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For 2014, think perennials and edibles

SALISBURY — While most gardens and landscapes are asleep for the winter, those in the landscape and gardening industry are busy trying to determine what will be the big seller for 2014.

Plant materials and landscaping are often as trendy as clothing in the fashion industry. Trying to guess what will sell for fickle gardeners and be the big hit in landscape and gardening can be a bit overwhelming. Continued advances in breeding plants seem to have created a neverending supply of new plant material.

So what’s the future in landscaping? Merchandisers and growers can’t really predict the future, but they can look at trends which can give them an idea of what will and won’t sell.

Perennials

Over the past few years, perennials have enjoyed increased popularity and are becoming more accepted as a permanent part of the residential landscape. Some relatively new perennials were considered weeds just a few years ago. There are many reasons why perennials are gaining in popularity. Perennials require less work because the plant material is permanently established. Perennials eliminate annual planting, reducing time needed to implement plantings.

There are hundreds of new perennial plant materials available at local garden centers and retail outlets. Some nurseries specialize in perennial plant and herb culture. These materials are available in many colors and textures. Herbs are also considered perennials and are being offered as a part of the perennial garden. Another important aspect is perennials adapt to many cultural situations that exist in the landscape.

Hot pots or accessorizing

Sounds more like a caption from an interior design magazine, but traditional landscapes are giving way to more creative accents in the landscape. Imported glazed pottery, metal containers and statuary are making their way into landscapes filled with non-traditional plant materials such as grasses, small trees and vines. Other landscaping accessories such as colorful garden benches, lighting fixtures and paving options are adding spark to the landscape. New technology allows high-quality materials at a fairly low cost.

Warm season turf

Even though cool season fescue is the turf of choice, warm season grasses such as zoyzia, Bermuda and St. Augustine are gaining in popularity in the Piedmont. Cold tolerance and longer green color in the fall make this turf a viable option. Warm season grasses require less water and are able to survive with low water requirements.

Edible landscapes

Many gardeners are opting to integrate small fruit and fruit trees into their landscape and create an “edible landscape.” The economy and popularity of the local foods movement have many interested in applying this idea to their landscape. Edible landscapes, if properly maintained, can be as attractive as an ornamental landscape. Blueberry, fig bushes and dwarf fruit trees can be easily integrated into most landscapes. Ample sunlight is an important factor.

Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. 704-216-8970; www.rowanextension.com

Gardeners’ Dirt: Seasonal gardening tips for wintertime

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By Cara Marie (CJ) Jones – Victoria County Master GardenerEdited by Charla Borchers Leon
Originally published January 16, 2014 at midnight, updated January 16, 2014 at 4:24 p.m.

Tips By the Month
January

• Plant spring bulbs

• Trim perennials

• Begin adding new trees

• Mow winter weeds

February

• Prune carefully

• Mulch heavily

• Apply pre-emergency herbicides

• Prepare equipment for use

• Expand and repair irrigation …
SHOW ALL »

Tips By the Month

January

• Plant spring bulbs

• Trim perennials

• Begin adding new trees

• Mow winter weeds

February

• Prune carefully

• Mulch heavily

• Apply pre-emergency herbicides

• Prepare equipment for use

• Expand and repair irrigation system

March

• Weed, weed, weed

• Divide perennials

• Build new beds

For more information
• “Texas Garden Almanac” by Doug Welsh

• usna.usda.gov/Research

• texassuperstar.com

• aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/native

• aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/picturepages

Having endured those first frosty mornings when the thermometer affirms that winter has settled in, gardeners take a deep breath and dig in – literally. The time is nigh.

Plan, prepare

January, for gardeners, marks the beginning of the road to spring and all those lovely plants, trees and blooms that enliven spirits in spring gardens. It is time to work in the plant beds, enrich soil gently and prepare for the beauty to come with spring. January is the perfect time to begin planning those new beds that have been dancing in gardeners’ heads since last spring.

Plant prune

Haven’t already started planting those spring crocuses, daffodils, tulips and narcissus? Why not? January days are still ahead when the temperatures cooperate and when working in the garden is heaven.

