At an event in Garrett Park today, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett recognized The Abundant Backyard as one of the first seven businesses to be certified under the County’s new Green Landscape Business Certification Program, a collaboration between MoCo Department of Environmental Protection, the MoCo Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery College.

Abundant Backyard Client Kensington, MD

Landscape businesses, garden centers and design consultants offering installation and/or maintenance services are eligible for the program.  To be certified a business must meet requirements from a checklist of over 130 actions in four broad areas:

1) Air quality, energy efficiency, waste management and procurement; 2) Integrated Pest Management and plants;  3) Water and soil; and 4) Organizational Commitment and office operations.

Highlights of green practices in The Abundant Backyard Garden Design and Garden Buddy Consultation services include:

Abundant Backyard Client Chevy Chase MD

• Creating  garden designs with climate appropriate, hardy, pest-resistant plants to limit need for watering, fertilizing and chemical pest control.
• Installing in each floral garden  design, locally grown plants, with 75% or more being native to the  Maryland Piedmont and Coastal Plain Regions that attract local pollinators.
• Planting edible garden designs  and vegetable gardens with locally grown organic seeds and seedlings.
• Using locally composted soil amendments, e.g. Leaf Gro made here in Montgomery County and locally produced worm castings.
• Reducing turf by recommending  no or less lawn in client garden design and implementation.
• Incorporating recycled composite  edging for garden beds and paths to limit mulch run off.
• Mulching with sustainably  harvested shredded hardwood mulches with no added chemicals.

Look for The Abundant Backyard and the other Green Landscape Businesses in an ad featured on MoCo Ride On buses starting today!

Courtesy Alice Ferguson Foundation -Andrea Williams

The Washington DC Metro area is filled with opportunities to connect with one of our most important resources- Water!   As mentioned in my latest article for Washington Parent Magazine, River Keeping: Hands on Ways to Protect and Enjoy the Watershed, http://www.washingtonparent.com/articles/1303/watershed-projects.php. there are many ways for families to get involved.  Two upcoming events include, 1)H2O Summit on Saturday, March 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD. No registration needed for the activities for kids and to see the exhibits. 2) The 25th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, Saturday, April 6, 2013 9am – 12pm  http://fergusonfoundation.org/trash-free-potomac-watershed-initiative/potomac-river-watershed-cleanup.  If April 6 does not work for you,The Alice Ferguson Foundation also provides the Trash Free Potomac Network, an easy-to-use database that allows you to find volunteer opportunities, cleanups, and workshops throughout the year.

This is a fun birthday party theme where kids investigate a nearby creek and solve riddles to find the lost treasure.   Guests received the following invitation somewhat mimicking the old “Hardy Boys” books.  The inside of the invitation included an introduction to the story (see below in bold )based on some real historical info about the park and the rest  “our family legend” about the mystery.   ” In the early 1900s, an old resort hotel was built in a part of Sligo Creek.  It was called the Glen Sligo Resort.  Visitors included diplomats from the embassies, Congressmen, and other regulars. The business thrived and telegraph lines were brought in from the nearby Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The hotel eventually became a gambling Casino.  The place specialized in race track information and sought to expand its clientele.  It did, and with the new prosperity came a more distinguished group of patrons.  The visitors included groups of highly-financed gamblers from Baltimore.”  www.fosc.org   ”Our family’s legend has it that during a dark and stormy night and a flood that forced the wealthy guests out of the hotel, a treasure was taken out of the hotel safe and hidden along the Sligo Creek trail.  Years after the resort was torn down, “old man Jenkins”, the former caretaker of the property swore he knew the place this treasure was hidden.  His dying words were: “ It glistens on high, in a Y, near the number 6 bridges……”  Join (birthday boy/girl) to search for clues to the treasure and enjoy a birthday treat!  Each guest received a detective cap, magnifying glass, and private investigator badge made from their school picture, spy glasses and a belt clip compass.   Clues that led them along the creek trail related to natural landmarks, the bridge maps and a lean- to “hide out” created by branches downed in the recent snow storm.   Each team found their treasure box of gold chocolate coins hidden in a “Y” shaped tree.

Old Man Jenkins partner is looking for the treasure too! He has a clue hidden in his lean-to shelter in the woods.

Enjoying their find!

