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East Sacramento gardens look good enough to eat
Stroll the shady streets of east Sacramento and you may discover something surprising: front yards full of food.
Where once only camellias and azaleas grew, lemon bushes offer juicy fruit along with glossy foliage. Fragrant thyme, mint and oregano freely mingle with petunias. Lipstick-red peppers peek out of manicured flower beds. Shiny strawberries punctuate ruffled green borders.
Other food plants are easier to spot. Green beans wind up trellises. Cornstalks stand sentry at fence lines. Lawns give way to pumpkin and melon vines, tempting passers-by with their almost-hidden treasures.
This being Sacramento, of course, there are plenty of tomatoes, bursting out of their cages with clusters of fruit.
Front-yard tomatoes? Such a scene would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. But now, everybody everywhere wants to get into “edible landscaping.”
That’s the impetus behind the East Sacramento Edible Gardens Tour, which will be held next Saturday. Six east Sacramento gardens — most grouped within walking distance — will be open to the public as part of a fundraiser for Soroptimist International of Sacramento. Proceeds from the annual event will support the Tubman House, which provides homeless parents and children with housing and support as they rebuild their lives.
In its third year, this unusual garden tour focuses on food and the creative — and attractive — ways edibles can fit into suburban landscapes.
When this tour first started, edible landscaping seemed like a novel idea.
“Now, everybody thinks it’s very nice,” said tour chairwoman Susann Hadler. “They see these gardens and think, ‘What a great thing to do!’”
More than 1,000 patrons took part in last year’s Edible Gardens Tour, Hadler noted. “It’s quickly become one of our major fundraisers.”
What surprised Hadler was how many more gardeners wanted to become involved with the edible tour.
“It’s overwhelming,” she said. “The response is amazing. Our gardeners are so enthused and they’re all hands-on. They’re really excited about what they’re doing and they want to share that (enthusiasm) with others.”
Next week, the featured stops range from a neighborhood community garden tended by about 10 families to an art-filled oasis with artichokes and zucchini framing the outdoor sculptures. Master gardeners will be stationed at each garden to answer questions. Music will be provided by members of the Sacramento Symphonic Winds.
“We have all the gardeners hustling to get ready,” said Janine Yancey, one of the tour’s hosts. “We’re very excited.”
Ty and Janine Yancey had space for a garden, but not the expertise. The couple bought a home on 38th Street with plans of replacing it with another house.
“We built a guest house on the back of the lot and tore down the original structure,” Janine Yancey said. “In the interim, we’re growing a community garden.”
The project started “with just a bare lot,” she added. “I credit Ty for taking the ball and running with it. He passed out fliers and organized our neighbors. We started the garden last year, but this year took it to new heights.”
The Yanceys discovered they had neighbors with green thumbs and years of vegetable-growing experience. They also learned by doing. With the help of a landscaping friend, the Yanceys and their neighborhood gardeners installed drip irrigation and decomposed granite walkways. Decorative stones outline the individual plots.
Tom Bushnell, one of the neighbors, heartily approves. He’s among the group that tends a sunny plot of tomatoes and peppers on an otherwise very shady street.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Bushnell said as he watered on a recent day. “I can’t wait for my honeydew melons. Everybody’s got something growing. It’s the most luscious stuff.”
The vegetables are delicious, but even better is the camaraderie.
“The best thing about this garden is we’ve gotten to know each other,” Bushnell said.
Added Janine Yancey, “All of us are totally engaged with the garden. It’s a focal point. We chitchat, hang out, just relaxing. It’s become our little meeting spot.”
There’s space for all ages to get involved. Bushnell points to a hot-pink row of hand-painted signposts, created by the Walsh family for its “just tomatoes” garden in the group plot. Children had added mirrors and other baubles to brighten their veggie space.
“How cool is that?” he asked. “It’s just so fun.”
Inspiration grows wild in these gardens.
“One of the things I kept hearing last year was, ‘I can do that!’” Hadler said. “There are so many ideas that people really will incorporate into their own gardens. They see how people created space for edibles even if they had no space. They put herbs in pots on their doorstep or cucumbers on a trellis. People pick up on their doable, practical ideas.”
Families are encouraged to bring their children on the garden tour, Hadler said. Kids under age 12 are admitted free.
“Kids see things,” Hadler said. “They get excited. They’ll point out vegetables as they discover, ‘That’s where tomatoes come from!’ Cherry tomatoes right off the vine are so sweet. They want to eat them. It’s a great way to introduce kids to vegetables.”
