Miami park --> Feb. 01 --Say goodbye to the old, but not exactly revered, Coconut Grove Exhibition Center. The now-obsolete hall where Doors frontman Jim Morrison once (allegedly) publicly wagged what should remain private is coming down. Fast. Now say hello to our new little friend: Regatta Park , 12 acres of long-promised bayfront green space in the place where the last remaining sections of the exhibition center are now being reduced to rubble by demolition crews. It could be a significant addition to Miami's undernourished parks system -- if the cash-strapped city can figure out exactly what to put there, and then how to pay for it. Here's the dilemma: The new park, part of the so-called Sasaki Plan that was developed in 2008 to revamp the Grove's cluttered waterfront, would cost around $26 million to build as conceived, with a new pier, a grassy amphitheater, a new baywalk and a thick planting of trees. The amount the city has for the job? A mere $2 million . City officials say that's just about enough to install a watering system and some electrical connections, then cover the whole thing with nice sod, and maybe a few trees and furnishings. At least for now, that's what the new park will have to be, said Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff , a principal backer of the Sasaki Plan whose district includes the Grove. "My vision for it is the world's greatest field,'' Sarnoff said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. "It will be open space with the best grass we can grow.'' The city still hopes eventually to build a full-fledged park. City planners are holding a series of public meetings to solicit ideas for park features and uses, though they say they can't say when or if anything beyond the stripped-down park would be built. "Right now, we don't have any answers,'' deputy planning director Cesar Garcia-Pons told a packed house at Miami City Hall last week during the first of three planned meetings. It's not the first time the city has had to scale back its ambitions for a new park because of fiscal constraints. Last year, an elaborate plan for a new Museum Park to accompany the new art and science museums downtown was scrapped for the time being. Instead, the park area at the foot of the newly opened Perez Art Museum of Miami , like Regatta Park , will consist of grass, trees and pathways. The ill-defined Regatta Park idea has upset some skeptical Grove residents, including some who say the city was too quick to demolish the exhibition center, until recently used to film interiors for the cable TV series Burn Notice, and which might have attracted other film work. The park launch also comes on the heels of a controversial citywide referendum in which voters easily approved a proposal -- furiously opposed by many Grovites -- to replace the adjacent Scotty's Landing, a popular rustic watering hole, and the landmark Chart House restaurant with glitzy new dining spots. Many remain angry at Sarnoff, who backed the plan, and suspicious of his motives. On an easel on which city planners asked attendees to write down suggestions, one demanded a "guarantee'' to rebut rumors that the land would be developed or fenced off for the private use of residents of new luxury condos going up across South Bayshore Drive -- something city officials say they have never contemplated. At least some attendees were willing to give the city credit for laying out the financial circumstances and seeking public input for the park. "I have to support that,'' said Grove activist Hadley Williams . "From that aspect, it's very positive.'' The keep-it-simple park idea actually sits right with some Grove residents concerned about commercialization of the historic village's waterfront and the current lack of easy access to the water for pedestrians and boaters. Several said the new park offers the city a chance to open up access to the shoreline, and called for an inviting, pedestrian-friendly space animated with a new dock and kayak and paddleboard rentals. "If you do that, you would see an explosion of rowers, kayakers and paddleboarders,'' said Andy Parrish , a longtime activist and small developer in the Grove. At very least, Sarnoff said, the new park would fulfill a key mandate of the Sasaki Plan, named after the renown landscape architecture firm that designed it after extensive public consultation: to open up bay vistas long blocked by the bulky exhibition center, and provide a green link between City Hall and Peacock and Myers parks directly to the south. It would provide another amenity that inspired the park's name -- to serve as staging area for the big sailing regattas held along the Grove waterfront, home to several sailing clubs and an Olympic training site, the U.S. Sailing Center. Unbeknownst to many Miamians, it's the main hot spot in the nation for winter sailing competitions, with some of the biggest regattas in the world taking place just offshore. The overflow of boat trailers drawn to the regattas now takes up a portion of the exhibition center parking lot, most of which will temporarily remain, as well as a swale bordering the popular running and cycling trail that runs along the east side of Bayshore Drive . But that swale space will disappear with upcoming plans to renovate and widen the trail, Sarnoff said. Another element of the Sasaki Plan calls for consolidating the U.S. Sailing Center and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club , now located to the south, in a modern facility at Regatta Park , though city officials say that's unlikely to happen anytime soon. But sailing advocates asked the city that, whatever they do at that spot, they remember to leave enough wide-open grassy space to accommodate them. "We are known as the best regatta launching place in the world,'' said Mark Kamilar , from the U.S. Sailing Center. "But it takes a tremendous amount of space.'' ___ (c)2014 The Miami Herald Visit The Miami Herald at http://www.miamiherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Out with old, in with new Miami park

