Cure for the winter blues - tiptoe through the tulips..and more

I know it's kind of early to have the winter blues already, but gardeners have a little harder time when they can't get outside and dig in the dirt. I just found something that might help take the chill off and help you dream and plan next spring's garden.

Take a look at these beautiful photos from various local gardens on Flickriver:

Here is a link for Gardens of Virginia

And here is one for the Maryland Garden Club

And here is one listed as DC Gardens

Fix yourself a nice hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and sit back and tiptoe through the tulips. Enjoy!

Tips for reducing environmental damage from deicers

Sometimes a product that seems like the easiest and quickest solution to a problem around our homes and gardens can be doing much more harm than good. Certainly this can be true of chemical fertilizers and pest products, which sometimes work quicker but are often doing long-term damage to the planet. But in the winter, the product that many residents reach for to remove ice from their driveways and sidewalks is another environmental bad guy.

Most de-icing products contain high levels of salt, which can damage driveways and sidewalks, be harmful to pets, damage lawns and other plants, and harm our waterways.

The Maryland Department of the Environment explains why salt can be detrimental to the environment:

Salt and the Environment (pdf document) 

Soil: Excess salt can saturate and destroy a soil’s natural structure and result in more erosion and sediment transport to the Chesapeake Bay.

Vegetation: High concentrations of salt can damage and kill vegetation. Healthy vegetation is a vital buffer between land and water, reducing nutrient exports to the Bay.

Wildlife: Salt poses the greatest danger to fresh water ecosystems and fish. Studies in New York have shown that as salt concentrations increase in a stream, bio-diversity decreases.

Humans:Excess salt can seep into groundwater and runoff into reservoirs affecting the taste of drinking water. Additionally, sodium chloride can exacerbate hypertension.

Corrosion: Salt is corrosive and can damage exposed rebar, bridges, and automobiles. Additionally, by increasing the freeze/thaw cycle, salt can prematurely age cement and asphalt.

There are many alternatives to salt including potassium chloride, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, corn processing by products, and calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). Most can be found in your local hardware store under various trade names – check labels for chemical content.

Despite the harm that they can cause to the environment, homeowners need to consider the importance of preventing falls around their homes during the winter months. Here are some tips from the Maryland Cooperative Extension and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

• Ice melting products are most effective when spread thinly and evenly over the pavement prior to ice formation. It is much easier to prevent ice than to try to melt a thick layer of ice. Avoid use of salt by clearing walkways of snow before it turns to ice and consider that salt and deicers are not effective when more than 3 inches have accumulated.
• Follow the manufacturer's directions when applying a deicer. If possible, use even less than is recommended, but make sure the surface is covered thinly and evenly.
• To melt thick ice in very cold weather, add a small amount of water to the deicer to help initiate melting. To further aid melting and provide sure footing, mix the deicer with wet sand and/or ashes.
• For areas with a thin layer of ice, instead of deicer, try applying warm water mixed with table salt, water conditioner salt or the brine backwash from a water conditioner.
• Use sand, ashes or kitty litter to improve traction on icy areas.
• Once a dry route to the house has been established, block off slippery areas to prevent personal injury.
• If an ice storm is predicted, cover small areas with heavy plastic or other water proof material.
• Consider the temperature. Salt and CMA have a much slower effect on melting snow and ice at temperatures below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Track winter weather and only use salt and deicers when a storm is imminent. If a winter storm does not occur, sweep up any unused material, store, and reuse for the next big storm.
• Apply deicing products discriminately, focusing on high-use areas where traction is critical and apply the least amount necessary to get the job done. This will save money in product costs and will also help minimize property damage to paved surfaces, vehicles, and vegetation.
• Plant native vegetation that is salt tolerant in stormwater drainage swales and ponds that may receive salt-laden runoff. Not only will these native species have a greater chance for survival, but they will continue to act as an effective buffer for the Chesapeake Bay. (Recommended trees and bushes: high bush blueberry, bayberry, green ash, black locust, sycamore, sweet gum, pin oak, hemlock and bald cypress)
• Store salt and other products on an impervious surface to prevent ground contamination and in a dry, covered area to prevent stormwater runoff.

