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.

Gold-Medal Olympic swimmer Matt Grevers signed autographs and met fans at Chalet garden center, Sept. 27, 2008. Chalet senior landscape architect Ed Grevers and his wife Anja welcomed their son back from the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won gold medals in the 4×100m medley relay and the 4×100m freestyle relay, and a silver medal in the 100m backstroke.

A preview of the event was featured in the Sept. 11, 2008 edition of Pioneer Press North Shore.

Cooler weather gives grass a great boost of energy as it gears up for winter, making early fall a good time for lawn maintenance. In the Sept. 7, 2008 edition of the Chicago Tribune, reporter Beth Botts asked Bill Leuenberger, Chalet’s lawn care manager, and Paul Tukey, founder of safelawns.org, for “10 things to do by fall to keep (or get) your grass looking great.” The first piece of advice is to mow the lawn. Set the blade so that the grass grows three to four inches. Taller grass means deeper, stronger roots. It also shades out many weed seeds so they can’t sprout. After mowing, leave the clippings. They will decompose and return their nutrients to the soil. Fall is the best time of year to reseed and over-seed. Whether clearing a spot for new grass or scattering seeds over patchy places, make sure it is well watered for thicker grass in the spring. Click here to read the article.

Daily Herald and Pioneer Press featured Chalet’s free fall education series on gardening and garden design topics in their calendar of events listings. These include times and directions as well as information on “Fall Lawn Care,” a free demonstration by horticulture specialists Jennifer Brennan and Bill Leuenberger on how to fertilize, core-aerate and re-seed your lawn this fall. Listings appeared Aug. 28, 2008 in Pioneer Press and Aug. 30, 2008 and Sept. 6, 2008 in Daily Herald.

The summer 2008 issue of Garden Decor, a quarterly supplement to Home Accents Today and Casual Living, spotlights Chicago’s Chalet (page 8-12). Since taking root in 1917, Chalet has become a prosperous, award-winning operation located on 16 acres in North Chicago. The article by Susan Dickenson takes a look at some of Chalet’s history and some historical moments. Chalet was named the 2007 Innovator of the Year by Garden Center magazine, but innovation has always been a key part of the company. In 1954, L.J. Thalmann (founder) built a 9,500 square foot garden center, which was something almost unheard of at the time. L.J. (Larry) Thalmann III joined the company in 1984 and has since become, and remains, the store’s president bringing a vision of “excellence in service, quality and value in a culture that is supportive and rewarding to employees.” As part of his vision, Thalmann created the Chalet College, attended by staff members in the off-season for training and review. Thalmann said, “I take a great deal of pride in watching our company get a little bit better each year… I love working with people who share in that pride, and want to be a part of something special.” The article also mentions that Chalet has more Illinois Certified Nursery Professionals than any other garden center or landscape firm in the state. With a rich history and a promising future, we look forward to Chalet’s continued success and innovation.

Bill Leuenberger of Chalet visits WGN for a “Lunchbreak” on WGN News at Noon, Thursday, July 24, 2008. He shares the importance of aerating the lawn and says fall is the best time to do it. He advises hiring someone to come and aerate the lawn, as the machine tends to be heavy. Once the lawn is aerated, bring out the grass seeds and fertilizer, spray for fertilizer, give the yard a good watering and enjoy a fresh green lawn.

Click here to watch the video.
Click over to “Lunchbreak” and scroll down to “Lawn Maintenance.”

Towers Productions (Chicago) is producing a new show for the Discovery Channel that uses Chalet, Wilmette, as a “set” in one of the episodes. Taping was at the Wilmette location. Working title is “Undercover.” The show is a profile docudrama that recreates various undercover sting operations to show how crimes were solved. The topic of the show in which Chalet is being used as a “set” regards an undercover DEA operation in the 1980s, which took place in an outdoor bar/café in Columbia. The producers were for a tropical-looking patio setting and Chalet delivered. Chalet’s participation will be very brief tight shots – 10 seconds in two scenes, but the “Undercover” episode will air worldwide in January (date not yet set). Chalet will be given credit at the end of the show.

Chicago Tribune contributor Barbara Mahany’s report, “Gardening is dirty work, here’s how to come clean” was featured in the July 26, 2008 edition of Myrtle Beach Online (South Carolina) Home & Garden section. The article features confessions and advice by gardeners who just can’t resist diggin’ in the the dirt. One piece of advise on how to stay clean comes from horticulturalist, Jennifer Brennan, at Chalet Nursery. She suggests slathering her hands with petroleum jelly or goopy lotion, “You have to use so much you think you’re using way too much,” says Brennan. “Rub it in your cuticles, so you seal the cellular walls, and then the dirt can’t get in.”

For more simple solutions and simply great advice, read the rest of the article here.

In the July 24, 2008 Grayslake Review, Ken Goze interviews Chalet’s Tony Fulmer and Troy Ripley about the rise of the pesky pest terrorizing North Shore, Illinois residents: the gypsy moth. These critters will eat anything leafy and green and are laying eggs in backyards, to hatch next spring. Ripley says he’s been waging war with the moths in his own backyard, nearly covered in tiny caterpillars. Fulmer advises using soybean oil-based pesticide to suffocate the eggs and advises against just knocking them to the ground - since they will survive and hatch in the spring.

Click here to read the full article.