Author Archives:

Long Island Landscaper, Longo’s Landscaping Looking Outside US for 2014 …

Leave a reply
  • Email a friend

Long Island Landscaper

Long Island Landscaper

Long Island Landscaper, Longo’s Landscaping Looking Outside US for 2014 Design Ideas

St. James, New York (PRWEB) November 23, 2013

Longo’s Landscaping and Masonry, the premier Long Island-based designer and builder of custom landscape hardscape for homes and businesses, is keeping an eye on what trends for 2014 are being focused on outside the US for inspiration in terms of design options.

Great Britain has a long and storied history as a country that holds gardening in high regard, creating designs with elements that includes statures, topiary and even massive hedge mazes to create gardens that are a visual feast for the eyes. While garden mazes may not be viable on Long Island, many of the other elements are easily employed to create memorable and functional landscapes.

Recent reports from a number of UK news sources point to a focus on sleek and modern designs, moving away from the more traditional rustic designs that have been in vogue over the last few years. With elements that include custom furniture, lighting effects, water features and even specific wildlife that will figure prominently in the United Kingdom and other European countries, there is much to borrow from in terms of designs for the Long Island and Metro-New York region. The trend towards a sleek, modern design is especially transferable to local use as a way of maximizing the usable aspects of the space available while not cutting back on the elements that make the overall visual effect of the garden.

The Longo Landscaping team works very hard to keep abreast of new developments in terms of material and design so that their clients can achieve the look they want for their home. It is this attention to detail that sets Longo apart from other landscape/hardscape design firms but diligence is required in the very competitive Long Island market. Each member of the Longo staff is dedicated to be well informed so that they can provide the level of creativity and service they have become known for.

Longos Landscaping Masonry, a Long Island family-owned company since 1980. Longo’s Landscaping Masonry Inc. is committed to excellent masonry and landscaping projects. Specializing in Landscaping construction, Masonry, Driveways, walkways, stoops/steps, patios, retaining walls, waterfalls ponds. With over 20 years of experience, we pride ourselves in making your homes in Suffolk and Nassau County of Long Island area more appealing. Each Landscape design is specifically done to our clients’ needs to increased property value or simply, just a gorgeous outdoor landscape that can make your property the best on the block. Find us on the web at http://www.longoslandscaping.com/ or call at 631.862.8605 for more information or to arrange for a quote.

Email a friend


PDF


Print

With National Guard’s Turf Removal Complete, City’s Lawn-to-Garden Program …

Leave a reply

The now complete water-conserving landscaping at the Army National Guard Facility. Photos courtesy of the Long Beach Water Department.

On the third anniversary of what City officials call “one of the state’s premiere water conservation programs,” Long Beach’s Lawn-to-Garden program officially completed its largest project to date: removing 53,000 sq. ft. of water-thirsty grass in front of the Army National Guard Facility and replacing it with indigenous, drought-resistant plants.

With this project’s completion, the program has now removed more than one million square feet of grass across Long Beach.

The incentive program, which was introduced in April of 2010, provides payments to residents or businesses for removing turf, amounting to $3 per square foot removed.

The lawn during renovation.

Though more than a thousand local homes have taken part in the program, commercial properties have been slower to participate, with only 16 commercial properties removing their lawns to date. The Department hopes that the size of the National Guard Facility’s project—the program’s largest to date—will attract more commercial properties to do the same.

Annually, grass lawns require more than six times the amount of water as do drought tolerant landscapes, meaning that as additional Long Beach homes convert to drought tolerant landscapes, long-term water savings will also increase. This is important largely due to water shortages across the state as well as a perpetually dwindling supply of imported water. Even further, indigenous gardens lack pesticides and chemicals associated with maintaining lawns while also decreasing greenhouse effects. 

