DC Urban Gardeners

The sad state of the organic lawn demo on the Mall

Been noticing the organic lawn care demo on the Mall at all?  Me, neither, until our Yahoo group received this email:  ""Have you taken a look at the National Mall lately? Safelawns.Org Project restoring the mall organically has issues. It looks pretty bad. I am all in favor of growing grass organically, but why did the National Mall project fail? This is a way for us to learn from this trial."

So I forwarded it to Pamela Burton at SafeLawns for a response and here it is:

Now, regarding S Bloom’s email, attached are photos of the SafeLawns test site in April of this year and again in May.

April:  Thick, green and beautiful.

May: AFTER the Graduation Ceremony.

Black, plastic tarp was laid over the entire site, then chairs were set out and the lawn just cooked and cooked and cooked. Then, the graduation ceremony was held on which thousands of people walked, stood and sat on the black plastic tarp while the lawn continued to bake.  You can see the ‘aisles’ on which the tarp was not covering the turf – still lush, green and pesticide free in May.  We are sadly aware of the lawn’s current condition and we are working with our local vendor to try and overcome the effects of the plastic tarp

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to respond to your member about this issue.

Posted by Susan Harris

Organic lawn care on trial in D.C.

The nonprofit SafeLawns.org has planted a patch of lawn using organic growing techniques in that most public of spots - our National Mall.  So Metro or stroll on down to the 4rd to 7th Street section sometime in the next two growing seasons to see the results.  Compare organic versus traditional lawn care yourself, read the resources on their website, and remember that if organic lawn care can survive in this challenging spot, it's a good bet for our own yards, where it can replace the tons of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides we're instructed by certain corporations to dump on our property throughout the season.  Imagine: No more little flags warning neighbors that our lawns are toxic to them.  (Animals, not versed in flag-reading, are just out of luck.)

HOW IT'S DONE
According to SafeLawns' partnership agreement with the Park Service, the two lawn panels comprising the 4.3-acre test area have been either aerated or tilled to 8", had compost applied, then were seeded and watered in.  Next, a "liquid compost mulch" is applied.  I'm assuming that mean compost tea because the plan is to apply compost tea throughout the duration of the test, which ends in September of '09. SafeLawns is doing all this at no cost to the government.

FINDINGS TO BE FULLY REPORTED
Oh, and this is research, not a quick PR gimmick.  The EPA will be compiling and reporting findings on "soil compaction, moisture, organisms, fertility, as well as hours worked and type and amount of all machinery and products used."  Excellent!

The compaction findings will be particularly revealing, considering how much heavy traffic this strip of land gets.  All those demonstrations for or against every known cause really add up.  Then there's the huge 4th of July event, the yearly Folklife Festival, amateur sports, and even large, rowdy commercial events (thanks to a controversial new policy of the National Park Service).  So the folks at SafeLawns are really putting their talk to the test here.

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO BE BROWN TO BE GREEN?
After completing this turf-redo, the folks from Safe Lawns didn't just hung up their gardening clothes and go home; they stayed in town to teach us locals all about safe lawn care and the training they offered is described here. According to that, public officials (including the governor of North Carolina) are pleading with residents to let their lawns turn brown, trying to convince the public that brown lawns are a badge of honor, but Paul Tukey claims that brown isn't necessary:

The founder of SafeLawns.org, however, said that in most cases lawns and gardens could remain green and lush if homeowners and landscape professionals utilize organic methods. He’ll offer specifics when his organization participates in the DC Environmental Conference at the University of District of Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 20.

“If you avoid synthetic chemical fertilizers and switch to compost and organic fertilizers, you’ll reduce the need for watering by up to 75 percent,” said Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual. “These natural soil amendments help the soil store water and, therefore, help the grass stay green.”

Now truth to tell, I didn't attend the training but then I'm already a convert.  I did pay a quick visit to the Mall this week and took this photo of the new lawn, which is looking darn good.  Kudos to Paul, Shep, and the whole gang at Safe Lawns!

Posted by Susan Harris

Top photo credit. Middle photo by SafeLawns.org. 

