And now, a message from my muse

Her name is Mother Nature.


Life of flowers from VOROBYOFF PRODUCTION on Vimeo.

Fall Lawn Care

I have to admit, that we don't do much to maintain our lawn. We don't really have a lot of it, and we prefer to put up with a few weeds rather going through the time and money of adding things to try to kill the weeds or green up the grass.

But for those of you who like a lush, green lawn, here are some:

Tips for Fall Lawn Care

1. First, decide if you want to keep the same amount of lawn - Today, more and more eco-minded gardeners are deciding to cut back or cut out their lawn, all together. Groundcovers, larger garden beds, rain gardens, wild flower gardens or vegetable gardens are all good alternatives for water hogging, fertilizer intensive lawns. For more ideas about replacing your lawn, visit www.lawnreform.org . If you decide to keep some or all of your lawn, keep reading.  
2. Get to know your grass – As with everything in your landscape, it’s best to get to know as much as you can about the species that you are dealing with so that you can make the right choices in taking care of it. Whether you already have an established lawn or are putting in a new one, get to know your grass. Turfgrasses that provide winter lawn color in the area are known as cool-season grasses. Grasses which go dormant after the first hard frost, and stay brown through the winter months are known as warm-season grasses. Your choice of grass species will affect how you mow and maintain your lawn. Selecting turfgrass.
3. Get your soil tested - If you have determined that you have cool season grass, fall is the optimal time to fertilize. A soil test can let you know what nutrients are missing from you lawn which will allow you to apply the proper amount of lime and fertilizer, minimizing the water polluting nutrient runoff which can be caused by overfertilization.  
4. Use proper fertilizer - If you decide you need to apply fertilizer, choose one that contains at least 30 percent slow-release nitrogen. Also, check the three numbers on the front of the bag to select the right mixture for your lawn's current needs, as determined by the soil test. The numbers represent the fertilizer's nitrogen (first number), phosphorus (second number) and potassium (third number). Using high nitrogen fertilizer on a lawn that does not need it is a waste of money and will eventually be washed away by storm water if not used by the plant.
5. Seed to fill in bald spots - Fall is a good time to plant cool-season grasses such as bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass. Laying down sod is also good for this time of year, but sod is much more flexible in timing, so it can be done almost any time the soil is not frozen. To apply seed, first prepare the soil by breaking it up with an aerator or hard rake. After aeration, top-dress the lawn with 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick layer of organic matter. Then apply the seed. The seed should be misted once or twice a day (not heavily watered) until germination, especially in a dry fall. Don't allow autumn leaves to pile up and mat on seedling lawns.  
6. Keep it on the lawn - Whether you are fertilizing, seeding or just dealing with fallen leaves, make sure you keep them on the lawn and out of stormwater drains. Avoid fertilizer applications if weather forecasts call for heavy rainfall. And always take a few moments to sweep or blow any fertilizer that ends up on the street, sidewalk, or patio back into the turf. Any granular material on a hardscape is often only minutes away from entering our waterways during the next heavy rain.

For more information, visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension website and search on Fall Lawn Care

Protecting Watersheds: Rain Gardens in our Landscapes

There are so many great seminars and workshops this fall, that there is no excuse for the eco-friendly gardener to get bored! Here is another one I just found out about on Rain Gardens.

What: "Protecting Watersheds: Rain Gardens in our Landscapes"
Where: Common Good City Farm
When: Saturday, October 22, 2-4pm

"Come see Common Good City Farm's rain garden and learn how to design your own as an attractive way to prevent water run-off from polluting our watersheds. USGS scientist Dean Hively will talk about the relevance and importance of diverting water run-off, and plants that thrive in rain gardens. This workshop is free, but we are suggesting a $25 donation if you earn more than minimum wage."

Saturday, October 22, 2-4pm at Common Good City Farm, V. St, NW between 2nd and 4th Sts.

Please visit Common Good City Farm's  website to register.
–
Submitted by:

Kate Lee
Farm Manager
Common Good City Farm
V Street NW between 2nd and 4th Streets
Washington, DC 20001
202-559-7513

Common Good City Farm's mission is to grow food, educate, and help low-income DC community members meet their food needs. Our programs provide hands-on training in food production, healthy eating and environmental sustainability.

