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Del Norte recognizes beautiful Gardens of Merit

The Second Annual Gardens of Merit Awards recognizes individuals and businesses in the Town of Del Norte who are beautifying their properties. Mike Demuth won Best of Show for Residential Gardens for his xeriscape design

DEL NORTE Sponsored by the High Valley Community Center (HVCC) and the Del Norte Chamber of Commerce, the Second Annual Gardens of Merit Awards recognizes individuals in the Town of Del Norte who are beautifying their properties.

During the last of week of July, a panel of six community members gave awards to two businesses for the commercial category and to five homeowners for the residential category.

The awards are brass plaques, which state: Garden of Merit, Del Norte, 2013. In addition, two individuals were recognized with Best of Show monetary awards of $100.

Konnie and Steve Crawford have created a place that has been enhancing the Town of Del Norte for years. Konnie plants perennials, and all sides of Wildwood Sounds at 850 Grande Avenue are a symphony of color.

In a very short time, Marsha Ensz has created a stunning new addition to the Town of Del Norte through her shop The Columbine at 540 Grand Avenue. She has used paint, awnings and flowers to make a welcoming, memorable statement. She is to be congratulated and has won Best of Show for commercial gardens. She will receive a $100 cash prize from Del Norte Bank.

Located at 345 French Street, the home of Robert Fresquez, Chief of Police for the Town of Del Norte, has a beautiful welcoming display of flowers. He says his grandparents inspired him. He wishes to thank his neighbors for doing such a beautiful job with their properties.

Kathy Dickman at 70 Yucca Court combines perennials and annuals to produce a serene, colorful environment. Each of her flower beds has been created while she was experiencing some kind of personal crisis. When complete, she calls them victory gardens.

Ray and Wanda Pacheco of 505 Hermosa Street have a beautiful perennial garden, which is a virtual work of art. For at least 20 years, Ray has planted and tended the flowers that bloom at various times and keep the property beautiful throughout the summer.

Jean and Joann Griffin of 755 Cedar Street have worked on their flower beds and landscaping since the 1990s. Joann is inspired by her mother, and she has incorporated wagon wheels and antiques from the family farm in Texas.

Mike Demuth has single handedly transformed the property at 575 8th Street, which he is renting and hoping one day to purchase. He has combined xeriscape techniques with well placed, colorful flowers. He has done all this work himself and has won Best of Show for residential gardens. He will receive a $100 prize from the Del Norte Bank.

The organizers of Gardens of Merit wish to thank all the winners. It was extremely hard to choose just seven, since there are so many people creating lovely environments. A special thank you to La Garita Nursery in South Fork for their help with the Gardens of Merit float in the Covered Wagon Days Parade. Also, thanks are extended to the Colorado Garden Show, Inc. and to the board of the Del Norte Bank for their generous support.

Council seeks to suspend rules against sidewalk vegetable gardens

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Los Angeles residents who grow fruits and vegetables near their front curb will get a respite from the city’s code enforcement officials, under a measure approved Tuesday by the City Council.

The council voted unanimously to ask city agencies to temporarily suspend rules that restrict the cultivation of gardens in the parkway, the area between the sidewalk and the curb. While enforcement is suspended, city officials will continue to work on new rules governing parkway landscaping, said Council President Herb Wesson.

“What we need is a little more time to try to sort out how we can do this,” said Wesson, who proposed the suspension.

As a result, some gardeners have received notices instructing them to remove raised beds, tall fruit trees or lush vegetable gardens. The city’s municipal code requires parkways to remain free from obstructions to allow pedestrians to pass, according to Wesson’s proposal.

Tuesday’s vote was welcomed by Los Feliz resident Abbie Zands, who said he received two notices from the city ordering him to remove his parkway garden of kale, squash, chard, herbs and cherry tomatoes. Zands said his garden provides a local benefit.

“I feel like it’s really helping to build community in our neighborhood, because people are always stopping and talking about what’s growing,” he told the council.

Wesson offered his proposed earlier this month, after Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez put a spotlight on the gardeners who were being ordered to remove their plants or appear in court for failing to do so.

South Los Angeles resident Angel Teger, who also received a removal order from the city, said the council’s decision will show that the city “supports better health and nutrition for all of its residents.”

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Trade show speaker offers tips to owners of local garden centers

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PHILADELPHIA — Every year the Penn Atlantic Nursery Trade Show serves as a showcase for nurseries, garden centers and their suppliers.

