I know many of you had got this question…

The full article can be found in the National Gardening Associations’ MOSS IN THE CITY September newsletter.

Lead is a naturally occurring element, like copper, iron, and gold, however it is highly toxic. Lead poisoning is a common pediatric problem. The heavy metal acts as a neurotoxin, and even minute amounts in a child’s system can lower intelligence and slow neurological development. Children suffer more severe effects than adults from exposure to lead, and retain lead in their bodies much longer.

Most lead poisoning results from ingesting paint chips from walls or toys or from ingesting dust and dirt that contains high concentrations of lead. Very rarely are contaminated fruits and vegetables the culprit, but all precautions should be taken to limit lead exposure.

…more here

You can read this article in its entirety on this National Wildlife Federation web page.

Global warming may ravage the sugar maples that set New England woods ablaze with color each fall and that provide the basic ingredient for America’s maple syrup industry

WHEN DAYS SHORTEN and nights grow cooler in late summer and fall, trees such as maple, oak and beech cloak themselves in the bright shades of autumn. No colors are more central to this palette than the yellows, oranges and reds of sugar maples, which range from eastern Canada through the mid-Atlantic states, west to Minnesota and south along the Appalachians into Tennessee. Also prized for timber and maple syrup, sugar maples highlight the foliage displays that draw millions of people outdoors for nature’s autumn fling.

But fall is gradually becoming less colorful in the Northeast, thanks to rising temperatures, and the next 100 years of global warming could wipe out much of the region’s fall color and the tourist trade based on it, as well as its sugar maple industry. Researchers predict that global warming could cause sugar maples and other eastern forest species to abandon New England and move north as their ideal temperature ranges shift.

Neil Mattson, assistant professor of floriculture.

Mattson graduated with high distinction from the University of Minnesota with majors in computer science and biology. He has a master’s degree from Minnesota in applied plant science. His doctorate is from the University of California, Davis. Matson’s dissertation research focused on understanding plant development, root growth, and nutrient absorption in roses. His Cornell research and extension program will focus on plant nutrition, mitigation of runoff from horticulture facilities, and management of energy inputs.

2007 America in Bloom Criteria Award Winners Announced!

Check out this site to find out about the Ball Horticultural Company Floral Displays Award Saratoga Springs, New York won and the J Frank Schmidt & Son Company Urban Forestry Award won by Ithaca, New York

Go New York.

The Garden Writers Association Foundation (GWAF) is pleased to announce the release of the 2007 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report with some very interesting insights on consumer gardening attitudes and expectations for the current gardening season.

In a measure of what consumers know about the fall gardening season, this year’s survey asked what activities homeowners believed were “appropriate” for the season. The survey offered choices for activities that were, and were not, generally recommended for the fall season.

Forty-four percent indicated pruning trees & shrubs was appropriate and 25% would plant trees or shrubs in the fall. One in three households (33%) said seeding lawns is appropriate in the fall and almost the same number (30%) indicated fall was a good time to plant bulbs.

Almost 1 in 3 households responded fall is a good time to fertilize annual and perennial flowers and 15% chose sowing flower seeds as a fall activity. Almost one in three households (29%) also reported they believed gardening should stop at first frost.

Other findings of the fall gardening trends survey include:

1. Households that plan to make fall plant purchases primarily with the spring season in mind grew by a whopping 10% from 35% in 2006 to 45% in 2007.

2. Mulching yard waste remains the top choice of consumers. The number of households planning to mulch their fall garden wastes with a mower increased slightly from 28% in 2006 to 31% in 2007.

3. Composting wastes also gained slightly. Households planning to compost their fall garden waste rose from 17% in 2006 to 21% in 2007.

4. The number of households planning to do indoor gardening has now risen to 57% representing 46.3 million households.

5. The top two reasons for indoor gardening are decoration (47%) and emotional enjoyment (43%).

6. Lack of time has been the traditional major obstacle to indoor gardening. This year “No Time” declined from 30% in 2006 to 25% in 2007, making it the #3 obstacle to indoor gardening. Limited space (last year’s #3 obstacle) is the major indoor gardening obstacle for 2007.

For more details, get your copy of the 2007 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report today. The fall gardening survey was conducted in August and covers consumer expectations and attitudes for activities and purchases planned for the next few months. The survey was conducted by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a national consumer polling organization, and statistically represents the attitudes of 110 million households with an accuracy of 95% (+/- 3.1 percentage points).

The 2007 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report is the final national consumer survey planned by the GWA Foundation for 2007. It is now available online FREE TO ALL GWA MEMBERS. Simply visit the Garden Writers Association website at www.gardenwriters.org and select the Gardening Trends Research tab. Choose 2007 reports and follow the online instructions. For further information, contact the GWA at 703.257.1032 or info@gardenwriters.org.

Brooklyn Botanic Gardenden (BBG) announces the release of its newest All-Region Guide, Buried Treasures: Tasty Tubers of the World. This is BBG’s first handbook devoted to root vegetables, the underground delights that have sustained cultures all over the world for millennia.

Buried Treasures: Tasty Tubers of the World takes intrepid gardeners and curious epicures on a global tour of edible roots, tubers, corms, and rhizomes, including such underground treasures as Hawaiian elephant’s ear, Japanese devil’s tongue, Chinese sacred lotus, South American canna, and hardy North American spring beauties and groundnuts. With contributions from leading experts Scott D. Appell, James J. Lang, Leda Meredith, and BBG’s Alessandro Chiari, Buried Treasures is a handy resource with detailed tips on buying, growing, designing with, harvesting and cooking more than 30 featured vegetables.

