Rain Barrel Riverkeeper Partnership
Urban Roots is pleased to be partnering with the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper to offer Rain Barrels for sale. Rain Barrels will be available for purchase directly in the store or by order form.
What is a rain barrel?
A rain barrel is container that collects and stores rain water for future uses, such as watering landscaping, and for decreasing the amount of stormwater runoff that leaves your property. A rain barrel is typically inserted under the downspout from a roof to channel rainwater into the barrel for later use. This is a technology that has been used for thousands of years!
Why do we need rain barrels in the Buffalo Niagara area?
To Conserve Water
By using a rain barrel to capture rainwater, you can store water for later use for outside chores such as washing cars and windows, and watering landscaping. This reduces the demand on our drinking water source and conserves precious fresh water.
To Reduce Pollution
Rain barrels also help address an important water pollution issue caused by overflowing sewers during heavy rain. The City of Buffalo and other surrounding municipalities have underground pipes that carry storm water and sanitary wastewater from the streets and our homes to the wastewater treatment plant. However, when there is too much water in the sewer system during heavy rain events, the sewers are designed to overflow into our streams, creeks, and rivers (and, ultimately, Lake Erie), releasing raw sewage, items flushed down the toilet, pathogens and bacteria, trash and toxic substances, harmful sediment and other pollutants.
This issue is not unique to the City of Buffalo. Approximately 770 cities across the nation have combined sewer overflow issues. Many cities—such as Chicago, Portland, Toronto, and Kansas City—are looking to residents to help reduce the amount of water flowing into the sewer by using rain barrels and rain gardens. Rainwater capture and its slow infiltration into the ground at your house reduce the volume of water into the storm sewers and reduce the sewage overflows. Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER has a goal of installing 1000 rain barrels annually to reduce stormwater overflows in our area.
Help us keep the rain from the drain!
Source: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=5
More facts on Rain Barrels may be downloaded here.
Tumbleweed Worm Farm
Here’s a smaller version of the traditional compost bin. The Tumbleweed Worm Farm works just like it sounds—throw in your compostable items, add your red worms, and let them go to work! The worms eat through the organic material in the top compartment, producing castings as well as a liquid byproduct. The result is a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer you can use on all plants both inside and out. Worms are happy, you’re happy—it’s win-win.$69.99
In Store / Discounts
Current Discounts
25% off all trees and shrubs
Through August 31
Plant Sale
Perennials buy 2 get 1 free
All Annuals 25% off
Through August
If your container plantings look tired out, consider refreshing with new plants to carry you into the warm days of late summer and fall that still remain. We still have sweet potato vine, vinca, spikes, impatiens (in interesting varieties), coleus, caladium, begonias, lantana, etc.
See Member-Owner Specials here.
Featured Plants
Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (corkscrew hazel)
Choose a spot now for the accent that will make your garden interesting all winter long. A small tree growing only up to about 10’ tall, its spiralling branches give it real character when the leaves come down in fall. We have just a few of the unusual trees at Urban Roots now.
Persian Shield
Plectranthus
Datura – Angel’s Trumpet
Canna in pots
Banana plants – great for pots or distinctive foliage
Giant Dahlias
Caladium
Alstromeria in 10” pots in beautiful bloom and continuing color.
A wide selection of shrubs: Witch Hazel, Butterfly Bush, Purple Smokebush, Double Japenese Kerria, Strawberry Daiquiri Dogwood, Tardiva Hydrangea, Rose of Sharon, Weeping Mulberry, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Climbing Hydrangea, Japenese Willow, Coppertina & Diablo Ninebark, Deciduous Azalea, Rugosa Roses, “Knockout” and “Floral Carpet” roses
Featured hardware: sprinkler turets, hoses, nozzles, pruners, fungus pharm, weed pharm, coco liners..16”, 24”, 30”, 36”, and 48”, lots of tomato cages, and a variety of sizes and colors of mud gloves.
