GreenMark Public Relations®, Inc.

Chalet’s Tony Fulmer headed over to WGN recently for a Midday feature showcasing tropical plants. There, he demonstrates that such plants are not only beautiful and exotic, they’re good for you, too! A study commissioned by NASA in the 1980s showed that two medium or large houseplants can effectively reduce airborne toxins by as much as 87% in a 100 square-foot room. Ferns combat household smoke (from smokers) by detoxifying benzene, a byproduct of cigarette smoke. Plants can also increase humidity in the dry and winter season. They also require less water in the winter. Bet you didn’t know that those green things could be so useful!

See the video on WGN, here, for a list of the ten best purification plants.

Robert Milani (center), Chalet senior landscape architect, accepts the PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) Judges Award from Dave Snodgrass (left), PLANET president-elect, and Bill Hildebolt, current PLANET president. Photo credit: Philippe Nobile Photography

Chalet’s Landscape Division has received the highly coveted Judges award from PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) for its residential design/construction of a home in Lake Forest, Ill. Chalet also garnered a Grand Award for the same home, as well as a Merit Environmental Improvement Award for its residential landscape design/construction of a home in Wilmette, Ill. Chalet was recognized as the sole winner of the top award for residential/design construction at PLANET’s Awards Reception on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Green Industry Conference in Louisville, Ky. The global Environmental Improvement Awards Program, which is open to only PLANET members, reflects the association’s commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of the landscape. The annual program is designed to reward independent landscape, lawn care and interior plantscaping professionals who execute superior projects.

Lake Forest Residence

Chalet’s Judges and Grand awards winner in Lake Forest is a formal, structured and manicured landscape reflecting the beauty, elegance and permanence of a period Italianesque villa. Beyond the front entryway, garden visitors are greeted by a three-tiered, limestone fountain surrounded by a large semicircular pergola with hand-carved limestone columns and a sunken garden.

Wilmette Residence

Chalet’s Merit Award winner is a stately English Tudor in Wilmette, complemented by a formal, manicured and symmetrical garden. Dense yew and Green Velvet boxwood hedges line the front foundation and are meticulously trimmed while ‘Tina’ crabapples flank the front entry, left natural to contrast with the structured landscape. As visitors travel down a bluestone walk from the brick driveway to the pool area, a diverse and colorful array of Daphne, rhododendron, viburnum and astilbe catch the eye.

For information on the PLANET Awards, visit www.landcarenetwork.org.

Kudos to TribLocal! “David,” an amateur photographer, snapped this photo on Sept. 12, one day after Chalet’s monarch release. A registered Monarch Way Station, Chalet has been working hard to promote the species and educate the public …on the monarch’s importance to our life and gardens. David was curious about the tag and its meaning when he picked up that Thursday’s TribLocal and read its coverage of Chalet’s work. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photograph, David. And thanks to Kyle Leonard and his team for helping Chalet tell this important story.

Congratulations to GreenMark PR client Chalet for receiving a Grand and a Merit Environmental Improvement Award from PLANET (Professional Landscape Network). The awards are for two of its projects in residential landscape design/construction. We’re proud of you!

The global awards program, which is open only to PLANET members, reflects the association’s commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of the landscape. The program is designed to reward independent landscape, lawn care and interior plantscaping professionals who execute superior projects. Chalet will be recognized at PLANET’s Awards Reception on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Green Industry Conference in Louisville, Ky.

See pictures of the award-winning landscapes on Chalet’s photo page, here.

For information on the PLANET Awards, visit www.landcarenetwork.org.

Read the press release on Garden Center Magazine’s Web site, here.

Chalet Landscaping, Nursery and Garden Center was featured in Forest & Bluff Magazine (July 2009) in a beautifully photographed article written by Evangeline Politis. The article mentions some of Chalet’s many awards like the four Excellence in Landscape Gold Awards and the Judges’ Award for being the best in Illinois 2009 from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association. Another award mention was the Revolutionary 100 National Award given to the outstanding garden center in the country - Chalet.

Chalet’s craftsmanship is displayed near Forest & Bluff Magazine in Lake Forest on the fertile land of Walden Lane, once part of the McCormick estate, where it’s said the legendary family once had their garden. The owners of the newly constructed Italianesque villa on the estate valued the importance of having a garden and hired Chalet in 2004 to install a landscape to mirror the style of their home.