But one group of lawn and garden sellers with a considerable market share was conspicuously absent from the July 31-Aug. 1 gathering here.

That would be national retailers such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Kmart and Wal-Mart, who are in many cases out-competing locally owned outlets.

All is not lost, however, said Bridget Behe, a professor of horticulture marketing at Michigan State University.

Locally owned garden centers can take back some of the ground lost to the big chains, she said at a seminar here, citing research that she’s doing with Carol Miller, the editor of Today’s Garden Center magazine.

One hurdle to clear is perception.

“‘Gardening’ had a very negative connotation” to focus group participants, Behe said.

The word evokes images of “an old woman with white hair and a floppy hat,” something younger people want to avoid, she said.

“Landscaping” produced more positive responses. Participants saw it as more masculine, vogue and project-oriented.

That simple vocabulary change could go a long way toward helping garden centers shed their stodgy image, she said.

Another obstacle is that many younger people say they lack time for gardening.

The national retailers already have solved this issue, Behe said. They create kits and compartmentalize tasks to make lawn beautification seem more manageable.

Instead of offering a comprehensive landscaping program, they pre-package individual landscaping units, such as a flower bed or water element, that can be set up in a set amount of time.

The ability to say “If you have three hours, you can do this” is critical, because customers want to avoid starting projects that could take over their lives, Behe said.

Independent stores should come up with projects of different lengths, such as whole-weekend projects or afternoon jobs. Garden centers can figure out ways to downscale projects, making ponds or beds smaller.

A third barrier that keeps a homeowner away from the locally owned garden center is a homeowner’s lack of ideas.

Garden centers should hang pictures and have Internet links to give first-time gardeners suggestions.

Those pictures can help start the conversation with the customer. Behe demonstrated, “Here’s that parklike setting, and we can help you do that.”

Younger people also steered clear of garden centers because they felt insecure about their lack of botanical knowledge.

Garden centers have a sometimes deserved reputation for catering to “experts,” Behe said.

Practices such as organizing plants by alphabetized Latin name contribute to this consumer perception.

Customers like the big chains because their salespeople have the attitude that “there are no dumb questions,” she said.

Independent garden stores should adopt this mentality by greeting customers when they arrive, giving them good eye contact and offering to help them make their selections, Behe said.

Owners need to get workers to face the aisle. Employees are good at making the plants pretty, but they need to learn to help customers, she said.

“‘Ask me.’ Put it on the back of the shirt,” Behe suggested.

Independents also can differentiate themselves from the big players by offering coaching and after-sales support.

The chain stores often have the edge with price-driven shoppers, so locally owned garden centers need to play up the added quality and benefits local stores can offer, she said.

Just as she encouraged creating projects for different time budgets, Behe suggested creating grades of plants at different prices.

For example, a retailer could offer hanging baskets of increasing quality for $19.99, $29.99 and $39.99.

Growers will not have to make as many of the highest-end baskets because they will not sell as many.

But having a top option will entice more customers to buy something nicer than the bargain baskets.

“People will buy ‘better’ if there’s a ‘best’ option,” she said.

Garden centers also can improve their visibility and accessibility in the community by getting into the social scene.

Stores can have off-site events such as classes or demonstrations at places where young potential customers congregate. Coffeehouses and farmers markets are prime locations for these programs, she said.

For more agricultural news from Lancaster Farming, go to LancasterFarming.com.

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Garden shop boss gives tips to buyers

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THE manager of an East Staffordshire gardening centre has given money-saving advice to potential house buyers, after new figures showed a rise in prices.

According to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, house prices rose by 3.1 per cent in the year up to June, up from 2.9 per cent in May.

A survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said parts of the West Midlands, where prices have been low are where more homes are being bought.

Robert Osborne, managing director for Burton based retailer, Garden For Less, said the rise in prices could mean buyers would have to buy homes with smaller gardens.

He said: “Simple decisions such as whether to plant perennials or annuals will make savings year on year but still allow people to enjoy their homes and gardens.

“Planting fruit and vegetables can provide glut crops which can be frozen for longer periods of times, and for those who lack the space, allotments are a cheaper alternative to paying a premium for more outdoor space.”

He added that herbs, such as basil and rosemary can be grown indoors in pots on the windowsill.

