parkgarden2: May 2012

Saturday, May 19, 2012

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Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

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<em>The New York Times</em> on TreeHugger Founder's Tiny Apartment and Its "Convertible Tricks"

LifeEdited/CC BY 2.0Since 2010, TreeHugger founder Graham Hill has been rethinking how much we really need to live, and trimming down all his needs into one tiny, hyper-functional, changeable space. He calls it LifeEdited.The goal? Live with less stuff but more flexibility, comfort, and happiness in his 420-square-foot Sullivan Street apartment on New York's SoHo. And the day of completion is upon us: Graham moved in last weekend,

Meat Considered Macho? Study Discusses Meat's Marketing Magic

gabriel amadeus /CC BY 2.0It’s a stereotype that holds true across so many cultures--rough and tumble cowboys need their Ribeyes and men love to grill out and throw a huge steak on the grill. We subscribe to these stereotypes everyday as a result of effective marketing. A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that male consumers avoid vegetarian options because they’re not quite macho enough.Science

Friday, May 18, 2012

Statistical Analysis Shows 2 Degree Temperature Rise Zones in North America

© Image by Noel Cressie and Emily Kang, courtesy of Ohio State UniversityClimate scientists have made it easy for skeptics to poke holes in theories about global warming. Every model includes slightly different assumptions, conditions, calculations, or other parameters -- leading to differing results. Skeptics point at the differences to justify their conclusion that nothing is known with certainty.A new advanced statistical

TreeHugger Heads to Maker Faire Bay Area 2012

© Jaymi HeimbuchThis is the 6th annual Maker Faire Bay Area, an event put on by MAKE Magazine that brings together DIYers, hackers, builders, crafters and in general do-ers to share their projects and products. You can find everything from robots walking the streets to bicycles disguised as cupcakes to cheesemaking workshops and everything in between.And for the fourth year in a row, we're heading out to join the fun and bring you

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Eco Wine Review: Wrath 2010 Ex Vite Pinot Noir

© Wrath WinesWrath's 2010 Ex Vite Pinot Noir is complete, with lots of black cherry and red raspberry. A bit fuller than your typical Pinot, this wine is as drinkable as it is food friendly. It's also vegan. It retails for $38 and can be purchased at Wrath's website.If it were a sunny 75 degrees here in San Francisco, this is the wine I'd have right next to the BBQ. Its earthy undertones are perfect for almost anything you'd throw

Electricity Transmission Line for 7 GW of Offshore Wind Power Off Mid-Atlantic States Given Go Ahead

It may not be the most stylish step forward but it's an important one: The Department of Interior has announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has made a "finding of no competitive interest" regarding a proposed undersea electric transmission line in the Mid-Atlantic states.Which means that a crucial part of distributing all the power generated from offshore wind farms in the US (when any actually get built, but that's

ForceFlex™ Safety Eyewear for eye protection during lawn maintenance

Your eyes arearguablythe most important part of your body to protect while performing lawn care routines. Flying dust and debris can irritate the eyes and flying objects can cause more serious injury like blindness. ForceFlex Safety Eyewear by 3M's TEKK Protection brand are geared towards homeowners who are into DIY projects but don'tnecessarilyuse adequate safety gear.

One common misconception is that sunglasses can provide the same protection as safety glasses. In fact, sunglasses can make

Memorial Day Decorations

With Memorial Day (U.S.) approaching, some readers may be curious as to the meaning behind this holiday. Specifically, how does Memorial Day differ from Veterans Day? Or perhaps you'll be using Memorial Day Decorations for the first time this year and need some pointers.

