Home Vacations!!!

Vacationing at home sometimes is as much as much fun as going away for a
week or so. Vacations at home can vary from setting up a portable pool in
the backyard for yourself and the kids pretending you're at the beach to
taking day trips enjoying local sites.

Some years, Steve and I didn't take the kids away for an extended vacation,
so we improvised. Truth be told, sometimes being focused on working and
everything here at the nursery, we actually forgot to get away and that
isn't good. Recently, it has come up in conversation at our house about this
concept of vacation this year, but for sure nothing has been decided. (Sh!
Sh! My secret thought is that if I keep putting it off, it'll go away.)
Again, that's not good, so I thought it would be a fun change of pace to
talk about things we can do in our own areas that can create that same fun,
exciting feeling we get when on vacation.

My group has never been much into water sports or hanging out on a beach, so
when we have or do go on vacation, there has to be interesting things to
visit. We really enjoy historic homes and gardens, nature gardens/walks, and
museums. Our children grew up visiting many of the historic homes and
gardens east of the Mississippi and actually enjoyed it and afterwards, we
always discussed the way of life at that time.

Over late spring and summer is the best time to take advantage of garden
settings as they are in full bloom. My philosophy in visiting gardens open
to the public is that most have landscape architects or professionals who
design these gorgeous landscapes. Not only am I able to enjoy their efforts,
but I can take the design concepts home with me to apply to my next
landscape project or offer as a suggestion. Landscape ideas free to me! (Or
relatively free).

Below, I have included links that will help you find historic gardens (and
homes), botanical gardens, arboretums, nature walks, as well as links to
some of the Jones' favorite haunts that we visit time and time again when we
are in those areas such as: Biltmore Estate, Winterthur Gardens, Longwood
Gardens, Bellingrath Gardens, Monticello, Mt. Vernon, Williamsburg, Newport
Mansions and Mohonk Mountain House. I know Mohonk Mtn. House is a resort,
but they do offer day passes for the public to enjoy the grounds. Pack a
picnic lunch and have a great day from hiking to enjoying their mediation
points.

For those who don't have children at home (or if you do, hire a babysitter),
take a tour at a vineyard in the area and don't forget the tasting
afterwards! A bottle of wine, some cheeses, fresh fruit and sweet nibbles
have the makings of a perfect picnic.
In planning your home vacation, do the same things you would plan before any
other get away such as clean the house, do the laundry, mow the lawn, etc.
The computer and cell phones should have a break, too. Let the answering
machine or voice mail catch those people who don't know you're on vacation.
It's a getaway time, no work! Why not make it a themed vacation and visit
the party store to pick up inexpensive regional decorations such as netting,
shells, leis, little umbrellas for drinks, etc for a beach look.

Don't forget vacation smells for the house such as our dryer sheets in beach
days and lavender. Also, keep an open bottle of inexpensive sunscreen.
Nothing says vacation like the smell of sunscreen. Treat yourself to a
beautiful market basket and carry it with you everywhere with a large beach
size towel, which also works in pinch for picnics, straw hat, small bottle
of sunscreen, and snacks.

Here are other fun things perfect for a home vacation:

. Schedule a massage or facial
. Eat out or order delivery
. Hire a sitter for the kids and have a date night
. One day have a DVD marathon (especially good if it is a rainy day)
. Create a theme by renting DVD's set in specific areas
. Extended family cookout
. Read a book
. Keep coffee, juice, water and snacks on hand
. Visit a nearby museum or zoo
. Go for a drive and eat out
. Visit stores/shops that you don't usually visit
. Check out your area to see if there are any community activities
going on-such as free concerts, openings, and don't forget to check out the
library for story time
. Check to see if your area offers outdoor dramas or ghost tours-the
last link below is to find outdoor dramas
. Take a cooking class and show off your new skills at home by
preparing those dishes

Below are links to help you find local gardens and nature walks in your
area:

http://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/in/usa

http://www.gardenguides.com/resources/walks/states.asp?c=US

http://www.visitnewengland.com/current_category.77/current_advcategory.567/c
ompanies_list.html

http://www.newportmansions.org/

http://www.history.org/history/CWLand/

http://www.monticello.org/

http://www.bellingrath.org/

http://www.biltmore.com/

http://www.winterthur.org/visiting/visiting.asp

http://www.longwoodgardens.org/

http://www.mountvernon.org/

http://www.mohonk.com/gardens/gardens.cfm

http://www.publicgardens.org/Custom/GardenSearch.aspx

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/historicsitesculture/a/outdoordramas.htm

Just as you are preparing the inside of the house for vacation, don't forget
the outside. The week before vacation, mow and weed the landscape. Sweep the
walk, patio and/or deck. Put a little fresh mulch or aged compost mix around
some of the plants at the front door and at the back entrances. Plant some
new perennials at the entrances as well and along the walk. This makes it
look clean and new and will give you a different frame of mind when coming
and going about your home vacation.

