it will look like a blooming Persian carpet within ninety days!

In the favored rhododendron belts, Puget Sound, metropolitan Portland, the San Francisco Bay region, and the cool, coastal areas around Los Angeles, a big show of blossoms is on all month long.

There is still time to sow summer annuals.

Grow those which develop quickly and like heat. Though the list of these annuals is a long one, the most important ones are: zinnias, marigolds, nasturtiums, salvia, portulaca, sanvitalia, annual chrysanthemums, calliopsis, cleome, gaillardia and annual phlox.

For quick camouflage effects, sow some of the easy-to-grow vines. Some, you’ll discover, grow with Jack-in-the-beanstalk swiftness. These are especially good: morning-glory, moonflower, cup-and-saucer, thunbergia, balloon vine.

Perennials can be sown any time from May to the end of August. There are arguments as to whether it is best to sow early in the season or late. But if you are gardening in one of the hot weather sections of the West, you’ll benefit by sowing early. Germination of seed sown in July and August is poor because it is so difficult to keep the soil moist.

Raising perennials from seed provides an excellent opportunity to literally fill up the flower garden with fine items at low cost. Some recommended perennials are columbine, coreopsis, flax, hollyhock, Oriental poppy, Shasta daisy, campanula and stokesia.

Dahlias, gladiolus and tigridias can be planted now in all areas where the soil has warmed up. But first you should know first all the unusual house plants. In the higher elevations. where the weather is cooler, it might be best to wait a couple of weeks.

Some of the nurseries may still have a few begonia tubers and gloxinia tubers on hand, but you’ll get better results by waiting until later in the month and buying the new crop of seedling plants. Not only will these husky little plants provide you with blooms later in the season, but they’ll develop fine tubers for next year’s plants.

This might seem hard to believe, but to some folk weeds are seen as being quite attractive to their garden. Weeds such as dandelions, daisies and buttercups can look very humble and innocent. Don’t be fooled! Without a moments notice these weeds can take over your entire garden, smothering your the plants that you want to be growing in your outdoor living space.

Time to take control and kick mother nature’s backside!

Before I go any further, I must point out that I am not recommending using any chemicals or toxic weed killers.

We just want to kill the weeds in our garden, not killing our environment, that would be kicking mother nature’s backside a bit too hard.

Weeds can be controlled both before and after they emerge from the ground. The most effective way of dealing with weeds that have emerged is using a bit of old fashioned elbow grease.

Get down your knees and with a long handle tool with sharp prongs, grip the weeds and yank them right out from the ground, making sure you’ve taken out the root of your victim or else they will grow back. I know it will involve quite a lot of effort on your part and granted it may be not the best way to spend your weekends or days off, but this kind of manual labour is far more effective than spraying some weed killer down and waiting to see if takes effect. Believe me you’ll thank yourself later.

Once that’s done and your garden is looking weed free, it’s time to take action against the weeds that are sitting under the soil waiting for their moment to emerge. DON’T GIVE THEM THE CHANCE!!! Use a mulch covering such as tree bark chips or a black plastic liner and lay it over the soil and around the plants. Doing this can not only retain the moisture in the soil, but also can block the sunlight getting to the weeds underground.

One last tip, keep your lawn fertilised as without the proper nutrients in the soil your grass won’t grow as it should and instead sprout big ugly deep rooted weeds…not good.

Once all this done, go out to your garden, sit back, relax and admire the work you’ve done. Well done!

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GROUND ELDER
Aegopodium podagraria
Ground elder reaches a height of about 1m (3ft). It spreads very quickly if left to its own devices. Easily identified by the characteristic white flowers.

BLACK MEDICK
Medicago lupulina
Black Medick is commonly found in lawns, especially short cut lawns. Good lawn culture should overcome this low creeping weed. Don’t cut the lawn too close

COUCH GRASS
Elymus repens
The Roots are very dense in the soil and go down about 15cm (6in). The other key identifier is that couch grass will not be killed by burying it under ground as happens with normal grass.

Weak Points of couch Grass

Couch grass is shallow rooted, no long taper like roots going deep into the ground. The roots of couch grass typically go down about 10cm (4in) and rarely more than 15cm (6in).

