Tag: Lifestyles

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EDDIE SEAGLE: Making landscape planning easier | Lifestyles

“Patriotism is supporting your nation all the time, and your authorities when it deserves it.” Mark Twain. “Freedom would make a big necessity of each and every human currently being. With independence arrives duty.” Eleanor Roosevelt. “This nation will stay the land of the no cost only so extended as it is the property of the brave.” Elmer Davis. “A hero is anyone who understands the responsibility that comes with his flexibility.” Bob Dylan. “Ask not what your nation can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy. “As we established today aside to honor and thank our veterans, allow us be conscious that we should really do this every day of the 12 months and not just 1.” Beth Pennington.

Memorial Day welcomes the beginning of the summer months period with cookouts, picnics, beach trips, and other celebrations. On the other hand, enable us not overlook that this getaway is actually a day for mourning and honoring the armed service users who fought and died for our freedom.

Performing in the garden and landscape can be pleasurable and refreshing or it can be a chore and a legal responsibility. Remembering when to do some of the routines needing done can be basic even though others, perfectly not so straightforward. The adhering to assets can make landscape scheduling a lot easier and be incredibly useful as you doc the crucial details each individual year of the year. 

Electronic gardening journals are extremely crucial in documenting items of great importance in the landscape. Whether or not the information is about the placement of a bulb, the color of a flower, the a great deal-required plant from across city, an enrichment merchandise that you like, a unique resourceful style that catches your awareness, the amount of money of rainfall previous week, and so on, it is critical to know these facts to far better make improvements to how you design and retain your landscape internet sites. If not recorded, then the likely for decline of this kind of details is higher and will make your landscaping attempts a lot more tough! Employing digital units in landscaping is getting proactive!

Electronic digital camera: A person of the very best tools to guide you in documenting landscape data is the electronic camera on your intelligent mobile phone.. This instrument is so practical and permits you to digitally document this kind of information as having pics of bulbs, flower coloration so vivid this year on find plants, or photographing a plant that you have observed somewhere else and want in your garden. Also, such photos serve as a reminder about an enrichment item or yard design that catches your consideration. 

Also, taking photographs of weeds, bugs or ailments for identification uses or photographing a chemical label for your information can be priceless. Applying the electronic digital camera for recordkeeping everything and every thing from A to Z is this kind of an asset to the dwelling gardener. Generally transfer your pictures to an organized folder on your laptop challenging generate, as properly as earning a backup. Sure shots may also be stored in your camera if you require to accessibility them often for rapid reference in other conditions.

Flowering records: An precise assessment of flowering will allow for you to maintain color throughout just about every time of the year, not just a solitary year or section of a period. If weaknesses or deficiencies in coloration seem within just a period, these notes will let correction for the following year or calendar year. If as well much color and confusion (smorgasbord outcome) distorts the image wanted at one time, then necessary corrections are in get and can be carried out future period or yr.

GPS products: Hand-held GPS units have usefulness in the landscape as they can aid you in determining the measurements of garden areas and landscape beds for installation and maintenance applications. This form of information helps in pinpointing quantities of pine straw or mulch essential, or the appropriate amounts of fertilizers and pesticides in a one software.

Info articles: Any form of recordkeeping is an asset to the landscape gardener. The finest procedure is the a single that is most consumer-welcoming and uncomplicated to accessibility. Drawing sketches on graph paper and building published notes can also be digitally recorded and correctly submitted for future reference.

Bulb planting data: Dietary supplement notes with plot diagrams and pictures indicating the assortment and selection of bulbs in just about every place. This training will help you in estimating the success of every style and calculating the outcomes of the temperature for the duration of a specified timeframe. Also, retain data for all herbaceous and woody planting things to do.

Photograph data: Images make really productive data. Every photograph must include the day, time, area, particular notations, etcetera. This form of information will become more beneficial as you program every successive year.

Pruning: You may possibly digitally document a certain pruning fashion or system on a specific plant or group of plants and share with your landscape contractor in purchase to obtain that form and form in your landscape.

Pesticide data: Retain a record of all pesticides applied in the landscape. Take note the trade title, date, goal pest, charge of software, and weather problems at the time of software. Constantly follow label instructions and file a copy of the label for long term reference. Calculate and document the complete square ft of garden and mattress parts the place apps are to be built.

Soil amendments and fertilizers: Record the day, price of application, analysis, machines used, liming details, soil assessments, outcomes and tips, and many others. Also, report the weather conditions disorders at the time of software. Determine and document the full square ft of lawn and bed places getting amended or fertilized..

Weather: File this sort of temperature data as the last frost in the spring and the initial frost in the slide every yr, unusually warm or chilly weather, storm details and harm, precipitation costs and dates, and incredibly unusual weather conditions phenomena. Observe recent weather styles on your smart phone or pill.

