Hummingbird Migration Maps

Hummingbird Migration Maps

Only 3 more weeks to Mother's day!

Sign up for the Eco Signup for a sweepstakes. One lucky winner will win 3 months of flowers for their Mon--or an important woman in your life. The first month's delivery will arrive for Mother's day.

Algae problem in your birdbath?

This really works! First clean your birdbath with equal parts of vinegar and water. Next pick about 5 0r 6 stems of lavender off you plant and tie together. Now float the bundle in the water. I find this will keep your birth bath clean about 2 weeks.

Keep after those weeds!

Knock down carpets of smaller ones with a hoe and make sure it's sharp, and it will do an impressive job. Otherwise, hand-pull individual ones. You can use boiling water on those stubborn ones between the cracks of your sidewalk. I have also zapped weeds in the cracks by filling a spray botle with white vinegar and a few drops of dish soap and hit the weeds. Just be sure that you do not hit grass or flowers. If the weeds isn't dead in a day, spray it again and that should do it in.

Why landscape your property?

Economic Benefits:

• Homes with attractive landscaping sell quicker-by as much as five to six weeks.
• Landscaping adds an average of 14.* percent to a home's value.
• Landscaping enhances property values, which add to the community's tax base
• As home improvements go, landscaping is an excellent investment. Recovery value at selling time can be 100-200 percent.

Environmental Benefits:

• Trees moderate urban "heat islands!" created by extensive paved areas. Lawns cool a home at the same rate as a one-ton air conditioner. Lawns also trap dust, absorb noise, and provide outdoor living areas for children and adults.
• One tree removes 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year and releases about 13 pounds of oxygen-enough for a family of four on a daily basis.
• Plants reduce noise pollution up to 50 percent.
• Plants control runoff and erosion. They allow soil to absorb water, returning it to aquifers, decrease runoff means less urban flooding.
• Lawns slow the spread of wildfires to homes.
• Plants provide food and habitat for wildlife, which contributes to biodiversity and a healthier environment.
• Landscaping creates green space for human rest, recreation and renewal.

Tips courtesy of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Agriculture and Environmental Science Program and the NJ Nursery Landscape Association.

How can you disinfect your pot/cantainers without chlorine bleach

Here is a great tip on cleaning your plant containers, if you want to clean you containers organically instead of using chlorine bleach. Wash containers well in warm soapy water, then rinse them in 2 cups of white distilled vinegar diluted with 4-6 gallons of water and allow them to air-dry. The vinegar can kill pathogens in recycled containers.

Moving a shrub or tree?

Thinking of moving a shrub or small tree to a new location? Early spring is a great time to do this, while the plant is still formant (so it won't be traumatized). Just be sure the soil is workable before undertaking this project. Trim you evergreen hedge before it really starts growing for the year. Remove old stems at their bases. Shorten others that are too long. Shape so that the top of the plant, when viewed from the side is narrower than the base. This not only looks better but is easier to maintain.