Sandra Schpoont and Steve Axelrod were outgrowing their summer home on the North Fork of Long Island and had been renting on the Vineyard for a number of summers. They haphazardly followed the real estate market and toured a few homes, but nothing clicked until the very house theyd rented for one month, in July 2014, a historic farmhouse on Middle Road in Chilmark, hit the market.

It was a summer house, we knew it needed a lot of work, said Schpoont in a brand-new kitchen. We didnt know it would be a complete re-haul.

Axelrod, a psychologist, and Schpoont, a New Yorkbased attorney, enlisted Island architect Chuck Sullivan, of Sullivan + Associates Architects in Oak Bluffs, and husband and wife design team Keren and Thomas Richter, of White Arrow in Brooklyn, to realize their dream of a thoughtfully preserved Island home with a modern flair. I love design, Schpoont said. I didnt want a Cape Cod type of house. I wanted something cool.

The house sits at the bottom of a steep ridge with sweeping southerly views. From a sunny sitting room that was once a makeshift post office, a row of windows showcases the agrarian magic of Keith Farm across the street: cows graze, birds flock, and, a little farther, waves crash. Save for the occasional car traveling Middle Road, it could easily be another time in Island history.

Its a recognizable property for anyone whos spent time traversing up-Island, and its not uncommon for dog walkers and joggers to stop on their way past. If Schpoont or Axelrod are in the yard, someone might let them know that they appreciate the preservation work they did. But for all the preserved glory of the exterior, what those passersby cant see from the road is that the interior is a modern showpiece, curated to meet the needs of a professional couple.

The original layout was choppy, with lots of little rooms and not much in the way of flow. There was no proper entryway or gathering space. It was a classic New England house, architect Sullivan explained. It was added onto over time. So we reconfigured what was there first and then added on.

Though Chilmark does not have a designated historic district, the project was reviewed by the towns zoning board of appeals and the historical commission. We really had to reassure the town that we would maintain the integrity of the house and that it wouldnt look brand new, explained Schpoont. In no small feat of architecture, the addition on the back, built by Jared Kent and Thomas Van Hollebeke, of Kent & Van Hollebeke Construction, is barely visible to the road yet provides the extra first floor living space a master bedroom, pantry, office the couple wanted.

The main entryway once two separate rooms with doors off the original kitchen now leads to an oversized mudroom, a bathroom, and an entry porch carved out of the interior space. Black herringbone tile and white clapboard walls signal a design theme that continues throughout the interior. Its a study in contrasts: old and new, dark and light, functional and fanciful. The bathroom features stunningly bold wallpaper that is both tropical and moody. The white granite sink, set in a surprisingly industrial base, is just minimalist enough to let the wallpaper be the main event. In the living room, meanwhile, there is something to look at in every corner. Interesting furnishings in unexpected hues draw you in: a shin-height coffee table, an indigo-dyed canvas couch, and a vintage Moroccan tuareg rug.

Months before the sofa was placed just so on that vintage rug, designer Keren was in Brooklyn visualizing the project. Her goals, she said, included achieving a space that was refreshing and warm, intuitive and embracing. She imagined a modern dialogue in which the history of the home was still visible through a contemporary lens. Together with her husband Thomas she found a mix of unusual fixtures that were chosen to make the space feel fresh: a chic Bert Frank pendant light in the kitchen, a canopy bed in the master, an aqua velvet sofa in the office. The Richters stayed in the house for a mini vacation once it was finished and they relished the opportunity to see the space at different times of day.

The way the light hits in the evening is magic, Keren said. Everything glows. It came out really, really beautiful.

A kitchen, now relocated to an area of the house that was once used as closed-off living space, has been opened up to capture beautiful Island light. White subway tiles as a backdrop to the Lacanche range provide just a slight sparkly diversion from the white clapboard that continues from the mudroom. Butternut wood countertops are as attractive as they are functional, and a white/gray marble island roots the room in a gathering space.

From here, the tour of the original house ends and the addition begins, starting with an immaculate pantry of glass jars and porcelain bowls. The sunshine-filled hallway ends with three tiny steps to the master suite, which includes a his-and-hers office space, dressing room, and, finally, a bedroom. Vaulted ceilings in the bedroom let in more light and create a breezy, roomy feel. To rein in that openness and add more intimacy, the canopy bed creates a space in and of itself. In the study, richer, darker tones create a homey space where Axelrod and Schpoont can work, read, or kick back and watch a movie on the velvet sofa. Upstairs, guest rooms are clean and sparse with rugs that Schpoont brought home from a trip to Morocco.

Equal attention was paid to the landscape, which had its own challenges. After walking the property, getting to know the curves and hillsides, dips and peaks, designer Barbara Lampson of Tisbury said she approached the landscape design with four considerations the architecture (a farmhouse with modern sensibilities), the genius loci (spirit of the place), Axelrod and Schpoonts taste (lush but no fuss), and the views (rural and sea). It helped that Lampson grew up nearby in Chilmark and has long admired the property.

Steve and Sandra bought that house because they love Chilmark and the informal feel of Chilmark, Lampson said. We wanted to keep it historic and natural feeling.