Delighted Memorial Working day weekend as we honor individuals adult males and girls who died when serving in the U.S. military. Also, don’t forget to pray for their households, our nation, and 1 a different as we take pleasure in the freedom they preserved. God bless every single of you!

“God is not unjust He will not forget your do the job and the adore you have revealed Him as you have helped His folks and keep on to assistance them.” Hebrews 6:10. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with a person coronary heart and mouth you could glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6. “The wisdom that will come from heaven is first of all pure then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, comprehensive of mercy and excellent fruit, neutral and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace elevate a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18.

Eddie Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golf Atmosphere Firm (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Solutions Intercontinental) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural School), Distinguished Professor for Instructing and Understanding (University Process of Ga) and Quick Phrase Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle@yahoo.com.

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LEE WARD: Do hair styling, landscaping go hand-in-hand? | Lifestyles

A couple of weeks ago, we were still doing a little yard work. Well, I wasn’t. The guy I pay to do such things was doing my yard work. I called a friend who said he had been trimming shrubs at his house.

I continue to be surprised at him doing yard work. Normally, he’s not the outdoorsy type and he’s not crazy about manual labor, either. But for some reason, he takes to a little bit of yard work.

I told him I wouldn’t even know where to cut. He replied, “You just start cutting and you’ll see. It will reveal itself to you, like cutting hair. It’s mystical.”

That was the craziest explanation of gardening — and haircutting — I’ve ever heard.

But he cuts his own hair and it always looks the same to me. He also cuts his mother’s hair and, again, always looks the same. He studied botany in college, so maybe there is a link between haircutting and trimming shrubs.

I don’t pay a lot of attention to things like people’s haircuts. I give my full attention at work, so when I’m not working it’s difficult for me to muster the brain power to focus. My brain wants to relax.

Whereas I am terrible with plants, my husband wouldn’t allow me to tend his plants. Or the shrubbery. Or the yard. So I have little experience growing plants, except for the years I raised a vegetable garden with my grandmother and I suspect her extremely green thumb saved the harvest every year.

As for hair, I only dared to cut my own hair this year when I was concerned about going out and having a stranger breathe in my face. When I was a grade-schooler I cut my own bangs after getting bubble gum stuck in them and, of course, it was the week of school pictures.

In March, I just wanted the ends trimmed, and it was getting long. So I put my hair in a ponytail, held it out from my head and cut. It was fun, feeling the scissors crunch through the tendrils and seeing the final result: even ends. I was so excited, I decided I would start trimming my own hair, so every four to six weeks, I’d go through the same procedure, thinking I was getting spiffed up.

By late summer, I was more comfortable getting out, so I dared to get an actual professional haircut.

I told my stylist to take off whatever she need to jazz me up a bit. I never expect miracles.

She gasped when she began to cut. Just a little one, not meant to embarrass me, but to acknowledge that my hair looked like it was last trimmed wth pinking shears. (An aside: I used to beg my grandmother to cut my hair with pinking shears.)

My haircutting friend doubts this story, believing she was leading me to think it was worse than it was so I would spend money on haircuts.

I enjoy having someone fool with my hair. Plus, it’s good to get out and contribute to the local economy while also enjoying the company of other people. Finally, I can’t see the back of my head, and I have to trust someone.

(606) 326-2661 |

lward@dailyindependent.com

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Master Gardener: Landscaping with nature in mind | Lifestyles

Landscaping with nature in mind

The garden has been put to bed and is ready for a blanket of snow. The last of the garden ornaments are in storage, containers have been emptied, fall bulbs are planted and trees that didn’t find a home are healed in. Fences to keep hungry critters from nibbling on new trees have been erected. The gardener and garden are ready for a rest. The ladybugs, bumble bees, fireflies and butterflies are also at rest, finding shelter in leaves, old stems, rock piles, rotting logs and underground spaces. The birds that are spending the winter have been busy in the garden eating seeds left standing for them, checking out tree bark nooks and crannies for tasty insects and occasionally visiting the filled feeders and a heated water source.

I love my garden and I love it even more when it’s busy with singing birds, buzzing bees, blinking fireflies and butterflies gliding from flower to flower. This has been a work in progress for over 25 years. I started years ago trying to make my yard more appealing to birds as bird watching is another interest of mine. That got me interested in adding native flowering plants, grasses, and trees to help attract birds to the yard. I told visitors that the back of the yard was habitat, not garden, because people expected your garden to be weed free, no sign of insects and mulched. Wildflowers might not have been what they were looking for. Everyone wanted to ooh and ahh your hostas, daylilies, and plants whose origins were from far away.