If the soil is well-dug, the roots of couch grass can be pulled out with relative ease.

Digging of the soil weakens couch grass.

Couch grass produces less seed than most grasses

BINDWEED
Convolvulus arvensis
Bindweed and Bellbind are very similar in appearance and can be treated the same. Very invasive, they require persistent weeding to eradicate them. Their roots can go down 5m (16ft).

WHITE CLOVER
Trifolium repens
White Clover is often found in cultivated grass. It spreads easily. Without resorting to a chemical weed killer, this weed is difficult to eradicate. Dig up each plant with the roots and as much of the runners as possible. Don’t cut the lawn too close.

WALL BARLEY
Hordeum murinum
Wall Barley is relatively easy to control. Simply cut is low so that no seeds fall on the soil. Existing seeds will only survive two years so the regular cutting this weed can be eradicated in two years.

STINGING NETTLE
Urtica dioica
Wait for a day when the soil is damp, equip yourself with a stout pair of gloves and pull each nettle up by gripping it near the base and gently ease it out of the soil with the roots.

SUN SPURGE
Euphorbia helioscopia
Can irritate the skin, and if eaten will cause significant sickness. The seeds last for 8 years in the ground so don’t let them et seed. The weed can be pulled up individually by hand.

THISTLE
There are a wide varieties of thistles but they should be treated the same. Either hoe as soon as they are noticed or weed them individually when the soil is damp.

LESSER TREFOIL
Trifolium dubium
A difficult weed to eradicate, especially in lawns. It spreads by runners and seed. The seeds remain viable for 20 years. Hand weed, removing as much of the runners as possible.

DANDELION
Taraxacum
With their long tap roots Dandelions are difficult to eradicate. On top of that the seeds remain viable for 15 years. Hand weed on a day when the soil is moist. Pull up as much of the root as possible.

MAYWEED
Matricaria recutita
Mayweed is not particularly invasive so individual plants can be hand weeded when the soil is damp. Don’t let it flower because the seeds stay viable for over 10 years in the soil.

http://www.sos-gardening.com

diylife.com – Alternatives to store-bought weed killers. Some work better than others. www.diylife.com
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Marijuana is a mixture of the crushed leaves and flowering tops of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). The plant contains a substance called THC (tetrahydrocannabinal) that has a combination of psychoactive properties which defy simple categorization. It produces euphoria and release from inhibition much like the depressant alcohol; the relaxation or even fatigue of a sedative; and hypnotic, sensory, and perceptual distortions like a mild hallucinogen (which ordinarily increases wakefulness). This is why marijuana and other cannabis drugs are treated as a unique category of psychoactive substance in the latest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM III (1980). The various forms of cannabis   differ chiefly in their concentration of THC. Of the natural forms of cannabis, marijuana is the least potent, and hashish (pure plant resin) the most potent. Recently an almost pure form of THC has been artificially synthesized in the laboratory.

Cannabis is most frequently taken by smoking it in a cigarette or pipe. It can also be eaten (Alice B. Toklas, a friend of the poet Gertrude Stein, is said to have baked delicious marijuana brownies). At low dosages, most users quickly develop a feeling of relaxed euphoria. Some become more talkative, while others become quiet and contemplative. Many describe their perceptions and sensory experiences as intensified and unusual. Previously   unnoticed colors and sounds become vivid and important. Space and forms may appear distorted, and time slows. However, while many people feel only pleasant or interesting effects, others become anxious and irritable. The particular pattern of one’s reactions depends a great deal on the particular situation and the behavior of those who are nearby.

There are physical symptoms as well. The eyes redden as blood vessels dilate, the mouth dries as saliva flow is inhibited, and the heart beats faster; appetite often increases.

As more THC enters the bloodstream, the user feels more and more drowsy. Speech may become slurred and thinking distorted. Things may seem hysterically funny and inspire long spells of giggling. Finally, the user falls into a deep sleep.