She was thrilled to have access to the historic stone on the property, some of which she used to create a new walkway from the parking area to the entry. And while she usually aims to keep her landscapes consistent throughouta property, in this case she kept the visible front of the house simple: ancient crab apple trees, a stone pathway, native plants in keeping with the historic character of Middle Road. In the back, on the other hand, she moderned it up with a patio and herb garden in close proximity to Axelrods pizza oven.

Sandy is really the garden person, said Lampson.

She didnt want anything high maintenance, but she does love to garden, cut herbs, and pick blueberries.

Behind the house, fieldstone steps lead to the peak of the property where a deck awaits, perfect for coffee in the morning or wine and snacks in the evening. From the deck the visibility expands. If the view from the old post office sitting room with the Nakashima coffee table is enjoyable and cozy, this is breathtaking and perspective altering. The quiet is palpable from that deck; its a place to sit, chat, maybe read, but nothing more.

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Oh, Yeah, and it Has a View, Too. - Martha's Vineyard Magazine

Wilderness spaces across the country arelike so much elsein crisis. Last weekend, Cleveland National Forest, outside San Diego, set usage records at two trails. The superlative is bittersweet: on the one hand, its encouraging that Americans seem to be reconnecting with their local landscapes. On the other hand, the crowds caused rampant illegal parking,park officials tweeted, noting that several visitors had to be airlifted out for unspecified reasons.

Those trails are now closed, as are other park systemsup anddownCalifornia. This weeka spate of national parks, from Yellowstone to Hawaii Volcanoes to Great Smoky Mountains, also closed, following the guidance of national and local officials aiming to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Yes, nature is pleasurable, and being outside is necessary relief. But by now, amid this pandemic, the ethics of wilderness travel should be clear: dont goat least not to the crowded trails and parks. You are putting yourself and others in danger of infection. You are putting pressure on already-strapped medical resources in remote gateway towns.

But dont think of this as a prison sentence. Instead, it could be the chance for the reset we need. A chance to remember that we are always in the wilderness, which deserves our care everywhere.

Hikers in Yellowstone, in pre-pandemic times (Photo: Farsai Chaikulngamdee/Unsplash)

What is wilderness? According toU.S. law, at least, its an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.

Bill Cronons seminal essay The Trouble with Wildernesswhich this year marks its 25th anniversary of rankling outdoors lovershelped upend that definition, at least among historians. When white settlers first arrived on this continent, untrammeled land was a waste,a missed opportunity to, as the Bible commanded, subdue the earth. Not until after the Civil War, as cities grew crowded, did the community of life become something worth admiring. Wealthy Americans began to buy up Adirondack camps and pay for guided hunts through the Rocky Mountains. In 1916, the elites desire to find pristinelandscapes outside the city led to the creation of a system of carefully protected national parks. Thus, the modern idea of wilderness was born.

Of course, the North American wilderness was never untrammeled. Native people had already lived here for thousands of yearsand had always consciously shaped the flora and fauna. In our wilderness parks, the landscape we regard as pristine and timeless is really just a snapshot of what white people saw when they showed up. And once land became wilderness, it could only remain so through vigilance. Human beings, at least the ones not on vacation, had to be kept out. (John Muir, the naturalist whose writings helped sparkthe wilderness movement, wanted Nativesout of his beloved Yosemite. More recently,many outdoorspeople have claimed that immigration might lead to overpopulationand therefore despoiled lands.) Other species had to be sustained or evicted, depending on their provenance, which is why today the wilderness is actually filled with technology: radio collars tracking bears, microphones recording birdsong, chemicals killing off unwanted plantsallattempts to restore the landscape back to the moment of its original discovery, an arbitrary standardat best.

Venturing deep into the woods is, for many, a spiritual, transformative experiencewhich is partlywhy the closure of our beloved parks hits so hard. But science suggests that if youre seeking the health benefits of nature, you dont need awe-inspiring or pristine landscapes. Sunshine, natural stimuli like plants and trees, and movement will do. So its OKto call these parks what they are: playgrounds, dressed up to resemble a certain nostalgic ideal. Wilderness, meanwhile, is all around.

Historian Roderick Nashhas traced the roots of the word wild to the idea of will.So the wild is anything with its own willanything that grows and changes without human control. That includes the weeds in the street and the masses of bacteria inside us that keep us alive.

The greenest patch near my house in New Orleans is a man-made pile of earth, a publicly owned levee with a trail on top, squeezed between the Mississippi River and a canal, that serves as a de facto city park. When I walk there I see ibis and herons (and unleashed dogs and men catching catfish). This is what finding wildness looks like in much of America, far from the carefully preserved state and national parks out west: its in the tattered edges andthe culverts where trash accumulatesbut where plants grow fierce and feral, too.

Now, as cabin fever sends my neighbors out on daily walks, that levee feels as crowded as a California trail. So Im off in search of other islands, places where I can find nature and still maintain my six feet of distance.

What does that entail? For meit means walking along quieter patches of industrial riverfrontor biking to empty lots where trees are taking root. Im trying to look with the eyes of a child, for whom a flower is something to marvel at, wherever it grows. You can do this, too, even if you live in an apartment in Manhattan. Go find an overgrown lot and count the different kinds of leaves you see.