When hyacinths poke their fragile heads above the soil and begin to bloom in profusion, spring has arrived. It’s time for bluebonnet transplants, too, but keep watch for pesky bugs that love to nibble on them.

Prune your perennials. Trim back those perennials that have ugly deadheads after the freeze; perk up cool-season annuals with a bit of high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Put in trees, tend to grasses

Winter is the best season for putting in those trees that have been dancing in dreams since last spring. Plant living Christmas trees outdoors in a shady location after giving them a week to adjust to the cooler outdoor weather.

Mow winter weeds and water lawns thoroughly if rainfall doesn’t hit at least 2 inches in January. Lightly fertilize fescue and bluegrass and overseeded perennial ryegrass.

Plan rose beds, check out equipment

While hard freezes still occur in south Texas, the arrival of mid-February usually means the last freezing temperatures can be anticipated. It’s also the time when gardeners start to plan their rose beds. It’s easy to remember to prune roses on Valentine’s Day.

Heavy mulching now will not only help retain winter moisture in the soil but also introduce air in the soil as it is tilled in to decompose as spring arrives.

Apply pre-emergence herbicides and save muscle strain in April. Fertilize trees, shrubs and vines now so nutrients can be absorbed before spring growth begins.

Check those irrigation systems and make repairs or additions. Check out mowers, weed whackers and other engine systems that will be cranking up in spring; repair shops are usually more available now.

Smell beginning of spring

March shifts gardening into a higher gear. Gardeners can smell spring coming about this time and do not hesitate to jump into gardening with the longer days. There will be a lot of weeding this month.

Divide fall perennials and ornamental grasses so they can reestablish before the hot days of summer. Look for new growth and cut back dead foliage from ornamental grasses. Make sure annual and perennial flowers get a bit of fertilizer.

Amend soil, finish pruning

Start adding larger quantities of organic matter, but be careful not to significantly alter the soil. If you add both sand and organic matter to clay soil, the largest, strongest adobe brick known to humanity may result. Pine bark and compost perk soil up without altering the soil base. Let the winter moisture carry plants through March.

If pruning has not been finished, now is the time to finish up. Freeze-damaged perennials should not be pruned until new growth has begun.

Crank mower, then fertilize

Time to crank the mower for San Augustine and Bermuda grass; mow 1 inch lower than ended last year to remove winter-damaged foliage and make way for spring growth. Hold the fertilizer until April. Fertilize vegetable gardens with high-nitrogen granular fertilizer. Check fruit and nut crops – insects and diseases also like March.

Begin planning, planting and preparing

It is time to start planning, planting and preparing new gardens. Often, spring brings dreams of butterflies, birds and squirrels. Provide plants that will provide food, shelter and a place to raise young.

Even deer are welcome wildlife companions if care is given to deer-resistant plants such as dogwood, cast-iron plant, lantana, split-leaf philodendron, vitex, star jasmine, hummingbird bush and hundreds of other desirable plants that will grow beautifully in the garden while being unwelcome to grazing.

Spending time during these winter months in preparation for spring will bring you a great deal more time to enjoy all that comes with gardening.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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This week’s gardening tips: bare-root roses, root crops and Louisiana irises …

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Don’t let the recent unusually cold weather throw you off. Planting cool-season vegetables and bedding plants continues through the winter. Although exceptionally cold weather can occur through February, we should still expect winter weather to be mostly mild. Watch the weather and avoid setting out transplants when a freeze below the upper 20s is predicted.

Bare-root rose bushes are arriving at local nurseries and garden centers. January is the best month to plant them. They should be planted by the end of February at the latest. Containerized roses also may be planted as soon as they become available at the nurseries.

Louisiana irises may benefit from a light application of a general purpose fertilizer now or in early February to encourage vigorous growth and abundant flowers. Control weeds and keep the planting mulched. Louisiana irises enjoy wet locations. They love the regular rainfall we have been getting this winter.

Root crops, such as radish, carrot, turnip and beets, should be direct seeded in garden beds where they will grow this month. Young plants may need some protection from temperatures below the mid-20s.

Harvest green bunching onions by digging up the entire clump, separating off half for use and replant the other half back into the garden for continued production. Harvest cabbage when the head feel very solid and hard.