Outside checklist for week before vacation: Green Tek ECO, Perennials,
Herbs, Hostas, Liriope, Ornamental grasses. These are things that can be
applied or planted that will make big impact with little effort.

Remember, no working on vacation!

Mother's Day is this Sunday. Don't forget our Mother's Day Special!!! When
you purchase plants to be shipped to your mom for her special day, Greenwood
will include a $10.00 Gift Certificate that she can redeem on her next
purchase this season. So, at no additional charge, mom will also receive a
$10.00 Gift Certificate in her card which will be included with your gift
for her. What a special way to say "I love you, Mom"!!!!! This special will
continue with gift orders through Monday morning (May 11th).

Be sure to check out our Monthly Member's Value Page, Member's Only Spring
Bonus Plants, and Landscaping Ideas Slideshow.

Check out our Facebook page for even more landscaping and gardening tips.

Have a great time and see you when you get back!!!!!!!


Until next time....Cheryl

Raised Beds

Building raised beds for vegetable or flower gardens are a great way to
combat the problem of having an area that drains poorly. I want to share
with everyone this project which Cydney (you can see her picture with Baby
Charles as one of the rotations on our homepage) and her husband Dave did
last Saturday. They live in an area which is a newer development so as you
can imagine they have terrible drainage. They are on the lower side of a
slope with a drainage ditch nearer the back/side area of their lot. After
heavy rains, the area in the back stays wet. We discussed it and it would be
quite costly to attempt to amend the soil in such a large back yard. So, Cyd
came up with this solution.
Even during their earlier years together when apartment living, Cyd and Dave
planted tomatoes and peppers in large pots. Now that they are into their 3rd
year as homeowners, they are ready to take the plunge and set out a
vegetable garden.
(Sorry-pictures of the raised beds were shown with original newsletter and
didn't transfer to this blog.)
With the raised bed idea, she planned it out and at their local hardware
store purchased 3 boards for each bed (2" X 10" X 8'long) cutting one in
half for the ends. They already had 3" deck screws and the white paint from
other projects. She highly recommends the screws as they will add more
stability. Because their backyard is mostly flat, Cyd and Dave didn't have
to dig out to level the bed. Including the topsoil for the beds, they spent
a total of $91.00 for their 2 raised beds.
Once they leveled out the topsoil, they planted their favorites, tomato and
pepper plants, as well as seeds of squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, lettuce,
peas, and beans. They planted marigolds around the tomato plants for bug
control and as Cyd says, "It's pretty!"
Cyd and Dave have a couple of outside projects scheduled for this spring
and, if she'll share more pictures with us, we'll watch their progress.
In landscaping around their new home over the past 2 years, Cyd has used
such plants as the Russian Sage, rosemary, bamboo, lavender, pineapple sage,
chives, and oregano. She has the herbs planted in raised beds around the
patio. She and Dave enjoy sitting there on summer evenings taking in the
aroma of those wonderful herbs.
I hope you find this information helpful. Changing the levels of your
landscape can be so easy. Just as easy as a few boards screwed together.
Each week, I receive emails from many of you with drainage problems. To
solve the problem long term, amending the soil and/or diverting water run
off is the best way, but for an immediate, and usually more temporary,
solution raised beds can be a yard saver.
I hope all of you are taking a moment to enjoy the new pictures in rotation
on our homepage, www.greenwoodnursery.com . Many of us may never get the
chance to actually meet, but with putting faces to our voices, makes it a
little more familiar. Don't miss our new Gift Ideas Department with
wonderful plant collections that will delight your favorite person as well
as our popular Gift Certificates after all, Mother's Day is approaching
quickly.

Healthy Lawn Care

Healthy Lawn Care

Whether you refer to it as natural or organic, it really comes down to the
fact that so many of us just want to participate in healthy lawn care. In
order to get the desired results, it takes dedication, time and knowledge.
Much like when someone must change their diet to become healthier, not only
do they change what they eat, but there are other alterations within their
lifestyle that are made and it takes dedication and time for the change to
take place.

