To deadhead or not to deadhead, that is the question we answer in this blog about Rhododendrons, those lovely broadleaf evergreens that are putting on a Spring flower show extravaganza in western Pennsylvania now. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/19/rhododendrons/

Bridal Wreath Spirea is one of the more common Spring- blooming shrubs with uncommon beauty, really capturing your eye, especially when there is a hedge full of them, exhibiting all their spring glory! This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/18/uncommon-beauty/

With a 10-day weather forecast calling for highs in the 80's and lows in the 60's it's time to move some large houseplants outdoors onto the front porch for the summer months. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/17/moving-day/

When Allegheny County Council was deliberating over leasing the gas rights to Deer Lakes Park, the Washington County commissioners, of all people, joined the chorus for them to lease, by participating in promotional videos on YouTube, in spite of the terrible record drilling and fracking had in their own county park in Pennsylvania. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/15/returning-the-favor/

While the original lease for surface drilling inside Cross Creek County Park was signed in 2003, drilling and fracking commenced six years later, resulting in a fracking spill and fish kill. Several other incidents have occurred inside the park since then, including a second fracking spill, and a lease modification allowing for drilling under the earthen dam holding Cross Creek Lake, as well as allowing for additional well pads inside the county park. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently outlined how those drilling proceeds should be used, and it's not they have been used in the past! This episode, and multiple documents, are also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/14/on-deaf-ears/

This latest news story makes clear that Republican legislators in Pennsylvania continue muting legitimate public health concerns of their constituents who live near drilling and fracking, while at the same time, we continue to see Republican leaders at the state level continue their diligent efforts to kneecap renewables, in order to promote more fracking in Pennsylvania. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/13/republicans-love-fracking/

The public was muted for nearly five minutes yesterday when legal arguments ensued over why Judge Crompton of Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court should recuse himself from a hearing related to fracking and zoning in Murrysville. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/11/the-4-minute-gap/

Is Bitcoin an investment in Climate Change? Increasing the use of fossil fuels and fracking? Sure looks like it, considering the huge amounts of electricity consumed while mining that cryptocurrency by using large computer networks at a frenzied pace to find the latest target hash. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/10/crypto-climate-change/

Imagine having industrial grade fracking, with seventeen 2,500 horsepower diesel pumps running full blast 24 7, less than 1,000 feet of your front door. Convoys of wastewater tankers travelling small local roads, day and night, intermingled with fleets of tractor trailers hauling frack sand, that was probably strip mined in the upper Midwest. The bright light, noise, vibration and fumes, that accompany the drilling and hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus shale wells, that can be several miles deep, with up to several dozen wells on each well pad, extending activity indefinitely. Industrial activities should only be in industrial zones, right? This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/08/fracked-by-zoning/

With 12,000 to 15,000 artificial turf fields in the United States, used artificial turf will produce 1 to 4 million tons of waste over the next 10 years. One internationally known soccer coach fears turf fields are linked to an alarming number of goalkeepers and other athletes who have developed cancer. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bobscaping.com/2021/05/06/artificial-turf/