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Gifts for gardeners can be fanciful or just plain practical

Recently, I saw a cartoon online that made me laugh out loud, because it is so true.

It showed a gardener jumping up and down yelling, “Ten yards of compost? You DO love me!”

And the caption said, “The great thing about shopping for gardeners is you can give us rotten crap and we’ll be happy.”

It’s pretty hard to wrap 10 yards of compost, and even the most ardent gardener wouldn’t want it dumped under the Christmas tree, but if you have a gardener in your life, gift certificates can be one of your best friends.

From plants to topsoil, garden structures to labour, a gift certificate, from a landscaping company or from a sturdy garden helper, pertaining to something for the garden will make the green thumb in your life smile.

Birdwatching and gardening go hand in hand in many households, so you might want to do a gift basket including a feeder or two and several different types of seed, suet cakes and bird pies. A heated bird bath is also an excellent choice, as it is important that birds have an open source of water in the winter months.

The Birds Nature Shop in Mahone Bay has an excellent selection of bird feeders, baths, binoculars, as well as garden items such as wind chimes and water features.

The must-have gardening tool, in my opinion, comes from the imaginative people at Lee Valley Tools, where it is easy to spend your entire Christmas budget on gift ideas.

The Hori-Hori weeding knife is good for many tasks, including dividing perennials, planting bulbs, edging garden beds and, of course, removing unwanted plants from your garden beds. It comes with a carbon steel or stainless steel blade and a protective belt sheath.

The only thing it lacks is a GPS chip for locating it when it gets misplaced. (If some innovative designer invented something to find lost tools, they could retire.)

If you really want to score points with the gardener in your life, a selection of items in a basket, garden trug or bucket makes a terrific choice. Include a good set of gardening gloves from Atlas, Foxgloves, or Ethel. These are three of the top garden glove makers, with a variety of styles for every size of hands.

Add some SeaBoost liquid seaweed fertilizer, which is good for houseplants as well as for your outdoor gardening needs, a good hand protecting cream, like locally made beeswax-based Naturally Nancy’s Protective Cream, and a good sunscreen and sun hat.

Perhaps tuck in a steel or non-BPA plastic water bottle to keep the gardener hydrated during hot weather. Finish your gift basket off with a sampler of different seeds from any of a number of local seed companies, including Halifax Seed, Gardens North, Hope Seeds and Annapolis Seeds.

Enhancing your landscape and garden is an investment in your property, so you might consider having a landscape architect come in to design an addition to your existing plantings or “hardscaping,” which are structures like patios, retaining walls and walkways.

Perhaps your gardener would like a pergola or other timber-frame structure from Wise Owl Joinery Company in Port Williams or a welded metal signpost or sculpture from Avon River Metalworks in Falmouth.

James Chadwick creates wonderful garden art at Metal Petals, a garden art company located in St. Peters, Cape Breton, while Jerry Walsh makes a varied line of garden art, birdhouses, benches and more at Distinctive Garden Accents in Lake of the Woods.

For smaller works of art, check out the desktop and wall-mounted botanical sculptures by John Welling of Botinicals, available at the Blomidon Inn House of Gifts.

If none of these suggestions appeal to you, check out your local nursery or garden centre. Those that are open until the end of December or year-round carry a fascinating selection of garden-themed items, as well as gardening books and journals.

And if you’re really stumped, there’s always the gift certificates, as noted above.

For a gift that keeps on giving, consider making a financial donation to one of the public gardens in the province, including the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University, the Halifax Public Gardens, the Rock Garden in Truro or the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.

These gardens rely on the generosity of donors to keep them growing and blooming for everyone.

Gardening addict Jodi DeLong is getting at least one new knee as a present for next year’s garden season. Talk about your favourite garden gifts at bloominganswers.com.

New-look CBD plan to simplify the rules, allowing for new ideas | Rotorua …

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THE CBD: What's happening now and in the future? Where is everything going to fit in? What new proposals are in the pipeline? This graphic shows how the city centre is divided into different zones. — THE CBD: What’s happening now and in the future? Where is everything going to fit in? What new proposals are in the pipeline? This graphic shows how the city centre is divided into different zones. SUPPLIED 101212CITY1

The Rotorua District Council has released its proposed District Plan for consultation. The plan is the Rotorua district’s most important land use document, regulating everything from zoning to new buildings and activities. The Daily Post council and city issues reporter Matthew Martin takes a close look at some of the plan’s important features in a series of articles.

