Now, I’m not completely out of the loop. I’ve prepared a lot of landscaping designs, ideas, and consultations for clients that focus on sustainability, preserving natural resources, and xeriscaping practices. And while I may be doing a small part, still it’s just a fraction of how we can apply green living to almost every aspect of our lives. And the more I look into it, the bigger it gets. I’m fascinated with some of the ideas. Yes, living green and environmentally responsible goes way beyond simply hanging your clothes out to dry and keeping the windows in your car rolled up for better gas mileage.

Green Gardening And Landscaping

What exactly does that mean? Green landscaping and gardening? I know some folks are sayin’ “Isn’t all gardening…..green?”. Maybe we just need a definition of sustainability and “green”. My own first thought was 100% organic and it’s even beyond that.

While going green applies to all areas of our lives, I thought I would keep this post within the realm of sustainable and green gardening and landscaping. There’s simply too much concerning environmental responsibility to fit into one category. There will be plenty of ideas for me to write about next week.

In my own quest to be informed, and after sifting through a few thousand blogs on the subject, I’ve saved back a few that are really exceptional. These blogs are captivating and entertaining as well as informative. You’re gonna want to bookmark ‘em.

Green Gardenista
This is actually the first one I found worth reading. I spent quite a bit of time here.

Sustainable Gardening
I think these folks have braggin’ rights to to their name.

Gardening Nude
While the name of this blog might get you there, the content and information will keep you there.

Earth Wise Life Wise
A little more than landscaping and gardening. This site will get you thinking in a lot of different directions.

This should keep you reading for a while. Like I said, there’s a lot more about living a green environmentally responsible lifestyle than gardening and landscaping. And at least for the next few weeks we’ll explore this as well as topics like renewable energy and things inside the home. I’m looking forward to learning, practicing and writing more about it.

For do it yourselfers and home owners who work outside a lot, this is important information. It’s one of the last things you would expect while gardening, landscaping, or mowing the lawn. So the first step to being prepared is simply being mindful and aware that Africanized killer bees are a possibility. Read the article below for some good information and safety tips.

In light of last week’s Killer bee headlines I thought I would reflect and review safety precaution involving all bees. Africanized bees are now part of our environment, like rattle snakes, cockroaches, and flies, we have to learn to coexist with them and limit adverse interaction with these insects. Last week we had a very serious incident which could have cost a man his life and did kill a dog and injured other animals. It was good to hear and read correct information being related about Africanized bees from the fire department and professional pest control operators. Good job guys. I publish this news release every year in hope of reducing such incidents.

Africanized bees are a much more aggressive honeybee than European bees domesticated to produce honey. These are wild bees and are not predators of humans and other life forms. They do not hunt down people to harm them. They do react very aggressively to what they perceive as an attack on their hive which contain their young. When they are swarming or when they are foraging for food they are not as aggressive as when they have established a hive nearby and are defending that hive. Their venom is no more poisonous then their European count parts. However, when they react to defend their hive the number of bees responding will be 15 to 30 times as many and can number in the 10s of -thousands. We no longer sample bees from Eddy County, the African bee genetics are in most feral, non-kept hives and have been for more than 5 years now.

What should you do about the Africanized bee? Take some common sense precautions:

Make a bee patrol around your home once or twice a week during swarming season (March to October). Listen for the sound of bees in the air. Persistent buzzing may mean a hive or swarm is nearby. This should be done prior to starting a lawn mower or other equipment. Lawn mowers and equipment with magneto ignition seem to integrate bees both African and domestic. Bee-proof your home by filling in potential nesting sites such as tree cavities and holes in outside walls. Put screen on the top of rain spouts and over water meter boxes in the ground. Remove piles of trash and junk. If you see a swarm, or a hive do not antagonize them by squirting them with anything or throwing rocks or start the above equipment.