Sustainable Garden Design - Seminar

What: Sustainable Design

When: October 28, 2011 – 12:00pm – 1:00 pm

Where: U.S. Botanic Garden

Nick Nelson, USBG Landscape Architect

Put into practice the techniques of sustainable design, without compromising aesthetics! Nick will show you how, as he provides tricks of the trade like grouping plants that have similar requirements but are complementary, in addition to broader topics, like the visualization and creation of dynamic spaces.

The USBG, in partnership with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, has developed Landscape for Life, a program for home owners on sustainable gardening and based on the principles behind the Sustainable Sites Initiative. This  Landscape for Life series serves to highlight how home gardeners can incorporate sustainability into their personal landscapes. These brown bag lectures can be done individually or as a series.

 www.landscapeforlife.org

Code: LH102811

Location: Conservatory Classroom

FREE: Pre-registration required

Early registration ends on 08/14/2011.
Regular registration starts on 08/15/2011 and ends on 10/29/2011.

Building Good Garden Soil

What: Building Good Garden Soil

Where:  Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond, VA

When:  Saturday, November 12, 9 AM – 12 PM

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond, VA, is holding a workshop on Saturday, November 12, 9 AM – 12 PM called "Building Good Garden Soil." From the course catalog: Everything starts with the soil, and late fall/ winter is a good time to begin building your soil for spring gardening! Learn the characteristics of basic soil types, and how to analyze your own soils. Soil types and characteristics, amendment techniques, drainage, and more are discussed. Receive a soil test kit to start you on the quest for the perfect soil for your garden! $41 / $30 members

For more information, visit the Lewis Ginter Classes website  or call (804) 262-9887

–
Submitted by Judy Thomas.  Visit her  garden blog at www.cvog.blogspot.com and her VirginiaOrganicGardener pod cast on itunes!

Turning a New Leaf Conference

It's in Pennsylvania but it's about taking care of our Bay. And early registration is ending Saturday!!

Fourth "Turning a New Leaf" Conference
Friday, December 2, 2011

Double Tree Resort by Hilton
Lancaster, PA

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Early Registration through October 15
$89 members; $99 non-members; $49 Student

Registration after October 15
$109 members; $119 non-members; $59 student

The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council announces its fourth sustainable landscaping conference. This conference brings together landscaping professionals, environmental non-profits, and government agencies to exchange information and network. From the science of storm water management to native plant marketing techniques, this conference focuses on innovative practices to improve your business and the health of the environment and the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information, visit their website: Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council

Save the Dragonflies!

I love dragonflies. Despite their delicate appearance, dragonflies are the perfect hunting machines. More than 80% of their brain is used for processing visual information. It is believed that some species can see objects up to 30 feet away and detect movement as far as 60 feet away. And those big compound bug-eyes of theirs allow them to see in almost every direction at once.

Dragonflies also have more body mass dedicated to flying than any other insect. They can take off backwards, launch vertically, hover for more than a minute and fly at speeds estimated at 25-35 mph. Many of their flying talents are the result of the fact that they can control the movement of each of their four wings independently. They are such amazing fliers that both the U.S.military and NASA have studied them in hopes of developing aircraft with similar abilities.

And how do dragonflies direct these tremendous talents? They lay havoc to the bugs that bug us the most. Dragonflies consume 10 -15 % of their own weight per day dining on favorites such as mosquitoes, termites, deerflies, blackflies, horseflies, and midges.

Most of this dining is done mid-flight, as dragonflies use their mouths to scoop insects directly out of the air. When dragonflies are hunting in this way you may see them flying back and forth, back and forth, tracing the same path again and again in search of food.  Some scientists believe that dragonflies remember areas that are rich in prey and return to them repeatedly. Catching their prey in flight is called “hawking”, and there is really no more welcome sight than an army of hungry dragonflies “hawking” a swarm of termites which is emerging from a landscape. Dragonflies also “glean” their prey, which involves using their long legs or mouths to grab insects which are perched on plant stems or leaves. When they “glean” they eat plant pests up to the size of grasshoppers.

You can help Save the Dragonflies by participating in WSSC's volunteer day on Sunday, October 16th from 9 – 11:00 a.m at  Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area, 2220 Ednor Rd., Silver Spring.

Volunteers will be picking up trash in WSSC’s Brown’s Bridge Recreation Area, noted for its large number of dragonflies and damselflies. Brown’s Bridge is the best place on the Patuxent River to see these colorful insects, which help the environment by feeding on mosquitoes, flies and other small insects. Trash and weeds are threatening this special spot, so cleaning their habitat will help the damselflies and dragonflies to thrive.

