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PR Web

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) August 14, 2012

Garden Media continues to provide lawn and garden businesses with advice on how to grow a garden industry business with this social media e-book: “Networking 101: Garden Marketing Tips and Tricks for Using LinkedIn.”

“Having a LinkedIn account, not only for yourself, but also for your lawn and garden business is essential in today’s market,” says Susan McCoy, founder of Garden Media, the leading public relations firm in the lawn and garden industry.

With 160 million members, LinkedIn is known for its ability to connect and showcase companies, associations, garden centers and individual professionals across the globe. “It’s the professional’s Facebook,” explains McCoy, who is a power user with more than 1,000 connections.

In this free e-book by Garden Media, companies in the lawn and garden industry learn how to create personal and company profiles, tips for getting started, and the extra features LinkedIn offers to extend business brands and engage with key audiences.

“LinkedIn has built this vast community of professionals and provides tools to help members engage and interact with each other. I use it every day and have made some valuable connections. The trick is taking the first step and investing your time to make it productive,” says McCoy.

In the garden marketing focused e-book, professionals learn that it’s not just about creating a company profile. Tips are offered on what important information should be included in the profile, how to connect with customers and other professionals in the industry and how to get invaluable recommendations,” adds McCoy

The Garden Media e-book also has tips on how to stay active in LinkedIn Groups, status updates and discussions. Breeders, growers and garden centers can connect directly with customers through groups, answering questions and offering calls to action.

“From soil health and seed companies to garden centers and landscape designers, there are groups for just about everything. Search for keywords like “garden” and “seeds” in groups and join away,” says McCoy

Through this e-book, Garden Media aims to educate lawn and garden businesses on the features and tools of LinkedIn, network with customers and professionals, market products and services, and develop successful brands.

To download the free e-book click here. And for more information on Garden Media visit http://www.gardenmediagroup.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9796080.htm

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SALINE, Mich. — Police say vandals smashed produce at a community garden in Washtenaw County and carved a swastika into a watermelon that was left behind.

AnnArbor.com reports (http://bit.ly/PmiNyB ) police were called Monday to Saline Community Garden near Woodland Meadows Elementary School following a report of vandalism, which likely happened late Sunday or early Monday. Tomatoes, corn, onions and watermelons were tossed about the garden.

Saline police Detective Don Lupi says the vandalism is “unacceptable” and the department is taking it seriously. The garden has been at the site about 40 miles west of Detroit since 2007.

John Dahlgren, who has two plots at the garden, says someone also turned on water and left it on, causing much of the ground to be soaked.

Police are seeking tips from the public.

___

Information from: AnnArbor.com, http://www.annarbor.com

(Story distributed by The Associated Press)

This year is quickly becoming one of the driest in history. If your landscape plants are like mine they are suffering from the dry conditions. The rapid onset of poor looking landscape plants is cause for concern.

 

But, what is the best way to water plants? Community watering restrictions, rural water shortages, and high water costs require homeowners to make some tough decisions about outdoor water use. Ferree provides ten wise watering tips for gardeners.

 

1. Establish plant priority needs for water by watering only your most valuable plants. Consider a plants value, its replacement costs, and how long it takes to grow a comparable plant when deciding which plants to water.
2. Learn symptoms of plant drought stress so you know which plants need water the most. Leaf wilting, folding, and rolling are a first sign of drought stress. Some plants will conserve their internal water reserves by dropping leaves or causing leaf edges to turn brown.  Leaves on plants may wilt and other burn on the edges.
3. Know if your community has a watering restriction and follow those guidelines for watering landscape and garden plants.
4. When you do water plants, soak, don’t sprinkle. The best way to water plants is thoroughly and less often. Once every week or two if enough, depending on the plant and environmental situation.
5. Water between 9 pm and 9 am to avoid evaporations losses and thus conserve water.
6. Put water right where it is needed by using drip irrigation, soaker hoses, root probes, or  tree watering bags.
7. Use mulch to conserve water in the soil.
8. Manage plants to avoid unnecessary plant stress. To do this, don’t fertilize or prune plants during a drought. These practices could initiate new growth that the plant can’t support.
9. Look for alternate water sources other than the outdoor tap. Collect rainwater with buckets and rain barrels. Collect water that drains from your air conditioner. Consider using your household gray water by collecting dish and bath water. Collect water used for rinsing fruits and vegetables and reuse it to water houseplants and/or shrubs. Or, simply place a bucket in the shower to collect water for reuse outdoors.
10. Practice sensible lawn care. Mow tall – taller grass has deeper roots and shades the soil surface. Allow your grass to go dormant. If you must water to keep it alive (and not just dormant), remember to soak, not sprinkle and don’t let the grass bounce between active growth and dormancy.

