plants

One of the recurring themes in many of the gardening books I have reviewed is the importance of good soil. I have slowly realized that this may be causing some of the issues in my garden. The soil around my house is primarily clay and rocks. It is actually amazing anything can grow in it.  Before the arrival of some new plants this fall, I thought I would prepare a double-dug raised bed.

Are Your Organic Greens Getting Irradiated?More and more lettuce and spinach is being irradiated before it hits store shelves and the results are controversial. So what's the effect on your organic leafy greens?

Rogue the dog is a 4-year-old Belgian sheepdog and part of a Nature Conservancy project to use dogs to sniff out the threatened Kincaid’s lupine plant. This plant is host to the endangered Fender's blue butterfly, found only in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  See a great video and photos of Rogue the dog in action!

The Organic Bouquet business models widespread trade and consumer awareness. The quality of farm working conditions is improved, damages to ecosystems are minimized, biodiversity is conserved, and environmental quality for future generations is enhanced.

A Massachusetts based company, Metabolix, just figured out how to grow plastic inside a plant. By mixing the genes of a few different species Metabolix was able to coax switch grass into growing it's proprietary bioplastic in significant amounts right it's leaves! The new plastic can be used in manufacturing everything from credit cards to packaging materials.

Dave Epstein of Growing Wisdom shows us how to build a rain garden.  Rain Gardens conserve water and enable a more sustainable landscape.  There are over 200 gardening videos at http://www.GrowingWisdom.com

There’s a lot of hype out there about new technologies that will “change everything”. Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and “smell the roses”. In that spirit, here are five plants with surprising super powers - they have provided a boost to technological innovation or invention, often with a green lining.

Anyone can garden!

The Food Map Container is just the place to start your relationship with mother earth over. With its high-tech curvilinear drainage system, this container will allow you to grow fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs with complete ease.

Damage from invasive species already costs the world more than $1.4 trillion annually. But now a new report says that biofuel crops could also become invasive species -- and that the risk needs to be evaluated before these crops are planted.

Learn more at http://www.nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/strategies/art24885.html

A grassroots distributor of compost worms and vermicompost bins in the greater Montreal area.

This article gives descriptions and uses of common garden plants in medical situations to cure a large list of illnesses and problems that a lot of people face daily.  Did you know Stinging Nettle can cure chicken pox?

One of the best gardening site on the web. very short precise and informative!!

China's thriving economy has opened up new routes for invasive species.

If you live in the suburbs, like I do, the yard around your home is the closest you come to the natural environment on a day to day basis. This begs the question - Is your yard a natural environment? In his book 'Bringing Nature Home' Douglas Tallamy makes a case for replacing alien invasives in the home landscape with native plants specific to the area.

The newest museum in Madrid, CaixaForum, got a vertical garden on one of the exterior walls. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & Meuron, there are 15,000 plants from more than 250 different species

This is a helpful article for any company or business looking to improve their workspace for both employees, guests & clients, including eco-friendly suggestions. A great how-to guide filled with useful, easy-to-apply tips and valuable links to other resources.

Researchers have traced a sharp decline in survival of caribou calves to climatic warming. While arctic plants have kept pace with the earlier arrival of spring temperatures, the caribou that graze on those plants have not.

Nanosolar with the help of the Google Guys has developed cheap solar panels that don't use silicon and are now bringing them to market. You can even buy one on eBay.

From New York to Costa Rica, from the first national park in China to a marine protected area in the South Pacific, these are the best of the best, the conservation success stories with the most impact for nature and people in 2007.

A list of the amazing number of animals and plants we've lost since 1960.

While most of the discussion about a US/Mexico fence has centered on immigration and urban areas, there's also concern about the potential impact these barriers would have on wildlife. Great photo essay about the most-affected wildlife and natural systems that span the US/Mexico border.

Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Rosalind James steps into a Styrofoam shelter surrounded by thousands of wild bees. Dozens buzz past the entomologist as she examines blocks that contain 3,540 holes for solitary bees. ``Bee condos,'' she says. The smattering of stings she's sustained is a small sacrifice for work that may save a $75 billion-a-year slice of the U.S. economy.

Alllifestyle.com provides websites relating to home and garden, bathroom, bed and bath, home decor, pest control, pools, swimming pools and spas, furnishings, furniture, antique furniture, garden shop, home decoration, home improvement and more.

The Nature Conservancy has helped China achieve a conservation landmark: the establishment of China's first national park, which will also serve as a model for a new Chinese national park system.

See a GREAT photo essay of the park area!

The Nature Conservancy has helped China achieve a conservathttp://www.hugg.com/filter/tips
More information about formatting optionsion landmark: the establishment of China's first national park, which will also serve as a model for a new Chinese national park system.

See a GREAT photo essay of the park area!

Florida Power & Light's (FPL's) Turkey Point nuclear power plant, thanks to its cooling system, has become the main breeding ground for the American crocodiles, which were on the brink of extinction 30 years ago. The plant's cooling system, consisting of over 100 km of canals, has created the ideal breeding environment for the animals.