Author Archives:

Home and garden briefs: Designers transform house at Krug Winery

Traditional Home Magazine has chosen top designers from the Wine Country and beyond to transform an old guest house at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena into a surprisingly sleek and ultramodern interior showcase.

The Napa Valley Showhouse, open through Nov. 17, is a window into how the now classic modernist design of the mid-20th century has matured into the 21st century, with eclectic mixes of contemporary and antique elements, machine-made and natural surfaces, retro and up-to-the-minute trends.

Among the 10 design firms tapped to bedazzle visitors with fresh ideas, fabulous product finds and the latest design ideas is Jacques St. Dizier, the Louisiana-born designer with headquarters on the Healdsburg Plaza.

The showcase will be open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed the afternoon of Nov. 8 and all day Nov. 10. The $40 admission includes wine tasting. Advance registration is recommended.

The winery, which has just undergone a major renovation of the original 1872 Redwood Cellar by renowned Napa Valley architect Howard Backen, is located at 2800 Main St./St. Helena Highway 29. For information, visit traditionalhome.com/napashowhouse or charleskrug.com.

ROHNERT PARK: Pearson to discuss sustainability

It’s a word that is thrown around a lot, but just what defines “sustainability”?

Master Gardener Kim Pearson will discuss the concept, and why it’s important for the future to employ sustainable practices in our own gardens right now, during a free talk Oct. 26 at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Library. Using the example of a small garden, she will suggest projects that could transform a typical yard into a more environmentally friendly space that is both beautiful and enjoyable. 6250 Lynn Conde Way, Rohnert Park. For information, visit ucanr.edu.

KENWOOD: Free autumn walk at Wildwood Nursery

Sara Monte, the owner of Wildwood Nursery in Kenwood, will lead a search for gold in her own garden at 2 p.m. Oct. 26. The free autumn walk through the nursery’s garden will focus on trees whose foliage provides rich golden tones in the fall. 10300 Sonoma Highway., Kenwood. For information, call 833-1161.

SONOMA: Olive expert Landis offers free tips

Make the best of your olive harvest, whether you have one tree or an orchard, using tips from Don Landis, the olive man.

Landis will give a comprehensive talk Oct. 27, beginning with the history of the olive and focusing on ways to debitter this winter fruit, making it edible without using lye. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free, but RSVP required; call 940-4025. Held at Cline Cellars, 24737 Arnold Drive, Sonoma.

SANTA ROSA: Garden Club selling ‘Christmas Rose’

Tired of decorating with the same pedestrian poinsettias for Christmas? The Santa Rosa Garden Club is selling two awesome alternatives for holiday decor or gift-giving.

As a fundraiser, the club is selling a “Christmas Rose” hellebore with snow-white petals and bright yellow centers on flowers that pertly look up, rather than drooping down like most hellebores. A Christmas Rose can jazz up your late-winter garden after you have enjoyed its beauty indoors. It is drought-tolerant and likes shade with morning sun.

The club is also featuring the Shooting Star hydrangea, with brilliant white multi-petaled stars that shoot out like fireworks. It’s the longest-lasting of the lace cap hydrangeas and thrives both indoors and outdoors.

Cost for either plant is $21. Proceeds benefit the club’s scholarship program for horticulture students at Santa Rosa Junior College. Deadline to order is Oct. 31, with plants available for delivery on Nov. 22 in Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Sonoma and Marin. They can also be picked up between noon and 3 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Luther Burbank Art Garden Center in Santa Rosa.

Checks can be made payable to Santa Rosa Garden Club and sent c/o Sharon Whitten, 8001 River Road, Forestville, 95436. For information, call 537-6885 or email gardenclubevents@yahoo.com.

SANTA ROSA: Hands-on workshop on propagating plants

Garden designer Gail Fanning will demonstrate how to propagate plants during a hands-on workshop Oct. 19 at the Harvest for the Hungry Garden in Santa Rosa.

Fanning will show how to create new plants from perennials and shrubs such as rosemary and roses, using soft wood cuttings. The free workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1717 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa. For information, call 484-3613.

SANTA ROSA: Bargains on plants at Willowside School

Willowside School’s nursery offers good bargains on a wide selection of plants suitable for fall planting.

The student nursery will hold its next Saturday sale Oct. 19, featuring perennials, roses, grasses, trees, succulents and more, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5299 Hall Road (corner of Hall and Willowside Road) in Santa Rosa. For information, call 569-4724.

HEALDSBURG: End-of-season fest at Russian River Rose

The Russian River Rose Company celebrates the end of the season Oct. 19 and 20 with a Russian Tea Fragrance Festival inspired by the region’s early Russian settlers and the Russian heritage of owner Mike Tolmasoff.

The festivities include live folk, Slavic and gypsy music, tea leaf readings, rose tea samplings, rosewater-infused nibbles by Chef Jake Martin of Restaurant Charcuterie of Healdsburg, and cups of Russian “Sweee-touch-nee Tea” prepared in antique Russian samovars. Visitors are invited to stroll the gardens, still colorful with late blooming roses.

Cost is $5. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1685 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg. Information: 433-7455 or russian-river-rose.com.

You can direct Home and Garden news to Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204.

Things to do: Oct. 17

Leave a reply

CALENDAR

FAIRS, FESTIVALS MORE

Main Street Live: Main Street, Bradenton

Main Street Live will be 5-10 p.m. Oct. 17 featuring live music by Kim Betts and Gamble Creek Band, and arts and crafts. The event is free an open to the public. Food and beverages are available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the revitalization of downtown’s merchants and culture. Information: 941-201-6228.

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night”: Towles Court, Sarasota

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night” will be 6-9 p.m. Oct. 18 and every third Friday of the month featuring live performances by Sarasota’s premier entertainers and performing arts organizations and enjoy shopping at a unique mix of boutiques, galleries, and salons. Businesses will be open with extended hours. Admission is free. Information: 941-366-7040 or www.DSAsarasota.com.

Anna Maria Island “Bayfest 2013”: along Pine Avenue, Anna Maria Island

The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce will host the 2013 “Bayfest,” 5-10 p.m. Oct. 18 and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Oct. 19, a free family event featuring more than 100 vendors, including food and beverage vendors, a classic car show, and live music by various local artists and bands including, Dean Johansen, Steve Arvey, KoKo Ray, Gulf Drive, Can’t Turn Left, Renegade, Mike Sales and the Restless Natives, Scott’s Garage, Shotgun Justice, and Mike Sales and Chris Grumley as MCs. Information: 941-778-1541.

