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We're growing a comprehensive calendar of environmental activities. Event planners will especially want to subscribe to this newsletter, but environmental leaders and many others may find it useful as well.
Since local farming and preservation of open space is such a popular cause in Rhode Island and previous bond issues have been overwhelmingly approved, I've posted the RI Land Trust Council's views and supporting information in their entirety on What Grows On in Rhode Island. If this is something you value, please see RI Land Trust Council President Rupert Friday's full appeal on the What Grows On in Rhode Island News Blog.
DRINK LOCAL WATER!
This is not a tongue-twister exercise. It's about Cool, Clear WATER. [Water!] Listen to the Sons of the Pioneers sing this song written by Bob Nolan in 1941 here! [Thank you, YouTube!]
As another song goes, "I read the news today, oh boy...." This morning's Providence Journal story about Rhode Island's bottle bill hearing (April 24, 2008) got me thinking,
Why do people spend their good money buying bottled water?
It would be worth having bottled water in, say, a Katrina-type disaster when the public drinking water supplies are not safe. But today we have perfectly fine tap water in Rhode Island that costs next to nothing. With gas prices zooming up past $3.50 a gallon, why are so many folks going into Rhode Island markets and buying bottles of water that must be transported hundreds of miles from places like Maine, and even thousands of miles from places like France? When did we get brain-bottle washed into thinking that it is cooler and healthier to DRIVE to the store, LOAD up the cart with 12-packs of water, PAY hard-earned money, WHEEL them out to the car, LUG them into the house, and then THROW them into the trash?
I will remind readers again
that these bottles are seldom recycled but go as trash to the Central
Landfill in Johnston, which can be seen from hills in Providence ten
miles away, the landfill itself being a significant hill in this state
with a highest point of 812 feet. We see the bottles rolling around in the road until they are flattened by cars. The water bottles (and of course the other beverage containers ~ but I'm just on a roll about water bottles today) are in the shrubs, in the woods, in the waterways, on the beaches.
Why do so many businesses and conferences pay for the above-described lugging of water bottles? Why do our local restaurants, in this day and age of emphasizing eating local food, sell imported bottled water? Why do we order bottled water in a restaurant? How did it get to be the better option to buy bottled water? What are we thinking?
My Pitcher Pitch
Bottle bills have been throttled at the State House for years, and each side argues passionately for and against refunds on returned bottles. I see the Projo has a SURVEY today on the bottle bill question and provides the text of the current bill. Whatever your view on this important question, though, Rhode Island does need to achieve much higher recycling rates on beverage containers.
"Most R.I. municipal recycling rates are less than 15 percent." ~ RI Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC)
There are so many pros and cons in the bottle recycling arguments, and I'm not going into all of the permutations here, but why not simply go back to drinking tap water and using pitchers and cups or glasses? Why not pitcher in?
And back to those bottles~ it has to become "cool" to recycle water bottles. Rhode Island should be the best at recycling! Especially businesses, which to date have a TERRIBLE recycling rate. RIRRC has help for starting business recycling programs. But we'd have less to recycle is we just drank tap water and put out pitchers and cups at meetings.
Do you have some pitcher pi'tures? I was inspired this morning to get my little collection of water pitchers out and to photograph them in the early sunlight, but I'm not a pro. Let's start a collection of water pitcher pi'tures and a list of local businesses that do NOT buy bottled water, and another list of local restaurants that do NOT sell bottled water.
Please add comments, circulate, forward, and link to this post, and let's just stop buying bottled water in Rhode Island. Somehow the beverage industry will survive without us. I don't usually recommend particular courses of action (volcano mulch around trees is another thing that gets me), but not buying water in bottles just seems so obvious. Excuse my gushing!
For further reading and listening:
Some Rhode Island Water Resources:
Today is the designated "Earth Day" but every day is Earth Day for the Providential Gardener!
Saturday, April 19th, found people out cleaning up the state and enjoying the great outdoors ~ the Bay, the parks.... our whole lovely garden we call Rhode Island.
You can see the reward of previous hours of work planting bulbs in the fall at India Point Park (above). After a couple of hours' work on Saturday, there was pizza for the troops!
Many cleanup projects include FOOD! More are coming up this weekend, so check out the What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar and find something to do!
