VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 6 August 2006

HoursMon-Sat 8:00am-6:00pmSun 10:00am-5:00pm

Open Labor Day 8am - 2pm

for your convenience!

In-Stock Only. Not Valid with other offers or prior purchases.Discount is off regular price.

Coupon Valid thru September 15, 2006

Any amount!Never expires!And good for

Pine Knoll too!

From Pine Knoll Gardens at The Rock Pile. In-Stock Only. Not Valid with other offers or prior purchases.

Discount is off regular price. Coupon Valid thru September 15, 2006

by Cheryl BadoIs your lawn suffering the stresses of summer? Perhaps thin grass with a brown

looking lawn? Imagine how bad the soil must be to produce such sick looking grass. For many people the first sign of illness is the reason for making chicken soup. Well there is now “chicken soup” for your soil. SoilSoup may be the organic answer to building up a healthy lawn. It can be tempting to treat your yard with chemicals and herbicides, especially when you look across the street and see your neighbor’s chemically treated yard. But with all the information about links between cancer and chemicals, many people want to go organic for the sake of their children, pets and the environment. Lawns require soil that is well-drained, aerated, and rich in nutrients. Most lawns have been robbed of organic materials and micro-organisms by overuse of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. The lack of nutrients in soil leads to stunted plant growth, poor color, inability to reproduce and little resistance to disease.

SoilSoup feeds the soil which in turn stimulates bacterial growth which then feeds your grass. To get maximum benefit from SoilSoup, apply it within 24 hours of purchase.

The application method that is best for lawns is to use a hose end sprayer. One gallon of SoilSoup will treat 1000 square feet. The normal dilution is a 10:1 ratio. There is no danger of putting on too much SoilSoup. If you are treating 1000 square feet, just spray the area until your gallon of SoilSoup is gone. Rain or watering will actually improve its effectiveness. SoilSoup is not just for lawns, it can be used in many different ways. Flower beds, containers, trees, shrubs, and house plants all benefit from a regular application of SoilSoup. If you want to see fast results to prove the effectiveness of this product, try it on your house plants. Bring in your own clean, 1 gallon jug and receive 50¢ off ! Be sure to take advantage of the offers for SoilSoup found in this newsletter.

SoilSoup

In-Stock Only. Not Valid with other offers or prior purchases.Discount is off regular price.

In-Store Special thru September 15, 2006

SoilSoup

“Just living is not enough,”

said the butterfly. “One must have

sunshine, freedom and a little flower.”

~Hans Christian Anderson, “The Butterfly”

Buy 1,get 1/2 off

your next gallon

sold in 10 &50 lb bags

Buy any 23-Gallon Shrubs

receive 15% OFF

both

Safflower59¢/lb

for Bird Club Membersjoin today...it’s free!

Great Summer Feed!

Gift Card

From Pine Knoll...

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 6 August 2006The Stone Tablet

Page 2

SWEET PEET® is a natural and versatile 100% organic material. It naturally sweetens the soil’s pH and reduces or eliminates

the use of chemicals.

Sweet Peet products are available at The Rock Pile.

www.sweetpeet-urbanorganics.com

440.937.0017

...and the “Dog Days” of July and August, the hottest and most unhealthy days of the year, find you seeking shelter in the shade of a tree. Relax for awhile and turn your thoughts to planning for color in the fall landscape.

Many perennials bloom from late s u m m e r t h r o u g h fall. The Ja p a n e s e Anemones are an excel lent choice. With their 2 inch large, white or pink flowers on tall stems they are beautiful in mass plantings. Perennial asters are invaluable in the hardy border. They are popular for their daisy-like flowers which bloom in shades of blue, purple, pink, white, and yellow. Any variety will add sparkle to a garden. Indeed, the botanical name “aster” comes from the Greek root for “star”. Autumn Joy Sedum, a favorite perennial, is easy to

grow and is attractive year round. This succulent’s upright fleshy leaves, light green in color, support dense bronze rose flowers that age to brick red before frost. These remain all winter adding texture and color to the garden.