First glimpse of Piet Oudolf’s new garden in Somerset

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Several different planting concepts form the backbone of the plan,
characterised by Oudolf’s signature style, which he describes as “romantic,
nostalgic, not wild, organic, spontaneous”. A central walkway runs down the
space, defined by oval grassy plinths or mounds and surrounded by long,
amorphous beds featuring the tall perennials we associate with Oudolf –
veronicastrum, sanguisorba, filipendula, cimicifuga, thalictrum, rudbeckia,
eupatorium. What is notable about Oudolf’s design as it appears on plan is
the way he has chosen to clump plants together here as opposed to arraying
them in drifts, his usual habit. This will be a garden in which to stop and
stare.

At the bottom of the slope, an irregular rectangle of pond is to be created,
some 15 metres wide, fed by a “perched” spring further up the hillside. This
wetter area is to be planted with irises and Lobelia tupa. At the top of the
slope will be the sporobolus meadow, its basis the American prairie grass
which is to be interplanted with the likes of Achillea ‘Feuerland’,
Echinacea pallida ‘Hula Dancer’, Amsonia hubrichtii, Lythrum salicaria
‘Swift’ and the strawberries-and-cream Sedum ‘Coral Reeves’. The overall
plant choice indicates that Oudolf is adding more complexity and detail to
his designs, in tune with the general trajectory of planting design at the
moment.

The cloister garden – enclosed by the main gallery building – is interesting
as an example of small-scale Oudolf, given that his work is often criticised
for its lack of application in domestic gardens. The planned matrix provides
food for thought, with an underblanket of the molinia grass ‘Moorhexe’ and
islands of Sesleria autumnalis punctured by bursts of Clematis heracleifolia
‘China Purple’, Euphorbia griffithii ‘Dixter’, the astrantia ‘Venice’,
Actaea ‘Brunette’ and Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’. Perhaps it’s a matter
of: do try this at home.

At the moment the field is bare and the cloister unbuilt. Planting commences
in spring, with the garden opening in June. In the meantime, Hauser Wirth
is objecting to a proposed 40-acre “solar farm” of black solar panels on
adjacent land. Welcome to the glories of the English countryside!

Administration and Public Works Committee

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Here’s a recap of our live coverage of this evening’s Evanston City Council Administration and Public Works Committee meeting.

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m.

A packet with information on tonight’s agenda items is available online.

Meeting called to order at 5:54 p.m.

Public comment

Rubin Aluno of Whole Foods at 1640 Chicago Ave. speaks in favor of the store’s request for a license to expand its liquor sales from beer and wine to include hard liquor.

Junad Rizki expresses concern about electrical safety at the water plant.

Agenda items

Minutes approved.

Payroll approved.

Bills approved.

Water utility electrical study. $73K contract with Greeley and Hansen of Chicago. Dave Stoneback, utilities director, says new OSHA regulations require new labeling of electrical equipment — that will be part of the scope of the study. Says regarding the fire at the water plant, the city’s insurer decided to pay the claim without doing a complete study to determine the exact cause. Contract approved.

Vehicle and equipment purchases … nine items totalling $434K. Approved.

New World Financial System implementation contract amendment with Schaefer Consulting. Assistant City Manager Marty Lyons says that while the city will be paying the contractor more, it will actually save money — because it will cost less than having city staff do the work. (City IT department has lost some staff recently, necessicitating the change.

New TV camera system for council chambers and Room 2404. $97K contract with AVI Systems of Bensenville. Approved.

McDaniel Avenue street lighting project change order $13K. More lights for McDaniel between Crain and Dempster streets. Approved.

Church Street street lighting project change order $80K. More lights near Evanston Township High School. Approved.

Utility easement for Trader Joe’s development. Approved.

Church Street Boat Ramp grant application to the state department of natural resources. Parks Director Doug Gaynor says over 100 boats use the ramp — including the DNR and the Coast Guard. Approved.

Sheridan Road/Chicago Avenue bike path state grant application for federal funds. Total project cost $1.9 million. Grant might fund nearly $1.5 million. Would be off-road (on parkway) path from Chicago Avenue to Lincoln Street on the east side of the road by the NU campus.

Public Works Director Suzette Robinson says would reduce current sidewalk width from 12 to 8 feet and add a separate 8 foot wide bike path. Says project would also create landscaping to encourage pedestrians to use crosswalks at intersections.

Also have two-way bike path on Chicago Avenue from Davis Street to Sheridan Road.

Says assuming grant is receved there’ll be “a tremendous amount of public input” before final designs are developed for the project.

