Know a gardener with an earthy sense of humor?

I found this hysterical “gift set”: the Pinetree Manure Medley
The description reads: “Casting about for that perfect gift? What’cha guano get the gardener who has everything? Doo consider our exclusive gift set that contains 3 highly effective and concentrated manures.”
Ummm…yeah.

Eco review:
It is definitely recycled. And it is something that’s meant to be used up rather than collecting dust or ending up in a landfill…
But I still worry if the “Desert Bat Guano” and the “Fossilized Seabird Guano” were sustainably harvested.

Planning a Holiday party?

Don’t forget to consume thoughtfully–consider how much waste each item produces.

For Inspiration, go look at Sew Green’s entry on a composted party.

Technorati Tags: holiday, party

Love Halloween? You can have a black and orange garden all year!
(Having one bloom black and orange in time for Halloween is trickier: it depends on your climate.)

I like to mix two colors of the same flower for maximum impact.
Here are some suggestions for flowers that come in both black and orange:

Amaranths: I have a fondness for these strange flowers, and Amaranth ‘Oeschberg’ is almost black. Pair it with a bronze variety.

Asian Lilies come in black and orange. There are many varieties of orange—try “Apeldoorn.” For black, “Landini” is stunning.

Cosmos come in orange (“Cosmic Orange,” “Bright Lights,” and other varieties) and a dark brownish-black (Chocolate Cosmos.) Cosmos blooms in the summer but may hang on until Halloween in warmer climates.

Dahlias come in dark blackish-purple and also in orange. “Crossfield Ebony” is a nice dark pom pom; also check out Old House Gardens for some fabulous old-fashioned ones in both colors.

Daylilies come in many shades of orange, including the most common species-type. Plant them with “black” cultivars, including “Midnight Oil” and “Midnight Raider” which are a nice dark purple, or “Night Wings” which is a dark red but looks black most or the time.
(more…)

Technorati Tags: black flower, Garden, goth, Halloween

How exactly do we live lightly on the Earth?

Sometimes, things get a bit confusing.

I have a new (used) house. With a backyard full of St. Augustine grass, decorative pear trees, hybrid tea roses, and some wax-leaf ligustrum.
As an environmentally-concious gardener and mother, I can’t let this go on.
I know I’ll garden organically, but what will I garden?

Do I plant all natives? Is this the most eco-friendly option?
Do I garden for wildlife? Is this the most eco-friendly option?
Do I try to grow my own food? Is this the most eco-friendly option?
(more…)

Technorati Tags: 100 mile diet, fruit trees, Garden, grass to food, kids, local food, native plants, organic, vegetable gardening

There’s this old-fashioned flower, called “Butter n Eggs”…
Can you guess what color it is?
Nope, it’s not yellow and white–it’s yellow and orange! (see it here)
When it was named, people weren’t all color-blind, they just had better eggs.

If you guessed white and yellow–get ye to a farmers’ market! (find one near you here)
At the very least, buy eggs laid by free-range, vegetarian-fed chickens. They’ve been proven to be more nutritious!
You are what you eat…and apparently whatever it ate, too.

Feed yourself and your family right!
(Plus, kids looove to go to farmers’ markets, even older kids who don’t like the grocery store anymore!)

Technorati Tags: eat well, eggs, farmers markets, kids, nutrition

Wisebread has posted a list of their authors’ Green Resolutions for the coming year.
mine for my family are:
1. eliminate paper towel use (I’m down to 2 rolls per month!)
2. eliminate plastic bag use (this is tricky with packing lunches and storage–maybe I’ll allow myself to use them for long-term storage only)
3. investigate an in-line water heater for my bath and/or kitchen so I don’t waste water warming it up.

What are yours?

Technorati Tags: environment, Family, green, recycle, reduce, resolutions

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants: Brooklyn Botanical Garden All-Region Guide
by C. Colston Burrell
Janet Marinelli and Bonnie Harper-Lore, eds.
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, 2006.

Ever wish you were someone else? A rock star, an astronaut, a novelist? Ever read a book and wish you could have written it?

I wish I had written this book!
Heck, I wish I had found it a year ago when it first came out! (actually it was published 9-28-06, so I’ve only missed out on it for 355 days, but who’s counting?)
I have been working on a pitiful, hodge-podge list for years that barely scratches the surface of this book.

This book is an easy-to-read reference. It’s seperated into plant groups by type (tree, shrub, etc.) then by invasive plant (ex: Tree of Heaven) and then native substitutes are listed (ex: Pecan, Yellowwood.)
The Invasive plant is listed by latin and common name, there is a small picture of it, and then a list of it’s “current invaded range.”
The Native substitutions have large (almost full-page) entries below, with pictures, plant details, native ranges and growing tips.

The guide is aimed at roadside managers and landscapers, but is beautiful and easy to use.
Gardeners need to pay special attention to “invaded ranges” in order to determine how bad an invasive is and what the appropriated substitute is. For instance, pink and yellow bush lantana is invasive in Florida, but I live in Texas, and it’s actually a native in Mexico and is treated as a ‘native’ here. (Texas has a related native bush lantana, but it’s red and orange.)
“Native ranges” are important, too: if I wanted a substitute for an ornamental pear, an allegheny seviceberry wouldn’t work in my zone, but the other recommendation, fringe tree, would. (Actually, in Texas I would plant a Mexican plum, but outside of Texas that wouldn’t be appropriate, and this guide is for the whole U.S.)
Also keep in mind that professional landscapers may have a different objective with certain plants: the suggestion to substitute Western sweetshrub for an edible fig would give the right “look”, but if a gardener wants edible fruit, then a red mulberry (suggested elsewhere) would be a better substitution.

All in all, buy this book for yourself.
And for every gardener you know.
And the guy who cuts your lawn.
And the owner of your favorite nursery.
And the head of your HOA.
And your mother’s landscaper.
And your next door neighbor.
And all your co-workers.

Heck, I recommend you buy a bunch and just give them away at every oppurtunity.

This book is worth giving away, but you’ll want a copy for yourself, too!