Read more:

  • National Guard Nears Completion on City’s Largest Lawn-to-Garden Project
  • IN PICTURES: 2nd Annual Long Beach Lawn-to-Garden Tour
  • Creating a Naturally Long Beach-Friendly Garden
  • Long Beach Water Department Honored for Its Green Leadership

Trowel & Glove: Marin gardening calendar for the week of Nov. 23, 2013

Leave a reply

Click photo to enlarge

Marin

• The Marin Open Garden Project encourages residents to bring their excess backyard-grown fruit and vegetables to the following locations for a free exchange with other gardeners on Saturdays: Mill Valley from 10 to 11 a.m. on the Greenwood School front porch at 17 Buena Vista Ave.; San Rafael from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Sun Valley Park at K and Solano streets; and San Rafael from 9 to 10 a.m. at Pueblo Park on Hacienda Way in Santa Venetia. Go to www.opengardenproject.org or email contact@opengardenproject.org.

• West Marin Commons offers a weekly harvest exchange at 1:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Livery Stable gardens on the commons in Point Reyes Station. Go to www.westmarin commons.org.

• The Novato Independent Elders Program seeks volunteers to help Novato seniors with their overgrown yards on Tuesday mornings or Thursday afternoons. Call 899-8296.

• Volunteers are sought to help in Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy nurseries from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays at Tennessee Valley, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays at Muir Woods or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays in the Marin Headlands. Call 561-3077 or go to www.parksconservancy.org/volunteer.

• The Marin Organic Glean Team seeks volunteers to harvest extras from the fields at various farms for the organic school lunch and gleaning program. Call 663-9667 or go to www.marinorganic.org.

• The SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) native plant nursery days are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and weekends. Call 663-8590, ext. 114, or email jonathan@tirn.net to register and for directions.

• Marin Open Garden Project (MOGP) volunteers are available to help Marin residents glean excess fruit from their trees for donations to local organizations serving people in need and to build raised beds to start vegetable gardens through the MicroGardens program. MGOP also offers a garden tool lending library. Go to www.opengardenproject.org or email contact@opengarden project.org.

• Marin Master Gardeners and the Marin Municipal Water District offer free residential Bay-Friendly Garden Walks to MMWD customers. The year-round service helps homeowners identify water-saving opportunities and soil conservation techniques for their landscaping. Call 473-4204 to request a visit to your garden.

San Francisco

• The Conservatory of Flowers, at 100 John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park, displays permanent galleries of tropical plant species as well as changing special exhibits from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $2 to $7. Call 831-2090 or go to www.conservatoryofflowers.org.

• The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, at Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park, offers several ongoing events. $7; free to San Francisco residents, members and school groups. Call 661-1316 or go to www.sf botanicalgarden.org. Free docent tours leave from the Strybing Bookstore near the main gate at 1:30 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekends; and from the north entrance at 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Groups of 10 or more can call ahead for special-focus tours.

Around the Bay

• Cornerstone Gardens is a permanent, gallery-style garden featuring walk-through installations by international landscape designers on nine acres at 23570 Highway 121 in Sonoma. Free. Call 707-933-3010 or go to www.corner stonegardens.com.

• Garden Valley Ranch rose garden is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays at 498 Pepper Road in Petaluma. Self-guided and group tours are available. $2 to $10. Call 707-795-0919 or go to www.gardenvalley.com.

• The Luther Burbank Home at Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues in Santa Rosa has docent-led tours of the greenhouse and a portion of the gardens every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $7. Call 707-524-5445.

• McEvoy Ranch at 5935 Red Hill Road in Petaluma offers tips on planting olive trees and has olive trees for sale by appointment. Call 707-769-4123 or go to www.mcevoy ranch.com.

• Wednesdays are volunteer days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center at 15290 Coleman Valley Road in Occidental. Call 707-874-1557, ext. 201, or go to www.oaec.org.

• Quarryhill Botanical Garden at 12841 Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen covers 61 acres and showcases a large selection of scientifically documented wild source temperate Asian plants. The garden is open for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. $5 to $10. Call 707-996-3166 or go to www.quarryhillbg.org.