 

The nonprofit SafeLawns.org has planted a patch of lawn using organic growing techniques in that most public of spots - our National Mall.  So Metro or stroll on down to the 4rd to 7th Street section sometime in the next two growing seasons to see the results.  Compare organic versus traditional lawn care yourself, read the resources on their website, and remember that if organic lawn care can survive in this challenging spot, it's a good bet for our own yards, where it can replace the tons of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides we're instructed by certain corporations to dump on our property throughout the season.  Imagine: No more little flags warning neighbors that our lawns are toxic to them.  (Animals, not versed in flag-reading, are just out of luck.)

HOW IT'S DONE
According to SafeLawns' partnership agreement with the Park Service, the two lawn panels comprising the 4.3-acre test area have been either aerated or tilled to 8", had compost applied, then were seeded and watered in.  Next, a "liquid compost mulch" is applied.  I'm assuming that mean compost tea because the plan is to apply compost tea throughout the duration of the test, which ends in September of '09. SafeLawns is doing all this at no cost to the government.

FINDINGS TO BE FULLY REPORTED
Oh, and this is research, not a quick PR gimmick.  The EPA will be compiling and reporting findings on "soil compaction, moisture, organisms, fertility, as well as hours worked and type and amount of all machinery and products used."  Excellent!

The compaction findings will be particularly revealing, considering how much heavy traffic this strip of land gets.  All those demonstrations for or against every known cause really add up.  Then there's the huge 4th of July event, the yearly Folklife Festival, amateur sports, and even large, rowdy commercial events (thanks to a controversial new policy of the National Park Service).  So the folks at SafeLawns are really putting their talk to the test here.

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO BE BROWN TO BE GREEN?
After completing this turf-redo, the folks from Safe Lawns didn't just hung up their gardening clothes and go home; they stayed in town to teach us locals all about safe lawn care and the training they offered is described here. According to that, public officials (including the governor of North Carolina) are pleading with residents to let their lawns turn brown, trying to convince the public that brown lawns are a badge of honor, but Paul Tukey claims that brown isn't necessary:

The founder of SafeLawns.org, however, said that in most cases lawns and gardens could remain green and lush if homeowners and landscape professionals utilize organic methods. He’ll offer specifics when his organization participates in the DC Environmental Conference at the University of District of Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 20.

“If you avoid synthetic chemical fertilizers and switch to compost and organic fertilizers, you’ll reduce the need for watering by up to 75 percent,” said Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual. “These natural soil amendments help the soil store water and, therefore, help the grass stay green.”

Now truth to tell, I didn't attend the training but then I'm already a convert.  I did pay a quick visit to the Mall this week and took this photo of the new lawn, which is looking darn good.  Kudos to Paul, Shep, and the whole gang at Safe Lawns!

Posted by Susan Harris

Top photo credit. Middle photo by SafeLawns.org. 

DC's Own Women Garden Cyclists Rock!!!

I LOVE these women and how they're spending their summer - on a 3-month cycling trip from Washington D.C. to Montreal and back again, with this very worthy purpose:

We’ll be visiting urban farms in big cities, but also grassroots organizations in small towns – anywhere where people are being reconnected with the food they eat. For example, we’ll be spending time at Mill Creek Farm in West Philadelphia which yields fresh, affordable produce in a malnourished, urban neighborhood. Red Hook Farm in Brooklyn is another site we will be visiting, in which youth from the surrounding neighborhood are employed to harvest organic vegetables and market the produce from the urban farm. 

Then they're bringing that wealth of information back to D.C. to make something happen HERE.  D.C. really needs these Women Garden Cyclers, I'll tell ya.

The tour started July 6 and according to their blog, the cyclers in the New York City area. Follow their route.  Or drop them a line: gardencycles[at]gmail.com.

MORE FROM THEIR BLOG

The bicycle tour investigations will be documented through audio and visual recordings that will be distributed via website and public forums, ultimately promoting the journey as a resource for academic institutions and bringing it back to use in budding grassroots initiatives in Washington DC, where we live.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS

• The cyclers visited City Farms in Baltimore and this farm in Philadelphia.
• Here's a story about them in the Philadelphia City Paper.

I hope to meet them upon their triumphant return and post about them again.

Sustainability - in Fishing

This story is technically off-topic but urban gardeners are so hip to food issues, we thought we'd pass it along.

A tipping point has clearly been crossed because all of a sudden the need for sustainable fishing practices is everywhere.  And not just at The Slow Cook,  which I read religiously, despite my lack of interest in cooking.  It's also here, here and - oh, everywhere.