Melting Ice Safely, Maryland Cooperative Extension (pdf document)
Winter Weather, Chemical Deicers and the Chesapeake Bay (pdf document)

Disposing of Christmas Trees in Metro DC Area

If you are looking for the best way to dispose of your Christmas tree, first consider some of these ideas for using your tree in your garden.

If none of those ideas appeal to you, there are different rules for tree disposal depending on where you live.

In Fairfax County, if your tree is less than 8 feet, you can put it out by the curb during the first two weeks of January for no additional cost. If your tree is larger than 8 feet, contact your trash hauler for collection details.

The Montgomery County solid waste website says: We will collect Christmas trees on your recycling day from Monday, December 27, 2010 through Friday, February 4, 2011. Please put your Christmas tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

For District residents, the DC.gov website says: Holiday trees and wreaths will be picked up curbside from January 3 to January 15. Remove all decorations and place the greenery in the treebox space in front of your home between Sunday, January 2, and Sunday, January 9. Please do not put the trees in plastic or cloth bags. Any trees not collected by January 15 should be set out with your trash to be picked up as space in the trash trucks allows over the following weeks.

Arlington Virginia tree pickup info: Christmas Tree Collection will be from January 3-14, 2011 on your regular refuse day. Since trees will be ground into wood mulch, please remove the tree stand, lights, and decorations. Please do not place the tree in a plastic bag. More Info

In Frederick, Md., residents can drop off their trees at the following drop off points starting Dec. 27 and ending on Jan. 31.

• Harry Grove Stadium in the Lower Lot
• Husky Park (Yard 2) - Highland Street
• Max Kehne Park - West 7th Street
• Taskers Chance Park - Key Parkway behind Westridge Shopping Center

Recycle your Christmas tree in the garden

If you are like my husband and me, you keep your Christmas tree around as long as possible. We keep ours up and decorated in the house at least until New Year's, but even after that, we try to use it up as much as we can around our yard.

When we first take it outside, we prop it up outside of my office window and hang treats for the birds and any other critters that dare to crawl out of their warm hiding places looking for a snack. We hang an assortment of items such as pieces of fruit, suet or pinecones filled with peanut butter and bird seed. Even just laying the tree outside in a protected part of the yard can provide shelter for some types of wintering wildlife, including rabbits.

Another use for a leftover Christmas tree is to trim off some of the branches and lay them in the garden as an extra layer of warmth against the cold winter temperatures.

One use that many gardeners never think of is to use their discarded tree as a snow fence to help conserve water in the spring.

This is such a clever idea that I wish I could take credit for it, but I actually read it online on a a website called Thrifty Fun.

The post, entitled Conserve Water with a Snow Fence, suggests that proper placement of your discarded Christmas tree can help you to redirect the springtime snow melt to help water your gardens.

If you live in an area with harsh winters, strong winds and steady snowfall can create a lot of drifting snow. Believe it or not, this presents you with a great opportunity to conserve water. By installing a snow fence, you can effectively capture snow and create drifts in areas where you need additional snow to melt in the spring. You can read the full article here.

When you are ready to dispose of your tree, there are different rules for curbside pickup, depending on where you live. Read Disposing of Christmas Trees in the Metro DC area for more information.

Green New Years Resolution - More Bare Naked Gardening

I always make a LOT of resolutions each year. It's a great practice for me, and although I don't always keep every single resolution, I do find that having a list helps keep me on track. I make resolutions about money, health, relationships and, of course, about how I want to take care of the planet.


For the coming year, I resolve to practice more BARE NAKED GARDENING!