For many centuries, cannabis was used in Asia as an anesthetic and medication for maladies ranging from insomnia to rheumatism. In the mid-nineteenth century, Western European doctors began to prescribe it for neuralgia, menstrual pain, and migraine headaches. In the early twentieth   century, its medical use was widely promoted in the United States by the drug company Parke-Davis. By the 1930s, however, doctors were prescribing such other drugs as morphine, aspirin, and barbiturates instead.
Marijuana began to be used simply for pleasure and was distributed illegally.

This period was marked by progressively harsher antidrug laws, and by 1937, marijuana, incongruously lumped with opium and heroin, was completely outlawed. During the 1960s marijuana use underwent a resurgence, with growing recognition that the harsh legal penalties seemed inconsistent with its apparent low level of danger, The National Survey of Drug Abuse (1979) reported that during 1979 more than 26 million Amercans icons used cannabis at least once, including 31 percent of adolescents under   18 (10 percent of all high-school seniors), 68 percent of individuals between 18 and 25, and 20 percent of those over 26. It is clear that earlier efforts to characterize cannabis as a “killer weed” were counterproductive exaggerations. Concerning its safety, however, real doubts still remain. Some evidence suggests that it is addictive.

Chronic users may develop tolerance (Nowland & Cohen, 1977) and experience  withdrawal symptoms such as loss of appetite, running nose, diarrhea, and sweating (Jones, 1977). Also, the potency of illegally obtained cannabis has increased, and there are more instances of accidents related to cannabis intoxication (Marijuana Research Findings, 1980). Longer-term dangers may include susceptibility to lung disease (Tashkin, Calvarese, & Simmons, 1978) and reduced fertility (Hembree, Nabias, & Huang, 1979).

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As Britain and many countries in the northern hemisphere are in the icy grip of the worst winter in decades the RSPB and other ornithology groups request that people give their garden birds a helping hand by putting food out. Most of the ground is covered in a blanket of snow and most watering holes are frozen solid making the search for food and water for our feathered friends a very arduous one.

The RSPB ‘s conservation director, Mark Avery told the BBC “With the icy weather predicted to last at least another week, this winter could be the single greatest wildlife killer of the new millenium.” They warn that bird numbers could be hit for many years to come.

Spare a thought for your garden birds and put out your food scraps for them instead of chucking them into the bin. Most food waste will be taken by one type of bird or another.

Here is a selection of kitchen scraps you could put out.

Bacon rind, meat, chicken, fish, batter, eggs (cooked), chips, roast potatoes, hash browns, beans, biscuit crumbs (not chocolate), crackers, wafers, cake, bread, cheese and cereals.

If you choose to buy foodstuffs for the birds here are some options I recommend. I’ve given them a rating out of 10 for how successful I find them.

Sunflower hearts- I find sunflower hearts to be one of the best choices as they are popular with the majority of UK garden birds. Sunflower hearts are less messy than sunflower seeds with the shell still attached and also more suitable for a wider variety of birds. (Some birds would be unable to remove the shell.) I put them out in hanging bird feeders but I also put a handful on the bird table and some on a tray on the ground. (Not all birds can access hanging feeders.) Birds I have seen eating sunflower hearts in my garden include blue tits, coal tits, great tits, robins, house sparrows, dunnocks, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, blackbirds, collared doves, wood pigeons.10/10

Peanuts-Popular with blue tits, great tits, coal tits and great spotted woodpeckers. If you put some loose on the bird table they are also very popular with jays and jackdaws (both of whom will also come for monkey nuts with the shells on which they carefully open.) If you put chopped nuts on the bird table they will also be popular with blackbirds, chaffinch and robins.10/10

Suet Pellets -Another popular choice with the birds, which come in a several varieties, insect, mealworm, berry and fruit. They are so popular they will be hoovered up in minutes. It is therefore wise to put some out in a caged hanger so that smaller birds get a chance to eat them as well as putting a handful on the bird table. Popular with starlings, blackbirds, tits, robins, house sparrows, dunnocks, chaffinch, collared doves, wood pigeons.10/10

Fat Snacks or Cakes -Similar to suet pellets but instead they are one largecylinder or square which are hung out in special containers. Very popular with starlings and tits.9/10