The Trowel Glove Calendar appears Saturdays. Send high-resolution jpg photo attachments and details about your event to calendar@marinij.com or mail to Home and Garden Calendar/Lifestyles, Marin Independent Journal, 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94903. Items should be sent two weeks in advance. Photos should be a minimum of 1 megabyte and include caption information. Include a daytime phone number on your release.

2014 calendar highlights watersheds

Leave a reply

The Watershed Awareness Calendar for 2014 is back from the printer. Drop by the Napa County Resource Conservation District and pick one up. (Call 707-252-4188 for address and hours.)

This year’s calendar includes information and ideas on how to manage and conserve storm-water runoff on your home property or business.

This month-by-month guide strives to help Napa County residents keep watersheds and waterways healthy. A watershed is an area of land with a common water course; all the water the land receives drains to the same place. Napa is blessed with three watersheds: the Napa River, Putah Creek and Suisun Creek.

Even if you live in town, you live within a watershed.

Watersheds collect water from rain and snow melt, absorbing it into the soil to replenish the water table. Runoff finds its way into storm drains, creeks, rivers and eventually to the bay and ocean.

These informative calendars are provided by the conservation district, The Watershed Information Center and Conservancy of Napa County and Friends of the River. All of these organizations are focused on protecting our natural resources and watersheds.

The calendar’s back cover offers a directory of local resources, including the Native Plant Society, The Land Trust, Carolyn Parr Nature Museum and the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. The list includes email addresses, websites and phone numbers.

The document also provides contact information for other organizations with resources to help businesses, homeowners and property owners replace thirsty lawns with more water-efficient landscaping or install other water-conserving or storm water-diverting systems.

If harvesting rainwater to irrigate your garden and reduce your water bill sounds good to you, consider the rebate plan offered by the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. This plan provides a rebate for installing rain barrels and cisterns and even reimburses some residents for designing and installing a rain garden.

Each month of the calendar highlights a different technique to help gardeners and property owners slow, spread and sink fast-moving storm water. These techniques can be used singly or in combination on your property.

One impressive and inspiring project is part of the sustainability plan at New Technology High School in Napa. New Tech’s landscaping is drought-resistant but still needs some water to thrive, so a 20,000-gallon cistern was installed to collect rainwater.This effort has reduced the amount of potable water used for landscaping by 63 percent.

Capturing 20,000 gallons may sound daunting, but Napa normally gets 20 to 60 inches of rainfall a year, providing plenty of opportunity for harvesting. One inch of rain on a 1500-square-foot roof generates close to 1,000 gallons of runoff. In one winter, your roof alone could shed 20,000 to 60,000 gallons of water.

Sometimes the goal is not to capture water but to slow its race over hard surfaces to storm drains or creeks. Often, this fast-moving water dissolves and transports pollutants along the way.

As you drive by Oxbow Public Market in Napa, you can’t see the bio-retention basins under the raised beds. But they are there, carefully designed to hold and slowly release water into storm drains.

Oxbow’s downspouts drain into the basin where the water is filtered before being released into storm drains. One rain chain leads the gutter water to a trench drain, watering a row of grass plantings, which also slows and filters the water before it enters storm drains.

The Yountville Community Center also showcases several best-management practices for storm-water runoff. Drain inlets along the side of the building are equipped with filters to keep debris from clogging pipes as runoff from the roof collects in a basin behind the parking lot. Landscaping takes advantage of swales, basins, drains and drought-resistant plants to maximize beauty while managing the large amount of runoff from the building roofs.

These are big projects, obviously, but even small projects can be effective. In this helpful calendar, you’ll read about permeable paving, swales and rolling dips. The many suggestions and photos will open your eyes to possibilities as you view sustainable residential developments and sustainably managed vineyards and hillsides. Even property owners with small gardens and yards can make changes that have a positive impact on our watersheds.