It means getting down on my knees to pick the trash out of my front-yard shrubbery. It means setting plastic pots in the backyard to house the peppers gifted to me by my neighbor. Their presence has made me attentive to the kinds of nature I ignored before: Where is there sunlight, and where is there shade?

My partner went online to look up topographical data, examining how water drains through the yard, so when the time comes to put the plantsin the ground, well know the best spot. (You could also, as the science writer Emma Marris suggested to me, trace the larger contours of your watershed: If you pour a glass of water into the street in front of your home, what path does it follow to the ocean?) This attention has yielded delicious benefits. Ive lived here for two years yetnever realized that the tangled tree at the back of the lot is a blackberry bushor that the creeping vine along the fence is a neglected fig tree. Even if you dont have a yard, you can go find dandelions, the perfect beginnings for a foraged salad or a cup of tea.

Ive been reading up on how to recognize my backyard birds. Even hearing the birds is a breakthrough, to be honest. My partner and I, in an effort to make our house arrest feel more like a cabin-camping excursion, have kept the doors and windows open as much as possible.

None of this is to say that we should stop protecting large tracts of nature. Indeed, the emergence of COVID-19 gives new urgency to their preservation: scientists believe thathabitat loss is a key contributor to the spread of infectious disease;as human beings and wild animals encroach on one anothers spaces, theres an increased exchange of zoonoses. But there is a difference between sustaining wildlife habitats and romanticizing humanless nature.

A genre of tweets has begun to circulate amid the pandemic: photos of dolphins swimming in boat-free waters, deer returning to empty parks to eat the flowers. We are the virus, these tweets declare. This is wilderness misanthropy at its worst. (Some of the posts, including the dolphins, are also fake news.) Emma Marris is the author of Rambunctious Garden, a book about the new science of conservation thats emerging as we rethink old notions of the wild. She pointed out to me that these tweets depend on an absurd binary. They declare that humans, despite being animals, are entirely split from nature. If this is the case, it seems we have two options: we can pollute the world, or we can die.

There is another option, of course. We can rethink nature. Its not a touristic destination that you go to and then look at as a pretty piece of entertainmentlike Netflix, except outside, Marris says to me. This is an opportunity to set up more interactive, mutually positive relationships with other species near your house.

Yes, our economic system has damaged the planet. But no moral person could believe that the cure should be an epidemic that may leave millions dead. Many cultures and peoplesoften the same people who have been evicted from our wildernesshave managed to live alongside other species productively. We can do the same. But in order to get there, we have to recognize that, in every moment of our lives, we are interfacing with the wild.

I had planned on biking along the Gulf Coast this weekendand spending the night in a small resort town. A little lockdown escape. Butthe possibility of bringing the virus, and contributing tooverwhelming a small-town hospital,felt irresponsible. So my partner and I settled on a new plan: a dinner of local produce and a tent pitched in the yard. We will wake up with that wilderness feeling, having slept beyond the boundary of walls. What birds or insects will be singing at midnight? I have no idea, but Ill learn.

There will also be the honk of late-night traffic and the clatter of passing trains. These signs of humanwill alongside the self-willed can feel like interruptions. But they can also be a reminder that nature persists, everywhere, and that nature is fragile, everywhere. We can be, and should be, inspired by nature and worried about it at once.

If you want to think of wilderness as the place without peopleor, really, without other peoplethen in this moment weve all found ourselves in the wild. We have become a nation of locked-down, solitarysix-foot bubbles. Its not a place I want to stay long.

Of course, this is the wrong way to think about wilderness. The only way out of this viral outbreak is to embrace the noblest idea embedded within the love of wilderness:Preservation, at its best, is an act of submission. It is a recognition that we are all connectedto one another, to nonhuman natureand those connections are worth, in certain times and in certain places, keeping ourselves inside the lines. As you stay there, pay attention. You might find that there is more to wildness than you knew.

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Parks Are Closingbut Wilderness Is All Around You - Outside

Courtesy Photo

Jeanette Castanon is a horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. She can be reached at 686-4700 or by email at jeanette.castanon@ag.tamu.edu

Posted: Sunday, March 15, 2020 12:45 am

GARDENING: Add color to your landscape with the Vitex tree By Jeanette Castanon Odessa American

The Vitex tree is a great option for adding beautiful lilac color to your landscape. It is a small tree and on the list for recommended trees to plant in the Permian Basin. Texas Lilac Vitex is also known as Mexican lavender, lilac chaste tree, hemp tree, sage tree, monks pepper, Indian spice or Vitex. It is a native of China and India, although long ago it became naturalized throughout certain areas of the United States. Records indicate that Vitex has been cultivated in the U.S. since 1670.

It grows best when planted in an area that receives full sun and with well drained soil. It can handle out alkaline soil and prospers in hot and dry climates. The blooms are beautiful and purple and are very attractive when in full bloom. Watch out for the messy seeds that do fall from this tree that will require some sweeping to avoid tripping hazards.

I have seen many bumblebees attracted to these trees as well, they look great in your landscape and are also great and friendly for pollinators to stop for a drink and pollinate your yard.

Plant a Vitex tree and experience the beauty of the purple blooms while helping the pollinators every spring!