 

More information on the drought in Illinois is found at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/drought/. I also posts current information in my other blogs and Facebook page found at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/fmpt.

Source: Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension educator, horticulture, (309)543-3308, ferreer@illinois.edu

It almost looks like I dusted flour or talcum powder on the leaves of the squash in the garden. Powdery mildew has settled in for the season.

Powdery mildews are a group of fungi familiar to vegetable gardeners and ornamental plant lovers alike. Though there are several fungi in this group, all have a similar appearance. The powdery growth starts as a small infection on the top of a leaf and can grow to cover the entire leaf. The disease can involve the stem, flowers and fruit. While the fungus is rarely fatal to the plant, severe infections can cause yellowing and drying of leaves, significantly reduced production of fruit or vegetables and distorted flower buds that don’t open.

Gardeners often associate this disease with areas of the country that receive more rainfall, but it also flourishes here in our dry steppe climate. Rather than rainfall totals, the determining factors are relative humidity and light. A high relative humidity encourages spore germination. Low light conditions increase the likelihood of infection. Poor air circulation and high nitrogen levels seal the deal.

The disease affects nearly every kind of plant in a landscape — vegetables, ornamentals, grasses, even fruit and shade trees. You’ve probably seen it on roses, zinnias and squash, but crabapples, garden phlox, pears, grapes, lilacs and even turfgrasses also are susceptible.

The first line of defense is cultural controls.

Choose disease-resistant varieties. Tall garden phlox that bloom about this time of year are a great example. With age, the perennial grows into a large, dense clump, and in the past a gardener could pretty well count on getting dusty, gray leaves before the season was over. Hybridizers tackled this problem by incorporating disease resistance into the various varieties. Probably the best known of these is a white phlox named ‘David.’ This disease resistance has become a selling point and is often noted on plant labels.

Increase air circulation. Selective pruning of woody plants or adequate spacing for perennials and annuals will increase air flow, and in turn reduce humidity that fosters the spread of the fungus.

Sanitation. Throw away infected leaves, stems and flowers. Composting typically does not generate high enough temperatures to kill the fungus.

Fungicides are a chemical option if cultural controls don’t manage the fungus.

Information on chemical controls for powdery mildews is available online at ext.colostate.edu. As with any chemical, carefully read and follow the directions.

Please note: Some fungicides, especially those containing sulfur, can cause plant damage when applied at high temperatures.

Colorado State University Extension in the City and County of Broomfield provides unbiased, research-based information about 4-H youth development, family and consumer issues, gardening, horticulture and natural resources. As part of a nationwide system, Extension brings the research and resources of the university to the community. The Broomfield County Extension office is at 1 DesCombes Drive, Broomfield, 80020. For information, call 720-887-2286.

 

This summer has been a hot one in Medfield, and some flower gardens are suffering from all the heat.  One flower that loves the hot sun is the blanket flower perennial.

Better Homes and Gardens says blanket flowers are wonderfully cheerful, long-blooming plants for hot, sunny gardens. They produce single or double daisy flowers through most of the summer and well into fall. The light brick red ray flowers are tipped with yellow — the colors of Mexican blankets.

Blanket flowers tolerate light frost and are seldom eaten by deer. Deadhead the flowers to keep them blooming consistently through the summer and into fall. Some species tend to be short-lived, especially if the soil is not well drained.

The blanket flower likes sun, is good in zones 3-11, is deer resistant, and is a nice cut flower.

It grows to be 1-3 feet tall, 6 inches to 2 feet wide, and is good in beds or as a border or groundcover. 

These flowers are easy to grow and include a variety of different colors like “Fanfare” (red and yellow), “Firewheel” (white), “Grape Sensation” (purple). 

Good companion plants include Lamb’s-ears, Veronica, Salvia, Hyssop, and Coreopsis.

For the full Better Homes and Gardens article on blanket flowers, click here.

 

Tips to help you in the garden and around the house during the late summer days:

— If your tomato blossoms drop but no fruit forms, temperatures are likely too warm. Try a “heat set” tomato for next year’s crop. If you see dark spots and brown scars developing, make sure you’re watering regularly and consistently.

— If your flowers are looking uninspired by now, try adding one of our six favorite plants — from purple Alternanthera to red and green Coleus — for late-summer color.