We know that we are going to make the change to healthy lawn care so where
do we start?

. Improve Your Soil-Healthy soil contains everything needed to grow
healthy grass and, as an added bonus, weed seeds don't germinate as well, so
less weeds. A soil test can give you a starting point. This can be arranged
through your local conservation district office or local ag extension
agent's office. The results of the test should give you needed amendments to
put your soil back into a neutral pH.
. Select The Proper Grass for Your Area-Once your soil has been
amended, you are ready to sow the seed. A visit to your local hardware store
is needed here and should be educational. Visit one of the locally owned
stores such as Ace Hardware or True Value Hardware or even your local
Farmer's Co-op as these stores typically have staff that is knowledgeable
about these things. If you have shaded areas, you need to let them know as
they will need to help you select a seed blend especially for that area.
After sowing the grass seed, covering the newly sown area with a light layer
of straw can prove beneficial as it will help to keep birds from eating the
grass seeds, protect the area from washing should there be heavy rainfall
before the seed can germinate, provide light shade and keep the soil moist.
All of these factors, including warm weather, will help to speed the
germination of the grass and it decomposes into the soil.
. Mow less with taller grass-Allow the grass to grow a bit more before
mowing. Set your mower blades for 3 inches and let the grass grow to 4 or 5
inches before mowing. Cutting grass down much lower can damage the roots and
dry out the soil.

Greenwood offers organic lawn care products that will naturally make your
plants grow, keep weeds down and assist in building up the soil. Our Coral
Calcium specifically helps to energize plants and reduce weeds. Green Tek
Soil Conditioner helps to percolate and aerate the soil. Green Tek Total is
a non-toxic fertilizer containing biological components. Our Green Tek ECO
does all of the above, as well as, helping to detoxify chemical applications
from fertilizers and other products and helps to keep flying insects at bay.

Now that you have healthy soil and grass is growing, how often do we water?
Well, that will vary, but the University of Missouri Extension will help
guide you through that process and give you tips on watering your lawn:

http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6720

Okay, let's recap: Healthy soil..check, grass growing..check, mowing at 3
inches..check, watering schedule set up..check! Now, besides our Green Tek
Products, here is another listing of organic fertilizers from the Virginia
Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. With this detailed listing you
should be able to encourage grass growth naturally. Most of these products
can be found at your local hardware store or farmer's co-op.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/fertilizer/jan89pr6
.html

I have read Mother Earth News Magazine for many, many years and sometimes I
find articles that are truly worth keeping on file. The article below is one
of them. Steve Solomon writes about his homemade organic fertilizer, how to
make it up, what to use it on (primarily for vegetable gardens, but can be
tested in other areas with caution), and how much to apply.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74392

For brush ups on mulching, pruning roses, landscaping around decks, new home
landscaping, and drainage problems, xeriscaping, coloring woodland areas,
controlling rabbits, deer and moles, as well as learn how to be a gardener,
visit my blog for some of my articles from last season. When we changed our
web site last fall, my archive on the site didn't make the move over, so
now, you'll find them on my blog.

http://cherylsnotebook.blogspot.com/

Check out our Mother's Day Special!!! When you purchase plants to be shipped
to your mom for her special day, Greenwood will include a $10.00 Gift
Certificate that she can redeem on her next purchase this season. So, at no
additional charge, mom will also receive a $10.00 Gift Certificate in her
card which will be included with your gift for her. What a special way to
say "I love you, Mom"!!!!!

Be sure to check out our Monthly Member's Value Page, Member's Only Spring
Bonus Plants, and Landscaping Ideas Slideshow.

Check out our Facebook page for even more landscaping and gardening tips.

Until next time...Cheryl

Children and Pets in the Garden

Children and Pets in the Garden

With temperatures finally beginning to creep up the thermostats, more and
more of you are finding yourselves outside in the garden/landscape. Over the
past week, I have received many emails concerning plants toxic to children
and pets. This week, I want to share information on that as well as touch on
ways to make the garden safer for both pets and children.

When designing a new landscape or reevaluating an older landscape, don't
forget to work in spaces especially for children such as: a sandbox, jungle
gym, and/or open grassy areas for football or net games like as volleyball
and badminton (not just for children). A sandbox or jungle gym can be tucked
into a corner or other small area. For jungle gym or other physical
activities a thick layer of shredded bark mulch on the ground will help to
reduce the impact of falls.