For more information, call the AgriLife office at 498-4071 in Odessa or at 686-4700 in Midland or visit aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu or westtexasgardening.org.

Posted in Gardening on Sunday, March 15, 2020 12:45 am. | Tags: Jeanette Castanon, Gardening, Landscapes, Master Gardener, Agrilife, Vitex, Tree

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GARDENING: Add color to your landscape with the Vitex tree - Odessa American

JESLED Lighting (98% positive lifetime feedback) via Amazon is offering a 2-pack of its Solar LED Landscape Spotlights for $14.63 Prime shipped with the code BEBETNIV and when you clip the on-page coupon. Down from its regular rate of around $25, this is among the best pricing that weve tracked all-time and is the lowest available. Spring is just around the corner, so its time to start preparing to spruce up your landscape. These spotlights are powered by the sun, meaning it takes just a few hours of light to keep them going all night. Rated 4.2/5 stars.

Govee US (98% positive lifetime feedback) via Amazon is offering a 2-pack of its Dusk to Dawn LED Light Bulbs for $10.39 Prime shipped with the code QTVQSZCF at checkout. Down from its regular rate of $16, this is among the best pricing that weve tracked all-time. Rated 4+ stars from 60% of shoppers.

Instead of illuminating your landscape, brighten up a walkway with this $13.50 Prime shipped LED solar light. Just remember toclip the on-page coupon to redeem the discounted price. While it wont shine a light on your landscape, itll easily let your guests know how to get to the backyard for spring parties.

Dont forget to check out our daily Green Deals roundup. Today, its headlined by a 56V backpack blower at $99 thatll make cleanup a breeze when it comes to yard work. Youll also find an electric pressure washer and more there, so be sure to give it a look.

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Brighten up your landscape with a 2-pack of solar LED spotlights at $14.50 - 9to5Toys

Theyre back, but migrating hooded orioles hardly got the welcome mat this week as they arrived amid cold temperatures, rain and generally miserable weather.

These beautiful songbirds may be wondering why they bothered to leave the comfort of more tropical conditions in Mexico.

But theyre back, having started dribbling into the county late last month, and now showing up in most areas.

The earliest reports were about three weeks ago when the colorful birds were reported in Borrego Springs and at a few scattered locations along the coast.

Its an annual homecoming I anxiously await, and the thrill of seeing the first hooded oriole of the season is hard to describe.

Id have to say its about as exciting for me as Winnie the Pooh finding a honey tree.

Sure, we have flocks of white-crowned sparrows and yellow-rumped warblers who brighten up bouncing around in our gardens all winter, but the arrival of the orioles is nothing less than magical.

The neon-yellow and orange along with jet-black coloration make the hooded oriole one of our most colorful summer visitors. Like clockwork they arrive in numbers around the first week of March and with equal punctuality depart about the first week in September.

Over the last several years I have recorded the first male arrival on either March 7, 8 or 9.

Males return first, followed by the less colorful females about 10 days two weeks later.

For the next few months the orioles will begin nest building, generally in palms, and by mid-summer their population will noticeably increase as fledglings begin feeding to build strength and energy for the fall migration.

Keep an eye on fan palms or broad leaf plants such as banana trees or rubber trees. The orioles use the fiber strands from palms for both nest construction and to sew the pouch nest into the broad leaves where eggs and chicks will be protected from rain.

Orioles add both color and animation to your bird feeders and will keep you busy providing fresh nectar, grape jelly or slices of orange.

Residents who want to attract the birds can do so easily by offering several types of oriole feeders available at local bird supply outlets.

Most popular are nectar feeders, because they will provide food for several days. The nectar is a mixture of one-part sugar and four parts water, mixed in boiling water and allowed to cool. Clean feeders well when refilling.

Hooded orioles are also just plain crazy about grape jelly. Thats a bit more expensive than nectar, and they arent very neat about eating it, often flinging it about. Its a good idea to put jelly feeders out in the garden away from patios or walkways.

Oranges cut in half or quarters can be placed on a tray or on a spike and the birds will also enjoy that, however, try to keep them out of hot sunlight.

In the natural environment, hooded orioles also feed on insects by hanging upside down to examine the underside of leaves.

One of the most appealing things about these summer visitors are their antics. They are the clowns of the bird world, also hanging upside down from your feeders, sliding down the string or wire holding a feeder, chattering and bickering with each other.

They are nervous and animated birds, dashing in and out of feeders and exploding in a flurry of flying feathers at the appearance of a human. Ive found the best way to watch them is from a window. You might get a view if sitting perfectly still near a feeder, but generally they seem to recognize the human shape and bolt immediately.

I have nectar feeders on my patio by the kitchen window, right at the window of my office, and by my bedroom window. This gives me a good view as they come to feed.

Hooded orioles are a beautiful addition to any landscape. With a little effort, you should be able to attract them to your home.

Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.

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Column: Attracting the colorful hooded oriole to your yard - The San Diego Union-Tribune

It seems a no-brainer in the desert that harvesting rainwater would be a common practice.

It hasnt been lately, but as the Southwests dwindling water supplies pose growing concerns, the concept of natural irrigation is blossoming, and in the Green Valley area, thats thanks largely to Charlene Westgate.