With the new Eat Streat concept about to be finalised and the redevelopment of the Rotorua Lakefront on the cards, residents can look forward to a new-look central business district.

Accordingly, the proposed District Plan accommodates these projects, tweaking the rules to allow for new ideas.

The new District Plan chapter for the cental city covers everything from signage and glare from light, to how high you can build, parking access, noise, landscaping – and is focused on walkability.

The council’s planning services manager, Liam Dagg, said the plan focused on the simplification of the city centre to allow for the market to determine the location of activities.

He said the number of sub-zones within the city had been reduced from seven to three. These three zones cover the city centre, Rotorua Central and the Lakefront.

“The rules of the city centre have been significantly revised to be more permissive and reflect the current direction of the market, while being flexible enough to provide for any future market change.

“The community expects our district to have a strong, vibrant city centre with a unique character. The District Plan aims to revitalise the city centre by consolidating business into the area and making it the focal point for commercial and cultural activity,” Mr Dagg said.

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Roger Gordon has been working with the council, helping to develop a plan for the central city for the past few years.

“There was a level of concern back then regarding some of the proposals. But the council have worked hard to respond to those issues.

“We think this is a much more enabling document, rather than restrictive, which is absolutely tremendous,” he said.

The council’s economic projects manager, Nick Dallimore, said he was excited about the future of Rotorua’s central city.

“The last District Plan was at odds to what we wanted to achieve. Now the rules fit the vision.

“The big game-changers are the new intersections and re-design of Tutanekai St, and the Lakefront will be quite exciting over the long term as well as the strengthening of the city’s north-south connection.”

Mr Dallimore said the introduction of free wi-fi would also allow tourists and domestic visitors to check what’s happening in the city with ease.

To view the proposed District Plan visit www.rdc.govt.nz, or view a hard copy at the council’s customer centre or the library. Submissions can be made online at the council’s website, emailed to planenquiry@rdc.govt.nz, or posted to the Planning Services Manager, RDC, Private Bag 3029, Rotorua. A District Plan public open day is scheduled at Te Runanga Tearooms, Government Gardens, on Tuesday January 8 from 9am to 5pm. Submissions close on March 1.

Finch: Give the gift of gardening

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If you have a gardener on your gift list, the shopping will be easy.

The simplest gift to arrange and obtain is a gift certificate. Personalize it by purchasing it at your gardener’s favorite retail nursery.

In the note with the gift, remind the gardener that the gift certificate allows him to select the plants that fit into the landscape and to pick them up when it is convenient for the gardener to do the planting.

In addition to plants, neighborhood garden centers offer many other good gift items.

Garden gloves are always useful. If your gardener is a rose gardener or grows blackberries, consider long gloves that protect the forearms from thorns.

Tools such as a high-quality shovel, rake or pruners are always appreciated.

Precut raised-bed gardens are a neat gift. For someone who is getting older and having trouble bending down to a low garden, purchase a kit for a garden that’s elevated to 3 feet. Gardeners who use wheelchairs can tend beds at that height, too.

To make this gift more complete, purchase soil to fill the bed and build the garden for your special gardener.

Bird baths and bird feeders are welcome additions to the landscape. They can be simple or works of art.

Lawn furniture is a good addition to the landscape, making it more pleasant to enjoy flowers and the birds that visit your bird baths and feeders.

Your local nursery may not carry garden tillers, but your local hardware store or lawn equipment dealer will. I have a Mantis tiller designed for raised beds that is one of my favorite tools. It is lightweight and not built for tilling heavy clay or caliche, but it is great for incorporating compost into a raised-bed garden.

Gardeners also appreciate books about their hobby. A large selection of books, including some new this year, target Texas gardeners.

Look for “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening” by Greg Grant. The book is new for 2012 and is a good, basic text for any gardener. It is especially useful for gardeners new to our area or venturing into vegetable gardening for the first time.

Grant has a charming writing style as he weaves his East Texas and San Antonio gardening experiences into a presentation of the basic information.