How many trees can you identify in the winter? There's a challenge for you. You're outside, walking from here to there, bundled up in your coat ~ driving along tree-lined streets ~ what kinds of trees are you passing? It will be easier once the leaves burst out, but it's a fun game to see how many tree you can identify in their naked states.
There is one more opportunity to walk the woods with an expert from the RI Wild Plant Society on Saturday, April 5th. Here is the info from What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar:
Buds, Twigs and Bark - Learn to identify local trees.
Saturday, April 5, 2008 - 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Tri-Pond Park Nature Center, Asa Pond Road, South Kingstown, RIAs spring emerges, learn to identify local trees and shrubs through their bark and buds. After some indoor exploration of samples and their characteristics, we will walk a short trail at Tri-Pond Park Nature Center to try our skills. Spring will be in the air -- an ideal time to learn before using your knowledge later on walks in the woods. Bring pencil and paper for notes.
Leader: Frances Topping, a naturalist interested in the interactions of plants and animals, including humans. Frances holds a BS in Botany and Zoology from Sheffield University, England and a Graphic Design degree from Rhode Island School of Design.
Registration required. Contact Frances at 401-364-8002. Fee $8.00 RIWPS members, $10.00 non-members.
I went on the Audubon Naked Tree ID walk in February and made a dent in my ignorance of this subject. I generally love the architecture of trees ~ that's why I especially love beeches and elms. They are noble at any time of the year. Tulip trees have the remnants of the tulip-shaped flowers in the winter, and their architecture can also be grand ~ angular. There are some huge tulip trees along Blackstone Boulevard in Providence. That mile and a half strip of park is tended by The Blackstone Parks Conservancy, by the way.
On the other hand, some bare trees in winter look like they've just been scared to death, like zelkovas ~ no grace or elegance in my opinion, so I personally don't like them as a replacement for American elms that have been devastated by Dutch elm disease over the last few decades. Maybe when they're fully mature they'll have that majestic shape...? And some street trees are completely ramshackle due to encounters with power lines and the other stresses such as their positions along curbs. Nevertheless, tree architecture is interesting once you start thinking about it. How do those branches stay on the trees? How are they supported? Quite a bit of natural engineering in those trunks.
Here is the most important hint for deciduous tree identification, with or without leaves:
I'll give you a couple of things to look for when you're out and about in New England in the next two or three weeks. The top photo is a tulip tree ~ click on the photo to enlarge it, and note the distinctive tulip shapes on the branches. By the way, you can see that the branches on this tree alternate. The second photo in this post is of the dogwood near the Audubon HQ in Smithfield. The photo doesn't show the opposite branching that well, but it does show the distinctive onion-shaped buds that soon will open as flowers.
It's not hard to pick out either of these trees in winter. So, how many tulip trees and dogwoods do you usually walk or drive by each day?
The Providential Gardener has been very busy creating the new What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar the last few weeks, so postings here have been few recently. Now that it is established and growing, there'll be more posts here again.
Rhode Island has many historical sites, and one I've mentioned before is Smith's Castle in North Kingstown, just north of Wickford village on Route 1, which I understand is the old Algonquin Trail. Smith's Castle is one of the many, MANY, sites for Earth Day cleanups and celebrations listed in What Grows On in RI. Here are some of the folks cleaning up last year. Join them or other Rhode Islanders elsewhere this month.
SPRING CLEAN-UP AT SMITH’S CASTLE, Saturday; April 12, 8 AM til noon or so....
Scenic, historic Smith’s Castle is right on the water at the end of Richard Smith Drive; just across from the State Police barracks in Wickford, RI (Post Road – Route 1). A beautiful setting.
Bring small tools – pruning shears, loppers, claws, trowels, rakes, pails, etc.
You’ll work in the Colonial Revival Garden or on the grounds. You’ll pick up an appetite. Castle folks have always had donuts and coffee available in the morning; and also a good lunch at Noon.
Some folks will be there at 8 AM; but you can come when you wish.
Master Gardeners have supported this clean-up for a number of years. Hope you’ll want to help, too. If interested, please contact Jules Cohen by phone (294-6617) or e-mail.
