Help Us Plant Trees This Spring

Bayer Advanced and The Arbor Day Foundation are recruiting volunteers in an attempt to create the largest tree planting event in U.S. history from April 28, 2006, to May 28, 2006. The event is called the Bayer Advanced/Arbor Day Foundation Restore America's Trees Program.

"Tens of millions of trees were destroyed in this country in 2005 as a result of insects, diseases, hurricanes, wildfires, and even urban sprawl," says John Rosenow, president of The Arbor Day Foundation. "Our goal is to recruit individuals and groups to plant millions of trees throughout the United States beginning on Arbor Day, April 28, 2006, and continuing through May 28, 2006." Bayer Advanced is the corporate sponsor for the event. For every bottle of Bayer Advanced™ 12-Month Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate purchased, the company will donate one tree to restore U.S. national forests. The product kills insects and prevents infestations for up to 12 months. According to the University of California Cooperative Extension Service, insects actually kill more timber annually than wildfire.

The Arbor Day Foundation estimates that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the very first Arbor Day on April 10, 1872. That first event was the brainchild of J. Sterling Morton who was editor of Nebraska's first newspaper.

"Trees provide more than just aesthetic appeal," says Bayer Advanced lawn and garden expert Lance Walheim, who is a best-selling author and regular contributor to Sunset magazine. "Trees produce oxygen, provide a habitat for birds, stabilize soil, reduce erosion, mitigate flooding, reduce pollution and keep the earth cooler. It's critical that we not only plant trees, but provide the proper care for them — to protect them, because they protect us."

How Restore America's Trees Program Works

All you have to do is go to bayeradvanced.com or www.arborday.org to register as an individual or as a group and choose a day and location to plant. Pledge to plant a certain number of trees in your yard, neighborhood park or in areas devastated by insects, diseases, hurricanes, wildfires or urban sprawl beginning on Arbor Day, April 28, 2006, through May 28, 2006. Consumers should get permission from appropriate government agencies before planting on public land. A list of those agencies appears on the Web sites. Never plant on private land without permission.

There are a number of places where you can get trees:

>You can receive 10 free trees when you purchase a $10 membership to The Arbor Day Foundation. Go to www.arborday.org.

You can purchase trees at Home Depot, Lowe's, local nurseries, garden centers and tree farms.

The National Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to tree planting and environmental stewardship. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.arborday.org or call (402) 474-5655.

Planting Ground-Cover Roses

Planting roses as ground cover is just one aspect of the increasingly popular trend of using roses in more nontraditional landscape roles from hedges to edgings. Prostrate varieties like the 'Flower Carpet' and 'Meidiland' roses and others cover the ground nicely and provide an abundance of color. But planting roses as ground cover should be done carefully. Don't forget, these plants will be leafless and a bit on the rangy side during the dormant season, and they do need the same care as regular roses.

Start with a small planting, say 3, 5 or 7 plants. Prepare the soil, working in generous amounts of organic matter such as compost. Plant through landscape fabric (available in nurseries and garden centers) to prevent weeds. Space plants according to the vigor of the variety. Install drip irrigation and, for the best appearance, cover the area with several inches of an organic mulch like ground bark. To fertilize and control insects and diseases, use Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Rose & Flower Care Concentrate. One application lasts six weeks.

No Weed Left Behind

There are two types of weeds - grassy and broadleaf. Bayer Advanced has formulated a weed killer that targets both types of weeds at once, anytime throughout the season - Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate (product discontinued).

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use (product discontinued) is two products in one. One formulation, one step kills ALL of the most common lawn weeds- Dandelions, Crabgrass, Nutsedge and Clover plus over 200 other types of broadleaf and grassy weeds. And it does so without harming your lawn (not for use on St. Augustinegrass, bahia, bentgrass, carpetgrass, centipedegrass or dicondra).

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate (product discontinued) in concentrated form is the best value for treating large areas. It treats over 10,000 square feet. And now Bayer Advanced has created the Exclusive Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer Ready-To-Spray formula that makes controlling lawn weed plus crabgrass easier than ever before. Just hook to the hose and your are ready to treat your entire lawn.

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use (product discontinued) comes in two convenient formulations. The ready-to-use formula is ideal for spot treatments and comes with convenient SmartTrack®, a non-staining red marker that shows you exactly where you've treated. The new 1.3 gallon container comes with an easy-to-use battery-powered sprayer (batteries included).