A landscape designer for 20-plus years and avid desert gardener for 30, the Oklahoma native has soaked up lots about sustainable landscaping in a climate where temperatures swing from triple digits to below freezing, and when it rains, it pours.

Quite shocked to find Arizona so different from the rich soil and plentiful rain in her home state, she applied her landscape background and 12 years in construction design, then set to learning about Southwest horticulture the hard way, she said.

It seems shes found the formula, if attendance at her free educational talks and mushrooming business clientele are indications.

Her company, Westgate Garden Design, launched in 2016, turned a profit within a year, doubled in 2018 and again in 2019, with no signs of withering. She recently hired a draftsperson, a retiree with architectural experience she met at the local Business Expo.

Westgate just began a spring schedule for her free garden talks at Desert Bloom.

Shes awed by her success. Its exceeded my wildest expectations, primarily by word of mouth, she said. A lot of people are caring about (working with nature).

At age 65, she could be retired. Instead, Westgate dove into and still is discovering new information, connections, resources, business contacts, subcontractors and ways to promote water conservation, whether it leads to a paid gig or just making another conservation convert. She loves sharing, as her ongoing community involvement attests, is making lots of friends and reaping valuable feedback.

Her focus: helping garden enthusiasts create and maintain beautiful yards compatible with nature as well as their interests. Her things native plants, which, to anyone from lusher climates, might sound limiting. Not so, with 2,500-plus native species here in one of the worlds most biodiverse collections.

They can be as colorful, shade-producing and rewarding to grow as anything, and less costly and time-consuming to maintain, Westgate said.

And the process is pretty simple, entailing use of strategically placed passive water-collecting basins and swales (shallow depressions resembling small puddles or ditches), which reduce or even eliminate the need to irrigate.

Landscape designer Charlene Westgate is pictured in the rain garden she designed at Desert Meadows Park in Green Valley. To the right is a good example of a swale, or ditch, which collects rainwater to prevent a portion of the nearby Anza Trail from flooding. It also provides water for native plantings along the way, and habitat for birds and butterflies.

Method in motion

Aliceann and Doug Christy were among Westgates first clients after they retired in Sahuarita following years of relocating around the United States for Dougs job in the railroad business.

The water-saving aspect of Charlenes work, which Aliceann learned of at one of the free presentations Charlene does to acquaint the public with desert gardening, Aliceann said.

The Christy yard was already landscaped when the couple bought their house, but as a Master Gardener studying desert gardening, Aliceann foresaw changes. The existing backyard was equally divided between planting area, hardscape (manmade surfaces), statuary and patio accoutrements.

To me, it was stark, not alive, Aliceann said.

Westgate helped the couple with a plan involving removal of 16 existing plants, transplanting others, and adding a couple dozen new low-water lovers that attract birds and butterflies. Goals were set based on an extensive questionnaire of wants.

Depending on those, Westgate consults her Roladex of referrals for applicable contractors, suppliers and artists for the project and to maintain it. Theres no vested interest in what all will be involved; installations done by someone else, Westgate said. She serves as client advocate through project completion.

Except for some hand-watering to establish a young lemon tree, weve used no irrigation since October, Aliceann said.

Their backyard now boasts several small planting basins lined with wood chips, which keep the soil cooler, feed plantings, attract worms and, of course, retain water.

Aliceann Christy and pooch Sophie with their new backyard, designed by Charlene Westgate with input from Aliceann and husband Doug. They wanted a garden full of life to replace the starker one that came with their Sahuarita home, which was nearly void of birds and butterflies. Out came several non-native plants; others were transplanted and new ones added, along with a mountain stream-like water feature. Already, plants are starting to thrive with water-collecting basins such as the one at lower left.

A new pump-driven water feature trickles gently down the backyards slope, adding to the tranquil setting perfect for outdoor get-togethers, potting plants, reading, and enjoying the wildlife.

A former hospital nurse, Aliceann immersed herself in gardening, crediting her early appreciation to her mother and grandmother.

Theres just something about nurturing something and seeing it respond, she said. Its relaxing. It centers me, grounds me. The yard now reflects rusticity, a little wild, but thats what provides coverage for wildlife.

Aliceann has taken other garden-related classes, including one on creating yard art. In the 10 different states the Christys have called home, theyve sought help from many design professionals and truly value their input, she said.

Lessons applied

Aliceann Christy applied skills learned from Charlene Westgate's shared garden tips to revamp her front yard, removing an olive tree then adding three cactus and various sizes of rock for a distinctly more Southwestern feel.

The front yard is Aliceanns baby. With skills learned from Westgate, shes had a thirsty olive tree replaced with three tall saguaros, large landscape rock and stream-style beds where rain can collect. Westgate said shes enjoyed seeing her spread her wings.

The lifestyle sure beats white-knuckling it on the way to work driving icy roads where she used to live, Aliceann said. Westgate chuckles knowingly.

Excerpt from:
NATURE CAN THRIVE IN YOUR YARD! Sustainable landscaping in Sonoran Desert - Green Valley News

For additional information and to register, visit: https://masshort.org/upcoming-classes

Fruit trees pruning and care

When is the best time to prune apple trees? What can I apply to prevent peach leaf curl? Come ask these questions and learn so much more from Stockbridge School of Agriculture Director and Professor of Pomology Wes Autio. He will present a talk on pruning fruit trees in the home landscape and will discuss the physiology of fruiting trees, methods for dwarf-tree pruning, ways to enhance fruit production, and other interesting facts for creating and maintaining a home orchard.