When choosing shrubs and trees for your landscape seek plants with a multi-seasonal appeal. Among the shrubs, viburnums are outstanding. Their showy, often fragrant, flowers are followed by colorful berries and stunning foliage. They are also attractive to the birds. Cranberry Bush Vibernum bears masses of bright red berries. Judd Viburnum flowers profusely and has colorful fall foliage with red-black fruit. Korean Spice Viburnum has very fragrant pink buds

that open to showy white snowball flowers. Burgundy is the color of its fall foliage. You can enjoy these from season to season.

Henry’s Garnet Virginia Sweetspire is another multi-seasonal shrub. In early summer fragrant spiral white

flowers appear. In the fall the foliage turns a spectacular bright red color. Sweetspire requires light to full shade, moist acid soil and grows 3 to 5 feet.

Caryopteris Blue Mist Spirea deserves

a blue ribbon. It has class – fragrant soft gray foliage that produces fragrant deep blue blossoms just when you need vivid color in the garden. The butterflies and hummingbirds like it too.

The Allegheny Serviceberry tree truly serves. Humans welcome its white flowers in very early spring and admire its gray striated bark in the fall and winter. Serviceberry produces delicious small purple-black fruits excellent for pies, if the birds haven’t eaten all of them. Autumn foliage is yellow to red. The tree grows to 25 feet enhancing any landscape.

One or more of these plants in your landscape will ensure that your autumn garden is as appealing as your spring and summer garden. Pine Knoll Gardens can help you paint a landscape for all seasons.

by Doris Eisaman

Sirius Shines...

“A sweet,

earthy smell,

composted soil

conditioner”

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 6 August 2006The Stone Tablet

Page �

Do You Need Large Quantities of Mulch, Topsoil or Stone for you business?

The Rock Pile can arrange Drop Shipmentsto your location.Call for a quote440.937.5100

pBUSINESSESP

The Pond in AugustGot a leak? If the water in your pond seems to be disappearing how do you find the cause and how do you make the repair!

• First thing to think about is evaporation. In a hot humid area it is possible to lose 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week. If it is not raining don’t be alarmed by this much water loss.

• Fish don’t drink water so several inches disappearing in a day is probably a leak.

• Streams and waterfalls are the first place to look for leaks. Look for wet gravel on the outside of the stream and stones that may have been moved out of position in a waterfall course.

• Sometimes a shifted rock will cause water to splash out. There is a foam product available at The Rock Pile that can stick a rock back in place and help keep it in the correct location.

• Turn the waterfall off if you are not sure. Mark the water level with a chalk mark, leave it off overnight and look for lost water in the morning. No additional water missing and you can be certain that the leak is someplace in the waterfall.

• If the water is still disappearing, look for wet areas around the edge of the pond. Mark the water level every night with chalk and check it in the morning.

• When the water stops leaking out, the leak must be on the water line at the lowest point. Examine this area very closely. Hopefully the leak is not behind or under a heavy rock.

• Once the leak is found, more water has to be removed to get the level below the damaged area so that the patch can be applied securely.

• If this process has taken several days be sure to keep an eye on your fish. If they are gulping air, turn the waterfall back on for a time to get some air into the water. At this point the waterfall has been eliminated as a possible leak site.

• At The Rock Pile we have patch material for standard rubber liner. Be certain that the area around the leak is clean and dry before application of the patch.

Once the pond is patched, add water and continue to enjoy it for the rest of the summer.

by Cheryl Bado

To feed or not to feed squirrels, that is the question. There is little gray area here. People either love these

fuzzy little creatures or they hate them. People get tired of always feeding the squirrels while the birds are chased away. I have been trying to

feed the squirrels in addition to the birds. This has largely been a failed effort. My co-workers have had great fun laughing at me since I have yet to

entice even one squirrel to stop and eat. I’ve set out ear corn with no response from any animal. I see squirrels in my neighbors’ yard across the street. I watch them in the trees on both sides of my property, but yet not one has come to lunch in my yard.

I recently moved into the house and I do have a rather large German Shepard in the back yard. But, the front yard is deserted and primed for furry little friends to come and dine. I can hear the chattering of the squirrels all around. I do have to wonder if they are all laughing at me and my efforts. I love to garden. Since I moved during planting time, I was unable to plant a garden this year. I do have one lone tomato plant in a patio pot and wouldn’t you know it, I have one lone squirrel that comes and sits in that pot. The one thing I don’t want them to touch and they find it. I really think he has his eye on my ripening tomatoes.

