‘GREEN’ TREES
We asked foresters Kim Bomberger and Helene Miller and horticulturist Dennis Patton to recommend tree types that can handle our climate and resist disease without requiring extra resources. They agreed to this starter list, with a mix of small, medium and large trees. More recommendations and trees to avoid | F8Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata: Small tree with long, wide clusters of creamy white flowers in June, satiny bark.Shantung maple, Acer truncatum: Medium size with leaves that start reddish purple, turn glossy green, then yellow-orange-red in the fall.Chinese juniper or Eastern red cedar, Juniperus chinensis/ Juniperus virginiana: Fast-growing and dense evergreen, great screen or windbreak.Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba: Very large tree with fan-shaped leaves, slow-growing, gold color in fall, plant the male (fruit stinks).@ Go to www.heartlandtreealliance.org and click on “choose the right tree” for more inspiration.
We asked foresters Kim Bomberger and Helene Miller and horticulturist Dennis Patton to recommend tree types that can handle our climate and resist disease without requiring extra resources. They agreed to this starter list, with a mix of small, medium and large trees. More recommendations and trees to avoid | F8Japanese tree lilac, Syringa reticulata: Small tree with long, wide clusters of creamy white flowers in June, satiny bark.Shantung maple, Acer truncatum: Medium size with leaves that start reddish purple, turn glossy green, then yellow-orange-red in the fall.Chinese juniper or Eastern red cedar, Juniperus chinensis/ Juniperus virginiana: Fast-growing and dense evergreen, great screen or windbreak.Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba: Very large tree with fan-shaped leaves, slow-growing, gold color in fall, plant the male (fruit stinks).@ Go to www.heartlandtreealliance.org and click on “choose the right tree” for more inspiration.
NOT RECOMMENDED
Our experts suggest avoiding trees prone to disease, bugs and storm damage.•Ash,Fraxinus•Austrian pine, Pinus nigra•Boxelder, Acer negundo•Bradford pear, Pyrus calleryana•Cottonwood, Populus deltoides•European white birch, Betula pendula •Lombardy poplar, Populus nigra•Mimosa, Mimosa•Pin oak, Quercus palustris•Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris•Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila•Silver maple, Acer saccharinum•Silver poplar, Populus alba•Willow, Salix
Our experts suggest avoiding trees prone to disease, bugs and storm damage.•Ash,Fraxinus•Austrian pine, Pinus nigra•Boxelder, Acer negundo•Bradford pear, Pyrus calleryana•Cottonwood, Populus deltoides•European white birch, Betula pendula •Lombardy poplar, Populus nigra•Mimosa, Mimosa•Pin oak, Quercus palustris•Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris•Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila•Silver maple, Acer saccharinum•Silver poplar, Populus alba•Willow, Salix
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE: PLANT TREES
This is a special episode in FYI’s yearlong Greener Living series. We are extending the environmental call to the whole community:In October, plant a tree. Everybody.And when you do, tell us about it. What tree did you choose and why? Is it disease-resistant and drought-tolerant? Where did you place it? Send your tree story and a picture to starfyi@gmail.com along with your name, daytime telephone number and city of residence. Please include “tree” in the subject line. You could be part of our “challenge update.” To help you choose a tree and the location, foresters Kim Bomberger (left) and Helene Miller are standing by to answer questions. So before you start digging, e-mail your questions to eeveld@kcstar.com .
This is a special episode in FYI’s yearlong Greener Living series. We are extending the environmental call to the whole community:In October, plant a tree. Everybody.And when you do, tell us about it. What tree did you choose and why? Is it disease-resistant and drought-tolerant? Where did you place it? Send your tree story and a picture to starfyi@gmail.com along with your name, daytime telephone number and city of residence. Please include “tree” in the subject line. You could be part of our “challenge update.” To help you choose a tree and the location, foresters Kim Bomberger (left) and Helene Miller are standing by to answer questions. So before you start digging, e-mail your questions to eeveld@kcstar.com .
CALLING ALL LORAXES
•The Heartland Tree Alliance needs volunteers for public tree planting events with area parks departments. The next one is 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 11 at Platte Ridge Park near Platte City. Free breakfast and lunch. To register, call 816-561-1061, Ext. 110, or send e-mail to treemail@bridging thegap.org. •Get even more involved by becoming a “Tree Keeper.” Take a volunteer training class that starts Oct. 7 at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center, Blue Springs. In six two-hour classes and two field trips, learn about tree identification, urban soils and planting and pruning techniques. The fee is $25, and graduates are asked to offer 24 hours of volunteer service caring for young trees on public property. Those who complete the service get a “Tree Steward” T-shirt. To register call 816-561-1061, Ext. 110.
