[SEMCO] Greenscapes e-news, April 2006
Wendy Garpow
wendy at nsrwa.org
Wed Apr 26 11:11:10 EDT 2006
Please see below the first issue of the 2006 Greenscapes e-newsletter,
which has details for the program's free Reference Guide, workshop
series, and much more. To subscribe, send a blank email to
greenscapes-subscribe at lists.nsrwa.org. The Greenscapes program is
targeted to South Shore communities but all welcome to particpate in the
workshops and other free offers.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [greenscapes] Greenscapes e-news, April 2006
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:10:13 -0400
From: Wendy Garpow <wendy at nsrwa.org>
To: greenscapes at lists.nsrwa.org
*APRIL 2006*
*INSIDE THIS ISSUE*
Welcome to the first of seven issues in 2006 of the Greenscapes
E-Newsletter! This free publication is a part of the 2006 Greenscapes
Program <http://www.greenscapes.org/>, a multi-faceted campaign to
educate citizens how to have attractive lawns and gardens without using
excess water and chemicals. Inside this issue you will find:
. Program Update
. Weather Notes
. Watering Restrictions
. Free Reference Guide
. Free Workshop Series
. Irrigation System Checks
. Greenscapes Consultations
. Wildflower and Native Plant Sale
. Ask Fran
. Program Sponsors
*PROGRAM UPDATE *
Spring and Greenscapes 2006 are finally here! This spring marks the
third year of this collaborative effort
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/aboutus/default.asp> of thirteen South
Shore communities, regional environmental organizations and many other
partners. The North and South Rivers Watershed Association
<http://www.nsrwa.org/> is proud to again work with the Greenscapes
partners <http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/aboutus/default.asp> and
manage this year's program in an effort to protect the South Shore's
water resources.
This year we've got lots of new and exciting offers
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/offers/default.asp>, including private
consultations at your home with a Greenscapes Advisor, discounted
irrigation system checks, a landscape contest and tour, discounted
sprinkler timers, rainbarrels, and much more! This issue is dedicated
to highlighting some of the program's offerings, but be be sure to check
out your 2006 Greenscapes Reference Guide
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/default.asp> or the
Greenscapes website
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/offers/default.asp> for all the details.
This year we again welcome Fran Gustman as our Greenscapes E-newsletter
editor. We hope you will enjoy her monthly issues -- be sure to take
advantage of the "Ask Fran" column and email her with your questions
<mailto:fgustman at juno.com?subject=Greenscapes%20question> for some
expert advice!
We look forward to working with you, our partners and the citizens of
the South Shore to help create beautiful landscapes that protect our
water. Here's to another great season!
~ Wendy Garpow <mailto:wendy at nsrwa.org>, Greenscapes Program Manager
*WEATHER NOTES *
The University of Massachusetts Extension Service provides a free
Landscape Message on their extremely helpful website, umassgreeninfo.org
<http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/>. The timely Landscape Message* **is an
educational tool intended for Industry Professionals, but w*e reprint it
here (with their permission) because much of the information is very
useful for home gardeners as well. The following information was
current as of April 21, 2006:
*Southeast Region (Hanson) - General Conditions: *Hanson received little
rain this past week, and soils are dry. Norway maple, sugar maple,
/Pieris japonica/, /Pieris floribunda/ (Mountain Pieris), /Pieris/
'Brouwer's Beauty, /Pyrus calleryana/ 'Bradford' (Bradford pear),
/Lindera benzoin/, Cherry 'Holly Jolivette', /Chaenomeles speciosa/
(common floweringquince), Leonard Messel Magnolia, /Pieris floribunda/
(mountain pieris), /Forsythia/ x /intermedia/ (border forsythia),
/Helleborus orientalis/, /Helleborus foetidus/, /Corydalis solida/,
/Omphalode/s, Dutchman's breeches, bloodroot, vinca, daffodils,
/Pulmonaria/, /Epimedium/, early tulips, and violets, are in full
bloom. /Phlox stolonifera/, trillium, and anemones are beginning bloom.
Red maple, /Cornus mas/ , and /Helleborus niger/ are ending bloom.
Turfgrass has started to green-up. *Pests/Problems:* Winter moth
caterpillars are active and were found inside developing buds of many
plants including: sugar maple, lilac, apple, and crabapple. Larch
casebearer, carpenter bees, mosquitoes, mayflies, ticks, forest tent and
eastern tent caterpillars are all active. The small webs of eastern tent
caterpillar were observed in the branch crotches of wild cherry, apple,
and crabapple. Violets and dandelions are in full bloom. Skunks are
digging up lawns.
*WATERING RESTRICTIONS *
As the summer get hotter and drier, watering restrictions may be
instituted in many communities. Remember, public health and safety are
more important than lawns, so please refer to this section of future
issues of the Greenscapes e-newsletter for up-to-date information about
your community.