Be kind to the planet - everything you do in your garden affects all others  
A void overwatering - it's a waste of money and bad for the environment  
Reduce storm water runoff - it pollutes local waterways
Enhance your soil naturally - use organic fertilizers and soil additives Bare naked gardening in DC  
Nix the noxious products- choose eco-friendly options  
Add some mulch - mulch retains moisture while adding nutrients  
Keep a compost pile - it's a valuable and free source of fertilizer  
Encourage beneficials - worms and pollinating insects are good  
Determine your site conditions - work with mother nature, not against her Bare Naked Gardening in DC  
Get outside! - gardening is good for the body and good for the soul.  
Avoid indiscriminate pesticide use - choose eco-friendly options  
Raise your mower blade to 3 inches- you'll have a healthier lawn  
Don't sweep clippings or fertilizer into storm drains- they pollute waterways  
Eliminate weeds by hand pulling, hoeing and spot treating  
Nurture local wildlife - provide food, shelter and safe conditions for local wildlife  
Install rain barrels - rain barrels conserve water and prevent runoff  
Naturalize your landscape - choose native plants  
Grass-cycle - mulch your grass clippings and return them to your yard

Beware of second-hand herbicides

Everyone knows the effects of second-hand smoke, but not every gardener is aware of the potential dangers of second-hand herbicides.

Eco-friendly gardeners make extra efforts to maintain the weeds in their yards with non-chemical methods such as spot treating, hand-pulling and hoeing. But an article in a recent edition of Maryland Home and Garden, a newsletter from the Home and Garden Information Center of the University of Maryland explains how even gardeners who are making the right choices around their yards by eliminating chemical weed and pesticide products may be unwittingly adding poison to the planet.

The article, entitled Gardener Alert! Beware of Herbicide- Contaminated Compost and Manure reports that unsuspecting farmers and gardeners have applied compost, manure, and grass clippings contaminated with herbicides.

Here are the steps they advise to make sure that you aren't inadvertently using second-hand herbicides.

What’s a gardener to do? 

* Grass clippings can make a wonderful organic mulch and addition to the compost pile. Just be certain that the clippings you use were not sprayed with any herbicides. Don’t use neighborhood yard waste unless you’re sure it’s free of herbicides.

* Herbicide-contaminated compost and manure do not look or smell unusual. Most farmers who sell or give manure away may or may not know if their animals grazed on grasses or ate hay sprayed with aminopyralid or clopyralid. Ask commercial compost suppliers if their products are free of herbicide contaminants. Maryland Environmental Service (MES) is the producer of Leafgro, a very popular yardwaste compost available at garden centers throughout Maryland. MES has Leafgro tested regularly by an independent lab and have not detected aminopyralid or clopyralid. 

*  Bioassay test- this is the best way to test for possible contamination. You just mix some of the suspect material (hay, grass clippings, manure, compost) with a soil-less growing mix, dump it in a nursery pot, plant pea or bean seeds and observe what happens. Contamination is indicated if the seeds don’t germinate or seedlings emerge that are twisted and deformed. 

You can read the whole article along with other great information for local gardeners by downloading the Maryland Home and Garden newsletter here (pdf format).

This grant money is for the birds

If you've followed this blog, you know that I feel that eco-friendly gardening goes hand-in-hand with appreciating the birds and the bees . When you "garden green", you eliminate chemicals and use more native plants, and both of these steps have a natural tendency to attract more birds, bees and butterflies.

But it works both ways. Sometimes the love of birding and wildlife comes first, encouraging a homeowner to create an eco-friendly garden to attract wildlife. And sometimes the eco-friendly garden comes first, and the visiting wildlife is just a welcome and wonderful surprise.

In any case, organizations such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology understand the importance of encouraging people to appreciate birds. With that in mind, they are offering mini-grants to help fund neighborhood bird appreciation events in urban areas.

The grants can be used for any creative program using the arts, science, community service and greening to encourage an understanding of birds and to get people to become involved in conservation.

In 2010, Miriam's Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., used a grant for a month-long program for their homeless clients, which included: bird yoga, origami, poetry, art, as well as learning about 16 bird species and collecting data.

In 2009, Garland Hayward Youth Center in Princess Anne, MD used a mini-grant to plant raised beds and install bird houses and bird feeding stations to enhance wildlife habitat around their Center.

Also in 2009, Queen City Creamery in Cumberland, MD had a community greening and bird program with the local public libraries.