The class will be held at Mass Horts Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, on Thursday, March 19, from 7-8:30 p.m. Fee for member is $15, for nonmembers $20.

Fundamentals of landscape design

Have you ever looked at your yard, no matter how big or small, and wanted to create a self-made oasis, but you didnt know where to start? Heres your chance to learn how to create a space that is completely your own from beginning to end.

This six session course, led by Mark Ahronian of Ahronian Landscaping and Design, focuses on landscape design for the do-it-yourself home gardener. He will lead you through all the steps of designing your chosen space and class will include two Saturday morning field trips. One is a visit to Weston Nurseries, where youll learn how to make plant selections. The other visit will be to a home, where we will discuss and visualize design elements. Each participant will leave the class with a complete design of their own making.

Clasess will be held at Mass Horts Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, on Tuesdays from March 24-April 14, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and two Saturdays, April 4 and 11, 10 a.m.-noon. Fee for member is $340, for nonmembers $390.

For additional information and to register, visit https://masshort.org/upcoming-classes/

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Mass. Hort in Wellesley offers programs - Fall River Herald News

Auburn Universitys campus is foremost a place of learning, but it is also a thriving community of 1,785 acres an area that takes a number of hands and offices to make the Loveliest Village on the Plains live up to its nickname.

Justin Sutton, director of landscape services, said there are about 50 landscapers at Auburn. For daily maintenance, they have six zones, each with a supervisor and five to six employees.

Those are mostly the people you see out and about every day, Sutton said. They maintain their area of responsibility, and that goes everything from mowing grass to trimming shrubs to applying fertilizers.

Sutton said along with maintenance, landscaping has projects they plan and execute. They also assist with capital projects that are installed by a contractor and once the projects are complete, they keep up the maintenance.

He said the cost of maintenance and materials average around $340,000 a year for landscape services. About half of that cost is for the materials used for projects.

Within that number, pine straw and mulch average about $78,000, fertilizer and pesticides $53,000 and soil $3,600 respectively.

This [soil] number is low due to a lot of our soil and amendment coming from our compost yard, and the soil that is milled off of Jordan-Hare Stadium, he said.

Sutton said most of the plants on campus are drought-tolerant. However, their annual colors, like the flowers, rotate frequently, he said.

We grow most of what we put on campus here at our facilities site and our greenhouse, he said.

Sutton said he gives credit to the staff who earn each landscaping award the University receives.

We got a lot of guys who are just dedicated to their job and are proud of what they do, Sutton said. They just keep campus going great no matter what time of year it is.

Morgan Beadles, the director of the Donald E. Davis Arboretum, said the arboretum helps with conservation.

Beadles said the upkeep takes a lot of specialized maintenance and hands-on work with pruning shrubs and fertilizing.

We have a collection to protect, so we cant have big machinery out here, she said. We cant have big, heavy equipment moving around because you have to protect the roots in the collection.

Beadles said the workload is always heavy, but the type of work changes with the seasons.

Theres a balance between it feeling natural and manicured and not overly manicured, but still safe, Beadles said.

Between student employees, repairs and materials, Beadles said they spend about $40,000 a year on maintenance.

She said they get a semi-truck load of pine straw, and this year, they got about 1,568 bales of pine straw.

Through this effort, Beadles said they have won the AU Spirit of Sustainability Award, the Eagle Award from the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and have been the American Public Garden Associations featured garden of the week twice.

Maintaining scenery isnt only about keeping campus visually appealing, but also about providing a learning space for certain majors to gain practical experience.

Some schools make use of Parkerson Mill Creek as a teaching tool for students, but because it runs through campus, it also requires annual cleanup.

All the trash thats on the streets that goes into the gutters ultimately ends up into the creek, and so we try to promote initiatives that keep the campus clean, said Tom McCauley, environmental program manager of Risk Management Services. We try to bring awareness to the fact that the creek is a resource. Its an attribute to campus, and we should try to preserve that as best we can.

Unlike other environmental affairs, the yearly creek cleanup is entirely a student and faculty effort. McCauley said its not financial funding but an investment of time and energy from the Auburn Family that allows the program to exist.

All of our efforts are volunteer efforts, McCauley said. We try to involve faculty and students as best as we can, [and] we try to partner with the City because we have a mutual interest.

Not only has the cleanup benefited major programs like hydrology, aquatic behaviors and ecosystems and engineering, it has additionally helped the University receive a designation for its sustainable water system.

The University was designated as a watershed of excellence, which means weve got the means to promote watershed conservation, McCauley said. Theres no better way to show it by example than creating a watershed here on campus thats a preserved specimen.

McCauley said cleanups usually occur in cooler months during late winter and early spring when volunteers might be more amenable to collect trash.

Several times a year well try to gather some momentum, get some involvement through some campus organizations, McCauley said.

Its latest events were on Feb. 23, in a partnership with Omega Phi Alpha, and on March 1, in association with Alternative Student Breaks. It has one other cleanup planned for the semester on April 4, with the Office of Sustainability in advance of Earth Week.

