Attention Leaf Peepers

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I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “leaf peepers” in a post.  It just sounds so cute.  Although to me peeping means taking a little peek and when it comes to fall colors, don’t you just want to soak it all in?  We’ve known customers to pick a tree based solely on its fall color [...]

Hold on, Chicken Little…

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Turns out the sky isn’t falling.  At least not as far as the destructive little Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is concerned. The Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic Asian beetle that is most harmful in its immature larvae stage, when it hides in and feeds on the insides of ash trees.  Over time, this tunneling [...]

Which item does not belong?

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There are a few funky things going on in this picture, and your first instinct might be to point out the weird-looking bag zipped around this tree’s trunk.   You may have even seen these around town.  What exactly is that thing? Well let us tell you.  It is a time-saving, water-saving, money-saving bag called a [...]

Eewww….

Tent caterpillars hanging out; photo by ken schneider

The University of Minnesota Extension office reports that yard/ garden/ woods insect activity is 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule.  As if we needed to tell you. Besides the tick population being particularly proliferous (I’m sure they’re proud), tent caterpillar sightings have also been way more numerous  and way earlier than usual.  They are responsible for [...]

Ever Been?

photos by Douglas Coulter

For a few years now, I’ve wanted to take in the spectacle that is Tulip Time in Pella, IA. Very soon (May 6-8 this year), all things tulip and Dutch will reign supreme in this Iowa town, and I’m so curious what it’s like! It’s supposed to be one of the greatest tulip displays this [...]

Getting Some Education in March

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March 2010 seems to be THE month for our continuinged. Seems like every green industry organization is having a seminar or training session of some kind. It was hard to pick and choose, but here’s what we settled on: Weathermatic Water Management Services seminar–Edward attended this valuable class, aimed at teaching contractors how to calculate [...]