My favorite Greg Grant book, and the most useful, is one he wrote with Roger Holmes called “Home Landscaping Texas.” It breaks down do-it-yourself home landscaping into chewable bites.

Find Grant’s books and other offerings, such as Neil Sperry’s “Complete Guide to Texas Gardening” and Bill Welch’s “Perennial Garden Color,” at book stores and online.

Calvin R. Finch is a horticulturist and director of the Texas Aamp;M Water Conservation and Technology Center. Contact him at calvin.finch@tamu.edu.

Potomac Winners of 26th Annual Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Honored

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At the Dec. 4 26^th annual “Keep Montgomery County Beautiful” community beautification award ceremony, organizers handed out 56 awards for municipal street plantings, community plantings, community landscape projects, outdoor projects at commercial and retail locations, outdoor projects at schools/government buildings/hospitals/churches, under-19 age groups, sustained maintenance, photographs of Montgomery County landmarks, adopt-a-road participants and forestry stewardship.

The fifty-six award winners represent a number of areas in Montgomery County.

Chevy Chase/Kensington/Bethesda/Potomac-area winners –

COMMUNITY NON-PROFESSIONAL for community plantings maintained by residents through homeowner associations, garden clubs or civic associations:

Award of Excellence: Huntington Terrace Citizens Association Triangle Garden, Bethesda, Environmental

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COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL for community landscaping projects designed and maintained by

Award of Excellence: Potomac Falls Entranceways, Fine Earth Landscape, Inc., Potomac

Award of Distinction: Bethesda Overlook Townhouse Condominium, Potts Consulting and Greenlink, Inc., Bethesda,New

Award of Excellence: Bethesda Row, Ruppert Landscaping, Bethesda

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PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL for outdoor projects at schools, government buildings, hospitals, churches or libraries:

Award of Distinction: Davis Library, Bethesda Community Garden Club, Bethesda

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SUSTAINED MAINTENANCE for previous triple award winners of the Award of Excellence:

Second Year/ Community Professional: Capital Gateway, Ruppert Landscape, Bethesda

Second Year/ Community Professional: Maplewood Park Place, Valleycrest Landscape, Bethesda

Second Year/ Community Professional: Potomac Crest Homeowners Association, The Brickman Group, Potomac

Third Year/ Commercial/Retail: Human Genome Sciences, Ruppert Landscape, Bethesda

Third Year/ Community Non-Professional: Kenwood Pocket Park, Kenwood Garden Club, Chevy Chase

Third Year/ Public-Institutional: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Labyrinth, Bethesda

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THE GOLDEN TROWEL AWARD – Final Year/Fifth Year/ Community Professional: The Carleton Condominium, Valleycrest Landscape, Bethesda

Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY HER PEOPLE – Any photo taken of one or more people involved in County activities, close-up or distant, showing leisure activity, productivity or community service.

Second: “Great Falls, Maryland” Donald Bandler, Bethesda

Silver Spring/Colesville/ Wheaton/Takoma Park-area winners

CITYSCAPE for municipal street plantings in median strips, near traffic ramps and next to sidewalks:

Award of Excellence: Wheaton Triangle Conservation Garden, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Wheaton

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COMMUNITY NON-PROFESSIONAL for community plantings maintained by residents through homeowner associations, garden clubs or civic associations:

Award of Distinction: Kemp Mill Estates Entranceway, Kemp Mill Civic Association, Silver Spring

Award of Merit: American Elm Park, Friends of Sligo Creek, Silver Spring

Award of Excellence: Hancock Avenue Rain Garden, Hancock Avenue Rain Garden Committee, Takoma Park

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COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL for community landscaping projects designed and maintained by professional landscape architects or contractors:

Award of Excellence: The Blairs, The Brickman Group, Silver Spring

Award of Excellence: Bonifant Homeowners Association, Custom Cuts Lawn Landscape, Silver Spring

Award of Excellence: Kensington Park Retirement Community, The Brickman Group, Kensington

Award of Excellence: Leisure World Cascade, McFall Berry Landscape, Silver Spring

Award of Excellence: Leisure World Globe, McFall Berry Landscape, Silver Spring

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COMMERCIAL/RETAIL for outdoor projects at facilities such as shopping malls, restaurants, retail businesses, gas stations, etc.:

