Archive for March, 2009
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 31, 2009
As the Atlanta BeltLine continues to pick up the pace on its forward progress, it needs our help with its second environmental clean-up in six months! Join volunteers as we clear the BeltLine of litter and invasive plants from Freedom Parkway to DeKalb Avenue as a step towards creating a useable connection from Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward up to Piedmont Park.
- When: Saturday, April 18 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Where: The Freedom Bridge at DeKalb Avenue with lunch and music afterwards at the Water Tower area across from StudioPlex!
- Sign-up: register online now at www.KeepAtlantaBeautiful.com
- Team Leaders needed! If you’re interested in leading a group of 15-20 volunteers for the BeltLine clean-up, please email Sharron at Sharron@beltlinepartnership.org. This job would include providing instructions, reviewing safety procedures, and answering questions and possibly involved in a group that handles special tasks that come up during the clean-up.
And what should be going on at the same time but a Trees Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum planting?! So if planting trees around Atlanta is more your style that picking up trash and cutting down kudzu, then you can join Trees Atlanta, Atlanta Audubon, and EarthShare Georgia for a “Love Your BeltLine” planting! Stay tuned for more details!
It’s Our BeltLine. Do Your Part. Get Connected!
Posted in Atlanta BeltLine, Environment, Events, Trees, Volunteer | Tagged: green Atlanta, atlanta green movement, Atlanta volunteering, Atlanta BeltLine, Trees Atlanta events, Atlanta tree plantings, BeltLine arboretum, environmental stewardship, BeltLine volunteering, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Freedom Parkway | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 30, 2009
Pen and ink illustration of the stack stone column entrance to the "Little Lullwater" park in Atlanta (illustration by Rod Pittam)
Pen and ink sketch of native plants for sale
This blog post has been getting a large amount of attention lately, which I imagine is because people are looking for fall plant sales in Atlanta. This blog pertains to plant sales that happened this past spring 2009, but you can click here for Atlanta’s fall plant sales in 2009! But please feel free to keep reading about the Lullwater Garden Club!
Every year around the third Saturday in April, the Lullwater Garden Club hosts its extensive plant sale in conjunction with the Druid Hills Tour of Homes. Consisting of everything from native plants dug up from Garden Club members’ yards to store-bought Georgia annuals, it’s an imperative stop as your Atlanta or Decatur garden starts to take root this spring!
- When: Friday & Saturday, April 17th-18th from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, 19th, 2009 from 1 – 5 p.m.
- Where: 799 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30306 in Druid Hills
- What: Tons of native annual and perennial plants for bargain prices! Including irises, lenten roses, ferns, succulents, many varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, moonvines, helleborus, heirloom basil, etc.
- Why: All proceeds go to support the Lullwater Garden Club and the conservation of Lullwater Conservation Garden. So you can green your garden and help green the Lullwater garden, too! Not sure where the park is? Not to be confused with Emory’s Lullwater Park (which is also spectacular), “Little Lullwater” as we fondly call is, is located along Lullwater Road in Druid Hills, across the street from where The By Way deadends into Lullwater.
Lullwater Garden Club members volunteer to staff the table to raise money for the Lullwater Conservation Garden
The Lullwater Garden Club was founded on June 28th, 1928 by two ladies from historic Druid Hills along with 24 other local women. Always philanthropic, in 1931, they adopted the project of preserving the Lullwater Conservation Garden. Here is an excerpt from the club’s history page on their website:
The Lullwater Conservation Garden is a six and one half acre tract of land, which has been maintained by the Lullwater Garden Club since 1931. Located in historic Druid Hills, the property originally belonged to the Dan Johnson family and later to the Candler estate. In 1964, the Lullwater Garden Club purchased the garden from Emory University for $1,500.
This garden is a beautiful stretch of natural woodland between Lullwater Parkway and Lullwater Road and bisected by Lullwater Creek. The original landscape plan provided for the planting of more than one thousand trees, shrubs and bulbs. A cedar tree was planted as a permanent Christmas tree for the birds. This garden has developed into a splendid profusion of Georgia’s native trees, shrubs, flowers, and ferns.
Today, a rustic stone entrance welcomes visitors to enjoy our bird sanctuary, wildflower refuge, memorial garden, footbridges, stone benches and natural paths. The Garden is a serene “green belt” bordering a busy city. Open to the public, it is an all-encompassing project which involves all facets of garden work.
We believe that by honoring our past and by being diligent custodians of the present, we can make a difference in the future.