What is a Celebrate Urban Birds event? These are neighborhood events featuring activities involving birds, community service, art, greening, and science. Celebrate Urban Birds mini-grants could be used to support a bird-activity day at a local museum, after school program, library, or community center, or fund art and gardening activities at your club, business, school, senior center, or neighborhood. 

Organizations working with underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information on the grants, go to celebrateurbanbirds.org.

Also from their website, Urban Gardening for Birds

Why Does Santa Love DC? Ask Rudolph

According to estimates on abcnews.com, Santa and his reindeer have to cover approximately 178 million miles on Christmas Eve hauling a sleigh filled with about 660 million pounds of toys. Even the most magical of reindeer appreciate a good resting spot during that arduous journey.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Washington DC area, which currently rates second in the nation for square footage of green roofs, is one of their favorite hangouts.

Green roofs, which are partially or completely covered with vegetation planted in a growing medium, provide excellent resting spots for Santa’s weary reindeer.

In the wild, reindeer live in the cold arctic tundra, where food is hard to come by. During the winter, there is often no plant life at all, and the reindeer must sustain themselves solely on lichen.

Green roofs, however, are often covered with sedums and other plants that survive through the winter, presenting a wonderful dining spot for ravenous reindeer.

The District Department of the Environment has a great webpage entitled Green Roofs in the District: RiverSmart Rooftops . Although it fails to mention the fact that they are reindeer magnets, the site does describe some of the other benefits of green roofs:

Benefits of Green Roofs 

Green, or vegetated, roofs help to manage stormwater. Stormwater runoff is rainwater that flows off impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, roads, sidewalks and sometimes even lawns. Stormwater runoff travels from these surfaces to our streams, picking up pollutants such as oil and grease from our roadways and driveways as it goes. Nutrients from lawn fertilizers and bacteria from pet waste may also be picked up by stormwater and carried to our streams. Once in the stream, stormwater causes erosion, poor water quality and destruction to habitat for fish and other wildlife. 

Green roofs hold and delay rainfall, effectively preventing rainwater from becoming stormwater and reducing combined sewer overflow events. In addition, green roofs filter air pollutants from the rainwater and save energy in buildings. 

Green roofs are especially effective in cities such as the District, where so much surface area is taken up by rooftops. Green roofs are most appropriate for flat rooftops of commercial and residential buildings; modern systems are lightweight but roof structures must be checked for adequacy.

Other environmental benefits of green roofs include reduced heating and cooling loads, the filtering of pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air, and the creation of agricultural space. And of course, they provide natural habitat areas for any type of flying wildlife, including (ahem) reindeer.

There are many government and private buildings in DC with green roofs including the US Department of Transportation Headquarters, the American Society of Landscape Architects Headquarters Building, and the Franklin D. Reeves Center.

But if I were a reindeer, I think I’d head right over to the new green roof on the World Wildlife Fund Headquarters that is touted as being the third largest green roof in the city. After all, every young child may know that cookies and milk are the favorite snacks of Santa Claus. But the World Wildlife Fund would certainly be one of the best sources to know what snacks are favorites of reindeer.

And it’s not just the reindeer that appreciate the green roofs. Santa loves anything that helps to keep his aerial view as beautiful and as pristine as possible, and green roofs go a long way in helping to reduce stormwater pollution that could affect some of his favorite water bodies such as the Anacostia River and its watersheds.

But don’t worry, as a homeowner, there are plenty of ways for you to stay on Santa’s “nice” list when it comes to protecting local water supplies, such as staying away from “naughty” landscape products like harsh chemical fertilizers and weed products and installing rain barrels to help reduce storm water runoff.

And if you aren’t quite certain whether something falls into the naughty or nice category in your garden, just stop on back at the Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog and we’ll help you figure it out. After all, we like to do our best to keep Santa happy.

For more information about Green Roofs in DC,visit : Green Roofs– Anacostia Watershed Society and Green Roofs in the District


Happy and Safe Holiday Wishes from the Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog

"Gardening" isn't just a spring thing in Washington, D.C.