Just how poor of condition are San Diego's parks in? Poor enough for the City of San Diego to be named in two unrelated lawsuits in the span of one month, both over improper maintenance and shoddy sod conditions.

The most recent legal complaint was filed on September 4 by attorneys representing San Diego Unified School District.

The district was filed on behalf of LaToya Smedley, a noon duty assistant at Porter Elementary School in Lincoln Park. Smedley injured herself while walking on a wet and ruddy field.

The park, according to the complaint was "negligently, carelessly, and recklessly owned, entrusted, maintained, repaired, used and controlled said grass field and property that they caused and allowed it to be in a dangerous and defective condition, thereby causing employee to be injured when her feet suddenly and unexpectedly sunk into wet and muddy grass, causing her feet to stick in the mud and her body to twist on defendants' premises."

The City "should have known of the dangerous and defective condition of their property and should have foreseen the danger to members of the public including the employee."

A similar lawsuit over poorly maintained park space was filed on August 27. In that complaint, a man injured his leg after stepping into a gopher hole at Robb Field in Ocean Beach. Gopher infestation at the field, according to the lawsuit and media accounts, has been a hot topic for residents and park goers.

In the most recent case, attorneys for San Diego Unified are asking the City to cover all workers compensation claims as well as any additional damages.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/news-ticker/2013/aug/29/man-sues-the-city-over-gopher-infestation-at-robb-/

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That makes two lawsuit in less than a month.

Propagation Trays - Celled Trays | Plug trays | nursery propagation | seeder trays
Plugs in horticulture are small-sized seedlings grown in trays from expanded polystyrene or polythene filled usually with a peat or compost substrate. This t...

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Propagation Trays - Celled Trays | Plug trays | nursery propagation | seeder trays - Video

Contributed photo Look for products containing only Pendimethalin to control crab grass.

Dear Neil: Several of your columns over the past couple of years have suggested Halts or Dimension for crab grass and grassbur control. I have found Halts, but online there appear to be several types of Halts. What would you recommend?

A: I think you are seeing the same Halts product (Pendimethalin), but combined with different types of fertilizers. I am not a big advocate of weed-and-feed combination products. Its my opinion that the two processes need to be done separately because the timing is different. You need to apply pre-emergent herbicides earlier than the first lawn feeding. You should be able to find the Halts by itself, without fertilizer added in. Dimension products are widely available through local independent retail garden centers, so they are another option. Those stores should be getting their early spring supplies in very soon.

Dear Neil: I have an oak with a cavity. Can I use some type of wood filler to fill it and even the surface out?

A: Certified arborists advise against that. Filling cavities adds no strength to the trees trunk, and it encapsulates any decay that might be present. Youre really better off just allowing the tree to form new bark across the open wound. If you see a roll of bark forming uniformly across the opening, youre on your way. If it is not forming, and if the decay seems to be getting worse, you need to call a certified arborist for an on-site inspection.

Dear Neil: My creeping fig has frozen and turned brown. I can see green underneath. How can I get rid of the ugly brown growth on top?

A: Im assuming that youre talking about fig ivy that is growing against a flat wall, and Im also assuming that the green that youre seeing underneath is beneath all of the clinging runners. If so, you could take a stout push broom and try brushing the vines. The dead leaves might pull loose from the action and fall to the ground. You could even brush across them gently with a large scrub brush to see if that would help. Dont apply enough pressure to pull the vines off the wall. And the good news is that even if you decide to do nothing, the green leaves will quickly conceal the browned stubble starting in late winter. This wont be a problem in six to eight weeks.

Dear Neil: My El Toro zoysia has thinned in patches due to extreme water restrictions and heat. Could I overseed the bare areas with Bermuda? Would the two be compatible? What suggestions do you have?