Each of the gardens has its own personality. Mike and Juliana Horrell’s Peter Rabbit Garden has an outdoor bunny pen set among abundant herbs and vegetables. Susan and John Stine’s Sunshine Garden is sprinkled with sunny mosaics to match the bright light.
Heirloom tomatoes, grapevines and lavender mix with unusual fruit trees in the Circle of Life garden of Donna and Josh Pane. Trish and Tom Uhrhammer turned the vacant space between two homes into a private but shared edible paradise. Outdoor art populates the creative “garden rooms” of Eric Geiger and Phil Klamm.
Food plants often do double duty. In these edible landscapes, herbs replace lawns and shrubs bear fruit as well as screen walls. The results are as attractive as any ornamental garden.
“Everybody in Sacramento talks about farm to fork,” Hadler said. “Here, it’s garden to dinner table, every day.”
And there’s been no push-back over the front-yard tomatoes.
“If anything, it’s the opposite,” Janine Yancey said. “People say we have a park on our street now.”
Call The Bee’s Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075. Follow her on Twitter @debarrington
There’s owls, alpacas, gifts and crafts as well as gardening tips
Handmade crafts, vintage gifts and local artisan produce will be just some of the things on offer at this year’s Autumn Country Market at Easton Walled Gardens, near Grantham, on Sunday, September 8.
Alongside the stalls the event will also feature gardening demonstrations, performances from a local harpist, owls and alpacas for visitors to meet and artists painting in the gardens.
Ursula Cholmeley, gardening director at Easton Walled Gardens, says: “Every year we host a special Autumn Country Market right here in our 17th century cobbled courtyard.
“Lincolnshire has so much to offer and it is important for all of us here at Easton to showcase the very best, so what better way to celebrate it than to host an exclusive country fair and invite people from across the county to visit and enjoy.
We are providing £5 voucher for all online registered customer. Register online at www.everestxpress.co.uk
or visit our Takeaway with a copy of this voucher. Call us on 01522541930 for more details.
Terms:
This offer is valid on order above £20.00 on collection and over £25.00 on delivery.Visit our website for full T C.
Contact: 01522541930
Valid until: Monday, September 30 2013
“Visitors love coming to the gardens and experiencing a completely unique shopping experience in such beautiful surroundings, in addition to spending time in the gardens themselves, which have been lovingly restored from near ruin by our expert horticultural team.
“This year’s market will have more stallholders than ever before, plus music and activities for everyone to enjoy.”
Open 11am-4pm. Find out more at www.eastonwalledgardens.co.uk
Gardening Tips: Can fall webworms damage a pecan tree?
Posted: Friday, September 6, 2013 12:05 pm
The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC
Here are a few of the questions on the minds of Roanoke Valley gardeners over the past week or so.
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Friday, September 6, 2013 12:05 pm.
Harvesting Onions & Other Gardening Tips
University of Vermont
Harvesting onions and storing properly, freezing fresh corn, and dividing certain perennials are some of the gardening activities for this month.
Begin harvesting onions when about half to three quarters of the leaves have died back. Gently dig or pull the onions and store them in a dry, shady place with good ventilation, such as an outdoor shed or barn, for 10 days to two weeks. After the onions have cured, separate the young, soft, and thick-necked bulbs and use them first because they won’t store well. Put the rest in slatted crates or mesh bags, and store them indoors in a basement with low humidity and temperatures between 33 and 45 degrees F.
Preserve the fresh-picked flavor of corn on the cob for winter meals. Cook the cobs as usual, then using a special corn scraper or a sharp knife, cut off the kernels and freeze them in freezer bags. They will be much tastier than any store-bought frozen or canned corn.
It’s time to start some mesclun greens and leaf lettuce in bare spots in the garden for fall picking. Mix in some compost before seeding and give new seedlings a dose of liquid fish emulsion.
Build the nutrient levels and organic matter in garden beds by sowing cover crops like annual ryegrass or buckwheat into empty annual beds. They will grow until winter kills them and then can be incorporated into the soil in spring. Cut down buckwheat before it flowers so seeds don’t become a problem.
Begin removing the old mulch under roses and raking up all leaves and debris. While this organic matter may seem beneficial, there are many rose disease organisms and insects that overwinter there, and you can reduce the damage to your plants next year by getting rid of it all.
Trees, shrubs, and perennials are on sale, and late summer into early fall is a great time to plant. Get new plants in the ground then so they can begin expanding their root systems. If you don’t have the final spot ready, sink the pots or root balls temporarily in an empty area in the veggie garden. Water them if nature doesn’t provide enough.