Award of Excellence: United Therapeutics, Ruppert Landscaping, Silver Spring, New

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PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL for outdoor projects at schools, government buildings, hospitals, churches or libraries:

Award of Excellence: Aspen Hill Library Gardens, Aspen Hill Garden Club, Aspen Hill

Award of Excellence: Eastern Middle School Rain Garden, Students Friends of Sligo Creek, Silver Spring

Award of Excellence: Pinecrest Elementary School Rain Garden, Woodmoor Green Team, Girl Scout Troop 1549, Silver Spring, Environmental

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SUSTAINED MAINTENANCE for previous triple award winners of the Award of Excellence:

First Year/ Commercial/Retail: Silver Spring Metro Plaza, Ruppert Landscaping, Silver Spring

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PHOTOGRAPHY MONTGOMERY COUNTY, BY NIGHT – Any photo taken outdoors in Montgomery County that depicts something fun, beautiful or exciting during nighttime.

Third: “Carnival Lightning” Elizabeth Koller, Silver Spring

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PHOTOGRAPHY MONTGOMERY COUNTY, HER PEOPLE – Any photo taken of one or more people involved in County activities, close-up or distant, showing leisure activity, productivity or community service.

Third: “Hooray for the USA” Fred Shapiro, Silver Spring

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PHOTOGRAPHY MONTGOMERY COUNTY AT WORK – Any photo taken of one or more people at work, contributing to the livability and splendor of the County.

Second: “The Stylist for Tree” De Hou Yang, Wheaton

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ADOPT-A-ROAD CLEAN SWEEP AWARDS – for fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) that recognizes volunteer efforts to remove litter from County roadways.

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Award of Excellence for Most Cleanings Reported – Colesville Lions Club, represented by Emory Patton. This group cleaned their road, the extension of Norbeck Road from Norwood Road to New Hampshire Avenue, nearly every day except when prohibited by weather. The group has been with the program for nine years.

Award of Excellence for Most Trash Collected: Izaak Walton League of America Wildlife Achievement Chapter, represented by Meo Curtis. This group has adopted Mullinix Mill Road, between Route 108 and the Howard County Line. In FY12 they collected 132 bags of trash – about 350 gallons of trash — plus many recyclable items, hub caps and tires, household remodeling materials, sofas, propane gas containers, partially filled cans of paint and a wedding dress. They have been with the program for over 15 years.

Montgomery Village/Rockville/Gaithersburg/Germantown/North Potomac-area winners –

CITYSCAPE for municipal street plantings in median strips, near traffic ramps and next to sidewalks:

Award of Excellence: Mattie Stepanek Park Peace Garden, City of Rockville

Award of Excellence: Viers Mill Road Landscape Enhancements, City of Rockville, New

Award of Distinction: East Rockville Greenway, City of Rockville

Award of Excellence: Park Road and S. Stonestreet Land Enhancements, City of Rockville

Award of Excellence: Pump House at Croyden Park, City of Rockville, Environmental

Award of Excellence: The Ponds at Fallsgrove, City of Rockville

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COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL for community landscaping projects designed and maintained by

Award of Excellence: Grosvenor Park Grosvenor Park Maintenance Trust Association Monument, Lancaster Landscapes, Rockville

Award of Excellence: Clarksburg Village Roundabout, Hughes Landscaping, Clarksburg, Environmental/New

Award of Excellence: The Vistas Homeowners Association Stormwater Management Area, The Brickman Group, Boyds

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COMMERCIAL/RETAIL for outdoor projects at facilities such as shopping malls, restaurants, retail businesses, gas stations, etc.:

Award of Distinction: Gaithersburg Washingtonian Marriott, The Brickman Group, Gaithersburg

Award of Excellence: National Auto Body, Rockville

Award of Excellence: Tower Oaks, The Brickman Group, Rockville

Award of Merit: Twinbrook Sunoco, Rockville

Award of Distinction: Maryland Soccerplex, Fine Earth Landscape, Inc. Boyds

Award of Excellence: Lobsang Executive Shell, Rockville, Environmental

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PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL for outdoor projects at schools, government buildings, hospitals, churches or libraries:

Award of Excellence: The Jewish Community Center, Ruppert Landscaping, Rockville

Award of Excellence: Master Gardeners Demonstration Gardens, Derwood Agricultural Farm Park, Derwood

Award of Excellence: Master Gardeners Farmers Triangle Demonstration Garden, Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg

Award of Excellence: Master Gardeners Heritage Garden, Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg

Award of Excellence: Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Rosetta Landscape Management, Olney

Award of Excellence: Viers Mill Baptist Church, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Rockville, Environmental/New

Award of Excellence: St. James Episcopal Church Vestry Gardens, American Plant Landscape Division, Rockville,Environmental

Award of Excellence: Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, American Plant Landscape, Rockville

Award of Excellence: Montgomery General Hospital Thrift Shop Butterfly Garden, Seedling Garden Club, Olney

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YOUTH for outdoor projects by an individual or group who are younger than 19 years old. Adult supervision is permitted, but the majority of a project must be completed by youth:

Award of Distinction: Rockville High School (RHS) Conservation Landscape, RHS Horticulture and Science Class Students, Rockville

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SUSTAINED MAINTENANCE for previous triple award winners of the Award of Excellence:

First Year/ Commercial/Retail: Hughes Network, The Brickman Group, Germantown

First Year/ Cityscape: Rockville Town Square, Ruppert Landscaping, Rockville

Second Year/ Community Non-Professional: Cambridge Walk II Homeowners Association, Rockville

Second Year/ Community Non-Professional: Rockshire Entranceway, Rockshire Garden Club, Rockville

Second Year/ Commercial/Retail: Washingtonian Center, The Brickman Group, Gaithersburg

Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY YOUTH – For those who are younger than 19 years of age and wish to compete against others their age.

First: “Helpless Hungry But Still Together” Tatiana Harris, Gaithersburg

Second: “The First Sign of Summer” Bethany Pereira, Rockville

Third: “Montgomery County Salutes Amercia” Anna Meleney, Rockville

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Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY, BY DAY – Any photo taken outdoors in Montgomery County that depicts something fun, beautiful or exciting during daytime hours.

First: “Fields of Gold” Lori Ducharme, Gaithersburg

Second: “Black Hill Fishing Dock” Cynthia Hunter, Montgomery Village, Gaithersburg

Third: “Sunflower-After Life” Patricia Benjamin, Gaithersburg

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Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY LANDMARKS – Any photo taken outdoors in Montgomery County of a natural or manmade commonly recognized landmark or scene.

First: “Overlook Panorama” Keegan Barber, Rockville

Second: “Forgotten Memories” Mamqalika Pereira, Rockville

Third: “Seneca Schoolhouse” Linda Joy, Gaithersburg

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Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY, BY NIGHT – Any photo taken outdoors in Montgomery County that depicts something fun, beautiful or exciting during nighttime.

First: “Out For a Spin” Larry Dean, Damascus

Second: “Big 17” Howard Clark, Montgomery Village, Gaithersburg

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First: “Father/Son Early Spring Hike” Gloria Machlis Heyman, Montgomery Village, Gaithersburg

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Photography MONTGOMERY COUNTY AT WORK – Any photo taken of one or more people at work, contributing to the livability and splendor of the County.

First: “Yellow + Blue = Green” Judith MacArthur, Rockville

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THE GREYDON TOLSON FORESTRY STEWARDSHIP AWARDS. The Greydon Tolson award honors his lifetime of service to forestry in Montgomery County and to the Montgomery County Forestry Board. The award recognizes individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a significant commitment to advancing the science, education, technology, or practice of Forestry. This year’s winners are Carole Bergmann, resident of Clarksburg and employed by Montgomery Parks, Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission, and Linda Pepe, resident of Barnesville.

“The Native Landscape Reader”

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While the names might not be familiar to all, the table of contents shows a veritable “Who’s Who” in the history of landscape architecture. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jens Jensen, Andrew Jackson Downing, Horace William Shaler Cleveland, Liberty Hyde Bailey and O.C. Simonds are but a few of the landscape designers with one or more entries included. They all speak of the importance of seeking inspiration and guidance from nature, and in particular the natural surroundings of a site. By doing this, the designs created and plants used will survive and prosper, and fit with the area. Most of these articles were written over 70 years ago, and significant development has created much greater separation from truly native habitats through the loss of those habitats to subdivisions, roads and commercial projects. Still, this advice remains valuable in creating a habitat for your own home that is welcoming to you, birds, butterflies, chipmunks and other wildlife that make all of our lives more complete, even if we don’t realize it in their absence from the overly neat, sterile landscapes that we’ve become accustomed to in our modern lives.