WSSC is providing gloves for this project. You provide the helping hands.  Note to high school students: This events are approved for service-learning hours.

If you miss this volunteet opportunity, you might enjoy their next one…planting azaleas!

Plant Azaleas: Saturday, October 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Brighton Dam Azalea Garden, 2 Brighton Dam Rd., Brookeville

WSSC, with help from a troop of Girl Scouts and other volunteers, will plant more than 150 evergreen and deciduous azaleas at its Brighton Dam Azalea Garden. The azaleas to be planted include yellow, orange, purple, red and salmon-colored blossoms. These will join the pink, white and fuchsia flowers already in the garden. Currently the five-acre garden’s plants bloom for approximately one month in April through May. But the season will be extended into mid-June once the new variety of plants takes root, which normally takes about a year.

 WSSC is providing gloves and other materials for both events. You provide the helping hands.  Note to high school students: These events are approved for service-learning hours.

 For more information, contact Kim Knox at (301) 206-8233 or

 kknox@wsscwater.com

2011 Farm Color Tour - Oct 15th & 16th

Don't you just love the fall? I know I do. I can remember, when I was a child, riding out to country farms with my family to buy our Halloween pumpkins. It was just the perfect thing to do on a Fall day.

The Loudoun County Farm Color Tour held on October 15th and 16th allows you to share that same kind of simple country pleasure with your family as you take a self-guided tour of 24 farms in Loudon's countryside. It also gives you the opportunity to visit and support local organic farmers and growers, such as Ayrshire Farm.

Ayrshire Farm, located in Upperville, Virginia, was the first Virginia farm to be certified both organic and humane. The farm produces a variety of meats and organic produce supplied to top regional restaurants.

“October is traditionally the month when farm communities come together to celebrate the harvest. This is a great opportunity to show what we are doing right here in Loudoun with certified organic, certified humane, local agriculture and our work for the preservation of traditional-breed livestock,” stated Sandy Lerner, owner of Ayrshire Farm. “We at Ayrshire Farm have been working for more than a decade to bring our farm and our community together in support of our local, family farms and to provide this community with more wholesome food, reduced food miles, and make our shared environment a healthier place to live and grow."

Each farm has special activities scheduled for the Farm Tour including visits with animals, hayrides, artwork and gourmet foods, honey production demonstrations and much, much more.

Come hungry and spend the day!

For more information about the Loudon County Farm Color Tour, visit their website.

Make a Difference Day is October 22nd – 15 Ways to Give from the Garden

Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October (October 22nd this year) to encourage acts of generosity and kindness.

Here are my suggestions for how gardeners can Make A Difference on October 22nd and everyday!

Make a Difference to Others:

1. Feed the needy – If you have extra produce, fruit or other edibles in your garden, donate your surplus to a local food pantry.
2. Take flowers to hospitals or senior centers - My brother-in-law's lovely mother, Jeannie Poulos, used to grow roses which she generously shared with neighbors, friends and anyone in need of a little extra beauty. If you have flowers to share, take them to a local hospital or nursing home to share with someone in need of a smile
3. Teach someone to garden – Give a man some food, feed him for a day. Teach a man to garden, feed him for a lifetime. Consider becoming a Master Gardener so that you can teach people to garden.
4. Offer to rake leaves for an elderly neighbor – add the beautiful bounty to your compost pile.
5. Plant a garden to add beauty to the lives of others - Shawna Coronado planted this beautiful garden to share joy with others.
6. Share cuttings, seeds and starter plants with friends and fellow gardeners. Northern Virginia Plant Exchange

Make a difference to the Planet – Learn eco-friendly gardening:

1. Test your knowledge - take our Eco-Friendly Landscaping quiz.
2. Eliminate chemicals from your landscape - eco-friendly options for weed control
3. Create a raised bed garden - Water, fertilizer, compost, mulch, etc. can be applied more carefully
4. Plan and implement a Waterwise landscape - overwatering your landscape is a waste of money and bad for the environment
5. Garden for Wildlife - learn to provide the four basic needs of all wildlife: food, water, shelter and places to raise their young.
6. Remove invasive species - invasive species can destroy an area's natural biodiversity
7. Plant a tree in memory of a loved one - Your Gift of Trees is actually three gifts - one to someone you care for, one to future generations, and one to the environment.
8. Choose an eco-friendly lawn care company - if you don't do your own gardening, pick a landscape company that is eco-friendly.

