Classy Hummingbird Feeder
Hummingbirds are on their way! Check out this Hayes Avant Yarde Mini Window Hummingbird Feeder. It’s decorative and a lot cooler than your average hummingbird feeder. It looks great even if there are not birds on it. Welcome your hummingbirds with style! $7.49 is what it costs… 
Sunday ~ March 03, 2008 by kswanson56 Posted in Garden Sculpture, Gardening Gifts for Women, Gardening Lifestyle | 4 Comments
Brill Razorcut 38 reel mower. You push, it mows!
Looks like Brill has updated the design of their German made reel mowers with the introduction of the Razorcut 38 push mower. I, for one, am glad that they changed the name from Luxus 38 to Razorcut 38. I don’t know how many times I heard people call the old one the “Lexus.” The Brill Razorcut has an updated handle design that is stiffer, and nicer looking. They also added a “spoiler” along the back side that does a little bit better job of preventing grass from getting on your shoes when you are pushing the mower. You can add a grasscatcher to it, if you want. But if you do, be sure to compost the grass clippings! Don’t throw them into the landfill. 5 blades. Weighs just 17 pounds. Has a 15 1/2″ wide cut. Goes from .75 inches to just under 2 inches for the maximum cut. The Brill Razorcut 38 reel mower is available from Clean Air Gardening.
Wednesday ~ January 01, 2008 by Ulrich Posted in Garden Tools | Add Your Comments
The Garden Insect DVD
“Son, what’s this one? Should I kill it?” “No Dad. That’s a Patagonian whooping caterpillar…they kill mosquitoes and find truffles. People pay good money for these” “Oh …How ‘bout this one? “That’s the dog, Dad. Not an insect,” “Are you sure? He looks kinda shifty…” “Yeah…See, the collar? That’s our phone number there…it’s a dead giveaway” “That’s our old number…that’s why I thought….” “Trust me” I think he’s just getting revenge on me. If you don’t have a entomologist for a son, or just don’t trust the little monster this DVD could help. It’s 50 minutes long and was made by filmmaker who also is a organic gardener. It teaches you which bugs are which and which ones are helpful and which ones will eat your socks. The Garden Insect DVD is available from Clean Air Gardening for $24.99
My kid knows everything about bugs. It’s my fault really; when he was just a toddler I used to tell him that whales were insects and giraffes lived in the ocean and all sorts of nonsense. I never expected him to believe this stuff but when he started school and found out I’d been messing with his head he set out to find his own answers rather than asking me. Well, it’s paid off because now when I come across some insect in the back yard I just drag him away from the video games and get him to identify it
Sunday ~ January 01, 2008 by Steve W Posted in Garden Tools, Natural Pesticides and Fertilizers, Organic Gardening, Outdoors | 1 Comment
Squirrel-Flipping Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
What we have here is what looks like an ordinary innocent bird feeder. But hidden within the thing is a rechargeable NICAD powered motor and a pressure switch set to trigger when anything heavier than a bird lights on it; a cat, a squirrel…whatever. The perch then spins to send the intruder flying. In addition, it’s a darn fine bird feeder. It sports a polycarbonate tube, a powder coated cap, and holds 5 lbs of squirrel tempting seed. The Squirrel Flipping Bird Feeder is available at Clean Air Gardening for $92.99. 
Honestly, who wouldn’t like to watch squirrels being thrown through the air by a motorized bird feeder? I want to meet the people who thought this up; seriously, they’re my kind of folk.
Tuesday ~ January 01, 2008 by Steve W Posted in Outdoors | Add Your Comments
Copper Rooster Weather Vane
If you are in need of a saner weather vane, the folks at Clean Air Gardening have something a tad more practical. It’s the classic rooster style, made out of copper and doesn’t require a crane to put it in place and $20,000 dollars to get it into a presentable condition. The Copper Rooster Weather Vane is available for $270.99 from Clean Air Gardening.