Houseplant tips; ground cover that attracts hummingbirds

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In the Garden

Houseplants are a must for every home. They provide a link with nature, add beauty and, most important, play a key role in purifying and adding oxygen to the air inside the home. The problem is to find attractive houseplants that will thrive in our low-light conditions in the Pacific Northwest, especially if your abode lacks big west or south windows.

Fortunately, provided a room has enough light to read a newspaper, there are some incredible houseplants that will perform admirably. Pothos (Scindapsus aureus) is a vining plant with glossy green leaves splashed with yellow that glows. Dracaena is another great choice for low-light conditions. There are plenty of varieties to choose from, but a favorite of mine is D. “Lime Lite,” with bright, golden foliage that glows in a dark corner.

An old-time favorite often used in Victorian mansions is the cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior). Every bit as adaptable to dark conditions is the mother-in-law tongue (Sansevieria). This attractive, sword-leaved variegated plant is indestructible, but it’s definitely not a good plant to have around pets, children and, evidently, mothers-in-law. Its common name comes from its capacity to paralyze the tongue of anyone who tries to eat it.

Finally, if you want an attractive choice that not only does well in low light but is also famous for cleaning the air, peace lily (Spathiphyllum) is your plant. Studies have found that ’Spaths purify air better than any other houseplant. It’s also one of the few houseplants that will actually bloom in low light, featuring white calla lily-like blossoms that turn green with age.

The key to keeping houseplants flourishing in dimly lit rooms is to water very sparingly. Give them a drink only when the leaves begin to droop or the pot feels light. Your variegated plant may fade if left in dark conditions for a long time. If that happens, send the plant off for a little RR by placing it near a bright window, out of direct sunlight. Before you know it, your plant will be restored and ready to go back to add beauty and cheer in the darker rooms in your home.

Give Rufous hummingbirds the blues

If you’re looking for a showy, small-scale ground cover for a sunny location, Lithodora diffusa is an excellent choice. The vines of this dark-green evergreen will cover from 4 to 6 feet, and beginning in early spring they are covered with brilliant blue flowers that often continue blooming until midsummer.

Lithodora looks fantastic in a rockery, planted in gaps between stones, or spilling over a wall. Best of all, hummingbirds love the flowers, which begin blooming right when the Rufous hummingbirds return from their winter migration to Mexico. Don’t be worried if the Lithodora in your garden turns pitch black before winter ends this year. This often happens after the plant suffers a hard freeze, such as the one we experienced earlier. The vines may have been killed, but the roots are hardy to around zero degrees. In early March, simply cut the blackened vines back to about an inch above the root mass. Your Lithodora will grow back strong and attractive, and may even produce a smattering of blooms on the new growth this summer.

Ciscoe Morris: ciscoe@ciscoe.com. “Gardening With Ciscoe” airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on 5.

Brigade arms Garden City seniors with cyber security tips

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Senior citizens are known for respecting authority and being trusting. It usually works in their favor except when it comes to identity theft.

Zana Macki, a four-year presenter from the Michigan Attorney General’s Senior Brigade, spoke to a small group about the topic at the Garden City Public Library Tuesday. The Brigade has been in existence since 2009.

“These scammers are targeting seniors,” Macki said. “Seniors only make up 13 percent of the population but one third of consumer fraud is committed against seniors. The scammers know what buttons to push.”

Scammers can be articulate and seniors often welcome a friendly voice at the end of the telephone line when they call.

“Technology can be friend or foe,” she said.

Although Macki mentioned the recent security breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, she said that her talk wasn’t designed to address those two companies specifically because it is still under investigation. Identity theft occurs because thieves have the right personal information.

“They may take your charge cards, clone them and empty out your account,” she said. “They may try to open up new accounts.”

Become aware

Macki said that consumers need to become aware. She, too, was a victim of identity theft 10 years ago.

“You feel violated,” Macki said.

Filing a police report to develop a paper trail and shutting down that account is essential. She advises consumers to copy the fronts and backs of credit cards and put it in a safe place, as well as retain bank account numbers, and contact credit reporting agencies regularly.

