GMG's Friday Find: Plant, Share and Care This Earth Day!

Back in the late 60's most people were not very concerned about our impact on planet Earth; those were the days of the hippie and flower-child power with protest the order of the day.  Americans were slurping leaded gas, air pollution was the smell of success and "environment" was a word you may get in a spelling bee.

Then along came Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller, "Silent Spring," representing a watershed moment for the environmental movement, raising public awareness and concern for all living organisms and public health. Earth Day 1970 capitalized on a new emerging consciousness putting environmental concerns front and center, and that movement has continued uninterrupted with April 22nd marking the 43rd year of Earth Day.

There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day.  Almost every city in the country organizes events and activities to mark the occasion, you won't have to look far to see what's happening in your neck of the woods. In Columbus, Ohio they are holding Earth Day 2013: Stand Together, the largest volunteer service effort across the country to make Columbus communities greener.  People volunteer their labor and companies, like PRO-MIX, donate growing mixes. In the past 7 years efforts have resulted in over 40,000 hours of labor and 19,000 trees planted throughout the regions.  

Here are a few more suggestions you may consider for you and your family:


Costa Farms

Plant a Tree/Have a Plant Party  - Recent studies have shown how trees and our health and happiness are co-dependent, and studies have proven that houseplants provide much needed fresh air for the massive amount of time we spend indoors. If you aren't in the market for a tree, you can certainly run to your nearest market or home improvement center for a variety of houseplants that can clean your indoor air for better health. Another fun activity for kids is an Earth Day Plant Party where they decorate a kid-friendly container with stickers and then pop in little green heroes like ferns and snake plants. Remember to look for the O2 for You label!

Build/Design a Birdhouse/Make Homemade Seed - A fun project you can enjoy with kids is making a birdhouse or designing a birdfeeder and then crafting homemade birdseed that you can put in pine cones and other 'natural' finds. Teaching our children the value of caring for wildlife is a lesson they are sure to pass on to future generations.

Perky-Pet

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle all day long - There are so many ways to accomplish these goals, even for just one day.  Use less water in your morning shower, walk or bike to work and save gas, turn off your lights until it's dark, avoid using disposable plates and cutlery, bring your own bags to the grocery store and avoid the plastic bags, find a way to reuse an old household or garage item, and recycle everything you can. If it's not already, this mindset for just one day can be the beginning of a lifelong habit.

Hold a garage sale/Donate -  Spring is the perfect time to thin out closets and garages of unused or unwanted clutter.  A garage sale, whether community or neighborhood, can benefit many who don't have certain necessities or you can donate items to charities to resell for cash.  Involve your children and see if there aren't some toys, games and sporting equipment they can include, helping them understand that giving is a rewarding endeavor. 

James Farmer

Cook an Earth Day Meal - Plan a menu that uses locally produced food and decorate your table with found and/or recycled objects.  Have your guests participate in a wreath-making activity using material from your garden and produce from the grocery store or farmer's market. It's not only fun, everyone gets to go home with a fabulous wreath for the summer season.

Whatever we do on Earth Day is certainly something we can do everyday.  We are all stewards of the Earth and as John Muir said, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." Happy Earth Day...everyday!

~Peggy
Garden Media Group

Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Decorating Tips

'Tis the season.  

Stores have become a flurry of green and red, the sound of Christmas tunes filling your ears, kids sitting on Santa’s lap… but wait – it’s still November! Stores may be setting up for Christmas early as per usual but we still have some time left until December and another holiday on the horizon! No, I’m not talking about National Cashew Day, I’m talking about Thanksgiving. On a beautiful day in 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated with the Indians by having a 3-day feast to thank God for a good crop. Then they proceeded to take their land… err, anyway… 

We now celebrate that day by giving thanks for the things we’ve been given and fill up on pie and turkey.  You might be looking for some quick and easy ways to decorate your home for your Thanksgiving feast. In this post you’ll find tips using live plants and wreaths to bring fall color to your home, to more unconventional things such as decoupage pumpkins.

An easy and quick way to bring in some fall color is picking up some live plants from your local garden center or big box stores. Some good suggestions are mums and variegated Crotons available from Costa Farms.