Other authors are naturalists, some famous and others relatively obscure. Aldo Leopold, Henry Chandler Cowles, Charles Sprague Sargent, Stephen Sargent Visher and others have articles describing specific habitats, and the importance of natural habitats to other natural habitats, wildlife and mankind as a whole, for inspiration and restoration of the spirit and soul. In the increasingly developed world they lived in (sometimes 100 years ago or more), when there was much more existing native landscape than we have today, even they saw the perils of habitat loss, and the ramifications of that loss.

One of our native landscapes, the Scio Preserve on Scio Church Road – a beautiful place for a restorative walk in the woods

Rick Meader|Contributor

Still other articles are more descriptive articles by sources not at all scientific or related to landscape design – people like Danske Danbridge, the poet, and Thomas Cole, the famous landscape painter. These articles talk in more general terms about the value and beauty of natural landscapes. Although I’ve never been in New England, reading Thomas Cole’s description of the forested mountains there took me back to the time he lived, when bears, wolves and other wildlife had homes where there are probably now lakeside cabins or subdivisions in the woods. Articles describing the importance of woods, and descriptions of native habitats and species not solely devoted to their use in landscaping add depth to the book that increase its utility and appeal to a wider audience than just landscapers or gardeners.

A compilation is just a collection of articles unless there is meaningful text to tie them together, summarize the messages taught, and extract from them some lessons and inspiration for meaningful living going forward. Bob’s easily read and understood writing style make his additions in this regard extremely helpful. They provide some historical context in which the articles were written, and add current thought in the context of the current status of our environment.

It’s amazing (and discouraging) to me in reading this book, that they were discussing some of the same issues way back when that we’re facing today and we don’t seem to have learned much from the lessons they taught. At the same time, it’s also a great education, written in a wide variety of styles, offered by a litany of teachers with undeniable credentials and acclaim. Whoever reads this book will come away with a much deeper understanding of the native landscape, why it is so important to man and wildlife, and why it is so important to preserve what we have, restore what we’ve lost wherever possible, and add elements of native landscapes wherever we can, whether it be to our homes, our commercial or spiritual landscapes, or our parks. I hope that you’ll buy this book, for you and your friends/loved ones, and take the authors’ messages to heart. We’ll all benefit if we do.

Rick is a local landscape architect with a special interest in all things natural, including creating designs that include a lot of native plants (and the critters they support). You can contact him at yourland1824@gmail.com.

Late fall gardening tips | Q13 FOX News

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While the season for giving and shopping and jammed parking lots is here, if you need a break from the hustle and bustle the garden might offer a respite.

Believe it or not, because of our climate, there’s plenty you can do in the yard around your house this time of year.

This is especially true when it comes to planting and transplanting things, but remember the golden rule of gardening: The right plant in the right place. That means you need to think long term like how big the plant will get and how much sun it’s going to need.

“I dress in layers,” horticulturist Ingela Wanerstrand said. She’s putting on one of several pairs of gloves she keeps handy for foggy cold mornings and she’s wearing waterproof rain paints to make sure that when she’s kneeling or digging that she stays dry.

“This is an apple tree,” she says as she hands the large pot to me. Our Northwest weather might be soggy in the winter, but we rarely have freezing temperatures which means it’s perfect for planting and transplanting.

“Then they have the whole winter to grow a root system, so that they’re more able to withstand their first dry season,” Wanerstrand said.

After you’ve selected the spot where you’re planting you’ll want to loosen the soil with a strong garden fork. This will allow you to penetrate the ground and go around large stones, which are easier to remove with a fork than a shovel. Roughly measure the hole you’ve dug and you want to make sure it’s a bit wider than the pot the plant came in. You don’t want the hole to be too deep because with our soils the plant can sink after planted and if it’s too deep the whole area will collect water, causing root rot.

