Pathways & Steppers @ Sisson Landscapes. March 2010. We all know that herbicides can harm us and the environment, so it follows that scientists are studying natural weed control methods. A team at Michigan State University recently studied the effectiveness of mulched maple and oak leaves on common dandelions in bluegrass lawns. The team tested chopped up leaves of red maple, silver maple, sugar maple and red oak and looked to see how they worked to suppress dandelions in a lawn. They found that after one and two mulch applications (at a high rate of mulching) up to 80% and 53% reduction in dandelions was achieved, respectively. This makes sense since leaves lay naturally on a meadow and are not blown off. Perhaps we should look at it from another perspective - rather than curse the dandelion as an irksome weed and poison it - let's Eat the Dandelions!
In countries across the world the dandelion is considered a vegetable. Dandelion greens are one of the most nutritionally dense greens you can eat. Prep the greens. 24 beautiful photos of edible landscape ideas - hand picked! Edible landscape ideas today is about beautiful, full of life kitchen gardens. Many authors of this beautiful pictures, different approaches and different vegetable garden ideas. From very formal Villandry in France kitchen garden to very picturesque and almost graphic kitchen garden at Bohlen Residence and very informal of Hard Working Hippie. Under each photo there is a link to more photograps of the author and information about the garden.
So, if you like the photo click the link beautiful people! Happy veggie gardening! Picture by Heatheronhertravels Picture by Kentish Picture by Heatheronhertravel Picture by Kentish Picture by Burpee Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by avlxyz Picture by Net Effect Picture by Stewickie Picture by Sweethardt Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Gardeninginaminute Picture by Jenny-pics Picture by Hardworkinghippy Picture by Elspethbriscoe.
Victorian Garden | Emily Dickinson Garden Re-Created | Emily Dickinson. A tool--or three or four--for every purpose - Trucs d'artan. The French love for diversity is no where so evident as in garden tools. In my explorations of French gardening's past and present, I've studied old French tool catalogues, developed a collection of antique French gardening tools (some of which I even offer for sale here from time to time), and tracked down artisanal French tool makers of today.
The French passion for constantly inventing new gizmos while simultaneously maintaining traditions, combined with the country's intense regionality, combine to yield a plethora of garden tools perhaps unmatched in variety anywhere in the world. It seems no task is too specific to merit its own French tool. The page from an old Truffaut catalogue at right includes both a hand hoe and a "serfouette" for onions.
Just what is a serfouette? The French gardener, even today, is much less apt to turn to the gasoline motor to help him in the garden. Discover_plants_brochure_low_res.pdf (application/pdf Object) 7 Ways to Give New Life to Dead Trees in Your Backyard. © MrBrownThumb. Magnolia tree in downtown Chicago. Growing up, the property neighboring me had a young pear tree that served many functions to the neighborhood kids. That particular pear tree was the center of life for many of the kids I grew up with. When the new owners of the property paved over the yard to create a parking lot I was happy to see that the tree had been spared.
The day I noticed the tree was gone I was devastated. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, but if you lose a tree in your landscape here are seven ways you can give it new life and preserve some of the memories you associate with it. 1. . © MrBrownThumb A couple colors of paint and a brush can turn a sad-looking dead tree into an artistic statement in your landscape. 2. You don't have to be Norm Abram to create seating around your garden and patio from tree stumps and pieces of the trunk. 3. 4. "Those got a lot of attention," recalls Brian Houck, Director of Horticulture at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. 5. 6. 7. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Gets a 10,000 Square Foot "Roof Meadow" (Video) Tour a Restored Forest in the Bronx with Poems. Over 50% of Gardeners Now in a Warmer Zone, Says USDA. © USDA Agricultural Research Service Last week, the USDA Agricultural Research Service released the updated version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which was last updated in 1990.
The new version is based on climactic data collected between 1976 and 2005. The most interesting change to the map is that just over half of all hardiness zones were bumped up at least a half a zone higher in this version than they were in the previous one, and many zones were bumped up by a full zone. Warm-climate gardeners may find themselves in one of the two new zones (zones 12 and 13) created by the USDA to reflect very warm zones in which the average low seldom falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Via the USDA web site: "Compared with the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is also more user-friendly. What It Means for Gardeners Most of what's on the new map isn't really news to avid gardeners. Study: Depictions of Nature in Children’s Books Down By Half Since 1960. Normanack/CC BY 2.0 When you settled into bed at night as a child, can you remember what your parents read to you? What were your favorite children’s books and did you pass those vintage classics onto your kids?
Where the Wild Things Are By Maurice Sendak and Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne were certainly among my favorites. Creatures, animals, and humans seemed to live in a world where any separation could be lifted through a child's imagination. But a new study published in the journal Sociological Inquiry is showing that children are becoming increasingly isolated from nature, which is evident from its depiction in children's books. .Va i ♥ ven.
