12 Worst Trees to Plant in Your Lawn
12 Worst Trees to Plant in Your Lawn by Thomas Leo Ogren12 Worst Trees to Plant in Your Lawn Tom Ogren1.Fruitless mulberry trees: roots break lawnmowers and these trees really pump out the allergenic pollen. Shade is also too deep for lawns.2.Sweetgum trees: big roots that poke out of the lawn.3.Pine trees: root problems and pollen too.4.Sycamore trees: usually grow way too large for most yards and they produce fuzz that makes people itch.5.Cedar trees: a female cedar is a nice, pollen-free...
Asthma Friendly Gardens
Asthma Friendly Gardens by Thomas Leo Ogren Asthma Friendly Gardens Tom OgrenRecent studies have shown that babies born to mothers who were exposed to high levels of pollen in their last trimester of pregnancy have a much greater chance of developing asthma. One of the main keys with asthma prevention is avoidance.When you have asthma the typical garden is not a very friendly place at all. There are mold spores to contend with and worst of all is the pollen. Typical gardens have pollen...
Horticultural Therapy
Horticultural Therapy by Thomas Leo OgrenHorticultural Therapy Thomas OgrenThe idea of using gardens and plants as tools for therapy is growing fast these days. Makes perfect sense, too. There is a great deal of evidence that working in gardens is wonderful for our mental health. The relation between our mental health and our physical health is a close one. If we feel good about ourselves, about our families, our work, our friends, often our bodies will feel stronger too. Just being in a...
Kindness to Strangers
Kindness to Strangers by Thomas Leo Ogren Kingman, ArizonaTom Ogren My son, Josh, 14 then, and I were lizard collecting in northern Arizona. It was unseasonably cold and we saw few lizards. We were off in some very remote mountains and when I stupidly tried to go where no 4 wheel drive would make it, I immediately blew out a tire on my car, an old 1988 Mazda 626. Always prepared, I discovered our jack was rusted closed, and that the spare tire was flat. We had seen no one on this deserted...
Lawns, Gophers & Moles
Lawns, Gophers & Moles by Thomas Leo OgrenLawns, Gophers & MolesThomas OgrenA few gophers can tear up a nice lawn in short order. Even if youre a complete animal lover, you wont want the gophers in your yard. After they destroy your lawn theyll start eating the roots and killing your roses, fruit trees, any attempt at a vegetable garden, the bulbs you plant and so forth. Gophers and gardening dont go together at all! The gophers got to go.I have had many run ins with gophers in my years...
MCS, Toxic Mold, Sick Building Syndrome, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
MCS, Toxic Mold, Sick Building Syndrome, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Thomas Leo OgrenMCS, Toxic Mold, Sick Building Syndrome, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Thomas OgrenOften people who suffer from undiagnosed illnesses may be experiencing multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), unusual pollen or mold reactions, food allergies, fibromyalgia, or even combinations of one or more of these.Last spring I gave a talk to a group of allergists from San Luis Obispo...
Starting Your Own Fruit Trees
Starting Your Own Fruit Trees by Thomas Leo Ogren *Note: This article first appeared in Grandiflora Magazine.Starting Your Own Fruit Trees Thomas OgrenI flat out love growing fruit trees and have been crazy about them all my life. Or at least, as much of my life as I can remember. Actually, the very first thing I can clearly recall involved fruit trees.I was about three, possibly four years old. It was a warm, lazy spring weekend and my older sisters were gone somewhere with my mom, but my...
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