If you are like me, one of these days ~ sometime ~ you intend to take household hazardous waste to the Central Landfill. Many Rhode Islanders have been doing this, but many of us still have a lot of stuff hanging around the house in those garages and basements we, if truth be told, are going to leave for somebody else to clean up after we're gone.
It's hard to work this chore into our busy schedules, and that's why I'm building a union Calendar of all sorts of environment-related events for Rhode Islanders called What Grows On in Rhode Island. The Calendar is full of useful features ~ for instance, it can send you reminders, and you can add events to your own Outlook or other electronic calendar. Maybe this is the year all those poisons get to Eco-Depot!
On March 5, 2008, I transferred the What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar to new, more powerful software, and you'll see you can now sort by event type such as Cleanups and Workdays. And just this afternoon I've added to the Calendar all the Eco-Depots, some of which are not at the Central Landfill, but are rather in outlying regions of the state. It's important to call ahead and make an appointment so you (and everyone else) doesn't have to wait forever in line.
Can you guess what Rhode Islanders have lugged to the Eco-Depots? According to Joe Rotella at RI Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), we've brought more than 5 million pounds of household hazardous waste since 2001. Just last year, 2007, we carted 1,069,939 million pounds. Seventy percent of it is oil-based paint, which is actually recycled by Clean Harbors for use on bridges and such. Last year's (2007) paint haul converts to 748,960 pounds, or 78,838 gallons of paint.
When the Spring Cleaning bug bites soon, make a date with the Eco-Depot guys. Check the Eco-Depot website for what you can (and should!) bring. It's free!
You may have heard that the Central Landfill is filling up fast (you can see it in the distance from Prospect Park in Providence), and Rhode Islanders could do a much better job of recycling. Sarah Kite, Recycling Manager for the RIRRC, reports that we're not really increasing our recycling rate. The national average rate of household recycling is 35%. North Kingstown has the best rate in RI currently at 32%, and Portsmouth has the worst, at 5%. Our state average is 15%. This isn't a good thing, folks.
Some recycling bills are coming up in the General Assembly, and again, if you're like me, you find it difficult to track these things. The dates and times of hearings are on the General Assembly's website. You could check the environmental committees' agendas:
But that's a lot of work, and most of us don't have the time. That's why these hearings are being integrated into What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar. See the "Hearings ~ Legislative ~ Regulatory ~ Public Comment ~ Surveys" sub-calendar for announcements. Right now, there is one upcoming hearing about RIRRC on Wednesday, March 12. Look for it on the What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING TO TRACK HEARINGS and ENTER INFO INTO THE CALENDAR, LET ME KNOW! - Sue Korte ~ email
The Providential Gardener loves hearing about "No Child Left Inside" efforts.* Sanne Kure-Jensen, a Rhode Island landscape professional and great news source herself, sent along this link sent to her..... Here is an article written by the man who wrote the book on the subject.
See this Orion Magazine article "No Child Left Inside," published in 2007, by Richard Louw.
And speaking of children, I'll mention again the Children's Garden Network, which aims to have gardens at every school and youth organization throughout Rhode Island by 2010. Visitors to the Garden Show are responding enthusiastically to the program ~ clearly a good idea whose time has come. Let's help them make their goal, but also do what we can to see that these gardens are sustained over time.
*"The growing movement to reconnect children and nature, and to battle 'nature deficit disorder'"
Friday's icy roads may have kept you from the Garden Show in Providence, but make up for that by heading out to the Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show on Saturday. It's open until 9:00pm on Saturday, and 6:00pm on Sunday. We could all use a good dose of flowery greenery about now!
From noon to 2pm on Saturday, Layanee DeMerchant and Sam Jeffries, two of the "Garden Guys" who are on WHJJ 920AM on Sunday mornings, will be at the Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show.
Also, look for these other garden guys: Friday members of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects were giving brief consults on garden design for attendees. I've also seen them do this at another occasion last year. It is a good way to get a feel for how a professional could help you deal with those difficult problems that keep your yard from being as beautiful and enjoyable as you would like. Maybe they'll be at the show again today! Ask at the "Ask a Master Gardener" booth at the top of the escalator as you enter the show.