Empty Bowls: various locations in Manatee County

Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Manatee will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 18 at Renaissance on 9th, 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton and Oct. 19 on Main Street, Lakewood Ranch. Enjoy a variety of delicious soups from local restaurants, fresh bread and dessert and take home a unique, handcrafted bowl made by local potters. Tickets: $20. Information: 9410749-0100 or www.foodbankofmanatee.org.

Annual Fall Home Show: Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa

The 25th annual Fall Home Show will be 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 19 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20. Homeowners will get a jump on holiday prep with expert insight, ideas and inspiration for living well. The event features innovative products and solutions to help with projects at home including landscaping, kitchen or bathroom remodeling, interior design, green building, appliances and bedding, sink hole mitigation or storage solution, and local experts will be on hand with displays, exhibits, demonstrations and seminars. Local animal rescue groups will offer pets for adoption. Admission: $8 adults, $7 seniors ages 55 and older, admission is free for children 11 and younger when accompanied by an adult. Information: 800-345-3247 or www.bighomeshow.com.

Classic Car Nights: Clancy’s Irish Sports Pub and Grill, 6218 Cortez Road, Bradenton

Classic car enthusiasts, car owners and the public are welcome at “Classic Car Night” 6 p.m. Sept. 21 and every third Saturday of the month featuring a variety of classic cars, including hot rods, muscle cars, modified bikes, rat rods and fire trucks. Admission: free. Separate car parking for participants. Food and beverages are available for purchase. Information: 941-794-2489.

Seventh annual Hungarian Festival: Sarasota County Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota

The seventh annual Hungarian Festival will be noon-10 p.m. Oct. 19 and noon-8 p.m. Oct. 20 featuring Hungarian dishes, dessert and wines, dancing, a Goulash cooking competition, live music by various Hungarian bands and entertainers, a DJ, arts and crafts and for children face painting, a puppet show, wood games and more. Tickets: $10, free admission to children ages 11 and younger. Information: 941-955-1515 or www.gffusa.org.

Mainly Art and Farmers Market: along Old Main Street and Fourth Avenue West, Bradenton

Mainly Art, an art and music filled, family friendly event will return to the Bradenton Farmers Market 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 19, featuring local artists, artisans and craftspeople displaying and selling their creations, including paintings, jewelry, baskets, glassware, photography, painted furniture, woodworks, glass and plant hangings, children’s clothing and much more. The event also features live music and “Art Of” demonstrations. Information: www.bradentonfarmersmarket.com.

Riverwalk “Pickin’ Picnic”: Bradenton Riverwalk Pavillion

Bring your chair and blankets and enjoy Realize Bradenton’s second “Pickin’ Picnic” 4-10 p.m. Oct. 19 featuring Suncoast Food Trucks and live music by the following five local emerging musicians: Faceless Bandits 4-5 p.m., Geri X 5:15-6:15 p.m., Waking Giants 6:30-7:30 p.m., Muphin Chuckrs 7:45-8:45 p.m. and Have Gun, Will Travel 9-10 p.m. The Riverwalk concession stand will be handled by 2nd Street Bistro. Beverages will be available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public. Information: www.downtownmattersblog.com.

Anna Maria Island Privateers Seventh Annual “Shiprek” Poker Run”: various locations

The Anna Maria Island Privateers Seventh annual “Shiprek” Poker Run will be Oct. 19 with registration at 9:30 a.m. at Bogey’s Sports Pub, 7230 52nd Place E., Bradenton. Featured stops are at Woody’s River Roo, Peggy’s Corral, Grizzly’s Den, Mexicali Border Cafe, Drift-In at Bradenton Beach, Aces Live, Bearded Clam and ends back at Bogey’s Sports Pub. There will be raffles and games at each stop and live music by Mike “Cowhead” and his Pit Bull Toddler Band. Registration: $15 and $5 for extra hands. Convertibles are welcome. Information: Larry Ackerman at laauto@aol.com.

Island Gallery West Second annual Open Air Art Market: 5368 Gulf Dr., Holmes Beach

Island Gallery West will host its second annual Open Air Art Market 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19 featuring art treasures for sale from gallery artists. Information: 941-778-6648.

Sarasota Art and Craft Festival: along Lemon Avenue Main Street, Sarasota

The 19th annual downtown Sarasota Art and Craft Festival will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19-20, a juried festival featuring original and affordable crafts, unique gift items, as well as a Green Market offering plants, exotic orchids, gourmet spices, dips and freshly popped kettle corn. The artists and crafters will line the streets with professional display booths featuring a vast array of craft media including folk art, pottery, personalized gifts, handmade clothing, basket weaving, beaded utensils, cork assemblage, fabric design, fiber quilts, fused wax and glass, hair accessories, handbags, handmade cards, leather, mosaic, wood, painted wood, plaster craft, stained glass and more. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Downtown Sarasota Alliance. Information: 561-746-6615 or www.artfestival.com.

Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival: Hunsader Farms, 5500 Country Road 675, Bradenton

The Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and 26-27 featuring more than 100 craft booths, live music shows, pumpkins, charity pumpkin games, a pioneer trades village, hayrides, pony rides, chain saw sculptor, a 7-acre corn maze, scarecrow displays, homemade ice cream, farm roasted sweet corn, rock climbing wall, power jumping, petting zoo, barnyard playground, face painting, children’s train ride, juggler, fresh produce and a frog jumping championship. Admission to the corn maze is $2. The Buddy Walk is 11 a.m. Oct. 19, and special trick or treat for children in costume is 3-5 p.m. Oct. 27. Admission: $8 adults, children ages 12 and younger are admitted free. Parking: $5. Information: 941-331-1212 or www.hunsaderfarms.com.

Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend: Doubletree Hotel at Universal Studios, 5780 Major Blvd., Orlando

Meet and mingle with your favorite horror movie and TV stars, buy any collectible you can imagine from your choice of over 200 vendors and artists, see new and up and coming films as well as your old favorites, take part in one of the largest Zombie Walks, get tattooed by some of the best artists from around the world, and of course party until your heart’s content, during this non-stop weekend of horrors. The show open 5 p.m. Oct. 25 and 11 a.m. Oct. 26-27. Exhibitors rooms are open 5-11 p.m. Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 27. Celebrity autograph rooms are open 5-10 p.m. Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 26 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 27. There will be multiple media celebrity guests, including authors, musicians and entertainers including Peter Criss from Kiss, Gunnar Hansen, George Romero, Doug Bradley, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, Patricia Quinn, Kane Hodder, Ricou Browning, Julie Adams, Lisa Marie, Sean Whalen, Brandon Adams, Yan Birch and Danielle Harris. Tickets: $30 in advance, $40 and the door, weekend tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door, VIP tickets: $199. Information: 800-327-2110 or www.spookyempire.com.

COMING SOON

Sidewalk Astronomy: 8141 Main Street, Lakewood Ranch

The local group of Deep Sky Observers, a Manatee/Sarasota group of astronomy enthusiasts, will offer the public a chance to view spectacular celestial sights through their high-powered telescopes 7-10 p.m. , weather permitting. Participants will be treated to up close views of the moon and other celestial objects as they become visible throughout the evening. The event is free and open to the public. Information: 941-342-9632.

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night”: Palm Avenue Main and First streets, Sarasota

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night” will be 6-9 p.m. Nov. 1 and every first Friday of the month featuring live performances by Sarasota’s premier entertainers and performing arts organizations and enjoy shopping at a unique mix of boutiques, galleries and salons. Businesses will be open with extended hours. Admission is free. Information: 941-366-7040 or www.DSAsarasota.com.

Music on Main: Main Street, Lakewood Ranch

Main Street at Lakewood Ranch will host a Music on Main concert 6-9 p.m. Nov. 1. Bring chairs and blankets. No coolers allowed. Dogs on short leashes are permitted. Admission is free. Information: 941-907-9243 or visit www.lakewoodranch.com/mainstreet.

First Fridays Car Bike Show: Slick’s Garage, 923 Fifth St. W., Palmetto

Slick’s Garage hosts a First Fridays Car Bike Show and community party 5-11 p.m. the first Friday of each month. The event features live music, food and drink vendors, children’s entertainment, charity auctions and more. Information: 941-776-7298.

First Fridays Artwalk: Village of the Arts, 12th St. W. and Ninth Ave., Bradenton

The Village of the Arts will have First Friday Artwalks 6-9:30 p.m. Nov. 1 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 2. Tie One On is the them as the Village celebrates the start of the season. Get those old ties out of the back of your closet and “Tie One On” to your favorite fence in the Village or choose one of ours from tie tables throughout the Village provided by the Manatee Memorial Auxiliary Thrift Shop in Bradenton. Ties on fences will be on display until the following weekend when all ties will be donated back to the Thrift Shop. Enjoy strolling the Village of the Arts, home to more than 20 art galleries, studios, shops and cafes. Information: 941-747-8056 or visit www.villageofthearts.com.

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night”: Burns Square, Sarasota

“Live from downtown, it’s Friday Night” will be 6-9 p.m. Nov. 8 and every second Friday of the month featuring live performances by Sarasota’s premier entertainers and performing arts organizations and enjoy shopping at a unique mix of boutiques, galleries and salons. Businesses will be open with extended hours. Admission is free. Information: 941-366-7040 or www.DSAsarasota.com.

Sail Pavilion “Brews and Bites”: 333 S. Franklin St., Tampa

Sail Pavilion will be hosting a monthly Brews and Bites Food Truck Rally 6-10 p.m. Nov. 8 and every second Friday of the month. There will be live entertainment by local musicians, a mojito bar, summer specialty cocktails, craft beers and multiple food trucks offering something for every tastebud. Information: 813-373-1193.

BINGO

American Legion Post 24: 2000 75th St. W., Bradenton

Bingo, 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Public welcome. Information: 941-794-3489.

Bradenton Tropical Palms: 2310 14th St. W., Bradenton

Bingo will be 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. New progressive game. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Information: 941-580-5044.

Casa Loma Mobile Home Park Clubhouse: 105 52nd Ave. E., Bradenton

Bingo, 6 p.m. Wednesdays. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Licensed food vendor available. Information: 941-761-7788.

Tidevue Estates Mobile Home Park Clubhouse: 4214 11th St. Ct. E. (off US 301 N.), Ellenton

Bingo, doors open 5 p.m., games start at 6:10 p.m. Fridays Nov.-April 2014. Information: 941-722-2557.

DANCES

Bradenton Woman’s Club: 1705 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

Dance to live music 8-11 p.m. Fridays. Cost is $8. Lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. Open to the public. Singles are welcome. BYOB, sodas available. Smoke-free facility. Proceeds will benefit renovation of the clubhouse, built in 1921. Information: 941-773-0177 or www.bradentonwomansclub.com.

Bella Danza Dance and Ballroom: 5702 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

Friday beginner group lessons 6 p.m. Cost: $10. Friday advanced group lessons 7 p.m. Cost: $10. Friday social dance with complimentary beverage and snacks, 8-9:30 p.m. Cost: $10. Afternoon ballroom dances are 2 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10. Dance Fusion for adults 7 p.m., for children 6 p.m. Thursdays; Cost: $10 adults, $5 children. Dance Information: Dwayne Biggs at 941-465-1031.

Adult Singles Dance Club: YMCA, 1075 Euclid Ave., Sarasota

Dance with live bands plus a DJ, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Saturdays; $8 members; $10 nonmembers. Complimentary snacks. Information: 941-756-8303 or 941-807-2226.

Sara Dance Center: 5000 Fruitville Road, Sarasota

Ballroom dancing lessons 7-8 p.m. and general dancing 8-10 p.m. Mondays. No partners necessary. Admission: $8 members, $10 nonmembers. Call for complete schedule 941-685-7026.

West Coast Woman’s Club of Manatee County: H2U, 6670 Cortez Road, Bradenton

Let’s Dance! a monthly social dance will be held 7-10 p.m. Nov. 9 and every second Saturday of each month. Dance lessons are 6:15-7 p.m. at no additional charge. Music will be provided by Ellsworth and Company. Light snacks will be provided. Water and sodas are available for purchase. BYOB. Cost: $8. Information: Kelly Helm at 941-447-8238.