And of course our lovely hanging baskets @ $16.99 – $22
Special Offers for Member-Owners
While supplies last, we are pleased to offer the following discounts for Member-Owners:
Through August 31:
15% off all Espoma soil amendments
15% off all in stock gloves
Through August:
25% off all trees and shrubs
Other current discounts.
Ongoing:
$2 off both varieties of Urban Roots canvas bag
$4 off standard or long sleeve t-shirts
Trees-Pre-Order Pre-order 2008
Urban Roots is offered a selection trees carefully selected for the Western New York and urban environment. Member-Owners received a discount of 20% on all trees pre-ordered by May 15, 2008.
Still a relatively small business, this tree pre-order is our solution to being able to offer our shoppers a wider variety of trees than we can possibly keep in the store, in stock.
Because we are offering such a wide variety of trees, they will not all be delivered at the same time, so we will contact you once we know the arrival date of the trees you order.
For further information on the trees offered, download a word document with images and descriptions of most of the varieties we are offering here.
Tree varieties:
- Acer rubrum ‘Red Sunset’ (Red maple)
- Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’ (Sugar maple)
- Amelanchier ‘Autumn Brilliance’ (Servicetree, Serviceberry)
- Cornus kousa (Chinese dogwood)
- Gleditsia triacanthus Inermus ‘Sunburst’ (Honeylocust)
- Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn redwood)
- Platanus acerifolia ‘Bloodgood’ (London Planetree)
- Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’ (Japanese flowering cherry)
- Purnus subhirtella ‘Pendula’ (Weeping pink cherry)
- Prunus virginiana ‘Canada Red Select’ (Common chokeberry)
- Quercus palustris (Pin oak)
- Quercus rober (English oak)
- Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ (Japanese tree lilac)
- Zelkova serrata ‘Green Vase’
(Japanese zelkova)
We Do Moo Doo!
MOO DOO! Exclusively at Urban Roots
Truly something to look forward to. We will be carrying the Moo line of bagged soils and composts this spring. The Moo line is 100% certified organic, produced in Middlebury, VT, and has grown to cult status in in Vermont and Toronto. We will be the only retail outlet in Western New York for the Moo line.
We will be carrying Moo Doo, a composted cow manure, Moo Plus, a dehydrated cow manure, Moo Dirt top soil and Moo Grow potting soil. Wait until you get your hands in this stuff!
Products we feature:
Moo Doo
MOO DOO is 100% composted cow manure – nothing else added.
Ingredients:
Composted Cow Manure
Applications:
Outdoor Use: Garden beds; Mulching around trees and shrubs; Topdressing lawns
Minimum Guaranteed Analysis:
Nitrogen (N) 0.5%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 0.3%
Soluble Potash (K2) 0.5%
Organic Matter 50%Moo Plus
The DRYEST compost available. Higher analysis than MOO DOO and still easy to handle. Use MOO PLUS as an ORGANIC fertilizer, soil amendment, or as a base for mulching.
Ingredients:
Dehydrated Composted Cow Manure
Applications:
Outdoor Use: Flower beds and vegetable gardens; Mulching around trees and shrubs; Topdressing lawns
Minimum Guaranteed Analysis:
Nitrogen (N) 1.0%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 1.0%
Soluble Potash (K2) 1.0%
Organic Matter 50%Moo Dirt
Tired of topsoil that is mostly sand or mud? MOO DIRT is manufactured topsoil that is high in organic matter, compost based, and is the best overall topsoil available in the marketplace. Best of all, it is easy to handle!
Ingredients:
Composted Manure
Compost
Humus
Sand
Applications:
Outdoor Use: Improving poor soils; Seeding new lawns; Topdressing lawns; Repairing damaged lawns; Filling in low spotsMoo Grow
Suitable for a wide variety of applications, MOO GROW is best used for outdoor growing. Made from a base of composted manure, this product produces lush plant growth.