Posted in Events, Gardening, Parks | Tagged: green Atlanta, local atlanta parks, Decatur GA gardening, Atlanta plant sales, neighborhood plant sales, organic vegetable gardens, Lullwater Garden Club, "Little Lullwater", pen and ink illustration, Rod Pittam, Lullwater Conservation Garden, Druid Hills Tour of Homes | 1 Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 26, 2009
DeKalb County is inviting Atlanta and Decatur residents to share their opinions on the implementation of the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan, the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and the Livable Center’s Initiatives. The goal of the DeKalb County Planning & Development Department is to educate the public through a series of meetings, workshops, speaking engagements, and hearings and the next one is coming up in April (details below).
The new Comprehensive Plan is a policy document that guides future development of the county. Rezoning is a way to implement the Comprehensive Plan by putting regulations into place that will make it easier to bring recommendations into reality. The updated ordinance will also provide design controls and unique land development options for achieving the vision adopted by the county.
- When: April 16th, 2009 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
- Where: DeKalb Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030 (map it!)
- Hosted by: DeKalb County Planning and Development Department
- What: The second round of community workshops with a presentation for DeKalb citizens, including an overview of zoning and the status of the project. Preliminary recommendations will also be provided. Residents will be encouraged to give their feedback during the meetings (there will be one more community workshop after this one).
Below is an excerpt from an email sent out to our Laurel Ridge yahoo group:
Generating public awareness and creating partnerships with residents, elected officials, local agencies, businesses, educational organizations and civic associations are critical to the success of the DeKalb County Zoning Update Project.
In early December 2008, approximately 120 people attended the first series of community input workshops designed to gather input from the public on the current zoning code for DeKalb County. The first of three workshops targeting land developers and property owners was held in mid-January 2009.
The workshop gathered input from more than 60 individuals regarding the residential and commercial aspects of the code, as well as issues with actual zoning and rezoning processes.
To learn more information the public is encouraged to view the project website at www.co.dekalb.ga.us/planning/zoningCode.html. Comments may also be submitted online, and citizens may join the project mailing list to receive mailings. For more information, please contact Arthur F. Duncan at afduncan@co.dekalb.ga.us.
Posted in Community Meetings, Environment, Transportation | Tagged: Atlanta transportation initiatives, community input, Community Meetings, Comprehensive Transportation Plan, DeKalb County developments, DeKalb planning and development, DeKalb rezoning | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 24, 2009
Cruger, Jenny, and Kimberly running beside the Parks on Ponce de Leon in the 2008 ING Georgia Marathon
Probably a lot, actually, but I’ll be doing my part to leave the car at home and take to the Atlanta streets this Sunday morning, along with 15,000 other runners and walkers! The wee hours of March 29th, 2009 will usher in the third annual ING Georgia Marathon and, while this is exciting for thousands of runners and spectators, running 26.2 miles isn’t always convenient. Which is why I’ve provided links to the list of road closures as well as the course map for ING Georgia Marathon.
The marathon and half-marathon run through some of Atlanta’s most beautiful and historic intown neighborhoods as well as Piedmont Park! And all along the course, Atlanta and Decatur residents come out to cheer on runners. ING coordinates special Cheering Zones to encourage neighborhoods to show their support and pride – and compete for prize money to fund fitness programs in their own communities. The three prizes award $5,000, $2,500, and $1,250 to the most enthusiastic organizations.
The following Atlanta and Decatur neighborhoods participated last year, so if you live in these areas, look for them to possibly be out there again!
|
Mile
|
Sponsoring Organization
|
Location
|
|
0.5
|
Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association |
Marietta St @ Broad St |
|
4
|
NPU-M/Fourth Ward Neighbors Association |
Randolph @ Edgewood |
|
5
|
NPU-N/Inman Park Neighborhood Association |
Euclid @ Hurt |
|
6.5
|
Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association |
Freedom Pkway @ N. Highland |
|
8
|
Candler Park Neighborhood Association |
Candler Park Dr @ McLendon |
|
12.5
|
City of Decatur |
Fellini’s Pizza on Commerce |
|
16
|
Druid Hills Civic Association |
N. Decatur @ Dowman |
|
21.5
|
Atkins Park & Virginia-Highland Neighborhood Associations |
Virginia Avenue @ Park Drive |
And see you on Sunday!!!
Posted in Be Active!, Events | Tagged: Atlanta marathon road closures, ING Georgia Marathon, intown Atlanta, Piedmont Park, running in Atlanta GA, running in Decatur GA | 1 Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 24, 2009
Another planting by Trees Atlanta on Cleburne Terrace in Poncey-Highland
Arnold loves the new trees and will be sure to keep them well hydrated in the Georgia drought
“Another tree planting by Trees Atlanta” – this time right next to my office at the zac team! Trees Atlanta has been planting a few dozen trees in the area of Ponce de Leon and North Highland Avenue, most recently on Cleburne Terrace that runs between the Majestic Diner and the zac team. We like to take a quick break from work from time to time to walk Zac’s dog (and our team mascot), the beagle Arnold. He likes the trees, too.
