In honor of Earth Day this year, I'm wrote a series of posts on Things We Don't Have to Throw Away.

Used to be, people didn't throw away much. Honestly, Middens (ancient trash heaps) contain small animal bones, tiny bits of broken pottery, and a carbon layer that was originally spoiled food and fire ashes. That's all that was thrown away! Everything else was used, fixed, reused, fixed again and again, re-purposed, and on and on. Even hundred years ago, people didn't throw much away. City dumps contained coal ashes, dead horses, and spoiled food.

What do we throw away today? Everything! That couch that we no longer like the fabric, last year's clothes, newspapers, knick-knacks, broken toys, old appliances. The list goes on and on.
Giving stuff to charity and recycling helps a lot.
But even the most conscientious of us take throwing away thing for granted.

So here's my "outside the box" list of things we don't really need to throw away (click on name to read about alternatives!):

Disposable Razors--the item that started the throw away craze!
Paper Towels
Plastic Bags
Home Office Paper
Cotton Swabs
Coffee Filters and Disposable Cups
Facial Tissues
Disposable Toothbrushes
Water Bottles

Know a gardener with an earthy sense of humor?

I found this hysterical "gift set": the Pinetree Manure Medley
The description reads: "Casting about for that perfect gift? What'cha guano get the gardener who has everything? Doo consider our exclusive gift set that contains 3 highly effective and concentrated manures."
Ummm...yeah.

Eco review:
It is definitely recycled. And it is something that's meant to be used up rather than collecting dust or ending up in a landfill...
But I still worry if the "Desert Bat Guano" and the "Fossilized Seabird Guano" were sustainably harvested.

I'm feeling rather Grinch-y this year. And proud of it!

What is Dr. Suess's classic about? The fact that the holidays are about love, not stuff. A simple message, yet radical.

I am chastised for criticizing the "good cheer" in the malls and grocery stores and drug stores and gas stations this time of year.
But here's the ugly truth folks: those "holiday displays" are all about displaying merchandise, not the holidays, and they are designed to take our money, not give us good cheer. So if being offended by marketers' attempts to capitalize on a holiday that's supposed to be about love makes me a Grinch, then color me green!

To that end, I want to see a movie. Normally I don't have time, or want to waste the money, but this one looks good: What Would Jesus Buy? Here's a review. And another from the NYT

It might be horribly offensive, but then, it can't be any worse than the holidays have become..

"Black Thursday" was a day when the stock market crashed, millions of millions were lost, and people's retirement funds and even some of their lives were ruined. So gee, why is the biggest shopping day of the year called "Black Friday"? Feel free to draw the parallels here.

For those of you who haven't spent your paycheck through next July but still want to, consider gifts that might help the world, or at least hurt less.

First, see my suggestions about green holiday gifts.

And consider these ideas:

Heifer International buys cute little farm animals for cute little impoverished children around the world, helping them and their families get out of poverty. You buy an flock of ducks for a kid in China for $20 (which provide pest control for rice fields and a source of protein and income from eggs) and give it in honor of your sister-in-law, and she gets less junk to dust and that good feeling you get when you help others, as well as a cute mental picture of some cute kid trying to keep track of ducks in a rice paddy. There are animals and gifts of all sizes, all the way up to the $5000 Ark that provides 15 , you guessed it, pairs of animals.

Oxfarm International has a similar program called "Oxfarm Unwrapped" because "Choosing gifts for some people can be quite an ordeal" Isn't that the truth! You can plant 50 trees for $30, or provide school uniforms for needy kids for $20, or sheep for families for $45--and that's just in the U.S.

Give donations in people's names to charities.
Book lover? Try Room to Read. Animal lover? Donate to the Humane Society or buy a gift through their site. Nature lover? Donate to the Sierra Club or buy a fabulous gift from the National Wildlife Federation.
Be creative, everyone loves something.

Or pledge to Buy Handmade.
Or Buy Local, Organic, Fair Made.