Waste Reduction and Recycling is the department that sees the rest of campus land and litter maintained each year. This is a significant responsibility for an institution of 30,000 students, and the office receives strong financial backing by the University to uphold its mission: to strive to make recycling accessible and convenient, said Joan Hicken, WRRs manager.

[Our] yearly budget is about $500,000, and the solid waste and recycling collection contract is about $600,000 annually, Hicken said. We want to encourage students, staff, faculty and visitors to incorporate recycling into their daily routine on campus.

A sizable portion of this funding goes into upkeep for WRRs containers and machinery. These include over 400 hand-pick trash bins, 130 front-end loaders for solid waste and 200 95-gallon recycling bins, among other utilities.

Altogether in 2019, the University recycled 371 tons of cardboard, 219 tons of paper, 50 tons of scrap metal, 41 tons of plastic, aluminum and steel and 3.5 tons of printer ink cartridges and toner.

Most notably, WRR collected 2,041 tons of construction and demolition debris from on-campus projects in the past year that included sidewalks and sheds that were destroyed. The removal of Allison Laboratory, while not factored into this count, also brought the department a lot of recycled and reclaimed material.

3,161 tons of concrete, 196 tons of asphalt, 129 tons of metal and 85 tons of wood were removed and recycled, Hicken said. In addition, 45,265 linear feet of lumber was reclaimed for future design use by the University.

All concrete, metal and wood that made up Allison Laboratory was fully recycled by the department, she said.

Football season is perhaps WRRs most important time of year; a plethora of people visiting campus for games means a wave of waste follows and is a high cost for the department.

They started the Gameday Recycling program to bring hundreds of recycling bins in and around Jordan-Hare Stadium to ensure fans put their trash in the proper receptacles.

Gameday Recycling is an opportunity for the University to demonstrate to the campus community that recycling and waste reduction activities are not limited to the home, Hicken said. To provide waste and recycling services for each home football game is on average $15,000 per game. Each home football game generates, on average, 52 tons of waste and recycling.

Hicken said WRR performs its functions in tandem with other offices such as Housing and Residence Life, Tiger Dining, Risk Management Services and Auburn Athletics to achieve the Universitys land-grant mission of improving the lives of Alabamians and people beyond.

The entire campus community plays a role in our progress to becoming a more sustainable campus, Hicken said. There is not an aspect of campus life that is not touched by waste and recycling.

Keeping campus beautiful isnt just a job for a single group. At Auburn, it takes a team of departments and organizations to maintain the campus landscape and promote a loveliness the University seeks to preserve.

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What it takes to maintain the Loveliest Village on the Plains - The Auburn Plainsman

My Brevard Yard(Photo: Submitted photo)

The end of winter is near, and the plants are still not actively growing. Therefore, this is a great time to learn how to care for your lawn, landscape or edible plants without harming the environment.

The health of the Indian River Lagoon is in bad shape, and improper fertilization and cultural practices can lead to nutrients leaching or being carried to the lagoon or the St. Johns Riverin stormwater runoff.

If you are new to Florida, having problems in your yard, or you would like to learn how to maintain your yard properly, a My Brevard Yard site visit could be just what you are looking for.

A trained UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County Master Gardener (or two) will come to your yard and help you with your lawn, ornamentalsand/or edibles, all for just $50.Prior to the site visit, a survey will need to be filled out to give us an idea of past fertilization and irrigation practices.

In addition to help with fertilization and irrigation, many homeowners are interested in receiving information on how to grow edible plants, set their irrigation timer, plant identification andsuggestions for problem areas.MBY site visit recipients can also choose which printed UF/IFAS material on the topics of:Helpful, Harmful, Harmless (insect bug guide); Disorders and Diseases of Palms; Landscaping for Floridas Wildlife or Propagating Fruit Plants in Florida.

All site visits include a soil test, which we collect and mail to the IFAS Soil Testing Laboratory in Gainesville.

For homeowners who have a lawn care company fertilizing their lawn, the soil test results will help the company apply the correct nutrients and avoidany that are already at a high level.

For homeowners who fertilizer their own lawns, we can teach you how to add the biology (in the form of the soil food web) back to the soil so it can supply your lawn, landscape and edible plants with the nutrients they require.If nutrients are needed at the beginning, until the soil food web is established, an organic fertilizer choice is provided.

Testing the soil is extremely important before fertilizing, for many reasons.Applying phosphorus to a soil that already has enough phosphorus can lead to the excess phosphorus leaching through the soilinto our groundwater.When phosphorus (and nitrogen) reach the groundwater, they become pollutants.

Soil tests that come back showing a low phosphorus level are perfect for inoculating the lawn with beneficial mycorrhizae.Mycorrhizae establish a symbiotic relationship with many plants, including grasses, and high levels of phosphorus inhibit this relationship from forming.

Research at the University of Florida has found that the mycorrhizae Glomus intraradices forms a symbiotic relationship with St. Augustinegrass.After the soil test results are received, a fertilizer recommendation is created for the resident.

In addition to soil testing, we also test irrigation water that comes from a well, pondor surface water.We test for conductivity to determine the salt content.The results of the water test are emailed as quickly as possible, as the test is done here in our office.