FARMERS MARKETS

Bradenton Farmers Market: Old Main St., Bradenton

The Bradenton Farmers Market will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, featuring more than 30 vendors offering locally grown fruits, vegetables, plants, organic products, prepared foods, and the work of local artists and craftspeople. For more information about the Bradenton Farmers Market, visit www.bradentonfarmersmarket.com. The market expands to welcome Mainly Art, a gathering of local artists and craftspeople displaying and selling their handmade goods, every third Saturday of the month. Information: 941-840-0017 or visit www.bradentonfarmersmarket.com.

Ellenton Farmers Market: 5309 29th St. E., Ellenton

The Ellenton Farmers Market is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and specializes in “green” natural, organic and environmentally friendly products that makes for a healthier lifestyle and a better environment. Information: 941-725-0205.

Phillippi Farmhouse Market: 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

The Phillippi Farmhouse Market will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesdays featuring fruits and vegetables from local groves and farms including herbs, plants, cut flowers, prepared foods, seafood, ice cream, kettle corn, barbecue and multiple organic products. Local arts and craftsmen will be selling soaps and essential oils, organic treat for pets, fabric fantasies, books and much more. The midweek market runs through April. Information: 941-366-1323 or visit www.farmhousemarket.org.Bradenton Farmers Market: Main Street, Bradenton

San Marco Plaza Market: San Marco Plaza at 8209 Natures Way, Lakewood Ranch

Shop for local produce 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays featuring cut flowers, fresh seafood, coffees, pottery, herbs and more. The market features live entertainment performed by local musicians. Information: 941-799-4213.

Sarasota farmers market: Lemon Avenue at the intersection of Main Street, Sarasota

The Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market is hosting Veterans Appreciation Day 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 19 as part of the Legacy of Valor campaign honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans and their families. The event will feature a large tent with various non-profits that have missions geared toward helping veterans, local military organizations and live music by a 17-piece Jazz band. Information: 941-225-9256. Fresh produce, plants, coffee, crafts, food and more are available 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Information: 941-951-2656.

FLEA MARKETS

Enterprise Flea Market: 2408 U.S. 301, Palmetto

Indoor flea market featuring new and used items, furniture, household items, collectibles, antiques, pet cages, home medical equipment, a large selection of DVD/VHS and more. Merchandise added daily. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Information: 941-723-9424.

Red Barn Flea Market and Plaza: 1707 First St. E., Bradenton

Features more than 600 booths, farm-fresh produce, plants, antiques, new and used merchandise, jewelry and two food courts. Parking and admission are free. Hours (entire market) 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Plaza area retail stores open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Information: 941-747-3794.

SOCIAL CLUBS

American Legion Kirby Stewart Post 24: 2000 75th St. W., Bradenton

Lunch is served 11-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Spaghetti dinner and salad bar 5-7 p.m. and Queen of Hearts 8 p.m., Mondays. Hamburgers 5-7 p.m., Bingo 6-9 p.m., Live music by Art Siefert 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Chicken wings 5-8 p.m., karaoke with Franky Allen 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Quesadillas 5-8 p.m., TBD Band 7-10 p.m. Thursdays. Fried or baked fish 5-7 p.m., dancing and live music 7-10 p.m. Fridays. Foxhole Lounge: hot dogs 11 a.m.7 p.m. Saturdays. Breakfast 8-11:30 a.m., dancing and live music by Bob Dewart Band with Eddie Tobin on piano 2-5 p.m. Sundays; Cost: $5 members, $5 nonmembers. The public is welcome. Information: 941-794-3489 or www.americanlegionpost24.com.

American Legion Post 312: 1610 67th Ave. E., Oneco

Bingo 6:30 p.m. Thursdays; dinner 5-7 p.m. and music 7-11 p.m. Fridays; hamburgers and hot dogs 1-5 p.m., music 3-7 p.m. Saturdays; and breakfast 8 a.m.-11 a.m. and bingo 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sundays. Information: 941-758-6616.

American Legion Post 325: 3420 U.S. 301, Ellenton

Feather Your Nest 1 p.m., hamburgers 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Queen of Hearts, 7 p.m. Mondays. Hot dogs on Wednesdays. Information: 941-981-3819.

AmVets Post 301: 2443 U.S. 301 N., Ellenton

Tacos, 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Cheeseburger night, 5-7 p.m. Thursday. Karaoke on Friday nights. Music 5-8 p.m. Sundays. Back arcade open daily. Information: 941-722-0393.

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 18: 111 63rd Ave. E., Bradenton

Enjoy music 7:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays. Karaoke first Saturday of every month. Bar Bingo 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 1-4 p.m. Saturdays. Information: 941-755-5425.

Fraternal Order of Eagles Chapter 3171: 5831 15th St. E., Bradenton

Breakfast 8:30-11 a.m. and euchre at 1:30 p.m. Sundays; euchre at 7:30 p.m. Mondays; spaghetti dinner 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays; and bingo 11 a.m.-2 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month. Information: 941-756-2113.

Marine Corps League Detachment 588: 5225 26th St. W., Bradenton

All past and present military personnel and their guests are welcome to the Bunker Bar for fellowship, camaraderie, entertainment, and refreshments. Bar hours: 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Karaoke every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Information: 941-301-4598.

North Manatee American Legion Post 309: 2419 Bayshore Road, Palmetto

Bingo, 4 p.m. Thursdays. Soft-tip darts 8 p.m. Thursdays. Feather your nest 1-3 p.m. Saturdays. Information: 941-722-8689.

VFW Post 2488: 810 Sixth St. W., Palmetto

Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Fridays. Karaoke with Bob Dunn, 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Fish fry, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Fridays. Information: 941-722-9588.

VFW Post 9226: 3511 12th St. E., Ellenton

Euchre, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. Fish Fry, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fridays. Ladies Auxiliary Polish Fest and dinner 4:30-6:30 p.m. Oct. 19featuring perogies, stuffed cabbage and more. Bar poker 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Ladies Auxiliary Feather Your Nest 4:30-6:30 p.m.; $2 crockpot meal Mondays. Information: 941-729-8535.

VFW Palma Sola Post 10141: 5105 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

Ladies Auxiliary Cancer Awareness Event with food and music by Holly Rae 7-10 p.m. Oct. 19. Sunday breakfast, 9 a.m.-noon. TC and The Troublemakers, 4:30 p.m. every third Sunday. Monday night dinner, 5-7 p.m. Bingo 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. Fish Fry, 5-7 p.m. Fridays. New menu, bar food served 11-7 p.m. daily. The public is welcome to all dinners and events. Information: 941-794-6394.