And what about your lawn? You let your dandelions bloom? You don’t wipe out every weed that dares to grow? How come it’s not perfectly shorn and short? I call that the lawn syndrome. Americans have a love affair with the perfectly groomed lawn. No room for birds or bees there. Considering that residential yards account for 25 to 60{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} of the total green space in US cities, maybe we need to change our tune a bit. A 2014 study showed that homeowners who mowed their lawns once every 2 weeks (vs once a week) had a 60{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} increase in bee species. Those who mowed once every 3 weeks had a 300{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} increase in bee species. Not mowing allows those small “weeds” to bloom. Some of those flowers are especially helpful to bees that come out in early spring when nectar and pollen sources are limited.

The state of Minnesota has started a “Lawns to Legumes” program. They are encouraging the installation of pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. They are even willing to pay homeowners to help share the cost of establishing pollinator habitat in their yards. Why? Maybe it is because Minnesota’s state bee, the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, has been listed as endangered. In the last 20 years its population has declined by 87{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} and it is probably only still found in 0.1{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} of its historical range (which includes New York).

Why should you care that one bumblebee is in decline? Unfortunately, it’s not just one. Many insect populations, including bees, butterflies, fireflies and other beneficial insects have been in decline worldwide. Two common reasons are habitat loss and pesticide usage. Since most people think that all insects are pests or a nuisance this doesn’t sound like any reason to be alarmed, but insects play a greater role in ecosystems. They pollinate plants, not just our food plants, but native plants that provide food for many wild animals and birds. They are also food for many birds, reptiles, bats, and other animals. Many insects are decomposers or even predators of actual insect pests. We need insects.

Fortunately, most insects don’t need acres upon acres to thrive. Many native bees never travel more than a couple hundred feet from their home nest. Making changes to an area the size of your yard, or a portion of your yard, can have a huge impact on local insect populations. One place to start is to include native plants in your garden. Native plants support native insects as they evolved together. Many of the ornamental plants that have become standards in landscape plantings don’t support our native insects as there is no history between them. Some of these ornamental plants have also become invasive and have invaded what is left of our “wild” areas.

Just like our garden plants, not all native plants will grow just anywhere. It still comes down to the “right plant in the right place.” There are native plants for dry, sandy, sunny conditions just as there are native plants for shade or wet, soggy spots. Spend the winter doing some research on what native plants would be at home in your yard. If you have room, add a native tree to your yard. Trees give you a lot of bang for your buck. They can support a lot of caterpillars (baby bird food) and you’ll hardly notice if leaves are chewed on. If space is limited, concentrate on native plants that bloom in the fall. This is an important time of year, especially for bumblebee queens as they get ready to hibernate and it is an important time of year for migrating Monarch butterflies. Both need plentiful flowers to provide much needed nectar supplies.

Unfortunately, many will see your new habit as “messy” because it doesn’t conform with their vision of what a garden or lawn should be. You’ll probably have to educate your friends, family and neighbors. Try hanging a pollinator habitat sign in your front yard to announce to all that your garden is a haven for bees, butterflies and beneficial insects to forage, nest and spend the winter. Before you do a large conversion, check your local ordinances. In some areas there are height restrictions to observe and even restrictions against what you can plant in your front yard. Hopefully past aesthetic tastes will catch up with the fact that we need pollinators and other insects. Make 2022 the year you started to share your landscape with the little things that make the world go round.

Resources for this article include: Lawns to Legumes, Homegrown National Park, and OSU Pollinators in the City series (Policy Dimensions of Insect Pollinator Conservation).

Orleans County CCE will be offering Master Gardener training in 2022 for anyone interested in becoming an MG volunteer. This will be a new hybrid training, a combination of online and in-person classes. Training will start Jan. 13 and end April 7. Registration deadline is Dec. 22. Cost for the training is $200, but there is a 50{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} discount for the first 10 people to register. If internet accessibility is an issue, participants can utilize office hours at the Orleans County CCE Education Center. For more information or to register, contact Katie Oakes at (585) 798-4265 ext 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu.

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Fall landscaping is exciting | Lifestyles

“Autumn displays us how lovely it is to allow items go.” — Unknown. 

“I cherished autumn, the period of the yr that God seemed to have put there just for the magnificence of it.” — Lee Maynard. 

“Everyone must acquire time to sit and watch the leaves flip.” — Elizabeth Lawrence. 

“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we shed in bouquets we more than gain in fruits.” — Samuel Butler.

Just about every year presents one of a kind landscapes for our particular pleasure. Tumble is virtually right here as the temps keep on to awesome down a bit and remind us that one thing is about to improve. It’s a high-quality time to perform, participate in and chill out in the landscape.

Transitioning into slide is also time to get the job done with your crops, alter the landscape, and put together the site for the new planting of herbaceous and woody plant materials. Drop landscaping is interesting! As September winds down, your landscape concentration ought to contain the adhering to things as they relate to your personal requirements.