Fat Balls -Popular with starlings and tits but not as good as suet pellets or far snacks / cakes.5/10

Wildbird Seed Mix -Popular with house sparrows, dunnocks and finches but sadly theses days the manufacturers tend to pad it out with unpopular rye, so the majority of the stuff is thrown to the ground, disregarded by the birds as they try to get to their favourite bits. Most of it reappears as weeds. Sunflower hearts is a much better option.3/10


Here are some alternatives to the specialist bird foods

Porridge Oats -Very cheap and a very popular choice with blackbirds and robins, but make sure you supply some water in your garden. Also taken by house sparrows, dunnocks, collared doves and pigeons.7/10

Sultanas / Currants -Extremely popular with blackbirds as well as starlings.8/10

Apples / Pears- You could dice them up and put them on the bird table, but it is very effective to cut them in half and fix them to a tree (I spear them on to a spur of my dwarf apple tree.) You could simply place the halves face up on the bird table or if you are good at DIY, fix a skewer to your bird table. I find apples and pears are popular with blackbirds, starlings, blue tits, great tits and blackcaps.9/10

Bread -Wholemeal bread is much more suitable for birds than white. I give them the supermarkets own value / basics bread which is much cheaper.5/10

Please don’t forget in freezing temperatures to put out some fresh water for the birds to drink. The birds will appreciate what you put out for them and pretty soon you will have a variety of interesting and entertaining visitors flocking to your garden.

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If you have been pestered by garden weeds that have spoilt the beauty of your garden, then you need weed killers to eliminate them. The garden weeds are not easy to eliminate otherwise they could have just been rooted out and the problem would not have been there anymore. The first thing that you need to do is to understand the nature of the problem and where are the garden weeds growing.

The understanding of where the garden weeds are growing and the time of the year that it is (in certain cases) matters a lot in the choice of weed killers that you would use in eliminating the issue at hand. Let us first understand the type of weed killers that there are which can be used to eliminate garden weeds. These weed killers differ in the manner that they affect and eliminate garden weed. There are the weed killers which externally are absorbed by the garden weeds and in the process the degeneration and the eradication starts. Then there are the weed killers which are absorbed in the soil and they find their way into the garden weeds via the nourishment that it extracts from the soil using its roots. It is then that these weed killer show their effect and the garden weeds are eliminated altogether. Finally there is the weed killer which is not restricted to poisoning the weeds. All the vegetation that absorbs it is eradicated. This is the weed killer that is used especially when a ground needs to be cleared of the remnants of garden weeds before the plantation of new seeds.

Some of the weed killers are sprayed on top of the garden weeds, while the others which are in granulated form are sprinkled on the ground all across the place where the garden seeds are. The latter get absorbed in the soil and eliminate the garden weeds from there and the former are absorbed directly and the garden weeds get eliminated thus. So, if you have a lot of rose plants for example and there are garden weeds growing amidst them, then you can use the spray version of weed killers that kill the garden weeds directly by selective spraying on the garden weeds only. This method of elimination of garden weeds is effective in a small area only and for a large area, it is not practically feasible.

However the same is not applicable for weeds growing in grass. Here if you select a spray for elimination of the garden weeds only, chances are that patches of grass around the garden weeds get eliminated and wilted as well. Therefore here is when you can use the weed killers that help you eliminate the garden weeds from inside having entered them via their roots. Use a lawn mower to keep the growth of garden weeds contained till the weed killer takes effect.

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Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) in a 1950s Hollywood portrait – Warner Bros.

Dennis Hopper was on the Hollywood scene since the mid-1950s. Born Dennis Lee Hopper in Dodge City, Kansas, on May 17, 1936, Hopper made his motion picture debut in Johnny Guitar (1954). His dramatic television debut came on January 3, 1955, when he appeared as Robert on an episode of Medic titled “Boy in the Storm.” Hopper passed away in Venice Beach, California, on May 29, 2010.

Here are ten memorable Dennis Hopper movie and television appearances that no serious fan should ever miss. Dennis Hopper rides again, man!