After doing research on the chemical make up of the standard green floral foam -commonly referred to as Oasis, the Abundant Backyard has stopped using it and is committed to using only non toxic bases for securing flowers and greens in our floral designs.   The link from a fellow sustainably committted floral designer, Gorgeous and Green,  lists the manufacturers specifications and indicates the product contains formaldehyde and/or carbon black.  http://gorgeousandgreenevents.com/blog/2011/08/16/msds-floral-foam/.   It is a challenge to switch as the floral foam is considerably easier to work with.  To that end, I have experimented creating customized floral wire bases and will use traditional floral”frogs” starting in 2013.   So far the results have been good.  (Note, these arrangements will require keeping an adequate water level to cover stems.)  This year I will explore other eco friendly absorbent, moisture retaining options to help arrangements last longer.

Join the Abundant Backyard at  a HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW to benefit outreach programs at the Clara Barton Community Center, 7425 MacArthur Blvd, Cabin John, MD, this Sunday, December 2, 2012.

Friends of Patuxent Wildlife Holiday Bazaar, at the National Wildlife Visitor Center,  Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD

The Abundant Backyard will be at Silver Spring Holiday Market at the corner of Ellsworth and Fenton Streets from 10am to 4pm this Saturday, November 28, 2012  Stop by to pick up a long lasting Forest to Field Centerpiece or Holiday Floral Swag featuring locally sourced greens, dried materials and beeswax candles!       See how we repurposed old ice skates, tree stumps and other items into festive holiday decorations.  We also have our  rescued wood garden benches and birdhouses made from storm felled trees.  Our poplular gift baskets celebrating Maryland’s Backyard are filled with quality home and food items locally and sustainably made.  This is a special Fenton Street Market with many handcrafted items available for your holiday shopping.  We look forward to seeing you!

Come Visit the Abundant Backyard booth and Go green with your holiday shopping this year!  Join us at this FREE green craft fair this Saturday, November 10 from 10am-4pm at Watkins Nature Center, located in Watkins Regional Park.  Explore environmentally-friendly, hand-crafted products from local artists.  Items for sale include jewelry, wood carvings, knitwear, gardening décor, and much more.

The Abundant Backyard will featured rescued wood garden benches, birdhouses, Forest to Field Holiday Centerpieces, and Gift Baskets filled with quality items made locally and sustainably in Maryland’s Abundant Backyard.

 Purchase a raffle ticket, and have a chance to win great prizes like a MOM’s grocery store gift card, hand painted rain barrels, golf and fitness passes, performance tickets, and more!·

Hands-on activities and crafts for the kids all with a sustainable focus, as well as environmental non-profit groups with educational displays.

Book Exchange —  Bring your unwanted books and trade them in for “new” ones!  All leftover books will be donated to local libraries in Prince George’s county.

Learn about natural dying and create your own indigo dye cloth with the kids.

Purchase art and craft supplies, and make a creative reuse craft with your child at the SCRAP action booth.  For information about SCRAP store, programs they offer, or where to donate materials, visit www.scrapdc.org.

Event is FREE to all ages, and mostly indoors (held rain or shine!)

We hope to see you on Saturday, November 10th, and appreciate you supporting the nature center.  To get a preview of our vendors this year and check out their items for sale ahead of time, visit www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Watkins_Nature_Center.htm   

Green, Sustainable Features: 

Reusable, repurposed container.  Long lasting – living houseplant or perennial container plant included in the design.  90% of all fresh cuttings sourced in season and locally.

Price range- start at $50.00  and higher- depending on size ordered.  (Can be picked up in Silver Spring or delivered within 10 mile radius for $10.00 delivery fee.)

Orders of 5 or more arrangements for events – delivery fees are waived.  Order now for Thanksgiving and the Holidays by emailing mary@theabundantbackyard.com

Thanks to the Cub Scouts, the Jenkins family and Ms Tunis for delivering native tree nuts to the Potomac Conservancy’s drop off bin at the Abundant Backyard tent. These nuts are grown into native hardwood seedlings to support expanding reforestation and restoration efforts in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. Click on the logo above for information on how you can volunteer to replenish the seeds and ensure diversity by collecting acorns, walnuts, flowering dogwood, pawpaw and many other hardwood and shrub seeds. You can still collect nuts through October 31!