The Emerald Ash Borer has been in the news recently because it was just spotted in Kentucky earlier this year. This exotic insect pest, thought to have originally arrived in North America in wood aboard ships coming from Asia into Great Lakes ports, was discovered in Michigan about 2002, and has been spreading into other states since then; one of the major means of dissemination is thought to be cut firewood. Homeowners have been advised to keep an eye on their ash trees for signs of an infestation, and not to plant new ash trees in light of this insect threat. But do you know how to identify an ash tree? Community members have been putting green ribbons on them, so if you see a tree marked that way, take a closer look. UK College of Agriculture Entomology professor Dr. Michael Potter also suggested that it might be helpful to put up some illustrations:
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Ash trees have compound leaves, which means that individual leaflets are grouped onto stalks. They forma leaf unit made up of smaller leaves, which is then attached to the branch. On a mature ash tree, the bark has ridges that seem to interlace in a diamond-shaped pattern, but on younger trees, the bark is smooth.Â
To go to a CSI style investigation of the Emerald Ash Borer, CLICK HERE.
Want to learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer in Kentucky? CLICK HERE.
The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh has been chosen as the site of a welcome dinner hosted by President and First Lady Obama for the G-20 Summit leaders and spouses on September 24. When Considering productive and positive ‘green’ directions for the world economy, what more appropriate, beautiful and symbolic choice of location could there be than in this large, historic Victorian glasshouse built in 1893, in an institution which has become a leader today in green building practices? The earth-sheltered Welcome Center entry, which debuted in 2005, followed the next year by a 12,000 square foot Tropical Forest Conservatory which is said to be the most energy efficient in the world, are worth a visit for long look. Anyone who has visited such greenhouses, and experienced their uplifting, refreshing and growing environment knows that the image of their lucsh space sticks well as a model for what our own garden homes can be. What an inspiration for world leaders. Subsequent summit meetings will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which was the first convention center in the world to be awarded a LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.Â
For more information about the Phipps Conservatory, and how you can visit, click HERE. Thinking about a Fall Getaway? Pittsburgh is about a 6 ½ hour drive from Lexington. The Frabel  glass exhibit is up until January.
(photo credit: VisitPittsburgh)
The Henkel Denmark landscape company sent its employees and even some contactors to work on a volunteer mission today. Crews replanted, weeded, trimmed, and hauled greenery in an effort to beautify elementary school grounds before classes begin August 12th. Click HERE for more of the story. Click HERE for a Photo Gallery taken of the crew at Glendover Elementary. You can click on the photos for a better view. It was a welcome sight to have people I’ve known for 30 years doing hard but heartwarming physical labor to improve the lanscape at Glendover. Thanks, Henkel Denmark.
If you’ve driven up Newtown Pike lately, you’re sure to have noticed the brilliant orange & yellow floral display at the Fasig-Tipton entryway.  
The Henkel Denmark landscape company gets credit for a gorgeous job of redoing the stonework as well.  As Gordon Denmark says, “the wave of color reveals itself as you approach over the hill’s crest.”  Last May,  Lisa Russell and Bart Hufnagel went to Color Point, a 15 acre wholesale greenhouse just outside of Paris, looking for a vibrant color combination and hardy, healthy plants to create a checkerboard pattern. Russell says the large marigolds they found were an outstanding choice; it took six people a day to plant them all.   Â
This month, Henkel Denmark is also employing their awesome landscaping crew to do some Back-to-School spiffin’ up around some elementary school grounds. “We wanted to give something back to the community,” says Denmark. Both men, Denmark and partner Bill Henkel, have children who have passed through local elementary schools, and appreciate the value of the educational community and the positive power of welcoming surroundings for parents and students as the school year begins. So they’re closing down Henkel Denmark offices for a day on August 6, and sending everyone out on a mission to bring flowers, mulch, and even to trim some trees, to about ten city schools, including Clay’s Mill, Julius Marks, Harrison, Booker T., Ashland, Glendover and Yates. The effort was coordinated with the school district, to assure compliance with regulations; an advance team identified specific goals for each location. Henkel Denmark’s vendors and sub-contractors also are on-board and offering help: Landscaper’s Corner is providing mulch; Pemberton Greenhouse, flowers; Community Tree Care, chipping and hauling; and Todd Kelly’s Nursery, some perennials.  Â
 The report card grade? This idea gets an  A+
I’m often overcome by the urge to slow down, look more closely at little things, and examine the natural world around me. That’s why I’m glad to hear artist Olivia Marie Braida-Chiusano is returning to The Arboretum on Alumni Drive to hold a 4-day watercolor workshop, August 23-7.
In this digital age, where images are created by machines using electronic impulses with mathematical precision, it seems an anachronism to celebrate the low-tech act of a person pulling paint across paper. Yet that is just what Olivia finds fascinating. Discovering the study of botanical art in the French court tradition set her on a course of learning, researching, creating and teaching the act of making realistic images of plants and even insects. She has visited London, and gained access to original drawings by the Viennese Bauer brothers that date from the late 1700s, and the Lindley Library to study William Hooker’s art; in Paris, her attention turned to a collection of illustrations known collectively as the Vélins du Roi, from naturalist Daniel Rabel’s early studies in the 1500s to Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s famous roses in the 1800s. You can see some of her own work at The Academy of Botanical Art. My first watercolor last year was an artichoke. This year, I hear they’re working on pears.
If You Go . . . Botanical Art in the French Court Tradition workshop, The Arboretum, 500 Alumni Dr. ; 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. daily, August 24-27; Required pre-registration (859) 257-9339. Tuition: $475, or $450 for Friends of the Arboretum, plus an $8 materials fee.
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