Discover More from This Category: Home and Garden

A more eco-friendly lawn is just steps away

May 7, 2015
Submitted Keeping your lawn an appropriate height, versus very short to cut down on mowings, will help to keep it healthy. Maintaining a lush lawn is a healthy and rewarding hobby that affords homeowners to spend some time outdoors in nature. Lawn enthusiasts can make their hobby even healthier by adopting several eco-friendly lawn care…

Arranging flowers: Tips from the Rutland Garden Club

May 7, 2015
Submitted Similar flowers can be arranged into beautiful arrangements — or not. As you can see the arrangement has “bullseye” flowers, but the filler isn’t recessed to show off those main flowers and little or no greenery has been added. This is an example of a badly organized arrangement. The Rutland Garden Club provides a…

State recognized National Garden Month, although the season is a bit later in Vermont

May 7, 2015
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared April to be “National Gardening Month,” and Vermont has much to celebrate. Although garden season gets a later start in Vermont (May or June is more like it!), our state has a vibrant, active, gardening culture. “Vermonters care very deeply about where there food comes from,”…

How to spot an unhealthy tree

May 7, 2015
Submitted Unhealthy trees may need to be removed from a property before they cause significant damage. Perhaps because they can live for so many years, trees have a way of falling down homeowners’ landscaping priority lists. Trees also tend to be big and strong, so it’s no surprise that they often are overlooked in favor…

Pruning trees a job best left to the pros

May 7, 2015
Submitted With the right tools for the job, a professional can prune your trees safely and efficiently. Bountiful, healthy trees can be beautiful to behold and important contributors to a thriving environment. According to American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization, a tree can absorb as much as 40 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and…

Cavendish to host workshop on composting

May 7, 2015
Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. — CAVENDISH — It’s great for the garden and it’s great for the lawn. Also, composting is soon to be the law. The Vermont State Legislature has passed comprehensive recycling legislation that includes mandatory rules on composting certain food waste. The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association in conjunction with the Town…

Green Mountain Power to offer Tesla home battery

May 7, 2015
Rutland customers will be first to receive Powerwall storage technology RUTLAND—Green Mountain Power recently announce that it will be one of the first energy companies in the country to offer Tesla’s new home battery, the Powerwall, to customers. Tesla, best known for its groundbreaking, fully electric cars, is taking its electric energy storage expertise to…

Proper lifting techniques offered for gardeners

May 6, 2015
Dr. Leonard Perry, Horticulture Professor, UVM Back injuries are the second most common of injuries, only to fingers and hands. Most back injuries come from improper lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying—all activities we perform in the garden. Here are some basic principles which apply to any means of lifting, lowering, and carrying, whether at…

Maintaining clean bird feeders and bird baths essential to avian health

May 6, 2015
Submitted Providing food for avian friends is a great way to create a bird-friendly environment; just be sure to keep feeders clean to keep bird healthy. Organizations like the Audobon Society help provide tips for homeowners. Bird watching is a pastime enjoyed by people of all ages. While many people trek into the woods to…