Senior landscape architect Robert Milani and project designer Troy Ripley were recruited for the job and the article details some of the problems the team encountered. The land needed to be drained in order to sustain the 1,000 Green Velvet Boxwoods planted on the land, so an extensive drainage system had to be installed throughout the property. Precision was another issue, since there were already gardens and a fountain outside, so anything Chalet added needed to be parallel. To ensure accuracy, they used laser equipment through the house. Ripley said, “When you want to have absolutely straight lines, it is not as easy as it may sound a lot of the time, curves are actually easier to create.” The house still gets weekly treatment from Chalet including pest and fertilizer management. Perennials get groomed and potted annuals get soil replacements to stay thriving.

Both designers have been with Chalet for a long time and reflect on their projects. “One of the benefits about working here is we don’t have a ‘look’” said Milani. “We don’t create the same type of design for every house. It’s very site-specific, which is great because it gives us a lot of design autonomy.”

Chalet recently launched its own Expert Selection line of landscape solutions, designed for Midwest soils and climate. The line includes grass seed, fertilizers and organic potting soil, mulch and compost, as well as locally grown Chalet Farms plants.

Read more about Chalet’s landscaping services and product line.

Learn more about Forest & Bluff Magazine and contact them for a July 2009 issue to see pictures of Chalet’s work at the old McCormick estate.

Chalet’s Tony Fulmer visited WGN Midday News for a “Midday Fix” on Aug. 3, 2009. He described the colorization of hydrangeas from pink to blue by making soil more acidic to promote a free lecture on autumn lawn care Sept. 4  and 5 at Chalet Nursery.

Fulmer said hydrangeas can be turned from pink to blue by making the soil more acidic when planting the shrub. Add one cup of garden sulfur to the hole at planting time and then half a cup directly to the soil surface twice a year from then on. After a year, the change in color will occur.

See Tony Fulmer in action! Watch him  at the WGNTV Web site.

Gazebos can be both functional and decorative, often providing a unifying role in a landscape. That’s according to Allison Beatty of the Chicago Tribune (July 17, 2009), but an undeniable observation on the eye-catching structure. Pergolas are popular home structures, which have four vertical posts for support, topped by horizontal beams overhead. Homeowners who want an outdoor dining and entertainment experience often turn to pergolas, as it serves more like an attachment to a house. Gazebos tend to be freestanding and larger, with a solid roof. Some people add electricity to gazebos, to allow for a ceiling fan, lighting or a television. It’s easy to get carried away with outdoor structures, so the best advice is to keep in mind the scale and style of your accompanying home.

Robert Milani, a landscape architect with Chalet, said, “If the house has a portico, the pergola should match so the transition from the house to the landscape is seamless and you’re not introducing a new style or material. The gazebo or pergola should also be strategically positioned so that it can be seen in its entirety from inside of the house. When deciding where to place a structure, I draw sight lines from the major areas of the home — the dining room, kitchen, living room, rear door… If you look through the window, it should be symmetrically centered on the window. If it’s off center and you’re seeing a post, that will be confusing to the eye.”

Location is important and so is cost. Pergolas range from $5,000 to $25,000 and gazebos from $10,000 to $40,000. Also, many structures require a building permit, so check with your neighborhood code requirements.

Read the Chicago Tribune article on their Web site to hear from more garden experts on outdoor structures.

Jennifer Brennan of Chalet answers some questions from gardeners on ABC 7 Morning News, June 30, 2009.

“What happened to my roses? The leaves look like tan colored pieces of paper that are ’see through’.”

The culprit: a rose slug, actually the larva of a small sawfly, which scrapes the cells off the back of the leaves. The good news is this will only happen once a year, the bad news is the eggs will drop to the ground under the rose and will happen the following year. Spray the plant with a systemic insecticide (Bayer Rose & Flower Systemic Insect Killer), so when the eggs get laid, the newly hatched larva will be killed.

“My plants were looking so happy and healthy during this cool spring, then 2-3 weeks ago the leaves started turning yellow and the plant just stopped growing. What is wrong and can they be saved?”

Spring ‘09 has been one of the wettest. When rain saturates the soil so frequently, all the air and Oxygen gets pushed out of the root zone, drowning them. Leaves need all the essential “building blocks” to grow, and the lack of oxygen means the lack of chlorophyll, which will make the leaves yellow - chlorosis. Using a root hormone (Root & Grow) with fertilizer (Espoma Soil Perfector) can help plants recover more quickly.