Alderman Jane Grover says Wilmette did beautiful bike lanes on Sheridan a few years ago — but Evanston at this point has trecherous riding conditions now on Sheridan. Approved.

Bike share system grant application. Related story. Catherine Hurley, sustainable programs coordinator , says the program is idea for short point-to-point trips. Can pick up a bike and drop it off at any station in the system.

Can help people get from transit hubs to their homes or workplaces.

Says there are at least 20 large programs run by city or county governments across the United States.

Says there are a lot of advantages to being part of the Chicago system — because it gives people access to bikes throughout the area.

Says grants will be awarded in January.

Initial proposal is for seven stations with ten bikes at each station. Have tentative ideas for locations.

Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, objects to the lack of any stations in the proposal on Howard Street.

Public Works Director Suzette Robinson says wanted to get locations that would be most likely to get high density of use — and then building out the system further from there.

Says there will be additional grant funding opportunities each year.

Rainey asks that the proposal should be held. Calls it “a slap in the face.”

City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz says you can have a station. Says could have nine stations — one at Howard and one on Dempster. Would cost about $20K extra for additional stations.

Alderman Delores Holmes, 5th Ward, says its glaring that there’s no locations on the west side.

Hurley says would eventually like to have stations every half mile — but that would take 12 to 15 stations.

Chicago, she says is trying to have stations every quarter mile.

Bobkiewicz says Hurley initially asked for 14 stations. But when looked at match cost and the ongoing operating costs — he thought that was too much.

Says ongoing cost for the city could be $60K to $80K.

Depends on how much city wants to spend.

Rainey says she’s not asking for more stations — just spreading them outl.

Alderman Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward, agrees to spread them out.

Rainey says — its about who would ride a bike and you’re saying that we [in South Evanston] wouldn’t.

Committee votes to approve the bike sharing program.

Whole Foods liquor license change. Approved.

Howard-Hartrey TIF district expansion. Proposal designed to add the 222 Hartrey building proposed for new Autobarn location to the tax increment financing district. TIF district had been extablished in 1992 for former Bell and Howell warehouse site. Now contains shopping center with Jewel, Target, Best Buy and OfficeMax. TIF is scheduled to expire in 2015. Proposal at this point just starts the process of expanding the TIF. Further reviews to come. Approved.

Discussion item on Northwestern University bus routes

City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz shows map of routes. Says Alderman Judy Fiske, 1st Ward, says has received complaints from residents about bus service that runs from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. — serves Tech Institute and library.

Concerned about idling buses, etc.

Bobkiewicz says city staff met with NU offiicals this afternoon. NU said its a loop route and need to be able to make a loop. Considering Central or Foster — but residents there may not be thrilled.

Says NU will look at ending bus service earlier in the evening and urging students to use the “safe ride” service.

Also considering trying to use only hybrid, rather than diesel buses that would reduce fumes.

Bobkiewicz says hopes to be able to come back to the committee at Sept. 9 meeting with proposed agreement with the university.

Fiske says residents on east side of Sherman at Noyes are especially concerned. Says there have two bus stops within about 50 feet of each other. Says get large congregation of people waiting for buses.

Alderman Delores Holmes says if move the stop to the other side of the street then it will be in her ward.

Rainey suggests appointing a subcommittee of Grover Holmes and Fiske to have a public meeting on the issue.

Grover seconds. Approved (with Burrus abstaining.)

Meeting adjourned.

Planning and Development Committee to start at 7:30 p.m.

The inaugural Labatt Blue Wingman Hockey Tournament

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A couple of years ago I had an opportunity to chair a sub-committee for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Committee. Our task was to come up with ideas to enhance the summertime experience for guests at Canalside, while at the same time reviewing potential programming submissions by groups and individuals in the community. I distinctly recall that one of the ideas that we came across was that of building a synthetic ice rink so that people could skate outdoors in the middle of the summer season. While that idea never came to fruition, I’m happy to see the initiative take hold at an upcoming event – WingFest (the National Buffalo Wing Festival).

