GreenMark Public Relations®, Inc.

Chicago magazine recognizes Pet Essentials department, manager

Chalet, Wilmette, Ill., has been named “Best Store for Pet Food” by Chicago magazine. The garden center and retail outlet’s Pet Essentials department is featured in the magazine’s August issue, which spotlights “Best of Chicago” businesses and services throughout the city and suburbs.

“Outside it’s an award-winning nursery and landscaping business, but inside an expert staff runs a comprehensive pet food department,” Chicago writers note in the profile. “Chalet carries a staggering array of organic and special-diet dog and cat foods – more than a dozen of them endorsed by Whole Dog Journal – including nutritional choices for senior pets or pets with food allergies.”

Currently, Chalet carries 12 of the top dry dog foods and seven of the top canned dog foods recommended by Whole Dog Journal, in addition to a broad line of cat food and food for bird, rabbits, gerbils, mice and other small creatures. Chalet also helps pet owners leave a smaller carbon “pawprint” through a growing array of earth-friendly pet food and other green pet care products. Creature comforts include leashes and collars, apparel, beds, travel bags, toys, first aid items and grooming and health products.

Chalet’s Pet Essentials Manager Gabbie Roderer also was recognized by Chicago, which honored all of this year’s “Best of Chicago” winners, at a special event earlier this summer. The department has gained a loyal following among pet owners in the suburbs and city, according to Chalet store manager Tony Fulmer. “We were thrilled to hear we were included in this always well-read and prestigious issue of Chicago magazine,” said Fulmer. “We feel the excellence of our Pet Essentials department is a reflection of the way we try to conduct all aspects of our business, whether it’s our retail garden center, landscape division or nursery. That means providing the best quality products and services for our customers – and their pets.”

Roderer says she’s grateful that her department received the distinction, especially since there are so many pet food stores in the greater Chicago area. “I love being here every day and interacting with pet owners and their pets,” she says. “Being able to share with them the best, most nutritious food for their four-legged or winged family members is its own reward, too.”

For more information about Chalet, including its Pet Essentials department, visit www.ChaletNursery.com or call 847-256-0561.

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’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.

There’s a huge elm tree sitting in the middle of Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago doing more than inspiring people to plant trees. It’s a Triumph elm, a 30-foot-tall living monument to gardeners that, in spite of Dutch elm disease, certain elm trees can be planted without the fear of being lost.

Robert Milani of Chalet said “We’re finding that a lot of people still don’t know there are options to replace the iconic American elm, which is susceptible to Dutch elm disease. There’s still a lot to do to educate the customer.” Elm trees have been on the decline both naturally and in the interest of gardeners since the disease began killing the trees in the 1930s. Triumph, bred by The Morton Arboretum is one of five of their elms that are highly disease, pest and drought resistant.

Milani recommends Triumph to his customers because of its glossy leaves and nice structure, adding that it is a relatively fast growing, urban tolerant selection. “We haven’t seen any problems with it,” he said. The positive reviews of Triumph come as no surprise, however. The line of trees have undergone years of rigorous testing prior to hitting the market via a unique plant introduction program.

Chicagoland Grows is a partnership between The Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois. The program develops, evaluates and selects trees and other plants that are suitable for growing conditions in the upper Midwest. After a selection is made, it is vigorously tested at botanical gardens, universities and municipal forests. If the plant performs well, propagators grow the plant and it is introduced on a limited basis to wholesale and retail nurseries. If the plant’s performance remains high, Chicagoland Grows conducts a full release to nurseries, as it did with Triumph in 2005.

Allison Beatty of the Chicago Tribune said “Nothing takes the chill out of a Chicago spring quite like an outdoor fireplace or fire-pit.” Since spring averages 50 or so degrees in the Chicago area, unlike “normal” springs everywhere else, a roaring fire helps ease the chill and creates a warm outdoor environment in your backyard. The fireplace doesn’t have to stick out awkwardly either because there are many customizable types and shapes to match the patio, pool or other setting. Robert Milani of Chalet said in Beatty’s article, “The biggest trend we’re seeing is people reinvesting in their house and creating outdoor rooms and enjoying family, whether it’s with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace or other gathering places.” In the summer of economic downturn, people scrap the fancy vacations for a more affordable “stay-cation” and they might consider the value of a home. The addition of a fireplace or an outdoor kitchen can be a relatively low-cost addition with a high turnaround value if you were to sell the home someday.

There is a cost, however, and a commitment in installing a fireplace or a fire-pit as well as differences to consider. A fireplace typically covers a larger space than a pit and most are made of stone or brick assembled on-site. Outdoor fireplaces can range from $3,500-$25,000  while fire-pits are easier to install, smaller and cost between $1,500 and $3,000 for a built-in model. When choosing between a fireplace or a fire-pit, consider the size of the area you’d like to designate and don’t forget seating area. Beatty recommends considering “your overall landscaping goals as you debate wehther to buy one and how much space to use.