Late summer is a good time to divide German and Siberian iris, rudbeckia, echinacea, daylilies, and tall phlox. If plants are blooming well, with strong stems, and you still have space for them, they shouldn’t need division. Don’t make the divisions too small or you’ll wait longer for blooms. Wait until after bloom to divide. Trim the foliage by at least half before replanting.
Be sure to set bearded iris rhizomes (the thick roots) just barely below the soil surface to prevent rotting. When dividing these iris, check the rhizomes for mushy areas with borers. Discard affected roots, making sure to kill the borers.
You can savor the smells and memories of summer this winter by making potpourri from your roses, pinks, mint, and other fragrant garden herbs and flowers. Pick the flowers in early morning soon after the dew has evaporated. Dry petals and flower heads, until crisp, on a screen or newspaper in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. Or, you can use an oven set at its lowest temperature. Mix the dried plants with orris root (from many grocery and health food stores, found among the spices) to preserve the flavor. Age and store in an airtight container in the dark.
Experts share tips for mastering coastal gardens
Julie Swank
Julie Swank, gardening teacher at La Honda Elementary School, shows off the hidden corners of the school’s productive garden.
Posted: Thursday, September 5, 2013 10:34 am
Half Moon Bay Review
Posted on
September 5, 2013
Like the garden itself, the gardening program at La Honda Elementary School needs attention in order to grow. That is why a steady trickle of parents, master gardeners and local residents turned out Saturday for the first of what may be many workshops in the school’s productive garden.
The event was organized by school officials and master gardeners who earned their titles through a 13-week course provided by the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. Kelly Greenwood, whose daughter Helen attends the school, is a master gardener and landscape designer. Janice Moody is a master gardener as well; her kids graduated from La Honda Elementary School years ago. Both have deep roots in the school’s garden.
Saturday’s topics included soil and plant bed preparation, year-round gardening in the coastal mountains and other tips for local planters. There was also something for the kids to do. The school’s gardening teacher, Julie Swank, worked with young students to create “seed tape” — seeds stuck to strips of newspaper with a sticky cornstarch slurry — that could then be planted in the garden.
The garden has existed for about 25 years. Originally, school administrators received grants to plant small beds on land adjacent to the classrooms. Today, the project has grown to nearly an acre and Swank incorporates math, science and nutrition lessons into time students spend in the garden. It costs about $20,000 a year and is largely funded by the La Honda Education Foundation.
“Our goal is to receive enough money to make this self-sufficient, but we haven’t gotten there yet,” said Principal Kristen Lindstrom.
It isn’t for lack of ideas. On Saturday, she and Swank traded money-making schemes. They have considered renting land to someone interested in growing the peaches that seem to grow nowhere on the coast but at the school. They talk about creating a large pumpkin patch that would funnel money back to the garden. They already sell eggs to parents and sometimes take food to the Pecadero farmers market.
Saturday’s event was free, but organizers hope to hold future master gardener workshops — and those may be fundraisers.
“We have lofty ideas,” Lindstrom said.
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Thursday, September 5, 2013 10:34 am.
Tips to add height to your garden
Most of the flowers selected for a border are low-growing but tall plants that make bold vertical statements have their place in the garden, as well.
Too often they are relegated to the back of the border but they can look good as specimen plants or on their own. The few that I will tell you about here may be best located in full sun but others can do well in part or dappled shade.
A plant that is so well known that it is frequently passed by is the hollyhock. It can grow anywhere from four to seven feet in height. It may grow as a biennial that reseeds itself but I have also found it to be a short lived perennial. Its flowers may occur as singles or doubles but in my opinion the doubles look too much like the decorations for weddings. Colours vary from white through red, pink to yellow. Against a wooden fence they are outstanding.
Delphiniums or larkspur are one of the classic garden perennials that remind one of the traditional English-style herbaceous borders. The four to six feet tall Pacific Giant Hybrids bear spikes of double flowers that are white, pink and blue. These and other delphiniums are best suited to the back of a sunny border and do best in rich, moist but well-drained soil. The taller plants often need staking which is best done in late May but the mid-sized varieties seldom do.
Another plant with tall, long-lasting spikes is blazing star or gayfeather. They are tough, drought-resistant plants that may naturalize in a meadow situation as they are native wildflowers. They form low grassy clumps of leaves that send up spikes that may be purple, pink or white and reach five feet.
Mullein is often seen growing along roadsides and in waste places. The five to six feet stalks grow from a basal display of leaves and in the wild persist for months. The hybrid Verbascum plants have fuzzy gray leaves that grow in low clumps. The tall stems are laden with one-inch pink, white, yellow or lavender flowers from midsummer to early fall. They like any sunny location and I have found them excellent in the middle of a mixed bed.