On Saturday, August 31, 2013, WingFest and Labatt will be hosting the inaugural Labatt Blue Wingman Hockey Tournament – a two-on-two, eight team competition that will take place no matter how hot the temperatures reach. There’s no need to worry about melting ice thanks to the synthetic rink. This time pond hockey will be unfettered by almost all of Mother Nature’s curveballs*. The tournament will be held in a parking lot at Coca-Cola field, where a 20 by 40 foot synthetic ice rink will be constructed, courtesy of Pace Landscaping and Ice Rinks. “Some things just go together, like chicken wings, hockey and Labatt Blue,” said Lisa Texido, brand manager of Labatt Blue. “The Labatt Blue Wingman Hockey Tournament will allow hockey players to put on skates and actually play hockey outside, on ice, in the heat of summer. It doesn’t get much better than that. Synthetic ice is very versatile. In a matter of minutes, you can transform an area, either indoors or outdoors, into an ice skating surface that can be used anytime and in any weather.”

For more information about the ice rink, visit http://www.scan-ice.com/. I still think that the synthetic ice idea would be a great draw to the waterfront on a more permanent basis… in Buffalo there are a lot of people who own a pair of skates who would be psyched to skate outdoors on a sunny day. After watching a video on the synthetic rinks I realized that the process of construction is a lot easier than I originally assumed (see videos here).

*The 20′x40′ rink will be located near the Labatt Blue tent (Exchange Street parking lot). If thunderstorms occur on Saturday, the tournament will take place on Sunday (if weather permits). The teams are predetermined. Tournament runs from noon to 9pm.

If you’re not familiar with WingFest, then just check out the video below and you will learn everything that you need to know in just a few minutes. Warning: I made it to as far as the Bobbing for Wings (in blue cheese) segment before the video got the best of me… maybe your stomach is tougher than mine?

An oasis of lush foliage is Newark’s hidden treasure

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The land was cracked, busted up asphalt with weeds and vacant buildings just as desolate.

An abandoned Newark synagogue/church flanked one side. An empty post office and closed meat market was on the other.

It was anybody’s guess what would happen to this neighborhood less than a half-mile from the city’s business district.

Well, if a tree can grow in Brooklyn, then the wellspring of beauty that sprouted from nothing blows your mind today.

Geraniums smell of chocolate, grapefruit and old spice. Flowers are colorful and hard as stone, another soft as lamb’s ear. One plant is so sensitive that its leaves open and close when touched.

Hundreds of flowers and plants live in this urban ecosystem, a habitat crawling with thousands of critters normally found miles away. This place of wonderment was created by the Greater Newark Conservancy, an environmental organization that wants you to sample nature’s abode on 1.5 acres in the Central Ward.

A small stream runs through the Greater Newark Conservancy in NewarkJohn O’Boyle

Bring a bag lunch, said Executive Director Robin L. Dougherty, and walk along the trails of its outdoor learning center that started with plants six inches high in 2004. The thicket is so full, no one can grasp the sprawling splendor by peaking through the fence on Springfield Avenue and Prince Street.

“You’re not going to see anything like this elsewhere in the city,’’ Dougherty said. “It’s a cool place to come and learn.’’

A water lily at the Greater Newark Conservancy in NewarkJohn O’Boyle

Donna Drew of South Orange heard about it for a while, but didn’t know what to expect the day she popped in.

“It’s like a little oasis in Newark,” Drews said. “The different species and the way that it’s organized and laid out. It’s just so thoughtful.”

The conservancy has made the public think about its surroundings 25 years in Newark, educating visitors about the environment and how its impacts on our health. The group started out creating community gardens at schools and in neighborhoods on empty lots, but it’s influence reaches beyond workshops on gardening.

Now they have a farm with fruits and vegetables that are sold. They expose ex-offenders to jobs like forestry, landscaping and solar installation. Newark high school students are hired in the summer, gaining an appreciation for the community.

Steven Rodriguez loves how the soil feels between his fingers and wants to have his own garden one day.

“I like the feel of making your own food,’’ Rodriguez said.

Remember that old synagogue/church?

The conservancy is turning it into classrooms, a demonstration kitchen/laboratory, galleries and meeting rooms.

And that post office and meat market? They are offices busy with environmental work.

Nestled between the buildings, discovery takes place. The demonstration garden has plants growing on hangers and a clothes line. More plants and flowers take root in beat up shoes and sneakers. Striped tomatoes are on vines, and basil grows in the shape of a tic-tac-toe board. Next to the garden, you can meditate in the sun dial amphitheater. And yes, the sun dial is real.

“We want people to come here and get ideas of what they can do,’’ Dougherty said. “You might see a toilet sometime out in the garden with flowers growing out of it. We like to reuse things.’’