Each structure can be fueled by wood or outfitted with gas logs. Milani suggests checking with your local building department to make sure the type of area you want is within code, “some towns, for example, do not allow wood-burning fireplaces outdoors or have guidelines regarding how close the fireplace can be to the house.” You can of course, opt for supplemental heat fire-pits and chimineas or portable units, which are smaller in size and less expensive.

The article referenced in this post was by Allison Beatty and appeared on Chicagotribune.com, Apr. 17, 2009 and also in the Chicago Tribune newspaper (Chicago Homes, Section 6, Page 7). Other articles about fireplaces and fire-pits involving Chalet include the Apr. 1009 issue of North Shore Magazine (Pages 8, 66-71, 74-75) and NorthShoreMag.com.

Chalet made an appearance in the June 2009 issue of Midwest Living and on their website, MidwestLiving.com as a “destination garden center.” Listed among some fellow garden centers in Illinois, Chalet is mentioned as having the title “best dressed garden center” because of its innovative displays. In the magazine, it’s listed as a family-owned business that sells unusual giant cultivars bred by boutique regional growers (including this year’s hot perennial, the ‘Solar Flare’), plus plenty of outdoor-living accessories such as fire pits and designer pots. The article also brings attention to Chalet’s free plant health center, where horticulturalists diagnose customers’ ailing specimens.

Read more about Chalet and other “desination garden centers” on Midwest Living’s website.

Tony Fulmer of Chalet appeared on WGN Midday News Monday, Apr. 27, 2009, to show some perennials great for a springtime garden and also to promote the Garden Faire event before Mother’s Day. He answers the questions, “What kind of perennials can you plant now?” and “What are the earliest perennials to bloom in the garden?”

Some of the plants he brought in include: Hellebores, Bergenia, Bleeding Heart, Mertensia, Epimedium. He said the Hellebores bloom in the shade for four to six weeks, have a wide range of colors and no negative effect if it snows while blooming. He said the Bergenia grow great with the Hellebores in the shade. Bergenia have striking, deep pink flowers that bloom above glossy green foliage. The old-fashioned, but beautiful choice will always be the Bleeding Heart, though. They bloom for several weeks in the shade and go dormant in the summer heat.

See the video on the WGN Midday News section.

Chalet also appeared on ABC7 Morning News, Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2009, featuring several segments and live remotes.

See the video of Chalet on ABC7 Morning News.

Robert Milani, of Chalet’s landscaping division, has installed thousands of gardens in North Chicago for over a decade, but has only recently produced his first labyrinth. Deborah Donovan, of the Daily Herald, covers the completion of the Park Ridge home garden labyrinth on Apr. 18, 2009. The proud owners, Martha and Tom Durham seized the opportunity to build one next door to their home when they were able to purchase the land next door, “I’ve always wanted a labyrinth but I wasn’t sure how it would fit in this space,” said Martha, a deacon at St. Mary Episcopal Chuch in Park Ridge, referring to the new lot roughly 48 feed wide by 173 feet deep. They said they consulted Milani because Chalet installed their existing patio and garden beds 10 years ago. Within a couple days, Milani and his team provided several patterns to choose from.

The new area obtained by the Durhams, tripled the size of their gardens and contained several trees and shrubs, which were saved. The new, 24-foot diameter labyrinth, called Chelsea, is based on a template from the Labyrinth Company in Riverside, Connecticut. According to the company, its design captures the experience of 13th century Gothic cathedral patterns. Milani and his team excavated the site, leveled and graded. The giant pattern was printed onto a permeable fabric, which was then laid out over the prepared space. They laid out hand-cut, custom clay bricks and backfilled with soil and sod for the pathways. The entire process took Milani about two weeks. Milani said, “The labyrinth adds a unique dimension to the outdoor rooms we’ve created for the Durhams. It fits their lifestyle, provides a quiet place for retreat or personal introspection, and can be used for family entertaining as well as for church retreats and functions.”

Martha said, “When it feels like the world seems to be falling apart, the labyrinth forces you to slow down, breathe and concentrate on the beauty that surrounds you.”

Read this article and see pictures of Milani building the labyrinth on the Daily Herald website.

Appearing in the Saturday, Mar. 21, 2009 edition of SeattleTimes.com’s Home & Garden Section, Nina A. Koziol of Chicago Tribune offered “8 tips to spice up your landscape,” including advice from Chalet and other Illinois landscaping experts. In the sixth tip, Tony Fulmer of Chalet, said to “plunk a pot.” He said an annual application of organic compost from your own back yard can make a dramatic difference in the borders of your yard, “Top-dressing with compost, whether it be around shrubs, perennials or annuals, encourages microbial activity in the soil and that’s good.” He recommended saving those one-gallon plant pots, too, suggesting that after washing them out, to place them over newly emerging perennials. “You can dump the compost throughout the bed so it’s one or two inches deep. Pull up the pots and you have perfect circles around each plant. It’s an effective time saver and you won’t have the comopst resting on a plant’s tender stems,” Fulmer said.

Advice from others included trying new plants, add and tend to plants gradually through the spring and summer for changing colors, cover young plants to keep unwanted bugs out and hide weeds once you’ve pulled them for instant compost. Learn more about these tips and see the rest of the list on the SeattleTimes.com website.