Welcome
to Hamlen's
Helping Hand!
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5th
Newsletter of 2009
Computer
Landscape Design Seminar
Wondering how to landscape your home? Have the expertise of
a landscape designer help you turn your dream design into
a workable plan. This 30 minute session is only $25.
Nursery
Stock "Blow Out" Sale
Visit us for great pricing on remaining nursery stock.
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Visit
us at Hamlen’s. Enjoy browsing through our garden
center. Take a look at all the new items for 2009
including our selection of decorative garden gazebos.
Our
friendly staff will be glad to answer your gardening
questions and help you select just the items you need.
Come and discover wonderful ideas for creating an
inviting and relaxing garden environment inside and
outside your home.
|
 The
1818 Rachel Hamlen homestead is looking for a new owner! Rachel’s
lovely vintage home on St. Albans Road would be the perfect
location and fit for a family, a cozy B&B, or an ice cream
parlor/café restaurant. Interested? Give Dave a call
at Hamlen’s (802) 868-4255.
Address: 165 ST. Albans Rd., Swanton, VT.
05488
| Why
Corn Gluten On Your Lawn? |
Here
at Hamlen’s Garden Center we’re always looking
for safer and natural alternatives for weed killers (herbicides).
The discovery of corn gluten as a herbicide was made by
Dr. Christian from Iowa State University back in 1985 and
has since been made available through a number of natural
garden products.
Corn Gluten meal,
when used as directed, is a natural pre-emergent weed control
used in turfgrass, that reduces germination of many broadleaf
and grass weeds and will not harm beneficial insects, soil
organisms, pond or stream life. It is also safe around pets
and children.
Since corn gluten
kills only the roots of sprouting seeds, it can be used
around transplants and established vegetables, flowers,
fruit, shrubs and lawns. It can be used even up to the day
of harvest. Once vegetable or flower seedlings have true
leaves, it is then safe to apply corn gluten.
•
Corn gluten works on seeds, not established plants. It will
not kill a dandelion plant.
• It has reduced crabgrass by 86% the first year and
98% the second year provided recommended rates are applied
in both spring and fall. Dandelion infestations were reduced
100% in plots treated for four years in spring and fall.
• Plants tested to date for susceptibility = 23 and
include: barnyard grass, smooth crabgrass, curly dock, green
& yellow, black nightshade, orchard grass, shattercane,
purslane, wooly cupgrass, giant foxtail, lambsquarters,
buckhorn, quackgrass, velvetleaf, annual bluegrass, dandelions,
creeping bentgrass, black medic, redroot pigweed, catchweed
bedstraw, and other common garden weeds.
• Corn gluten lasts 5-6 weeks. There is no carryover.
After this time seeds can be planted in treated areas without
being affected. Late summer and early fall is a good time
to apply it.
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Top]
| Trees
Essential To Our Quality Of Life |
 Most
people would agree that trees are essential to mankind’s
quality of life, culturally, spiritually and recreationally.
Upon deeper reflection, the existence of human life itself
is literally dependent upon the existence of trees.
Consider for a moment the wide extent of
products and services provided by trees. Products such as
timber, fruit, medicine, beverages, fodder. Add to that
the vast array of services that only trees can provide,
including beautification, shade, erosion control, soil fertility
and carbon sequestration.
Culturally, the importance of forests can
not be overestimated. More than one billion people depend
on forests for their income and livelihood. Indeed, the
very survival of many indigenous and traditional cultures
are integrally linked to the forest.
Spiritually, the rich symbolism of forests
and trees have played a significant role in most of the
world’s major religions. The earth and heavens are
symbolically linked by trees, which in many traditions also
provide a home to the spirits, and to the souls of ancestors.
Our twenty-first century western society continues to find
spiritual solace in nature.
Modern societies also rely on our forests recreationally,
as outlets for physical fitness, health and wellbeing.
As Al
Gore states in his book Earth in the Balance, “The
symbolism… of planting a tree has universal power
in every culture and every society on Earth…."
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Top]
TWO
LITTLE OLD LADIES
Two
little old ladies, Phyllis and Olivia, were sitting on a
park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show
was in progress.
Olivia
leaned over and said, “Life is so darned boring. We
never have any fun anymore. For $10 I’d take my clothes
off and streak through that flower show!”
“You’re
on!” said Phyllis, holding up a $10 bill. The first
little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes
and, completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady
can) through the front door of the flower show.
Waiting
outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the
hall, followed by loud applause and shrill whistling. The
smiling and naked Olivia came through the exit door surrounded
by a cheering crowd.
“What
happened?” asked her waiting friend.
“I
won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement!”
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to Top]
"A
society grows great when old men plant trees
whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
Greek proverb
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to Top]
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