•The Heartland Tree Alliance needs volunteers for public tree planting events with area parks departments. The next one is 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 11 at Platte Ridge Park near Platte City. Free breakfast and lunch. To register, call 816-561-1061, Ext. 110, or send e-mail to treemail@bridging thegap.org. •Get even more involved by becoming a “Tree Keeper.” Take a volunteer training class that starts Oct. 7 at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center, Blue Springs. In six two-hour classes and two field trips, learn about tree identification, urban soils and planting and pruning techniques. The fee is $25, and graduates are asked to offer 24 hours of volunteer service caring for young trees on public property. Those who complete the service get a “Tree Steward” T-shirt. To register call 816-561-1061, Ext. 110.
CHALLENGE UPDATES
Natural lawn care At the beginning of the summer, we challenged the Solomon-Holland family of Kansas City, Kan., to a sizable checklist — techniques for environmentally friendly lawn care. “It was a good challenge for us,” said Julie Solomon, who shares lawn duties with her husband, Mark Holland. “We wanted to be better stewards outside.”Here are their results:1. Get a soil test: check. Holland said the test showed their soil had enough phosphate, so they bought an organic fertilizer that was phosphate-free and that came close to the nitrogen and potassium levels recommended by the test.2. Accurately measure the lawn: check. About 6,000 square feet.3. Fertilize organically in proper amounts: check. With the measurement, they discovered they had been using nearly twice as much fertilizer as needed.4. Maintain grass at 3 to 4 inches long: check. Adjusted lawn mower for highest cut.5. Let clippings fall back into the lawn: check.6. Don’t scalp lawn edges with a line trimmer: check. Holland held the trimmer for a vertical rather than horizontal trim.7. Spot spray, if at all, rather than broadcast herbicide: check. “It takes longer to do it that way, but it seemed to work,” he said.8. Dig weeds by hand: check. 9. Aerate lawn in September: check. Holland paid $35 to rent a core aerator for two hours. “It wasn’t a major time commitment. And it was easy.”10. Overseed in the fall: check. Accomplished over the weekend.11. Water only 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches a week, if at all: check. The wet summer helped them refrain from watering altogether.12. Get lawn mower blade sharpened every 10 hours of use: oops. It was sharpened before the season but not during. “I’m going to do better,” he said. “Although it might be like promising my dentist I’ll floss more.”Extra credit: Switch to an electric lawn mower. “No,” he said, “but I did order a Ford Escape hybrid … So that should be partial credit, right?”
Natural lawn care At the beginning of the summer, we challenged the Solomon-Holland family of Kansas City, Kan., to a sizable checklist — techniques for environmentally friendly lawn care. “It was a good challenge for us,” said Julie Solomon, who shares lawn duties with her husband, Mark Holland. “We wanted to be better stewards outside.”Here are their results:1. Get a soil test: check. Holland said the test showed their soil had enough phosphate, so they bought an organic fertilizer that was phosphate-free and that came close to the nitrogen and potassium levels recommended by the test.2. Accurately measure the lawn: check. About 6,000 square feet.3. Fertilize organically in proper amounts: check. With the measurement, they discovered they had been using nearly twice as much fertilizer as needed.4. Maintain grass at 3 to 4 inches long: check. Adjusted lawn mower for highest cut.5. Let clippings fall back into the lawn: check.6. Don’t scalp lawn edges with a line trimmer: check. Holland held the trimmer for a vertical rather than horizontal trim.7. Spot spray, if at all, rather than broadcast herbicide: check. “It takes longer to do it that way, but it seemed to work,” he said.8. Dig weeds by hand: check. 9. Aerate lawn in September: check. Holland paid $35 to rent a core aerator for two hours. “It wasn’t a major time commitment. And it was easy.”10. Overseed in the fall: check. Accomplished over the weekend.11. Water only 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches a week, if at all: check. The wet summer helped them refrain from watering altogether.12. Get lawn mower blade sharpened every 10 hours of use: oops. It was sharpened before the season but not during. “I’m going to do better,” he said. “Although it might be like promising my dentist I’ll floss more.”Extra credit: Switch to an electric lawn mower. “No,” he said, “but I did order a Ford Escape hybrid … So that should be partial credit, right?”
