Just think about all the songs that have been written about the summer season...Summertime Blues, Summer Breeze, Summer Of '69 and the list goes on. Whether its time away from school or work, vacations with the family or reflecting upon summers gone by, summer is a special time of year for each of us. For us at Freedom Lawns, summer means working diligently and doing our best to provide you with the lawn and landscape you and your family deserve! We wish you a summer that is jam packed with fun times, fond memories, and good health for all! Thanks once again for allowing us to serve you! We hope that you enjoy our 2019 summer newsletter! Your Freedom Lawns Turf and Plant Care Professionals   

The rose rosette disease has been causing serious damage to Knockout Roses over the past few years. Once thought of as a more disease resistant, hardier rose variety, the rose rosette disease is damaging the Knockout varieties along with other rose hybrids, grandifloras, floribundas, and old fashion varieties. Once confined to the western part of the country, this disease has now spread eastward over the last 8-10 years. A few signs of this disease include new growth that is elongated and bright red, a “bunchy “ growth at the end of the branch resembling a witches broom, and leaves and flowers that are often distorted. The thorns of an infected Knockout will also seem softer and more abundant. In many cases, the rose rosette disease will weaken the rose, thus making it more susceptible to other diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew. Unfortunately, there are no viable preventatives or curative chemical or natural controls for this disease. The recommended course of action should you suspect that your knockout has the rosette at this point is to remove it, and discard it reduce the possibility of the disease spreading to other nearby plant material. 

Being a woman in a predominantly male oriented industry such as professional lawn care hasn’t deterred Kathleen Smith, owner of Freedom Lawns of Charleston, SC, from achieving success with her organic based lawn care franchise! At a young age, you could find her on the court and on the greens with the rest of the guys. She loved sports and was always outside. When her brothers were too young to play golf, she played in a “father and son” golf tournaments with her dad. Never did Kathleen feel out of place or at a disadvantage because she was a girl. “I was just another one in the game, trying to win! That’s how I even feel now in the business world,” said Kathleen. As one would assume, lawn care of any type is not a job you would expect to see a woman in a leadership role. Never has she viewed herself as different from the guys she works with. In owning a Freedom Lawns USA Franchise, Kathleen found that her greatest challenge is not working with men, but rather juggling all her responsibilities. “Owning a business means that there are many times in which business bleeds into your personal time. I get behind on my own lawn work, things around the house and even having quality time with my daughters,” stated Kathleen. She has also faced challenges in her family life all while trying to run her own business. In the same year that Kathleen started with Freedom Lawns her husband was diagnosed with ALS. In a year and a half, her husband’s ALS progressed and with it came adjustments during his illness and after he passed. To make matters worse, a couple of years later her business partner decided to pursue other interests. These events, however, did not discourage Kathleen from growing her Freedom Lawns business. “I wouldn't have believed I could overcome all the hurdles. I don't ever stop and think about it. I just stay in the present and try to keep moving forward,” expressed Kathleen. When starting the business, Kathleen stated that the corporate office really set her up for success. “The franchise gave me the framework to build my business. By following the guidelines they created for success, I was able to adapt to the world or entrepreneurship.” She also mentioned that during those difficult times in her life the corporate office was there to guide her. “It never goes without bumps in the road, but the corporate office is there to guide me through those too," added Kathleen. So, in her advice to woman who want to become business owners she states that, “as in everything in life, things don’t always go as planned. Don’t give up, just adjust to the situation and find a way to keep moving forward.” Kathleen also mentioned that you must take the time to find something that will be fulfilling to you and to know your strengths and weaknesses. “Make sure you understand what you can expect out of your business at start up and aim high but anticipate the struggles that will surely come along with such a journey. Sometimes setting yourself up for success can take years. You have to decide the path that will work best for you.”  Kathleen has certainly found her path and now her Freedom Lawn operation is one of the finest lawn care companies in the Charleston area. Great work Kathleen!

A list of flowering plants that will give Bambi the brushoff.