I hear the roads are terrible in Little Compton this morning, but if and when you can safely travel to the RI Spring Flower & Garden Show you will have a very good time. Or take the bus!
The top photo is of the RI Wild Plant Society, which always does a remarkable exhibit. Their theme this year is the Legend of the Lady Slipper, one of Rhode Island's native orchids.
The theme of the whole show is fairy tales, and children will really enjoy seeing the big bad wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and Humpty Dumpty. The Dr. Seuss exhibit was designed by Joseph F. Novak and Ecotope, a Division of CleanScapeLandscape Architects and Artisans.
There are magicians and other activities for children as well. Check out the Show website, and also see What Grows On in Rhode Island for a Calendar view of all the special events, 
which include cooking demonstrations and speakers on container gardens and the particulars of growing things in Rhode Island ~ this last topic is presented by Barbara Gee, author of the Rhode Island Gardener's Companion.
I took these photos yesterday, but they don't do justice to the fine exhibits, and of course you can't smell spring in a weblog! I'm helping out with The Children's Garden Network (CGN), which aims to have a garden at every school in Rhode Island by 2010. I hope you will drop by to see that vignette. I didn't get a good photo of the CGN display, but the bottom photo is of Whole Foods vignette, which is right next to Children's Garden Network! Everyone was admiring the tiles in the CGN display by Kurt van Dexter. There are many good design ideas, and I haven't been through the vendor area yet myself, so do get a breath of spring this week in Providence at the RI Spring Flower & Garden Show.
Not only is there a LOT going on at the Flower Show, but this is also School Vacation Week.
For dozens of things to do with your children, see the Calendar. Soon you'll be able to view the Calendar in categories ~ separating the Children's Events from Gardening Events, for instance. You can see it will be really helpful ~ At the moment, the Calendar is listing about 20 activities for everybody to do on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but it's up to 37 total events on Thursday. All the Flower Show events begin with "RI Flower Show." But some Flower Show events are for children also.
Especially note that the first "Kids and Carnivores" program is Tuesday the 19th at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center (RWPBC) Mayor David N. Cicilline has announced that starting Monday, February 18, the first 100 kids (14 and under) who visit the Botanical Center will also receive their very own Venus Fly Trap!
All of these organizations have special children's activities during the School Vacation Week, and they also are generally great places to spend the morning or afternoon whenever you can go. Save the Bay does not seem to have specific activities for children, but its wonderful headquarters on the Bay is also open for exploring this week each day from 10am to 4pm.
You will find, in Agenda format (though you can change to Calendar formats if you like), children's events at:
There's surely no reason to leave any child inside at home this week!
What did I miss? There must be more! Send info to Providential Gardener ASAP if you know of other outdoor/nature/environment-related activities for children, large or small.
I've always enjoyed going to the Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show, and so I'm looking forward to this year's show ~ Thursday, February 21st through Sunday February 24th, 2008.
LECTURES & DEMOS ~ AND Children's Activities.
Each year there are special presentations, but if you're like me, it's not easy to remember when the ones I want to hear are scheduled. Then there are separate lists for lectures & demos, which adds to the challenge.
This year, I've put all the special activities at the Flower Show into the What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar. Scroll to February 21-24, and you'll see all the special events listed in "Agenda" view, but you can also change this to a Calendar format.
By the way, I am very close now to upgrading the Calendar software, which will make the Calendar much easier to use.
Breaking News!
The Rhode Island Water Lady has a website now. This is the ideal place for Rhode Islanders to buy rain barrels. Many of us have done so already, and Beverly O'Keefe, the Rhode Island Water Lady, has provided a direct online conduit for buying rain barrels. Check out the Education and Resources links.
A True Environmental Steward Leaves Her Mark
After almost eight years of dedicated service, Jennifer Cole is stepping down from her role as Director of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program this month and relocating to Virginia. At a farewell party held in her honor this past Wednesday the 6th, the city awarded Ms Cole three commendations for her work.
