Tag Archives: Corona Tools

Subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, DC Metro Area Gardening E-Newsletter

Enter your e-mail here to subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, a free e-newsletter about gardening in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Each issue lists the local gardening events for the month, recently published gardening books, and articles and tips specific to this immediate area. Each issue also features the opportunity to win a free plant or gardening product. For the December 2019 Pegplant’s Post, which will be e-mailed to subscribers on November 30, one lucky subscriber will win a Hip-Trug.

Many gardeners know or have Corona gardening tools. Recently Corona has been promoting several products from Burgon and Ball, their sister company in the U.K. I particularly like the Hip-Trug, because it is good for the back and knees–saves on bending and getting up and down. This large plastic container clips to the belt, pocket, or waistband, enabling gardeners to use both hands when harvesting veggies or deadheading flowers. The container slips in and out of the holster, making it easy to empty and clean. The holster is available in a moss green or navy blue color (the image is for illustrative purpose, the winner does not choose the color). Check out the other Burgon and Ball products on Corona’s website: Kneelo knee pads and the Kneelo kneeler.

The Corona company started in the 1920s with the invention of orange shears. The citrus industry was near the city of Corona in California. In the time it took to harvest and deliver the crop by train to the east coast, much of the fruit quality diminished thus decreasing sales. A Corona school teacher realized that most of the skin damage on the orange came from the oranges themselves. The fruit was harvested by hand, pulled from the tree, which resulted in openings in the skin and jagged stems. He designed a tool that could cut the fruit off right at the button of the fruit (where the stem connects to the fruit) thus eliminating openings and stems that poke and damage other fruit. He worked with a blacksmith to create the tool who then supplied the tool to the California citrus industry and thus the Corona company was born. Today, Corona Tools is the leading tool brand in Northern America, part of the global Venanpri Tools that includes sister companies Bellota and Burgon and Ball. Venanpri Tools is a family of consumer and professional tools for the lawn and garden, landscape, irrigation, construction, and agriculture markets.

Tweeting over the Garden Fence: Weekly Chats

Echinacea or Coneflower

New Echinacea Cultivar

As an oldie to garden writing but a newbie to social media, I have discovered that Twitter can make life fun. It adds a new dimension to watching the Superbowl or the Grammy Awards but more importantly, Twitter grants you access to gardening experts and current information. There are several hour-long chats on Twitter related to some aspect of gardening, every day of the work week. This past Monday was a holiday so I was able to participate on #plantchat for the first time.

On Mondays, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST, Corona Tools hosts #plantchat, which is a great way to learn more about plants, gardening, and horticulture. Corona Tools (@CoronaTools) lines up a guest and a specific topic. The first few minutes are spent on introductions; people can elect to tweet where they live or their hardiness zone; most comment on the weather. I use tweetdeck to keep up with the conversation because it enables me to focus only on the plantchat conversation; not other tweets. Except for your internet connection, a twitter chat is free; all you have to do is sign in to Twitter and tweet using #plantchat. You don’t have to tweet; you can just read the conversation. With some chats, a transcript is available if you miss the live chat (as I have in the past when I am at the office). For #plantchat, @CoronaTools uses Storify to provide the recap.

This Monday’s guest was Rodale Institute (RI) and the topic was medicinal plants and herbs in the garden. I tweeted a question specifically to Rodale Institute about Echinacea. I knew the roots were beneficial in preventing or stopping a cold because I tried it years ago but wanted to know if the new cultivars on the market were equally effective. @RodaleInstitute first said: “General immune booster but most wait till symptoms start to take it. Prevention is best!” The person then responded: “Generally, it’s the Echinacea purpurea, other cultivars don’t carry the same quality at the same strength,” which is just as I had suspected but where else would I get such a quick answer from a leading expert? As people chatted, I learned the benefits of tulsi (holy basil) tea (reduces stress and anxiety) and the fact that comfrey and yaupon holly tea are anti-inflammatories. Someone recommended elderberry syrup for cough and cold, which led to another person chiming in that lemon balm makes a great tea and soothes the throat and stomach. Another person explained that stevia, an herb, can be used as a sweetener. I explained how I grow dill and cilantro in the cool months and someone said that cilantro provides Vitamin K, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. This was a paradigm shift; an herb such as cilantro may not be used for treating an illness but in addition to culinary benefits, it may act as a preventative.

Try out a Twitter chat, each are a little different but all are fun and educational.

Monday:          #plantchat, 2-3 pm; #gardenchat 9-10 pm

Tuesday:          #treechat 2-3 pm; #pollin8rchat 9-10 pm

Wednesday:     #landscapechat 2-3 pm; #seedchat 9-10 pm; #rosechat 9-10 pm

Thursday:        #herbchat 2-3 pm

Friday:             #groundchat 2-3 pm

Eastern Standard Time