·     Pentas ·     Snap Dragons ·     Salvia ·     Coneflower ·     Dianthus ·     Lenton Rose ·     Sage

·     Lantana ·     Society Garlic ·     Marigolds ·     Dusty Miller ·     Petunas ·     Zenias

Bring the outside in. Pick fresh flowers and make your home feel like the great summer outdoors. Add citrus — think lemons and limes in bowls Get rid of decorative pieces that are dark and gloomy. Put away heavy throws and unnecessary small décor items. Preserve your vacation photos by printing and framing them.  Consider buying accent dishes to add splashes of color to your kitchen table. Bring light or vibrant hues into your home by replacing your dark colored pillow covers to liven up the room. Rearrange your furniture away from the fireplace during the summer. Instead switch the focal point somewhere else like toward a window or French doors. Hang sheers instead of heavy draperies. Frame a map Hang a mirror

One of the most common problems we are seeing on boxwood's is a fungus disease called Boxwood Blight. When active, the foliage of the boxwood will turn a bleached or gold color, defoliate rapidly, and eventually bite the dust. Once the disease pathogen enters the plant, fungicides will generally be ineffective! Because it is common to see Boxwoods planted in groupings, while a few Boxwoods may have the disease, others may not. Preventative fungicides applied to non-infected plants may insure that the disease will not spread to healthy Boxwoods.

Whether you are trying to lose, maintain or gain weight it is important to have a healthy relationship with food. If you feel you don’t already have a healthy relationship with food, start by determining the root cause and then eliminate products with these ingredients. C.R.A.P. foods are an acronym for foods that not only contain empty calories, but also contain ingredients that rob your body of essential nutrients. These foods will leave you feeling tired and cause over eating and in turn weight gain: ·   C-Carbonated Beverages · R-Refined Sugar ·   A-Artificial Flavoring & Alcohol ·   P-Processed Food Try to minimize your intake of carbonated beverages if possible. The consumption of soda is one of the leading causes of diabetes in the United States. A healthy alternative to soda would be waters like Bubly, La Croix or even adding lemon or mint to your water. When it comes to refined sugars, things like white flour and high fructose corn syrup are what you need to watch out for. Believe it or not, the products in the grocery store that say, “Sugar Free,” contain high fructose corn syrup. It is always a good idea to read labels to get an idea of not only what you are buying, but what you are putting inside your body. Items such as cookies, pastries, cakes, cereal and yogurt fall into this category as well. Artificial flavorings are classified as “anti-nutrients” because they essentially rob our bodies of the essential nutrients that we need. They can be found in candies, soft drinks and any type of processed food. As for alcohol it is a toxin to your body and too much of it will have a damaging effect on your body. If you feel the need to have alcohol, limit your consumption to 1-2 drinks a week.  Processed foods contain every type of ingredient mentioned above. They are high in refined sugar, salt, artificial flavorings, and saturated and trans-fat. Things such as deli meat fall into this category! Instead of having deli meat try cooking chicken at home and thinly slice it to use for sandwiches if you must. While it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is also important not to stress about trying to eat healthy or rob yourself of having a handful of M&M’s every now and then. If your diet throughout the day consists of the nutrients that you need you should be able to indulge a little bit at the end of the day. Focus first on the nutrients that your body needs before focusing on those foods. I understand that it is a lifestyle change for some, but if you start by eliminating these things gradually from your diet it shouldn’t be as much of a daunting task.  

These show stopping, new hydrangea varieties will perk up your garden and bring a unique style of beauty and tradition to your landscape.

Strawberry Sundae This plant is a real summer treat! The flowers resemble Vanilla Ice-cream topped with fresh strawberry’s! The pink flowers will tend to turn darker in color as the summer progresses. Ideal plant for gardening Zone 3-8. Give this plant a little protection from the hot afternoon sun in zones 7 and 8.

Miss Saori A new and very unique Hydrangea, Miss Saori will keep its original flower color regardless of your soils pH! The flowers of this beauty are an awesome double white bloom, edged in soft pink. This plant is ideal as a border or container plant as it will only reach a maximum height of 3.5 feet tall!

Summer Crush Summer crush is a re-blooming variety with Raspberry red to neon blue flowers. Another smaller, compacted plant that would look great accenting your patio in a container! Maximum height is only 3.5 feet tall.

Berry White Beautiful dark pink cone shaped flowers that will open up white and then turn a dark Raspberry pink as the summer progresses. Your soils pH factor will determine the actual; shade of this flower.   A higher soil pH may produce a darker color bloom.

Bloom Struck Bloom Struck will produce its flowers on old wood so it never needs pruning for flower production! The dark purple flower will turn to a lighter pink throughout the summer season. Will perform well from zones 3-9 .

