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Major Wynberg Park upgrade

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INLSA

Residents have been asked to come up with ideas for the citys planned upgrade to Wynberg Park. Some of the plans include upgraded walkways, additional parking and landscaping improvements. Photo: Courtney Africa

Zara Nicholson

Metro Writer

A MAJOR upgrade for Wynberg Park is on the cards – and the city is asking residents to submit ideas for a “master plan” for the park.

Several other parks on the Cape Flats are also going to be upgraded. Skateparks, an outdoor gym, an amphitheatre and a BMX track are among the features envisaged.

Wynberg Park was established more than a century ago and has become a popular setting for picnics, braais and film shoots.

The public participation process for Wynberg Park has been opened and will run until March 28. The proposed upgrades include new surfaced pathways, more parking areas, additional lighting and landscaping.

The first of two public meetings is to be held at the Simon van der Stel Primary School on Thursday.

The city said yesterday it was developing a master plan that would guide the development of Wynberg Park.

Improvements were made to the park recently, with ramps being built for wheelchairs to get to the public toilets, the playground revamped and the parking area extended.

Mayco member for community services Belinda Walker said: “Wynberg Park is a beautiful and significant space and has immense value as a place for recreation and relaxation for our city.

“We call on residents and visitors to attend this public meeting to provide input into the Wynberg Park Master Plan process.

“This is the only way that the city can ensure our parks and facilities are designed by the community, for the community.”

A budget had not yet been allocated for the upgrades.

“We are asking the community to give their ideas, at the moment the budget just covers general maintenance, but if we are going to plan a major upgrade then we will attach a budget to it,” Walker said.

The city is also to upgrade other public spaces, including the Khayelitsha Wetlands Park, for which R500 000 has been set aside to upgrade ablution facilities, as well as for the installation of a spray fountain and additional park equipment and landscaping.

The city said that over seven years, R10.5 million had been spent on this park.

The Surran Road Park in Hanover Park is to be upgraded to host weddings and children’s parties. Improvements include a skatepark, a children’s play area, lawns, and an amphitheatre. The city is to spend R2.3m on this park.

In a R32m project, the park in Valhalla Park is to be given a full-size synthetic soccer pitch, a clubhouse, a BMX track, playgrounds, and an outdoor gym.

Comments on the Wynberg Park upgrade may be sent by fax to 086 295 5668, e-mail to adam@elastudio.co.za or post to Earthworks Landscape Architects, Unit 2, The Space, Westlake Business Park, Cape Town.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za

It’s time for Canada Blooms

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NIAGARA REGION – 

From March 15-24, 2013 Canada Blooms returns to the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto for its 17th year as Canada’s largest flower and garden celebration.

The theme of this year’s festival is “The Magic of Spring”. Spring is a season of renewal and hope. It’s a time to celebrate the colours and scents of the season, and Canada Blooms is the perfect venue to jump-start the gardening season.

A sampling of the 2013 show highlights include:

What would Canada Blooms without flowers? I’m not a flower arranger by nature, but I love to see the spectacular floral arrangements entered in the newly named Toronto Flower Show. I Entries include regional, national and international competitors and innovative displays from well-known professional florists and growers in partnership with pickOntario. The creativity and talent of both the amateur and professional designers is truly inspiring. Be sure to stop by the exhibits—you’ll be amazed.

Some of Canada’s best-known garden and landscape specialists will on hand to share their insights and expertise in a comprehensive series of lectures, demonstrations and workshops. I suggest you visit the website (www.canadablooms.com) and look over the list of speakers appearing on the day of your visit, if you’re like me, you may want to schedule your visit to coincide with a lecture that really piques your interest. Topics include everything from Celebrating Wildflowers from Seed to Vase with Miriam Goldberger, to Garden Crazy: Fable, Folklore, Facts about the Crazy World of Gardening with Frankie Ferragine. Just about every garden related topic you can imagine will be covered, there’s sure to be a topic that will pique your interest.

The Marketplace showcases the latest and greatest garden and landscape products and services. It’s always fun to see what is new and exciting, or to reconnect with an old-time favorite product (or plant) that you haven’t been able to find locally. Be sure to try on the garden hats (there’s always a great selection) and treat yourself to an armful of fresh flowers—they are irresistible.