Introduce children to gardening and yard maintenance early on so that as
they develop, they gain an appreciation and respect for plants and the
landscape. These learning sessions are the perfect opportunity for teaching
them about plants and how they grow. This reduces the chances of children
ingesting any poisonous parts of plants.

For those with pets, work in an area for them to run and play. Gravel can
be irritating to their paws and hot in summer, so use shredded bark mulch
for this area which also works great for their potty areas as well. Place
dog houses in protected areas such as nearer the house/garage or tucked into
corners (great where there is a fence for additional protection). Sun and
wind protection are other points to keep in mind.

Be flexible. Some dogs just like to dig and no matter what, you can't keep
some plants. I've experienced this with my dogs. Steve and I replaced a
couple of small trees damaged by a freeze a few years ago with dynamite
crape myrtles. The next day, we came home to the plants dug up and dried
out. We had to replace with 2 more new plants. The following day, we came
home to them dug up and dried out, again. The dogs were scolded, of course,
but we didn't want to kill, yet, 2 more plants. So, we planted the newest
crape myrtles in large containers with a few annuals. It isn't what we
really wanted for the landscape, but, this is a spot on the outside of our
garden gate, so the container thing works fine. Planting in containers and
raised beds can be a good solution for keeping plants off the ground so that
they aren't dug up, time and time again.

Young and small plants are at risk of having dogs urinate on them, which if
allowed to continue, will kill the plants. Sprinkle cayenne pepper over the
area and around the base of the plants. I did this a few years ago when,
Zack, our goofy lab, decided he would see how long it would take to knock
off our tiny boxwoods lining the front walk. After watching the boxwoods
struggle for life, I began sprinkling the cayenne pepper around them. When
Zack would "visit" the boxwoods, he'd get a snout full of pepper and move
away. I did this over a couple of weeks and, finally, he left them alone.
Those poor plants, I didn't think they'd ever grow out of it, but they did.

Neighborhood cats can be a big problem. Two successful ways of keeping them
out of landscapes and gardens is to lay pine cones around the area or lay
sections of chicken wire, secure to ground and cover ever so lightly with
mulch. The pine cones, chicken wire or anything prickly will help to keep
them at bay.

Here is a short listing of plants that are safe to use around pets and
children:

Bamboo
Ornamental grasses
Crape Myrtles
Forsythia
Cat Mint
Chives
Lavender
Rosemary
Thyme
Heucheras
Sage
Herbs (many other varieties including annual varieties)
Sedum
Tulip poplar

This is just a short list of plants that can be planted safely in the
garden. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals) has a great site with information on a listing of the 17 top toxic
plants to pets, great articles on pet care (dogs, cats and horses), and
animal poison control hotlines.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/17-common-poisonous-plants.html

Pawprints and Purrs, Inc is, also, a non-profit organization dedicated to
educating pet owners, preventing animal cruelty and pet abuse. Check out
their link to Wealth of Resources and you will find articles on everything
from pet ownership to traveling with your pet to alternative medicines for
pets. The specific links here are to listings of toxic plants and the second
link to safe, non-toxic plants for the garden and landscape.

http://www.sniksnak.com/plants-toxic.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/plants.html

These lists are certainly not complete, but if you have a question about
whether or not a specific plant is toxic or safe, always ask your pet's
veterinarian.

The following link is to a short article on backyard safety for kids. It
offers some good advice to keeping children safe and happy at play.

http://child-proofing-homes.suite101.com/article.cfm/backyard_safety_for_kid
s

There are always more things to think about.

Brenda, Indy, Cydney and I are enjoying the compliments that all of you are
sending our way. Personally, I think I look especially cute with my baby,
Nick (okay, he's 21, but who's counting?).

Watch for our special Mother's Day Promotion that we will be launching over
the next week. There will be a special link to this on the homepage for you
to click on to access it. Purchase your mom's Mother's Day gift from
Greenwood Nursery, and we when we ship it to her, we will include a special
$10 gift certificate in the card for your mom at no additional cost to you.

Be sure to check out our Monthly Member's Value Page, Member's Only Spring
Bonus Plants, and Landscaping Ideas Slideshow.

Check out our Facebook page for even more landscaping and gardening tips.

Until next time...Cheryl