Trees Atlanta is a local organization that is dedicated to “improving our urban environment by planting & conserving trees.” You can volunteer with them every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (with additional volunteer opportunites available, too), just check out the Trees Atlanta website and sign up for Susan Pierce’s weekly email with updates!
Posted in Trees, Volunteer | Tagged: green Atlanta, volunteer atlanta, Trees Atlanta events, Atlanta tree plantings, environmental stewardship, going green Atlanta, the zac team, Poncey-Highland | 1 Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 23, 2009
Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market in Decatur invites you out for a Compost Awareness Week Event!
- When: May 9th, 2009 from 9:00am – 1:00pm
- Where: 3000 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030
Keep DeKalb Beautiful, in partnership with DeKalb County Extension Service and their Master Gardener Program, will host a compost demonstration workshop to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week. Composting transforms landscape trimmings, fruit and vegetable scraps into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil amendment. This practice saves landfill space, conserves natural resources, and improves soil quality. Event attendees can receive Master Gardener advice, free compost bins, vegetable transplants, and enter a drawing to receive a rain barrel! For more information, call 404-371-2654 or email kdb@co.dekalb.ga.us
Posted in Events, Gardening | Tagged: Compost Awareness Week, composting, DeKalb County Extension Service, DeKalb Farmers Market, Keep DeKalb Beautiful, master gardner, rain barrels, soil amendment | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 22, 2009
Yesterday, our Decatur neighbors held the first meeting to begin planning for this year’s Medlock Area Garden Tour. The Medlock Area Garden Tour committee will plan the Decatur garden tour that will take place this summer. Last year’s garden tour, the first in the Medlock area, was a huge success and hopes are high that this year’s garden tour will be even more spectacular. If you are interested in joining the Medlock Area Garden Tour committee, helping with the event, or would like to have the opportunity of displaying your garden, please contact Linda Roberts at 404-633-6680 or lr1518@att.com.
Are you involved in the planning or have more info? I’d love to hear from you! Thanks!
Posted in Events, Gardening | Tagged: Decatur GA garden tours, Decatur GA gardening, Decatur GA parks, Medlock Area Garden Tour, Medlock Park Decatur Georgia, Medlock Park Neighborhood Association, Medlock Park summer events | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Our Green Atlanta on March 20, 2009
In my war against invaders, the front line is clear. The weeds may win the battle, but I'll win the war.
Ahh!… spring arrived today, the days are getting longer, and the time has sprung forward to shed a whole new light on my yard. I love spring for all the little buds and new growth that start to appear, but every year it seems like one day I turn around and realize that my yard and garden beds are exploding with unwanted guests – weeds. I would like to find a way to handle this pesky annual issue without the use of chemicals which, I’ve realized, is pretty labor intensive no matter how you approach it.
The way I figure, if I can just spend 15 minutes a day pulling weeds, it’s can’t take me that long to cross from one end of the yard to the other – and then start over again. Right? But what gardener can spend just 15 minutes outside in the dirt? Not this one. Yesterday, I set out with my garden shoes on and all good intentions to just spend a few minutes rescuing my poor mondo grass from choking to death. And what embodies weeding without chemicals more than intimately plucking every thin weedy hair by its roots?
As much as I love the smell of dirt and feeling at one with my garden, I looked up other ways to go about weeding without chemicals. Here are the suggestions I found from various websites:
- Newspaper. Surround your plants with a layer of newsprint and a thin layer of mulch. The paper will keep the weeds down and worms will do the rest.
- Plastic sheeting. A local hardware store’s gardening section will have a selection of large plastic liners that you can use in your flower beds to seal out weeds. Just dig out the bed, put down the liner, and cover with dirt and plants. This works great, but is generally more helpful with a new flower bed. And not so helpful after several years when the lining tears and the weeds start coming through anyway.
- Recycle your fall leaves and grass clippings! Take your raked-up leaves (and mulch them a bit with the lawnmower) and / or your grass clippings and put them to work as mulch. Saves you money and uses resources you already have in your yard.
- Garden hoes. You can get a variety of garden hoes at the hardware store that you can use to take swings at young weeds that haven’t taken a deep root yet. It will either cut them down or release them from their tenuous grasp on the dirt.
- Hand tools. A good weeding fork can be worth its weight in gold. I thought it was a little silly when my mom got me one a couple of years ago, but I don’t know how I would do without it now. I know that the dandelions would certainly win if not for my ability to pull up their deep roots with the little split fork.
If you have more suggestions for weeding without chemicals, please let me know! My yard is pretty established so far, which limits me in the amount of havoc I can wreak with hoes and tools and mostly leaves me with my bare hands, so if anyone has suggestions for weeding large areas of yard, I welcome them!
Posted in Gardening | Tagged: garden mulch, newspaper in gardens, weeding garden beds, weeding without chemicals | Leave a Comment »