Make a difference to yourself:

1. Gardening helps you burn calories, it gets you outside in the fresh air and sunshine, and is also good for the soul!

Whatever you do on Make a Difference Day, do it with a grateful heart. Someday you may be the one in need and the seeds of kindness that you plant today will surely come back to you.

How to Make Squirrel Bread - Start with One Fresh Squirrel…… (It’s Yummy!)

Fall is a great time to bake bread, and since October is National Squirrel Awareness and Appreciation Month, I thought it would be a great time to share a recipe for Squirrel Bread.

Even as someone who loves most forms of wildlife, it’s hard for me to understand why someone would feel compelled to start Squirrel Awareness Month.

Squirrels are always cleaning out our bird feeders, digging up our new plants and eating our home grown fruits and vegetables just as they are getting ripe enough to pick.

I do admit that I feel a certain bit of awe for some wildlife species, such as hummingbirds and moose and foxes. And I’ll even admit that I go so far as to talk to a lot of the critters that I see outside in my yard. Still, I’ve never had any sort of life changing encounters with a squirrel . But apparently, a gentleman by the name of Greg Bassett did. George is the one behind National Squirrel Awareness Month. Here is an excerpt from The Squirrel Lover’s Club website:
 

Greg Bassett founded The Squirrel Lover’s Club™ in 1995 after an experience at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. While standing on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and marveling at the beauty and grandeur of the worldwide attraction, Gregg Bassett was unaware that life as he knew it was about to change. The instigator, a fox squirrel, affected Gregg irrevocably when it stood up on its legs and motioned with its hands. For a few moments, tourists forgot the Grand Canyon. Instead, they gazed into the face of an endearing creature that captured their attention and the heart of at least one visitor – Gregg Bassett. How many other lives did that one squirrel affect? We will never know. Gregg, however, never forgot that squirrel when he returned to his home outside of Chicago, Illinois.

My husband and I did have a bit of a squirrel encounter when we built our home. A mother squirrel had built her nest in our house during construction and after we knocked the nest down, we ended up raising one of the tiny squirrels from infancy. It was NOT a wise decision and taught me a good lesson about not interfering with wildlife. It also taught me how to make Squirrel Bread.

To make squirrel bread, you start with one fresh squirrel……….and you study him for awhile and learn what he likes to eat.

I learned about Squirrel bread when I visited France in 1993. Bread, of course, is a staple in France and you can buy fresh loaves from merchants on the street. I didn’t speak any French, and when I looked up the words Pain écureuil in my French to English dictionary, I was a little concerned about what I was eating. (I’m still not sure whether I ate horse one day when I ordered something called cheval.)  

Pain écureuil is a hearty, dark bread that is chock full of things that squirrels like to eat, like nuts, figs, apricots and dried fruits. It does NOT include any écureuil (squirrel).

Since I returned from Paris, I’ve often looked for a recipe for Squirrel Bread and haven’t been able to find one. However, this recipe from the book Patricia Wells at Home in Provence is very similar in taste and texture. (Refer to Ms. Wells book for complete recipe details.)

Anyway, it’s a great wonderful bread for anyone who likes to eat like a squirrel. And is really yummy with sweet cream cheese. Feel free to experiment with the amounts and varieties of dried fruits and nuts. And if anyone wants to convert this to a bread machine recipe and share the steps with me, please do!

Recipe for Pain écureuil - Squirrel Bread

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ½ cups lukewarm water
10 dried apricots, quartered
½ cups golden raisins
4 dried figs, quartered
2 cup chopped walnuts
5 cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup rye flour
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon raw honey

1. Combine yeast, sugar and water and stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In separate bowl, combine apricots, raisins, figs and nuts and toss with 1 tablespoon flour.
3. Add bread flour, rye flour and salt to yeast mixture, a little at a time, mixing until dough forms a ball. Add honey and continue to mix until soft but firm, 4 to 5 minutes. Add dried fruit and nuts.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until double the bulk, about 8 hours
5. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Return to bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.
6. Shape dough into large round loaf, cover with a floured cloth and let it rise again at room temperature, for 2 to 3 hours.
7. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Then lower temperature to 400 and continue baking for another 30 minutes.