In Whitehorse, in the Yucatan, there exists the largest weather vane in the world. It’s a decommissioned DC-3 cargo plane from WWII. In 1981 a group of people who probably need additional job responsibilities restored the nine ton warbird and then hoisted it up on a pole so the pilots landing at the Whitehorse airport could tell the wind direction. Seriously. Supposedly it only takes a 5 knot wind to make it turn.
Friday ~ January 01, 2008 by Steve W Posted in Garden Sculpture, Outdoors | Add Your Comments
The Trade Wind Poly-Wood Double Rocker
A lot of people are in this situation and there are options; Personally, I’m going to be getting her a double rocker. Now, it may look just like the ones you find at those down home restaurant and gift shops that seemed to have replaced the chain of blue roofed pecan places we had as kids. But here’s the difference; these are made out of polywood. Polywood is an engineered material made from recycled milk jugs that can be used like wood in furniture building but will resist any type of adverse weather situation you can think of…well anything you could encounter and still be worried about your outdoor furniture. The Trade Wind Poly-Wood Double Rocker is available for $479.99 from Clean Air Gardening. 
When I was looking for a house, my wife had one request; she wanted a front porch. It wasn’t until after I got her the house, with the porch, that I realized that what she really wanted a porch swing like she had growing up. The problem was the porch cover that we would have to attach the swing to had been covered with vinyl siding. There wasn’t going to be a porch swing without a lot of work.
Thursday ~ January 01, 2008 by Steve W Posted in Garden Furniture | Add Your Comments
Aloe Vera
One thing that I can say for certain is that I’ve always liked the plants. They are so easy to care for that even I can’t kill one and will grow anywhere that’s relatively frost free. Aloe Vera plants are available cactusstore.com in a variety of sizes
When I was in high school I had a friend who worked late nights in a donut shop (which explains why my doctor was always after me to lose 10 or 100 pounds or so). They kept Aloe Vera gel in the cooler to use on burns from the fryer and swore by it. Now, the science is inconclusive and I’m not going to say whether or not it works but people in its native North Africa have been using it for medicinal purposes forever. Of course, people have been saying that Chihuahua dogs will cure asthma for a long time too….
Sunday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Houseplants | Add Your Comments
Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytraps are found in nitrogen poor environments (such as bogs) of if you prefer to not slog around in bogs looking for carnivorous plants they are available from California Carnivores for $7.95. And you thought all those folks out on the west coast were vegetarians.
What better way to get your kid interested in plants; a plant that eats stuff. I had one of these when I was a kid and it was great fun. Venus Flytraps are a native plant of the Carolinas; and actually trap and eat insects unlucky enough to land on them. The trap portion actually secretes mucilage and when something touches the hairs along the edge they snap shut, shutting tighter the more the unfortunate victim struggles; eventually creating a hermetically sealed “stomach” that digests the prey over 10 days.
Friday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Houseplants, Kids, Natural Pesticides and Fertilizers | Add Your Comments
Cedar Adirondack Chair
This more modern chair is made from naturally weather resistant red cedar and features more of a curved back and contoured seat than the originals did. Cedar makes a great wood for outdoor furniture and will turn silver over time with exposure to the weather (or optionally I suppose you could use a coat of clear over it to keep its original coloration. The Cedar Adirondack Chair is available from Clean Air Gardening for $169.99.
In 1903 Thomas Lee was on vacation in Westport, New York, and need some outdoor chairs for his summer home. His now famous design originally consisted of 11 pieces of wood, cut from one board. He showed to a carpenter friend, Harry Bunnell, who patented the design and made the chairs for next 20 years.
Wednesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Furniture | Add Your Comments
Last minute gardening gifts that ship quickly
So here it is, with less than a week left before Christmas. You’re still browsing blogs looking for ideas and haven’t even ordered anything yet. I feel your pain! It’s not to late to order something online, and still have it in time for Christmas. Clean Air Gardening just announced on their blog that they created an entire section of quick shipping gardening gifts. These products are in stock, ship out the same day or the next day, and have options for shipping 2nd Day or Overnight. There are more than 60 different gardening gift items to choose from. Check it out! Clean Air Gardening Quick Shipping Gift section. Those are just 4 ideas. There are more than 60 to choose from.
