Earth Day was founded in 1970 by U.S. politician Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in, and is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22. Senator Nelson first proposed the nationwide environmental protest to thrust the environment onto the national agenda.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Each year, the April 22 Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days ever, with an estimated billion people participating in activities in more than 140 countries.

Imagine yourself on a Hawaiian beach on a sultry evening, your eyes closed, the air redolent of the heady perfume of gardenia, tuberose, white ginger, frangipani, lemon and orange blossoms, and jasmine. The ocean surf rolls in waves in the background, and when your eyelids open ever so slightly, the white shaft of the moon bounces off of the whitecaps of the water, shattering into crystals far more rich than any grouping of singular color you can conceptualize.

Now picture yourself under a full moon, sitting on your own deck or patio, your day's work over, and this time owed to no one save yourself. If you've thought ahead, you will still be able to enjoy the sensual delights of the expensive Hawaiian vacation by having planted the fragrant white gardenia, and placing a small fountain in the corner. Voilà! Scent, sound, and sight, all satisfied and for a fraction of the price.

Widely used in perfumery, the gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is a native of the tropics and subtropics of the Old World. In 1754, Captain Hutcheson, skipper of the English ship Godolphin, was bound for home from India when he decided to make a short visit to South Africa. As he was walking along the shoreline, the sweet heavy fragrance of a plant covered with double white, waxy blossoms drew his attention. After it was dug up and taken on board, this amazingly resilient plant survived the harsh trip to England.

Merchant and botanist John Ellis named it gardenia, after Dr. Alexander Garden, a physician and botanist from Charleston, South Carolina. Apparently this was a common way for practitioners of this relatively nascent science (modern botany was begun in the late 15th to early 16th centuries) to honor each other, thus making way for a communal worldwide informational database.

Southern gardeners have for generations employed these versatile plants. With a large show of blooms in early spring, they continue to produce flowers throughout the summer and even into fall; the blossoms open white and gradually fade to gold. Used as specimen shrubs, planted en masse as hedges, used for screening, in borders, as ground covers, or grown in containers, gardenias' beauty is matched by their extraordinary perfume.

By planting them in pots, you can move them so that their fragrance is always available to you. One caveat: gardenias prefer warm, frost-free locations that are protected from the hot afternoon sun; the ideal site is one that offers morning sun and dappled shade in the afternoon. So when moving your containerized gardenia, keep its light preferences in mind. And remember to use a high-quality potting mix that contains water crystals and a slow-release fertilizer.

To repay these marvelous plants for the beauty and scent they give in return, plant them in soil with excellent drainage and a pH of around 6.0. Set the root-ball about 1 inch higher than the surrounding soil (this will help in ensuring adequate drainage) and then gently taper the soil up to the top of the exposed root-ball. Mulch to retain moisture, and treat them to monthly feedings of a fertilizer blended for acid-loving plants such as azaleas and camellias.

If the idea of an evening party with a tropical theme appeals to you, surround your gardenias with variegated hostas and fern fronds. Light from below, turn on the fountain, and pluck one perfect gardenia bloom to wear in your hair. It will be a party to be remembered for years to come.

Fennel is an eye-catching addition to your herb garden, with delicate feathery leaves complemented by sprays of tiny yellow flowers in late summer to mid-autumn. Its perennial root stock is hardy from USDA zones 4 to 10, and its sturdy celery-like stalks will typically grow to a height of as much as 4 feet.

A sun-lover, fennel is not completely averse to some shade, and actually should be planted outdoors when the soil is cool. Sow in well-drained, medium dry soil, in rows spaced 3 feet apart, and thin the sturdiest plants to a foot apart within each row. Protect your newbies by staking them at 18 inches. As fennel cross-pollinates with dill, do not plant the two near each other.

All parts of this plant are edible. Cut the leaves once the flowers have bloomed and use them either fresh or dried in your cooking. To stimulate continued leaf growth, remove the flower heads after they bloom. Trim back the stems in autumn. Having a mild anise taste, this versatile herb is used in sausage, as a rub for pork and beef, and for flavoring seafood. The leaves are great in salads and sauces, the root and stalks can be eaten as vegetables, and the seeds enhance cookies, breads, and beverages.

Unlike so many of today's popular herbs, fennel was not a favorite with the ancient Greeks. They called it fennel marathon, from the word maraino, whose meaning is "to grow thin." However, it was this identifying characteristic of appetite suppression that gave it use on fasting days in medieval times.

Strong fennel tea is said to ease menstrual and menopausal symptoms, and when thickened with honey is said to help a cough. Add this rejuvenating herb to a facial steam to open the pores of the skin. And evil spirits are believed to avoid an abode when it is hung with St. John's Wort over the door.

Fennel is altogether a most delicious, visually appealing, and historically interesting herbal addition to your garden.