“Don’t ever give your Social Security number out,” Macki said. “That’s a gateway for these thieves to steal your identity. Beware of someone who says they are from the bank asking for that number.”

She also asked the audience: “What’s in your wallet? Aren’t we an open book for thieves?”

She advised shredding documents with a cross shredder which does a better job.

“Don’t put everything in one bag, either,” she said. “They are piece-mealing somehow.”

Macki also told residents to not give out their Zip Code numbers or phone numbers to cashiers at stores because that information might be sold for marketing purposes.

Garden designing, landscaping and maintenance services by Tree & Garden … – PR

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The Tree Garden Company Limited provides dedicated garden designing, landscaping and maintenance service at reasonable cost in North London and Hertfordshire.

The
United Kingdom, January 16, 2014: Gardens are often referred to as
representative of the paradise Earth. However, only maintained gardens are
havens of peace as those that are neglected often turn into bushy forest. House
owners may be able to take care of their front gardens but those that are in
public places and cover vast expanse need professional assistance. The Tree
Garden Company Limited is an established gardening service provider in the
United Kingdom. The company has dedicated garden designers and
tree surgeons who
offer customised designing, landscaping and maintenance service according to the
preference of clients. Besides beautification and maintenance, environment and
health are also the focus of the agency. However, Tree Garden caters to
gardening only in North London and Hertfordshire.

Tree and
Garden Company has more than 2 decades of experience in gardening and services
related to it. The company provides fence installation, maintenance, repair,
lawn mowing, grass cutting, turf supply, laying and paving alongside driveways
according to the drainage of the area

A garden is
any open place with grassy land and varieties of plantations. Apart from public
parks, gardens can be found within the premises of private residences, offices,
educational institutes, medical centres, etc. The design and landscape of a
garden obviously has to be according to the building that compounds it and the
operation going on in the premises. Moreover, gardens are private properties and
so are usually different from each other. In short, all gardens are not same and
need to be maintained according to the area, climate, soil of the region, and
nature of operation that is carried out in the premises. Garden
landscapers and designers at Tree Garden are specifically
involved with such responsibilities throughout the year. They are skilled and
experienced in designing suitable gardens, landscaping gardens for
beautification and maintaining gardens.

Trees and
other plantations are the main component of a garden. However, a green place can
be called a park or a garden only when its botanical features are appropriate
and accommodative to people. Remains of a decayed tree, wild bushes that
overwhelm other plants, precariously hanging branch of a tree, etc. need
tree surgery. In fact, arborists and tree
surgeons are the people who render garden maintenance.
They study how trees react to pruning, diseases that might affect the garden or
a species of tree in it, how trees grow and their biomechanics. They are expert
in groundwork, safe use of harness, rope and chainsaws, tree climbing, etc. In
other words, they are the professionals who ensure that the work of gardens
landscapers can be enjoyed for prolonged period.

About
The Tree Garden Company Limited

URL: http://www.treeandgarden.net

The Tree
Garden Company Limited is more than decades-old agency that caters to gardening
demands in North London and Hertfordshire. It provides all types of fencing,
lawn care, paving and turf services. All types of garden designing, landscaping
and maintenance are offered by Tree Garden.

PopCap on designing the unique characters of Plants vs. Zombies: Garden …

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Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is a multiplayer-focused third-person shooter, which means that much of its appeal — the charm and humor we expect from the Plants vs. Zombies series — depends upon its characters. Developer PopCap Games has to transform the previous games’ stylized 2D figures into dynamic polygonal models, and bring them to life with high-fidelity visuals as well as sound cues that make sense in a 3D space. Plus, the new characters have to conform to the gameplay context of a shooter as opposed to a strategy title.

“The vision is for us to make characters that feel like they still fit in the PvZ universe,” said Brian Lindley, a producer on Garden Warfare, in a phone interview with Polygon last week.