So I was primed to try the new Georgetown hot spot Hook, the first restaurant in D.C. that adheres strictly to sustainable fishing practices.  Chef Barton Seaver, called a "visionary" in this Washington Post review, visits all his suppliers to make sure they're not using such widespread practices as overfishing, collection techniques that destroy habitat, or farming with the use of antibiotics.

So how do sustainable fish taste?  Like real food, the real meat of creatures of the sea, but with a touch of Barton's culinary magic.  I'm no food critic but yum!

Each customer receives a wallet-sized brochure outlining in detail the fish to avoid and the fish to eat with impunity, a brochure brought to us with the help of Patagonia and the Blue Ocean Institute.  (The brochure's supposed to be on line here, but that link isn't working at the moment.)  And Earth Echo International is also involved somehow and my dinner companion was their secretary-treasurer, the charming Jan Cousteau, whom I'd met at the DC opening of "The Green" on the Sundance Channel.

So that's what I was doing at a "glam new watering hole" that's "swimming with the young and pretty."  A little off my usual beat. 

Posted by Susan Harris.  Photo of Jan Cousteau and Chef Barton Seaver, taken with a camera whose flash wasn't working at that particular moment.

Making Waves

D.C. Urban Gardeners took to the airwaves yesterday in a radio discussion about the impact of global warming on gardening.

An official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture stole the show, however, when she acknowledged that publication of a sophisticated new hardiness zone map based on the most recent climate reports has been delayed because some of the mappers have been in Iraq, and for longer than expected.

I was invited to appear on Pacifica Radio's weekly "Earthbeat" segment to outline ways that we gardeners can reduce our carbon footprint and help alleviate the affects of global warming.

But ahead of me were, first, Patty Glick of the National Wildlife Federation, and author of that group's publication, "A Gardener's Guide to Global Warming," along with Kim Kaplan of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

The Wildlife Federation has outlined numerous steps gardeners can take to help the environment, such as eliminating use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, reducing the use of fossil-fueled power tools, planting native species and installing rain barrels.

Meanwhile, federal agriculture officials have taken some heat for falling behind in the race to keep track of the hardiness zone's northward march as a result of global warming. Kaplan was forced to defend the agency, for instance, against the Arbor Days Foundation's decision to publish their own hardiness zone map.

Kaplan said the USDA map will rely on more comprehensive data and will be more internet friendly--they just have to wait for their mappers to get back from the war zone in Iraq.

Also in the box was Todd Forrest of the New York Botanical Gardens, who said gardeners should be heartened that they are now at the forefront of the climate struggle. "By maintaining healthy green spaces we help mitigate the climate locally," Forrest said.

Forrest said one effect of warming trends in New York City is that the Botanical Gardens are now able to grow camellias and crape myrtles, which until now have been typical of more southerly climes.

On the downside, hemlock trees are now more vulnerable to pests that used to be killed off during cold winters, but are now surviving because of balmier temperatures.

Adrian Higgins, garden columnist for The Washington Post, said he is particularly unsettled by summer temperatures that now fail to cool off in the evening. As a result, Higgins said he no longer recommends gardeners in our area plant lilies or Eastern White pine or Colorado spruce or certain junipers.

"The warmer temperatures definitely are forcing people to be more inventive," Higgins said.

And what did Mr. Bruske have to say?

Compost. Compost. Compost.

It's all about feeding the soil, people, so the soil can feed your plants. What are we thinking, spraying all that fertilizer on our gardens? Or using gas-powered machines to blow the leaves off our lawn, then pile them in plastic bags at the curb so someone can throw them in a truck and drive them to an incinerator? 

And lawns? Turfbuilder? What's that about?

This global warming thing is going to require some kind of attitude adjustment.

You can listen to the complete broadcast here.

Transitions at the Youth Garden

The dogwoods are blooming and changes are happening at The Washington Youth Garden.

After an extensive search, the Youth Garden has found a new programming director. Not only is she a D.C. native, not only does she live in the neighborhood, but she was actually a participant in the Youth Garden as an elementary school student some years back.

Meet Kaifa Anderson-Hall, who was feted with a pot-luck lunch today by staff at the National Arboretum, where the Youth Garden has its digs, as well as by several friends and volunteers.