Whatever you do, avoid the mall. Those people are just trying to ruin you and the earth.

Want to get your friend or relative the "perfect" present?
Make sure it's consumable, because if it takes up any space at all it could end up costing them big.

Check out Paul Graham's assessment on how much "stuff" is costing us to store and upkeep--to the point that stuff isn't even valuable anymore, and how those who grew up poor are still hoarding in a misguided attempt to be rich:
Stuff
And MSN's late cover if the same topic:
The hidden costs of too much stuff

Some people try to make "eco-friendly' complicated, expensive, or "alternative."  In truth, it's just a matter of combining common sense and frugality.  Take the Holidays, for example. Most of us will spend way too much money, be stressed out, and end up hauling 12 bags of trash to the curb the next day. Not very friendly to yourself or nature. So here are some tips to make the holidays even easier for both of you.

Decorations: the "disposable" ones inevitably fall apart before the season is over, causing you more headaches. Just buy a couple sturdy nice ones that you love and reuse them every year. Resist the urge to buy junk every year. Give away to charity (in November!) all those tangled strings of light. Buy the minimum you need—and make them LEDs. Less time figuring out which ones are the ones you want to use this year, and less energy use, which is easier on the planet and your pocket book.

Gifts: the thought really should be all that counts, because even when you spend hours finding the "perfect" gift, you still can't predict how well it will be received. Give things that get used up, like food or perfume, or a gift certificate to a restaurant or tickets to an event. You know they'll use it, and it won't end up in the landfill or their hall closet when it breaks.
            For kids this means finger paints, play dough, art supplies, and stickers. They like these best anyways. When you feel you must buy a toy, buy something with the least amount of packaging: it's easier on the environment, your back, and the parent's patience. The blinky-light, vibrating, noisemaker in the flashy packaging needs a parent with tools to unwrap it, batteries to operate, and gets old quickly—except for that one sound button which the child will push over and over because it drives mom nuts!
            A heirloom-quality small wooden toy, puzzle, game, or blocks will cost the same, not annoy anyone, pollute less, and will be played with again and again. And it won't require batteries. Speaking of which, rechargeable AAs and a battery charger would be a fabulous gift for any parent on your list. If this seems too practical, throw in a gift certificate to a movie theater or a video store.

Food: have you ever actually run out of food at the holiday dinner? Neither have I. Don't buy so much, and the less-packaging rule applies here too! The more packaging food is in, the more chance that it's bad for you. If you want "convenience food," order sides (or the main course!) from a local deli or grocers—you can't get more "convenient" than that. Ask at the Farmer's market for local meat for your main course: it'll taste better fresher, and generate less pollution from shipping.

Love Halloween? You can have a black and orange garden all year!
(Having one bloom black and orange in time for Halloween is trickier: it depends on your climate.)

I like to mix two colors of the same flower for maximum impact.
Here are some suggestions for flowers that come in both black and orange:

Amaranths: I have a fondness for these strange flowers, and Amaranth 'Oeschberg' is almost black. Pair it with a bronze variety.

Asian Lilies come in black and orange. There are many varieties of orange—try "Apeldoorn." For black, "Landini" is stunning.

Cosmos come in orange ("Cosmic Orange," "Bright Lights," and other varieties) and a dark brownish-black (Chocolate Cosmos.) Cosmos blooms in the summer but may hang on until Halloween in warmer climates.

Dahlias come in dark blackish-purple and also in orange. "Crossfield Ebony" is a nice dark pom pom; also check out Old House Gardens for some fabulous old-fashioned ones in both colors.

Daylilies come in many shades of orange, including the most common species-type. Plant them with "black" cultivars, including "Midnight Oil" and "Midnight Raider" which are a nice dark purple, or "Night Wings" which is a dark red but looks black most or the time.

Dianthus barbaratus var. nigrenscens "Sooty" is so dark red it looks black, and while there aren't any true orange dianthus, some of the reds are orange-y.