At the same time, PopCap is striving to make each of Garden Warfare‘s classes feel special. The studio wants the characters to “look cool [so] that you want to acquire them,” and is making an effort to give the characters “some additional tweaks and changes to their primary weapon and abilities,” said Lindley. A number of variations are available for each of the four plant classes and four zombie classes, such as versions of the characters based on elemental powers like fire.

the characters have to “feel like they still fit in the PvZ universe”

But PopCap is aiming to design individual classes that play relatively similarly, regardless of the variant a player chooses and the customization options the player outfits their characters with. And one of the keys for that design process is humor: According to Lindley, PopCap is making an effort to ensure that “everything surrounding [the characters’] presentation just is rewarding and fun, and makes you smile and laugh or grit your teeth and want to keep fighting.”

For the most part, that comes through in the visuals. All the characters bear the goofy look that’s the hallmark of Plants vs. Zombies series — for example, the zombies’ different-sized eyeballs go a long way toward making them appear less menacing. And if you see the Engineer zombie, a mashup of characters like the Handyman and Miner, from behind, you’ll catch a glimpse of some plumber’s butt.

PopCap faced some interesting challenges in creating both the plant and zombie characters in Garden Warfare. The studio had to create most of the zombies from scratch, because the series’ existing zombies were “very one-dimensional — they kind of did one thing,” Lindley explained. And while the developers used plant characters that were already present in Plants vs. Zombies, they had to spend more time figuring out appropriate sounds for the various plant classes because “they’re kind of the most abstract when you look at the characters themselves and what it is they’re actually doing.”

Here’s a closer look at four of the variants for the plant classes: the Future Cactus, Hot Rod Chomper, Mystic Flower and Ice Pea.

The Future Cactus came about because “we wanted to make something that was a bit more tech-y,” said Lindley, explaining that most of Garden Warfare‘s other characters are designed around elemental powers. The Cactus class focuses on ranged shooting, but the Future Cactus is the only Cactus variant with a charge attack, which you can prepare by holding the right trigger. It works in three phases, and the most powered-up version does a lot of damage. “It’s something that makes the character really unique to play, compared to the other variants,” Lindley added.

Another plant with a charged attack is the Mystic Flower, a Sunflower that is “powered by mysterious energy.” Holding down the trigger will charge up its powerful sunbeam, which can be unleashed as a crowd-control attack or used to deal damage to a single strong enemy.

the Hot Rod Chomper sports a shiny black coat of paint with purple flames

Melee-oriented players will likely choose the Chomper, which resembles the Mario games’ Piranha Plant in that it’s a big, spherical mouth on a stem. But the Hot Rod Chomper, which sports a shiny black coat of paint with purple flames, changes things up with a focus on speed. While it has lower health than the standard Chomper, it has a unique special ability: If it can take down a zombie with an instant kill (a sneak attack from below or behind), it will get a speed boost. “If you’re good with the Chomper, you can use the Hot Rod Chomper to quickly run from victim to victim, if you manage to string a bunch together,” said Lindley.

Many of Garden Warfare‘s classes work well in conjunction with a teammate playing as the Ice Pea. This Peashooter variant fires peas of ice, and if enough ice peas hit a zombie, it will be immobilized and left vulnerable to attack. Combinations of not just classes, but unique variants like the Ice Pea, are where “the tactics and strategy start to emerge,” said Lindley.

Lindley hinted that PopCap is planning to expand Garden Warfare with additional class variants for both plants and zombies after the game’s release. For more details, check out our hands-on preview from November.

Eye of the Day Garden Design Center Announces its New Website to Introduce …

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“The new site is more user-friendly and i…and can be accessed more quickly and enables easier navigation on mobile devices.”

Carpinteria, CA (PRWEB) January 15, 2014

Eye of the Day Garden Design Center , one of the leading authentic European garden pottery vendors in the U.S.A, announces its new website design. The digital makeover is part of the garden design center’s marketing expansion throughout the United States.

The new site is more user-friendly and is now configured with html coding, which can be accessed more quickly and enables easier navigation on mobile devices. The products offered by Eye of the Day are broken down by clear categories, so interested individuals on the go can browse the full line of traditional to modern pottery, fountains, benches and statuary on a desktop, tablet or smartphone. Further, each product has a downloadable and printable spec sheet in pdf format, helpful for presentations, books and inspiration and design boards.