Equipped with a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland, Anderson-Hall until two years ago was the family and social counselor, as well as one of the founders, at Tree of Life Public Charter School on the grounds of the former Children's Museum.

Anderson-Hall graduated as a Master Gardener in 2005. Then she suffered a triple blow: the deaths of her mother and father-in-law and being hit by a car.

She sought comfort at the Youth Garden, a place she had known since childhood, and offered to volunteer.

"I came back to the garden to complete the healing process," she said.

She soon became a regular on Tuesdays, when volunteers help with garden maintenance. Then she joined the Science in the Classroom project, helping Youth Garden staff reach out to area elementary schools.

When the position of program director opened, eyes turned to Anderson-Hall.

"Some of the senior volunteers sort of propositioned me," she said. "They twisted my arm. It's a wonderful program."

But while the Youth Garden is gaining a new program director, it is losing another old (or young) hand, Jenny Guillaume.

Many will recognize Guillaume, 25, as the face behind the Youth Garden's outreach programs, especially the events where families interact with local chefs, cooking meals with ingredients grown in the garden.

Guillaume, who runs the actual gardening part of the garden, has been with the Youth Garden for nearly three years. In fact, this was her first job after graduating from Bates College in Maine.

She's been lured away--at least for the time being--by the chance to be one of two managers at a sprawling, 2.5-acre urban garden in Brooklyn, NY, called Red Hook Community Farm. The farm, built over a field of asphalt, is part of the Added Value organization, working to train local youths in community leadership and sustainable urban gardening.

The farm sells produce through local farmer's markets and to area restaurants.

"The job only runs through December. So who knows? I may be back," said Guillaume.

Posted by Ed Bruske

SafeLawns Coming to D.C.?

Site look familiar?  It offered the perfect backdrop for the national launching of a very promising new group - SafeLawns.org, a coalition of nonprofits and others whose mission is to rid the world (starting with schools, parks and our own back yards) of toxic lawn products.  Speakers included TV gardening spokesman Paul Tukey, folks from the Rachel Carson Council, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the National Botanic Gardens - all good guys in the forefront of sustainable gardening practices.  Even Newman's Own Organics is a partner.

So here's what they're up to:  challenging universities and industries to eliminate the use of chemicals on their lawns, lobbying state legislatures to eliminate pesticides on school grounds, and encouraging realtors to create Safe Lawn certification programs for homes on the market.  That's just for starters.

  And here's some scary facts I learned in their handouts:

• The Journal of Public Health reported that children who live in homes where weed and insect killers are used are 4 to 5 times more likely to develop cancer.  Holy crap!  And parents, you don't even want to know what the typical playing field could be doing to your kids' health.  (Think cancer, asthma, and developmental disorders.)  Studies of disease in dogs show similar results.
• A Defenders of Wildlife study showed that of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 16 are toxic to birds, 24 are toxic to fish, and 11 are deadly to bees.
• The National Cancer Institute reported that lawn care professionals are 3 to 7 times more likely to develop lymphoma than the national average.

The list goes miserably on.  And how about the extent of the probelm?  More than half of the 104 million households with lawns use insecticides; 40 million use herbicides.  The New York Board of Pesticide Control found that 80% of homeowners don't even read the Caution labels on pesticide products. Then there's a bunch of studies that show the effects of synthetic lawn care products on water, on air, and on soil itself (reducing microbial activity by 75 to 80%).

Had enough?  I think that's the point.

HERE IN D.C.
There's good news to report locally, at least from the federal sector.  A GSA spokesman tells me his agency just recently signed an agreement with the EPA and the Potomac Conservancy to switch to organic lawn care around all federal buildings.  Excellent!  And the Park Service has plans to create a demonstration plot for organic lawn care on the Mall, with signage and everything, an event heralded in this New York Times story about SafeLawns.

Post and photo Susan Harris

DC Garden Photo Contest Winners

Washington Gardener Magazine's First Annual DC Garden Photo Contest was a huge hit and kudos are in order for:  Editor Kathy Jentz, Judge Joshua Taylor, and some fabulous local shutterbugs.  Kathy reminds us that it's not too early to start snapping your potential winners for next year's contest.  The categories next year will be Garden Views, Small Wonders, and Garden Creatures.  All photos have to be taken within the Washington, D.C. area.  (Kathy's all about LOCAL.) This year's winning photos are on display from now through May 25 in the lobby of the Adams Bank on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring.