During her time at PNPP, Ms Cole organized the planting of at least
3000 trees, won a RI Tree Council award for community outreach, and
worked through personnel changes in both the City Parks Superintendent
and the City Forester positions. Outside of her work at PNPP, Ms Cole
has also helped to open the Conservation Law Foundation office where
she worked for four years on urban environmental advocacy issues. In
addition, she served for five years as a Mayoral appointed member of
the City Planning Commission. Ms Cole has said that she is very proud
of the impact she has had on incoming developers, who now frequently
present their landscaping plan first to the City Planning Commission
when making development proposals. Here are her thoughts on leaving;
"I’m not sure what I'll be doing next and I can only hope it is as
fulfilling and valuable to the community as my time with the PNPP has
been. I am looking forward to a new city and new challenges but I will
be leaving pieces of my heart in Providence, kept safe with friends and
a legacy of important work. I will miss the city, and its great
potential, dearly."
New Director for PNPP
Stepping in as the new Director of PNPP is Liz Downing. Downing grew up in Providence and received her BS in Environmental Science and Management from the University of Rhode Island. She has run her own ecologically friendly garden maintenance, design and installation business for the past 5 years as a means of developing scarce wildlife habitat within the human habitat. Ms Downing is “excited to expand the scale of my work to citywide reforestation, honored to walk in the footsteps of those who created this program and to work alongside the Providence residents who join together to manifest our city’s full potential.”
Contact information:
Providence Neighborhood Planting Program c/o Groundwork Providence, Inc.
8 Third Street
Providence RI 02906
401-351-6440 x13
There are many orchid lovers in Rhode Island, which is a good thing because there are more than 20,000 species of orchids in the world to love, growing in every climate. At the Cape and Island Orchid Society Show last month, I've heard that the Ocean State Orchid Society won three awards:
I'm always glad to post news of any sort of "green" event, especially when they have pretty pictures.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, the RI Rose Society is welcoming friends and visitors to join them Saturday, February 8, 9:30am at the Garden Classroom of the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center to share stories, ask questions, and get answers about roses. Everyone is welcome. See the full meeting announcement on What Grows On in Rhode Island.
Everyone who loves roses will have a great time at this meeting!
Rhode Island is full of great places to explore and fascinating things to do, and I just can't keep up with it all! Much of my time these days is going into growing the comprehensive union Calendar of environment-related events called What Grows On in Rhode Island; yet I've got quite a backlog of ideas for Providential Gardener blog posts. The ones on the top of the list concern Bristol, RI ~ Blithewold and Coggeshall Farm. Here's Blithewold!
Blithewold's history is fascinating. It was the subject recently of a Providence Journal article in the Business section ~ finding good approaches in the mansion's management to Rhode Island's economic woes ~ see John Kostrzewa's Gloomy forecast hides state's potential, January 6, 2008. Its beautiful gardens are documented nearly every day in one the Rhode Island's best blogs, The Garden Blog. This is a journal that records what the gardeners see and do in the mansion's fabulous gardens along the shores of Narragansett Bay. If you live near Bristol or have the same climate, you have a great garden mentor ~ just follow along with what they do and your garden will thrive. Blithewold also offers many gardening workshops as well.
I am delighted to present in its entirety Barbara Gee's wonderful description of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum today. Barbara recently published The Rhode Island Gardener's Companion, a must-have for Rhode Islanders who love their gardens.
As you probably know there aren’t many botanical gardens in the U.S. that lay claim to a historic landscape and that are celebrating 100 years. This 2008 Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum in Bristol, RI, will be taking the year to celebrate its Centennial. Not only is this a commemorative year for Blithewold but an important milestone in American history, particularly that of Rhode Island. Blithewold’s rich history is woven into the fabric of life in its home state and throughout the region. 30 years ago, the house and grounds opened to the public. 10 years ago a group of concerned members united to raise funds and save the property from being sold for private development.
In a state as beautiful as Rhode Island Blithewold ranks as one of the largest tourist attractions in the state, attracting 32,000 visitors a year.
The sum of the mansion, gardens and arboretum is greater than the parts, and yet the gardens and arboretum stand alone as a wonderful horticultural resource to be visited in all the seasons. A staggering number of daffodils - 50,000 to be exact - appear to herald the early spring each year, and when the leaves fall from the more than 1,500 exotic and native trees the grounds blaze with color. The towering grove of bamboo, Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Golden Groove’, covers an area nearly the size of a tennis court and becomes a magnet for children and adults alike. The huge display gardens overwhelm visitors with a lavish array of flowers, many of which are cut for use in the house. The elegantly designed Rock Garden nestles beside the water’s edge flanked by The Oriental Water Garden and a sweeping 10-acre lawn that rolls down to the bay. It is one of two on the property.