“With the new website design, we can update the site more easily on our end,” said Marketing Director Mitch Walker, “which is especially good news for Eye of the Day. That means we can maintain our product lines and new arrivals instantaneously, so our customers will immediately see what’s available.”

In addition to the new format, there is also a full listing of French outdoor patio furniture from Fermob, along with updated color photos. Another centralized feature of the site is Eye of the Day’s blog (http://news.eyeofthedaygdc.com/) discussing industry and company news, like Freitas’ recent contribution to http://www.NewHomeSource.com, in which he discussed materials that should be used for safe, durable fire pits.

“We’re working to make 2014 our most successful year to date,” said Freitas. “I’m passionate about my products, and I want to invite new customers to see why we’re one of the top showrooms and why we work with top designers.”

The Santa Barbara-based company also offers a variety of services to the general residential and business consumer, along with services to industry specialists, like landscape architects and designers. Interested parties can browse the site with more ease and can show their clientele more downloadable images. Eye of the Day will also work with clients and specialists to build custom pieces, create custom finishes, and convert items into fully functioning fountains with its conversion services.

For more information about Eye of the Day Garden Center and to browse the website, visit http://www.eyeofthedaygdc.com.

About Eye of the Day Garden Design Center

Eye of the Day Garden Design Center is a retail showroom featuring more than an acre of high quality garden products, including Italian terra cotta pottery and fountains, Greek terra cotta and French Anduze pottery, as well as products from America’s oldest pottery manufactures Gladding McBean, EOTD also carries premier concrete garden pottery and statuary manufacturers. Eye of the Day is a leading importer of fine European garden décor, and caters to private consumers, as well as landscape and design professionals around the world.

To find out what Eye of the Day Garden Design Center can do for your business, visit http://www.eyeofthedaygdc.com.

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North George Street anchor re-opened as state-of-the-art office

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A $5 million renovation has turned a once vacant cornerstone of the North George Street corridor into a state-of-the art office space and brought another major employer back to York’s downtown area.

LSC Design, an architecture and engineering firm, will employ more than 50 full-time employees at its new headquarters in the former Thos. Somerville Co. building at 320 N. George St., said Sarah Wortman, director of business development for the company.

The 47,000 square-foot space also includes room for two to three other tenants — slots Robert Kinsley II, president of the company, hopes will be taken up by a bar, restaurant or other local firms.

After more than a decade of operating at the edge of the city’s limits, Kinsley said he wanted to bring the company back to York’s core where it could play a larger role in the community.

“We paid city taxes, but we didn’t get any of the benefits,” Kinsley said.

Now, the company plans to open its innovative space up to nonprofits, local artists and others as a spot for fundraisers and showcases.

“We want to get as much use out of it as possible,” Kinsley said.

The building’s design lends itself to collaboration, whether its with the public or among its employees.

The large, open entryway was created as an area to hold large gatherings. A drop-down big screen descends to four feet above the floor, and a wide staircase doubles as a “rampitheater” — a walkway and seating area, Wortman said.

Work spaces, with low partitions and bench-style desks, are meant to encourage team members to exchange ideas, Wortman said. What she calls “touchdown areas” — or clusters of group seating — dot the entire office, offering spaces to work creatively, and even upper-level employees work in three-walled alcoves, allowing for visibility and easy access.

A former plumbing supply warehouse, the building has retained much of its original character, including exposed metal beams, brick walls and other markers of its industrial past.

The effort to salvage as much of the existing site as possible will help the site earn LEED certification, a program that is used to rate green buildings, at the highest level, Wortman said.

Completion of the project is another key step in a plan to redevelop the area of the Northwest Triangle, which languished as an underused brown field for years before the city mounted a concerted effort to rehabilitate the site about 10 years earlier.

The site has long been a part of the city’s vision for the acreage, but Thomas Conley, vice president of operations for LSC, said the company was forced to put work on hold after the recession hit.

The result, however, was a better final product, Conley said.

“Our goal was to do as little to the building as possible,” he said. The design process was like getting to know a spouse: “the longer we spent with the building, the more we understood who it wanted to be.”

Who rakes the compost?

The new headquarters of LSC Design at 320 N. George St. includes a number of features to decrease the building’s carbon footprint, said Sarah Wortman, director of business for the company. One of those features is composting toilets.