Veronicastrum (Culver’s-root) is closely related to Veronica. This tall (4 ½-foot) native plant bears flowers in long wands that arch gracefully in late summer. Album is a popular white while Rosea is pale pink. When growing it choose small-flowered plants like Russian sage or Salvia as companion plants. Ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis, Panicum or Miscanthus can also fit well.
Tall, flowering plants that can grow in partial or dappled shade as well as sun are Ligularia, Foxglove, Bugbane and Gooseneck loosestrife. Lysimachia, the last-named, is a moisture-loving perennial that bears short spikes of white flowers. This native does spread to form patches but has good, red fall colour. Ligularia flourishes in cool, moist locations and belongs beside water. The tall clumps of large rounded leaves bear spikes or clusters of yellow flowers in summer. Bugbane (Cimifuga or Actaea) is also a native and prefers a moist soil.
The above plants do not exhaust the list of tall flowers you can grow. Jo-Pye Weed is one of the most striking of our native wildflowers. Its panicles of purple-red flowers can rise well over five feet. Other tall plants are a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbekia triloba), yarrow, bee balm and Boltonia.
Denzil Sawyer is a local freelance writer and a Master Gardener.
Garden tips: Mapping heat can aid plant choices
While severely cold winters have become less and less common in our region, it is obvious that we still can count on our extremely hot summers. When selecting trees, shrubs or perennial plants for local landscapes, a plants ability to withstand the stress of multiple days of high temperatures during the summer should be considered along with a plants ability to survive cold winter temperatures.
The late Dr Marc Cathey, American Horticulture Society (AHS) president emeritus, noted that heat damage is not as obvious as severe cold temperature injury that can kill or damage a plant. Heat damage typically is more of a chronic condition with plants failing over time from accumulated stress that leads to poor growth and attack by insects or disease.
Thats why in 1997 the American Horticulture Society under the direction of Dr Cathey developed the AHS Heat Zone Map. Similar to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Hardiness Zone Map, the AHS Heat Zone Map is divided into zones. The Heat Zone map has 12 zones based on the average number of days that zone experiences with temperatures above 86 degrees. Above the suitable zones, a plant will suffer heat damage.
Most of Benton and Franklin counties is rated as being in AHS Heat Zone 6 with greater than 45 days and less than 60 days above 86 degrees. However, the area immediately outside the Tri-Cities is rated in AHS Heat Zone 7, with greater than 60 days and less than 90 days above 86 degrees. Thank goodness we arent in Zone 1, with less than one heat day, or Zone 12, with greater than 210 days!
It is important to note that the AHS Heat Zone Map assumes that adequate water is supplied to the roots of the plant at all times. The accuracy of the zone coding can be substantially distorted by a lack of water, even for a brief period in the life of the plant. Most plants we place in our area home landscapes are not native to our region and require adequate supplemental watering. Indicating a plant is heat tolerant in our zone doesnt mean that it is drought tolerant.
Water isnt the only factor that could skew a plants ability to thrive in a particular heat zone. Soil aeration and drainage; exposure to light; air circulation; exposure to radiant heat from mulches, structures and paving; soil fertility; and soil pH all affect a plants ability to thrive in a particular heat zone.
I am seeing more and more trees and shrubs with a USDA Hardiness Zone Map rating and a AHS Heat Zone Map rating in catalogs and on plant labels. When you go plant shopping, look for these ratings to help ensure your plants will have a long and happy life.
Reminder: Our area is in USDA Hardiness Zones 6B to 7A.
— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.
3 Crapemyrtles perfect for the southern garden
If the fear of pruning a crape myrtle has held you back from owning one in your own home garden then the Garden Docs want to help you get over that fear. Their Sept. 6 advice on The Press Democrat about how to prune these beautiful garden additions starts with emphasizing the need to know where to plant your crape myrtle, so you can prune it less.
Successfully planting the Delta Jazz Crapemyrtle or the Early Bird Crapemyrtle available in Lavender, Purple or White is a snap, since the Southern Living Plant Collection website tells you exactly how tall each should be by maturity, so you can plant them in appropriate spaced settings.
Choosing the right location for a 6-foot tall to 4-foot wide white Early Bird Crapemrytle means you can let it grow more freely and have to prune it less. If you plant it in a space that is too small for it; however, you will spend more time pruning it than you will have to enjoy its blooms each year. And no one wants to do that.