During these difficult fiscal times, we can choose to throw our hands up in despair, or we can embrace the creativity, imagination, and determination of our predecessors who came together in adversity, and in so doing, made this country the great land that it is. During wartimes and depressions, Americans re-assessed their priorities and realized that so much of what makes life easier, also strips it of the very qualities that make it worth living.

Victory gardens are not a new concept, but have come back into favor as grocery store prices have skyrocketed. Ironically, the food that we grow in our own backyards has a richer, fuller flavor, with aromas that have been bred out of the pre-dried, pre-packaged foods to which so many of us have turned. This is particularly true of fruits and vegetables; tomatoes have been hybridized to make them symmetrical and red, with a long shelf life, and a durability to survive the rigors of automated harvesting and long-distance shipping.

But heirlooms, or heritage tomatoes, have become increasingly popular and available. Prized for their outstanding flavor, their unusual shapes and vast range of colors add to the plate as well as the palate. They range in color from purple to orange, green, white and even black, and many are every bit as hardy as hybrid varieties.

By definition, an heirloom tomato's seeds can be traced back at least a century, and reproduce through an open, or natural, pollination process. You may choose to grow your heirlooms from seed, but a quick visit to your garden center will probably yield starter plants such as the popular Brandywine tomato, or other varieties that are local favorites. Pick out healthy looking plants with no yellowing or speckling on the leaves. Check the tag, looking for a string of letters; these denote resistance to the following diseases:

• A--Alternaria leaf spot
• F--Fusarium wilt
• FF--Race 1 and Race 2 Fusarium
• L--Septoria leaf spot
• N--Nematodes
• T--Tobacco mosaic virus (never smoke around your tomatoes!!)
• V--Verticilium wilt.

Thus, a tag with the code of FFLT means that the plant is resistant to both common strains of fusarium wilt, septoria leaf spot, and tobacco mosaic virus.

There are two different types of tomato growth types, determinate and indeterminate. Which you go with will depend on where you plan to grow them (they love the sun!) and how much room you have. Determinates are compact and bushy, tend to be early growers, and are best suited for small gardens and container gardens. Indeterminates are vinier and will need support. They tend to fruit up later, so why not plant both for a constant supply?

Plant tomatoes approximately 2 to 3 feet apart from each other or in rows 3 feet apart with the plants spaced at a foot. You may plant when the temperature is a consistent 50 degrees F, but the plants won't begin to set fruit until the overnight low is regularly above 55 degrees F. Use soil amendment, and add water evenly for best results.

When your plants begin to need staking, consider twig or bamboo tripods, or trellising; your garden will not only prove delicious tasting, it will also look good!

Spring is around the corner. The cool season grasses such as fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrass are those lawns over which people have exclaimed, "You look marvelous!" (Can't you just hear Billy Crystal?) They have been bright green all winter. They are still growing fast; mow them weekly with a rotary mower (to 1 1/2 inches in height).

You should be feeding all established lawns now with a complete lawn fertilizer--containing phosphorus and potassium as well as nitrogen--to get warm-season grasses off to a good start and keep cool-season grasses going longer. A healthy, well-fed lawn is better able to withstand pests and diseases and choke out weeds

Warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, dichondra, and zoysia, are waking up from winter dormancy. As they start growing, begin mowing weekly with a reel mower to the correct height for each. Mow common Bermuda to 1 inch, hybrid Bermuda to 1/2 or 1/4 inch, St. Augustine to between 3/4 and 1 1/4 inches, and zoysia to 3/4 to 1 inch height. Cut Adalayd grass with a rotary mower between 3/4 and 1 inch in height.

We have mentioned two different kinds of lawn mowers: rotary and reel. A rotary mower is one in which one blade spins horizontally and uses a sucking and tearing action to cut the blades of grass. A reel mower is one in which the blades spin vertically and use a scissoring action to cut the blades of grass.

You notice that we recommend fertilizing with a complete fertilizer. While nitrogen gives your lawn top growth and a healthy green color you can see, phosphorus and potassium feed the roots and growth systems of the plant that are unseen but just as important. Phosphorus and potassium are longer lasting in soil than nitrogen, so one feeding a season with them is often adequate. After this complete feeding, you can switch to a less expensive, pure nitrogen fertilizer if desired, and feed warm-season grasses with it once a month for the rest of the growing season.

Before applying your complete fertilizer, be sure to read the instructions for your lawn type. Apply fertilizer when the ground is damp and grass blades dry, and follow up by watering deeply. Otherwise, you risk burning your lawn. As an alternative fertilizer for the cool season lawn, add coated slow-release fertilizer. Cool-season grasses need little or no fertilizer during the warmer months of the year. Slow release fertilizer will work perfectly for this type of lawn.

Irrigate all lawns now, according to their individual needs, if rains have not been adequate.

Both warm- and cool-season grasses may be bought as sod, and cool-season grasses can be planted from sod any month year-round. Although you can plant both warm- and cool-season grasses from seed this month, fall is actually a better time to plant cool-season grass seed. This is because fall planting gives cool-season grasses planted from seed more time to establish a root system before summer heat arrives. When planting warm-season grasses, wait until the weather has warmed up in your area. (If you plan to plant zoysia, it's best to wait until June.)