MOTION PICTURES

Hoosiers (Orion, 1986)

Dennis Hopper plays Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch, the alcoholic father whom Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) takes on as his assistant basketball coach at small-town Hickory High School in hoops-mad Indiana. Tiny Hickory proves to be a giant killer, eventually winning the state basketball championship in 1952. It’s the perfect role for Hopper as the hard-drinking yet knowledgeable super fan who helps guide Coach Dale and his boys to the ultimate high school hoops prize. Hopper garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. “Alright, boys, this is the last shot we got! We’re gonna run the picket fence at ‘em! Jimmy, you’re solo right! Everett, Merle should be open on the other side of that fence! Now, boys, don’t get caught watchin’ the paint dry!” Hopper tells his charges in one memorable scene.

Dennis Hopper as Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch in Hoosiers (1986) – Orion Pictures

Easy Rider (Columbia, 1969)

In perhaps his most famous role, Dennis Hopper plays Billy to Peter Fonda’s Wyatt a.k.a. Captain America in this psychedelic road trip classic from the Woodstock era. After scoring a drug deal, Hopper and Fonda mount their choppers and head down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Along the way they encounter alcoholic lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson), a hippie commune, violent rednecks and other mind-blowing events. Hopper co-wrote the script with Fonda and Terry Southern and also served as director. “No, man, like hey, man. Wow. I was watching this object, man, like the satellite that we saw the other night, right? And, like, it was going right across the sky, man, and then… I mean it just suddenly, uh, it just changed direction and went whizzin’ right off, man. It flashed…” an incoherent Hopper gushes in one scene, high on the evil weed as he describes an alleged UFO sighting.

Dennis Hopper as Billy in Easy Rider (1969) – Columbia Pictures

Apocalypse Now (United Artists, 1979)

Dennis Hopper plays a wild hippie photojournalist (no name given) in director Francis Ford Coppola’s classic ode to the Vietnam War. Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is tasked with taking out mad Green Beret Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who is operating unchecked as the head of his own private Montagnard army in Cambodia. Hopper is at his spaced-out, amphetamine-fueled best, emerging from the jungle with his mouth going a mile a minute after Martin Sheen and company arrive by PBR boat. “The heads. You’re looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far. He’s the first one to admit it,” Hopper informs Martin Sheen as they encounter a collection of severed heads adorning the insane colonel’s jungle headquarters.

Dennis Hopper as the hippie photojournalist in Apocalypse Now (1979) – United Artists

Blue Velvet (De Laurentiis, 1986)

Dennis Hopper plays Frank Booth, a psychotic drug user and sociopath who terrorizes youngsters Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan), Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) and Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) in the logging town of Lumberton. Hopper turns the crazed Frank Booth character into one of the creepiest ducks ever to grace the silver screen, using the f-word like a weapon in his private war on sanity and good taste. “I shoot when I see the whites of the eyes,” Hopper announces in one of his more lucid, profanity-free moments. Our apologies to Bobby Vinton and his 1963 #1 hit “Blue Velvet,” from which the movie garners its title.

Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth with Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet (1986) – De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Giant (Warner Bros., 1956)

Dennis Hopper plays Jordan Benedict III, the son of Texas rancher/oil tycoon Jordan “Bick” Benedict Jr. (Rock Hudson) and Leslie Benedict (Elizabeth Taylor) in this sweeping epic of black gold and the Lone Star State. Giant marked only the fifth big screen appearance of Hopper up to that time, with the actor turning in a good performance as the sensitive son who, against his father’s wishes, chucks the ranching life and becomes a physician, eventually marrying local Mexican girl Juan Guerra (Elsa Cardenas). One of Hopper’s best scenes comes when he tangles with the wicked Jett Rink, played by James Dean in his final movie.

Dennis Hopper as Jordan Benedict III in Giant (1956) – Warner Bros.

TELEVISION SHOWS

Bonanza (NBC-TV, 1959-73)

Dennis Hopper guest stars as Dev Farnum in “The Dark Past,” originally telecast on May 3, 1964. Hopper’s Farnum is an Old West bounty hunter whose latest quarry is outlaw James “Jamie Boy” Briggs (Ron Starr). Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), along with his three boys Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon), are also on hand, ably complementing Hopper’s grand performance as the moody loner with a mysterious past.