“My plants have a white powdery covering. What is wrong and what caused this to happen? Is there anything I can do to cure it and prevent it?”

This is a fungal leaf disease called Powdery Mildew, a fungus active when temperatures are cool or cold in standing water. The spore can germinate and inoculate the surface of the leaf. The mycelium then grows across the surface of the leaf, blocking out the sunlight. This can be cured with systemic fungicides (Concern Copper Spray or Espoma 3 in 1) that will prevent and cure the disease. Immunox will stay in the plant tissue for 14 days. Sulfur or Copper in sprays works well. Re-application after rain or watering is required.

“Many of my plants have large notches missing, what is causing it and is there a control?”

Rabbits are the worst offenders, here. Juvenile rabbits do not have the sense of taste or smell so repellents won’t work on them. Hot pepper spray, however, repels juveniles. Keep rotating the repellents to keep the rabbits confused and not trusting of your “restaurant.” Some recommended sprays are Liquid Fence, Bobbex for Rabbits and Repels-All.

The Gypsy Moth larva…

A terrible insect infesting Northern Illinois. The larva are too large to control with many insecticides, so watch out for the adults moths. Contact insecticides, like Bonide Household Insect Control with 4 month residual action can kill the adults, Golden Pest Spray Oil will saturate the egg masses and kill the eggs - currently the only product that will do so.

Root rot and major plant disease could dampen the already rainy summer garden season. 2009 claims Chicago’s 9th wettest Spring. Humid summers mean fungal disease thrives. Both container and in-ground plants are at risk for the following diseases: black spot, powdery mildew, botrytis, rust and more. Tony Fulmer of Chalet offers tips for preventing the spread of fungal disease before it’s too late.

Override the in-ground sprinkler systems. It seems so obvious, the last thing you want to do is continually apply water to already over-saturated soil. Root systems need oxygen to grow and shutting off the sprinklers can make a difference.

Pull back the mulches. Temporarily pull mulches away from root systems to maximize surface drying. This goes  especially for soft-stemmed annuals, perennials and vegetables that have foliage resting on the ground, as well as trees and shrubs in dense clay soils.

Look for unusual symptoms. Older foliage may begin yellowing or leaves may show unusual color combinations at the edges or throughout the leaves signaling nutrient deficiency.Yew will show a rusty-orange color when they’re too wet.

Determine why your plants are wilting. Plants need oxygen to transport water, but they could wilt when standing in water or when bone dry. Don’t assume you need to water a wilting plant without checking the soil moisture levels first.

Fertilize container plants. Most potting mixes are “soil-less” and contain large amounts of bark and coarse organic matter to promote drainage. These mixes have minimal innate nutrient content so be sure to use a complete fertilizer on container plants often.

Remove saucers from under containers. If you have hanging baskets or decorative containers with saucers, be sure to remove them to maximize drainage. Neglecting this could drown your plants.

Protect plants from slugs. Especially vulnerable are hostas, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and other plants. Get some new iron phosphate baits, which are organic and safe around edibles, and place them directly to the damp ground under and around the plants. Slugs will eat them, crawl away and die.

Apply fungicides to plants ahead of infection. This will only work as a preventative measure and will not magically cure any existing problems.

Check plants regularly for moisture. Think of your plants as intensive care patients and check them daily. Don’t think that just because it rained for two weeks in June means you don’t have to water them in July.

Be on the lookout for continued damage. It may take time for symptoms to show in leaves, stems or branches. In some cases, you may not notice for several weeks. Look for smaller than normal or no new growth, unusual colors in the leaves, discoloration on stems or death of entire branches. If it looks out of the ordinary, it probably is.

Learn more from the plant experts on Chalet’s Web site.

Tony Fulmer made a visit to WGN Midday News on June 1, 2009, with some helpful spring garden tips. He recommends pulling the leaves off the bottom of tall roses to avoid blackspot and increase air flow (wear gloves lest ye get thorned!). He recommends growing tomatoes and burying them deep inside a pot so they root long and sturdy stems. Avoid fertilizing tomatoes with nitrogen, though, since it’ll cause them to grow more vines and leaves at the expense of flowers. Geraniums may prove difficult to some because they’re often mixed in with other flowers, but require less water to thrive. Tuberous begonias, on the other hand, need lots of shade, so it might be best to plant them indoors. For those who like quick results, grow peonies - they bloom in only a few weeks. Don’t worry about the ants, they don’t do any harm, they just like the sugary secretion at the end of the buds.