Elementary school establishes brick dedication for charter class

Leave a reply

Trip Elementary School Assistant Principal Virin Vedder walks around about 900 bricks dedicated earlier this school year to students and staff who opened the school in 2008. The students who were in kindergarten that year are now fifth-graders, the first class to spend all six years at the school. (Staff Photo: Keith Farner)

The meaning of the brick dedication was to be a tribute for the vision and intention of the school when it opened in 2008 with about 750 students and 80 staff members. (Staff Photo: Keith Farner)

The bricks were purchased by some members of the charter class’ families, and donated through business partner sponsorships, parents and other local school fundraising efforts. School officials plan to add permanent benches and landscaping around the area. (Staff Photo: Keith Farner)

GRAYSON — Six years after she led the opening of Trip Elementary, Marci Sledge has plenty of memories from the first school where she was a principal.

Now there’s a physical representation to trigger those thoughts.

Earlier this school year, Trip Elementary administrators and teachers dedicated a display of about 900 bricks outside the front door of the school as a way to honor the charter class, teachers and staff that opened the building in 2008.

“When I visit, I will read the names on those bricks and remember the funny stories, the hard work, the good people that made Trip what it is today,” said Sledge, who left Trip in May to become the principal at Pinckneyville Middle.

The idea for the bricks came from Assistant Principal Virin Vedder who brainstormed it with a landscape designer as a way to depict staff “metaphorically surrounding students working together on this very important mission, which is education.”

Vedder glanced up at the circle design on the facade above the front door to the school, and the idea was born.

The school is in its sixth year of operation, and Vedder said the vast majority of the 80 staff members who helped open the school remain. About 750 students were there when the school opened, and the kindergarteners in 2008 are now fifth-graders.

“Any time you open a new school it’s hard work,” Vedder said. “It reflects the dedication and devotion to that charter year staff and students who made this building become what it is now, and what we are continuing to enhance every year, but you have to have a start. I think it’s a great way for us to give a tribute for those people who did put in that hard work and effort in what has become a great Trip. This is a metaphor for the beginning of our Trip.”

The opening of a school is difficult for everyone, Sledge said, because new routines and traditions have to be established. Students often move from a previous school without friends, and teachers and staff also have new colleagues and a new way of operating.

Sledge said her years at Trip are a proud chapter in her life, and she said the people involved were instrumental in creating a culture that’s important to preserve.

“What I’m proud of is the wonderful people associated with it,” she said. “I’m proud of the students who rose to our expectations year after year; the parents who believed in our school and supported us; and the wonderful teachers and support staff who are genuinely great people who do what it takes every day to do the right thing for kids.”

Sledge said some of the initial ideas were to have something that could be durable and not fade over time, but also something that charter students and staff could visit.

In the five years since the charter pathway project was announced, the school received donations from Parent Teacher Association, Student Council and local businesses. Parents also purchased bricks in the beginning. Vedder said the businesses who constructed the project also donated resources. And the long-term goal is to cement permanent benches and more extensive landscaping around it.

Late last school year, the project received enough money to become a reality, just in time for the charter class to enter fifth grade and be honored and recognized.

“This is our tribute to them,” Vedder said. “This represents that vision and intention.”

Edible landscape epitomizes green living – Las Vegas Review

Leave a reply

Recently, I had the good fortune to participate in a panel discussion at the monthly meeting of the U.S. Green Building Council — Nevada Chapter. Appropriately, its meetings are in a beautiful green building built with straw bales, one of several LEED-Platinum structures at the Springs Preserve.

The topic was green homes and my talk encompassed a combination of strategies and techniques that yield the most satisfying results. I mentioned insulation, orientation and thermal mass as the foundations of passive solar design. Daylighting and efficiency were covered, along with renewable energy and even electric cars. There was mention of creating microclimates, edible landscaping and using strategic shade trees to help maintain comfort and keep energy bills down.

The main message was that everyone can make a difference and that improving our homes also can help with big issues such as climate change.

Afterward, I spoke with fellow chapter member and landscape architect Anna Peltier about a project she’s been working on at her home. She is an active member of the organization, serving as the chairwoman of the education committee and often volunteering to help at chapter events. Peltier is the owner of Aria Landscape Architecture (www.arialandscape.com) and when it comes to applying green concepts to her craft, she walks her talk.

At home she is implementing several green strategies including an edible landscape. The backyard features what she refers to as “traditional edibles.” There are dwarf fruit trees producing apples, oranges and pomegranates. A pergola supports interwoven vines of Cabernet grapes, shading a cozy outdoor dining area.

I could almost smell lemon-grass, lavender, sage and rosemary as Peltier described what she grows. The list also includes marjoram, onion and garlic chives, oregano, thyme, lemon thyme and several varieties of mint.

Her traditional garden produces random seasonal veggies. She plants three annual growing seasons: spring, fall and winter. Winter crops are protected by a temporary greenhouse made from landscape piping and clear plastic.

To offset the higher water use of her edibles, Peltier’s front yard features native and near-native species from the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, all bearing edible delights. Honey mesquite, Indian fig prickly pear, purple prickly pear plus teddy bear and staghorn cholla produce pods, flowers, pads or fruit that have been staples of the area for millennia. Peltier’s knowledge of desert plants and the food they provide is impressive.

Her edible desert plantings also include ocotillo, wolfberry, Indian rice grass, Mormon tea, banana yucca, Mojave yucca and barrel cactus. One non-native exception is a black Turkish fig tree to help shade the house.

Peltier pays attention to others with innovative ideas and practical solutions. One such person is Brad Lancaster, author of “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond,” who led a seminar on the topic in Las Vegas this summer. Peltier was there. Now her home’s roof is being outfitted with gutters to channel occasional but sometimes intense rainfall into cisterns. The water can then be used more effectively, when and precisely where it is needed.

The yard also has been graded into a series of mulch-filled basins, acting as sponges to store excess rainwater while reducing evaporation. Three basins drain sequentially into the next and small berms help keep rainwater from flowing into the street. These simple but incredibly effective methods reduce the need to irrigate with potable water.

Peltier says her goal is the satisfaction of having an efficient yard that also provides supplemental food. She acknowledges that native species can never feed the city, but using native plants makes sense, no matter where you happen to live. It creates a sense of place, a connection with the environment that is often sorely lacking in modern culture.