Ingredients:
Composted Manure
Compost
Peat Moss
Pine Bark
Sand
Applications:
Outdoor Use: Container Plants; Window boxes; Flower and vegetable bedsUrban Roots & Envirosax Bags
Canvas sewn and printed by Enviro-Totes in New Hampshire. Bags are $10 and $14, discounted to $8 and $12 for member-owners.
Envirosax
Graphic Series
The perfect hostess/host gift or party favor for your eco-friendly friends. Envirosax, has received accolades from the media, Yogi Times calls it a “Smart Stylish Tote.” Available for purchase locally only at Urban Roots, at the reasonable, wallet friendly price of $8.49.
Envirosax Organic BambooTruly unusual and well designed bags made out of organic bamboo. The perfect gift for that friend who does everything naturally. Available for purchase locally only at Urban Roots, for $22.95.
Envirosax has also been featured in:O Magazine “Conscious Shopping”
Forbes “Finally a Fashionable Plastic Alternative”
Metropolis “Tools for Greener Living”
Parents “Go Green Bag Lady:” Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags every year, and these mountains of refuse last up to 1,000 years. Here’s an eco no-brainer: Take along your own bag when you run shopping errands.
Life “Look Chic at the Farmers Market”
Cream “Enviro-Friendly Design”
Beautification of Historic Districts
The Allentown Association is partnering with Urban Roots through the Gas Meter Beautification Grant
Beautification for Buffalo’s Historic Districts
Urban Roots is partnering with the Allentown Association to provide beautification of gas meters in historic districts with perennials and shrubs. This is made possible with a grant from National Fuel, which was secured through a partnership between National Fuel, Buffalo Preservation Board, Allentown Association, NYS Senator Antoine Thompson, and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
This opportunity is available for homes in all of Buffalo’s historic neighborhods: Allentown, Cobblestone, Delaware , Hamlin Park, Joseph Ellicott, Linwood, Olmsted Park and Parkways, Theater, and West Village. Shrubs and planting services may be provided at little or no cost to the homeowner.
If you live in an historic district and received a new exterior gas meter you may be eligible for landscape services by Urban Roots through this unusual opportunity.
Read more about the National Fuel Grant.
The Gas Meter Beautification Grant provides you with options to complete your landscape upgrades if you have had a gas meter installed between your building’s façade and the sidewalk. Each residence may qualify for between $200 and $500.
The Allentown Association established one specific option that allows you to take advantage of Urban Roots’ services. Visit the store this fall and consult with our knowledgeable, friendly staff. Fall is a great time for planting perennials and shrubs, and Urban Roots staff will gladly assist you in the selection of appropriate plants for your for your gas meter beautification project.
Installation services are also available at no cost to you, just include these costs in your application: $25 for the first shrub, and $10 for each additional shrub. The best thing about this option is that there are no up-front, out-of-pocket costs to you. Stop by the store to see what you can do for your historic neighborhood and home landscaping today.
Identify historic districts here.
Check out the National Fuel Meter Guidelines for Historic Preservation Districts.
Download your grant application and call (362-8982)or visit Urban Roots today.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Urban Roots once again be offered several selections of heirloom tomato seedling four variety four-packs in 2008.
Rebecca Farnham’s tomatoes and squash in 2007.Information you can find around the web about heirloom tomatoes
You may download a pdf describing most of the varieties offered in 2008 here.
We Have T-Shirts!
We now have high quality 100% cotton t-shirts featuring our lovely logo in a rainbow of colors. Shirts are available in all sizes, and in addition to standard shirts, we have long sleeve shirts, options for children, and v-necks and tanks for women.
Standard T-shirts are $16 any size. $12 for Urban Roots Member-Owners. Long sleeve shirs are $20. $16 for Member-Owners.
The shirts were masterfully silk screen printed in four colors by our neighbors Rob Stuhr and Siobhan McCollum of Vespa Printing.
T-shirt colors include:
military green
stone blue
prarie dust
dark heather
indigo
carolina blue
tangerine
baby blue
lime
yellow
black
orange
brick red
army green