Ingredients 5 peaches, peeled, cored and sliced (4 cups) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt For the batter: 6 Tablespoons butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk ground cinnamon Instructions Add the sliced peaches, sugar and salt to a saucepan and stir to combine. (If using canned peaches, skip to step 3) Cook on medium heat for just a few minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and helps to bring out juices from the peaches. Remove from heat and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice butter into pieces and add to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats, to allow the butter to melt. Once melted, remove the pan from the oven. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk, just until combined. Pour the mixture into the pan, over the melted butter and smooth it into an even layer.  Spoon the peaches and juice (or canned peaches, if using) over the batter. Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 38-40 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

It happens quite often, you tend to your tomatoes plants as if they were your first born! You have made sure that the soil is just right, and you are faithfully watering when necessary. You are steadfast in keeping a close eye out for diseases or insects that could damage your plants. Suddenly, just as your beautiful green tomatoes are starting to turn reddish and ripen, those nasty looking cracks and splits appear on your tomatoes! Most folks attribute cracking and splitting tomatoes to some type of disease. In actuality, the most common cause of this ugly deformity on your tomatoes is the result of sudden changes in soil temperature, typically brought on by heavy rains followed by a long period of dry weather! This rapid change in soil moisture levels causes the tomatoes to expand faster than the skin can grow, resulting in cracking of your prize tomatoes! Vertical splits along the sides of the fruits are called radical cracking and are considered the most damaging. Radical cracking can be seen often during hotter, more humid weather. Cracking that occurs in a circular fashion at the top of the tomatoes near the stem, is known as concentric cracking. Both types of cracking and splitting will result in your tomatoes rotting on the vine before they fully ripen. In this case, it is best to harvest the tomato before it rots. Cracked or split fruit is certainly edible and can be placed indoors on a window sill to ripen.

Ingredients 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 tsp sugar (we use turbino sugar, but granulated would also work) Place these ingredients into a tightly sealed sandwich sized bag, pressing the air out as you seal it. Then put the mix into another tightly sealed sandwich bag. Fill a gallon size resealable bag half-way full of ice cubes, and mix with 6 tablespoons of coarse kosher salt. Then put the sealed sandwich-size bag into the middle of the ice, and seal the larger bag. I also recommend doubling up the gallon size bags as well, especially if you have little helpers. Making the Ice Cream This is a great way to get your kids moving! You need to shake the bag for about 5-10 minutes. Run and play tag and toss the bag back and forth to each other. With kids helping it may take up to 10 minutes for the ice cream to form, but if one person shakes the bag it will take about 5 minutes.

Gardening will offer children the opportunity to learn the life cycle process of how plants grow, as well as teaching responsibility of taking care of their plants, and environmental awareness. Gardening is also a great way to teach them how much of our food is grown and where it comes from! Introducing your child to gardening can be a fun experience and will create memories that will last a lifetime!  BASIC GARDENING TIPS Most plants that you will grow in your garden will require plenty of sunlight. Select a location for your garden that will allow a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Keep in mind that morning sun is actually more beneficial; than afternoon sun for most plants. The type of soil for your garden is also extremely important. Purchase an inexpensive soil pH testing kit from the hardware store or have your soil tested by your local university or soil lab. Then show your child that soil should be tested to make sure that it is just right for growing veggies! Most plants will perform best at a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0. If your soil pH is between or near 6 and 7, you are good to go. If your soil pH is below 6, add some lime to raise the pH.If it is too high, sulfur will help adjust it downward. The more organic matter, the better! Amend your existing soil with compost or composted manure and work it into your soil. Explain to your child that this will add nutrients to help feed the plants and improve the drainage and overall heath and condition of the soil! Let your child know that just like people, plants need the right kind of food and water to grow and remain healthy! If you are limited for space, container gardening is an option. If using a container, be sure that there is adequate drainage at the bottom to prevent root rots. Another idea is to designate the garden or a portion of the garden to your child's name – call it “Samantha’s Garden" or whatever your child’s name is. This will increase their interest and give them a sense of responsibility for their very own garden. SELECT YOUR PLANTS Select plants that your child will enjoy cultivating and watching how the plants grow and transform in stages! Kids love plants that have a strong fragrance, grow fast, and that they can easily recognize. A few suggestions for plants that meet this criteria include sunflowers, peas, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes. These plants will keep your children’s interest level high! You can also try a theme garden such as a “Pizza Garden" and plant all of the items that you might typically find on a pizza such as tomatoes, onions, peppers, and herbs like basil or oregano. Adding orange and yellow Marigolds will repel some potential insect pests from their garden!  Happy Gardening to you and your children!

Several months ago we sent an e-mail out to all our clients asking them why they liked Freedom Lawns . We many reply’s that we received into a drawing for two chances to win a $50.00 Visa gift card. We are pleased to announce that the two lucky winners were : Mindy Gimello from Wilmington, NC and Gail Sommers from Surfside Beach, SC We would like to thank all who entered the contest for participating and for the flattering comments Thank you to all of our customers for your confidence and trust in Freedom Lawns!

Uh oh! It looks like this woman planted the wrong type of herb garden!