Stainless steel gardening tools, with carrying bag. $39.99
The Trake. Trowel? Rake? Both! $16.99.
Stainless steel compost pail. $39.99
Wednesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Ulrich Posted in Gardening Lifestyle | Add Your Comments
Aerogrow Indoor Kitchen Garden
Know any cooks who love to use fresh herbs, or love preparing fresh salads? Well, the Aerogrow Indoor Kitchen Garden is the perfect gift for them! The AeroGarden does all the work. No tools. No dirt. Just results: Delicious fresh salad greens, gourmet herbs, cherry tomatoes and even chili peppers, crisp and close-by as you cook. The computerized “Smart Garden” technology means that it doesn’t take any gardening skill to grow. A timer automatically turns the lights on and off so that the plants get enough light. A built-in reminder system tells you when to add more water or more nutrients. It’s so easy that it only takes 5 to 15 minutes a month to grow, depending on which plant you are growing. You need to occasionally add water, drop in two nutrient tablets and provide minimal tending. Most of your time will be spent harvesting! The Aerogrow has the footprint of a breadbox and is conveniently sized to fit under most kitchen cabinets. It measures 16 inches wide by 10 1/2 inches deep by 15 1/2 inches tall at the lowest setting, and 21 inches tall at the highest setting. The Aerogrow indoor kitchen garden. $139.99 at Clean Air Gardening.
Tuesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Ulrich Posted in Container Gardening | Add Your Comments
Steam Punk Rain Gauge
But it’s moved beyond the realm of fiction literature. People are remaking modern equipment such as home computers and TVs with lots of ornate brass and wood work to give the overall effect of steam powered Victorian era contraptions put together by some mad scientist. Along those same lines we have Jeffersonian Steampunk Rain Gauge. This 31” tall contraption made out of glass and brass not only gives you that quaint Stempunk look in your garden but it’s actually a functioning rain gauge; and it even has a lifetime guarantee. The rain gauge is available from Clean Air Gardening for $159.99 
Steam Punk, it’s what all the cool kids are doing these days. The term came from a parody of cyber punk and originated in the fiction works of authors such as K. W. Jeter and Tim Powers. Those authors themselves derived a great deal from HG Wells.
Tuesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Sculpture, Garden Tools | Add Your Comments
Four-Tier Solar Fountain
Not everyone can live near a waterfall, so we created fountains and since traditional fountains require an outside energy source mankind has progressed to solar. This solar fountain stands and consists of four bowls; each pouring continually into the next. The fountain is made out of resin, plastic and aluminum. Now you can plug it into the wall, if you need it to work in a dark area, but where’s the fun in that. The Four-Tier Solar Fountain is available from Gardeners Supply for $139.00
It’s solar; it’s a fountain…what’s not love. Ordinary garden sculpture just lies there doing nothing; even the more interesting ones eventually get to the point where I just don’t notice they are there anymore. But fountains aren’t like that. Something in our primitive programming attracts us to flowing water. It’s a survival instinct that in one time encouraged us to find sources of fresh flowing water but just seems to soothe and calm us. It seems to me it’s nature’s way of telling us we’re home.
Tuesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Ponds and Water Features | 1 Comment
The Aluminum Can Crusher
The upshot of this is that I find myself swimming in aluminum cans pretty much constantly. Oh we have special trash cans for the recycled cans; but by the end of the week the cans just roll off the over full receptacle and onto the ground. But there is a better way. This nifty little gadget seems to be just the thing. You put the can in, pull the handle and squishes it flat. It then dumps it into its own container. You’re on your own when it comes to getting it out to the recycling bin. The Aluminum Can Crusher is available from Clean Air Gardening for $79.99
They say the body is 60 percent water. Having grown up shuffled between home where the water was a none-too tasty municipal concoction and my grandparents who lived in a city in Arkansas quite literally named after its horrible tasting mineral water I got out of the habit of drinking the stuff. I’m pretty sure I’m in fact 60 percent carbonated water.
