South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

10 Jan

National Pesticide Forum Coming to Yale in 2012

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening

Beyond Pesticides announed that the 30th annual National Pesticide Forum will be held at Yale University in New Haven, Ct., on March 30-31, 2012.

Titled “Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments,” the forum will be co-sponsored by numerous organizations including Environment Human Health Inc., and The Watershed Alliance at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The conference will focus on organic landcare, urban/suburban pesticide use, organic food, and protective national, state, and local policies.

Connecticut has been the nation’s most progressive state in terms of pesticide regulation, first adopting the Child Safe Playing Fields Act in 2005 and more recently announcing plans to look at overturning state pre-emption laws regarding pesticides. National chemical fertilizer and pesticide groups are aligning to turn back Connecticut’s environmental progress; the timing of Connecticut’s selection as the site of the forum was thrilling to local activists.

“This is very exciting news for sure,” said Nancy Alderman, the president of Environment and Human Health Inc. in an email to followers this morning. “Hopefully many of you will want to be part of this conference.”

Sessions will be held in the Yale School of Forestry Environmental Studies’ Kroon Hall, a sustainable building that showcases the latest developments in green building technology.

More details and registration information is available on the National Pesticide Forum webpage. If you’re interested in participating or attending, email John Kepner at jkepner@beyondpesticides.org.

Article source: http://www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2011/12/national-pesticide-forum-coming-to-yale-in-2012/

Carpenter Bees

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Pollinators In The Neighborhood or Pain In The Neck?

Monarda and a gentle giant carpenter bee~

There’s probably no other bee that arouses irritation quite like this gentle giant. Just search ‘carpenter bee’ and you will get hundreds of thousands of ‘results’ and almost all are about how to get rid of them.

I can hear you now! You’re wondering if I am going to tell you let these creatures bee. Let them tunnel into your outdoor furniture, your decks or the eaves of your house!

Proof is in the pollen covered bee on chive flowers!

No, I’m not going to tell you that. What I will say is that these big beautiful, noisy bees are excellent pollinators. In fact, they are being studied across the globe for pollinating green house crops like passionflower, blueberries, greenhouse tomatoes and greenhouse melons.

I will tell you that they are generalist foragers and are known to pollinate garden crops and garden plants. Carpenter bees are known to pollinate eggplant (Solanum melongena), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and other species in that genus, cucurbits (Cucurbita spp.), cassias (Cassia spp.), Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), cigar orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum), bee balm (Monarda spp.), aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica), and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis).

Robbing the nectar on salvia

I will tell you that they are buzz pollinators - meaning they use vibrations, or sonication, to release pollen grains from the flower’s anthers. The most efficient pollination is accomplished by a few species who specialize in sonication or buzz pollination. In order to release the pollen, bumblebees and carpenter bees are able to grab onto the flower and move their flight muscles rapidly, causing the flower and anthers to vibrate, dislodging pollen. About 8% of the flowers of the world are primarily pollinated using buzz pollination. Wildflower gardeners~all Dodecatheon are buzz pollinated! Eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, blueberries and cranberries are also buzz pollinated.

I will tell you that they typically visit flowers that are large, open-faced with abundant nectar and pollen, day-bloomers, pale or saturated in color, and that have a fresh odor, anthers specialized for pollen collection by bees, and corollas with strong walls.

I will tell you that they cheat and break open the sides of flowers, like salvias to get at the nectar! So they do not pollinate salvia!

Salvia azure is in this bee’s sights

I will tell you that I never, never, never use pesticide in my garden. Ever!

I will tell you that they have bored their way into my garden and my carport! Let me be perfectly honest~I would very much appreciate them not using their powerful mandibles to create nests in my carport timber! But, I am not going to use pesticides to kill them. Instead, I’ve located benches made in one of their favorite woods, thick pieces of pine, horizontally laid tree trucks and branches to encourage them to move to a new nesting area.

Gathering strength for the coming winter

They’re in the garden today…It’s near 80F (26C). That’s the perfect warm weather to bring the males and females who over wintered in the nesting tunnels out. They are darting and buzzing madly around~ I can’t tell if these are two males ‘fighting’ over territory or a male and female courting. Soon, the females will begin boring new tunnels or excavating the old tunnels. Inside their rounded branched galleries, they’ll form pollen/nectar loaves upon which they lay their giant eggs (up to 15 mm long). The female forms partitions between each egg cell by mixing sawdust and her saliva together. (source) The female will seal the tunnels and soon die~In a few months the new generation of males and females will emerge, forage the rest of the growing season; then they’ll hunker down in the old tunnels all winter long; and, wake up next year on a warm spring day and start it all over again.

