Greg Baartz-Bowman loves living in Milwaukie, and he wants to keep spreading the love. Thats why he founded the Milwaukie Film Festival several years ago and the reason he wants to keep bringing fun, family-friendly activities to the city.

From 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, the Milwaukie Film Festival will present Yard to Table, showing attendees how to dig, plant and harvest during a series of afternoon workshops. That evening will bring Community Film Night to town, featuring a group of short films around the theme of yard to table. All the Saturday activities will take place in the Milwaukie Masonic Lodge, across the street from Milwaukie City Hall.

The fun continues from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 20, with Tour de Coops, a tour of Milwaukie-area chicken coops.

This is the town I want to live in, and I want it to have culture and livability. I also want to help the community have an active Main Street. This is the type of event the city deserves, Baartz-Bowman said.

Although the entire days events are free, donations are always welcome, and they will help fund similar activities in the future, he said.

Grow a garden

The first workshop starting at 2 p.m. will feature Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter who own Your Backyard Farmer.

Someone who has not had a garden space or has a current one that is neglected, we will show them how to get one up and running so they can grow their own vegetables, Smith said.

The two women will talk about the differences between growing produce in raised beds vs. in-ground beds.

Baartz-Bowman said that he met Smith on a bike ride for Bike Milwaukie, a group he co-founded with Matt Menely in the summer of 2011.

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Yard to Table event fun, family friendly

The City of Gig Harbor and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department are presenting a fun, free and informative Natural Yard Care workshop series at the Gig Harbor Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St., from 6:30 to 8:30pm, beginning April 29th.

The workshops are free, but space is limited so reservations are recommended.

Instructors will teach how to design and maintain a beautiful landscape the natural way. There will be prizes and snacks offered.

Three workshops will address a variety of yard maintenance issues. Sign up for the entire series or whatever fits your schedule.

No Fear Garden Design with instructor Sue Goetz, April 29.

Goetz, the owner of Creative Gardener shares her passion for gardening and offers a creative approach to designing with easy, do-it-yourself projects. Gardening for Non-Stop Color and Interest with instructor Robin Haglund, May 6.

Award-winning landscape designer Haglund helps bring the Wow-factor to a yard 365 days a year. Intermingle trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, perennials, annuals, and art to create stunning gardening effects.

Right Plant in the Right Place with Scott Vergara, May 13.

Woodland Gardens owner Vergara, with nearly 50 years of horticulture experience, will help you make better initial plant choices to beautify your yard.

Call Walt at 253-798-4708 to reserve your space today, or email wburdsall@tpchd.org.

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Natural Yard Care workshops offered by gardening experts

BRANDON Spring fever may be blamed for feverous efforts to clean as well as landscape the yard.

Gardening club leaders and master gardeners in Hillsborough County are helping people channel their spring giddiness in April and May with plant sales and programs.

They are encouraging individuals to plant butterfly-attracting plants on Earth Day, which is April 22, as well as plant trees on the last Friday of April during National Arbor Day.

Cheri Donohue, president of the Temple Terrace Garden Club, said her club has a work day planned for May 31 when it will plant trees in cooperation with the city of Temple Terrace.

Each year, the club plants a tree or trees in recognition of members who have passed away during the club year, Donohue said. We maintain Woodmont Park in Temple Terrace and have a memorial garden with many of those trees and plants there. Our park is filled with little signs reminding us of each of them.

She said the club also planted three golden trumpet trees, also known as Tabebuia, to honor those who died on 9/11. The trees stand vigil on the first hole of the Temple Terrace Golf Course.

When all three bloom at the same time it is breathtaking, she said. All along the golf course the yellow ones are just spectacular. People comment about them for about three weeks.

Meanwhile, the Brandon Garden Club will host a Naturescaping: Growing a garden from the ground up program with Kelly Liebzeit on April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Senior for Seniors Center, 311 Park Ave East.

On May 24 at 9 a.m., the Brandon club is having a plant sale at 2020 MacGregor Ave. in Brandon.

Nicole Pinson, an extension agent skilled in urban horticulture and master gardener coordinator with the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, helps novice gardeners figure out how to attract butterflies to their yards. Her office offers several master gardening plant clinics to help people celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day throughout the year.

