Lower Mac Community Center Hosts Green Gardening Workshop and Native Plant Sale

Lower Macungie Township's Environmental Advisory Council held a "Green Gardening Workshop and Native Plant Sale" at the township's community center on April 2  with presentations by organic gardening guru Mike McGrath, Penn State Master Gardener Carolyn Lidie, Parkland Nurseries landscape architect Stacey Nash, Edge of the Woods Nursery owner Susan Tantsits and Kutztown University biology professor Christopher Sacchi.

McGrath, host of the nationally syndicated Public Radio show "You Bet Your Garden" and former editor-in-chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine, entertained the audience with tips on how to "Get Your Lawn off Drugs." The best advice, he says, is to leave your lawn alone.

"If you're on the four-step lawn program for your lawn then you really need to be on a 12-step program," McGrath said. "That's two steps too many. Look to nature. Plants do know how to take care of themselves."

McGrath's advice is to plant grass seed between August 15 and September 15. That gives the new shoots plenty of time to develop a good root system before the next hot summer. Another tip is to use a mulching lawn mower to put the grass clippings right back on the lawn.

"It's the perfect food for your lawn," he says. "The clippings are nitrogen rich."

If you must use fertilizer, he advocates corn gluten meal, a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers. But don't fertilize at all in the summer months.

"Grasses hate hot weather," he insists. "They're used to the moderate weather in England and Ireland, not like the summer like we just had. And don't cut your grass shorter than three inches in the sun and three and a half inches in the shade. One of the most valued tools of the gardener is the ruler--get down and measure it."

During the Q&A session, McGrath talked about how getting rid of garden pests like squirrels can be a challenge.

"Squirrels are evil," McGrath said. "They live only to aggravate you. That's their chief amusement in life. Get yourself a motion activated sprinkler. There's nothing that won't react to a couple of cups of cold water."

Chris Sacchi and Stacey Nash talked about choosing the right native plants to attract wildlife and enhance your landscape while Susan Tantsits presented "What's so Invasive about Non-Native Plants?" Carolyn Lidie spoke on "Trees: A Magnificent Botanical Structure."

Vendors for the workshop included the Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley, the Lower Macungie Garden Club and Historical Society, the Lehigh Valley Food Co-op, Parkland Nurseries, Edge of the Wood Native Plant Nursery and Suyundalla Farms. Boy Scout Troop 31 and Cub Scout Pack 31 provided food and beverages for the event.