Pearls of Wisdom from the Green Goddess
Posted by Sprouts Staff
G a r d e n i n g
By Sharon Quercioli from the May 2010 issue of Our Wonderful World
After the cold winter frosts melt away, the earth is renewed with life. Landscapes are lush and green, and springtime inspires feeling of being alive again. It’s the prefect time to rekindle a relationship with a friend or discover a new outdoor hobby, such as gardening.
Whether you grow flowers or herbs, the most important tip is to keep harsh chemicals away from your plants because they not only harm the environment, but your family and home as well. A great alternative to hazardous chemicals are therapeutic-grade Essential Oils. The following tips come straight from the experts at the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona, Utah and will help you learn how to use essential oils in your own garden.
Putting 1-3 drops of oregano, basil, or thyme essential oil in a 24-ounce spray bottle full of water can be as effective as a bug repellant. For an even more effective solution, blend a clove of garlic and add it to the solution along with 2 teaspoons of insecticidal soap, which can be found at a garden store. Spray solution on or near infected plants. (Note: for best results put the soap in as your final ingredient.)
Lavender Essential Oil works as a soil amendment to improve growing conditions for your plants. At the Young Living Farm in Mona, they have found that lavender is a great compost material. The late winter, during the dormant period of a plant’s life, is a great time to prune and put out compost. In the early spring, it will be easier to incorporate the compost into the soil.
Cinnamon and Thieves Essential Oils act as organic alternatives for getting rid of weeds. Take care to apply them only to the weeds, as these powerful and potent oils may harm your vulnerable plants.
Remember that gardening is hard work, yet fun and rewarding. Be willing to sweat in the heat, dig through the dirt, fight weeds and bugs, but also remember to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the richness of the soil, and the splendor of life and beauty.
To purchase Essential Oils and other natural, health-related products, go to
The Essential Oils (Lavender, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Oregano and Thyme) can be found by scrolling down to the bottom of the page.
To read more great articles like these, please visit Our Wonderful World, a state-of-the-art digital magazine dedicated to helping all of us live healthier, happier greener lives that bring us into harmony with each other and our beautiful planet!!
DoubleTree Hotel Gives Sprouts! Garden in a Box to Local School Kids!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
- The DoubleTree Cookie visits the classroom.
- Julie Seay & her second grade class saying goodbye with chocolate chip cookie toys in hand.
The CARE committee of the DoubleTree Palm Beach Gardens Hotel and Executive Meeting Center sponsored a great event with local school kids - “Love Your Trees, Love Your Community, Love Your Earth” - held in conjunction with Earth Day and National Arbor Day.
“Julie Seay’s Second Grade class at Timber Trace Elementary School jumped at the chance to partake in the program and they had a BLAST doing so. So much so that they have re-signed with us for this coming Fall’s program,” said Michael McMahon, General Manager.
All the kids were treated to breakfast in the Executive Conference Center, followed by a tour by David Margolis, Director of Sales & Marketing. Later, Mayor David Levy was there to lend a hand in the planting of a Long Leaf Pine Tree.
Mayor Levy helps Brandon Nava plant a pine tree.
Every student received a Sprouts! Garden in a Box!
Each student received a pine tree and our exclusive “Garden in a Box” made of completely recycled materials, including the seeds that are embedded in the paper!
Office Depot Goes Green with Sprouts! for Earth Day 2010!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
There’s no better time than the present to Go Green! In observance of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Office Depot Foundation turned to Sprouts! for a unique and environmentally friendly way to share their green message. Sprouts created a collection of four colorful bookmarks made from its Plantable Seed Paper for the Office Depot Foundation to distribute to the community.
Office Depot is known throughout the world as a company with a heart. Throughout their history, they have distinguished themselves through their support of charitable organizations and worthy causes on a local and national scale.
In honor of Earth Day, the Office Depot Foundation sponsored the Third Annual Nonprofits Going Green Contest sponsored by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties in South Florida. In addition, they are pleased to donate several thousand posters, which feature Keep America Beautiful’s Clean Sweep U.S.A. environmental education program, to the Kids In Need Foundation for distribution to teachers and students through its network of resource centers.
To learn more about The Office Depot Foundation and its mission to Listen, Learn, Care visit their website. Community volunteer opportunities are available at the Office Depot Foundations Caring Connection website.