Take a walk and enjoy the fresh autumn air before winter takes over, while picking flowers and colorful foliage found along the way. Just don’t steal them from your neighbor’s yard…

Try dressing up your home with a new festive wreath, it’s a simple way to bring the fall into your home. And as an added bonus with the holiday season fast approaching you can easily change your fall wreath into a holiday wreath. Check out James Farmer’s new book A Wreaths for All Seasons for ideas on how to recycle your wreath all year long! And if time is an issue you can always buy wreaths from James' online store here!

Some DIY ideas include (courtesy of HGTV.com): 

Create a Fall leaf lampshade

Take those old plain lampshades of yours and give them a fall twist by stenciling in some fall leaves. 

Click here for a how-to

Decoupage Pumpkins

“Give faux pumpkins, leftover from Halloween, a fashion-forward makeover by covering them with strips of trendy fabric. Large decoupage pumpkins are a stylish addition to front porch fall displays while small pumpkins will add a graphic pop to your Thanksgiving centerpiece.”

Click here for a how-to

Decorate with fall foliage

Pick up some of those silk fall leaves at the craft store and decorate your home with them for a quick and easy fall look. You can also press real leaves found in your own backyard!

Let us know some of your fall decorating ideas! We’d like to hear them!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!
~ James
Garden Media Group

Wreaths for the Holidays and Beyond

As a complement to his new book, Wreaths for All Seasons, James Farmer has designed and created some spectacular wreaths that are now available online. Hang them on your door, over a mantel or use as a festive centerpiece. I happen to think they make great gifts for the holidays too!
 
Here's a peak at some of my favorites:

Citrus and Cone Wreath: Slightly varnished pine cones in a mix of shapes and sizes artfully placed in reindeer moss accented with lotus pods and wrapped cinnamon sticks add tonal interest to this beautiful wreath. The luscious orange slices complete it’s lovely texture, to make an elegantly natural wreath.


Boxwood & Burlap: A classic, lush, American Boxwood wreath anchored by a rustic burlap ribbon that meanders throughout a charming combination of preserved lemon and magnolia leaves and pine cones. This wreath can easily take you through the late autumn, holidays and into the New Year!   




Williamsburg Everlasting: This gorgeous wreath is a fresh nod to Colonial America. Wrapped cinnamon sticks and sliced oranges reveal the scents of winter on a boxwood base with pine cones, green shelf mushrooms and sumptuous pomegranates. This wreath is a classic!

Happy Shopping!

-Stacey
Garden Media Group

Design Experts Share Tips for Instant Outdoor Style

We love a good party as much as anyone here at GMG, so we asked some of our garden designer friends for tips on using plants to make your summer party sizzle!

According to James T. Farmer III, landscape designer and event planner, people planning outdoor parties think about the food and beverages but often forget about their deck or patio until the last minute.

He says it's really easy to create a tropical paradise right in your own backyard! "All you need are some beautiful hibiscus or mandevilla to instantly transform your patio or deck into a summer party for weddings, graduations and the Fourth of July."

No time plant? You can find stunning patio ready pots at your local garden center, which can add vivid color to any summer occasion. 

Bobbie Schwartz, past president and certified member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), recommends creating a focal point using a series of accessories. “Place three containers of varying heights near an entryway to welcome your guests. Use at least one plant that can be repeated in at least two of the containers to unify the look,” she says.

Farmer says he often places plants right in a container and then just top dresses them with sphagnum moss for a finishing touch. “I create instant containers by removing the hanging basket wires and popping the basket right into a pretty container,” suggests Farmer.  “No digging or potting required.”

Try bringing a little paradise home with Costa Farms’ new Tropic Escape hibiscus. (www.costafarms.com).  The over-sized flowers come in more than a dozen hot showcase tropical colors like Caribbean Cocktail yellow, Tiki Temptation orange, and Monsoon Mixer pink and lavender. The easy-care hibiscus bloom twice as long as old-fashioned hibiscus and can take the heat through the hottest summer months.

  

Farmer and Schwartz agree this year’s color influences draw inspiration from nature.

“Many of the new cultivars are lower maintenance and longer blooming than plants of the past and they come in bold, wow colors like purple, pink and orange that attracts birds and butterflies to your backyard,” says Schwartz.

Next time you're planning your summer party don't forgot the plants to liven up your outdoor space!

-Stacey

Garden Media Group