For instance, how is decorating cemetery monuments for Memorial Day different from doing so for Veterans Day? The former comes on the threshold of summer (the last Monday in May), so there are better options for Memorial

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

96 Sq. Foot Finnish Micro-Cabin Built Small To Forego Permits

© Robin FalckThe image of a secluded cabin in the woods recalls the simple, idealistic idyll of Henry David Thoreau's Walden, free of the impositions of society. This beautiful micro-cabin, built beside a lake in Finland, was constructed to go under the radar of Finnish building regulations, which require one to get a permit for anything that is larger than 96 to 128 square feet, depending on the district.© Robin

New Shwopping Campaign at Marks & Spencer to Recycle Clothes and Save Landfills

su-may/CC BY 2.0Shwopping: it's a new word for a not-so-new- concept. It's a combination of shopping and swapping and in England you can do it at any of the 340 Marks Spencer stores. By donating an old piece of clothing, whether it's from MS or not, you are helping to support OXFAM and cut down on the waste that goes to landfill sites.To draw attention to this altruistic scheme, they have covered the walls of an old warehouse in

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Elegant Bike Light That's Hard to Steal

© Blink/SteadyAfter industrial design consultant Benjamin Cohen had his eighth or ninth bike light stolen, he was ready to ride without lights - though that's against the law. Instead he teamed up with engineer and machinist Stuart Heys and electrical engineer Mark Sibenac to create a simple, elegant aluminum back light called the Blink/Steady.A big success on Kickstarter, the Blink/Steady is now being manufactured in New York,

Grass Stitcher Lawn Repair System

The makers of the Grass Stitcher have added a complete lawn restoration program to their line-up of Grass Stitcher items. The Grass Stitcher Lawn Repair System comes with the Grass Stitcher, either 10 inch wide or 20 inch, and enough premium grass seed and starter fertilizer to repair 1000 square feet of bare or thin turf.

The Seed-N-Bag system is a simple and effective way of metering out the right amount of seed and fertilizer with a few shakes of the bag. It's also a great way to store

Eco-Art Installations Sprout in a Taiwanese Village

© Jane Ingram Allen. 'The Food Bowl' by Prashant Jogdand.Unsuspecting visitors to Cheng Long, a small fishing village in southwest Taiwan, might feel the need to blink and rub their eyes. Is there really a giant bowl and chopsticks sinking into the wetlands? What are those brightly colored things growing all over that abandoned house?They're not apparitions, but art installations -- made of recycled and natural materials and

Monday, May 14, 2012

'Bio Computer' Blends Tech and Organic to Grow Wheatgrass

© Mike SchroppSelf-described geek, Mike Schropp, built his own ‘bio computer’ in his basement to grow his own wheatgrass.© Mike SchroppMike used various donated computers that he was able to disassemble to cobble together a working computer for his project. He had been looking for a project that allowed him to join his passion for technology with something organic, while allowing him to create a computer that his 5-year-old

Stars of the Yard For May, 2012

As a baseball fan, I sometimes have mixed feelings about a game that my team is winning by a lopsided margin. One side of me revels in the joys of the moment, but the other side of me wishes that we could somehow "save some of those runs" for the next game, when every run might well turn out to be precious.

I have similar feelings about May in the landscape. May is a "blowout" month for floral display in my yard. And while I'm enjoying every moment of it, I can't help but wish that I could

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Crowd-Sourced Map of NYC's Bike Share Stations Unveiled

NYC Bike Share/Screen captureIt seems that for every thing New York City gets right with its bike-share system, it insists on getting something else dead wrong. I cheered when I heard news that the bike share would boast 10,00 bikes, and then I almost threw up in my mouth when I saw what they'd look like. I was reassured to hear that they'd come with handy baskets for stowing your stuff; I was distressed to discover out that they'd

Hanging Plant Balcony Works Like a Drawbridge

© Barreau CharbonnetWe've covered a lot of ways apartment dwellers can bring some greenery into their homes, many of them remarkably clever. Here's one more that fits that description: "Volet Végétal," French for "plant shutter," is a folding balcony for a garden, built right into the window.© Barreau CharbonnetVolet végétal is the work of design firm Barreau Charbonnet, a submission for the upcoming exterior design expo