Sprouts Specializes in custom marketing and promotional pieces for corporations, non-profits and charities. Call or email Sprouts for more information on its custom Plantable Seed Paper Products.
561.840.8089 – info@sproutem.com - www.sproutem.com
Where the Wildflowers Grow
Posted by Sprouts Staff
A Guide to Mother Natures Most Spectacular Wildflower Displays
Every spring Mother Nature paints her fields, meadows, mountains sides and deserts with vibrantly colored wildflowers. The blooms begin to peak their heads as early as March and continue to blossom through late fall. Winter weary people across the nation emerge from their homes and flock to the countryside to view the showy and abundant displays of color and bask in spring’s long awaited sunshine. Would you like to join them? Here is a list of some of Mother Nature’s best wildflower gardens.
Crested Butte - Colorado
The Wildflower Capital Colorado, Crested Butte is located in a remote valley high in the Rocky Mountains. Home to a week long Wildflower Festival every July, and surrounded by the Gunnison National Forest which boasts 1.2 million acres of wildflowers, Crested Butte is a wildflower lovers paradise.
Kaibab National Forest - Arizona
Located on the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona, Kaibab National Forest (elevation 3,000 - 10,418 feet) offers a magnificent display of wildflowers beginning in early March at lower elevations and peaking at higher elevations in April and mid May. Take a drive on the Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Scenic Byway to experience this unique area.
Cedar Breaks National Monument - Utah
Inaccessible from late Oct. through early May due to heavy snow, Cedar Breaks National Monument located near Cedar City in Southern Utah, host an abundant summer display of wildflowers. July visitors can escape the heat of Southern Utah’s lower elevations and experience lush alpine meadows and aspen forests. Cedar Breaks hosts an annual Wildflower Festival every July.
Hill Country Wildflower Trail - Texas
Located in central Texas, the Hill Country Wildflower Trail is made up of roads connecting the towns of Brownwood, Burnet, Fredericksburg, Goldthwaite, Johnson City, Mason, and San Saba. Wildflowers, including the beautiful Bluebonnet bloom from March through May, peaking in mid April. Many of the towns along the trail host annual Wildflower Festivals. No visit to the area is complete without a trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
Roan Mountain State Park - Tennessee
Nestled among the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Roan Mountain is home to an awe-inspiring spring display of wildflowers including blooming Rhododendron. The community celebrates by holding an annual Rhododendron Festival every June. Visit the State Park and take a hike on one of its many trails to experience the wildflowers.
Wildflower gardening is not limited to Mother Nature. You can easily grow wildflowers in your garden or a windowsill pot. Local varieties of wildflower seeds can be harvested each fall and then replanted in your garden, or seeds can be purchased and planted. A unique way to start your wildflower garden is with Sprouts eco-friendly Plantable Seed Paper. “Our seed paper notecards, bookmarks, boxes and other products are embedded with a variety of easy to grow wildflower seeds,” says Sharon Quercioli, Sprouts owner and wildflower lover. “You simply plant them in soil, water them and watch as they bloom into a bouquet of colorful wildflowers.”
Visit Sprouts website to find out more about their unique product.
Wheatgrass ̶ Recipe for Healthy Living
Posted by Sprouts Staff
There are a multitude of health benefits from drinking wheatgrass juice, far too many to list them all, but here are just some of the many benefits: wheatgrass juice is a natural source of antioxidants, which helps repair damaged cells, rejuvenate aging cells, tighten loose and sagging skin. It’s also good for skin problems and improves complexion. Then again, wheatgrass juice increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. In a nutshell, wheatgrass is one of the best things you can put in your body.
The best way to reap these benefits of this juice is to drink it on a frequent basis, but drinking the same old thing can get boring after a while. To overcome this dilemma Sprouts would like to share several recipes we enjoy to jazz-up your juice.
“California Dreamin” Wheatgrass Smoothie
- 1½ cups of water
- 2 servings of wheatgrass juice, shots, rounds or cubes
- 1 teaspoon of raw agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup
- 1 cup of baby spinach
- ½ cup of deveined kale
- 1 orange
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup of frozen peaches
Add all ingredients to blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or more. If desired, garnish with edible flowers for a little pizzazz!