If you discover a bee colony or hive, don’t disturb it. Find out who removes or destroys wild colonies in your area and report it to them. A list of pest control operators and beekeepers that have been trained to remove bees is available from the extension office. These businesses do charge for their services. The property owners where the bees are located are responsible for their removal. The fire department, the county vector control, and extension office do NOT remove hives unless it is an emergency, someone under attack. If you see a bee colony on public property notify the agency responsible for management of that property. If it is at a city park, call the city, if it is BLM land call the BLM etc.

If attacked by honeybees, your best defense is to run away as fast as you can. Seek shelter immediately in a building, a car, or heavy brush. Protect your face and neck the best you can. Standing still and calm does not work with Africanized bees as they are aggressive. Domestic bees are different in this behavior. DO NOT SWAT or KILL BEES that sting you or someone else. This will increase the ferocity of the attack.

The major immediate danger is being stung on the face and neck causing swelling and collapsing of the air way. The average 150 pound person can take about 200 stings before the venom toxin is dangerous, but it only takes a few stings to cause swelling and blockage of the air passage. Protect your face and neck! Insect repellent that contains DEET may repel them for a short period of time. Do not jump in water. The bees will wait for you to surface for air and sting your face causing airway obstruction.

If you are stung many times or have an allergic reaction seek medical attention immediately.

If you observe someone being stung, and they are unable to run or seek shelter, call 911 and report it. If you go to rescue them without protection, you will be attacked as well. DO not call 911 to report bees unless they are attacking. Then they are life threatening and DO call 911. This is only for life threatening situations where a person is being stung or has been stung and is in shock, respiratory failure etc.

If you are allergic to bee stings, or think you might be, consult your physician for the best precautions to take.

More people and animals probably will be stung by bees. These insects are established in Eddy County and will be part of our ecosystem for now on. They cannot be eradicated and they will not leave. Some individuals may be stung hundreds of times in only a few moments. The Africanized bees killer reputation is greatly exaggerated, but it does have basis in fact. People and animals have and will die from their attack. Most often the persons or animals that have died were not able to get away from the bees quickly.

It does not have to greatly change the way people live and work and play. People in south and Central America have lived with this insect for several decades without great difficulty, but some people are injured every year.

For more information Contact your Local County Extension office. Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.

There are a lot of great articles this week but before we get to that I wanted to share a really great general diy site that I found. wikihow.com .  I spent quite a bit of time there just checking it out. It’s quite impressive and a site you’ll want in your favorites.

O. K., this week in the landscaping and gardening scene. Not everything this week is related to Springtime gardening. I’m sure I could have filled this post up with all Winter nad Spring related articles, but I’ll save that for a few more weeks. 

Planning Your Garden

This was a short little article from the Dayton Courier but I thought it had some good insights. Not really any ideas or plans but just a few things to think about for generating ideas. Winter is a great time to dream about your garden

Organic Biointensive Gardening

My career as a landscape designer started out 20 years ago as a lawn and garden boy. I had and still have a dream of propagating and developing new strains of Roses. Anyway, even then, I became aware of Organic Gardening and its benefits over chemical fertilizers and methods. This article on Biointensive gardening is really just basic and common organic gardening practices. However, it does go a little deeper and explains some good common sense points for better gardening. 

Preparing The Vegetable Garden

This article from The Dallas News gives some good insights and ideas for creating and maintaining the perfect vegetable garden. Read Garden Bounty.

Landscaping For Seasonal Interest

We take a lot of elements into consideration when creating a design. Besides a basic plan and specific plot issues, we plan ahead for things like seasonal interest and types of plants that will keep the landscaping interesting in every season. If planning a landscape or garden is in your future, this article,  A Garden Of Winter Wonder has some really great ideas for keeping the garden or landscaping interesting even in the Winter months. 

landscaping plans: front yard

I don’t see too many blog posts like this that have much substance. landscaping plans: front yard is a good do it yourself article that shows an actual design plan, some explaination, and ideas.

I hope you find some of this to be good reading. We’ll see more Spring and Springtime tips and ideas as the season arrives. I hope to get to some new tutorials for you in the next week or two. We’ll see.