I will tell you~ that I sure hope they like the redwood benches or the thick untreated pine board or the dead tree branches!

xxoogail

PS It bears repeating~ If you want to attract pollinators~Never, never, never, ever, use pesticides in your garden.

This post is part of a series on native pollinators in the garden~ Earlier posts and their links are listed below for your convenience.

Part I~Now Is The Time To Bee-gin Thinking About Bees ( here)
This Is The Place To Bee ( here)
If You Could Plant Only One Plant In Your Garden~Don’t (here)
Must Bee The Season of The Witch (here)
Go Bare In Your Garden (here)
We can’t All be pretty Pollinators (here)
Eye, Eye Skipper, Big Eyed Pollinators (here)
What’s In Your Garden (here)

Other bee posts you might want to read~
Count Yourself Lucky To Have Hoverflies (here)
Bumblebee Hotel (here)
Still Taking Care Of Bzzness (here)
My Sweet Embraceable You (here)

*Weathered woods are a common target of carpenter bees, to deter this behavior, keep exposed wood surfaces, including nail holes and saw cuts, coated with polyurethane or oil-base paint.

This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

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Fingerhut Coupons: 8% Off $88 or More

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

As I wake up each morning, the weather continues to get better and better. Instead of waking up to a cold wet day, I now wake up to birds chirping and the sun’s warm rays radiating throughout my room. With the days also getting longer, the season has obviously shifted, and the desire to spend time outdoors is endless. Just like many of you, the thought of weekly barbecues, trips to the beach, outdoor relaxation, picnics at the park, outdoor exercise and so many other activities are in my plans. I’ve already started seeing people set up their patios while bringing out the grill. Oh yes, it’s spring, and if you’re not prepared for it, then visit Fingerhut.com.

At Fingerhut, you will be able to find a variety of outdoor necessities for enjoying a beautiful day. Choose from a variety of patio sets, barbecue grills, outdoor furniture, hammocks and so much more. Fingerhut also has a nice selection of power tools, garden tools and storage and sheds, just in case you want to do a little work in your backyard. Here’s the best part: Fingerhut has deals that will help you save as you shop.

Fingerhut is offering 8% off orders of $88 or more. Just use coupon code AFFBITS. This coupon has no expiration date. You can also get $5 off purchase of $75 or more, just by typing in AFF814 when you check out. This offer is only valid through March 11, 2011.

The spring season has just begun, and it’s definitively time to have some fun under the sun! Be sure to keep checking our Fingerhut coupons page to find the latest deals and discounts.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/gr33n3gg/3445868159

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Lowe’s Coupon: Appliances Promotion

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Looking for great deals and low prices on appliances? Well look no further, because Lowe’s has a great promotion right now that will help you save money on name-brand appliances such as Whirlpool, Maytag, Samsung and so many more. Just use this Lowe’s coupon and shop for your choice of washers and dryers, refrigerators, cooking appliances, vacuums, water heaters and more!

To make things even better, Lowe’s is also offering free next day local delivery, and they’ll even haul away your old appliance. As long as you live within 75 miles of a Lowe’s store and your appliance is in stock, Lowe’s will take care of the rest.

Additionally, if you are looking for energy-efficient consumer appliances, then Lowe’s has a perfect limited-time offer for you: 15% off ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances valued at $397 or more, and all other major appliances get 10% off. But hurry! Offer ends Feb. 21, 2011

This is the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming spring cleaning season. Shop now and save before time runs out!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/mcclave/2390295526

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Composting Toilet: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

I am always doing research on ways to make my home a little greener, because I like to be a steward of the environment. (That, and most green things have lots of push buttons and are really cool.) While tooling around one of the many outdoor and home websites, I came across the most green yet disturbing contraption: a composting toilet.

While primarily considered for use with camping, pool houses and other outdoor areas, there are some designed for home use. They use almost no water, and all the poo — yes, that is the scientific term — and urine are stored and turned into compost that you can use on your garden and lawn.

That’s right. This means that you can even throw your old vegetable refuse down the toilet. Many of you are probably thinking that a composting toilet is just a glorified outhouse. You sit on the toilet, make a poo and then it just falls down a deep dark hole. That’s not true. A composting toilet is actually a complex system designed to advance bacterial decomposition.