The more we appreciate the beauty of our rich, local biodiversity and integrate it into our lives, the more sustainable our community will become. Aria Landscape Architecture is singing a song that is music to my ears and it’s all about green living. Bravo!

Steve Rypka is a green living consultant and president of GreenDream Enterprises, a company committed to helping people live lighter on the planet. For more information and links to additional resources relating to this column, or to reach Rypka, visit www.greendream.biz.

Creating a healing garden for The Shade Tree shelter, Las Vegas

Leave a reply

At a press conference held yesterday during IMEX America at the Sands Expo® and The Venetian® | The Palazzo® Congress Center in Las Vegas, Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO, announced details of the next IMEX Challenge, designed by the IMEX Group to create a positive and long-lasting legacy in a local community.

The next IMEX Challenge will be completed in 2014, thanks to the financial and in-kind support of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of the Sands Expo, The Venetian® and The Palazzo®, and Global Events Specialists, GES.

“This IMEX Challenge will call on members of the meetings and events industry to help with the landscaping and construction of a new healing garden and children’s play area for The Shade Tree shelter for women, children and their pets in Las Vegas,” she announced.

Bauer explained that the 2014 Challenge would be the third in the company’s history, with previous challenges having taken place in Slovenia and Poland.

The Challenge itself will take place over the weekend prior to IMEX America 2014 which will take place October 14 – 16. Prospective volunteers are being asked to sign up on the IMEX America booth #1464 during the current show. Each volunteer will be asked to pledge just four – five hours of their time to help bring the new healing garden to life.

The Shade Tree is one of two local Las Vegas charities — the other being Opportunity Village — with which IMEX America has an ongoing and actively supportive relationship. IMEX America also works with hotel soap and toiletries recycling not-for-profit, Clean the World. Both organizations are also playing their part in supporting the 2014 Challenge. During the current show, Opportunity Village is inviting attendees to enjoy a huge piece of artwork that will be donated as a mural for the indoor children’s room at The Shade Tree. Clean the World is also operating a working station at the current show where meetings professionals can donate their time to create recycled hygiene kits that contain a personal message for each recipient. All of the hygiene kits will all be donated to The Shade Tree for use by families throughout the coming year.

Bauer paid tribute to the generosity of the 2014 IMEX Challenge’s two host sponsors, Global Events Specialists, GES and Sands Cares, the charitable arm of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Said Bauer: “They have been extraordinary in their willingness to jump right in and offer help. Sands Cares have pulled together an amazing team, and their expertise and passion is going to transform what is currently a dusty backyard into a thoughtfully designed, living garden which will provide a wonderful healing space for the families to enjoy. In turn, GES are providing invaluable storage sheds for all the gardening, play equipment and pet care items that the shelter will need to keep the gardens in good shape in the future.”

Bauer explained that the original idea for the IMEX Challenge came about in 2004 when a handful of IMEX staff climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. After that the company began to express its sustainability values more consistently, through a focused approach to sustainability incorporating numerous operational changes, as well as industry promotion for this issue; and then through the launch of the bi-annual IMEX Challenge.

Representing The Shade Tree, DeAndre Esteen, Director of Development, attended the press conference with Napoleon McCallum, Director of Community Development for the Las Vegas Sands Corp. explaining how the project fits into the company’s community development remit. Dana Beatty, Director, Horticulture and Kent Bagnell, Director of Floral and Horticulture for The Venetian and The Palazzo (resorts owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp.) also presented the plans for the new garden and described the types of plants and landscaping techniques that would be used.

Commenting on their sponsorship support of the IMEX Challenge 2014, Andy Abboud, Senior VP of Government Relations Community Development for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation later said:

“It is great synergy when IMEX, its exhibitors and Las Vegas Sands Corp., can create a legacy community project for The Shade Tree. We hope our support through Sands Cares will be a catalyst to encourage others to contribute to this innovative endeavour.”

Sand Cares is the charitable arm of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. The organization supports endeavours that assist youth, promote health, aid wounded veterans, and expand educational opportunities within local communities.

Global Event Specialists (GES) is a global events company that creates unique experiences for marketing organizations, exhibitor organizers and event attendees.

IMEX America show attendees are invited and encouraged to sign up to help with The IMEX America Challenge 2014 at Booth #1464.

Townhome garden has excellent landscaping

Leave a reply

Marion Cole has lived in Plant City for more than 20 years and enjoys the beauty of a quiet suburban lifestyle. Her love for plants began in North Florida as a child as she helped her parents and grandparents plant and maintain their beautiful flowers, fruit trees and vegetables.

She is both patient and adaptable and has mixed the townhome’s community plantings and her own to make a charming garden with a formal but very comfortable feeling.

Part of her success comes from the setting. While most corner lots are framed by an angle of two streets, this one is surrounded with a single street that curves around from one side of her house to the other. The excellent landscaping that came with it offers elegance and privacy.

A professional landscaping company hired by the association takes care of the lawns, sprinkler system, ground cover, trees and shrubs.

Marion keeps many of her personal plants in pots, mostly along the house, entrance way or doorway. She waters and prunes them herself. She also does a good bit of grooming in the rest of the yard. Once she starts, she says, she doesn’t want to stop.

By keeping plants in containers, she can move them around to make them happy. Marion fertilizes with Black Magic, Jungle Grow, ironite and other recommended fertilizers to keep her plants green and healthy.

Huge magnolia trees bloomed heavily this year just inside the wooden fence by the street. The trees stand in a thick ground cover of oyster plant, sometimes called Moses in a Boat, and rain lilies that grow wild and make a beautiful setting seen from the street. There is a central area of manicured, well-grown grass and all of the beds are neatly mulched. Large, red-leaved ti plants and variegated succulent stems of devil’s backbone give color year round. Near the kitchen bay window is a cluster of ruellias bloom with lavender flowers that give color to outdoors and inside.

Her own favorite plants line the walkway from the driveway to the gorgeous, etched-glass, front-entrance doors and best of all, a bench gives that special sense of not being seen but being able to see out. It has an almond bush planted in front of it, wonderfully fragrant most of the year, and a great nectar food for butterflies. A crinum lily was blooming the day I was there with a firework globe of more fragrant flowers.

Today’s pick is the foxtail or asparagus fern. Actually it’s not a fern at all because it produces seeds rather than spores and is a member of the lily family. It likes full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Its dense, small spiny leaves grow on upright stems. The roots become a mass of tubers that can crack a pot, so in containers they should be divided every two to three years.