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Hillsborough gardening clubs offer cure for spring fever

Chantilly, VA (PRWEB) April 15, 2014

With the calendar turned to April, homeowners across the country are focusing on getting their lawns ready for the warm summer months. In Northern Virginia, however, one problem that many have to deal with is packed clay that makes it tough for plant life to take root and thrive. To help fix that problem, Saunders Landscape Supply is pleased to provide customers with new organic soil that can help improve their yards.

Adding organic soil to a yard is a must for breaking up compacted clay and making sure everything from grass to annual flowers can grow healthily every spring and summer. Installation of new soil and one strong season of growth can relieve the compacted soil and give plants a boost that promotes growth both right away, and in the future.

Saunders Landscape Supply delivers soil directly to customers' homes and has a low delivery requirement of just five cubic yards, which is easy to spread out. Their organic topsoil is made out of 50% leaf compost and 50% topsoil, which makes it a healthy, natural way to grow produce, vegetables, greenery, and everything in between.

The soil that Saunders delivers includes no chemical additivesin addition to providing all the nutrients that plant life will need to grow, it is environmentally friendly. When the rains come or homeowners need to water their gardens, they won't have to worry about chemicals working their way into water sources and contributing to high pollution levels.

Saunders Landscape Supply has served residents of Virginia and Maryland since it was founded in 1994, and provides the materials that homeowners need for any lawn renovation or maintenance plan. The business is located at 14016 Sullyfield Circle in Chantilly, VA. For more information, call 703-764-4831, email marketing (at) saundersls (dot) com or visit saundersls.com.

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With Summer Landscaping on the Horizon, Saunders Landscape Supply is Happy to Offer Organic Soil

15995 Jane Street, King
Stunning Renovation/Transformation Both Interior Exterior. Top Of The Line Quality Finishes,Loaded All The Bells Whistles On Private Natural Forested 1 A...

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15995 Jane Street, King - Video

Published: Monday, April 14, 2014 at 12:43 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, April 14, 2014 at 12:43 p.m.

Food festivals are nothing new. Historians have found celebrations based around harvest season dating back thousands of years ago. We have more than a few in our own back yard, with tributes to oysters, strawberries, peanuts, yams and more.

But a "culinary arts" festival that's a different beast altogether.

The Wilmington Wine & Food Festival, which returns for its sophomore year May 2-4, joins a much newer tradition of rallying behind the collective creative energies that shape a region's culinary landscape. And, it's doubled in size since its debut last year, moving to the historic Bellamy Mansion Museum to accommodate the growing crowd.

This breed of bash is big business, too. Taste of Cincinnati, founded in 1979, is reported to be the nation's longest running food festival, ballooning from 5,000 to 500,000 attendees. Economic impact numbers from the Charleston Wine + Food Festival held in March were published last week, showing a nearly $10 million boon attributed to the four-day affair.

Chrissy Bonney, president of the non-profit Bacchus's Brood board that stages the Wilmington Wine & Food Festival, has more modest goals as far as numbers go. She said the event would be capped at 400 tickets for the main Saturday and Sunday happenings. Managing festival growth in a way that assures a good time for all is paramount, she said.

"If you grow too quickly, you can't keep ahead of yourself," Bonney said. "We want this to be a permanent fixture in the Wilmington food and wine scene."

The festival was founded with the objective of highlighting the Port City's dining diversity through tastings and wine pairings. About 15 restaurants and 25 wine and beer vendors will be represented, including well-known players like Rx, YoSake and The Basics joined by area newcomers MegaMaki, Canap and others. Lauded vintners Jessica and Ryan Carr of Carr Vineyards in Santa Barbara, Calif., will be among the better-known wine producers offering pours.

The Corks & Forks Grand Tasting on Saturday will be the headlining act, a $45 ticket buying access to bites and sips both inside the mansion and in a tent outside. Sunday's Bubbles, Brews & Street Eats ($10 for five samples) goes more casual, showcasing beers and food trucks in the Bellamy's parking lot.

The weekend launches with the Bourbon & BBQ Derby Cocktail Party sponsored by Trey Herring's Carolina Bourbon. The Kentucky Derby-themed party will feature custom cocktails made with the respected distiller's spirits and a "mix-off" competition between some of the area's top bartenders.

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Bites & Sips - Festival showcases culinary landscape

I Get Fixed - Home Improvement Professionals Available
I Get Fixed lists home improvement professionals in your area. These professionals are ready to help you with all your home improvement needs. Air Conditioni...

