Lawn Care and Gardening

As someone who was diagnosed with Lyme Disease three times between September 2010 and January 2017, I've become very interested in learning how to avoid contact with ticks without the use of toxic chemicals. I love the outdoors, we have four dogs, and Tom's work in lawn care and landscape maintenance makes us all an easy target for the nasty little bugs. Pennsylvania has a large tick population and is one of the states with the highest incidence of ticks and tick-borne illnesses. There were just under 13,000 reported cases of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania during 2016, and 2017 was expected to be the worst year ever for deer ticks in Pennsylvania. The report isn't in yet. The increase in ticks is due to several factors. There was a bumper crop of red oak acorns during the fall of 2016, and the winter of 2016/2017 was warmer-than-usual overall, resulting in a population explosion of white-footed mice, which typically provide deer tick larvae with their first blood meal...

If you have dogs and/or cats, it's very important to think about plants that are poisinous  This list contains over 400 plants that have been reported as having systemic effects on animals and/or intense effects on the gastrointestinal tract. This list is not all inclusive, but rather a compliation of the most frequently encountered plants.  If you believe that your pet is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your veterinarian right away. Many plants that we have in our yards are toxic to dogs and cats. Keeping these plants out of your yard or out of the reach of your pets is important to keeping your pets safe. We will be adding to this list weekly through the month of February until it's complete. Adam and Eve Additional Common Names: Scientific Name: Toxic to Dogs and Cats Toxic Principles: Clinical Signs: African Wonder Tree Additional Common Names: Scientific Name: Toxic to Dogs and Cats Toxic Principles: Clinic...

What are the US Hardiness Zones? USDA's 2012 Hardiness Zone Map Hardiness zone maps were created to show where various permanent landscape plants can adapt. Perennials, shrubs, and trees must tolerate year-round weather conditions to survive and grow year-after-year. A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as determined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone. The current version of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map was jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group. It was released in January 2012. The new map is generally one 5°F half-zone warmer than the 1990 plan throughout most of the United States. This change resulted from several factors including advances in technology, the inclusion of data from many more weather stations, and the use of temperature data from a longer a...

If you've ever taken a walk on the Delaware & Lehigh Trail in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, you've probably seen the slate cliffs covered with wild Rhododendrons - Rhododendron Carolinianum and Rhododendron Catawbiense. These evergreens, which are found in growing wild in the mountainous areas of the Mid-Atlantic states including eastern Pennsylvania, do exceptionally well in Mid-Atlantic gardens. Rhododendron Carolinianum plant is a perfect choice for areas where you need broadleaf foliage and a low-growing form. It can be used for a low border shrub or for massing where its display of spring flowers will add interest. It can also be used as a fill-in planting in front of other larger broadleaf shrubs. Periodic pruning will keep the plant 3 to 5 feet tall and equally wide. It tends to be round and open, with upright spreading branches. The foliage is not too dense, 2 to 3 inches long, and about 1 inch wide. Summer color is dark green, and winter color varies from gree...