The Feature Gardens, designed by Ontario’s premier landscape architects and designers are always a feast for the eyes. Slow down and give yourself the time to really check out the intricate details included in these projects, I come home with a list of ideas to include in my garden plan every year.

Niagara is well represented with Aura Landscaping ‘Senses Awaken’ garden: “Melt your winter blues away as the magic of spring awakens your senses, leading you down our garden path towards the warmth, sights, sounds and scents that we call spring. Let nature’s elements rejuvenate your soul in this tranquil setting that showcases our passion for what we do,” Scott Duff, Aura Landscaping.

Mori Gardens and Reif Winery have paired up to present a ‘Wine Sensory Garden’ where visitors are encouraged to “contemplate the sounds, colours, aromas and flavors in a relaxed oasis garden.” Reif will share wines that pair with cheese samples from the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Let the kids explore the Bienenstock Natural Playground designed in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation. “This fully accessible playground is designed to inspire teachers and parents to engage all five senses through play.” Features include a chime fence, sand and water play, twisted log fort, and a sideways tree climber. This sounds like a lot of fun for both children and the young at heart.

“Gardening is a great way to relieve stress, take time for yourself, and unwind,” says gardening expert Denis Flanagan. “Gardening also allows you to take part in an activity that takes on a life of its own and offers an end result for you to take pride in.”

In 2012, Canada Blooms co-located with The National Home Show, Canada’s largest Home Event to become the largest Home and Garden Event presented in North America and largest Consumer Show presented in Canada, attracting over 203,000 guests to experience North America’s most comprehensive home and garden experience. As a convenience for guests, a single ticket purchase of $20 at either event allows attendees to visit both events.

Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that gives back to the community throughout the year by funding community garden projects around Ontario. Canada Blooms is also dedicated to providing the community with horticulture expertise, education and resources on an ongoing basis.

For more information and to purchase festival tickets please visit: www.canadablooms.com.

Theresa Forte is a local garden consultant, writer and photographer. You can reach her by calling 905-351-7540 or by email theresa_forte@sympatico.ca

 

Denis Flanagan’s top five reasons to resolve to garden in 2013.

1. Gardening is good for your health

Gardening is a natural stress reliever, as well as a natural exercise and can also help release your artistic side.

2. Gardening helps instill life lessons

Gardening can help teach lessons — especially to children—such as nurturing, care, how to share something with other etc.

3. Gardening helps foster relationships with neighbours

Being out in your garden can help break the ice between you and your neighbors as well as other members of your community.

4. Gardening increases the value of your real estate

Adding an updated landscape theme or a beautiful new garden can increase your home’s value while also giving you a sense of pride.

5. Gardening can help conserve water/nature/environment

Adding a bird feeder to your garden will bring an added element of wildlife to your home, and installing a rain barrel or water-conserving fountain looks great while also conserving and reusing water.

 

Bus trip to Canada Blooms

The Niagara on the Lake Horticultural Society has organized a bus trip to Canada Blooms, March 20, 2013. The cost is $40.00 for Hort. members, and $45.00 for non-members. This includes the bus and ticket to the show.

Contact Rose Walsh 905-934-9230 rosewalsh@sympatico.ca or Donna Carter 905-262-4362 carter.11@sympatico.ca for details and tickets.

Meet the author

Theresa Forte will present ‘Take Great Garden Photos—With The Camera You Already Have’ at Canada Blooms on March 23, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. Grey Power Garden Solutions Series, Room 102, Hall A. Hope to see you there!

 

Kidron Bethel plans garden, park

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  • Newton Kansan

    Kidron Bethel Village will start a new growth project though this project is not about adding on to the retirement community to house more people. This one is about growing plants and adding a new garden and playground to the campus.

    “Everyone is excited about this opportunity. I have gotten a lot of responses back asking how people can help,” saidKevin Geraci, Kidron Bethels executive director of independent living and fund advancement.

    Kidron Bethel Village is launching a fundraising campaign to develop “Kinder Peace Gardens.” The gardens are being designed to welcome visitors and families from the area, as well as to provide intergenerational interaction with Kidron Bethel residents.

    The first phase of the project is expected to cost $150,000 and be located on the west side of Ivy Drive, just north of Bluestem. It will include seating areas, fire and water features, and flowers and plantings.

    “We will have a covered area that will house 15 to 20 people,” Geraci said. “It will be there for prayer groups, or groups to picnic on the campus.”

