Five Ways to Help the Earth – From WSSC

Mother’s Day is in May, but April is a great month for remembering Mother Earth. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is hosting a variety of fun and educational Earth Month events that you and your whole family can enjoy. And, in some cases, students can earn service learning hours.

H2O Fest – Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, 6600 Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro

Join your friends, neighbors and environmentally minded local agencies this Saturday and celebrate how thinking green can protect blue. Included in the free festivities is the chance to tour the Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant for an up close look at what it takes to run waste treatment systems. People of all ages can learn how to help preserve and protect our water sources through a variety of activities and resources, including: WSSC Demonstrations, Green Building and Green Products Information, Children’s Activities, Environmental Cars and much, much more.

Partnering with WSSC for this event are Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Department of Transportation, Prince George’s County Planning Department, Department of Environmental Resources and Master Gardeners.

Creating a Better Woods - Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m. to Noon, Scott’s Cove, 11000 Harding Road, Laurel

Scott’s Cove has such a lovely woods that kudzu has decided to move in. We need your help in removing this unwanted visitor. We will be providing gloves and garden snips.

Celebrate Earth Day by Giving Back - Sunday, April 22, 9 a.m. to Noon, Scott’s Cove, 11000 Harding Road, Laurel

Help us mulch and water 250 small trees and plant wildflowers as WSSC celebrates Earth Day.

Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Open House - Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 12600 Great Seneca Highway, Germantown

See how wastewater is treated so it can be safely released back into the environment. 

Helping out the Dragonflies - Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to Noon, Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area, 2220 Ednor Road, Silver Spring

The best spot to see dragonflies and damselflies in central Maryland is Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area in the summer. But they don’t need trash and invasive weeds covering up their food sources. We need your help to tidy up their favorite spot.

For more about service hours or to register for any of these family friendly events, visit wsscwater.com and click on Earth Month Events.

Information provided by Kimberley M. Knox, WSSC

Green Gardening Twitter Chat – April 19th

Arlington County's Department of Environmental Services (DES) will be hosting its first ever "Green Gardening" live Twitter chat on Thursday, April 19 from 12 - 1 p.m. in recognition of Earth Day! Join us and get answers to all of your questions related to landscaping and lawn care, native plants, and water conservation.

We will give away a free rain barrel to one lucky participant who submits a question in advance or during the live Twitter chat!

To join the conversation, follow #ARLEarthDay. You can submit questions in advance to @ArlingtonDES or on the Arlington County Environmental Services Facebook page. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/events/333485840033661/.

Rain Barrel Workshop

What: Rain Garden Workshop
When: Saturday, June 16, from 9:30am-12:30pm
Where: Camp Round Meadow at Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, MD

A Workshop of the Green Homes Challenge - www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/GreenHomes

Beautify your property and control your stormwater run-off! Learn about the benefits of rain gardens from experts in rain garden design.  Gain hands-on experience by helping to install a 320 square foot rain garden on site.  Learn about Frederick County’s Green Homes Challenge and how it can help your household to reduce its environmental impact.

The workshop is free and includes light snacks and refreshments. To register or find out more, contact Nicole Robinson at 301.600.1306 or NRobinson@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

Registration deadline is June 11th. Space is limited.
Sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Trust

Earth Month Playlist for the Planet

  I saw an article online the other day called Garden with the Greatest Rock Band. In it,  the writer compares gardening to many Rolling Stone songs, including “Under My Thumb”, “Gimme Shelter”, “Start Me Up”, and others.

The opening line says: “As we head into April, let us be thankful for many things: warm days, cheerful flowers and the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones rock band.”

It’s a cute article. Here’s the link if you want to check it out.

Anyway, it got me thinking about gardening songs and I thought I would try to come up with a list of  songs about gardening, or with titles that relate to gardening. I had a heck of a time and only came up with about ten on my own. So I asked some of my online friends, who came up with a few more.

So, in honor of Earth Month and our upcoming Earth Day, I thought I would ask the rest of my readers for suggestions of songs to add to an Earth Month Playlist.  My original request was for songs with garden-themed titles, but I’m open to anything that reminds you of gardening or nature.

I’ve linked some of them to YouTube videos, so if you want to start your day with a smile, check out a few of them. The Sound of Sunshine (a song I had never heard before – thanks Shannon) is sure to bring a smile to your face and  Tiptoe through the Tulips will probably make you LOL.

If you can think of more titles, I’d love to add them. Just submit them in a comment below, tweet them to me on twitter @dclawngarden, or post them on our Facebook page!