Along the trail, visitors stroll under wooden canopies with plants on top. Mixed within the topiary, there’s colorful pink Hibiscus plants and indigenous species like snap dragons and witch hazel, a plant Lenape Indians picked when they lived in Newark. Underneath a foot bridge lily pads blanket a pond with bullfrogs, sun fish and a turtle. Dragon flies hover above, bees suck the nectar from flowers, butterflies dance about.

If you get tired, sit down on a bench made from mud, clay, and straw. Watch migratory birds swoop in for food and water, while others nest in 20 foot trees. Possums and racoons roam the grounds. Falcons and hawks drop in, like the one eating a rodent in the compost box.

“We’re kind of like a weigh station, a rest stop,” said Chantal Ludder, horticulturist for the conservancy.

Since it opened, 23,000 kids have been here, but many people still don’t know about this peaceful place.

Now you do.

MORE BARRY CARTER COLUMNS

Homeowners should remember pets when landscaping

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Experts say homeowners should keep their pets in mind when they plan landscaping projects.

Kim Todd, University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor in agronomy, says homeowners can create hazards for pets with landscaping.

Todd says dog owners should provide turf for their pets to run around and play in.

Todd warned about mulching gardens with cocoa bean mulch, as cocoa beans can be unhealthy for animals.

And certain plans can be toxic if they are ingested, so homeowners should make sure whatever they plant is safe.

Homeowners should also be careful with herbicides and follow directions.

Gardens that inspire gardeners

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By Helen Pemberton | Palo Pinto County Master Gardener

August is a very difficult month to plant new landscapes in Palo Pinto County. Historically, the weather is hot and dry with no hope for relief until the first cold fronts come through in September.

All new landscapes – even well-planned xeriscape gardens – require a period of establishment. So August is better used as a planning time.

The new landscape (or a few new plants) will survive better if installed in the fall or spring.

However, there is work to do in August. Now is the time to visit well-established gardens to get inspiration for your own garden.

Go and see what is blooming in the heat of summer. Notice which plants have finished blooming and still supply structure and interest. Pay attention to plant combinations and interesting arrangements.

Imagine the things you like being transplanted to your yard and ask yourself:

• Are they too big?

• Could you plant fewer of them?

• Are they too small?

Ask other gardeners about their planting experiences. They can tell you where they look for inspiration and about their “champion” plants.

Make lists of the things that you like, take photos, walk around your property and imagine the plantings you desire.

So, where can one go to get inspired?

If you live in Palo Pinto County, you are surrounded by opportunity! There are three gardens that are just wonderful to visit:

• Clark Gardens Botanical Park, east of Mineral Wells, at 567 Maddux Road, about one mile north of U.S. Highway 180. Admission is $7 ($5 for young children and seniors). For information, call (940) 682-4856, or visit www.clarkgardens.org.

• The Vietnam Memorial Gardens, located at the National Vietnam War Museum grounds, also east of Mineral Wells on U.S. 180. Admission is free and the gardens are open to the public from dawn to dusk every day of the week. For information, visit www.nationalvnwarmuseum.org.

• Chandor Gardens, in Weatherford, located at 711 W. Lee Ave. Admission is $5. For information, call (817) 613-1700.

The Palo Pinto County Master Gardeners have installed successful plantings at the Courthouse, Extension Office and Historic Christian Church in Palo Pinto. The Parker County Master Gardeners have demonstration gardens at the Parker County Extension Office, 604 N Main St., Weatherford. The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens (I30 at University Dr., Fort Worth) are generally outstanding, and they have a dedicated Native Texas Garden which can really pique your imagination.

When driving through neighborhoods, you probably notice some yards are more appealing to you than others. Stop to think about what makes them appealing.

It could be specific plants that you like.

It could be a combination of plants, mulch, sidewalks, benches or maybe even a water feature.

Write down any ideas you want to consider. Keep in mind that in today’s drier climate, we need to conserve water. That means a landscape needing lots of water – such as lawns, tropical foliage or mossy groundcover – should be planted somewhere with a wet climate, not Palo Pinto County!

August is a time for us to stay cool, enjoy iced drinks, visit inspirational gardens and plan future landscaping. If you or someone you know has an inspirational garden, the Palo Pinto Master Gardeners would like to know.

Also, call the Palo Pinto County Extension Office at 940-659-1228 if you would be interested in a Mineral Wells Garden Tour Day in October or April (and which you would prefer).