The Twilight Zone (CBS-TV, 1959-64)

Dennis Hopper guest stars as Peter Vollmer, an angry young man who is used by a shadowy figure to propel a struggling American neo-Nazi group to notoriety in “He’s Alive,” first broadcast on January 24, 1963. The driving force behind Vollmer proves to be the spirit of Adolf Hitler (Curt Conway), who tells his young protégé, “Though we sent them to the ovens, a handful always remained to point the finger.” Hopper is absolutely chilling as the impressionable hatemonger, registering one of his most villainous scenes when he strikes an old man who had survived the Nazi horrors at Dachau.

Dennis Hopper as Peter Vollmer in The Twilight Zone’s “He’s Alive” (1963) – CBS

Petticoat Junction (CBS-TV, 1963-70)

Dennis Hopper plays Alan Landman in “Bobbie Jo and the Beatnik,” originally telecast on January 7, 1964. Hopper’s Landman is an abrasive young poet from Greenwich Village who is deemed a “prize intellectual catch” by starry-eyed Bobbie Joe Bradley (Pat Woodell). “My poetry is, uh, a cry of anguish in the tortured night,” declares Hopper. “Oh, you write jingles for those indigestion commercials,” Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) replies. This is a really fun role for Hopper in one of the 1960s most popular TV sitcoms. Like check it out, man.

Naked City (ABC-TV, 1958-63)

Dennis Hopper guest stars as Vinnie Winford in “Shoes for Vinnie Winford,” first telecast on March 1, 1961. Hopper plays a spoiled rich kid who becomes the head of his deceased father’s company. Virtually ignored by the board of directors, Hopper’s abusive Vinnie owns a rollicking burlesque house on the side, with the NYPD paying him a visit after one of his dancers goes missing.

Sugarfoot (ABC-TV, 1957-61)

Dennis Hopper guest stars as the notorious gunfighter Billy the Kid in “Brannigan’s Boots,” originally aired on September 17, 1957. Series star Will Hutchins as Tom “Sugarfoot” Brewster is appointed sheriff of Bluerock, tasked with finding the killer of the previous sheriff whose daughter Katie Brannigan (Merry Anders) believing he’s not quite up to the job. Jack Elam, Louis Jean Heydt, Arthur Hunnicutt, Chubby Johnson, Slim Pickens and a young Kurt Russell also appear with Hopper, who plays Billy with an evil menace.

Ten Other Dennis Hopper Movie and Television Role Favorites

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) Hang ‘Em High (1968) Colors (1994) Out of the Blue (1980) Cheyenne, “Quicksand” (4/3/56) The Rifleman, “Three Legged Terror” (4/21/59) The Betty Hutton Show, “Goldie Meets Mike” (3/17/60) The Millionaire, “Millionaire Julie Sherman” (3/22/60) Wagon Train, “The Emmett Lawton Story” (3/6/63)

L-r: Dennis Hopper as Goon with Natalie Wood and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) – Warner Bros.

Nobody likes weeds in their garden, but unfortunately that is one of the things that a gardener has to put up with. However, you can manage the weeds in your garden so that each year you will have fewer and fewer weeds to deal with.

Probably the best way to manage weeds in the garden it to stay on top of things! Get at the weeds while they are small and before they have started to flower and drop seed. By eliminating weeds before they have a chance to go to seed, you are getting a head start on next year’s crop of weeds. Generally, when weeds are small they are very easy to pull or remove with a hoe. But if the weeds in your garden are overwhelming, you can use an herbicide to control them.

Herbicides are basically a chemical – organic or synthetic, that kills unwanted plants. You have to use care when you use any type of herbicide because they can harm the good plants as well.