All the plants are illustrated with striking color photos showing both the tasty tubers usually hidden belowground and the attractive and unusual foliage and flowers above. Virtually all the plants in this book also make a garden-worthy aboveground display. Tropical giants like elephant’s ear and yautia are exotic accents in a summer border or container, then transition indoors when the days get cooler to become show-stopping houseplants. Or they may be harvested and cooked into tasty dishes. Hardy plants like the North American natives spring beauty and jack-in-the-pulpit can stay in the ground year-round, providing an appealing floral display in spring and hearty nourishment in fall.

Beth Hanson, editor of Buried Treasures, says, This book is a cornucopia of information about the mysterious world of geophytes, as tubers are known to botanists. We wanted to demystify and explore the little-understood tuberous plants that have sustained civilizations for millennia. In addition to the fascinating history and lore of tubers that have captivated ethnobotanists, the book offers tips on how to forage responsibly for wild tubers, how to grow tubers in your home garden, and how to enjoy them in the kitchen. And with more shapes, sizes, colors, and textures than a fashion magazine, the book shows how these exotic plants dress up any meal and steal the show at the dining table.Hanson added, anyone who loves plants, food, or both is sure to be thrilled by the encyclopedia of more than 30 tubers in this easy-to-use guide.

Buried Treasures features:

• A feast of more than 30 tropical and hardy tubers that are easy to grow, great to look at, and delicious to eat
• Detailed tips for growing and harvesting
• Delicious recipes from around the world
• An extensive list of nursery sources

Buried Treasures provides great recipes from around the world and shows readers how to pick out the healthiest tubers and plants at markets, where to buy hard-to-find varieties, and how to make more tubers at home. Dig in!

The New York Times Book Review called BBG’s handbook series a “brilliant collection of little gardening handbooks…Each one takes a small bite of subject matter and chews it thoroughly… the mix of common sense, practical advice and, on occasion, pointed debunking…makes these slender volumes do the work of books twice their size and three times their price. And what the handbooks…lack in acreage they make up for in authority.

Ordering Information

Buried Treasures: Tasty Tubers of the World (ISBN-10: 1-889538-34-5) is available at a discount direct from Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s online store at shop.bbg.org, or by calling 718-623-7286. It is also available in bookstores and at garden centers for $9.95 in the U.S./$11.95 in Canada. For wholesale ordering information, call Sterling Publishing at 800-367-9692 or visit its website at www.sterlingpub.com. To receive a free brochure of current and past handbook titles, call 718-623-7241.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks have been published continuously since 1945. They are the only series of popular gardening books published by a botanic garden in North America. Written by top gardening experts and packed with spectacular color photos and illustrations, All-Region Guides offer 120 pages full of ideas on how to make your garden beautiful, bountiful, and ecologically sensible.

GreenWorks! Service Learning Grants Application Deadline: October 31, 2007
Through GreenWorks!, Project Learning Tree’s (PLT) service-learning program, grants up to $5,000 are available to schools and youth organizations for environmental neighborhood improvement projects that involve youth with their community. Visit the Web site for grant guidelines and an application.
http://eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/newclick/1137489

This article appeared in the Washington post on 9/20/2007.

For the full article click on the title:

Turf Wars

By Adrian Higgins

For half a century or more, we have used synthetic chemicals to feed and medicate that universal icon of the American home, the lawn. But in nurturing our own environments, many believe we damaged the broader world by relying on fertilizers and pesticides.

Here’s fodder for those aiming to secure resources for summer garden-related programs.

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is happy to share a new resource:

Now that the fall school year is underway, many students are catching up from what is now defined as “summer learning loss.” A report by Dr. Beth M. Miller, released by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, reveals that summer enrichment opportunities have a much more profound impact than previously believed on the academic achievement of young people.

The Learning Season: The Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Achievement reports that children experience learning loss over the summer months, and these losses are much greater for children from low-income families than they are for other children.

Among The Learning Season’s findings: The test-score gap between children from low-income and middle-income families is attributable in large part to summer learning loss; Children are actually losing some of their previous learning over the inactive, summer months; Schooling, a universal and accessible institution, of course affects student learning. However, school alone cannot compensate for societal inequities, especially during the weeks and months when they are closed.

There is growing evidence that well-designed, intentional summer programs can minimize summer learning loss; they can also go a long way toward developing a young person’s engagement in learning, leading to long-term increases in school attainment and achievement

To hear a discussion with Dr. Beth Miller about summer learning and the implications of out-of-school time learning on “traditional” education, visit www.edviewpoints.org
For more information, visit: http://www.nmefdn.org/pubs/?a=8b3b8453-f65e-45f4-9149f36353ec9b8d&l=Research%20and%20Reports&rl=~/grantmaking/Initiatives/OutofSchool/research.aspx

Or Contact:
Sharon Davis or Nick Lorenzen
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Sharon Davis Phone: 781-348-4257
sdavis@nmefdn.org

Nick Lorenzen Phone: 781-348-4239
nlorenzen@nmefdn.org

Road Kill Composting: Through workshops around NYS, a new DVD, poster and fact sheet, Cornell Waste Management Institute continues to help educate highway officials about composting as an option for managing road-killed deer. The workshop schedule, directions and the written materials are available at: http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/tirc/tirc.htm. We are working to post the DVD on the WWW. All are welcome to attend the up-coming demonstrations/workshops on October 11 in Highland, NY (near New Paltz) and on November 13 in Syracuse.

We would be happy to hear from you with any comments, suggestions, etc.(contact cwmi@cornell.edu).