Fritillaria imperialis rubra is a dark rusty orange. Fritilliara nigra is a dark brownish black. Persian fritillary is a little easier to find, but it's not as dark as nigra.

Gladiolus usually bloom in early summer. They come in almost-black and bright orange.
"Peter Pears" is a nice orange, or try a Parrot Glad. Keep an eye out at your local garden center for dark glads.

Hollyhocks come in orange, and have stunning black varieties, including Nigra or "'The Watchman."

Irises are some of the only truly black flowers. Orange varieties are actually less common than black, but try the orange German Iris "Thai Orange" with the black German Iris "Superstition." There are many black tall bearded irises, pair them with the orange tall bearded iris "Sweet Orange." For Louisiana Irises, "Dean Lea" is orange, and "Black Gamecock" is very dark.

Pansies can be planted for the autumn in southern climates. There are orange varieties, as well as purples that are so darks they seem black until you get up close. Some of the darkest pansies are "Black Prince" and "Zorro."

Poppies come in variety of colors. California poppies come a variety of lovely oranges—plant them with black varieties like the peony-flowered poppy "Black Cloud." The oriental poppy "Prince of Orange" is actually a reddish-orange.

Roses come in a variety of colors: white, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, brown, and even green. They do not come in black or blue. The floribunda "Greensleeves" starts out pinkish, then opens green, but the petals turn black and stay on the stem past their prime, so this might be used as a "black" rose.
I suggest you juxtapose a brown rose with a bright orange rose for a Halloween feel. In the south, roses are still blooming for Halloween (at least mine are!) Try the climber Westerland, the polyantha Orange Hearts, or the floribunda "Playboy" for orange. For a brown rose, try the climber "Butterscotch", the floribunda "Brown Velvet," or the shrub rose "Distant Drums" (pink and brown.)

Rudebeckia "Green Wizard" is a petal-less selection with huge black cones, and there are some varieties that are rust-colored, or try the orange-with-yellow-tips "Prairie Glow."

Scabiosa "Ace of Spades" is a wonderful almost-black. A related flower, Scabiosa stellata or Starflower is a bit orange-y.

Snapdragons come in orange, and also in shades of darkest red like the "Black Prince."

Sunflowers bloom in the fall, and while they don't come in black, there are many really dark reds that you can grow with the orange varieties.

Sweet Peas "Midnight," "Black Knight" and "Windsor" are dark. Pair them with a peach or coral sweet pea.

Tulips bloom in the spring, but they have many dark varieties (the most common is "Queen of the Night") and some orange ones. Try "Black and White" with "General de Wet" for an exotic-looking combo.

Bi-color orange/black flowers include:
Tiger lilies with their bright orange petals and black "freckles."
Dahlias Bishop of Llandaff and Bishop's Children which have dark foliage and red-orange blooms.
Gaillardia (blanketflower) now comes in many varieties, and some are orange with very dark red.
"Midnight Treasure" daylily has an orange-yellow center and almost black tips.

More gardening and holiday entries at my blog.

Everyone loves flowers. But not everyone loves to garden. It takes a certain personality to love digging and weeding and transplanting. Most garden experts cannot fathom this, and as a result, give the beginning gardener all sorts of advice about different types of fertilizers and plants, when all the person really wants is some flowers outside to look at.

Easy Flowers
The "easiest" flowers to grow are on shrubs and bulbs. Some perennials are easy, and can be used with the other two. Drive around your area and take pictures of what you like. If they grow well in your area, then they should be easy.

Many flowering shrubs only bloom in the spring or summer. That's fine: just make sure you have different types that bloom different times of the year. Some shrub roses bloom throughout the year. Be careful when selecting roses! "Hybrid Tea" roses are NOT easy and require lots of care. If you want roses, choose easy-care shrub roses like Knockout and Belinda's Dream.

Bulbs are the easiest flowers, and quite satisfying for the beginning gardener. You dig a hole, drop them in, cover them up with dirt, and then they later appear like magic! There are types that bloom at different times of the year. Choose at least one type that blooms in the early spring, late spring, summer, and fall.

