I was pretty excited to report on new guidelines for sustainable federal properties, but wondered how enforceable these guidelines are and promised to try to find out more. I did. It's a bit discouraging. I talked with Ray Mims, the point guy on pulling together input from 31 agencies and 13 consulting bodies to produce [...]
Read more in: Green the Grounds
Body: Posted by Bert CreggLast week I posted about some horticultural disasters I witnessed in the Czech Republic. This week the chamber of horrors. […]
Biodiverse Lawn by Coalition Member Thomas Christopher Like other members of this group, I believe that the contemporary model of lawn has got to go.. […]
Body: Posted by Linda Chalker-Scott If you've been following us for a while, you might remember a post from August 2009 when I got cranky about a pot. […]
Never having taken a White House Garden tour before, I was expecting long lines and lots of hassles, but instead was greeted with the sound of this military band, and NO line at all (thanks to early arrival). Other symptoms of a very happy experience included welcoming staff and...
Read more in: Green the GroundsA guest rant by Mary Gray. Observe, if you will, your local public school. Not the inside. No, take a look at what’s going on outside — on the school grounds. Pretty much nothing, right? Oh, there are the large expanses of patchy grass serving no purpose whatsoever —...
Read more in: Green the Grounds, Guest RantsMichelle Obama's Favorite Flowers for Arrangements This story is packed with juicy nuggets for us gardeners: The floral preferences of the Obamas. White House Floral Designer Laura Dowling's "garden" style. It's more relaxed, with lots of unexpected touches. The exciting Top Florist-type competition for the job. The role of...
Read more in: Green the GroundsThat's the title of Mackenzie Carpenter's great piece in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the gubernatorial gardens in Harrisburg. Nice to see some well-earned kudos for the horticultural team taking this high-profile garden very seriously and setting a great example for Pennsylvanians. I wrote about the gardens here for Green...
Read more in: Green the GroundsForgot old-style, formal landscaping for the governor's grounds in Harrisburg, PA; they're way cooler than that, as you can see by these photos. The 3.5 acre-site have been transformed by two serious gardeners – Tom and Michele Ridge. Working with a 12-person committee of experts, they transitioned the landscape...
Read more in: Green the GroundsJust got home from the gardenblogger event in Chicago and find that I need to say a bit more about the previous post. - I think it would be great if all governors had veg gardens, but the mission of Green the Grounds is to draw attention to all...
Read more in: Green the GroundsHere's what we know so far about governors' residences: Funny story about Texas. An Eat the View enthusiast rallied some friends and created a website to petition Governor Perry to follow Michelle Obama's lead, only to discover that Texas has had a veg garden at the governor's mansion since...
Read more in: Green the GroundsWhat a difference one First Lady can make – and not just if she’s in the White House. Hope Taft was Ohio’s First Lady from 1999 to 2007 and took the opportunity to totally transform the 3.5-acre landscape around the governor’s mansion. Here’s what’s tucked into what became Ohio’s...
Read more in: Green the GroundsAlice Waters pestered one president after another to start a veg garden at the White House and, with help from Michael Pollan and the tireless Roger Doiron and his amazing Eat the View campaign, she finally got her wish. So now there's not just a White House veg garden...
Read more in: Green the GroundsGardeners and foodies, great news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture! On the 200th birthday of Abe Lincoln – he founded the USDA, ya know – Secretary Vilsack "broke concrete" on a People's Garden at their headquarters in downtown D.C. One part of the project is returning 1,250 square...
Read more in: Green the GroundsAsked when Obama said he wanted to green the White House, I did one quick Googling to find this article about that interview – with Barbara Walters. He kinda says yes, but then only talks about energy use. But this looks interesting – there’s a "Greening the White House...
Read more in: Green the GroundsKudos to the Eat the View project that's petitioning the Obamas to grow a Victory Garden at the White House. Led by Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International and including Michael Pollan and the good folks at Gardeners Supply Company, Eat the View has gotten gobs of publicity for...
Read more in: Green the Grounds
Commented on Kale-a-Rama makes me Wonder: Is Veganism the Next Big Thing? { Hello Garden Rant please look at the 3 links I provided above, hope you find them helpful. } – May 18, 4:00 AM
Commented on Kale-a-Rama makes me Wonder: Is Veganism the Next Big Thing? { It is my understanding from many a nutrition class that as little 10% of your daily calories should be coming from protein, which weighs in... } – May 18, 1:25 AM
Commented on Kale-a-Rama makes me Wonder: Is Veganism the Next Big Thing? { Matt, no answer? That link was rhetorical, not scientific? } – May 17, 11:25 PM
Commented on OG Mag on Wildlife-Friendly Gardens: What's Wrong with this Picture? { I'm more concerned about the current generations that seem to think cats are some natural part of our local food chain. Are you so far... } – May 17, 10:36 PM
Commented on Plant Ideas Needed for Biodiverse Lawn { I've often thought about the same thing with buffalograss, but I've never come across a suitable wick system...do you know of any commercial units that... } – May 17, 1:25 PMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