A: Do not plant Bermuda seed. You dont want two grasses growing in the same space. It never works out, because they always behave and look very differently. If you want Bermuda, you would want to remove the zoysia either with a shovel or sod cutter, or by applying glyphosate herbicide once it has greened up and is growing. Then you could rototill the soil and plant either sod or seed of whatever Bermuda variety you wanted. But I would not recommend that. Its a ton of work, and El Toro is a handsome lawngrass. If I had your lawn, once water restrictions were lessened and if I could see my way clear to reasonable waterings, I would dig plugs from my El Toro and plant them into the bare areas. That way youd be sure of a match.

Dear Neil: I have five very large redtip photinias. I need to cut them way back because theyre encroaching on my driveway. When and how do I do that?

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Weed, feed processes need to be done separately because timing is different

how to use seed trays | how to use seed starting trays | how to use seed sprouting tray
Plugs in horticulture are small-sized seedlings grown in trays from expanded polystyrene or polythene filled usually with a peat or compost substrate. This t...

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How To Plant Seeds In A Modular Tray | Planting Seed Trays for Your Winter Garden
Plugs in horticulture are small-sized seedlings grown in trays from expanded polystyrene or polythene filled usually with a peat or compost substrate. This t...

By: Rajesh Potdar

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How To Plant Seeds In A Modular Tray | Planting Seed Trays for Your Winter Garden - Video

This weekend, Jan. 25-26, the eighth annual Katy Home and Garden Show will invade the Merrell Center and Robinson Pavilion to bring trends in home improvement to the Katy area.

The show brings over 250 exhibits and a variety of different products for all sorts of homemakers. Jason Cameron, DIY Network host for television shows like Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves will join in to talk about trends in landscaping as well as how to make the perfect man cave. Cameron will be at the show on Saturday only.

Cameron told The Rancher that in places like Texas where water can be scarce, synthetic turf is becoming a popular low-maintenance alternative to sod. He said the product has come a long way since the days of the carpet-like turf.

Its really hard to distinguish now between authentic grass and synthetic grass, Cameron said. The TV star said many are starting to use turf in combination with putting greens in their own back yards. He also indicated that while manufacturers have worked to make the turf maintain lower temperatures in the midst of harsh weather, a little bit of shade provides an optimal experience. Cameron said that in extremely harsh climates, low-level irrigation systems could be used to keep the surface cool.

For man caves, Cameron said it really depends on who the man in question is.

Every guys different, Cameron said. He might be into cigars. He might be a baseball guy, a football guy. Maybe he brews his own beer. It all depends on what his interests are.

On the local level, James Terry from Terrys Landscape will be around to talk about the specific services his company can do to improve outdoor landscapes. Terry said that anyone who visits his booth will feel like they are walking into a backyard. Current trends Terry sees Katy area residents adding are summer kitchens, fireplaces and patio extensions.

I think more people have decided that theyre going to invest in their house, and are thinking were going to stay at home and provide our own entertainment, Terry said.

Of course, if one decided to go the route of authentic grass, they would usually need to closely monitor their lawns growth and cut it themselves, or hire an outside lawn service to take care of it. That is, until the lawn bott was released. Lawn botts are robotic lawn mowers, programmed to mow a certain area automatically at a specific height and time of day. The small robots will mow a lawn everyday, parking in their own mini garages located in a discreet area to recharge. Since the mower cuts every day, small grass clippings are merely released back onto the lawn.

Robert McCormack opened up a Lawn Bott dealership in the Katy area after witnessing their feats in Italy. He said that while there are several dealerships on the East coast, he believes hes the only major dealer in the Gulf coast area.

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Katy Home and Garden Show features TV host Jason Cameron and home improvement trends

Posted: Monday, January 20, 2014 3:11 pm

Hebron BC Cemetery asks for assistance

The Hebron Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Committee is requesting assistance to combat the sand spur problem in the cemetery. The Committee will sod the cemetery with centipede grass and will install a sprinkler system throughout the entire cemetery.

The cost of the project is substantial, so the Committee is asking for help from friends and all those who have loved ones buried in the cemetery. They are asking that contributions be sent to John W. Cowart, Sr., Trustee, at 301 Friendship Church Rd., Twin City, GA 30471 with checks made out to Hebron Cemetery Renovation Fund. A letter of acknowledgement for your contribution will be sent for your records, and the contribution is tax-deductible. Please contact Cowart with any questions at 478-494-8223 or email jwcceo@yahoo.com

2014 MySwainsboroNews.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted in Religion on Monday, January 20, 2014 3:11 pm.