Sunday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Tools | Add Your Comments
Eco Friendly House Plan
Look at the pictures of this house; not only is it flat out cool but the house is designed from the ground up to eco friendly, both during construction and after it’s occupied. From the start; the house was designed to take maximum advantage of its orientation. When positioned right the house blocks cold winds in the winter to keep warm and summer sunlight to keep cool. The roof is even angled with solar panels in mind and is even designed with collecting rainwater in mind. Aditionally the whole thing is elevated to have minimal impact to the natural drainage of the site. I know this would be a bit more of a gift for most people than say, a garden gnome; the Eco Friendly House Plan sells for $1,895 from Clean Air Gardening. But if you looking to build a house maybe think of this as a gift to your children; to all our children.
Maybe it’s safer. A beige ranch rambler on a street named after a whatever kind of tree was growing there before some developer ran a fleet a bulldozers over the land and dropped a couple of hundred carbon copy houses off the back of a very large truck. I drive down streets like that all the time; the more creative developers have three, maybe four different sets of plans they switch between on any given street.
Or you can find one of those neighborhoods that still have craftsman or art deco houses from the good old days. The good old days when a 400 dollar electric bill was something only a baseball stadium might get. I’ve lived in some neat old houses and paid the utility bills to prove it. With our current energy situation this is more than a financial issue. Our future and our children’s future depends on it.
Inside the house is open to allow for natural airflow to make heating and cooling more efficient. Rooms requireing extensive plumbing (kitchen, bath, and utility room) are centrally located.
Friday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments
The Solar Torch Light
For that we have the solar powered torch light. Now, you aren’t going light up a stadium with these things but they sport hand blown phosphorescent glass, an LED light source, and a powder coated stake to place into the ground so they stay where you put them. They glow for around 6-8 hours a night recharge from the sun during the day. The Solar Torch Light is available from Gardeners supply for 34.95.
There is no law that says that solar powered garden lights have to be functional industrial looking hunks of plastic. I’m not knocking functional industrial looking décor; I kind of dig that really. But some times you just want something different, or you know, attractive.
Monday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Uncategorized | Add Your Comments
Ultra-Bright Double Spotlight
Like garden lighting; a host of companies are making practical, usable pathway lighting at reasonable costs. Until recently, however, most of the solar powered spots were a bit lacking. I have a friend who installed a pair of bargain basement garden spots on the side of a building to light up a sign. He carefully measured out and mounted the spots, aimed the solar panels at the sun, and that night walked and looked up at the sign. I won’t repeat what he said but let’s just say you could sort of tell they were on but that was about it. These 16 LED equipped spots show promise, however. They light from dusk till dawn, and are bright enough to actually be considered spots. In addition, unlike the cheap ones you find out there, you can put the solar panel up to 15 feet away so you can even put the spots inside and have the panel outside. In any case if you need to light up statuary in your garden, or need to light up the inside of your shed. This might just be the eco-friendly solution you have been looking for. The Ultra-Bright Double Spotlight is available from gardeners.com for $89.95
I’ve said it before, I have a soft spot for solar. The idea of us having so much grief over energy when the surface of our planet is being constantly bombarded by solar energy just seems so absurd on so many levels. Now, I understand that for a whole heck of a lot of applications solar is just not a practical solution. Panels that put out any kind of REAL power are expensive to make and therefore expensive to buy. But that doesn’t mean that we should do everything we can to capitalize on this relatively free energy whenever it is practical.