Yellowish leaves will not turn green again, so cut them off. There are inconspicuous little white flowers in summer followed by BB-sized berries that turn from green to red. Don’t overwater this plant. It mixes well with succulents, like the round-leaved Sansevieria.

Now’s the time to tell you the majority of the monarchs started their migration to Mexico at the end of August. I could tell because the milkweed plants are growing leaves faster than the caterpillars are eating them now. Before that I had to cover some of mine to keep them from being eaten to death.

I’ve taken the cover off now. A few monarchs will stay through the winter. I’ve had six emerge recently. I haven’t seen any caterpillars for awhile, but I keep looking. There are still plenty of other butterflies around, especially the zebra longwings.

Upcoming events

• The Tampa Bay Orchid Society meets Thursdayat Christ The King Church, McLaughlin Center, 821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. The doors open at 6 p.m., and the meeting starts at 6:30. Antonio Toscano de Brito, curator of the Orchid Research Center at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, will speak. There will be refreshments, plants for sale and a plant raffle.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information and directions, call (813) 839-4959 or visit tampabayorchidsociety.shutterfly.com.

• Lori Symington is opening her garden to the public this Saturday at 2317 Hamlin Court, Valrico, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. It’s full of color, flowers, vegetables and fruit. Her granddaughter Abbie will have some plants for sale. For directions or details, call (813) 352-1712.

Monica Brandies is an experienced gardener, freelance writer and author of 11 gardening books who can be reached at monicabrandies@yahoo.com. Her website is www.gardensflorida.com.

Broehm awarded October ‘Garden Of the Month’

Leave a reply

On any given day and at just about any given hour, Sun Prairie resident Ann Broehm can be found toiling in the plants, flowers and herbs that surround her home on Blankenheim Lane.

Much of the past 41 years on her ¾-acre lot have been spent in the front and back yards, where upcoming seasons and holidays are celebrated with festive items she finds at garage, church and estate sales.

It is this dedication and the beauty it brings that the Sun Prairie Garden Club recognized by awarding Broehm the October “Garden Of the Month.”

Broehm’s first love has always been the outdoors. She learned the ins and outs of gardening and landscaping from her mother, and has spent many decades practicing and refining the art of bringing the outdoors to life.

Of the many types of gardeners that exist, from low-maintenance landscapers to retirees with hours to spare with their hands in the dirt, Broehm finds herself among the latter, seeking out the great outdoors for tranquility.

“Let me put my hands in dirt and I can hear some bad news, but it doesn’t bother me,” Broehm said. “ … I’m at peace when I’m outside.”

In October, her porch resembles a carefully done-up collage of autumn foliage, hay bales, and festive pumpkins. But there are also remnants of late summer color – punches of fuschia, gold, bright yellow, blue and red cluster in wooden and cement pots. The porch changes with the seasons, and serves as a beautiful reminder to passersby of what holiday is coming up next.

Around the back of her home is where her years of hard work are evident – the yard remains mostly open, but with a few spaced out areas reflecting her different landscape and gardening interests.

A vegetable garden in the corner grows radishes, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, beans, peas and thousands of cucumbers. This year alone, she picked and pickled 3,267 cucumbers, with the help of dill from her herb garden.

“When I can my pickles, I pick them immediately then I have my own dill so it’s all fresh,” Broehm said. “People just fight over my pickles.”

She also has a grapevine, which she uses to make concentrated grape juice.

Her backyard is host to not only her annuals, perennials and yard decorations, but to wildlife as well. She regularly attracts Cardinals, Blue Jays, Orioles, Blue Buntings, Finches, Mallard and Wood ducks, geese and foxes.

The telltale sign of her love for the outdoors and gardening? Laughter when you ask her about the time commitment.

“It could be 24/7,” Broehm said. “I just love it. I go outside thinking, ‘I have to do this one thing.’ It never is that way. I see so much that has to be done, always.”

The time she has spent outdoors has taught her a lot of useful tips for preparing her gardens.

To save money on geraniums, Broehm cuts the flowers off and puts them in her basement during the off-season. She takes seeds off flowers and holds them over to dry out, then starts growing them in a southwest facing window in her basement beginning in January.

“In saving on buying geraniums, that’s a big thing,” she said.

She also advises on the most important part of a good garden, good soil. Broehm has a compost bin in the garden, which she regularly fills with cow manure she receives from a farmer she knows and grass clippings from her neighbor.

She is also faithful to providing plenty of space for things to grow, and fertilizer.

From there, it’s all about choice.

“Just pick out some seeds that you would like … and start planting,” Broehm said.

Her talents have been recognized by countless family, friends and strangers, but it was still a pleasant surprise for the longtime Sun Prairie resident to be named the final “Garden Of the Month” of 2013.

“So many people have said, ‘With all your work and how beautiful it is, you should be the garden of the month,’” Broehm said. “I said, ‘Well maybe some day I’ll be picked.’ I was shocked and very, very surprised.”

Master gardener shares tips on her Texas Eclectic landscape

Leave a reply

Welcome back, !

We now need to verify this email address. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy below and then click Verify Email. You will then receive an email at this address. Just click the link in the email, and the verification will be complete.

We now need to verify this email address. Click Verify Email and you will receive an email at this address. Just click the link in the email, and the verification will be complete.

If you cannot verify your email address, please call Customer Care at or toll-free at .

Tips for working safely in the garden

Leave a reply

Working in the garden is usually considered an exercise for most people. It is just something to do over the weekend to take their minds of other things, while at the same time involving the muscles to do some actual work, instead of lying about for two days. Some people consider this a better exercise than jogging or even doing push-ups, because it involves many more muscles that these workouts.

However, some other people tend to have problems with gardening. For example, some of them will wake up on Monday morning with sore back or achy joints, while others will experience cramps due to their muscles being inactive for a long time. If you think that there is no way to prevent these minor injuries, you are mistaken. You can minimize the negative effects that gardening can have on muscles, neck and back by following a few simple tips. I will lay them down for you.

Getting comfortable is the key

It is very important that you feel as comfortable as possible while working, so get yourself in a position where nothing will bother you. Once you have found such a position, you can keep it by:

Working in front of you and not trying to stretch or twist your body in some weird ways. Also, keep your work close to yourself.
Moving your body to new working positions, if that is necessary. You do not have to be in one position or place the whole time.
Deciding which tools are right for the job. Not every tool is useful, or comfortable, for every gardening activity.