The poo and urine is sent to a storage area, where positive suction keeps the smell from entering the home. Bacteria begins to decompose the organic material, and the toilet system keeps things at the right temperature, churned up, and injects fresh air for the bacteria.

When the compost pile gets full, you simply go to the waste chamber and take out the compost to fertilize your lawn or garden, or even sell to local greenhouses and landscaping businesses.

If you are building a new home, then putting in a composting toilet will be about 25 to 50 percent less than the cost of creating and installing a complete septic system. If you already have a septic system installed, then it could be a hefty price tag to convert your home to the composting toilet, but the savings are large scale.

You save money on water charges and sewer usage, and you never have to buy compost for your lawn again. Outdora.com has a article outlining the breakdown of environmental advantages and financial savings for a composting toilet.

Would you be willing to save your poo to fertilize your yard and help save Mother Earth?

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/redjar/114202286/

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Buying New Tools: Do You Really Need Them?

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

When I head to a place like Sears or even online stores, like many men, I tend to gravitate toward the electronics and tools sections. No matter what tools I buy, there is always more that I “need.” Whether it’s that new electric hammer that lets you nail things in tight spaces or just a new wrench set, since the old ones are getting a little worn.

As a do-it-yourselfer, you need to have tools, and depending on how intense into home repair you get, that could mean the basics, like hammers, wrenches and screwdrivers, to the more advanced (and expensive) tools like routers, air compressors and saws of all sizes and shapes.

It’s easy to get caught up in the grandeur of the new tools, and it has led to many marital disputes over the years. Believe it nor not, your wife or significant other does not appreciate your need of a cordless drill, because you already have a corded one. I know, right?

The thing you have to ask yourself when you go to buy a new tool — or when you just to go window shopping — is this: Do I really need it? Many times, a tool seems cool on the shelf and you can think of a million things to do with it, but then you get it home and it just sits on your shelf.

Sure, it looks really good sitting on the shelf, and you will be the envy of all your friends, but what’s its use? You just spent $100 or more on a tool that’s going to do nothing, but has the potential to do a lot. I will admit that there has been the occasion where a tool has sat on my shelf for a while and then out of nowhere the perfect situation arises to use it. But this is rare.

I cannot stress the importance of having a proper set of tools, but getting over your head with needless tools serves no purpose. The money would be better served buying supplies for your home improvements and upgrades to the tools you already use.

The last thing you want to find out is that you can’t start that project you want because you spent all your money on a tool you’ll never use. I have actually done this, and its not fun explaining to my wife that I can’t fix the leaking sink for another couple of days because I spent the money on a new jigsaw.

I had to build a new doghouse after that, just so I could fit in it for a couple of days.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/charles_hudson/4858257019/

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Holiday Safety: Don’t Spend Christmas in the ER

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Odds are that some, if not most, of the people will begin their Christmas sojourn today via a long drive or a trip to a friend’s Christmas party. Christmas Eve is notorious for sending people to the ER for falls and other calamities, so here are some tips to keep you safe this season.

1. Watch the walkways: Ice is perhaps the most dangerous natural phenomenon that can put an early end to Christmas celebrations. Make sure your walkway is well salted with rock salt, or at the very least, use sand or cinder to gain traction. Make sure to keep an eye on the ice when you walk across on the way to the car. If you’re the host, then please, use a doormat.

2. Don’t be afraid to take an extra trip: Humans are naturally impatient, and we will do anything we can to consolidate how many trips we take to the car. That includes piling presents to the point where we can’t see anything. We assume that since we have been taking this route to the car day in and day out for years that a seven-foot-high present tower won’t keep us from it. What ends up happening is you fall and the presents go flying everywhere as do you. Here’s a thought. Only take a few presents at a time and just keep going back. A few extra trips will be less time than a ER visit.

3. Don’t drink too much eggnog: It’s easy to get a little crazy at a holiday party. Eggnog is often spiked, and drinks of various forms are flowing freely, but it is important to drink in moderation and to choose a designated driver. You want your Christmas to be remembered for the fun memories and not for embarrassment and tragedy.

4. Take it slow: Winter can be a treacherous time on the roads, and people will be out in droves traveling from place to place. It’s important to take it slow and to keep an eye not only on the road, but also on the other drivers. Roads can be covered with ice and you may not know it, so just slow down and be careful.

Make this holiday season a safe one so you can enjoy friends and family outside of a hospital environment. They want you to be around for a long time, so please take the time to be a little extra careful this season.