Gardening Tips: Berries add color to fall landscape

Leave a reply

Posted: Friday, November 22, 2013 11:08 am

Gardening Tips: Berries add color to fall landscape

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

|
0 comments

A few weeks back I wrote about fall foliage color as a way to add interest to the landscape. This is but one of many ways to add interest to landscapes in fall, or even winter, when few plants are in bloom. This week we’ll talk about plants with colorful berries. Many plants that are otherwise unspectacular provide excellent color over the next several months through their berries.

Subscription Required


An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety.

You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Have an online subscription?


Login Now

Need an online subscription?


Subscribe

Login

Or, use your
linked account:

Current print subscribers


Login Now

Need an online subscription?


Subscribe

Login

Or, use your
linked account:

Current print subscribers

Posted in
Columns

on

Friday, November 22, 2013 11:08 am.

Popular garden lecturer to offer holiday tips at Marblehead library

Leave a reply

Cottage Gardeners of Marblehead and Swampscott, in collaboration with Abbot Public Library, will be presenting a “Welcome Yule” holiday program Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the library, 235 Pleasant St., Marblehead.

The evening’s program begins at 6:30 p.m. with festive refreshments to be followed by a presentation and demonstration by the well-known and popular garden lecturer, author and teacher Betsy Williams. Admission is free, and a raffle for Williams’ creations will be part of the evening’s plan.

Williams will show how to decorate your home for the sparkling month of December with fresh greens and fragrant herbs, combined with fruits and vegetables, berries, cones, nuts and lots of candles. Using boxwood, ivies, junipers, rosemary, berries, fruits and other seasonal plant material, the demonstration will emphasize the simple how-tos and mechanics of creating glowing candle rings, woodsy boxwood and berry arrangements, charming Williamsburg fruit cones, classic topiaries and fresh potpourri.

Williams’ gardens, floral work and retail shop have been featured in many books, national magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, The American Gardener, Victoria, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living Gardener, Colonial Homes, the Herb Companion and Traditional Home. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows.

Cottage Gardeners meet monthly, September through June, and new members are always welcome. Venues and meeting times vary to accommodate membership. Extensive gardening experience is not necessary to join, only an interest in gardening and related subjects.

For additional information about this event, call 781-631-1481 or visit abbotlibrary.org.
 

Tips to avoid spreading noxious weeds

Leave a reply

Last week I talked about two noxious weeds that gardeners share some responsibility for introducing and spreading throughout the U.S. This week, I will discuss our duty as gardeners to avoid spreading potential noxious weeds.

More than five years ago, I noticed a new plant being sold at local plant sales. It was called “donkey tail” or “burro tail.” More officially, it’s known as myrtle spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites). It is a low-growing perennial with trailing fleshy stems and looks similar to noninvasive garden spurges.

The waxy, fleshy leaves of myrtle spurge are blue-green and arranged alternately along the stem, giving the plant an interesting spiraled appearance. The yellow flowers at the tips of each stem are not showy, but bring some color to the plant in the spring.

Myrtle spurge was introduced for use in rock gardens and xeriscapes because it is easy to grow and drought tolerant. However, it has many things that shout “don’t plant me.” As a noxious weed, it is invasive and displaces native vegetation. In addition, all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, even though animals usually avoid eating it. Gardeners should note that as a member of the Euphorbia family, its milky sap causes severe skin irritation and blistering.

While myrtle spurge is not a problem in agricultural crops, it has escaped cultivation in parts of Washington and moved into sensitive ecosystems. It can be controlled easily in agricultural land and gardens with frequent cultivation. If you find a patch, rogue out. Because of the caustic sap, wear safety goggles, gloves and long sleeves.

When I saw myrtle spurge being sold, I wondered why this plant is so plentiful that gardeners had lots to share. That can be a clue to a plant’s tendencies to be invasive, even if it isn’t on a noxious weed list. Remember, the Washington Noxious Weed Board estimates that at least half the weeds on its list are escapees from gardens, problems that could be avoided if gardeners and the horticulture industry were better informed.

So what can we do? Adhere to a voluntary gardening code of conduct.