Rock (and not so rock) Songs for the Garden

1. Ants Marching – Dave Matthews
2. Blackbird (Singing in the Dead of Night) – The Beatles
3. Diggin’ in the Dirt – Peter Gabriel
4. Garden Party – by Ricky Nelson
5. Garden Song (Inch by Inch) – John Denver and Others
6. Grazin’ in the Grass – Friends of Distinction
7. Hummingbird – Leon Russell
8. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden – Lynne Anderson
9. In a Gadda da Vida (My friend Kathy told me it was supposed to be named In the Garden of Eden)
10. Johnny’s Garden  - Steven Stills
11. Kiss From a Rose – Seal
12. Let it Grow – Eric Clapton
13. Nothing But Flowers – Talking Heads
14. Octopus’s Garden – Ringo Starr / the Beatles
15. Orange Blossom Special – Roy Clark
16. Poison Ivy – The Coasters
17. Red Roses for a Blue Lady – Pat Boone
18. Red, red robin goes bob bob bobbin’ along – follow link for cute video
19. Rockin’ Robin – the Muppets (haha)
20. Sunshine on my Shoulder – John Denver
21. The Hanging Garden – the Cure
22. The Rose – Bette Midler
23. The Sound of Sunshine – Michael Franti and Spearhead
24. Three Little Birds – Bob Marley (Connie Talbot version linked)
25. Tiptoe Through the Tulips – Tiny Tim
26. Walkin’ on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
27. Where Have all the Flowers Gone – Peter, Paul and Mary
28. Yellow Rose of Texas – Gene Autrey
29. You are My Sunshine – Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
30. You are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder

Learning from fellow gardeners – Thanks Alison

I have a confession to make. Ever since I got past the age of about 12 or so, I realized that I don’t know everything. And I’m perfectly willing to admit it! I’m not an expert…..on anything. I’m not even an expert on “Me” and I’ve lived with myself for a good long time now. When it comes to all other topics….I’m learning as fast as I can, but I’m quite sure I will never know as much as I would like to.

I also hate passing along bad information so I am grateful when people help to teach me something new. ESPECIALLY if they provide links to back up what they tell me.

Recently, I wrote a post about ways to keep cats out of our gardens and I passed along some information that I found online that said to use mothballs to repel cats. I didn’t even think that mothballs might be toxic to the environment (and to other critters) so I am thankful to Alison for correcting my post and passing along more information about mothballs.

The first link that Alison sent is from the National Pesticide Information center and says: “Using mothballs in a way not specified by the label is not only illegal, but can harm people, pets or the environment.”

“Another common mistake is using mothballs in gardens or other outdoor locations to control insects, snakes or other wildlife. Using mothballs outside can harm children, pets and other animals. Mothballs used outdoors can also contaminate soil, plants and water.”

Here is the other great link she provided: Mothballs in the Garden

Thanks so much for passing along the info, Alison. I’m always eager to keep learning!

H2O Fest

Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.-“H2O Fest”-Learn about the Patuxent, Jug Bay and the Chesapeake through many hands-on activities, kayak trips, music and crafts.  Free admission.  WSSC’s Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, 6600 Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro

For more information, visit the WSSC website.

If you were an Easter egg, what color would you be?

While I worked in the garden today, my mind wandered to Easter Sunday, and the nice day I will have with my sister and her family.

As usual, one thought led to another, and I began to think about Easter eggs.

My great philosophy of the day? Life is like an Easter basket, and each one of us is a special, colorful treat to share with the world. Some people are all ears. Some are real basket cases. And some have a hard time coming out of their shells. Some are a little cracked, and some are really good at cracking US up. Some aren’t really good for us, but we love them anyway. Most of them are really great when we need a little comfort.

What kind of an egg are you? Here are some brief definitions of what different colors symbolize. I got the list from a website called IncredibleArt.org and they have many, many more definitions for each color. If you want some food for thought (pun intended) when you are dyeing your eggs this weekend, think of what colors you add to the lives of those around you.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Red -  all things intense and passionate.

Pink - symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.

Beige and ivory - symbolize unification.

Yellow - Joy, happiness

Blue - Peace, tranquility

Turquoise - symbolizes calm.

Purple - spirituality,  enlightenment

Lavender - symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance.

Orange - Energy, balance.

Green - Nature, environment

Brown - Earth, stability

Gray - Security, reliability

White - Reverence, purity

Black - Power, sophistication

I love Cats, Just Not in my Yard

Many  gardeners don’t like cats in their yards. I have to admit, it isn’t one of my favorite things to be digging through my soil and come up with a hand-full of cat poop.

But the main reason I don’t like cats in my yard is because of the wildlife. Since I garden to attract wildlife,  I take my responsibility to protect that wildlife pretty seriously. So I don’t use chemicals in my yard AND I don’t tolerate free-roaming felines.