Image Source:flickr.com/photos/betsyweber/2355138776

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Winterizing Your Home: Quick and Easy Tips to Keep Heat In

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Here in Illinois, it gets so cold in the winter that even Jack Frost gets frostbite, and when the wind blows, there’s a chill is in the air no matter how good your heat is. This is especially true if you have an older home without modern insulated windows. There are things you can do to your home to help winterize and keep things warn during the cold winter months.

I once moved into an apartment during summer and was enamored with the patio-balcony I had that was right off the living room. My wife and I could go outside and sit on the balcony and watch the sun set every night. It wasn’t so cozy when winter hit.

The giant sliding doors and open field across from us created a draft that no amount of electric heat could have fixed. We had the thermostat up to 90, and it never got above 55.

If you have drafty windows and doors that you don’t use, then you can purchase plastic sheeting to cover them during the winter. The plastic keeps the wind out, but I suggest stapling as well as taping it down. Glue combined with weather causes the tape to not adhere, and soon, your cozy love nest is once again an arctic tundra.

Another option is closing off a part of the home that you don’t use. My sister bought a giant two-story home several years ago and found that it was too big for her family. The cost of heating it during the winter along with the difficulty in heating the second story causes them to live on the bottom floor during the winter. They taped up all the upstairs’ vents, shut all the doors and lived in the downstairs bedrooms. When the weather warmed up, they started living upstairs again.

If you are still cold despite these winterizing techniques, then you can supplement your heat with portable space heaters. This used to be a major fire hazard, but with the latest safety standards, there is little chance of fire unless you do something like leave paper next to it.

If you have older children or no children, then an electric heater is best, because it creates a large amount of heat. But it’s also very hot and can burn small children who may be attracted to the color of the heated coils.

If you have small children, then an oil heater is a safer alternative. These resemble a radiator and are filled with heating oil. The oil is heated, and then the room is heated by the ambient heat. They still get hot, but not nearly as hot as the electric coil variety. However, they do not produce as much heat.

These simple tips can make the winter months bearable until the spring comes calling in several months.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/stuartpilbrow/3087691787

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Use chairs as a canvas for eye-popping color!

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Posted by mgervais

In this Michigan garden, the designer didn’t stop with just one paint color when dressing up his patio chairs. He went all out with colorful plaids and polka dots! Paired with pots of a happy jumble…

Proper Leaf Cleanup

Author: admin // Category: landscaping ideas, Tips

Trees are beautiful because of their leaves, but it is inevitable that leaves fall. Historically, homeowners have raked up the leaves, bagged them and thrown them out with the garbage. Now, that is no longer possible.

We need to remember that eons ago, no one raked leaves. Before people stepped in. leaves fell to the forest floor where they mixed with the twigs and were stirred up by small animals. They provided natural mulch in the winter and then broke down, enriching the soil and fertilizing the trees the rest of the year. We need to take a cue from nature and use leaves in our yards as much as possible.

Different parts of your landscape have different needs. You can use leaves all over your yard, but there are some inappropriate places to put them as well.

If you are trying to grow grass on your lawn, allowing the leaves to remain where they fall is not practical. The weight of the wet leaves can suffocate grass and moisture will build up under the leaves and cause a host of fungal diseases. If you have a mulching lawn mower, use it to cut the grass and chop the leaves at the same time. But, if you end up with more than one-fourth to three-eights inch on your lawn, it’s time to go to Plan B.

Put the bagger on your lawn mower and collect the chopped leaves and grass clippings. Then, place them around your shrubs for winterizing mulch. In the past, I didn’t like to recommend using leaves as mulch because they tended to compress and mat down, but when they’re chopped, they tend to loft up slightly. This allows air circulation and prevents them from compacting as quickly into an imperious layer that limits water and air from reaching plant roots. Chopped leaves will also biodegrade more rapidly.

If you mulch your shrubs and still have leaves left, put a four inch layer over your garden and spade it under. This will provide nutrients for next growing season. You can do the same in flowerbeds.

For areas of ground cover, don’t try to remove all leaves. Allowing some to work down into the soil will add nutrients to the soil in these beds as well. Now, don’t allow the entire tree to shed all its leaves on one bed of ground cover. The plants may suffocate and dies. For these areas, I like to use an electric or gas powered vacuum-type leaf remover and take most of the leaves from the bed without having to continually stomp through it or damage plants with a rake.

If you still have some leaves left, add them to your compost pile. Don’t forget to turn it. If you have children, you might want to leave one big pile of leaves in the yard until it really gets cold. Leaf piles, as you may remember, are great for jumping in, throwing around and just generally having a lot of fun with.