Here's just a sampling.  This field of tulips by Iris Posner won an Honorable Mention, but I should add that Iris also won the Grand Prize for a photo I don't have (sorry!)  She spotted these tulips at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Next, on the right, won Second Place in the Garden Views Category.   Melissa Clark eyed these cool gloves at the Children's Garden at Green Springs in Alexandria, VA.

This wonderful tulip+funky old building shot was taken by my Takoma Park neighbor Rob Rudick.  He spotted it while on a ritzy garden tour in Upperville, VA. So while most tour-goers were madly photographing every fuschia azalea in sight, Rob was looking for a bit of character, and found lots of it.

Last (and I hope not least - Kathy, can I use some more?) reminds us of
what we love about winter.  Patricia Deege of Vienna, VA calls it "Meadowlark Snow Bridge."

This last photo was quite a stand-out in the Small Wonders category.  It's by Evelyn Jacob and because she's an old friend, maybe she'll tell me how she did it because I'm dying to know.*

Judge Joshua Taylor is a terrific photography teacher and is a huge hit on the garden club circuit.

[*This just in from Evelyn: "The butterfly was resting on the salvia and was stationary (they are more likely to do this early in the morning before their bodies warm up). I used a tripod and a macro lens on my digital SLR camera; macro lenses allow you to take closeup shots. I took the photo in the Brookside Gardens Conservatory during their butterfly show last year. I had signed up (and paid) for a program that allows a limited number of  photographers to use tripods and come in two hours before the conservatory opens to the public."  Thanks!]

Posted by Susan Harris

Washington Gardener Magazine's First Annual DC Garden Photo Contest was a huge hit and kudos are in order for:  Editor Kathy Jentz, Judge Joshua Taylor, and some fabulous local shutterbugs.  Kathy reminds us that it's not too early to start snapping your potential winners for next year's contest.  The categories next year will be Garden Views, Small Wonders, and Garden Creatures.  All photos have to be taken within the Washington, D.C. area.  (Kathy's all about LOCAL.) This year's winning photos are on display from now through May 25 in the lobby of the Adams Bank on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring.

Here's just a sampling.  This field of tulips by Iris Posner won an Honorable Mention, but I should add that Iris also won the Grand Prize for a photo I don't have (sorry!)  She spotted these tulips at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Next, on the right, won Second Place in the Garden Views Category.   Melissa Clark eyed these cool gloves at the Children's Garden at Green Springs in Alexandria, VA.

This wonderful tulip+funky old building shot was taken by my Takoma Park neighbor Rob Rudick.  He spotted it while on a ritzy garden tour in Upperville, VA. So while most tour-goers were madly photographing every fuschia azalea in sight, Rob was looking for a bit of character, and found lots of it.

Last (and I hope not least - Kathy, can I use some more?) reminds us of
what we love about winter.  Patricia Deege of Vienna, VA calls it "Meadowlark Snow Bridge."

This last photo was quite a stand-out in the Small Wonders category.  It's by Evelyn Jacob and because she's an old friend, maybe she'll tell me how she did it because I'm dying to know.*

Judge Joshua Taylor is a terrific photography teacher and is a huge hit on the garden club circuit.

[*This just in from Evelyn: "The butterfly was resting on the salvia and was stationary (they are more likely to do this early in the morning before their bodies warm up). I used a tripod and a macro lens on my digital SLR camera; macro lenses allow you to take closeup shots. I took the photo in the Brookside Gardens Conservatory during their butterfly show last year. I had signed up (and paid) for a program that allows a limited number of  photographers to use tripods and come in two hours before the conservatory opens to the public."  Thanks!]

Posted by Susan Harris

Washington Gardener Magazine's First Annual DC Garden Photo Contest was a huge hit and kudos are in order for:  Editor Kathy Jentz, Judge Joshua Taylor, and some fabulous local shutterbugs.  Kathy reminds us that it's not too early to start snapping your potential winners for next year's contest.  The categories next year will be Garden Views, Small Wonders, and Garden Creatures.  All photos have to be taken within the Washington, D.C. area.  (Kathy's all about LOCAL.) This year's winning photos are on display from now through May 25 in the lobby of the Adams Bank on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring.