Read the labels well to make sure you are using it in the right area. For instance, you will not want to use a broadleaf herbicide directly on your garden. This type of weed killer attacks plants that are not grasses. As a result, most of your garden plants would suffer. A broadleaf killer is good for lawns to get rid of dandelions as well as paths and driveways. An herbicide such as a broadleaf variety is a selective weed killer, meaning it only kills certain plants. There are pesticides that are not selective and they will kill everything in the area. Use care when using this type of weed killer because run off from rain and sprinklers can cause them to run into areas you didn’t want to kill!

Chemicals can be beneficial when you have a large amount of weeds to control.

However, you can also prevent weeds as you plant your garden by using weed barrier fabric and a thick layer of mulch. Not only will these things help control the weeds in the garden, they will also help to maintain the moisture which in turn will save on your watering costs. In addition to using the weed barrier and mulch, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide after all the plants have sprouted to about 2 to 3 inches tall. This type of weed killer helps to prevent the weed seeds from germinating. Using this type of herbicide can cut down on about 90% of the weeds in your yard.

Garden weed control doesn’t need to be difficult or harmful to the plants. Herbicides used moderately and with caution help the garden grow bountifully without weeds overwhelming the good plants. But no matter if you choose to use herbicides or not, staying ahead of the weeds is the best way to keep them under control.

Beautiful lawns look thick, smooth, and even. Lawns that have been infiltrated with weeds are generally think, rough, and uneven.

Dandelions are the worst weed because they grow so much faster than grass. In addition, they spread easily and quickly.

However, these qualities are not limited to dandelions. Weeds in general can reproduce throughout all seasons of the year.

This means that even though you may stop watering your lawn with the raining season, you cannot stop taking care of the weeds in your lawn. They are a constant problem that will always need to be taken care of.

Due to this constant concern and care that is needed, many people simply give up when trying to keep weeds out. Some people do not realize that this is a year round task and stop taking care of the weeds when they stop other lawn care activities.

Watering, fertilizing and other lawn care activities are all done on a regular basis which indicates that weed removal should also be done on a regular basis. It can be difficult to remove weeds once they are large and thick.

If you remove weeds on a weekly or daily basis, it will be a much easier task. There will be much fewer weeds to remove each week and they will be much smaller as long as you stay on it each week.

Some people simplify the task even further by using a chemical mixture that kills weeds and fertilizes grass. This mixture is spread over the lawn.

There are also several mixtures that only kill weeds. There are two types of this kind of mixtures.

There first kind is pre-emergent weed killer. Pre-emergent weed killer is designed to kill weeds before they germinate and come up.

The second kind of weed killer is post-emergent. Post-emergent week killer is designed to kill weeds that have already grown out of the ground.

However, many of these weed killers are designed to target a specific type of weed. All too often the wrong kind of weed killer is used on the wrong kind of weed.

This creates a lot discouragement and frustration among those who keep pursuing an ideal lawn. It is important to do research to find out which kind of weed killer is the best for its price.

In addition, you will need to research which kind of weed killer is the best for which kind of plant. Keep in mind that after a while of using a specific kind of product the weeds may become accustomed to the killer.

As a result, the killer will not be as effective anymore. When this happens you will need to do more research to find another weed killer that will work effectively.

When you select a weed killer, you will want to make sure that you follow the directions carefully. These weed killers can be quite poisonous and dangerous if you misuse them.

Most of the time you will want to apply some weed killer in the Spring to get all of the winter weeds. In most areas, the proper time to apply your first application of weed killer is sometime between February and April.

Slightly later you will want to apply a pre-emergent weed killer and fertilizer to prevent the Spring weeds from popping up. Make sure that you apply it several days in advance of when you expect the weeds to come in.

Most weed killers suggest 30 days in advance. This will make sure that you get everything before it comes up.

In general, most weeds in most areas come up between March and May. As a result, you will want to make sure that you want to apply weed killer before February.

Make sure that you follow the directions on the weed killer. In this case, more is not better, even if the proper amount does not seem to be working correctly.

You will need to apply a second coating of weed killer about sixty days later. Of course, the number of applications you will need to apply will depend on which weed killer you will be using specifically.

As you take care of your lawn, you will be able to maintain a smooth, beautiful lawn. In addition, it will stay smooth when you mow as the weeds will not grow faster than the grass.

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