TAVARES Spring is about here and it's time to start thinking about sprucing up your landscape.

A good opportunity exists for dressing up your garden and lawn Saturday at the Lake County master gardener plant sale.

"You'll find some unusual plants here," said master gardener Susan Follick of Leesburg, above left, inspecting Mona Lavender plectranthus that would add a splash of color to any yard, pictured with fellow master gardener Mary Davis of Howey-in-the-Hills. Another colorful possible addition is New Guinea impatiens, left.

If you're unsure what might work in your yard, experts will be on hand with advice.

"We'll have lots of master gardeners here," Davis said.

The sale runs from 8 a.m. to noon at the Lake County extension office, 1951 Woodlea Road.

Staff report

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Master gardener spring plant sale offers chance to spruce up landscape

Story highlights Marla Spivak: Honeybees, wild bees and bumblebees dying at frightening rates Bees pollinate majority of our crops, she says; fewer bees will cause food supply to shrink Spivak: Use of herbicides, pesticides are killing off flowering plants, poisoning bees Spivak: Try not to use herbicides, insecticides; put out flowering plants

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock looks into the mysterious disappearance of bees on a new episode of "Morgan Spurlock Inside Man," on Thursday, March 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

As thoughts turn to warm weather and gardening, it's a good time to consider planting flowering trees, shrubs and other plants that are attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. You can beautify your yard, diversify the landscape and feed and protect pollinators, all at the same time.

The bees need you.

Honeybee colonies are dying at frightening rates. Since 2007, an average of 30% of all colonies have died every winter in the United States. This loss is about twice as high as what U.S. beekeepers consider economically tolerable. In the winter of 2012-13, 29% of all colonies died in Canada and 20% died in Europe.

Marla Spivak

Wild bee species, particularly bumblebees, are also in peril.

Anyone who cares about the health of the planet, for now and for generations to come, needs to answer this wake-up call.

Impact Your World: What you can do to help save bees

Honeybees and wild bees are the most important pollinators of many of the fruits and vegetables we eat. Of 100 crop species that provide 90% of our global food supply, 71 are bee-pollinated. The value of pollination of food crops by bees in the U.S. alone is estimated at $16 billion and insect pollinators in general contribute $29 billion to U.S. farm income.

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Opinion: What will happen if the bees disappear?

By Erin Kolstad | Published 16 hours ago

Bamboo: a pandas favorite food source and at least one homeowners worst nightmare.

Chapel Hill resident Gregg Marcellus said bamboo is invading his yard. The bamboo forest in his neighbors yard has roots that grow underground and spread onto his property.

Marcellus has lived in his house for nine years, and he has been dealing with the neighbors invasive bamboo since he moved in.

He sent an email to the Chapel Hill Town Council asking about any ordinances that would deal with the bamboo invasion and require his neighbor to put in a barrier to prevent spread.

I usually just knock it down, but eventually you have to dig the roots out, Marcellus said in a telephone interview. I probably dug about 15 feet to dig underneath the roots, but then there are extensions you have to dig around. It was a day of back-breaking work.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants, with some species growing 24 to 36 inches in a day. Marcellus said his neighbors yard is filled with bamboo stalks that are 50 to 60 feet tall.

It is just a wall of bamboo when I look out my window towering in the air, he said.

In Long Island, N.Y., invasive bamboo is such an issue among homeowners that one municipality charges a fine of $350 and up to 15 days in jail for planting the bamboo. Another town in the area will charge up to $2,000 for a first offense and $3,000 for subsequent violations.

Mike Klein, a zoning enforcement officer for Chapel Hill, said bamboo is not specifically listed on the schedule of invasive species, so there is not an ordinance in place to address Marcellus complaint.

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Chapel Hill residents spar over bamboo forest

WATERFORD A Home and Commerce Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Waterford High School, 100 Field Drive.

The show will feature more than 100 business vendors specializing in a variety of home improvement areas including baths, garage doors, landscaping and windows. Personal care exhibits feature acupuncture, chiropractic and wellness exhibits, as well as financial planning, insurance and real estate.

Spotlight presenters and their showcases: Skyline Landscape Design will showcase a front yard landscape makeover, 1-1:15 p.m.; Budget Blinds will display custom blinds, shades, shutters and draperies, 2-2:15 p.m.

Raffles will be held during the day with prizes including a landscape makeover, blinds, curtains and other window coverings, and free in-home consultations. A childrens area will be available with free face painting until 3 p.m. Breakfast and lunch concessions will be available at the food court.

Admission is $3, with $1 off with a nonperishable food item. There is no charge for ages 17 and younger.

The raffle will benefit Absolutely Waterford and the Waterford Area of Commerce. For more information, call 262-534-5911 or go to http://www.waterford-wi.org.

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Home and Commerce Show in Waterford Saturday

"I often lay on that bench looking up into the tree, past the trunk and up into the branches. It was particularly fine at night with the stars above the trees." Georgia O'Keeffe

With its signature rich mahogany-colored smooth bark and intricate branching, our native manzanita is one of the loveliest residents of our local chaparral, and can also look beautiful in the home landscape.