And this is just a taste of what Blithewold has to offer the gardening enthusiast.
To celebrate Blithewold’s Centennial many events will be held throughout the year. Attached is press information from Sandra Carney, 2008 Events Coordinator, that will fill you in on some of the events.
Please feel free to contact Sandra to answer any questions and provide further information. If you haven’t already visited Blithewold please do. If you want a personal tour let her know and she will arrange that. You can also learn more about Blithewold by visiting the website: www.blithewold.org
Sandi can be reached by email scarney1@cox.net or (401) 247-4220.
Photo’s to be credited, please, as follows: the aerial shot – John Corbett; the garden view – Kristin Green.
Warm regards,
BarbaraBarbara Gee ~~ Writer & Author
Business & Corporate, Marketing & PR, Technical, Creative, the Web
Contributor, Yankee Magazine, Newport Life, RI Home, Living & Design...
Rhode Island Editor, People, Places & Plants - the Northeast Gardener's Magazine
Titles published for Globe Pequot Press:~~ The Rhode Island Gardener's Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State
~~ The Massachusetts Gardener's Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening from the Berkshires to the Islands
728 Bristol Ferry Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871
T. 401-683-0367 / C. 401-297-9266 / www.barbaragee.com
I couldn't resist calling in to the Garden Guys show this morning (January 27, 2008) on WHJJ 920AM because I knew the answer to the last question for listeners: From what plant do we get vanilla? Not only did I know vanilla comes from an orchid, but also I had actually SEEN the Vanilla Orchid plant four days ago right in Providence! It's native to Mexico, actually, but Madagascar is said to be the largest producer. So how can I have seen it here in the city? It's snowing out as I write this.
Well, the short answer is, I was at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center on Wednesday for training I describe below, and there was the vanilla orchid, a vine growing on trees in the orchid display. The Botanical Center opened about a year ago, a tropical oasis in New England, open Tuesday through Sunday, 11-4, for a very nominal fee. You don't need a passport or an airline ticket to get to the tropics this afternoon. Just get in the car and go to the Park. The Botanical Center is across the road from the Mounted Command.
Last year, I finally had the time to take the URI Master Gardener course, which is about 12-14 weeks long and involves a serious volunteer commitment of 50 hours to earn the title, Master Gardener (MG). It's a continuing commitment: each year to maintain "certified active Extension Master Gardener" status, MGs must attend at least 15 hours of continuing education workshops and volunteer at least 20 hours. Many MGs have hundreds and even thousands of volunteer hours. I've heard that the URI MG Association is the largest volunteer organization in the state.
The URI Master Gardeners are part of the Cooperative Extension, with a mission to provide reliable information about all things growing in Rhode Island to the public. One program I volunteered on is the Learning Landscape: a morning of hands-on exploration and discovery classes in grades K-5 at URI (outside, during the spring and early fall) and
now also in February & March at the RWP Botanical Center!
Special rates are available for Providence School Groups!
School groups from Northern RI and greater Providence can more easily participate in the Learning Landscape ~ no long bus trip to South County. Three schools have signed up so far, but if other schools want to take advantage of this program, contact the Learning Landscape Program Coordinator, Cathi Cote. 
It's such fun for us who lead the groups of children around the various stations, and the children love it.
Marion Gold, who oversees all of URI College of Environment & Life Sciences Outreach Programs, described the new RWPBC Learning Landscape Program recently on Channel 10, WJAR. Volunteering for programs such as this gives many opportunities to learn; and of course, explaining and sharing knowledge with others helps the memory and further deepens one's understanding of the natural world. The photo is from the Learning Landscape training this week ~ Cathi explaining how to show the specimens of animals native to Rhode Island (all of which had died naturally, by the way, and were found in time to preserve them).