An Up Close Look at the Caldecott Winners Here's a listing of some of the esteemed children's books from 1938-1960: 1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book , illustrated by Dorothy P. 1942: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey 1944: Many Moons , illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber 1949: The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader. In paradise - Visitez les jardin francais. The of small-space gardens. For years, I'd wanted to visit the in the medieval village of Cordes-sur-Ciel in southwest France. The garden is the creation of Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières, who along with Jean-Paul Collaert, are the (re-)inventors of the modern incarnation of the French floral tapestry . So I was expecting to find some really stellar examples of floral tapestry in the I quickly forgot my surprise at their absence in the wonder of discovering what this garden is all about.
Well, think about the word "paradise. " Promised land and garden of Eden are two terms that come to mind, both of which can be applied to this garden. But in fact, "paradise" comes from an ancient Persian word meaning enclosure or enclosed terrain. The is also a consummate lesson in how to garden on a very difficult site: essentially, a rocky, sloping ledge clinging to a steep hillside. Suddenly you hear a polyphony of running water. The overflow of the basin runs through an ingenious series of buckets. Gardening Trends: What's New in Gardening for 2012 - Better Homes and Gardens. Grow Up: Into the World of Vertical Gardening. By Francine Kaplan, Contributor It’s quite easy for the home gardener to tap into living walls in a modest way. — Susan Morrison, Northern California Master Gardener, residential landscape designer and author Gardeners are climbing the walls ... literally.
And it’s not extreme weather, poor soil or tender leaves nibbled to lace by pesky insects that’s pushing them to new heights. Instead, it's a strong concern for the environment. Called bio walls, green walls or vertical gardens, this expanding horizon of the horticultural world takes your garden and plants it up on the wall. The benefit: Vertical gardens help the environment by reducing urban heat, delaying storm water runoff and improving indoor air quality.
The Basics When it comes to the “wow!” These impressive projects are giving creative home gardeners food for thought. You don't need to possess Blanc's experience or artistic eye to create a vertical garden. Container Systems Not a kit type? Tips for Success. Buy Organic Flower Bulbs | Pesticide Free Organic Tulips, Daffodils, Crocus and Muscari. Do-It-Yourself Soil Test - How to Test Soil Acidity/Alkalinity without a Test Kit. Study: Even Extremely Diluted Roundup Causes Damage to DNA. Plants Can Reduce Crime, Prevent Zombie Attacks (Video) © MrBrownThumb The positive effects of gardens on property values are well-known. What most people may not know is the benefit of plants and gardens on reducing crime. Instead of obsessively checking the EveryBlock website for the latest occurrences of crime in your neighborhood, why not plant a garden?
According to this video, studies from both the U.S. and Japan show that planting plants can reduce crime by as much as 80%. Whether you're looking at property crime, violent crime, or total crimes -- these benefits can’t be ignored. The video, brought to my attention by Ellen Wells on Twitter, was created by Grower Talks to promote America in Bloom's Discover Plants program that is hoping to get us to look at plants differently.
You can download an America in Bloom PDF brochure or PowerPoint that will give you more ideas, and a better of understanding of how you can make "pretty" plants work to enhance just about every aspect of your life. Elemental Alchemical. London Pothole Gardener Takes Back The Cracks. © Stephanie Wolff/the pothole gardener When TreeHugger profiled Pete Dungey, an artist making miniature gardens in the cracks in Oxford's roads, we wrote that he "works alone, but hopes that others will follow his lead. " Turns out a fellow Brit has been treading the same ground all along, adding an extra dose of whimsy to the already adorable little patches of green. Dungey's counterpart, Londoner Steve Wheen, "fills potholes in roads and sidewalks with soil and living plants, decorating the spaces with miniature props to create tiny worlds," according to the European design site designboom. © Steve Wheen/the pothole gardener Like many other guerrilla gardeners who have come before him, this pothole gardener says he was inspired by the lack of green space in his neighborhood and a frustrated desire to garden. © Steve Wheen/the pothole gardenerA pothole garden with a tiny road and street sign warning about potholes.
Betty White, Even at 90, Is Still An Outdoor Enthusiast And Activist. USDA Flickr page/viaBetty White celebrated her 90th birthday this past week on January 17th and it occurred to me that I have been watching her on TV for 25 years! While perhaps known best for being one of the Golden Girls and for her roles on other TV sitcoms such as Mary Tyler Moore and Hot in Cleveland, Betty White has also been and continues to be an avid animal activist and wilderness enthusiast.
Betty White Advocates for Protecting Wilderness, Calls King Canyon National Park Her "Soul Place"The Wilderness Society launched a marketing series this month, called “my wilderness” which featured Betty White. In the video ad, Betty describes her love for the outdoors which began for her when she was four-years old. That was 1926, when Calvin Coolidge was President of the U.S. and Betty’s parents, she lovingly referred to them as “nature nuts” took a wide-eyed Betty for a summer vacation to the High Sierras. Betty has received awards for her work protecting wild places and animal welfare.