3 ways we celebrate women every day

Happy International Women’s Day!  To celebrate, wanted to share a few ways that we as a woman-owned company promote the well-being  of women every day: our community-members, our employees, and our clients. Leading by Example A Yard & A Half is a leader in revenue and job-creation among women-owned businesses. We are among only 3% [...]

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Local Christmas Trees

If you’re planning on purchasing a Christmas tree this year, you might be wondering about its environmental impact.  Betsy Franz’ recent blog post addresses some of the benefits of live, and particularly locally grown trees.  Here are some Boston-area cut-your-own tree farms, courtesy of PickYourOwn.org.  Call first to check hours & availability! D.J. Hussey Farm [...]

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Maple Syrup Brunch!

Groundworks Somerville is hosting their second annual Maple Syrup Project Brunch Fundraiser this Saturday, Dec. 4th at the Independent in Union Square, Somerville. They say it better than I can: Brunch will be served from 10am-4pm on Saturday and 20% of proceeds will be donated to the Somerville Maple Syrup Project! The seasonal menu will [...]

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COGDesign Benefit at the Elephant Walk

Join us for Benefit Dinner on November 1, 2010 – at The Elephant Walk in Waltham – in support the Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design.  Gather for hors d’oeuvres & drinks at 6:00, followed by a prix fixe dinner at 6:30.   Includes award-winning Cambodian-French vegetarian, gluten-free, and meat options.  The Elephant Walk is [...]

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Asian Longhorned Beetle Update

If you’re in the Boston area, you’ve already heard about the discovery at Faulkner Hospital of six trees infested with the Asian Longhorned Beetle.  Yesterday, our managers and crew leaders attended a briefing by the USDA to learn about how the problem is being addressed in the landcare industry. What Can We Do? Our crews [...]

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Maple Sugaring in the City

Last weekend, I attended Russells’ Winter Fair to educate guests about organic landcare and NOFA.  I shared a table with Natick Community Organic Farm, which is hosting a maple sugaring festival this Saturday, March 6, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m..  They’ll start out with a pancake breakfast, then demonstrate Native American and Colonial sugaring techniques, as [...]

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AY&AH Staff Featured in MBHP Update

Project manager Carolyn Edsell-Vetter and her partner Jesse were featured in Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership‘s fall Donor Spotlight (p.3).  As part of her commitment to support MBHP, Carolyn raised over $7,500 for the homelessness prevention agency when she ran Boston’s 2009 marathon.  Many thanks to A Yard & A Half’s generous customers, staff,  and business [...]

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MA Local Food Co-op Accepting Orders

Although CSA subscriptions are becoming quite common, finding local dairy, eggs, and meat can be a challenge.  For folks in the MetroWest area and beyond, here’s an update from Kelley O’Connor, founder of the Massachusetts Local Food Cooperative: MA Local Food‘s August ordering cycle is now open featuring almost 400 products. You will find everything [...]

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August Tips & Events

After crafting a lengthy email of maintenance tips for a client experiencing various wet-weather woes, I read MassHort’s August Horticultural Hints.  If your plants are looking a bit leggy, brown, or mushy, take a look! Upcoming Events: Ecological Landscaping Association Roundtable – August 12, 1-4:30 pm, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA. Panelists share recipes [...]

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Asian Long-horned Beetle Train-the-Trainer Session

The Asian Longhorned Beetle Outreach and Survey Project needs volunteers to receive training about ALB and other forest pests. The “Train the Trainer” session provides tools you need to teach others and protect your neighborhood from this invasive pest! The ability to recognize the beetle and tree damage caused by it Tips to distinguish ALB [...]

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