Here's just a sampling.  This field of tulips by Iris Posner won an Honorable Mention, but I should add that Iris also won the Grand Prize for a photo I don't have (sorry!)  She spotted these tulips at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Next, on the right, won Second Place in the Garden Views Category.   Melissa Clark eyed these cool gloves at the Children's Garden at Green Springs in Alexandria, VA.

This wonderful tulip+funky old building shot was taken by my Takoma Park neighbor Rob Rudick.  He spotted it while on a ritzy garden tour in Upperville, VA. So while most tour-goers were madly photographing every fuschia azalea in sight, Rob was looking for a bit of character, and found lots of it.

Last (and I hope not least - Kathy, can I use some more?) reminds us of
what we love about winter.  Patricia Deege of Vienna, VA calls it "Meadowlark Snow Bridge."

This last photo was quite a stand-out in the Small Wonders category.  It's by Evelyn Jacob and because she's an old friend, maybe she'll tell me how she did it because I'm dying to know.*

Judge Joshua Taylor is a terrific photography teacher and is a huge hit on the garden club circuit.

[*This just in from Evelyn: "The butterfly was resting on the salvia and was stationary (they are more likely to do this early in the morning before their bodies warm up). I used a tripod and a macro lens on my digital SLR camera; macro lenses allow you to take closeup shots. I took the photo in the Brookside Gardens Conservatory during their butterfly show last year. I had signed up (and paid) for a program that allows a limited number of  photographers to use tripods and come in two hours before the conservatory opens to the public."  Thanks!]

Posted by Susan Harris

Princeton Elms Available at Home Depot

So I was listening to the Q&A following the showing of a movie about American elms, part of DC's Environmental Film Festival. A panel of professional treehuggers was answering questions from the crowd, a couple of hundred more treehuggers.  Having been impressed by the film's high praise for the disease-resistant Princeton elm and eager to buy one, an audience member asks:  Where can a homeowner buy one?  Hearing another audience member yell out "Home Depot", the questioner continues, "No, seriously.  I really want to buy one."

Then it got kinda interesting.  The person blurting out "Home Depot" represents River Edge Farm in Georgia, which happens to be a major grower of American elms, and he further declared that he's recently delivered 12,000 of the prized, hard-to-get Princeton elms to Home Depots along the East Coast.  "And they're really promoting them," he tells us, by featuring them prominently in the stores.  Another audience member pipes up to say "Buy 'em quick before they kill 'em," which elicited a knowing laugh from the crowd.

So why DOES Home Depot kill its plants by giving them no care at all?  Like not watering them, even after they've placed them in the blazing sun.  Well, the blogging nurseryman at The Golden Gecko in California explains that it's because Home Depot and other mass merchant stores like Lowes only pay for the plants when they're sold, so they have no financial incentive to keep them alive.  When they kill 'em by neglect, it's the grower who suffers.  So growers are banding together to hire their own plant care staff to drive around to the plant-killing big boxes and water their plants.  Amazing what terms you can negotiate when you have all the power.

So though I'm usually in a camp of those complaining about Home Depot, just this once I'm suggesting you high-tail it over to your nearest HD and pick up a Princeton elm - quick.

Posted by Susan Harris

So I was listening to the Q&A following the showing of a movie about American elms, part of DC's Environmental Film Festival. A panel of professional treehuggers was answering questions from the crowd, a couple of hundred more treehuggers.  Having been impressed by the film's high praise for the disease-resistant Princeton elm and eager to buy one, an audience member asks:  Where can a homeowner buy one?  Hearing another audience member yell out "Home Depot", the questioner continues, "No, seriously.  I really want to buy one."

Then it got kinda interesting.  The person blurting out "Home Depot" represents River Edge Farm in Georgia, which happens to be a major grower of American elms, and he further declared that he's recently delivered 12,000 of the prized, hard-to-get Princeton elms to Home Depots along the East Coast.  "And they're really promoting them," he tells us, by featuring them prominently in the stores.  Another audience member pipes up to say "Buy 'em quick before they kill 'em," which elicited a knowing laugh from the crowd.