    Geraci said the final plans are not complete, but maintenance and landscaping staff will design a garden area with an eye on keeping maintenance to a minimum. Volunteers will be used to assist in the planting process, which is expected to begin in spring of 2014.

    The second phase, “Kinder Gardens and Playground,” will be just west of Phase I. The second phase will incorporate playground equipment and programming geared toward children and adults exploring the natural world together. Plans for involving children from ages 3 through fifth-grade include imaginative, hands-on art and learning projects, story times and play dates. Instructional topics will be related to thematic elements of the gardens plant and animal life.

    “It’s designed around education. We want to have a presence of people who have horticultural and agricultural backgrounds to be part of this. When we introduce this to the kids, it will not be just a playground or park it will have an educational component with it,” Geraci said.

    Several clubs also are planned in conjunction with the Kinder Peace Garden, and membership is open to the public. The Garden Club will provide support for garden maintenance, and there will be opportunities for members to assist with weeding and other tasks. An Educational Club will incorporate learning activities led by Kidron Bethel Village residents and other volunteers.

    The Kinder Fund will support playground maintenance and intergenerational learning. Maintenance and overall expenses for the gardens will be provided by the Bluestem Society membership fund.

    “Im looking forward to sharing this beautiful garden with the greater community,” said Kidron Bethel Village resident and Master Gardener Rosie Goering Brandt, “and to having families visit our campus to experience this imaginative garden setting. It also will be a place of meditation, to feel the strength and the power of God.”

    • Proposals would create ‘edible landscapes’ on city terraces, land

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    Madison Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway and others want to make it easier to have gardens on city terraces and plant gardens and other food-producing plants — fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts — on more city-owned lands.

    The proposals, introduced to the City Council and now under review by committees, are intended to support the growing interest of residents and groups in urban agriculture and “edible landscapes,” said Rhodes-Conway, 12th District.

    Rhodes-Conway started working on proposals about three years ago and is pushing forward now as a result of talks at the city’s Food Policy Council.

    “It’s a symbolic way for the city to say, ‘We support people who want to grow their own food,'” she said. “I hope it becomes a positive difference for neighborhoods.”

    Bill Barker, a city Parks Commission member, said the proposals can help the city address so-called “food deserts” where residents lack nearby access to nutritious food and also help build a sense of community.

    “It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

    The city currently allows planting on terraces, but with restrictions including distance from sidewalk and curb and a maximum 24-inch height.

    “This is going on today without harmful effect to anyone,” Rhodes-Conway said, noting the proposed change would likely loosen the height rule.

    The proposal would let residents have plantings commonly found in flower or vegetable gardens and landscaping — but not trees or shrubs — in the terrace next to their homes.

    It would permit landscaping features like mulch, small rocks, temporary wire fencing, lattices, and vegetable cages, but not pots, railroad ties or some other fixtures.

    A new terrace policy would regulate where plantings and features could be placed and include criteria for permanent fixtures and standards for use of chemicals.

    All plantings would have to be maintained to be safe and orderly and not obstruct the public’s use of the street or sidewalk. Plantings could be removed by the city at any time without compensation.

    The proposal has at least eight co-sponsors.

    The city in 2012 allowed the planting of edible landscape with permission in some areas of parks. Rhodes-Conway also is proposing to expand the planting of edible landscape — with permission — to other city-owned land held by other agencies such as the Water Utility or Engineering, or around public housing. The proposal has at least four co-sponsors.

    Senior center offers tax-aid, gardening tips

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    Laurel Senior Center will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Friday, March 15, and Easter Thursday, March 28. Make St. Patrick’s meal reservations by March 8, and Easter reservations by March 22.


    The AARP Tax-aide program is available Tuesday, March 12, from 9 am. to 2 pm. and Saturdays 9 am. to 2 pm. To schedule an appointment for this free service, call 629-7571.

    Gardening season is coming soon. On Monday, March 25, at 12:45 pm., the County Extension Office of Yellowstone County will offer tips on how to garden without much bending.

    The center has its board meeting and general meeting Thursday, March 7, at 10 and 11:50 am., respectively. Friday, March 8, is a blood pressure check before lunch. The bookmobile will be at the center Monday, March 18, from 11:30 am. to 1 pm. Jeanie Voorhis will offer foot care Wednesday, March 20, from 9 am. to 1 pm. Call 855-7014 to make a foot appointment.