According to the American Bird Conservancy website:

• Scientists estimate that every year in the United States alone, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, including rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.
• Life for outdoor cats is risky. They can get hit by cars; attacked by dogs, other cats, coyotes or wildlife; contract fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline distemper, or feline immunodeficiency virus; get lost, stolen, or poisoned; or suffer during severe weather conditions.
• Free-roaming and feral cats also pose a health hazard to humans from the spread of diseases such as rabies and toxoplasmosis.

If I see a cat in my yard and I know who owns it, I’ll talk to the owner first, before I take any other steps. After that, I feel okay doing whatever is necessary to keep the cats away. The problem, of course, is that once a cat decides it likes your yard, it is pretty difficult to deter them. 

Here are some of the methods I found online for keeping the cats away, so that the birds, and other little critters, can continue to play:

• Let your neighbors know how you feel about their roaming cat. The American Birds Conservancy website has materials you can download and share.
• Squirt them (the cats, not the neighbors) with a blast of water from a garden hose or spray bottle. 
• Get a dog (not always a good option if you like to attract wildlife).
• Scatter orange or lemon peels or spray with citrus-scented spray around the area; cats generally dislike citrus.
• Coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, or oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella, or eucalyptus also deter cats.
• Sprinkle bloodmeal in your garden. Not only will it repel wildlife, but it is also a natural fertilizer.
• Mix water and vinegar and spray at the base of trees and plants around the house.
• Spray cat repellent (available at pet supply stores) around the edges of the yard,  top of fences and on any favorite digging areas or plants
• Try growing rue or scattering dry rue (an herb)- cats dislike the smell.
• Soak strips of old towels or rags in perfume or cologne and keep near target plants.
• *** It is NOT advised to Place moth balls around the garden. Please see comment from Alison for more info. 
• Arrange branches in a lattice-type pattern or wooden or plastic lattice fencing material over soil. You can disguise these by planting flowers and seeds in the openings. You can also try embedding wooden chopsticks, pinecones, or sticks with dull points deep into the soil with the tops exposed eight inches apart.
• Use plastic carpet runners spike-side up, covered lightly in soil.
• Set chicken wire firmly into the dirt with sharp edges rolled under.
• Keep garbage cans covered to control rodents that may be a food source for feral cats.
• Cover your child's sandbox when it's not in use.
• Try an ultrasonic animal repellent that are available in lawn and garden stores
• Use a motion-activated sprinkler so that a cat will be sprayed, but unharmed (I don’t really recommend this, since it seems like it would waste a lot of water)
• Cover exposed ground in flower beds with large, attractive river rocks to prevent cats from digging. (They have the added benefit of deterring weed growth.)

And here is one of the most ingenious solutions I found:

• Put some boogie bass in your yard. Remember those old motion activated singing fish (Don’t worry, be happy). I read online where one gardener put a boogie bass in her yard and it scared the cats away!

What about you? Have you come up with any good solutions for keeping the cats away?

Related posts : Pets and Pesticides
10 Tips for Creating a Wildlife Friendly Garden

Here's ANOTHER way to conserve water in the landscape

Instead of buying any new plants, I have been doing some garden remodeling lately. I spent part of this weekend rearranging  some plants that we already had by moving them to more appropriate spots. I also planted some of the things that we had started indoors in pots.

I was really enjoying having my hands in the dirt again until it suddenly dawned on me how much water I was wasting. Because I was being so careful to stay hydrated, every hour or so, I had to go into the house to take a bathroom break. And everytime I did, I had to clean all of that beautiful garden soil off of my hands. After about the third trip inside, the “AHA” light went off in my head.

After that, I filled a small tub with water and placed a towel next to it, and whenever I needed a bathroom or snack break, I would rinse my hands in the tub and dry them on the towel. At the end of the afternoon, I was able to use the water from the bucket to water some of the plants I had planted.

Of course, wearing gardening gloves are another good option, but I’m the kind of gardening who really likes to feel the soil between my fingers and tickle the little earthworms I find along the way!

Of course, there are lots of other great ways to save water in the landscape.

How do you conserve water in your lawn and garden?

Get Dirty for Some Good Clean Fun

Join other local nature lovers for the Alice Ferguson Foundation's 24th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 14, 2012, 9am-12pm. 

Thousands of volunteers of all ages will be picking up trash from different cleanup sites around the region.  Over the past 24 years volunteers have removed over 3 million pounds of trash from the Potomac Watershed and they hope to make this year the largest cleanup event yet. 

Help to insure clean land, safe water and healthy lives for yourself and those you love: 

VOLUNTEER by picking up trash at an existing site. Check  website for the date and time of a cleanup site near you!

LEAD a cleanup site! Have a particular creek or stream in mind? Register your site online and invite friends, family, and co-workers 

Learn more by visiting www.PotomacCleanup.org, or calling 202-973-8203.