So why DOES Home Depot kill its plants by giving them no care at all?  Like not watering them, even after they've placed them in the blazing sun.  Well, the blogging nurseryman at The Golden Gecko in California explains that it's because Home Depot and other mass merchant stores like Lowes only pay for the plants when they're sold, so they have no financial incentive to keep them alive.  When they kill 'em by neglect, it's the grower who suffers.  So growers are banding together to hire their own plant care staff to drive around to the plant-killing big boxes and water their plants.  Amazing what terms you can negotiate when you have all the power.

So though I'm usually in a camp of those complaining about Home Depot, just this once I'm suggesting you high-tail it over to your nearest HD and pick up a Princeton elm - quick.

Posted by Susan Harris

So I was listening to the Q&A following the showing of a movie about American elms, part of DC's Environmental Film Festival. A panel of professional treehuggers was answering questions from the crowd, a couple of hundred more treehuggers.  Having been impressed by the film's high praise for the disease-resistant Princeton elm and eager to buy one, an audience member asks:  Where can a homeowner buy one?  Hearing another audience member yell out "Home Depot", the questioner continues, "No, seriously.  I really want to buy one."

Then it got kinda interesting.  The person blurting out "Home Depot" represents River Edge Farm in Georgia, which happens to be a major grower of American elms, and he further declared that he's recently delivered 12,000 of the prized, hard-to-get Princeton elms to Home Depots along the East Coast.  "And they're really promoting them," he tells us, by featuring them prominently in the stores.  Another audience member pipes up to say "Buy 'em quick before they kill 'em," which elicited a knowing laugh from the crowd.

So why DOES Home Depot kill its plants by giving them no care at all?  Like not watering them, even after they've placed them in the blazing sun.  Well, the blogging nurseryman at The Golden Gecko in California explains that it's because Home Depot and other mass merchant stores like Lowes only pay for the plants when they're sold, so they have no financial incentive to keep them alive.  When they kill 'em by neglect, it's the grower who suffers.  So growers are banding together to hire their own plant care staff to drive around to the plant-killing big boxes and water their plants.  Amazing what terms you can negotiate when you have all the power.

So though I'm usually in a camp of those complaining about Home Depot, just this once I'm suggesting you high-tail it over to your nearest HD and pick up a Princeton elm - quick.

Posted by Susan Harris

Greening of the Capitol

From Congressional  Quarterly comes this welcome news, an article called "At the Capitol: It Ain’t Easy Being Green, But the Effort Has Begun"

Not to be upstaged by the “green” advocacy work of former Vice President Al Gore, House Democratic leaders revealed last week that they are starting their own green program at the Capitol, a program aimed at improving energy conservation and efficiency. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced March 2 that she has asked the chamber’s newly appointed chief administrative officer, Daniel P. Beard,to come up with a plan to make the Capitol more environmentally friendly.  Beard has been asked to submit a preliminary report by April 30 on what kinds of improvements should be made, with final recommendations two months later. A letter signed by Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., and House Administration Chairwoman Juanita Millender-Mcdonald, D-Calif., instructs Beard to take steps that reflect “the most up-to-date industry and government standards for green building and green operating procedures.” 

The leaders’ “Green the Capitol” initiative could end up a bit lopsided, however. Beard’s authority extends only to the House side of the Capitol. There’s no word yet on whether the Senate intends to follow the House lead.

Posted by Susan Harris

From Congressional  Quarterly comes this welcome news, an article called "At the Capitol: It Ain’t Easy Being Green, But the Effort Has Begun"

Not to be upstaged by the “green” advocacy work of former Vice President Al Gore, House Democratic leaders revealed last week that they are starting their own green program at the Capitol, a program aimed at improving energy conservation and efficiency. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced March 2 that she has asked the chamber’s newly appointed chief administrative officer, Daniel P. Beard,to come up with a plan to make the Capitol more environmentally friendly.  Beard has been asked to submit a preliminary report by April 30 on what kinds of improvements should be made, with final recommendations two months later. A letter signed by Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., and House Administration Chairwoman Juanita Millender-Mcdonald, D-Calif., instructs Beard to take steps that reflect “the most up-to-date industry and government standards for green building and green operating procedures.” 

The leaders’ “Green the Capitol” initiative could end up a bit lopsided, however. Beard’s authority extends only to the House side of the Capitol. There’s no word yet on whether the Senate intends to follow the House lead.

Posted by Susan Harris