An irrigation zone is also calibrated to see if enough water is being applied. The catch-can method is used to check the irrigation output to see if the run time needs to be adjusted.

After the soil and water are collected for testing and an irrigation zone is calibrated, it is the homeowners turn to get answers to all their questions. The questions can range from plant identification, solutions for problem areas, what is wrong with this plant, etc.

Questions about trees and palms are also common during a site visit.

Now is a great time for a site visit, because there is plenty of time to get the soil test results back and provide a fertilizer recommendation in time for fertilizing in April or May, before the fertilizer ban goes into effect.

When the correct fertilizer is appliedat the right time, in the proper amountand watered in correctly, the soil and plants benefit, without harming the environment.If a plant is receiving the correct light conditions and water supply, and it is suffering from insects or disease, then nutritional deficiencies will be the most likely root cause of the pest problem. This is true for non-native and native plants.

There are two important components of a healthy soil that are lacking in most landscapes: organic matter and the presence of beneficial soil microbes that make up the soil food web.

If all the soils within the watershed of the IRL contained at least 5 percent organic matter and were supporting a thriving soil food web, the IRL would be much better off.

Organic matter increases both the nutrient and water-holding capacity of the soil.This would result in the nitrogen and phosphorus staying in the soil and not leaching into the groundwater.

Plus, with increased nutrient-holding capacity, less fertilizer is needed.

One of the many benefits of a healthy soil food web isnutrient cycling. This is how forests and natural areas grow without any help from humans. Organic matter also absorbs rainfall like a sponge, keeping it out of the groundwater and available for the plants to use later.

As it is now, the IRL must contend with both stormwater runoff from all the impervious surfaces throughout the county and the large amounts of rainfall that flows straight through our sandy soils.

If you are interested in a My Brevard Yard site visit, email me at sasc@ufl.edu.

Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby, especially when the plants are growing well. Let us help you learn the gardening practices that can achieve the results you want.It is possible to grow healthy plants without harming the environment.

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Floridas Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email sasc@ufl.edu.

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Having problems with you lawn and garden? My Brevard Yard can help - Florida Today

Carol Cloud Bailey, Special to TCPalm Published 10:03 a.m. ET March 3, 2020 | Updated 1:57 p.m. ET March 9, 2020

Q: How can I get rid of the pink clover growing in my yard? The flowers are pretty enough when they are open, but they close in the afternoon and evening. The patch of clover seems to be getting bigger every year and taking over my lawn.

George

A:When the pink clover shows up in the lawn and landscape, the end of winter is here and spring not far behind. The plant most often seen growing in the lawn with three-part leaves and pink/purple flowers isnt a true clover but an Oxalis.

Pink wood sorrel is often found growing and blooming in Treasure Coast landscapes and lawns in the late winter and early spring. Is it a weed or a desirable flower? That determination is best made by the gardener.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED BY CAROL CLOUD BAILEY)

Oxalis plants are popular as novelties, they are often sold as shamrocks this time of year, and bedding plants for the landscape. There are approximately 30 of the 600 species of Oxalis used as ornamental plants in containers, gardens and landscapes. The leaf color varies from green to blue to silver or burgundy-purple and gold. The leaves and flowers of Oxalis fold up at night and reopen in the daylight. Flowers are small and may be white, pink, red, rose, purple, orange or yellow.

Oxalis debilis also known as pink wood sorrel is the most common plant which grows as a weedy cloverin lawns. It is not native to the U.S., but is indigenous to tropical America. It is well established here in Florida and the rest of the southeastern U.S. but is not considered an invasive plant by most authorities.

More:What can I plant for quick color and a sweet smell?

More: What's going on when mango tree doesn't yield any fruit?

In addition to being pretty, Oxalis can be a weed in turf grass and landscape beds. The plants spread by underground stems known as rhizomes and the seeds are often produced in large quantities. The seed pods help spread the plant around by splitting explosively and shooting the seeds all over the surrounding area.

Oxalis are more abundant in lawns during the cooler weather. It also tends to invade where there is space to grow such as in thinning turf.So, the best control in lawns is prevention by eliminating or reducing thinning turf.

Best lawn management practices for a thicker lawn include growing turf only in sunny areas, a minimum of 6-8 hours of sun, mow high, usually at 3.5 to 4 inches tall, use sharp mower blades, irrigate deeply and less often only when the turf needs it, keep up with fertility and use high quality fertilizer in combination with a soil test.

When turf begins rapidly growing with the return of warmer weather, it will sometimes crowd out Oxalis weeds, so control may not be necessary.However, it may be necessary to try other methods including hand-pulling or the spot application of herbicides to reduce the populations.

Once the weed numbers are reduced and maintenance practices corrected, if the turf is still thin and weeds tend to grow in that area, it is a good idea to plant something other than lawn grass. Granny Cloud was fond of planting only plants which thrive in a specific location, that way you dont have to work so hard, she said.

Carol Cloud Bailey is a landscape counselor and horticulturist. Send questions to carol@yard-doc.com or visit http://www.yard-doc.com for more information.

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Gardening in Florida: How can I get rid of the pink clover growing in my yard? - TCPalm