Green Juice
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 medium cucumbers
- 5 fresh spinach leaves
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 3-inch round wheatgrass
- water as needed
- Cut up celery and cucumber into chunks small enough to fit through your juicer
- Juice and dilute with water as necessary for texture and/or taste.
One of the best things about nature’s wonder grass is that it’s one of the easiest plants to grow yourself! In fact, Sprouts offers an easy to grow wheatgrass blooming box garden kit for just $4.95!
To find out more about ordering the wheatgrass blooming box garden kit, visit www.sproutem.com; email info@sproutem.com or call (561) 840-8089.
What’s so Great about Wheatgrass?
Posted by Sprouts Staff
What’s so great about wheatgrass? Our own Dawn Dodenhoff explores the benefits of wheatgrass in the January edition of 24Seven Digital Magazine - Palm Beach North. In the article she list 15 fascinating facts about wheatgrass and its health benefits.
For example, one of the benefits drinking wheatgrass juice provides is its natural detoxification agent that is superior to carrot juice as well as other fruits. To find out more please read Dawn’s article What’s so Great about Wheatgrass? on pages 24 and 25 in the Going Green section of 24Seven Digital Magazine.
Sprouts has known about the benefits of wheatgrass juice for years and even offers a way to grow your own wheatgrass. Our special Blooming Box Garden Kits containing wheatgrass seeds! The kits have one of our Heart Boxes or Favor Boxes as well as a coir pot, wheatgrass seed to plant and soil pellets. All you add is water!
If you would like to order your own Wheatgrass Garden Kit for $4.95 please email info@sproutem.com
Click on the link to go to 24Seven:
http://epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=1b6ef0bdb09543869c0c2ee4a4386610
Fall: Too Many Leaves, Too Little Time!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Fall is a wonderful time of year and perhaps one of the most beautiful seasons. It’s at this time of year the leaves begin to change (if you are living up north). The transition from the lush greens to the deep reds to the rustic browns is one of Mother Nature’s gifts to us. And this is a gift that keeps on giving with the leaves, later on, wreaking havoc all over our yards! Even down here in South Florida, we have leaves to contend with (although not as pretty as the fall leaves of our northern companions).
Leaving them scattered across our yards is not an option. Too many leaves covering a yard can kill off the grass and other plants, not to mention they can be an eyesore. Burning the leaves is never a good option. The burn drums up a lot of smoke and down in the south can become a major disaster during the dry season. Throwing them out in the trash is never a good idea; there is little space left and landfills as it is. Craft projects are a fun way to use up some leaves, but still won’t solve the problem. What is one to do? The best answer is COMPOSTING!
By composting you not only solve the problem of what to do with your leaves, but you create a rich soil for your other plants to thrive! Buying compost at the store can be quite costly. Making your own compost not only saves money, but it keeps recyclable plant material out of over crowded landfills.
Don’t think you have the time to start your own compost pile? Composting is a much easier than you think. Once you have your pile started it takes less than ten minutes a day to maintain.
First, obtain a plastic garbage can with a lid and make a number of holes (a little bigger than a quarter) spread out through the sides of the can.
Next, you add to the pile your leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and some garden soil. For the best possible mix of materials you should have about two parts dry leaves to one part grass clippings. Add just enough water to make everything moist, but not overly soaked with water. Other materials you can add to the mix are shredded , coffee grounds, other garden clippings, paper towels, and other organic materials. Things you want to avoid mixing in are fats, oils, meats, perennial weeds, diseased plants, as well as pig and pet droppings.
Finally, you want to keep your composting can in the shade with the lid (which also needs holes) closing the top. You can add kitchen scraps and other organics as you accumulate them. Then once every few days you want to mix up the pile with a shovel. This will mix up the ingredients and get the oxygen and nitrogen moving throughout which aids in the composting process.
Do not be alarmed if the pile seems warm in temperature. You are trying to create a hot humid environment to speed up the natural composting process. These composting bins can get quite warm which is just what the pile needs to turn into compost.
In a few months (depending on where you’re living and the time of year), you will have a nice pile of compost to use for potting soil, mulch your garden, and fertilze your yard. When you use the compost make sure to leave a quarter of the material in the bin. The left over material will aid in producing your next pile of compost.