By: Stephen Jackson

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I Get Fixed - Home Improvement Professionals Available - Video

Inspire others to beautify their yards by entering yourself, a friend or a neighbor in the fifth annual Yard of the Month contest.

Sponsored by the City of Sioux City, Sioux City Journal and the Sioux City Neighborhood Network, the Yard of the Month program recognizes Sioux Cityans who work hard to keep their yard and the community looking attractive.

Jim Jung, chairman of the Yard of the Month committee, said a nice yard enhances the value of the house and the neighborhood.

"It's also good exercise and a good stress reliever. Overall, it beautifies the city. Having a nice yard seems to spread like wildfire. When people see beautiful yards, they want to copy them," said Jung, who is also a member of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce's Community Enhancement Committee.

Entriesfor Yard of the Month will be chosen from ANY region of Sioux City during the months of May through September.

Each month, a group of judges will choose a winner from the entries. The winner will receive a $25 cash award, a yard sign, presentation of the award at a city council meeting and recognition in theSioux City Journal.

In October (or earlier, depending on the weather), a Yard of the Year will be chosen from the entries. The winner for the year will receive a $50 cash award, a yard sign, and recognition by the City Council and the Sioux City Journal.

This year, Neighborhood Network will be donating the cash awards for the Yard of the Month program.

Applications for Yard of the Month must be received no later than the 15th of the prior month, and the winners will be announced in the Sioux City Journal's HOME section the second Sunday of the month, starting in May. The Yard of the Month will also be publicized in the Sioux City calendar, on the Sioux City website, in the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce newsletter, and on entry forms.

The criteria for judging the Yard of the Month include appearance of house (windows and paint), lawn mowed and trimmed, overall appearance - free of litter, weeds and clutter, mulched flowerbeds, bushes and trees, creativity and originality, sound landscape practices, appearance and condition of flowers, maintained bushes and trees, homeowner creation, and overall appearance from the curb.

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Make your yard stand out

It can be hard to know how to turn a traditional turf landscape into a water-saving showcase, but the San Diego County Water Authority is sponsoring several free classes around the region to help homeowners do just that.

The first WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Workshop series will be held in Kearny Mesa starting April 30, followed by a separate series in Encinitas that starts May 3 and another in El Cajon that begins May 10. Each series includes four classes held at the same location over several weeks. Additional series are being scheduled.

Covered topics include analyzing participants landscapes, creating landscape designs, choosing plants and using efficient irrigation systems. Participants will walk through key steps to retrofit a turf area of their landscapes and prepare a WaterSmart landscape design for implementation. Classes are taught by local landscape industry professionals.

Details about class times, locations and how to register are at WaterSmartSD.org

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Free classes for yard makeovers

Many people think of landscaping as a strictly garden venture; however, this is not true. Landscaping principles can be applied to the entire yard for a more attractive and appealing appearance. In this article, we will discuss some ways to give your home greater curb appeal with simplelandscaping tips for the yard. Read on to learn more.

Keeping container plants outdoors on your patio, porch or deck is a great way to give these areas a homey appeal. You can keep more delicate plants this way because these areas tend to be sheltered, and it is easy to cover delicate plants during freezing weather when they are close to the house and contained.

Be sure to pull your homes look together by applying a layer of attractive mulch to your container plants and to all your garden beds and under your shrubs. Having a nice looking mulch on all planted surfaces gives a uniform look that is inexpensive and easy to achieve.

Good landscaping includes pruning and trimming. Be sure to keep your bushes and shrubs nicely shaped and trimmed. Attend to any perennial plantings by dead-heading flowers and spent foliage. Pick up all dead windfall branches and other debris and rake up your leaves. If you have a place for compost, be sure to compost your yard debris to feed your plants and bushes in future.

Another area of landscaping that is often overlooked is water. Be sure to attend to any water features you may have, such as ponds, fountains and birdbaths. Keep them clean and free of algae, bug and mosquito infestations. Brisbane Landscaper improves your backyards and to name a few: they make sure all mechanical aspects of your water system from faucets to water pumps to irrigation are in good working order. If you have leaky faucets, puddles of water surrounding your irrigation or rusty fixtures on your water features, it is unsightly.

Another unsightly thing that can ruin your best efforts at landscaping is grime. Keep your paths, porches, deck and driveway swept. Hose and scrub them as needed. Use a power washer if necessary.

Great landscaping encompasses your entire yard. Follow the tips presented here to keep your outdoor domain attractive.

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