From The Weekly Dirt newsletter:

“Columnist expects plant prices to stay steady

“Tom Glass, a green-industry professional and columnist for the Vail Daily, warned consumers not to expect sharp drops in the retail prices of plants. “Nationwide garden market wholesalers and retailers have been short on profits for a number of years,” Glass said. “Labor costs rose, fuel costs rose – every cost of sales had risen while demand from an aging population of gardeners shrank. Some of you may find this hard to believe, but the bedding flower market has been served by overproduction for the past 10 years. Today, the cost of fuel is down, and domestic labor is no longer in short supply. Does this mean that prices will fall accordingly? No. The overriding factor here is plainly that those producers and marketers serving this happy little valley have been living close to the bone as it is, and there is little room for reductions in prices on the goods they sell.”

And how about a working farm at the White House?

From the same newsletter:

“Activists lobby for White House garden

“Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow have traveled through 25 states and collected 10,000 signatures on petition urging President-elect Barack Obama to transform the South Lawn of the White House into a working farm. The Washington Post recently reported on the efforts of the duo. I’m not terribly optimistic this will happen the day [the Obamas] move into the White House,” Simon told the paper. “I think we’ve planted a seed—no pun intended—that opens up the possibility.”

Press release from Mary Kay Koch of Westchester Parks Dept.:

“HOUSEPLANTS FOR WINTER BOTANICAL BEAUTY INDOORS – AT LASDON

“A sure way to chase away the indoor winter “blahs” is by surrounding yourself with beautiful houseplants, and you can get some great ideas of plants to grow and show in every room of your house on Sunday, January 25 at Lasdon Park and Arboretum in Somers. Read more of this entry »

Also from the greenTalk/GrowerTalks newsletter:

“A Market for Your Green Goodness?

“Incoming Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has announced he intends to establish the new USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets. He’s also putting together a Conservation and Land Management Environmental Services Board. Read more of this entry »

From the greenTalks/GrowerTalks newsletter:

“Research: Walk in Nature Improves Memory

“Do you remember those days before you HAD to keep a list, when you remembered everything? A walk in the park, the woods, or the arboretum might be just the thing you need. New research out of the University of Michigan (published in the December 2008 issue of Psychology Science) shows that scenic settings (as opposed to urban ones) actually renew and replenish cognitive control centers. Study participants who took 20-minute walks in an arboretum performed 20% higher on standard memory and attention tasks than those who walked through a typical downtown, urban setting. Read more HERE.

Do you know about Old House Gardens? They’re based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they specialize in hard-to-find and heirloom bulbs.

They’ve got a good newsletter, too, and it’s easy to subscribe — just follow the directions on their Web site.

If you’ve never ordered from them, they’ve got a good deal for first-timers. Here’s a note from the current newsletter:

“Tough Times Call for FREE Bulbs!
If you’ve NEVER ordered from us before, this deal’s for you. Order spring-planted bulbs NOW and we’ll GIVE you your choice of these free gifts:
1 Thomas Edison—the easy-to-grow, velvety purple dahlia (a $4.75 value),
or 1 Cleopatra—the ever-changing “Harlequin Canna” (a $3.75 value),
or 5 Atom—the small, fiery glad that’s our all-time best-seller (a $4.50 value).
Simply order for the FIRST time this spring, tell us which one you want, and it’s yours. We figure that once you try our bulbs, you’ll never want to garden without them. So what have you got to lose? Order now and make us both happy!”

Press release from Wave Hill public garden in Riverdale:

“Mick Hales–Catch the Eye

“Wednesday, January 21 at 6PM
New York School of Interior Design

170 E. 70th St. at Lexington Ave., Manhattan

“Wave Hill invites you to attend the 2009 Horticultural Lectures, part of an ongoing series hosted by the Friends of Horticulture Committee and devoted to landscape design and the meaning of our interactions with plants and the natural world. Read more of this entry »

Every year the well-respected Perennial Plant Association picks a Perennial Plant of the Year. Winning top honors for 2009 is golden hakone grass, a hardy, shade-friendly ornamental grass native to Honshu Island in Japan.

Known botanically as Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola,’ this clump-forming grass will really light up a shady corner of your garden. It can also take a fair amount of sun.

(Photos by Steven Still, Perennial Plant Association) Read more of this entry »

Perennials: Be wary of plants that spread by stolons, runners or rhizomes. Although they are easy to grow, they can become pests and take over flower beds, if not the entire yard. Read the fine print and the Latin name when planting Ajuga or Buddleia. The variety can make all the difference.

Flowers: Plant colorful nectar-filled flowers that attract beneficial insects and help reduce the need for chemical sprays. Alyssum, cosmos, zinnias and tithonia are good choices. Sunflowers and marigolds lure predators such as lady beetles and hover flies, which will attack aphids and mites. These blossoms look as beautiful in a vegetable garden as a flower bed. Read more of this entry »

Jan. 17
Yorktown Heights: Planning Your Spring Vegetable Garden. Topic: How to plan your vegetable garden for spring, including what and when to plant, how to care for your plants and season-extending techniques. Reservations. Free. 11 a.m. Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, 1275 Hanover St. 914-962-2368.

Jan. 21
Chappaqua: Chappaqua Garden Club. Speaker: Master Gardener Krys Mernyk. Topic: Tips on houseplant care. Free. 12:45 p.m. First Congregational Church, 210 Orchard Ridge Road. 914-242-3799.

Feb. 3
Tuckahoe: “Gardens of Italy.” Speaker: Vicky Sturner. Presented by Boulder Ledge Garden Club of Bronxville. $25, $20 seniors, free students with ID. 7 p.m. Westchester Italian Cultural Center, Depot Square. 914-771-8700.

Story from sciencedaily.com about how bees help defend plants from caterpillars.

Anne Raver article from the NY Times, about the Sustainable Sites Initiative and its goal of providing sustainability standards for landscapes.