*FREE REFERENCE GUIDE
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/default.asp> *
Last week just in time for Earth Day, 65,000 copies of the 2006
Greenscapes Reference Guide
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/default.asp> were mailed to
South Shore residents. If you didn't receive a copy, you can download
one <http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/default.asp> from the
Greenscapes website or pick one up at your town hall, public library, or
NSRWA headquarters (214 South Street in Norwell
<http://www.nsrwa.org/about_us/directions.asp>). Copies are also
available at partnering nurseries in the region that are offering a 15%
discount on Greenscapes plants
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/10.lomaintenanceplants.pdf>,
including AJ Tomasi Nursery in Pembroke, First Parish Nursery Center in
Scituate, Flowerland Home and Garden in Pembroke, Kennedy's Country
Gardens in Scituate, and Morrison's Home & Garden in Plymouth.
FREE WORKSHOP SERIES
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/workshop/default.asp>
Thursday evenings this May you can learn how to have a beautiful
landscape that protects our water. Come hear landscaping experts at
four free Greenscapes workshops
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/workshop/default.asp> at the South
Shore Vocational Technical School in Hanover:
*May 4, 2006, 7-9pm: Recycling Rainwater and Creating Raingardens*
/Mike Clark// (Norfolk Ram Group) and Sally Coyle (Coyle & Caron)/
*May 11, 2006, 7-9pm: Easy Composting for Healthy Landscapes*
/Ann McGovern//, MA Dept. of Environmental Protection/
*May 18, 2006, 7-9pm: Sustainable Plants for Sustainable Landscapes*
/Deborah Swanson//, Plymouth County Extension/
*May 25, 2006, 7-9pm: Take Control of Your Irrigation System*
/Ted Moriarty, Smart Watering Company/
*Workshop Registration: *Registration is required
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/workshop/gs_registration.asp>as space
is limited. Visit the Greenscapes website <http://www.greenscapes.org/>
for complete workshop descriptions
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/workshop/default.asp> and to register
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/workshop/gs_registration.asp>, or call
the North and South Rivers Watershed Association <http://www.nsrwa.org/>
at 781-659-8168.
*Workshop Directions:* All workshops will be held from 7-9 pm at the
South Shore Vocational Technical High School in Hanover (476 Webster
Street, which is Route 123). >From Route 3, take Exit 13 and head north
on Route 53. At the first traffic light, turn left on Route 123 West.
The school is approximately one mile on your left. The Lecture Hall is
in the right wing of the building.
*IRRIGATION SYSTEM CHECKS (save $20!)
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/08.irrigation.pdf>
*Unmaintained irrigation systems can waste more than 12 gallons a
minute! In a system check, a certified irrigation auditor will perform
a series of tests and analyses, and then offer suggestions for changes
in the irrigation design, installation or operation. Implementing these
changes will save you money and headaches as well as resolve problems
with turf hot spots, drooping shrubbery, swamping, and erosion. Contact
Ted Moriarty
<mailto:tedmoriarty at smartwatering.com?subject=Irrigation%20System%20Check%20%28$20%20discount%20for%20Greenscapers%29>
of Smart Watering Company (phone: 617-553-0386) and save $20 on a system
check.**
*PRIVATE GREENSCAPES CONSULTATIONS
<http://www.nsrwa.org/greenscapes/guidebook/02.howdoIGS.pdf>
*Register now for a 90-minute private consultation at your home or
business to learn how you can save time, money and water by implementing
Greenscapes practices. A Greenscapes Advisor will conduct a site
inspection, soil analysis, and review of your existing maintenance
practices. You will receive customized recommendations for improving
your soil, strengthening your lawn, and beautifying your landscape.
Initial 90-minute consultations are $75; optional follow-up 60-minute
consultations are $50. Contact Barbara Anglin
<mailto:sgardener at aol.com> at 508-732-9962 (extension 2).
*WILDFLOWER AND NATIVE PLANT SALE*
**The South Shore Natural Science Center (Jacobs Lane, Norwell
<http://www.ssnsc.org/about.htm>) is hosting a Wildflower and Native
Plant Sale on Saturday May 6^th , 9:00 am to noon. Choice wildflowers
and native plants from New England nurseries and home gardens. Create
your own butterfly or hummingbird garden from our selections. For more
details, call the -Science Center at 781-659-2559.
*ASK FRAN*
**Stumped by a stump? Closed in by clover? Perenially puzzled by how to
plant annuals? If you have questions, contact our E-newsletter editor
Fran Gustman <mailto:fgustman at juno.com?subject=Greenscapes%20question>.
She'll answer the answer in this space or point you at some resources.
Fran is also the editor of the /HortResources Newsletter/ on gardening
in New England, /The //Ecological Landscaper/ on conservation issues, a
board member of the Brighton Garden and Horticultural Society, and a
designer specializing in small and urban gardens.
*PROGRAM SPONSORS*
**The 2006 Greenscapes program is a multi-partner outreach effort
sponsored by the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, the
Massachusetts Bays Program, Aquarion Water Company, Pinehills Water
Company, City of Weymouth, and the Towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover,
Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Scituate. The
program is also financed in part by grants from the MA Department of
Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information about Greenscapes, please visit www.Greenscapes.org
<http://www.greenscapes.org/> or contact the North and South Rivers
Watershed Association at 781-659-8168 or greenscapes at nsrwa.org
<mailto:greenscapes at nsrwa.org>.
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