An early performer, the blooming season is happening now, with delicate white and pink lanterns hanging profusely from the the first branch to the last.

Manzanita is the common name for the genus Arctostaphylos in the family Ericaceae. There are more than 40 species of all sizes in California, not to mention all the cultivars, subspecies and hybrids. Manzanita species grow from two inches in some of the sandy coastal areas, to large shrubs and small trees further inland. They are evergreen, keeping their tough small leaves in shades of green and grey all year round.

Winter blossoms give way to spring fruit: tiny hanging red apples, giving them their Spanish name of manzanita or little apple." Native Americans ate them both raw and dried, often pounding them into a flour.

Today, the strong, dense wood is highly prized for wood-fired grills, and the graceful branches are often used as decorative centerpieces. The flowers are also a critical winter nectar source for Annas Hummingbird, our year-round Central Coast resident.

Manzanitas have evolved and adapted over thousands of years to thrive in our specific California plant communities: all but three species are found only in California.

Several local endemics include A. purissima from Lompoc and Refugio manzanita (Arctostaphylos refugioensis) growing in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Eleven different species can be found growing in the Los Padres National Forest, but sadly, many others are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss.

Many manzanitas, such as the greenleaf (Arctostaphylos patula), common in areas of heavy snow at higher elevations, vertically orient their leaves, exposing only the edges to the sun. Since plants undergo transpiration (losing moisture through evaporation), they can limit stress by growing vertical leaves. Some manzanitas actually track the sun, shifting their leaf angles throughout the day to stay parallel to the sun.

Manzanitas, like most native plants, are very versatile and can be used to replace non-natives in the water-wise home landscape. Low-growing and spreading varieties like Carmel Sur' are excellent for ground covers and slopes, and the shrub-sized Howard McMinn can create a beautiful hedge when planted in rows. Not only do they add privacy, but also supply cover for quail, flowers for native pollinators, and berries for small mammals in a wildlife garden. Most need very little water once established, and some dont even need drip irrigation.

Originally posted here:
Garden Roots: Manzanita dreaming

(PRWEB) February 28, 2015

Southview Design is gearing up for the long-awaited spring and summer by showcasing several of its winning designs for outdoor living rooms.

Outdoor rooms can be luxurious or low-key, elegant or casual, depending on the homeowners lifestyle and budget. Frequently an extension of the homes indoor spaces, outdoor rooms can be created with or without walls.

Southview Design uses both hard and soft landscape elements in its outdoor room designs to create a variety of spaces for living and dining, cooking and entertaining.

When designing outdoor spaces, the first consideration should be the style and architecture of the home, said Karen Filloon, a landscape designer with Southview Design. The outdoor space should be a natural extension of the home, whether its Craftsman or contemporary, Art Deco or Queen Anne, she said.

The latest trends in outdoor rooms now include fireplaces, fire pits, entertainment centers, kitchens and bars. We have moved far beyond the simple deck or back patio, Filloon said. She said outdoor kitchens have increased in popularity as more homeowners experience the joy of cooking in their own back yard.

Outdoor kitchens can range from a simple stand-alone grill to a complete kitchen with built-in grills and ovens, refrigerators and storage. Outdoor kitchens can be put on a back deck, making food preparation more convenient as the cook can easily move back and forth between indoor and outdoor spaces. Wood-fired ovens are also popular, and these can range from a simple portable oven to a permanent landscape feature.

The most elegant outdoor living rooms are equipped with several luxurious features vaulted, beamed ceilings, ceiling fans, lighting, sound systems, and TVs. Pergolas are popular, as they protect the outdoor living and dining rooms from the hot summer sun while creating a feeling of intimacy.

Due to the increasing demand for outdoor rooms, companies making furniture, carpeting, drapery, lighting and appliances have created new products that dry quickly, resist mold and mildew and can withstand even the harshest Minnesota weather.

For photos of several different types and styles of outdoor living rooms, visit: http://southviewdesign.com/newsroom/story-ideas/low-key-to-luxury.html

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Southview Design Creates Winning Outdoor Living Rooms

Lincoln Pius X's Olivia Appleget and Caroline Theil have been high school teammates for about four months.

In that time, they have developed into better friends and practice partners.

"To be on the same team is a whole other world,"Appleget said."We get to push each other in practice and we get to know each other's personalities. When the other one is fading, we're always pushing each other to the limits and making sure we're staying positive."

Both swimmers are looking to make an impact this weekend at the state high school swimming and diving meet.

Appleget finished sixth in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly in her first state appearance in 2014. She'll be swimming those events again this weekend.

"Mentally preparing for state is a huge aspect of it," the junior said."You have to know what it's going to feel like when you get there. It's so different from any other meet we do throughout the season."

Theil, a freshman who has been recording impressive times all season, will swim the 100 and 200 freestyles.

"You can just tell the two have become much better friends in the water as opposed to being on two different clubs," Pius X coach Mike Witt said."They're pushing each other in a good way."

