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Chalet’s Tony Fulmer appeared on WGN recently, with tips for long-lasting roses. For many gardeners, the ideal plant is one that says in bloom for a long period of time and requires little maintenance. Tony suggests shrub roses. In the video, aired during WGN’s “Midday Fix,” he provided answers to common gardening questions, such as how to keep roses blooming with minimal use of sprays, how to deal with blackspot, how to be more organic with roses, how to get rid of Japanese Beetles, etc.

Watch the video here

Here is one of the Q&As posted on the WGN site:

Q. “A common perception is that roses require a lot of spraying to keep them looking good. Is that true with shrub roses also?”

A. The term “shrub rose” is a “kitchen sing catch-all” for any roses that hybridizers are unsure what to do with. So there is a wide range in size, winter hardiness, disease resistance and length of bloom. There are a lot of things you can do to make roses easier and less time-consuming. First, give them lots of sun. Generally, roses prefer at least six hours of direct sun and more is better. If you want roses and your site has four hours of sun (or less) look for those that have lower petal count. The fewer the petals, the more shade tolerant the rose.

Check out more advice and the video, here, on WGN’s web site.

Click here to visit Chalet’s web site for more gardening tips, products and services.

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.

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.

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.

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.”