— Grass is a natural air conditioner in summer months, at 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, even when sidewalks and streets are as hot as 100 degrees. It’s a good idea to let your grass go dormant during dry summer periods instead of watering regularly. Your yard will green up again in the fall; for now, use water resources for new plantings, old trees and vegetable gardens or for newly divided perennials.

— If you have heavy pots or planters on a wooden deck, slip decorative “feet” underneath to keep them off the wood. This way, excess water will dry off instead of seeping in and rotting the wood.

— Every few months, walk along your fence and shake it for signs of instability. Repair, reinforce or replace damaged portions. Check the finish or if unpainted, clean with a wood soap product. Remove any plants creeping up the wood so they don’t pull fence posts apart over time.

— Check your home for gaps and cracks where cool air can escape, such as attic doors, baseboards and old weather stripping. Fill, repair and replace as needed and save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling bills.

— If you have a wood-burning stove it’s not too early to order wood now. The extra time will make your wood perfectly seasoned for the cold months ahead. Just be sure to keep it somewhere dry with plenty of ventilation.

(For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)

IF YOU GO

What: “What’s Wrong With My Plant, Tree or Flower?”

When: 7 p.m. Monday.

Where: Collegedale City Hall, off Apison Pike and Highway 317.

Admission: Free.

Contact: Donna Shelman, 236-5598.

What’s wrong with my garden?

Worried horticulturists will have the opportunity to address their concerns with Tom Stebbins, director of the University of Tennessee County Extension program. Stebbins will be speaking to the Green Thumb Garden Club at 7 p.m. Monday at Collegedale City Hall off Apison Pike.

The presentation, “What’s Wrong With My Plant, Tree or Flower,” allows attendees to ask Stebbins about issues they’ve encountered in their gardens. Some people, he said, even bring samples and cuttings for him to examine.

A master gardener, Stebbins spoke to the Times Free Press about frequent questions and concerns he hears from at-home gardeners.

FIVE TIPS

1. What bug is this?

Identification is the key for deciding whether you have a good bug or a bad one. Bad bugs, Stebbins said, are either eating or drilling holes in the plants. “Good bugs are out there doing things that could decrease the detrimental bugs.” For more help, call the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County hotline (855-6113) from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays, or call your local garden center.

2. Is my plant diseased?

Diseases are harder to identify, but they are usually caused by fungus or bacteria. They can be cleaned up by removing the sick part of the plant and being careful not to water the foliage, which can cause too much wetness and disease. Water at the base of the plant.

3. What’s with this odd-looking fruit?

When the plant was flowering, it didn’t get pollinated properly. A curved cucumber, for example, is usually because of poor pollination.

4. Why are my rose bushes underblooming?

A lot of plants go through cycles. Sometimes the rose bushes will bloom, but then other plants might shade them out, so they’ll decrease in their flowering. After the first flowering, cut roses back to produce more flowers. This can apply to other flowers, such as petunias, as well.

5. What can I do about holes in my yard?

“Holes can be from moles, voles, snakes, gophers, all kinds of things,” Stebbins said. First, identify the culprit. One might consider using a live trap to escort the uninvited guest to another vicinity. Some plants may have to be repositioned.

Tips for making the split

First, if you’re unhappy with the service and think there’s a chance it could be improved, talk to the person about your wishes. You don’t have to be negative (instead of “You’re awful at pruning,” say “I’d prefer that the shrubs be kept a little taller”). Give the person a chance to correct what you don’t like.

If it’s still not working out for you, or if you need to ditch someone because you can’t afford their services, tell them so. Honesty really is the best policy, says etiquette expert Sue Fox, of Pleasanton, author of “Etiquette for Dummies.”

Don’t just disappear. It’s inconsiderate, and it may make you feel guilty, too. If you make an excuse or tell a lie (“I’m moving!”), then run into the person later, your lie might be revealed. That will reflect badly on you.

If you can’t summon the courage to call the person to say you’re not giving him or her your business anymore, send that person a note or email saying so. You can offer an explanation if you like, or you can be vague (“It’s time for a change”).

— Sue McAllister

“To enjoy butterflies in your garden or yard, you just have to put in the right plants,” Kathy Coward of Just for the Birds said. “You need plants for the caterpillars and the butterflies.”

Female butterflies lay their eggs on plants that the caterpillars–once they come out–can use for food. These host plants provide the sustenance for the caterpillars and should be placed somewhere in the garden that the homeowner does not mind seeing plants without leaves, as the caterpillars eat the leaves and strip the plants bare.

