Beautification
Beautification Department Mission Statement
The Beautification Department oversees the gardens, trees, shrubs, and barrels within the confines of the town owned properties. One exception being the barrels located on privately owned commercial property. The department also provides support to the senior's vegetable and herb garden that is located at the East Fishkill Community Center. It gets involved with indoor and outdoor seasonal decorating. It also maintains this webpage for the public to share and stay informed on environmental issues. It is the wish of this department to improve the quality of others by providing pleasing visual stimuli.
Beautification Department Vision Statement
The department has a desire for the town to become a Tree City USA participant. It also would like to provide the community with superior gardens by developing four-season appeal in the perennial beds.
Horticulture Hedge
A place to share and discuss horticulture, ecology, and environmental issues. Horticulture is the art and science of the cultivation or raising of plants. The Beautification Department is focusing on native ecology. When speaking of ecology, native or indigenous means species present by nature not introduced or foreign. The New England Wild Flower Society says, "native is broadly defined as a plant having occurred before European settlement in North America."
Quote from the Hedge
"There is no perfect gardening practice so keep practicing your gardening!"
Vegetable Gardening
Selected List of Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners in New York State 2008
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/vegetables/vegvar.pdf (PDF)
Lawn Care
Homeowners Lawn Care Water Quality Almanac
Article on recommended fertilizer for lawn
Hedge Discussion
Is native important?
Before answering this, here are some things to consider:
NEWFS - Bring Native Plants Into Your Landscape
NEWFS - Why Grow Native Plants
Book: Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens written by Douglas W. Tallamy
Why plant rain gardens?
One online source Wikepedia states that a rain garden is "a planted depression that is designed to absorb rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, and compacted lawn areas." The source continues to tell us that, "this reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater to soak into the ground as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater."
Here is some information pertaining to rain gardening......
Link to Prince George's County MD
Link to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Rain Garden
Link to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Rain Garden Manual (PDF)
UConn Cooperative Extension System: Rain Gardens (PDF)
New York State Stormwater Management go to Chapter 9 pages 9 - 15
Please email comments about any of the above discussion topics and if they are noteworthy they will be posted.
Hedge Advice
What is up with volcano mulching?
While traveling around the area there have been several volcano-mulching sightings. The practice can eventually kill the plant that it is supposedly protecting. This is a review of safe mulching:
1. Know the source - mulch can be a cause of pests and diseases
2. Use soy based ink newspaper as first layer (around 5 sheets thick) for additional weed barrier - paper will eventually breakdown
3. Pile mulch 2 - 4 inches high - allows for better water retention so soil does not dry out so easily
4. Cover entire root ball or drip line surface whichever is wider, spread out evenly
5. Never let the mulch touch the trunk (stem), allow *3 - 4 inches of space (*depends on size - the smaller the plant the less room needed and visa versa) - touching allows the tree trunk or plant to rot or become diseased - it's just asking for trouble
UFL Volcano Mulch (PDF)
Pest Management: Invasive Species
This is a list of highly invasive species. These species are foreign and take away vital space for our native plants to thrive. Some have the capacity to take over and smoother very large areas. These invasive's lack the support that our native plants can offer our native insects and wildlife.
Plants to watch out for are kudzu (Pueraria lobata), mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).
The next three listed here are commonly sold and planted in our area: barberry bush (Berberis thunbergii), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), Norway maple (Acer platanoides).
Please consider using alternatives native plants instead. Click Here (PDF) for alternative choices, go to page 31 "Invasive Species".
The following link explains the invasive behavior of these three plants:
NH Agriculture Document (PDF)
Here is another foreign plant species that exhibits highly invasive behavior the Pyrus calleryana. Better know as the cultivar Bradford Pear. This tree has invaded the wild and is currently being studied. Please consider planting a native plant in its place. Such as, Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus), Green Hawthorn (Cratagus viridis) or Two-Winged Silverbell (Halesia diptera var. magniflora).
Mile-a-Minute vine was found in Lagrange this past summer (2007) so there is a threat that it will be creeping into East Fishkill in the near future. This invasive plant spreads by seeds. Animals eat the berries from the plants that contain the seeds. The seeds pass through the animal's body so he deposits them while traveling. Another way this plant invades other areas is via water. Seeds flow with the current of the streams, creeks and rivers so there is no telling how far they will journey. There was an effort to eradicate this species from Lagrange. Click on the following link and scroll down to the section that reads, "SOME WORDS FROM A WEARY VINE PULLER..." to get further information: CCEDC Dutchess Dirt Gardening Newsletter
Click here for the Fishkill Creek Watershed Mile-a-Minute Vine Brochure
Mile-a-Minute Picture:
Pest Management: Invasive Insects
These invasive insects are already in the Hudson Valley:
Elongate Hemlock Scale feeds on spruces, firs, and Taxus,
These invasive insects are headed towards the Hudson Valley:
Hedge Calendar & Events
Gathering:
The EF Garden Club meets at the EF Library once a month either Saturday mornings 10:30 AM or Tuesday evenings 7:30 PM. Check the library's webpage for the up to date web calendar.
For Gardening Links Click Here For Gardening Book List Click Here
See Pictures of Senior's Garden Event See Pictures of a Community Service Project
See Pictures of Arbor Day & GS Silver Award Service Project