Birds: Make the important preparations to aid our feathered mates in the hunt for food items this fall and winter season season. Get started by cleaning existing feeders and placing them in strategic spots for bird activity and window viewing which will give considerably enjoyment from the consolation of your household. Change chicken foods as required to insure an sufficient offer for their survival. Also remaining undisturbed, the dry seed heads on a lot of of your crops is a different excellent way to supply slide and wintertime foods for birds. 

Houseplants: Program to carry houseplants indoors (that summered outdoors) as the temps get started to interesting down. After months of humidity and sufficient light-weight outdoor, they need to now adapt to the drier air and lower light concentrations inside the house. Suitable acclimatization is crucial in that the vegetation must be slowly but surely transitioned from the outdoors to a one- to two-week keeping spot (carport or garage) before placement indoors. Prior to leaving their outside surroundings, look at each individual plant for difficulties such as insect or condition action, fertilizer deficiencies, and standard plant overall health. The difficulty is a lot easier addressed outside instead than indoors later on. Also, clear exterior of each and every pot thoroughly along sides and bottom making use of garden hose and scrub brush. Use pruning shears to snip any root action exiting the pot. If the plant is root- or pot-certain, then transplant to next bigger pot sizing whilst outdoor.

Irrigation: Never neglect the h2o! As the weather conditions gets cooler, your landscape can continue to be exposed to lengthy spans of dry, sunny weather. It’s specifically crucial that all freshly planted perennials, groundcovers, trees and shrubs never dry out. The technique is to water deeply (not a mild area software) to establish self-adequate plants. Crops use much less water throughout cooler weather.

Leaves: As tumble color methods, we will all enjoy the leaf colour and preparations designed by nature. Nevertheless, as fall colour performs its course, the leaves will finally drop from the trees and accumulate all in excess of the ground on the lawn and mattress locations alike. We will have to consider measures to clear up the leaf debris and effectively dispose of our assortment or recycle as a result of composting. A compact cost to pay out for the magnificence and control charm of deciduous tree leaves in the fall time. Until, of class, you have a thoroughly normal spot that is remaining undisturbed, then leave them on your own.

Overseeding: Overseeding with amazing season turf grasses is the apply to reach winter shade on your warm season lawn in the course of host dormancy. While it is cosmetically valuable, it also offers some competitiveness which could minimize the density of your host turf grass come spring. Upon evaluation of turfgrass texture and density, bermuda grass is a lot more overseeding-friendly than other lawn grasses. Centipede grass, St. Augustine grass, zoysia, and paspalums are not as overseeding-pleasant. It is incredibly important to comprehend the finish consequence on your host turf grass appear spring and upcoming period. Overseeding of bermuda grass can be correctly accomplished utilizing mixtures or blends of ryegrass and other great year grasses amongst mid-Oct and late November. An alternate technique to overseeding for wintertime coloration of your garden is the application of color pigments that match the pure coloration of your host turfgrass. These pigments will very last through the year with just one to two purposes and are turfgrass- and environmentally-friendly.

Perennials: Drop is the best season to plant this kind of perennials as iris, daylilies, and Shasta daisies. If recognized perennials have turn into overcrowded, dig and divide them. Comprehensive planting and transplanting as early as feasible to permit vegetation plenty of time to grow to be proven ahead of cold temperature arrives. Initially killing frost is normally about November 15, but varies each 12 months (even into December or later on).

Planting: Planted now, container grown and B&B (balled and burlapped) trees and shrubs will have a good deal of time to grow to be recognized prior to cold climate truly begins. Upcoming spring, the vegetation will get off to a potent get started, as the roots will be established and plant strength can be invested on leaf and flower production.

Root pruning: Youthful trees and shrubs to be moved this wintertime should really be root pruned now. Insert a spade into the ground in a circular pattern about the plant (18 to 24 inches from the trunk pending size of transplant) with nominal disturbance to the rootstock soil. This severs the roots and encourages new feeder roots which minimizes suffering and tension all through the transplanting approach. Retain exceptional cultural practices, in particular sufficient watering.

As slide landscaping approaches, think in terms of native and sustainable vegetation. Be on the lookout for children participating in and bicyclists riding together the streets and roadways during our communities. Fork out consideration to college buses and regard their prevent signs and other alerts as they transportation our children to and from college and property. And remember to properly share the street with bikes. Pray for all those people in harm’s way as the hurricane time carries on. And as you acquire blessings, constantly pay back them ahead and share with others.

“For the term of God is residing and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be potent and brave. Do not be terrified do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9.

“For the grace of God that delivers salvation has appeared to all guys. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-managed, upright and godly lives in this existing age…” — Titus 2:11-12

Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golfing Surroundings Group (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Solutions Worldwide) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Higher education), Distinguished Professor for Educating and Mastering (College Procedure of Georgia) and Shorter Expression Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle @yahoo.com.