“Nectar plants should be planted close by so that you can see the adult butterflies sipping the nectar,” Coward said. “Butterflies like sunny locations where there is little wind. They also like to sunbathe, so having a bowl of moist sand with rocks around it will help them out and give you a good view.”

To add to knowledge to butterfly watching, Just for the Birds offers a great selection of books that identify the different species of butterflies that thrive in the Houston area and in the rest of the country. The store also has reference guides that show host plants and the caterpillars that feed on them. Moreover, butterfly houses, feeders and gift items with butterfly motifs are available at the shop.

“Enjoy the warm days by appreciating one of nature’s great gifts: the butterfly,” Coward said.

For more information, contact Just For The Birds at 281-288-9019, visit 209 Main St. in Old Town Spring or view the shop on the Web at http://www.justforthebirds.com.

 

About Just For The Birds

Just For The Birds is a small, independently owned shop located in the restored, turn-of-the-19th-century railroad town of Old Town Spring. Kathy Coward is the owner. She began the business in 1994 out of a “labor of love.” She is very knowledgeable with birds and birding and was the president of the oldest and most respected Piney Woods Wildlife Society from 2001 to 2005. Just For The Birds offers a collection of gifts for bird lovers of all ages, along with products for wild birds, squirrels, butterflies and bats.

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(ARA) – Looking forward to a nice, relaxing vacation? Don’t forget about that garden while you’re sipping umbrella drinks on a beach or snapping photos of the Grand Canyon. Make sure you have a plan for keeping the garden green and the grass under control while you’re gone.

The best solution, of course, is a reliable friend or neighbor who will give your garden the loving attention that you would. Simply offering to trade some fresh produce or a bunch of flowers for watering can often work in your favor and act as a motivator to the reluctant helper. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have a reliable person they can count on for garden care. This doesn’t mean all is lost. Whether you have a competent garden-sitter or not, a few quick steps can help to ensure continued health of your garden while you’re away.

Make the most of mulch

Mulches that are derived from wood, such as Scotts Nature Scapes Advanced Mulch products, can act as an excellent layer of protection for retaining moisture and can help keep weeds at bay by blocking access to sunlight, especially while you are out of town. Soak soil thoroughly and add a fresh layer of mulch to the garden, around trees and shrubs and even on the tops of containers. To calculate how much mulch is needed in your garden visit www.scotts.com to find a mulch calculator under useful tools at the bottom of the site.

Timing is everything

Invest in a timer or two to connect to the outdoor faucet. Hook these up to sprinklers or drip hoses and set timers to come on in the early morning hours to reduce evaporation. There’s no need for a garden-sitter to remember when to water. All your sitter needs to do is over-ride the timer for you in case of rain.

Get a drip

Head to the local home-improvement store to stock up on drip-irrigation materials before leaving for a vacation and make your life easier all growing season. It’s so easy to use drip irrigation in vegetable gardens and flower beds that you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner. Weave lengths of drip tape or “leaky pipe” through the plants and cover the beds – irrigation and all – with a thick layer of mulch.

Another option is to make your own simple drip irrigation system by using 2 liter soda bottles from the recycling bin. Just rinse out bottles and poke a few small holes in the bottom. Then fill 1/3 full with sand. Next, bury the bottle next to the plant and fill with water. Water will slowly filter through the sand and holes and gradually provide moisture to the plants’ root zone. With a bit of ingenuity you can enjoy your vacation knowing that the plants are happily taking care of themselves.

Container care

Container gardens require a bit more attention and planning to ensure you come home to the same beautiful plants. If you’re going away for a just a few days, all you really need is to give the plants a thorough soaking before you leave. For longer trips, first add a layer of mulch, then group pots together to retain humidity and position them in a shady location or in a baby pool filled a few inches deep with water.

Grassy goodness

The good news is that when you’re going away for a week in the summer, your lawn won’t miss you. Grass grows more slowly in the heat of summer, so simple preparations will do just fine. Just mow your grass at the regular height the day before you go. If you water your lawn, be sure to water it deeply the day before you leave. If you plan to be away longer, grass may go dormant but, no need to worry. Going dormant is a healthy coping mechanism for grass in periods of dry summer heat. You can water it deeply when you get back. If you’ll be gone for more than two weeks, you may want to hire the neighborhood kid or a mowing service to cut your grass while you’re away.

© 2012, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.