Sustainable Gardening Newsletter – May 2009

Blog Edition.  The whole newsletter is here.

 In the News

• A survey of all those "green" products finds that only 2 percent of them are legitimate.  98 percent greenwashing.
  
• The Greener Gardens Act would offer homeowners a tax credit up to $1,000 to turn in their gas-guzzling lawn and garden equipment for machines powered with alternative energy.
• In the Whodathunkit Department:  Rodale reports findings that farmland does a better job cooling air than forests.  That link won’t explain why, though, and I don’t get it.
• "Is fake the new green?" asks this terrific article about artificial turf that includes comprehensive lists of the pros and cons of real v. fake. 

On GardenRant

• Guest Ed Bruske stirred up quite a commotion when he challenged the traditional notion of community gardens.
• Guest Ken Druse ranted about that unsustainable product – peat moss.
• For Earth Day, I reported on the awesome gardens at Ohio’s Governor’s Mansion.

Gardenblogger Out and About

• My whirlwind overnight trip to Pennsylvania included visits to the Rodale Institute, the Rodale publisher, and Burpee’s Open Day event at their Fordhook Farm and Garden.  Two wonderful garden writers – Rosalind Creasy and Graham Rice – gave presentations.
• I spoke to an Elderhostel group visiting the Historic Homes and Gardens of Washington – about urban and sustainable gardening.
  

  

• Coaching clients attended my Open Garden/Plant Giveaway event and took dozens of extra plants off my hands.
• This must be Make New Friends month because I got to hang out with 3 garden writers I hadn’t met before:  Mackenzie Carpenter, Polly Nell Jones and Renee Shepherd. Renee was in town to provide seeds to the Congressional Wives Club’s Big Event (with Michelle Obama in attendance) and Polly made that happen.
• For Earth Day, I hung out with a bunch of sustainable ag types (including three from the Rodale Institute) at the USDA’s People’s Garden.

What’s Next?

One more overnighter in the Philly area, this time to see Chanticleer, the Morris Arboretum, and the Scott Arboretum, plus the personal garden of its horticulturist Andrew Bunting. (I’m prepared to be blissed out.) Then over Memorial Day weekend I’m off to the Garden Blogger Spring Fling in Chicago – more amazing gardens and tons of fun.  And I’m giving a talk on Lawn Alternatives at an American Horticulture Society event. 

Update on the Green the Grounds Campaign 

• Nice write-up about Green the Grounds in the Christian Science Monitor.
• That was followed immediately by a phone call from Maria Shriver’s press secretary, asking that her plans for a veg garden in State Capital Park be included, there being no official governor’s residence in California.  When asked about landscaping practices, he assured me that they’re very green and that their horticulturist would call me with details.  But now it’s been almost a month, so…
• The CSM story also resulted in an interview by Rod Thorson of WLPO radio in Illinois about Green the Grounds.
• Feature story coming soon in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• NBC and CNN anchors have expressed interest in the Green the Ground story, so stay tuned.
• We received a long, fully detailed response from the South Carolina governor’s horticulturist – much appreciated and the results are impressive indeed. 

National Arboretum photo by Afagen.