First up we have two current Tree Hugging contests happening:

1. For kids – A Cute & Reusable Kid’s Shopping Bag from Envirosax Contest
2. And for parents & babies – BabyBam Collection contest

This week the biggest Tree Hugging focus was likely our look at consumerism, materialism, and how it all relates to kids and green living. We had some good conversations about this going on, so don’t miss any of these posts:

• Raising Green Kids In A Commercial Culture
• Commercials Are Everywhere
• Eco-friendly Ways to Reward Kids
• As a parent, do you understand the impact of the need for stuff?
• Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Purchases
• If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog?
• Kids & Shopping – How Kids Can Be Smart Consumers

Other stellar posts:
Find out if “You Live In One of the Greenest Cities”

We learned about a killer blog geared toward green college students.

We remembered Climate Counts; and no they didn’t die, they’re just so cool that we like to re-visit them.

We hugged both a cute Scimitar Oryx and my fave the Lilac Tree.

Green Your St. Patrick’s Day Party and the St. Patrick’s Day Blog Carnival just in time for tomorrow (at least I think it’s tomorrow).

Candied Flowers! Yummy and beautiful.

One Small Step: Digital Subscriptions

Peggy did an awesome review of CleanWell’s Kid-Safe Hand Cleaning Products – are they worth it? Read her review and find out.

Lastly:

Welcome to any new readers here at Tree Hugging Family this week, we’re very glad to have you here. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tree Hugging Family, also we have a poll going on about global warming in our sidebar, and we’d love for you to vote.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Some basics:

Technically, lilacs started out as a bush, more so than a tree. In past years, the lilac bush was bred into the lilac tree. Lilacs fare better where winters are cold and in well drained soil. They leaf early and drop late. One of the best things about the lilac bush is that it can be used as a living fence. You can also plant lilac trees close in to a house, and even in a container. There are so many types of lilacs the choices are staggering. I like the good old light violet colored or blue-violet lilacs, but there’s also white, red-violet, pink, yellow, and dark purple varieties available.

The downside is that lilacs need upkeep. You need to prune them every few years, although yearly is best; remove weak growth, and clip off the seeds when the bloom is over for best health and look of the plant. This is not too bad if you keep up on it.

Awesome lilac uses:

One of my favorite things to do with lilacs use them in salads or candy them. They look amazing on cakes or cupcakes and taste great. You can also make lilac wine, lilac sorbet, or use them in homemade beauty products. You can even simply add them to your bath for fragrance.

To learn more visit the amazing world of lilacs at the beautiful International Lilac Site.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family