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Landscaping Front Yard X14

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Friday, May 11, 2012

BMW and Daimler to Work Together on Urban Electric Car R&D Project

© Mute conceptA Small German Electric Car
BMW, Daimler, the German Federal Ministry for Education, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen and others are joining force and cooperating on a research project called Visio.M. Their goal is to "explore how the price and safety of small, efficient electric vehicles can be brought to a level enabling them to achieve a significant share of the mass market."The starting point will be the MUTE

NASA Discovers Yet Another Terrifying Global Warming Feedback Loop

NASA/Public DomainAs if the melting methane-packed permafrost and shrinking Arctic ice sheets weren't enough, NASA scientists have gone and uncovered a brand new feedback loop that could hasten climate catastrophe. Climate feedback loops, to the uninitiated, are phenomena that worsen the warming effect when triggered—which further worsens said phenomena, and around we go.The permafrost is probably the gnarliest: there's a truly

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag About Allium

Some plants are so gorgeous and so unusual-looking that it's hard to describe them adequately in just a few words. It's really best to see them for yourself (at least in pictures); only then will you understand what all the hoopla surrounding them is about. Schubert's flowering onion is one such plant, so I won't even attempt to describe it here in a blog post. Instead, I hope you'll click through to my article on Schubert's flowering onion, where I discuss it in detail and provide a

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Modern Day Noah's Ark Only Takes Cute Species Onboard

Conservation Shouldn't Be Like a Club that Only Lets Pretty People In
Our human biases make us prefer certain animals over others, which is fine for pets, but not a good idea when it comes to conservation and the protection of endangered species. The authors of a recent study titled The new Noah's Ark: beautiful and useful species only had this to say on this topic: "Most of the world's species at risk of extinction are neither

Tea Party Organizers, Think Tanks Coordinate Plan to Attack Wind Power Nationwide

That there is, in fact, an ongoing, coordinated nationwide effort to attack clean energy shouldn't really surprise anyone. The corporate funded anti-regulation activist network that has dominated conservative politics for the last couple of years has reliably been hostile to renewable power. But still, there's something discouraging about seeing the hard proof—and the far reach of their tactics is alarming as well.The Guardian

Getting to know your soil.

I'm a big fan of getting to know the soil that a lawn is growing in. Certainly have it tested so you can determine the pH and nutrient content, but you should also dig it up, get your hands dirty and analyze the soil profile.

Touch your soil. Squeeze it. Smell it. Is it crumbly, does it stick together to form a ball? Is it sandy or more like clay, what color is it? Are there worms present, grubs? Find these things out so you know more about your soil and what it may need or what type of

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

1,000 Rallies in 100 Countries 'Connect the Dots' on Extreme Weather & Climate Change

© Demonstrating the impact of rising sea levels in Brazil. Image via 350.orgWorldwide demonstrations link warming extreme weatherWhen I showed up at Battery Park just after 11:00 am last Saturday, the crew was already assembled. Volunteers, organizers and activists with 350.org were gathered around a giant parachute with lettering that read 'NYC Underwater'. Weathering the misty rain, they sang a refrain from "New York, New York"

Microsoft Imposes a Carbon Price on Itself

SeattleClouds via Flickr/CC BY 2.0Microsoft just announced that it will effectively be carbon neutral by the next fiscal year. But the way it plans to do so is much more interesting than your typical "buy a bunch of offsets" emissions-reduction scheme—instead, the company is creating a "carbon price and charge back model" that will levy fees on each of its various internal business groups for the emissions they generate. In other

Grass Pollen Allergy: A Reason for Mowing Lawns?

I make no bones about it: I'm not crazy about mowing lawns. My attitude comes from a lifetime of wearing this green albatross around my neck. You see, whether as a child or as an adult, and no matter where I've lived, I've been expected to mow the lawn.