Tate twins lead Creighton Prep

Sean and Ryan Tate are twins, and two of the best swimmers in the state.

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State swimming: Dynamic duos dot the state landscape

When Carlson set the wheels in motion to create the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee in the late 1990s, there wasnt a single conservation easement along the banks of the Little Tennessee River in Macon County. Today, 34 miles of river frontage are permanently protected, and thousands of acres of farms and forests have been conserved, thanks to his vision.

Carlson was at the forefront of a revolution in conservation circles. He introduced the region to a new paradigm, one where humans could co-exist alongside conservation, where the landscape supported cultural heritage and vice versa.

A lot of land trusts dont mess with the cultural side. But from day one, our mission was to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the Little Tennessee watershed, Carlson said. Whats fun is that conservation story has fallen into place.

He molded public perception like he did the landscape incrementally yet steadily, subtly not brazenly.

Eventually, a movement was born. It was so measured, many didnt realize a movement was afoot, one that would forever alter how people viewed the landscape, both emotionally and economically.

From the outside, it may all seem like a big coincidence.

LTLT was saving a piece of land here, a piece of land there picking up the scattered chips of an increasingly fragmented landscape, merely answering the door when opportunity knocked.

But eventually, the tracts were no longer lone life rafts, but a cohesive flotilla.

It is very satisfying to see a vision coming together with some consistency, Carlson said. This is one place you can make a stand. There was a defined constituency for the river. It is place-based conservation.

Carlson is quick to deflect any accolades, and instead credits the deep bench of supporters who lent their voice to the cause over the years, and ultimately the landowners who have signed on to the movement.

The rest is here:
Changing attitudes Carlson reshaped ideas about conservation

More than three years after a pitched civic battle over the future of the Old Town Alexandria waterfront, the vision of a new front yard for this historic city is beginning to take shape.

The City Council last year adopted a $120million landscape design and project plan created by Olin Studios. But it may be years before residents and tourists see the lush parks and fountains in operation; Alexandrias plan is to focus on infrastructure and development first.

Residents told city officials over the winter that they wanted a solution to the notoriously flood-prone streets adjacent to the Potomac. The council will determine March3 what funding to allocate to flood mitigation. Storm-sewer work is underway, and planning officials are studying how to raise the grade of streets on the southern end of the waterfront area and build the bulkheads necessary for a waterfront walkway.

We have to get funding in place, we have to get the design done and we have permitting processes to complete, all of which could take three years, said Emily Baker, Alexandrias acting deputy city manager.

Meanwhile, the development plans of private parties who own several large pieces of land along the waterfront are working their way through the permitting process.

First to build probably will be the Old Dominion Boat Club, which last year accepted a $5million buyout offer from the city for its clubhouse and parking lot at the foot of King Street.

The boat club will move a few hundred feet south, to the site of the vacant Beachcombers building, which it will raze and rebuild as a three-story, 12,000-square-foot club with a roof deck and boat launch.

The old clubhouse will be demolished and will form part of a city park, dubbed Fitzgerald Square. The boat clubs architect told the citys waterfront commission last week that he hopes the facility will open in 18 months.

Designed to incorporate maritime touches such as outdoor stairways, the clubhouse probably will be built before the city creates the waterfront promenade, a walkway intended to connect the entire area. A fenced parking lot will be directly south of the clubhouse, and a temporary boat ramp will be used until the promenade is built and a permanent ramp is installed.

Five blocks north, the retail-residential-hotel project at 500 N. Union St. could be under construction by late 2016. It is on the site of the old Robinson Terminal North. City Interests LLC bought the property from The Washington Post Co. in late 2013.

Originally posted here:
Redevelopment of Alexandria waterfront progresses

From blueberries and birdhouses tostraw bale gardening, you'll find a wide variety of topics 27 in all at the "Art of Gardening in Muscatine County" seminar March 14.

The day begins with registration from 8 to 8:30 a.m., followed by a welcome. Beginning at 9 a.m., participants will be able to select a topic from each of four sessions. The lunch break will include a "stump the experts" panel in which participants can ask questions.

The morning also will include a bake sale by the Wapsi 4-H Club.

Here is the schedule:

Session 1, 9-10 a.m.

A. Hydrangeas. (See today's main story.)

B. Starting Transplants at Home. Zora Ronan, Linn County (Iowa) Master Gardener. Successful startswith a minimum amount of equipment.

C. Fabulous Foliage. Nicole Hoben, Barnyard Blooms, Grandview, Iowa. Using annuals, perennials and shrubs with striking foliage.

D. Habitat for Pollinators. Mary Delaney, ION Exchange, Harper's Ferry, Iowa. Native plants thatprovide habitat fordeclining pollinator populations.

E. Sow Seeds to Inspire, Perspire, and Not Expire. Caleen Pagel, physical therapist, Muscatine. Exercises designed to stretch, strengthen and stabilize muscles and joints so gardening won't be so painful. Interactive session.

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Foliage, birds, conifers are seminar topics