1. Don’t sell or trade plants with other gardeners that you know to be invasive, aggressive or hard to control. Not all of these are noxious weeds, but sharing plants with bad behavior is not an honorable practice.

2. Talk to your local garden center or nurseries, and encourage them not to promote or sell invasive plants.

3. Occasionally, check state (www.nwcb.wa.gov) and local noxious weed lists for plants on the watch list. Share the information you know about noxious weeds, aggressive or invasive plants, and poisonous plants with neighbors and friends.

4. Do your research before you plant. Make sure a plant is friendly to our region’s ecosystem and not invasive. If you discover you have already planted a problem plant, remove it and replace with a similar plant that won’t cause problems.

— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.

Lantana can be brought indoors in winter

Leave a reply

Can I bring a lantana indoors? If so, can I prune it so it takes up less room?

Though typically grown as an annual in Maryland, lantana is actually a shrub and can either be grown as a houseplant or overwintered indoors. Place it where it gets at least three hours of direct sun daily and cut back on watering because it will be going through a rest period. You can prune it moderately now to make it more manageable. Young plants can be tip-pruned to encourage branching. Older plants can tolerate pruning down to 4-6 inches in early spring before new growth begins.

My newly seeded lawn is getting buried under a bumper crop of acorns. I’ve been picking them up by hand but I need my life back. Help!

  • Related

  • Garden QA Archive

    Garden QA Archive

  • Baltimore Sun 2013 Garden Contest Winners [Pictures]

    Baltimore Sun 2013 Garden Contest Winners [Pictures]

  • Overall garden winner: Growing from garden novices to blooming experts

    Overall garden winner: Growing from garden novices to blooming experts

There are handy nut picker-uppers available. Several are designed for acorns and others pick up nuts such as walnuts. Most look like a bingo-ball cage and are rolled across the grass. They should not damage your new turf if it has gotten mature enough for you to walk on it.

University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center offers free gardening and pest information. Call 800-342-2507 or send a question to the website at extension.umd.edu/hgic.

Plant of the week

Little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium (Andropogon scoparius)

This native grass is coming on strong as gardeners switch to plants both ornamental and beneficial. In fall, its bluish blades give way to bright gold and reddish tones. Don’t cut back this ornamental grass before winter and it will reward you with wispy charm through the bleak cold months, especially when sunbeams shine through its silvery seed heads. Little bluestem is a Maryland native that puts up with lousy or dry soil, loam or sand. It needs full sun, growing to a clump 11/2 to 4 feet tall, flowering from August to October. During harsh winter weather, foliage provides good cover for wildlife. Cultivars are available, including Carousel, which offers colorful summer foliage. —Ellen Nibali

Mecanoo designs a pavilion with a spiral

Leave a reply

News: Dutch architects Mecanoo have won a competition to design a garden and an underground pavilion with a corkscrew staircase in the Polish capital, Warsaw (+ slideshow).

Garden of the 21st Century pavilion with spiral staircase under a park in Warsaw by Mecanoo

The garden and pavilion proposed by Mecanoo will be located in the city’s popular Lazienki Park, which was designed around a series of buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Called the Garden of the 21st Century, this new addition comprises a triangular sliver of landscaped parkland criss-crossed by an undulating path, with exhibition spaces hidden underneath.

Garden of the 21st Century pavilion with spiral staircase under a park in Warsaw by Mecanoo

“The Garden of the 21st Century is special, because the design of the pavilion follows from that of the landscape,” said the architects.

Mecanoo collaborated with Dutch landscape architect Michael van Gessel, Delva Landscape Architects and Polish firm Jojko Nawrocki Architekci on the design of the landscaping and pavilion.

Garden of the 21st Century pavilion with spiral staircase under a park in Warsaw by Mecanoo

Entrances in the walls that run along both of the park’s long edges lead into the pavilion, which can also be entered from a public plaza that slices into the landscape.

