Saturday, March 17, 2012

Continuing More than 50 years of Beautiful Garden Memories

Volunteer Opportunity with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Sunday, March 25 from 9 a.m. to Noon-“Continuing More than 50 Years of Beautiful Garden Memories”

WSSC planted an azalea garden over 50 years.  This fall, we added over 150 plants.  But weeds have also found the azalea garden-and we need your help to remove them.  Brighton Dam’s Azalea Garden, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville.

For more information, visit the WSSC website.

Planting Trees and Helping Wildlife

Volunteer Opportunity with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Saturday, March 24 from 9 a.m. to Noon-“Planting Trees and Helping Wildlife”-

We need Girl Scouts from southern Prince George’s County to help us plant hazelnut, black cherry and persimmon trees to provide food and cover for birds and butterflies. 

Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant, 11 Farmington Rd W, # W, Accokeek, MD 20607.

For more information, visit the WSSC website.

Vegetable Gardening 101

Saturday, March 24, 9 AM – Noon

An in depth look at starting a garden that includes instruction on seed starting, soil preparation, and tips on where and when to plant.  

Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St.  To register, call 703-228-6414. 

Plans for the weekend – lessen the lawn

It looks like we are going to have beautiful weather for getting outside and working in the yard today. And one of the main things on my garden to-do list is to remove some more lawn to make another garden area.

It’s a little bit of hard labor, but it’s still cool enough outside to make the work bearable. And the environmental benefits (plus having more garden area in the part of our yard that gets the most sun) will be well worth it.

Here are some of the eco-friendly benefits of reduced lawn area:
  1. Reduced water consumption – turf generally requires more water than plants which are properly chosen for your site’s conditions.
  2. Reduced storm water runoff -  shrubs, trees, and other leafy plants help absorb, intercept, and slow down rainfall, thereby reducing storm water runoff.
  3. Reduced labor – less time spent on lawn maintenance.
  4. Reduced need for chemicals – more homeowners use chemicals greening and feeding their lawns than on properly selected plant species.
  5. Reduced  air and noise pollution caused by gas mowers, edgers, blowers, etc.
  6. Enhanced biodiversity – replacing lawns with shrubs and flowers provide shelter and food sources for birds, butterflies and other local wildlife.

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