PROPER CARE
Got a tree or plant that looks sickly or needs maintenance but you’re not sure how to proceed? Call the Master Gardener Hotline at 816-833-8733. Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City have lots of personal experience and have completed an extensive horticulture course through the University of Missouri Extension.Calls are answered 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday through Oct. 31, then 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays only from November to February.
Got a tree or plant that looks sickly or needs maintenance but you’re not sure how to proceed? Call the Master Gardener Hotline at 816-833-8733. Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City have lots of personal experience and have completed an extensive horticulture course through the University of Missouri Extension.Calls are answered 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday through Oct. 31, then 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays only from November to February.
MORE ‘GREEN’ TREES
Serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora: Small tree with white spring flowers, summer berries that attract birds, brilliant fall color of golds and reds.Eastern redbud or Oklahoma redbud, Cercis Canadensis/Cercis canadensis texensis “Oklahoma”: Small tree with early purplish flowers, heart-shaped leaves, Oklahoma variety better in hot locations.Hedge maple, Acer campestre: Medium size, good for small lawns, yellow-green in the fall.Swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor: Large, stately shade tree, sturdy, acorns relatively small, fall colors not great.Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus: Large shade tree, new leaves tinged pink, handsome bark, large pods but fruitless variety available.Northern red oak, Quercus rubra: Very large and fairly fast-growing, sturdy, russet to red leaves in the fall.@ Go to www.heartlandtreealliance.org and click on “choose the right tree” for more recommendations.
Serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora: Small tree with white spring flowers, summer berries that attract birds, brilliant fall color of golds and reds.Eastern redbud or Oklahoma redbud, Cercis Canadensis/Cercis canadensis texensis “Oklahoma”: Small tree with early purplish flowers, heart-shaped leaves, Oklahoma variety better in hot locations.Hedge maple, Acer campestre: Medium size, good for small lawns, yellow-green in the fall.Swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor: Large, stately shade tree, sturdy, acorns relatively small, fall colors not great.Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus: Large shade tree, new leaves tinged pink, handsome bark, large pods but fruitless variety available.Northern red oak, Quercus rubra: Very large and fairly fast-growing, sturdy, russet to red leaves in the fall.@ Go to www.heartlandtreealliance.org and click on “choose the right tree” for more recommendations.
@ For more stories in our Greener Living series, go to KansasCity.com/green. Do you have a gardening question? Check out the KC Gardens page at kcgardens.kansascity.com.
Buying greener clothes Dara Sims threw herself into our green clothes-buying challenge with a few constraints: She’s taking 18 hours of college courses, working at an accounting job and serving a political internship this fall.So Sims, 25, doesn’t have bundles of time or money for shopping.“I got crazy busy this month,” she said.We challenged her to find some garments made from alternative fabrics, such as bamboo and organic cotton. She went to the Internet to save time. Searching took her to www.blankapparel.com, where she found a 100 percent organic cotton shirt for $8 and a P.E. T-shirt that was a blend of organic cotton and recycled plastic for $9. The organic cotton piece had a satiny feel she really liked and the blended shirt had a soft, vintage feel, she said.Sims also found an American Eagle shirt online that was a bamboo blend and bought it with a 20 percent-off coupon. She didn’t like the feel of it as much, “but I think it’s softening as it gets washed,” she said.We also challenged Sims to try her luck at thrift or resale shops and to put together a “clothing swap.” First, Sims did a clean sweep of her closet. She made a pile to take to a resale shop and another for the clothes swap.With a bag of jeans that were too big and some shirts and hoodies, she headed to Arizona Trading Co. in Westport. She ended up with a shirt for her brother, sold her extras and walked away with $25 cash, which nearly paid for the new tops bought online.The clothes-swap party is in the works, Sims said. At the University of Kansas, she found 10 women interested in participating. They’re planning an October swap.“They’re all into being environmental,” she said.One big lesson from the experience: Read clothes labels carefully, Sims said. The packaging might use terms such as “natural,” but check the fabric content to see if the maker used alternative fabrics and at what percentages.
$15 for $30 of Food & Drink at Thomas Restaurant
