Rain barrel workshops for Leesburg Residents

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Leesburg Environmental Advisory Commission, will offer four rain barrel workshops for Leesburg residents during April and May.

Rain barrels are an economical and practical way for homeowners to conserve water and save money. In addition, they reduce runoff, as stormwater is collected before it picks up sediment and contaminants that pollute area streams and rivers, which drain to the Potomac River and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay.

The rain barrel workshops will be held at Tuscarora Creek Park, located at 425 Solitude Court SE, on Wednesday, April 25; Thursday, April 26; Tuesday, May 15; and Wednesday, May 16. All workshops begin at 6:30 p.m.

Residents can make a rain barrel to take home or purchase a pre-made barrel. Each workshop will last approximately one hour; participants need to attend only one workshop. The rain barrel kits to make on site are $50 each; the pre-made barrels are $65 each, plus tax. The EAC is offering a $20 discount on the purchase of a rain barrel to each Leesburg household as an incentive to promote water conservation. Discounts are limited to two per household.

Participants are reminded to dress appropriately if they will be constructing their own barrels. A registration form can be downloaded from the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District website at www.loudounsoilandwater.org. For more information, call Suzanne Brown, education outreach specialist for the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, at 571-918-4530, ext. 105.

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.

Benefits of Drip Irrigation – March 21st

Are you tired  of dragging water hoses across your lawn or fighting with soaker hoses?

The Wednesday, March 21 meeting of the Chevy Chase Citizens Association Garden Club features Murray Schmechel, a volunteer at the Common Good Garden located downtown in DC.

Murray will briefly talk about the Common Good Garden and then focus on the benefits of a drip irrigation system which targets water to specific plants and areas in a garden reducing overall water consumption.

He will navigate you through installation bringing samples of the hardware needed to put together a simple drip irrigation system.

The meeting is opened to everyone and starts at 7:15 pm in the Chevy Chase Community Center, McKinley St and Connecticut Ave., NW.

For questions or more details, email Barbara Baldwin, bbaldwing@yahoo.com

Tree Rebates available to green residential, commercial property in D.C.

Spring is an ideal time to plant trees and Casey Trees offers rebates up to $100 per tree to individuals who plant trees on private property — residential or commercial — in the District.

Small and medium canopy trees — including standard-size fruit and trees — are eligible for rebates up to $50 per tree, as long as the tree reaches 15 feet tall and wide at maturity. Seven genera and 27 species noted for their large canopy and environmental benefits qualify for rebates up to $100 per tree. There is no limit to the number of rebates per property.

Invasive tree species and any species of ash, dwarf trees and shrubs do not qualify for a rebate of any amount. 

To help customers identify rebate-eligible tree stock, many D.C.-area nurseries and home improvement centers are promoting the program in their stores with promotional signage and special tree tags. However, trees may be purchased from any store and through landscaping and landscape architecture companies.

The Tree Rebate program is funded by the District Department of the Environment.
Downloadable rebate forms, submission instructions and a complete list of trees eligible for the increased rebate are available at www.caseytrees.org/rebate.

It’s National Pi Day – And Albert Einstein’s Birthday - Seek out the Wonders

  In honor of National Pi Day…..and in honor of Albert Einstein’s birthday….I encourage you to get outside and observe the wonders around you.
My good friend Skip mentioned that today is National Pi day. March 14 is apparently the day that math geeks everywhere celebrate the wonder that is Pi. There is even a Pi Day website for it.
In 2009, the Congressional resolution which officially named March 14th Pi Day, stressed the importance that math and science play in every child’s education.

Whereas America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in order to compete in a 21st Century economy;

March 14th also marks the anniversary of the birth of Albert Einstein. And I have to admit that I am a much bigger fan of Einstein than I am of Pi (or even Pie, for that matter).
In any case, I encourage you to take some time today “reinforcing your science education” by going outside and observing the wonders. Let your senses take over as you observe the sights, sounds and scents around you.  
Here are some of my favorite Albert Einstein quotes to help encourage you:
Albert Einstein:
”The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
“We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.”
 “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”
“The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything”
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
More Quotes by Albert Einstein from Thinkexist.com

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Fix a Leak Week – March 12th - 18th

According to the EPA WaterSense website, March 12th – 18th is Fix a Leak Week – a great time for everyone to check their household fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks.
Their website says that leaks can account for, on average, 10,000 gallons of water wasted in the home every year, which is enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.
Their site lists plenty of ways to check for and repair water leaks. Here’s what they say about the great outdoors:

Outdoors:

• An irrigation system should be checked each spring before use to make sure it was not damaged by frost or freezing.
  
• An irrigation system with pressure set at 60 pounds per square inch that has a leak 1/32nd of an inch in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.
  
• To ensure that your in-ground irrigation system is not leaking water, consult with a WaterSense irrigation partner who has passed a certification program focused on water efficiency; look for a WaterSense irrigation partner.
  
• Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run your hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.

To help consumers save water and improve water efficiency in the home, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) encourages citizens to find and fix household water leaks during "Fix a Leak Week."
At a special Fix a Leak Week event on Wednesday, March 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., DC Water representatives will distribute water conservation information and demonstrate how to install water-efficient plumbing fixtures. The event will be held at the Frank W. Reeves Municipal Center, 2000 14th Street, NW. DC Water’s mascot, Wendy the Water Drop, will also make a special appearance. For more water-saving tips and information, consumers can visit DC Water’s Facebook page.

How to Use old Pantyhose in the garden

I was so bored last night, that I decided to clean out some dresser drawers. I can’t BELIEVE how many pairs of old pantyhose and stockings I found, which is pretty bad, because I can’t even remember the last time I wore any of them.

Anyway, rather than just throwing them away, I decided to take a look on the internet to see if I can find some logical uses for leftover pantyhose. Here are some that I found for the garden:

1. Use the leg of a pair of pantyhose to store flower bulbs out of season.
2. Place seeds in a pantyhose leg and hang to dry.
3. Repel deer with bundles of human or pet hair tied in a piece of pantyhose and hung in the garden.
4. Use strips of pantyhose to tie up and stake plants.
5. Drop leftover slivers of bar soap into the foot of a pair of pantyhose and tie it shut. Hang it next to the outdoor faucet for a quick wash before going inside.
6. Line the bottom of plant pots with old pantyhose  to keep soil from leaking when you water.
7. Shape a wire hanger, covered with pantyhose,  into a “nature net” to help kids catch tadpoles and other critters to observe.
8. Use a rubber band to secure a piece of pantyhose over the top of a jar when your child is catching fireflies, bugs and other critters to observe.
9. Slide new melons into the foot section of a leg of pantyhose and tie or stake them off the ground to eliminate ground rot, mold and invasion by insects.
10. Plant water plants in them for your garden pond.
11. Fill them with compost, submerge them in water and make compost tea.
12. Slip them over flowerheads and secure with twist-tie to collect seeds.

How about you? Do you have any other garden uses for old nylons and pantyhose?

Sources: How to Use Pantyhose in the Garden | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2093661_use-pantyhose-garden.html#ixzz1opMhe4WC

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/frugal/msg071704365281.html

25 Re-uses for worn out pantyhose