While the landscaper in me appreciates the reason for mowing lawns, I'm not speaking specifically as a landscaper in today's blog post: Instead, I'm speaking as just a regular human being (hard to believe, I know). As such, it's so easy to

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Federal Food Aid Recipients Double Their Money at Local Farmers' Markets

© Fair Food NetworkAn oft-heard complaint about "green" eating: high quality natural foods cost too much, remaining out of reach for people of limited means. On the other hand, concerns about nutritional value in the diets of the less fortunate have led to proposed bans on using food stamps for sugary soda drinks or junk food.Double Up Food Bucks for Healthy, Local Food for All
The Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program, entering its

Anti-Climate Group Compares 62% of Americans to Serial Killers, Loses $1 Million in Sponsors

Heartland Institute/Promo imageLast week, the Heartland Institute—the nation's leading climate change-doubting think tank—launched an ad campaign so epically and offensively dumb that other notorious global warming skeptics wanted nothing to do with it. To promote a conference it was holding in Chicago, Heartland bought a handful of billboards throughout the city. They featured portraits of figures like Ted Kaczynski, aka the

What do you do with your lawn clippings?

Clippings can either be removed while mowing, dispersed out the side of the mower, or mulched back into the lawn with special mulching blades.

My preferred method is mulching the clippings. Contrary to popular belief, returning the clippings to the lawn does not promote thatch build up. The clippings are 90% water so there is very little organic matter left behind. Mulched clippings account for up to 1lb of nitrogen returned to the soil over the course of a season, reducing the amount of

Monday, May 7, 2012

Antarctic Octopus Genes Contain Clues About Ancient Catastrophic Ice Sheet Collapse

Public Domain/Public DomainIf the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed, it could raise seas by 16 feet (5 meters), which would be disastrous. Thankfully, we're not at that point yet, but if the Earth's climate keeps warming and nothing is done to stop it, we could eventually have to face such a catastrophe. It's not as far-fetched as some would have us believe, as new reserach into octupus genetics (of all places) is providing new

Another Unsightly Billboard

If you live in or were visiting the Chicago area on Friday, you might have seen the Heartland Institute's billboards featuring mug shots of convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, mass murderer Charles Manson, or former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro saying, "I believe in Global Warming. Do you?"

The syllogism is obvious: if psychotic madmen accept climate change science, therefore accepting climate change science makes you a psychotic madman.

Heartland denied its intent

7 Unique Green Mother's Day Gifts

Whether you're looking for a traditional gift, or something more special, you'll find ideas here to please both Mom and Mother Earth.Also see these 14 unique and green Father's Day gift ideas. By Gloria Dawson

Put 'Sky Pencil' in the Winners' Column!

There are certain plants that only a gardener could love -- and only a subset of gardeners, at that. You know the kind I mean: mousy plants that elite gardeners fuss over, but which do not excite the general public.

Then there are plants that stand up to be counted, exercising a fascination over gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Some turn heads due to their colorful flowers; others garner attention through their striking forms.

Sky Pencil holly (Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil') resides in the

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Number One CO2 Emitter in the Northeast: Brayton Point Power Station

© Mona MiriIn Somerset Massachusetts sits the Brayton Point Power Plant, a coal fired plant which the EPA listed in January 2012 the worst power plant station in the Northeast.Since it's purchase by Dominion, that owned and was responsible for the Salem Power plant, one of the oldest and most hazardous power plant in the Northeast, the Brayton plant has been outfitted with more than one billion dollars of renovations and new

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Boulder Ideas.Bucks County PA Area Landscaping: orserlandscaping.com

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Boulder Ideas.Yardley/Newtown Area Landscaping: orserlandscaping.com

215-249-1236 Landscaping Hardscaping: Ponds: Waterfalls: Retaining Walls: Design: Installation: Maintenance: Lawns: Snow Removal: Leaf Clean Up: Full Service

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EnergySaver Mobile App Analyzes Energy and Water Use, Helps You Save Money

