Earth day may be a week off, but now is the perfect time to show Mother Nature a little love. How, you ask? By proudly showing everyone just how green your thumb is (and if it’s actually green, maybe you should see a doctor). You may be a little wary about planting more foliage around, and that’s understandable. They control our oxygen supply and, if some sort of extraterrestrial being were to come to earth, they would think the trees run the show. We should plant those things anyway because running a planet is a lot of pressure and I would rather be copilot.
Alien-related facts aside, I wanted to pass along a few tips that will brighten up your home and show off the beautiful colors that nature has in her palette (which is completely biodegradable, I might add). Whether this is a recent move in or you have been at the place for years; a new, natural look will set you on a path to green livin’. Who knows? Maybe you start bringing your mug to your regular coffee spot and switch from plastic to paper? Having friends that think green will do that for you.
Brighten the yard!
In the spirit of Earth day and going green, this section is going to cover plants that are beautiful, but also incredibly useful. As I’ve covered in the past, there are certain flowers you can place around your yard to keep mosquitoes away. This is a lifesaver for people living in the Palmetto state who have a soft side of the insects. Fortunately, there are natural ways to deter them!
You can add some warm colors to your yard by putting out a pot of marigolds (the smell is repulsive to mosquitoes). Put them around a walkway to create an invisible barrier between your home’s entrance way and the outdoors. Citronella, in addition to acting as an ingredient in mosquito repellant, can add a bit more green with some varying texture. My favorite solution is to plant some lavender (the violet is soothing) or some lemon grass. After the lemon grass gets long enough, you can cut it down and make a nice tea!
Plant those trees!
To plant lots of trees, you are going to need a lot of fertilizer. If you have a handy-dandy Mobile Attic portable storage container, you have a place for all that yard equipment. There are few other things in this world as fulfilling as planting a tree on earth day. It’s like having an oxygen-supplying pal that needs way less attention and thrives on the waste you breathe out. Any who, find a nice baby tree, fresh from the nursery, and bring it home all swaddled in its root ball wraps. Find some quality fertilizer with anywhere from 12 to 30% nitrogen and a smaller amount of Phosphorus.
Nitrogen is incredibly important for the development of the tree. Dig a hole about 2 to 3 times as wide as the root ball and back fill it when the tree is in place. Stake it, water it, and put enough fertilizer so that there is 3 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. Plant an entire orchard and you never have to be lonely again!
Earth Day: To the Extreme!
This mode of operation is not for the faint of heart. It is for those of you who hold the biggest symbolic green thumb ever (again, if its literal, see a doctor) and for those of you who love mother nature with every plant fiber of your being. The well-manicured lawn is a staple image in American culture. The nice, half-inch high grass is carefully regulated by an association that does little other than send hateful letters to you in the mail. Consider stripping away all this accountability. If you have an eye for style, you can plant a garden throughout your lawn and create a beautiful nature-scape that demonstrates your fondness for nature. Not only is it beautiful, but it provides a haven for interesting critters you may otherwise miss from the weekly mowing. Keep everything ordered, but spontaneous: to capture and celebrate the beauty around us.
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