Tool handling

How they handle their tools is what separates a seasoned gardener from an unprepared one. A seasoned gardener will know how to handle his tools and will prepare them accordingly before any gardening activity. Here are some tips how to improve tool handling:

You should hold the tools loosely in your hand. Gripping tools too tightly may lead to injuries, some of which can be chronic and may not be discovered immediately.
If possible, obtain a wheelbarrow to help you transport things. It is much better that you leave transporting heavy things to a tool than having to lift things yourself.
In order to avoid having to try too hard, always keep the tools used for digging and cutting as sharp as possible.
Having an access platform nearby at all times will help you avoid stretching too high to reach things that are at a height. Also, it will give you a much better position for working, which goes in line with keeping all the work in front of yourself.

Setting and keeping the pace

In order to feel well and to avoid any injuries, you have to find the pace of work that suits your strength and stamina. If you set the pace too hard, you will end up with all the problems that I have listed at the beginning. However, if you set it to be too lenient, then you will not get enough work done and your body will remain neglected. Here’s some advice that might help you:

Always take a break when you feel tired. Working while you are tired will only increase the chance of you making some mistake.
If there is a lot of heavy lifting, digging and cutting to be done, do not do it all at once – that will surely tire you immensely. Instead, spread the work over a few days or weeks, whichever suits you best. Just make a plan and stick to it.
Do not work only one thing for the entire day. Do a little bit of everything or, at least, work a few different jobs. This way, you will avoid suffering repetitive strain injuries, which can, in time, turn into chronic injuries which might cause much trouble for you.
Finally, whenever you work in the garden, make sure that you are properly protected from the sun. Working under a sunscreen or wearing a hat will help block the sun. Also, drink a lot of fluids. Both hard work and the sun require you to get hydrated often, so do it – always have a full bottle of water with you.

Working in your garden can be a cause for many chronic and ordinary injures, as I have already said. If you follow the tips explained here, you will surely be able to avoid, hopefully, all of these. It is important to do your gardening safely and responsibly so that you could enjoy working in it for a long time.

Auckland Garden Designfest Bursts Into Bloom This November

Leave a reply

Auckland Garden Designfest Bursts Into Bloom This
November

For immediate release: Wednesday 16
October 2013

Celebrating Auckland’s
extraordinary landscaping, design and artistic talent

First-time gardeners, the green-thumbed and
landscaping professionals alike are invited to take part in
the second biennial Auckland Garden DesignFest 2013, on
16-17 November across the Auckland region.

Twenty-five of
the city’s most spectacular residential gardens will be
open to the public—nearly all of them for the first
time—in a celebration of the incredible landscaping,
design and artistic talent Auckland has to offer. Visitors
have the opportunity to explore the grounds over two days,
speak with each garden’s designer onsite, and gain
inspiration for their own gardens coming into summer.

The
Festival’s Joint Chairperson, Rose Thodey says, “We’re
proud to have so many experienced designers taking part in
this year’s Festival. Thanks to them, and the generosity
of the gardens’ owners, we’re able to show the enormous
difference good garden design can make to a property.”

“All the Festival gardens are incredible, but they
follow simple principles that anyone can use in their own
backyard, if they know how to apply them. So it’s about
showing people how easy and worthwhile it can be to use
effective garden design techniques to make their outdoor
environments more enjoyable spaces to live in.”

Some of
the Festival’s highlights include: a Lake Pupuke garden by
up-and-coming designers Matt McIsaac and
Mat Ransom which featured in the 2009 film
Under the Mountain; one of New Zealand’s most
beloved designers, the internationally-recognised
Xanthe White presents two gardens—one a
Herne Bay property incorporating brick salvaged from the
2011 Christchurch earthquake, with a range of edible and
medicinal plantings, the other in Mt Eden, with flowery
natives and gorgeous lagoon effects; Damian
Wendelborn collaborates with artist Desna
Whaanga-Schollum on a large outdoor installation to
reinvigorate a tired Herne Bay property; Trudy
Crerar’s California-inspired garden next door
responds to the deco period of its landmark 1920s apartment
building; Robin Shafer’s whimsical
Balmoral garden is perfect for anyone with a romantic
sensibility, and her Sunnyhills property is a relaxing,
tropical-inspired oasis, and finally, for anyone seeking
ideas on creating small urban sanctuaries, don’t miss
Pascal Tibbits’ Parnell designs.

Unique to the Festival is the chance to explore gardens
where the professionals have combined forces. Stroll through
two properties in Freemans Bay where Trish
Bartleet has worked with old friends: fellow
designer Sally Gordon who describes her new
garden as being “all I dreamt of”, before wandering
across to her neighbour, award-winning architect Pip
Cheshire’s utterly desirably retreat.

Remuera is home to seven of the Festival’s
gardens, with sweeping, Italian-style properties such as
Ron Dkyman’s two gardens, extensive,
multi-purpose outdoor areas by Gary de
Beer, and Fiona Kelly and Barbara
Garrett, and an awe-inspiring, historic garden by
Sue and Colin McLean, with water features,
sculptures, a potager garden and beehive. For poolside
living, see Gudrun Fischer’s sleek
creation and Jan Hart’s family garden
which won Silver Awards in last year’s Landscaping New
Zealand Awards.

The Festival was inspired by
Melbourne’s renowned Rotary Garden DesignFest and is held
in alternate years with its Auckland counterpart so
gardening and design enthusiasts have the opportunity to go
to festivals in both cities. It is the brainchild of the
Garden Design Society of NZ and the Rotary Club of
Newmarket.

Tickets for the festival are now on sale online,
or available to pick up in person from Palmers Gardenworld
and Palmers Planet Stores throughout Auckland. Pre-purchased
tickets cost $50 for an all-garden, all-weekend pass, or $60
if bought on the day at any of the gardens. Single garden
tickets are also available for $5 each. Proceeds from all
tickets go towards children’s charities Ronald McDonald
House, KidsCan and Garden to Table.

For those looking to
see all the highlight gardens with the guidance of expert
guides, bus tours are offered and cater to a range of
interests, beginning and ending at historic Highwic in
Newmarket.

For more information, visit gardendesignfest.co.nz.

ENDS