© EnergySaverSome of us in the green community want to use less energy and water just because we feel it's the best thing to do for the planet, and some of us want to use less because it also leads to saving money.No matter what your motivation, it's pretty clear that the desire is there, but sometimes the tools to do so aren't very obvious. However, a new mobile app will help you not only track your energy and water use, but will

Make a Date with Mom at Connecticut's Saybrook Point Inn & Spa

© Saybrook Point Inn SpaThat's exactly what I did when the 85-room hotel reached out to me, tantalizing me with all the things this Connecticut born and raised, green girl loves: sweeping views of the Long Island Sound, organic spa services, and an on-site restaurant featuring local fare.I went open, but always skeptical of any given hotel's sustainability cred. With so many "green hotels" featuring not much more than the option

Deer Stay Away From Zebra -- Grass, That Is

One's perspective sure can change when growing plants becomes an obsession. Take the desire to see wildlife in the yard, for example. If my plants weren't so important to me, I'd enjoy seeing rabbits in the yard. As for deer, I think I'd do everything possible to attract them, gorgeous and graceful beasts that they are.

But alas, I'm a gardener. And guess what? Beautiful animals that eat my precious plants become...far less beautiful. I'll enjoy them when I come across them in the woods, but

Friday, May 4, 2012

Pinning the Cloud: Pinterest, Cloud Computing and the Environment

Pinterest/Screen capturePinterest, the online picture pinboard for organizing and sharing all of your favorite things on the web, is currently the fastest growing social media platform out there. It went from launch to 17 million unique visitors in an amazing nine months -- almost half the time it took Facebook to do the same thing. That rapid growth meant a huge increase in the amount of pictures and videos being "pinned" by users

"Charles Manson Still Believes in Global Warming. Do You?" Dumbest Anti-Climate Campaign. Ever.

Heartland Institute/Promo image"Charles Manson Still Believes in Global Warming. Do You?"That's the essence of a thoughtful and nuanced new billboard campaign put together by the Heartland Institute, the nation's top climate change-doubting think tank. The billboards feature portraits of figures like Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, Charles Manson, and Fidel Castro, alongside giant lettering that reads "I Still Believe in Global

Be on the lookout for poison ivy

After a run in with poison ivy a couple of years ago, I'm more cautious than ever about this nasty plant. I used to think I was immune to the stuff until my luck ran out and it quickly spread throughout my arms and legs causing about three weeks worth of discomfort.I started treatment with Benadryl and Ivy Dry, and ultimately progressed to prednisone and Ivarest.

Now that I've got a bout of poison ivy under my belt, I am constantly on the lookout for it and subsequently see it everywhere. Be

Is Your Mother or Wife Named After a Flower?

You may think the question I posed in the title of this blog post rather odd. After all, what business is it of mine if your mother or wife is named after a flower, right? But please bear with me. If you're a regular reader of my Landscaping blog, you know there's a method to my madness.

In fact, if you can answer the question in the affirmative, then you'll thank me for having asked it. Why? Because I'm about to give you a good idea for a Mother's Day present. And if you've been giving

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Big Surprise: Most People Don't Buy Green Products If They Cost More

x ray delta one/CC BY 2.0This is one of those glass-is-half-full stories; when I first saw the results of an Ipsos study on green shopping, I thought they were pretty depressing. But in fact, they are pretty encouraging: 25% of respondents report that they always proactively take steps to green their home or lifestyle, such as recycling, driving energy efficient vehicles, weatherizing their home, using eco-friendly products. An

Toyota Prius Sales Up Over 100% Year-on-Year in April

Photo: Michael Graham RichardSecond Best Month Ever for Prius
While March 2012 was the best month ever for sales of the Toyota Prius hybrid brand, last month came close with 25,168 units sold. That's an increase of 126.9% one a year-on-year basis, and the best month of April yet for the Prius.Plug-In Prius Also Doing Well
PluginCars reports:Without much fanfare, Toyota started selling the plug-in version of the Prius a couple of

Lily of the Valley: Romantic or Invasive?