“Two entry points are carved out of the side walls and another one out of the landscape,” explained the architects. “All give access to a central hall, which connects two major exhibition spaces and two smaller ones that have modular layouts.”

Garden of the 21st Century pavilion with spiral staircase under a park in Warsaw by Mecanoo

This entrance foyer contains a spiralling staircase connecting two levels and a series of skylights that appear above ground as rounded oculi embedded in the garden.

The pavilion is designed to house temporary exhibitions, while the garden will be used for educational as well as recreational purposes.

Garden of the 21st Century pavilion with spiral staircase under a park in Warsaw by Mecanoo - site plan
Site plan – click for larger image

Here’s a brief project description from the architects:

Garden of the 21st Century in Warsaw

A team consisting of Mecanoo, Michael van Gessel, Delva Landscape Architects and Jojko Nawrocki Architekci has won the competition to design the new Garden of the 21st Century with integrated exhibition pavilion in Warsaw. In a ceremony at the Royal Lazienki Museum on Friday 16 November, the Polish Minister of Culture National Heritage and the Minister of Environment jointly announced the result of an international competition with 80 submissions.

The new 2,5 hectare garden will be part of Lazienki Park, one of the most important touristic destinations in Warsaw that includes many 18th and 19th century buildings such as the Royal Baths, a Roman-inspired theatre and a water tower. The existing gardens in the park were all designed around these historic buildings. The Garden of the 21st Century is special, because the design of the pavilion follows from that of the landscape.

The 1800 m2, underground exhibition pavilion seems to grow out of the undulating walkway that surrounds the garden. Two entry points are carved out of the sidewalls and another one out of the landscape. All give access to a central hall, which connects two major exhibition spaces and two smaller ones that have modular lay-outs. Several oculi, or large round skylights, protrude through the walkway and the vegetation creating a mysterious play of light in the garden, but also providing carefully controlled daylight in the pavilion.

Both the garden and pavilion will provide new cultural life to the park with its many museums. The pavilion will host large temporary exhibitions, whereas the garden will play a role in local environmental education as well as be an example of 21st century landscape architecture.

Philadelphia International Airport officials pitch latest runway project plans …

Leave a reply

<!–

[component:byline]

–>

 Officials with the Philadelphia International Airport went before the Tinicum Township Board of Commissioners last Monday to make the first pitch for a project that would realign one runway and build another to meet FAA safety regulations.

Joe Grubb, an engineer for the airport’s Program Management Office, and Dean Snyder, a tech services manager for the same office, said in a 20-minute presentation that the project would realign Taxiway H and establish Taxiway EE, both located outside Terminal E in the southeast corner of the airport, straddling both Philadelphia and Delaware counties.

“The FAA has termed this area a ‘hot spot,’ designating it as an aircraft movement area with a history of or a risk for collision,” Grubb said.

The project would involve removing pavement, grading sections of the land, adding lighting and fixing drainage areas, he said.

“It would improve efficiency and safety,” Grubb said.

In response to residents’ questions, Grubb said that while plans have not been finalized, the project would cost “in the neighborhood of $20 million” and take about a year to complete. He also confirmed that it is a phase of the airport’s controversial Capacity Enhancement Plan, which residents have been battling for years.

Airport officials have already presented the preliminary plans to the township’s zoning board, which recommended they go before the board of commissioners with their ideas.

Monday’s hearing was just the start of a public hearing process that will continue on Tuesday, Jan. 21, when airport officials will testify under oath about the project and residents will be permitted to ask more detailed questions.

“This is an informal presentation to the board,” township solicitor Sam Auslander said. “We will be seeking some additional detail for the project, we will put the presenters under oath and they will testify as to specifics and design.”

Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioners voted to adopt an ordinance to restrict overnight parking in the 100, 200, 300, 500 and 600 blocks of Saude Avenue, with permits not to exceed four per homeowner. The ordinance, which passed unanimously, also allows for guest permits and sets fees for permits. Continued…

  • 1
  • 2
  • See Full Story