There are numerous lawn types and you should investigate each of them before choosing and planting one. How do you choose which grass is right for you? There are many considerations: sun, shade, foot traffic, pets, children, hardiness, style, color, and simply the "look" that you like.

When planting a new lawn, regardless of the type of grass and method of planting you choose, be sure to prepare the site thoroughly. If you're planting an invasive grass, such as Bermuda or an invasive variety of zoysia, first install edging to keep it from creeping into borders.

For all lawns, roto-till deeply, add plenty of soil amendment, then level and roll this amended ground. "Level" might mean rolling the area completely flat or it may mean compacting the soil but adding mounded areas of interest. The point is to level out soil so that your new lawn is not filled with hundreds of hills and valleys that would make walking on it (and mowing it) difficult.

If you have chosen to put in a seed lawn, sprinkle seeds evenly. This is most efficiently done using a hand-held fertilizer spreader or a seed spreader and covering the seeds with mulch or a lawn topper product.

Perhaps you are putting in a lawn that can be grown from stolons. Stolons are little portions of the plant that will root once in contact with the soil. St. Augustine is an example of this type of grass. Either roll stolons with a roller to press them into the soil or simply partially cover them with topsoil or a lawn topper product. Keep your freshly planted lawn damp until established. Sprinkle it two or three times daily, and avoid watering late in the day.

Just water and watch. In a few months--voilà--your new lawn!

Dahlias are one of the most popular and prolific summer bulbs, and have been winning the hearts of home gardeners for many years. So much hybridizing of new varieties has been done over the years that one can find dahlias in almost every color combination possible. Their long blooming season makes them a perfect addition to any perennial border, and their exotic looking flowers and brilliant colors will make any garden shine.

The flower shapes vary. You can find anemone-type flowers, frilly cactus-type flowers, decorative peony-type flowers, pom-pom shaped, low-growing dwarfs, mignon, water lily-shaped flowers, and even the giant dinner plate dahlias, whose flowers can reach 8"-12" inches in diameter.

A member of the daisy family, this Mexican plant thrives in sunny locations and warm temperatures. Dahlia bulbs are not winter hardy; the first good frost will make them turn black rather quickly. The best time to plant them is in spring any time after the last spring frost.

Some gardeners will try to get a jump on spring by potting up their dahlia bulbs indoors 6 weeks before they plant them outdoors. You will increase the bushiness of the plant by pinching off the main growing tips three weeks after you plant--regardless of when you plant them. This helps develop more stems and a lot more flowers throughout the growing season.

Dahlias grow best in well-drained soil that has been well amended with an organic planting mix such as E.B. Stone Vegetable and Flower Planting Mix. When planting, make sure to cover the tuber (bulb) with at least 2 inches of soil (regardless of size). Don't plant deeper than this, as it can reduce the flowering. Plant your tubers 12-18" apart, with taller varieties on the higher end of that scale and shorter varieties on the lower end.

Dahlias are long-blooming plants that can provide color from June to October. Because they bloom so heavily, it is important to make sure to feed them on a regular basis with an all-purpose flower food such as E.B. Stone Rose and Flower Food.

To keep your dahlias healthy and producing flowers year after year, harvest them immediately after the first frost has blackened the stems. Remove the dead foliage down to the tuber and store in a cool, dry and frost-free location. Then plant them again outdoors each spring to enjoy another season of dazzling color!

Answer:

Double digging is an old garden technique of amending the soil in a flower or vegetable garden that is still as effective today as it was back in medieval Europe.

But be forewarned, double digging is a lot of work. In fact, just thinking about it makes us break out in a sweat. The term comes from "double the depth" of a normal spade or shovel blade--hence double-digging. You will also be adding one third of the depth of your spade or shovel in soil amendment to the entire garden you are digging in.

To get started, dig out the topsoil to the depth of your spade or shovel in a trench one spade wide along one end of your bed and set aside in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp.

Turn, break and aerate the next spade depth and width. Work in one third by volume of soil amendment. Blend together with turned-over soil and fill in the first trench.

Now repeat the process with another trench. Blend that soil with more soil amendment, and transfer to the previous trench. At the end of the bed, place the topsoil from the wheelbarrow or tarp over the last section, add amendment, and mix it in.

Make sure to remove any rocks or old pieces of roots as you fill in each trench.

Now--if you haven't collapsed yet--go ahead and plant your flowers. Better yet, plant a new crop of veggies. You'll need the vitamins to help you recover from the exhaustion! More seriously--if you have poor soil, double-digging is one of the most effective ways to improve the soil to a good depth, one that will allow your plant roots plenty of room to grow. Rototilling and such can help too but it doesn't improve much but the top layer of soil. Double-digging may be labor-intensive, but it works.