Waste from the second-floor toilets is deposited in a composter on the ground floor, which will produce fertilizer for the building’s outdoor landscaping, Wortman said.

But the compost has to be raked once a month.

So who gets that job?

Since it was his idea to install the toilets, Wortman said the president of the company, Robert Kinsley II, has volunteered.

Consultants gather feedback for Gering’s downtown revitalization

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Discussion at a public meeting to discuss downtown revitalization efforts seemed lively as about 30 downtown business owners, city leaders and residents gathered Wednesday.

The meeting allowed Short Elliott Hendrickson (SHE) representatives to outline ideas for the downtown area and to gather feedback from the public on the needs and desires for the community. The City of Gering and the downtown revitalization committee selected SEH to oversee the planning process after the city received a $30,000 Nebraska Department of Economic Development grant.

“It seems like we had really good conversations,” Andrew Dane, project manager with SEH, told the crowd.

During the meeting, representatives gathered into groups to discuss “nodes” that the consultants had designated. Nodes included the area around the main M Street intersection, the section around the courthouse and areas between the two other nodes.

Conversations centered around M Street focused on beautifying the corner and making it a noticeable entrance to the downtown area.

“The gateway to downtown is M Street,” Jeff Pedersen, SEH consultant, said. “The feeling is that we need to attract those people who are going east and west onto M Street.”

Three of the corners at the intersection were cited as being parking lots or vacant lots that were in need of some aesthetic improvement. Discussion centered on improving those three corners, with “pocket parks” suggested. Pedersen said the areas do not need to be large, but would improve the look of the downtown entrance. A large feature, such as a gateway arch or other feature, could also highlight the entrance.

As the city contemplates the location of a proposed hotel, Pedersen suggested that the hotel be located on the Gering Civic Center property, facing Tenth Street. He drew a design that included a drop-off area and would be made possible by a proposal to narrow Tenth Street from four lanes to two lanes. Such a location would lead to adding some activity to that area, he said.

The city should also step back from proposed closure of N Street, he said, but could designate a pedestrian parking on the street for those who may be visiting the civic center and crossing to access parking. Street surfaces and other features could be designed to promote slower traffic, but still allow thorough traffic.

“Closing a street is never a good idea,” Pedersen said.

Widened sidewalks and extended bulb outs were proposed throughout the downtown area as ways that could improve walkability and pedestrian safety. The ideas were talked about in each of the nodes, but particular emphasis was placed on pedestrian safety around the courthouse node because of school children crossing Tenth Street.

In discussing the courthouse node, some participants suggested that the area wasn’t necessarily a part of the downtown area. Consultant Bob Kost suggested that the area has more of a “suburban” feel and could be treated as its own area. With the towering trees at the courthouse, he suggested building on the greenscaping in the area and using it to compliment activities.

The courthouse lawn, where downtown merchants hosted the annual arts festival last year, could serve as a potential site for a pocket park or gathering area. Some discussion centered on eliminating streetside parking around the courthouse and the adjoining block where Pizza Hut, Subway and other restaurants are located.

Landscaping throughout the downtown area was suggested to be native vegetation. The Gering Civic Center landscaping was suggested as a model of the type of landscaping that would be suitable for the downtown. Planters, designed with wagon wheels could help reflect a common theme that could be built around the history of Gering.

The history of Gering and its location on the Oregon Trail was suggested as the theme that should be a commonly reflected theme throughout the downtown. Discussion centered around adding markers in the downtown area to help define historical buildings, educate people about the history and landmarks in Gering and could be used in a walking tour of the downtown area. Dane said a textured street or pathway could designate the path of the Oregon Trail and continue to the Scotts Bluff National Monument.

Strategies to make the downtown area more bicycle-friendly, use of public artwork and other ideas were also discussed during Wednesday’s meeting.

Ideas from Wednesday’s meeting and other meetings will be gathered and posted online, Dane said. SEH Holding consultants will make a final report, including a recommendation for priority projects, at the Gering Council’s Feb. 10 meeting.

Comments can also be directed to Dane by Monday, Jan. 20, by email at adane@sehinc.com.