I noticed that we were mentioned in DC Blogs Noted this morning. Here is what was said:

I don’t usually associate the holiday season with gardening; that seems like sort of a spring thing to me. But Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog proves me wrong with a Christmas chestnut from a green-thumb point of view.

Of course, I appreciate the mention, especially since it gives me the opportunity to pass along one of my mottoes in life: That "Life is a Garden" and we each have the opportuntiy, every day, to "Plant something good." With that in mind, I would like to play Johnny Appleseed by re-sowing another great story that I read today on Green Celebrity Network .

Last December, Washington, D.C. resident Reed Sandridge was unemployed and looking for work. As bad as it was for him, he knew there were others in D.C. who needed money more than he did. He decided to use his newly found free time focusing on helping others. One of the ways he did that was by giving $10 a day to a stranger, everyday for a year and keeping a blog about it.

I went over to Sandridge's Year of Giving blog and all I could think was "wow". I was humbled by his generosity and his altruism. Sandridge says:

My goal is not to change the lives of those with whom I come in contact. Let’s face it, $10 dollars is not going to change someone’s life in and of itself. I do believe, however, that the act of giving will hopefully inspire others to pursue the ideals that the French philosopher Auguste Comte envisioned when he coined the term “altruism.” Whether that comes in the form of someone who reads this blog and wants to embark on their own Year of Giving or someone who uses the $10 to help someone else out, the specific results are less important than the overall good that we can achieve together.

If "Life is a Garden", then Reed Sandridge has definitely "planted something good" in Washington, D.C. this past year. Proving my point, of course, that "gardening" isn't just a spring thing, but something that each of us can do all year through.

The Metro DC Lawn and Garden blog is about gardening ... and more. It's about what we can do throughout the year to make our gardens, and our cities and our planet a little bit better place. From an ecological standpoint, a lot of that change can happen in our gardens.

The Night Before Christmas (a gardener's point of view)

Here's another cute Christmas poem for gardeners, reprinted in full with permission of the author, Marianne Binetti  

The night before Christmas (a gardener's point of view)

’Twas the week before Christmas,
and all through the yard,
not a gift had been given,
not even a card.

The tools were all hung,
in the carport with care,
with hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would repair.

The shovel with blade
all rusty and cracked,
the pitchfork still shiny,
but handle it lacked.

When out on my lawn,
(it’s brown and abused)
I could see poor old Santa,
looking confused.

No list had been left
for Santa to see,
no gardening gifts
were under the tree.

But wait there’s still time,
it’s not Christmas yet,
and gardening gifts
are the quickest to get.

You can forget the silk tie,
the fluffy new sweater,
give something to make
the garden grow better.

If she wants a gift shiny,
then don’t be a fool,
it’s not a dumb diamond,
but a sparkling new tool.

If fragrance is listed
you can forget French perfume,
it’s a pile of manure
that’ll make gardeners swoon.

Give night crawlers, not nightgowns,
the type of hose that gives water.
(Anything for the kitchen
is not worth the bother.)

Give a great gift
that digs in the dirt,
it’s better than any
designer-brand shirt.

Now look quick at Santa,
this guy’s not so dumb,
Under his glove,
he hides a green thumb.

His knees are so dirty,
his back how it aches,
his boots stomp on slugs,
(he gives them no breaks).

Santa only works winter,
you can surely see why,
The rest of the year
it’s a gardening high.

Elves plant in the spring,
pull weeds merrily all summer,
in fall they all harvest,
but winter’s a bummer

And so Christmas gives Santa
a part-time employment,
till spring when the blooms
are his real life enjoyment.

So ask the big guy
for garden gifts this year,
Seeds, plants and tools,
Santa holds them all dear.

You see malls may be crowded,
vendors hawking their ware,
but visit a nursery,
stress-free shopping is there.

Now Santa’s flown off,
to the nursery he goes,
and his voice fills the night
with loud Hoe! Hoe! Hoes!**

Merry Christmas from Marianne Binetti

** And speaking of hoe, hoe, hoes. Don't forget that they make great eco-friendly gardening gifts by allowing gardeners an environmentally safe way to remove weeds from the garden.