Page 4A | The Record-Review
Home
April 25, 2014
k Garden
Celebrate greener thinking at Pound Ridge Go Green Day, April 26
T
he first Pound Ridge Go Green Day will be held Saturday, April 26, at Pound Ridge Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be a free, fun family event that is educational and interactive for all ages. Pound Ridge is a unique place that is facing environmental challenges. The goal for the day is to bring together various ecological messages from the town boards/commissions, local area organizations and businesses to educate the community about their natural environment and empower them to make environmentally responsible choices for a more sustainable future. In celebration of the 44th Earth Day on April 22, the community will be educated about all things “green,” such as composting, organic gardening, recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and protection, environmental protection, reducing our carbon footprint, healthy lifestyles and more.
• Exhibitors will be sharing information and doing demonstrations about energy solutions, sustainable home design, sustainable landscaping and gardening and land stewardship in the school gymnasium. In addition, come listen to a variety of presentations about these interesting topics running every 10-20 minutes in the gym up on the stage area throughout the day. For more information, visit www.poundridgegogreen.com/2014-exhibitors/. • Explore the giant Earth balloon by walking around and stepping inside of this 20-foot diameter inflatable globe made from a highresolution satellite image both inside and out. Groups of 25 people of all ages enter the balloon through a zipper where they can see the world in its entirety. Presentations on environmental issues, such as climate change and sustainability, will be given every 15 minutes. Free in the school library. • Tesla welcomes you to an exclusive electric experience. Enjoy a test drive with the award
small Gardens
root zone for your new plants. Remember to take into account deer browsing if that is an issue in your yard. Many authorities publish lists of plants deer don’t like, such as the list from Rutgers University (http:// njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/). There are few bushes deer won’t eat if they’re hungry enough: three are pieris japonica (Andromeda), spirea and boxwood. One rule of thumb for deer-safe perennial gardening is to select plants with fuzzy silver leaves such as catmint (Nepita) or lambs ear (Stachys). Another rule of thumb is to select plants with a strong herbal scent, especially in the mint family, such as bee balm (Monarda). Other families of perennials that are typically immune to deer browsing include peonies, iris and ligularia. And don’t forget ferns and grasses!
Continued from page 3A if you plant things that can handle it. If the bed area is mainly sunny, try drought-resistant, silver-leafed Mediterraneans such as artemesia. If the bed is mainly shady, try yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon), which is an extremely tough, spreading groundcover that sports bright yellow blossoms in spring. 5) A small townhouse backyard with mixed sun and shade areas: This presents an opportunity to try all kinds of plants. Consider adding both height and winter interest by means of a small flowering tree, such as cherry, dogwood, amelanchier, Japanese maple or crabapple. In addition, if you have privacy fencing, try some summer-flowering vines to attract hummingbirds, such as trumpet vine or trumpet honeysuckle. Know that to fully enjoy your garden, you’ll benefit from a path and a seating area, so integrate them into your design. If you’re feeling really ambitious, think about a water feature, such as a recirculating fountain. Rules of green thumb
No matter what type bed you have, before planting, consider your soil. Fertilizing new plants is not generally recommended, however, augmenting your soil with compost before you plant is always beneficial. This can be done simply by top-dressing your new bed with 2-3 inches of rich compost before planting. As you dig holes for the plants, some of the compost will get mixed into the soil, providing a better
Be kind to nature
Make sure at least half of the plants you select are New York natives. This helps bolster and support our local food web, and protects our populations of birds, bees and butterflies. A good source of guidance, in addition to your local nursery, is the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College (http://www. sunywcc.edu/about/the-native-plant-center/). Finally, don’t forget to water! The first summer’s heat wave and/or drought can be a killer of new plants that have not yet established their full spread of roots. Mark Gilliland is proprietor and certified landscape designer at Garden Artistry in Irvington. Contact him via www.garden-artistry.com.
winning Model S, the world’s first premium sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle and engineered to elevate the public’s expectations of what a premium sedan can be. Enter to win an extended drive with Model S for the weekend. All proceeds from the raffle sales will go to Pound Ridge Go Green. • All day long, come meet the birds of prey and enjoy two free live shows of flight. Shows will be at noon and 1:30 p.m. outside next to the gymnasium in the grassy courtyard. • Drop by the farmers market sampler to get all kinds of organic goodies. Be sure to check out our list of local farmers who will be available in spring and summer. • Head to the cafe in the school cafeteria and enjoy the barbecue prepared by Scotts Corner Market and a variety of other food vendors. Enjoy your eats on sugarcane plates, use plant starch cutlery and plant-based plastic cups made from renewable resources, which are all compostable. Pull up a seat and listen to the
cool sounds of Duke Covone and his band, The Worst, and enjoy a variety of Fox Lane High School students performing at the event, too. • Join in the recycled art project idea created by local artist Kendall Klingbeil, using recyclable cans and your imagination. • Join a fun-filled outdoor obstacle course for kids in the lower playground from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Face painting artists will be there to offer fun, eco-friendly face painting designs using Elegant Minerals Natural Face Paint, voted in the top three Natural Mineral Foundations in the World, by Martha Stewart Living Radio! Rated, “Champion” by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics 2012. • Bring your little ones to meet the Pied Piper animals in the petting zoo and take a pony ride in the school playground from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.poundridgegogreen.com
Herb garden offers beauty and flavor Bedford gardening expert Varner Redmon said that herb gardens are popular. Redmon recommends enclosing the plantings with a fence, trellis, shrubs and/ or vines. That will not only protect the herbs, but look good, too, without having to focus on flowers. “A variety of foliage color, size and texture is the secret to a beautiful garden,” Redmon said. “Try feathery bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) with soft silver lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) for instance, or three colors of lettuce (Sea of Red, Black Seeded Simpson and the heirloom Freckles) or spiky gray cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) surrounded by
purple sage (Salvia officinalis Purpurascens).” Small spaces and fragrant gardens go hand in hand. “Scented geraniums are easy to grow and come in wonderful varieties: peppermint, nutmeg, orange, lemon,” Redmon said. “One could grow Lavender, nightblooming Nicotiana sylvestris, tender Jasminum polyanthum or a Meyer Lemon tree grown in a pot… so many choices.” Perhaps as important as doing the planting, according to Redmon, is to “include a place to sit and enjoy your creation.” – Todd sliss
Luppino Landscaping Pound Ridge, NY
Edible Gardens & Sustainable Landscapes Kitchen & Herb Gardens • Children’s Gardens Butterfly & Wildflower Gardens • Native Gardens Rain Gardens • Meadows www.sweetearthco.com • 914.703.5509 • xenia@sweetearthco.com Pound Ridge, New York
Landscape Installation & Maintenance Turf Management • Mowing Masonry • Drainage Design & Horticultural Services Available
(914) 764-9333 LuppinoLandscape@aol.com Licensed & Insured
References