In addition, the Southern Living Plant Collection crapemyrtles only have to be pruned once annually, after they bloom in the spring. So there is no guesswork. That’s partially why the Atlanta Landscape Design Examiner chose SLPC’s Delta Jazz Crapemyrtle for her trial garden in North Georgia. That and the fact that it has such beautiful deep-colored blooms as well as lovely leaves for fall and winter.
Interested in more gardening and landscape news and tips? Click on the subscribe link next to my photo at the top of this page and immediate email notifications of each new article will soon follow.
Less Is More: Boutique Design Firm Delivers Big Results for Wyndham Garden …
Accent Hospitality Boutique gives a fresh look to the lobby of the Wyndham Garden Hotel with a luxurious European inspired design.
Working with Accent Hospitality Boutique allowed us to differentiate ourselves from this set design standard and in return enhance the experience for our guests.
Plantation, FL (PRWEB) September 06, 2013
Bigger is not always better when it comes to choosing a hospitality design firm. The recent conversion of a well-worn Chicago-area Comfort Inn into a light and modern Wyndham Garden Hotel in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is a great example. The owner of the property chose Accent Hospitality Boutique to give the hotel a competitive advantage in a market vying for the business traveler with its proximity to Chicago O’Hare airport. Since opening in March, Wyndham Garden in Elk Grove Village has become the number one hotel on TripAdvisor.com.
Shaun Meister, Project/Opening General Manager for the Wyndham Garden renovation, points out that there are numerous regulations and brand standards to take into consideration. Working with a smaller firm, however, makes a difference. “Working with Accent Hospitality Boutique allowed us to have a team putting together a unique design plan that is different from any other Wyndham Garden property, but still adheres to the required brand guidelines set in place,” said Meister.
All trends point to creating a unique guest experience, a cornerstone for many smaller design firms. “Many hotel brands have a set design package for their rooms…a traveler could be staying in a specific branded hotel in any city or state and they will essentially get the same room with the same ‘look and feel.’ Working with Accent Hospitality Boutique allowed us to differentiate ourselves from this set design standard and in return enhance the experience for our guests,” said Meister.
Formerly a Comfort Inn, Rose, Design Concierge of Accent Hospitality Boutique, faced the unique challenge of decorating non-standard guestrooms. “I approached the project with European inspiration by infusing the smaller space with luxury items to make it seem larger,” she said.
Smaller firms often have a network of sources offering unique procurement options from around the world. Rose and her team ordered special furniture pieces a few inches shallower than standard so guests could navigate the room comfortably. The vanity sink located outside the bath area was given a touch of luxury with a granite surface and backlit mirror. The 37-inch television console includes a pullout Keurig® machine. Furniture follows modern lines, including the Herman Miller Sayl chairs in the conference room.
In the end, Meister says the biggest benefit in working with a boutique-size firm is personal attention and follow-up. “Rose was my main point of contact and was readily available with any questions and comments along the way… from planning stages, to delivery and set-up of FFE, and everything in between. It was nice to have one person who was so dedicated and knew our project inside and out. If the team had questions we knew we would get a prompt and efficient response. In addition, Rose follows up like no other vendor I have ever worked with….she truly takes the time to ensure that things are delivered and taken care of the way they are promised to be. If something goes wrong or there are any mix-ups – which we all know happens when it comes to renovations or openings – Rose is there to fix the situation and ensure all is well.”
Awash in neutral colors of the brand with “pops” of blue and green, Accent Hospitality Boutique’s team worked with the hotelier’s vision to open up the lobby area with a series of high windows to let in the light. A revenue-producing full-service restaurant and bar now offer guests an inviting place to hold business meetings.
Keeping in mind the hotel’s major target audience, traveling business executives who need access to the airport, hallway walls feature stylized black and white photos of airport travelers in motion. A touch screen with real-time flight information offers travel updates in the lobby and modern sculpture pieces add artistic beauty throughout the facility with an impressively sized, wire-frame sphere sculpture as a focal point in the lobby.
According to Meister, it has never been more important for hoteliers to emphasize their uniqueness. “Hoteliers are all about giving their guests something special and unique to set themselves apart from their competition and have travelers choose to stay at their property. It is absolutely imperative that hoteliers put themselves in the guest’s shoes when making decisions during a renovation or new property opening. Everything from the outside to working your way in the building is thought with the guest in mind,” said Meister.
About Accent Hospitality Boutique
Accent Hospitality Boutique is a full-service hospitality design and procurement firm that provides luxury design for the midscale brand hotelier located in Plantation, Florida. With an emphasis on ROI, they provide a host of interior design, project management and improvement services for newly constructed, renovated or re-branded hospitality properties.
Contact Accent Hospitality Boutique at 954-305-9516 or visit http://www.accenthb.com.
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