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Hebron BC Cemetery asks for assistance

The comedy week ahead...

LIVE IN LONDON: Tommy Tiernan starts a two-week run at the Soho Theatre of his new show Stray Sod, named as so many comedy shows are after an enchanted piece of grass. As usual, its Tiernan urging us to embrace our inner lunacy in these compliant times.

LIVE IN LONDON: Also at Soho, one of the breakout shows of last years Edinburgh Fringe Jamie Demetrious People Day, a career-making display of character comedy which is here all week. Review from Edinburgh

LIVE IN LONDON: Daniel Kitson and Stewart Lee on the same bill should be all you need to know to snap up tickets for the gig at the Bloomsbury Theatre tonight. That its in aid of the PBH Free Fringe thats done so much to change the Edinburgh Festival for the better is another plus. Meanwhile the supporting cast includes Phill Jupitus, Robin Ince, Andrew Maxwell and more

LIVE IN LONDON: Before his first UK tour in seven years, Frank Skinner begins a five-week residency at the at the Leicester Square Theatre with his new show, Man In A Suit. If his run at nearby Soho Theatre last year was anything to go by, he hasnt lost his stand-up mojo Here is a review of that show, and a schedule of forthcoming dates.

LIVE IN MANCHESTER: The much-loved but itinerant XS Malarkey sets up home in yet another venue today: The Pub/Zoo, right in the heart of studentland. Rob Rouse, Rob Deering and Mr XS, Toby Hadoke, get the ball rolling

LIVE IN HAMPSHIRE: Omid Djalili starts his new tour at the Phoenix Theatre in Bordon. Dates.

LIVE IN LONDON: Another night, another benefit at the Bloomsbury. Lauugh Till It Hurts, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, features Simon Evans, Andrew Lawrence, Shappi Khorsandi and more

LIVE IN BRISTOL: Theres a good selection of up-and-coming talent at Chuckle Busters at the Wardrobe Theatre, including Alfie Browns disillusioned polemic and Matt Reess hangdog deadpan. Cant go far wrong for a fiver

TV Ruth Joness comedy-drama Stella returns for a third series. Now sporting a rather spiffy blonde do, her single mum has a potential love interest with the arrival of handsome lawyer and recent divorcee Michael played by The Offices Patrick Baladi. True to romcom form, the pairs first run-in is, of course, far from romantic. Sky 1, 9pm

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Score some Charlie

Arcadia, FL (PRWEB) January 15, 2014

On the heels of an 8th place finish in The Sony Open in Hawaii this past weekend, Harmony Outdoor Brands is feeling pretty good about their renewed endorsement of PGA rookie Will Wilcox.

"We recognized in Will a determination to continually improve himself and to hone his game," states Will Nugent, president of Harmony Outdoor Brands. "His commitment to living an active, outdoor lifestyle parallels the themes of the Harmony brand creating outdoor living environments that encourage healthy living and an engaged, recreational lifestyle."

Wills rise through the ranks of the Web.com tour last year and entry onto the PGA Tour, mirrors Harmonys growth from a regional turfgrass supplier, to a full service provider of premium grass varieties, sod and irrigation installation, and professional lawn care services.

Harmony is one of four sponsors who recognized Wilcoxs abilities early on, signing on in 2011. While competing on the Web.com Tour in 2013, Will achieved a notable list of accomplishments on his way to retaining his PGA Tour status for 2014, including:

By finishing in the top ten at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Wilcoxs next stop will be this weeks Humana Challenge in LaQuinta, CA, followed by the Farmers Insurance Open next week at Torrey Pines.

About Harmony Outdoor Brands

Harmony Outdoor Brands is a national provider of quality lawn care products and services. Based in Arcadia, Florida, Harmony Turfgrass varieties are available at major lawn and garden retailers.For more information visit HarmonyBrands.com or follow us at Facebook.com/HarmonyBrands

Contact Will Wilcox Fidelity Sports Group Attn: Drew Carr

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Harmony Outdoor Brands Renews Sponsorship of PGA Tour Player Will Wilcox