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a common floral element at weddings, due to its sweet fragrance and the purity suggested by the snow-white color of its flowers. I suppose the bell shape of its blooms doesn't hurt in this regard, either (as in "wedding bells"). So the question is, what about lily of the valley does not say "romance"?

Well, there are many people for whom romance is the furthest thing from their minds when they hear mention of lily of the valley. Why? Because many

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

MIT Creates Miracle Glass That's Glare-Free, Self-Cleaning, Water Repellent

© Hyungryul Choi and Kyoo-Chul ParkGlass. It's great stuff, right? Except that the reflection and glare coming off of it is often problematic, and it gets grimy easily, and can be hard to see through when water drops stick to it or streak across it. It can be such a disappointing material. But researchers at MIT have come up with a novel solution for these problems, and thus can solve a lot of problems created by these downsides

New Study Unlocks Secrets of Gorilla Behavior

© Thomas Breuer/WCSConservationists with the Wildlife Conservation Society have found that larger male gorillas living in the rainforests of Congo seem to be more successful than smaller ones at attracting mates and even raising young. The study, conducted over a 12-year period, is providing new insight into the pressures that influence gorilla behavior.Researchers looked at three key physical characteristics: overall body length,

Clover as a lawn alternative

Clover is often thought of as a nuisance weed but it can be a great lawn alternative or even included amongst a grass lawn. Clover was used as a part of lawn seed blends up until the introduction and widespread use of broad leaf herbicides after WWII. Although clover is actually a desirable plant to have intermingled with lawn grasses, it got lumped in with dandelions and other weeds because it simply could not survive the herbicides. Before long clover was as hated as the others and the

Pictures of Purple Flowers

Most floral colors do have some sort of fan base. There are gardeners, for example, who love yellows, reds and oranges for their ability to light up an otherwise drab area of the landscape with vibrant color. For others, looking for more subdued colors, soft pink or lavender flowers may be favorites.

But purple flowers (along with blue flowers) seem to be in a league of their own when it comes to eliciting oohs and ahs from people, whether they be casual gardeners or die-hard plant fanatics.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

2016 Toyota Prius Hybrid to Be Made in U.S.

Fourth Generation Prius
After more than a decade, the Toyota Prius is still the king of hybrids, at least when it comes to units sold. But despite selling very well in the U.S., it hasn't yet been produced there. That could change for the 2016 model, which would be the fourth generation, though. Toyota has said that it would like to start making the Prius in the U.S. in 2015, but before it can do that the company has to figure out

Taxing Topic: Energy Tax Reform

Every so often, usually at this time of year after citizens have finished sweating over their tax returns, there's a call for junking the tax code and making it simple enough to fit a tax return onto a postcard--which assumes the Postal Service can survive its current existential crisis and continue delivering postcards. Earlier in the Republican presidential race, Rick Perry took to whipping postcards out of his suit pocket to make the point. In the energy world,

Book Review! Tag, Toss & Run

Tag, Toss Run - 40 Classic Lawn Games by Paul Tukey and Victoria Rowell is a fun book featuring 40 classic lawn games from the past, with the intent of keeping them around in the age of video games. The book even coincides with the 40th anniversary of the first video game. Tag, Toss Run is almost a dare to the video game generation to get off their butts and have some outdoor fun.

On the surface, I love the games in this book. They range from basic children's games to games requiring

Uses for Weeds in Everyday Life

The information on the following uses for weeds in everyday life comes courtesy of Peter Del Tredici, in the book, Wild Urban Plants Of The Northeast. Did you know...?

The burs (picture) of common burdock (Arctium minus), a biennial native to Eurasia, were the inspiration for Velcro. Don't know what common burdock looks like? Many of you have most likely encountered the burs, anyhow. Objects a bit bigger than a typical marble (or "aggie"), the burs are brown when dry and covered with spikes.