    Regularly scheduled activities are Mondays, pinochle at 10 am. and bingo at 1 pm.; Thursdays, pinochle at 1 pm.; and Fridays, bingo at 1 pm. Sunday activities scheduled for March are Pinochle March 10 and 24 with snacks at 12:30 pm. and cards at 1:30 pm., bridge March 17 at 1:30 pm. with snacks.

    The Laurel Transportation program runs Monday – Friday 10 am. to 4 pm. Transportation to Billings is available the first and third Tuesday afternoons. Call 628-4796 to reserve a ride.

    Please make meal reservations at least one day in advance by calling 628-7571.

    Menu for March 6 – 13:

    Wednesday, March 6 — Porcupine meatballs, mashed potatoes, three-bean salad and apricot bar

    Thursday, March 7 — Pennsylvania Dutch Ragout, biscuit, cottage cheese and fruit

    Friday, March 8 — Veal Parmesan, noodles, mixed vegetables, broccoli salad and Spumoni ice cream

    Monday, March 11 — Hot hamburger sandwich, mashed potatoes, vegetable, fruit and cookie

    Tuesday, March 12 — Sausage pasta, vegetable, cherries and magic bar

    Wednesday, March 13 — Salisbury steak/gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetable, fruit and blueberry streusel cake

    How to grow veg, even in a small plot

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    THINKING of growing veg in containers this year? The One Show gardening expert Christine Walkden offers down-to-earth advice on growing a variety of visually pleasing edibles, even in a small garden

    Growing veg on your patio couldn’t be easier – you can control the soil type, the situation and the watering, often providing shelter near the house when it’s needed.

    Yet some gardeners are put off by the idea of unsightly veg taking up valuable flower space in pots on the patio.

    But they shouldn’t worry, says TV and radio gardening expert Christine Walkden.

    Walkden may be the wrong person to ask about pretty veg because she finds all veg plants beautiful, she admits.

    “I see beauty in a cabbage! A beautiful dense cabbage head in a classic terracotta pot is just as attractive as the non-edible ornamental sorts.”

    Some of her patio planting ideas are featured in her new book, Christine Walkden’s No-nonsense Container Gardening.

    In it, she features fabulously ornamental purple kale in brightly coloured plastic trugs, lime-green lettuce in a bubblegum pink metal bucket, leafy veg in wooden crates and a hanging basket made out of an old metal colander.

    There are colourful flowers in old food tins and shopping baskets, a rock garden planted inside a vintage pram and other quirky ideas.

    But veg also win a place in the looks department, she says.

    “Kale is a hardy brassica that you can go on picking right through winter and it looks great in containers. Striking red stems and leaf veins make beetroot plants attractive enough to grow in among flowers.”

    For those who love colour, you can’t go far wrong with beans, she says.

    “Runner beans are ideal because you’ve got all the different flowers, the whites, the bi-colours and the pinks.

    “Black Tuscany kale is great to grow to add interest in the winter, and ferny-leaved and coloured-leaved lettuces are also great.

    “Now, we have so much diversity in leaf shape in salads, from the spoon-shapes of lamb’s ears to the really frizzy stuff that’s available. It’s breathtaking.”

    Lettuce can be grown in any pot, but where it really scores is in shallow, saucer-shaped troughs, where other veg would need deeper soil to survive.

    Walkden grows lettuces all year round in seed trays, because that’s all the soil which is required, she says.

    “As long as you’ve got 2in of soil, you can grow cut-and-come-again salad leaves. A lot of gardeners hate shallow containers because they dry out so quickly, but lettuce will cope with the occasional drought. They will tolerate the heat generated in the container and the root run.”

    To make a window box containing edibles look pretty, plant lettuces, radishes (place them behind because they have pretty foliage), spring onions or chives, and small beetroot such as ‘Boltardi’, with its spectacular red foliage, she suggests.

    Climbing beans have long been grown around wigwams but you can grow dwarf varieties in regular plant pots.

    “There are a lot of good varieties now that you can grow in window boxes and containers,” says Walkden, who will be mentor to the winning amateur designer of a BBC and RHS competition to create The One Show family garden at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July.

    “Mix veg in with your flowers as well,” she suggests.

    “The ferny leaves of carrots make a fantastic edging to a container. We tend to categorise things, but at the end of the day, they are all just plants.”

    Walkden believes that great plant companions are those which contrast well.

