Sarah's Memorial Garden - Our Day of Service

On April 20th, 2012 Kane Landscapes participated in the Professional Landcare Network's (PLANET) annual Day of Service. This year Kane chose to work with Main Street Child Development Center in Fairfax, VA, a daycare and preschool for limited income working families. After meeting with the director of MSCDC, we thought that a memorial garden at the center, established for one of it young students who died unexpectedly, needed some restoration. In addition, we wanted to do something that would involve the kids, to help them learn about plants and how to care for them.

Sarah's Garden - BEFORE

Four of our team members arrived at 7:30 AM to prepare and repair the garden. First we installed a paver landing between the sidewalk and entrance to the garden and trimmed the rose bush to spruce up the curb appeal.

 

Next, we weeded the garden and tilled the soil to prepare it for planting. We also added cedar mulch for the walkways between the planting areas. And most importantly, we installed the plaque for Sarah's garden on a stone pedestal so all the visitors will remember who the garden is for.

At 10:00, 4 more  team members arrived to help with the 72 children between the ages of 2 and 5, and the real fun began! First the students learned how to plant fruits and vegetables in their garden. The children worked in pairs to dig the holes, plant the fruits or vegetables, water it, and then mark their plant with their names and the name of the plant.

Next, the children learn all about seeds and how it takes soil, sun, and water to grow a seed into a plant. Each child was given a clay pot, which they had decorated with paint, and then our volunteers showed them how to plant tomato seeds in their pots and how to care for them until they grow. The children will keep their tomato plants in their classrooms until they grow, after which they will take them home to their families.

Then the children learned all about the different parts of a plant by gluing together the parts of a sunflower. They learned that the roots absorb the water, the leaves make food for the plant, the stem carries the water and food, and the flower makes the seeds which make more flowers.

The most rewarding part of the day was seeing how excited the children were about learning. From digging up worms, to watering their plants, and even singing a song about their sunflowers, the children turned our service project into a memorable and truly rewarding experience.

April Showers?

What the heck happened to the saying "April showers bring May flowers?" Apparently this year the rain happened in February, the flowers in March, and now we are facing a summer drought in April! In fact, February 29 was the last time we had a good soaking rain that totaled 1.44 inches. Since then we have only had two moderate rains.

So are we really in a drought? Actually, while we have had significanlty less precipitation this year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor much of Maryland, Northern Virginia and Southeast Virginia are “Abnormally Dry.” So while we are dry we are not YET in a drought.

What does this mean for your lawn? Well, hopefully you all have irrigation systems that you were able to turn on early. For those of you that don't have an irrigation system, here are some watering tips to make sure your lawn is receiving enough water:

• Lawn needs about one inch of water per week (including precipitation).  Use a can or rain gauge to determine the amount of water applied by sprinkler system and rainfall.
• Apply water only when needed.  Too much water can cause diseases.
• One simple test to determine if lawn needs water is  to walk on the lawn. If you leave footprints, it is time to water.
• A good soaking once  or  twice a week is better than watering every day.  Allowing the soil to dry between watering will allow the roots to grow to greater depths and help make turf more drought tolerant.
• Water in the early morning (4 a.m. to 8 a.m.). 
• Do not water during midday hours when it is hot and sunny to avoid scalding the turf.
• Do not water at night because the lawn stays wet for a long period which can promote diseases.
• If you have a sprinkler system, set the system to turn on for three 10 minute sessions with each session 1/2 hour apart to improve water infiltration and reduce runoff.

In addition, you will want to make sure your plants are receiving enough water. Ths dry weather comes at a time when your plants are using more energy than any other time of year. Flowering and opening new leaves takes a lot out of your plants, especially those plants that are under a year old.  Soil around the edge of root balls should be moist 3-4 inches deep.  You can check this with your finger.  If soil is moist, hold off on watering.  If soil is dry, water thoroughly. Infrequent deep watering is preferable to frequent shallow watering.  With larger trees and shrubs you should check every 2-3 days.  With smaller shrubs and perennials, which are grown in lighter soil mixtures with a lower water holding capacity, check the moisture content every 1-2 days.

Mild Winter + Early Spring = Early Tick Season

Deer Tick

I am not one to complain about May temperatures in March. I love the warm weather, the smell of flowers in the air, the return of kids playing outside, the green grass and colorful landscapes (and its not bad for business either). But this warm weather comes at a price. It also means the early appearance of pesky gnats, mosquitoes, and most alarmingly... TICKS! With a house bordering woods, two dogs, a toddler who loves to play outside, a baby on the way, and a husband who continues to deal with residual effects of Lyme Disease 6 years after treatments, to say I loathe ticks is an understatement. In fact, I self admittedly suffer from acaraphobia - the fear of ticks.

So what is an acaraphobe like myself to do in what is predicted to be the worst tick season to date? The first thing I did was have our lawn care crew apply Allectus to our lawn and landscape, especially along the areas bordering the woods. Allectus is an EPA approved insecticide that is used to treat pests below soil surfaces, such as grubs, and above ground, such as ticks and mites. For those of you that don't own a landscape company or have a VA Chemical Applicator's License, lucky for you Kane Landscapes can help.

Now I feel better about letting my dogs and toddler roam freely in our yard. But the acaraphobe in me still takes other precautions as recommended by the Virginia Department of Health:

Avoid tick infested areas such as tall grass and dense vegetation

Walk in the center of trails and avoid brushing against weeds and tall grass

Keep grass and underbrush cut and thinned

Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be found easily

Tuck pant legs into socks so ticks stay on the outside of pants

Conduct tick checks on children and pets every 4 hours

Keep pets outside from April to September to help keep ticks out of the house

Use tick repellents that contain at least 30% DEET

Ask your veterinarian to recommend tick controls for your pets

Treat your lawn with an approved pesticide for tick control

Treat clothes with permanone (be sure to follow all label precautions)

The majority of ticks in our area are American Dog Ticks or Lone Star Ticks, which do not carry Lyme Disease but may carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, so it is important to be able to identify types of ticks in case you, your family, or your pet is bitten.

PLANET Day of Service

April is National Lawn Care Month, and the month in which National Arbor Day and Earth Day occur. April is also the time of year when many people start thinking about getting outside again. It is important for all of us to take the time to think about the positive impact of the green environment - the aesthetic as well as the environmental and economic impact.

This month, Kane Landscapes, will take part in a nationwide volunteer event, the PLANET Day of Service, which will be held on April 20. This Day of Service was created by the lawn care and landscape industry to draw attention to the importance of green spaces and so that its members could organize volunteer projects in their hometowns and also be part of an event with nationwide impact.

Kane Landscapes will be volunteering at Main Street Child Development Center in Fairfax, VA. Main Street provides child care services for ages 2 to 5 to low income, working families in Fairfax County. Kane Landscapes will send volunteers to Main Street to restore a memorial garden planted in memory of a former student that passed away. The garden will include several edible plants including tomatoes, lettuce, peas, squash, watermellon, and sunflowers. In addition, Kane’s volunteers will teach the children how to plant and care for tomato seeds in a pot which they will bring home to their families.

It is our hope, that we will not only beautify an important part of the landscape, but also instill the love of nature in these young students. It is important that everyone  find ways to enhance the green spaces around us and to consider our personal responsibility to the communities we live in.