Saturday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Tools | 1 Comment
Chicken Coop Cubbies
It took a lot of guts for a city kid like me to evict the feathery tenant of each compartment; at my age the birds were about eye level and would peck right at your face. But the pay off was worth it…especially when you got that mystical double yoke egg and could be sure that Grandma would cook that one for you. Last time I was up there, just before we sold off the old family farm, the old chicken coop was no more. They tell me it just plain fell down in a storm some years ago. I would have hauled it back home no matter what the neighbors said because in addition to the sentimentality I feel for such things in my ever so evident middle age it was just about the right size for a decent garden shed and all those compartments…well I guess I’m not the only one who thinks they could be put to less odorous uses. Obviously whoever came up with this idea had a similar childhood to me. Available in two sizes each unit gives you rows of individual cubbies to put whatever you might need to stow. Each compartment features an upturned lip to keep the The Small Chicken Coop Cubby measures 27 1/2″ W, 11″ D, 26″ H and the larger one is 34 1/2″ W, 15″ D, 30″ H. From Smith & Hawken
When I was a child I when most kids went to summer camp me and my sister would go to see my grandparents on their little farm up in Arkansas. I did go to a summer camp one time and we were the lucky ones, I can assure you. Nights I would sit up and listen to hum of the antique oscillating fan in my room while I read Louis L’Amour novels and the only work I had to do in the morning was go out to the little chicken coop and get to get eggs for breakfast. I would open the door to the coop and once my eyes would adjust to the darkness I could make out which of the little compartments held chickens; and by extension the eggs. eggs items from sliding out onto the ground. They are made out of naturally weather resistant cedar rather than cheaper wood which would have to be either painted (painting over natural wood grain always makes me sad) or otherwise finished to protect it from the ravages of time. If only my grandmothers coop were made so well.
Thursday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Furniture, Garden Tools | 1 Comment
Frog Sundial
Right off the bat I can tell you that this sundial is pretty useless for telling time after dark. In fact, if you really need to be somewhere at a specific time you are probably better off using a cheap wrist watch than you are trying to figure out the time of day from a sundial. But that doesn’t make this time piece any less of a great addition to your garden. It’s made of cast aluminum with a baked on finish for years of daylight only time keeping and can either be mounted on it’s optional pedestal or placed directly on the ground. Tell your kids it’s the way you had to tell time when you were a kid…even use the match joke. But be warned; my kid won’t even believe me about black and white TV. The Frog Sundial is available for $69.00 from Smith & Hawken.
Pappy Boyington, the WWII Fighter Ace, wrote about making a sundial in the Japanese POW camp he was held in after being shot down in the pacific. The prisoners made the sundial out of boredom and when one of the not so bright guards asked how you would tell time with it after dark, they replied “use a match”. The guard took a while to think about it before realizing he had been had.
Tuesday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Sculpture, Garden Tools | Add Your Comments
Mission Poly-Wood Sofa, Loveseat, Chair, Ottoman, and Coffee Table.
Craftsman furniture builders built this furniture out of the then-abundant quarter sawn white oak that they fumed with ammonia to naturally darken the wood from the reaction the fumes had with the natural tannins in the wood. They chose quarter sawn wood because of its inherent strength, and they chose white oak because it is strong, durable and resistant to weather. By design the furniture de-emphsized the grain of the wood and drew the eye instead to the strength and practicality. Well, that was then and this is To Gustav Stickley furniture was a movement; a philosophy of function over form and a celebration of design and engineering. He produced a periodical called The Craftsman that came filled with plans for everything from furniture to entire houses. As an insult, his detractors referred to this furniture as mission furniture…implying that his designs were crude and unsophisticated; Stickley preferred the term craftsman, but Mission stuck and it is no longer considered an insult by any means.
now. Stop by any woodworking shop and you’ll find that quarter sawn white oak, if they even have it, is one of the more expensive hardwoods. There are only so many trees left of sufficient size. But instead of depleting our dwindling white oak supply these pieces are made from poly-wood. It’s a material that is made from re-cycled plastics and although it can be worked like wood, and used like wood it is resistant to…well…just about everything. You can put this in your house, on your patio, wherever and it will stay pretty much like new forever. The Mission Poly-Wood Sofa, Mission Poly-Wood Love Seat, Mission Poly-Wood Chair, Mission Poly-Wood Coffee Table and the Mission Poly-Wood Ottoman all pay tribute to this great philosophy of practical design and they are available from Clean Air Gardening.
Sunday ~ December 12, 2007 by Steve W Posted in Garden Furniture, Garden Tools | Add Your Comments