    “I go for things like chives, with vertical growth, contrasting well with the dark reds of kales and beetroot.

    “Daisy-like flowers including osteospermums, argyranthemums, coreopsis and calendulas all contrast well with veg.”

    Nasturtiums, in shades of orange, yellow and red, are often grown as a sacrificial crop to lure blackfly away from more precious plants, but the flowers make a colourful, faintly spicy addition to salads and look wonderful draping over the edge of containers in front of taller plants.

    Follow her advice and soon enough you could have patio plants which not only look good but taste good too.

    :: Christine Walkden’s No-nonsense Container Gardening is published by Simon Schuster, priced £20. Available now

    Spring gardening tips for St. Louisans

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    Video: Spring gardening tips for St. Louisans

    ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – It didn’t seem like it Tuesday, but spring is just two weeks away.

    That means it’s time to get out into your yard and do some work.

    Heidi Glaus stopped by the Missouri Botanical Garden for some advice from the experts.  Watch the video players above and to the left of this story to see her interview.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    KSDK

    Gardening & More: Tips for starting seeds; Plantasia is coming

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    SPRINGVILLE — During this time of year, I get antsy to do some gardening. Unfortunately, the ground is frozen and it is still too early to start seeds, inside.

    The solution? Make a mini greenhouse and you can start hardy annual seeds right now – outside!

    I will share this tip and 44 others, during a talk called “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes,” scheduled for Friday, March 23 at 2 p.m., during Plantasia, a garden and landscape show. This event will be held at the Hamburg Fairgrounds event center and exposition hall, located at 5820 South Park Ave. in Hamburg.

    Plantasia will begin with a preview night, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., on Wednesday, March 20.

    The event will continue from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Thursday – Saturday, March 21 – 23, and from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 24.

    Seminars about gardening and landscaping will be given, every hour, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Thursday; from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday. All of the talks are included, with the price of admission.

    General admission is $9. Discount coupons for $8 admission are available, on the Plantasia website.

    Look for the flower show, presented by District 8 Federated Clubs of New York state.

    Kids will enjoy the Aurora Waldorf School Children’s Garden. Vendors will offer new gardening products and services.

    While you are waiting for Plantasia to begin, make a mini greenhouse from a milk jug. This idea came from Horticulturist David Clark of Hamburg. It is so simple and it works!

    Utilize seeds from cold-hardy annuals, which are tolerant of colder temperatures and are capable of reseeding in most gardens. Use plants that might sprout up on their own, in your compost pile.

    Vegetables include tomatoes, squash and cantaloupe. Flowers include alyssum, cosmos, cornflower, larkspur or delphinium, lupine, marigold and zinnia.

    Start with a 1-gallon plastic milk jug. Rinse it out and throw away the cap.

    Poke holes in the bottom, for drainage, if you would like. I didn’t, and my plants did well, but we had a dry spring, last year.

    Using a sharp knife or box cutter, make a horizontal cut, almost all the way around the jug. The uncut part will act as a hinge.

    Poke two small holes in the jug, opposite the hinge: one hole in the top half and one hole in the bottom half. I used a tiny screwdriver, to poke the holes.

    Fill the bottom with your potting medium. Clark recommended using a soil-less potting mix. I used potting soil. Moisten your medium.

    Plant your seeds.

    Use a twist-tie to close the two halves. I twisted two ties together, to make one long tie.

    Use a permanent marker, to label your mini greenhouse with the name of what you planted.

    Place your greenhouse outside, in a sheltered spot. When the weather gets warm enough, your seeds will start to sprout. They will know when it is time to grow.

    Enough rain or snow should get in, through the open top, to keep the potting mixture moist. The milk jug will keep your seedlings protected from rabbits, deer and other critters.

    When the seedlings are large enough, transplant them into your garden.

    Make this mini greenhouse now, to get your plants started for spring. Then, come to Plantasia, to see everything that is new for spring, in gardening.

    Connie Oswald Stofko is the publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. Email Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com.

    Get a jump start on your yard work

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    Video: Spring gardening tips for St. Louisans

    ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – It didn’t seem like it Tuesday, but spring is just two weeks away.

    That means it’s time to get out into your yard and do some work.

    Heidi Glaus stopped by the Missouri Botanical Garden for some advice from the experts.  Watch the video players above and to the left of this story to see her interview.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    KSDK