Today I’ll take a bag of Chuckanut home, I’m hoping these tasty treats of pumpkin seeds may be just the thing to encourage the squirrels to stick around for a feast. I know most bird feeders must be thinking I am crazy for inviting these guests to stay, but I really think squirrels are quite interesting to watch. Especially if you are feeding from the Squngee which sends these animals bouncing up and down while they feed. Heritage Squirrel-go-round is another great way to feed the squirrels. Just attach the feeder to the side of a tree, then attach four ears of corn and watch as this feeder spins like a merry-go-round. There is a common theme to these squirrel feeders and that is to create a diversion. Give them something that will keep them busy and let them work for it while entertaining you. The next time your squirrels raid your feeders and chase your birds away, remember there are feeders at The Rock Pile specially made to feed the squirrels their favorite foods. We also have bird feeders that discourage squirrels if you don’t want them to receive free handouts from your birdfeeder.

Nuts About Squirrels?

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 6 August 2006The Stone Tablet

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By: Bud Maxwell, Jennifer Keener & Cheryl Bado; Contributing Writers: Julie Holzworth & Doris Eisaman. Special Thanks to: Town Money Saver

GARDEN MASTERS

MASTERFULLYDESIGNED & MAINTAINED

LANDSCAPES, GARDENS & LAWNS

216 509 58891608 Newman Ave, Lakewood

New Landscaping(free design)

Lawn installationMaintenance

CleanupLawn mowing

TrimmingCertified Brick Patio &

Walkway installer

We strive to make The Rock Pile a source of information concerning stone, pavers, wall stones, bird

and garden products. Towards that end, we offer the following events. All are free to our customers and do not

require prior registration.Saturday, August 12th, 10:00-11:00 AM, Using Rocks in the LandscapeTechniques for using rocks and gravels in landscaping applications.

20th Anniversary Celebration will be held in September It’s been 20 years since The Rock Pile began, and we want to celebrate! Join us for all sorts of fun! Details to follow, but you won’t want to miss it!

Garden QuestionsWhat causes powdery mildew on ornamental plants?Powdery mildew is an air borne fungus disease that infects the leaves and stems of almost all ornamental plants. Infection is marked by a gray powder and whitish filaments on the leaves as well as leaf curling. Each plant is infected by its own type of mildew so a lilac mildew will not infect a rose bush.Most mildews are encouraged by conditions of high humidity and poor air circulation. Mildews do not require actual water on the leaves, but watering plants around their bases is always a good practice. Be careful working around infected plants as brushing the plants can spread the infection. Plant resistant varieties and be sure that all plants have proper spacing for good air circulation.

What is “deadheading” of flowering plants?Annual flowering plants are especially good candidates for deadheading. Flowers that are past their peak blooming time should be trimmed from the plant. This has several good results. One is it encourages the formation of additional flowers. It also stimulates branching as the buds are stimulated by removing the flowering tips. Deadheading also makes for a more vigorous plant as flowering, fruit and seed formation require a lot of the plants energy. Removing the “dead” flowers before they fruit and seed forces the plant to put more energy into producing more flowers. Flower production is always a goal for annuals.

Congratulations Jason G!! Winner of the birdfeeder drawing!

Safflower: Summer’s favorite foodSafflower is a great seed to feed in the spring, fall, and summer, but not in the winter, due to the low oil content. Safflower does not provide enough fat content to help birds survive a cold long winter. Cardinals, House Finches, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, White Breasted Nuthatches are just some of the birds that like

safflower. The best feature Safflower can offer is that Squirrels, Grackles and Starlings do not prefer to eat it.

Don’t grieve that your roses have thorns. Rejoice, instead, that your thorns have roses.

~author unknown

Yeah, I guess I am the new kid. It’s an honor to work with someone with your experience!! Is it really true that you’re older than dirt?

Yep, I’ve been here 20 years...I’ve seen a lot of action. The stories I could tell you would make your feathers curl! You nervous? How does it feel to be

the new kid on the rock?