The Botanical Center has a culinary area where you can see bananas growing right now, as well as cacao (chocolate), lemon, guava, avocado, Mandarin orange, and fig trees. You'll also find a carnivorous plant bog maintained by the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, which meets at RWPBC every second Saturday at 12:30. AND...
they just posted the schedule for the SPRING GARDENING SCHOOL at RWPBC, which will be Monday afternoons, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, April 2nd through May 21st at the RWP Botanical Center Mediterranean Room.
You wouldn't believe all that's Growing On in Rhode Island! This is just a little sample of what there is to do and see in Little Rhody.
Which reminds me ~ If you have school-aged children in Rhode Island and love gardening, be sure to get your school involved ASAP in The Children's Garden Network! They aim to help establish gardens at every school in the state. Their website just went live, and there are advantages to registering your child's school garden as soon as you can. See their website for details, and also this post from What Grows On in Rhode Island.
The Providential Gardener is working on a comprehensive online Union Calendar of RI environment-related events called WHAT GROWS ON IN RHODE ISLAND. Any and every organization planning relevant meetings is welcome to add their events to the Calendar. As the Calendar itself grows, it will be easier for folks to find out about opportunities to learn about and tend our wonderful shared Garden aka Rhode Island.
Last year at the New England Grows! Conference and Expo in Boston, I came upon The Underground, an interesting group of landscape and nursery professionals who work mostly in the Boston/SE Mass area. I joined so I could follow their activities and benefit from the useful gardening information shared there.
Their current discussion board especially caught my eye: Dog friendly gardens ~ Plants to avoid, plants dogs like....
How lucky the dog whose owner muses, "I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on plants, design ideas etc that a dog would enjoy...." ! It reminds me of our now deceased goof-ball dog, who was of such indeterminate origin that I had to invent a breed just for her: Socks, the one and only Ersttweiler. 
She looked and sounded like a sweet wookiee, as you can kind of tell from this 1990 pre-digital photo I just scanned. The mold has been broken, folks.
She loved everything about the outdoors, so she was easy to please. I remember leaving her on one side of the house while I worked in the garden on the other side. I walked over to check her without fully looking around the corner, and there she was, lounging about and smiling that serene doggie smile at me. But when I went to check again and really looked behind her, she'd dug up most of the garden around her. Such fun! You can have your Rottweilers ~ I'd take that Ersttweiler any day!
Well, what would dogs like in a garden besides holes of their own making? Suggestions on the list range from nice thick lawns to roll around on for backscratching; large hostas to "dig a cool cave under...while waiting for the FedEx delivery;" Verbena bonariensis, which another Undergrounder's dogs chew up...
Maybe you're thinking of adding water features to your garden this year, but if you have a dog to please, be sure to include places to burrow holes and vantage points for observing the world :
On really hot days, dogs love to dig in the bat cave (at my house it is an overgrown taxus) that seems to be immune to the effects of the dog (only one in particular) that loves to burrow under it. I hide that area from sight with some tough perennials like daylilies and self sowing rudbeckia etc. that she can't hurt too much - which minimizes the "gardening conflicts"!
Dogs also love to be able to see out and survey their world - so when it is cooler there is a little hill that they all have liked sitting/lying on so that they can see the street, back door, most of the driveway and keep an eye on their little slice of the planet.
Of course, many dogs will like your water features also. Any serious dog will surely think your new pond will go great with the holes. Hey, maybe you can get your dog to dig the pond. Synergy!
OK, back from this imaginary romp in the yard to return to The Underground. Another recent discussion is about a trellis for espalier and what trees could be trained to the trellis. There are job listings and professional meeting announcements. If you are a professional landscape architect, you'll want to check out The Underground, join it (which is free), and be listed on this site. If you are a consumer of landscaping services, you'll want to check out The Underground's Consumer Articles, such as How to Hire A Landscape Professional.
The landscape professionals I quote above are:
Rhode Island landscape architects should note that The Underground lists its professional members at Find a Landscape Professional. Only 9 Rhode Islanders are listed, but I'm sure we have quite a few more than that, even if this is the smallest state in the Union. The listing notes who is a member of the Northeast Organic Gardening Association (NOFA). RI doesn't have its own NOFA chapter, but several Rhode Islanders participate in the Massachusetts and Connecticut groups.
Oh, yes, one more thing: The Underground organizes several meetings each year. The next one is:
