Newcastle Middle School, Kelley's Sprinkler and Landscaping Inc. installed a 12 zone Rainbird Water Sprinkler System. 

Kelley's Sprinkler and Landscaping Inc. installed a 15 zone Rainbird Water Sprinkler System for Dr. Ellison. and his neighbor Carter Law Firm.  I went by today and their lawn still looks great!

Rose Hips are a natural source of Vitamin C filled with the laden fruit of the rose.  Just a handful of rose hips can provide the vitamin C value of 60 oranges.  The best time to pick your rose hips is in early fall when the petals fall off the rose.  The rose hip should be scarlet red.  The rose hip was the sole source of vitamin C during World War 11. 

1.) Wash the rose hips, then chill to in activate the enzymes which might cause vitamin loss.

2.) Trim the hips with a pair of sharp scissors removing them from the stem.

3.) Use a stainless steel pot.

4.) Cook quickly in a covered pan.

Let the hips simmer 15 minutes.  Let it stand in a pottery bowl for 24 hours.

Strain off the extracts, bring it to a boil, add two tablespoons of lemon juice, pour into jars, and seal.  You can add the extract to your recipes.  They have a fruity and spicy flavor.

The well -managed lawn will stand the midsummer strain of great midday heat and little water with surprising success.  Again, it is a matter of having a lawn with deep roots.  During periods of drought, it is better to not water at all than to sprinkle lightly.  Water once a week, soaking the soil to a minimum depth of four inches.  If you don't have enough water to maintain this program, it is better not to water at all.  The deeper the water penetrates, the better the roots develop.  A healthy, sturdy system of roots gets full food value from the surrounding soil by penetrating as deeply as possible.  Shallow sprinkling forces the roots to spread out near the top of the soil where they will later be baked by the hot summer sun and rendered unable to withstand drought.  Watering should be planned according to the type of soil.  Light soil needs more water because they drain readily.  Heavy, clay soils obviously need less water.

Sandy soil is composed of large, irregular particles that permit water to enter between them and pass through the soil so rapidly that it dries out quickly.  Sandy soils are quite susceptible to leaching.  The addition of organic matter is especially important in improving the structure of sandy soils.  In this flowering bed I added mulch to trap the moisture to stop the water from evaporating so quickly.

Roses planted too close to buildings or fences, where air does not circulate freely through their canes, are subject to mildew.  It is best to provide support for climbers that are intended to decorate buildings or walls. They should be planted at least three feet from a house or wall.  The best time to plant roses is in the fall or spring. 

Roses need plenty of watering and best to water in the morning so water isn't left to stand on them over night causing them to mildew.  Water the root system and not the leaves.   Roses are pruned in the spring when new shoots are about 1/4 inch long.  Dead wood and all wood with brown, dried or shriveled bark is trimmed off first. 

Here are some of the better known and more easily grown rock garden plants.

The bellflower should be in every rock garden it blooms from June to October.  It bears violet blue or white cups of ten inch stems. 

The Columbine is a hardy perennial with nodding white, red, yellow or blue flowers that bloom in May and June.

The dwarf geranium has red or pink flowers and blooms from May to August.

In making a seedbed the gardener uses a rake to pulverize his soil.  It is necessary to have the soil finely textured so that small seeds such as those of lawn grasses or flowers, will make maximum contact with the soil particles and be helped to germinate.  Raking breaks up the clods and smooths the seedbed. It also conserves soil moisture by making a blanket of particles that prevents its escape.  It aids the decomposition of organic materials that supply plant food and kill weed seedlings.  Finally raking encourages roots to develop rapidly, strongly and deeply.  Soil in good tilth, amply supplied with organic matter, is the easiest to crumble and pulverize.  Always keep your steel-tooth rake sharpened, and work backwards so that you do not walk over and compact the raked areas.  Rule number one, never rake when the soil is wet, or it will damage its structure. 

Soil organic matter is a mixture of naturally occurring materials, including plant and animal remains.  It is the product of decay processes that are continuously occurring.  It's nature's way of cleaning the environment. The type of vegetation, the nature of the soil population, drainage, rainfall, temperature, and management, all affects the kind and amount of the organic matter. A soil developed under deciduous forest in a cool humid climate obtains most of its organic matter from the leaf fall on its surface, and the organic matter is concentrated in the upper few inches of the soil.  A grass/prairie soil receives residues from a large mass of fibrous roots and has fairly uniform distribution of organic matter to a considerable depth.  Little organic matter is found in arid soils where vegetation is sparse, because the raw materials are lacking.  Organic matter has been called the storehouse of nutrients.  It is vital to soil because it improves the tilth, structure and water holding capacity of the soil, aids is nitrogen fixation, makes nutrients available to plants, and helps to control soilborne plant disease

The potential for reuse of household water for garden irrigation is great.  Of all the water used in an average home, 55 to 60 percent is classified as greywater, while 40 to 45 percent is listed as blackwater.  Blackwater is toilet water is best not to use it.  However, treatment and reuse of greywater is possible.  Greywater comes from the kitchen, laundry, shower and bath.   It contains grease, food particles, soaps, detergents, hair, dead skin, bacteria and viruses and anything else that goes down the drain.  The main concern about using greywater is the possible health effects on plants and human life.