Perennial flowers are so-called because they return year after year. That means you only have to plant them once, and that is what makes them easy. Like roses, there are fussy ones and easy ones. Different flowers do well in different areas, so what is fussy in my area may be easy in yours. Taking a look at what does well in all the neighbors' yards will help you determine which to plant. Also, ask for advice at a small nursery where the workers know about plants.

Buying the Flowers
If you intend to buy plants at a big box store or large nursery you must know your zone, whether the bed tends to be wet or dry, and if it is sunny or shady. If you go to a small nursery that has helpful employees, all you need to know is if the bed is sunny or shady. At large nurseries and big box stores, the workers tend to be less knowledgeable and less likely to be able to answer your questions. And national chains stock plants that do well nation-wide, but not necessarily where you live!

Bring the pictures you took of the flowering shrubs and perennials you liked. Even at a big box store, someone should be able to point you towards the plant. Realize that most plants are only available at certain times of the year. Flowering shrubs and perennials tend to be in the stores when they are in bloom, so you will need to buy your spring bloomers in the spring and your summer bloomers in the summer. Read the labels, and select ones that will not get too big for your flower bed. Also pay attention to wet/dry, sunny/shady, and zone (this tells you whether the plant can stand the coldest weather where you live.) Most flowering plants prefer sun, but if your flower bed has to be placed where it is mostly shady, there are many flowering shrubs that do well in shade.

Bulbs are not available when they bloom, because they need to be planted a couple months ahead. Spring blooming bulbs are available in the fall, fall bloomers in the spring, and summer bloomers in the spring or fall. The package should have a picture of the flower, and information: bloom time, shady or sunny, wet or dry, and zones. Select bulbs that will do well in your flower bed.

More at my blog!

As we were speeding by on the highway, we passed a section of "forest" that was behind iron fencing. My daughter remarked that that wasn't very "friendly" of them to keep all those trees for themselves behind a fence. We then passed a subdivision entrance that was planted with sweeping lawn and trimmed shrubbery. This looks much more friendly. But is it really?

What is a "friendly" landscape? One that looks inviting, or one that actually is?

No one can actually use the expanse of lawn at the entrance to that upscale subdivision. If they did, I'm sure the police would ask them what they thought they were doing and how they got there. No sidewalks lead to it. Bound on one side by a freeway, on another by a major thoroughfare, and on the third by one of those decorative walls, it is completely inaccessible to pedestrians. Perfectly manicured lawn and exotic plants are of no use to wildlife. No butterflies pause there, no animals find shelter. And the chemicals used on that bit of "inviting landscape" no doubt kill birds and butterflies galore!

The fence bound "forest" can actually be used. It is home to many little wild critters and birds. And it can be accessed on the other side by people. No one needs to access it from the freeway: it isn't as though there are any pedestrians there! So as unfriendly as it looks, it is in reality the real inviting landscape!

When we design a space, such as our own yard, we need to think about whether it is a "friendly" space. A front yard needs to look inviting, yes, but more importantly it needs to be inviting.

More Gardening posts.

I'm moving
(in case all of you missed my series of articles on Home Staging.)

That means that I will soon be saying goodbye to yet another garden.

This time, I think I will take some bulbs, but only because they were shared with me and have since spread. No one will notice if I thin them a bit---they should have been thinned last Fall anyways. It hasn't been that way in every home.

I remember fondly a Queen Elizabeth rose in Dallas. It thrived in full shade, put there by a previous inhabitant.
The palms in Montrose.
And the Austin rose garden I built from the ground up (have to raise those beds in Austin!)

Some plants we have carried from home to home. Like the fig trees, dubbed "Adam" and "Eve" that started off on a third-story apartment balcony and were carted through homes in two cities. One died, one is planted in the corner of my current yard. I will miss it.

So, the first thing I'm doing when I move is planting a plant. I don't know what kind, probably, a fruit tree, a rose, or a native. But it will be mine, and I will watch it grow.