Archive for 2011


Hope y’all had a great holiday…

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Hope y’all had a great holiday weekend full of family, fun & BBQ. watch out for our Sept. Newsletter in the next day or 2 #back2work


Ann Arbor’s Nichols Arboretum… “Peony Initiative” Recieves Federal Grant…

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Peony Garden

There are many wonderful things about the city of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. I have many fond memories of my college days there. One of my favorite things both during and after my school days, is walking along the trails and enjoying the beauty of the Nichols Arboretum. For those of you that are not familiar with it, the Arboretum (or “Arb” as it is called by the students) the University of Michigan created a Botanical Garden and Arboretum in 1907 on the land between Geddes Road and the Huron River, just a few blocks from Central Campus on the site now known as Nichols Arboretum. At the time, the property consisted of approximately 80 acres. Today, more than 100 years later, the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum manages over 700 acres of gardens, research areas, and natural preserves around the Ann Arbor area with a complex of conservatory, greenhouses, laboratory, teaching and meeting spaces at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and the James D. Reader, Jr. Center for Urban Environmental Education at Nichols Arboretum.

For me, the Arb was a place to get away from the stress of my studies and take a long walk on a sunny spring or fall day. In the winter, we went sledding, tubing or “traying” on it’s many hills. One such winter afternoon lead to one of my many encounters with the U of M Health Services as they x-rayed a sprained thumb brought on by an extreme traying session. (For those of you who are not familiar with the sport, traying is the sport of sliding down a steep snow covered hill on a tray from the U of M Food Services (i.e. cafeteria).

In the summers, we held numerous picnics, Frisbee games, touch football games or just spent a lazy afternoon laying on a blanket and reading a book. The Arboretum never failed to enchant or excite as it changed with each season. Now, my wife and I, after visiting our daughter, take long languid walks in the Arboretum. We talk about the past, plan for the future and just relax in a beautifully maintained natural space. One of my wife’s favorite parts of the Arboretum is the Peony garden. We make sure to visit the Arboretum in late spring and early summer to see the over 230 varieties of peonies in bloom.

You can imagine my pleasure at reading the other day that U.S Senator Carl Levin (D–Mich.) announced in a July 26 press statement that the Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum are among five Michigan museums that will receive federal grants through the Museums for America program to preserve local establishments.

“Michigan’s Museums are home to many important state and national treasures, and these grants will help share those resources with more visitors,” Levin said in the release. “I am proud these museums were selected out of scores of applicants nationwide, reflecting the great work being performed by these institutions.”

According to the press release, the University will receive $79,658 from the Museums for America grant as well as matching funds provided by the grantee to be used on the “Peony Initiative,” which will provide information on the Internet about the garden’s various peonies. The money provided by the Museums for America grants is only one piece of the peony project, which includes restoration and expansion, among other improvements, that are already several years underway. The Peony Garden was donated to Nichols Arboretum in 1922 by Dr. W. E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Peony Garden is home to historic varieties of peonies that were introduced into gardens throughout the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. Here is a slideshow of photos from Flickr that are tagged “nicholsarboretum” courtesy of cseeman

[slickr-flickr tag=”nicholsarboretum” id=”7702423@N04″ type=”slideshow” delay=”3″ captions=”on”]

I have written about two of my favorite natural places, the Coral Reefs off the coast of Eilat and now, the Nichols Arboretum, I would love to hear about some of your favorite natural places too?


Found one of these on my tomat…

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Found one of these on my tomato plant this morning… #Tomato Hornworm that has been been parasitized by a wasp! http://t.co/cjDkh9n


We love #FF @LoveGreenEnvy @Ec…

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

We love #FF @LoveGreenEnvy @Ecofriendlyrobe @GreenNewsDaily @GreenGeorgia @GrnRev @lazynui @jeremarketer #green #tweeps


@Compuware @Mayordavebing Just…

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

@Compuware @Mayordavebing Just created a “Lafayette Greens” photoset on Flickr… http://t.co/GkADnrC #green #detroit #garden


Check out this awesome Squidoo…

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Check out this awesome Squidoo lens that has ways to make saving water fun for kids! http://t.co/Lj8P1Ok #kids #water #greenliving #eco


I posted 14 photos on Facebook…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

I posted 14 photos on Facebook in the album “Lafayette Greens” http://t.co/xMWrqzh


Check out this overhead shot o…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Check out this overhead shot of @Compuware‘s Urban Garden “Lafayette Greens” #Green #Urban #Garden http://t.co/2aMrtnp


Butterfly bush and mint grown …

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Butterfly bush and mint grown in used juice drums! http://t.co/SmbRdo7 #public #garden


Our recycled containers create…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Our recycled containers created the Children’s garden! http://t.co/266B1xa #garden #Detroit


Rooster tail and silvermound i…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Rooster tail and silvermound in a 55-gallon drum planter!! Compuware’s Lafayette Greens #Detroit urban #Garden http://t.co/WXsQE7k


Strawberries!!! They have many…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Strawberries!!! They have many different types of flowers and vegetables / fruits growing here! http://t.co/HTIGBuD


Just got downtown (@ Lafayett…

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Just got downtown (@ Lafayette Greens) http://t.co/0waBnoF for the grand opening! Updates are on the way, it opens at 11:30 #public #garden


Check out this feature article…

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Check out this feature article about us from @IQSdirectory http://t.co/e7i4ROn #industrial #directory


@marksbarrelcomp Thanx for all…

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

@marksbarrelcomp Thanx for all the RT love… All your support is greatly appreciated! #retweetchampion


@emmaemail that’s awesome! I’m…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

@emmaemail that’s awesome! I’m sure you’ll be highlighting it in one of your monthly enewsletters, I’ll keep an eye out 4 it #canthardlywait


@emmaemail when are you guys g…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

@emmaemail when are you guys going to make an iPhone app? #justwondering


Maxi Container Inc. has a new …

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Maxi Container Inc. has a new home: 7010 Middlebelt Road, Romulus, MI 48174

We hope you will stop by soon and say hello!


@greendreamin its dead cells s…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

@greendreamin its dead cells so is it really adding anything beneficial to your compost? #compost #garden #gardenchat


@BuschSystems Hope yours is go…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

@BuschSystems Hope yours is going well too… we are moving into our new facility today right by metro airport… #movingonuptothewestside


Detroit’s going green! Are y…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Detroit’s going green! Are you? Check out the Detroit Green Miles Festival this Sept. 23 & 24 on Belle Isle… http://t.co/cTyjrkK #green


Bout to storm, if you had a #R…

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Bout to storm, if you had a #RainBarrel then you would be ready to save rain water, money and help prevent stormwater runoff #green #eco


Interesting past article: The …

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Interesting past article: The Life Cycle of a Box – Interactive Tracking System Utilizes QR Codes: http://t.co/0qaSmQ2


Detroit’s going green! Are you…

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Detroit’s going green! Are you? Check out the Detroit Green Miles Festival this Sept. 23 & 24 on Belle Isle… http://t.co/cTyjrkK #green


Did you get around to making t…

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Did you get around to making that #RainBarrel this year? Thought so… DIY Rain Barrel kits are still $60, start saving rain water today!