“It’s very important to plant it at the depth at which it was in the pot,” Wanerstrand said.

She also demonstrates making a tiny mound in the middle of the hole that allows the gardener some wiggle room in placing the tree or shrub. Then, gently ease the plant out of the contain and in to the hole.

Next, you’ll want to tease the edges of the root ball if they’re pot bound with a sharp tool that could be anything from a knife to a carpet cutter. This will encourage the edges of the roots to expand into the surrounding soil. You’ll then want to backfill with the same dirt you dug out of the hole, but do not pack the soil down.

A stake is a good idea for our winter winds. A little sway is fine since it encourages the plant to grow stronger roots to prop itself up. Due to the nature of some dwarf root stocks of fruit trees, they’ll have to be staked for as long as they live. Biodegradable twine is optimal for fastening the tree to the stake with a figure 8 twisting pattern, so that the stake and the tree don’t touch each other. Since the twine will degrade over time, you don’t have to worry about it choking the plant like some plastic ties can.

A bit of a moat around the tree will direct water to fill the air pockets left behind from where you did not stamp or press down on the ground. A good soaking is going to give the plant much-needed water, it also will fill those air pockets and help bind the soils in the root ball and the surrounding earth.

“The first dry summer and maybe the second summer, too remember to soak the root ball,” Wanerstrand said.

It’s important to remember you can still put edibles in the ground. Things like kale, that you can get as starts from your local nurseriea, and bulb-like plants like garlic can also go into the ground now. Don’t forget about spring ornamentals like tulips and daffodils — a little work now with these plants will mean a host of flowers in the spring.

Planting tips in Farmer’s Almanac, other sources often based on science

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Recently, a local news channel that reported a story about garden and weather folklore.

The interesting program got me to thinking about how the “old-timers” used seeds, insects, acorns and certain phases of the moon to predict optimum planting schedules and weather forecasts. Fascinating! Could there really be any merit to their observations and predictions for future occurrences in nature?

I did some of my own research on the subject and found out some wonderful garden and weather folklore.

Gardening folklore does have some scientific roots. The old-time farmers based their experience on seasonal changes that correlate with animal behavior and plant growth. This type of knowledge is based on what is called phenology, the relationship between annual cycles of plants and animals and how they respond to seasonal changes in the environment.

Phenology has been used for ages in gardening and agriculture for planting dates, when insects will become a problem and blooming times of plants. Modern-day plant scientists have found that this formula corresponds to a measurement called growing degree days. They take the average daily temperature in a region by adding or subtracting it to 50 F. This information is used to estimate events such as when pest controls should be used to get maximum benefit results.

The older generations have plenty of gardening advice. We sometimes do things the way our elders did before us: Parent to child, neighbor to neighbor. Some are backed up by actual events and the tips could prove to be helpful. I guess it has to do with the storyteller.

The ever popular Farmer’s Almanac endorses planting by lunar cycles and using astronomy to make their predictions. Even though the almanac does not use weather lore to make long-term forecasts for broad areas, it does take cues from nature and believes there is a strong cause-and-effect relationship between nature and weather.

Predictions by the Farmer’s Almanac have a sound mathematical and astronomical formula that has been proven to be quite accurate. So accurate that the formula is kept locked away somewhere in Maine!

How about planting by lunar cycles? Some say the moon impacts the movement of moisture in soil and plants and helps bulk up root and leaf growth in vegetables. Hmmm. Look at the gravitational pull of the moon in relation to ocean tides. Some would discount the theory, I suppose.

Plant lore can range from “planting vegetables by a waxing moon,” or split open a persimmon seed and the shape of the seeds will tell you what type of winter is expected. A knife shape means a very cold winter, a spoon shape means a lot of snow shoveling and a fork means winter will be easy and mild. In reality, when you split open the seeds they do look like eating utensils.

Other folklore includes:

Bury nails around the roots of hydrangea to make the blooms blue.
Anything planted on the first day of spring will live.
Planting peppers when you are mad makes the peppers hotter.
Tomatoes should be planted on Memorial Day.
A ring around the moon at night means a storm is coming.
Lightning before Christmas means snow is coming.
My favorite: “Folks up here in the mountains claim that for every foggy morning in August, there will be a snow in the winter.”

Weather and gardening folklore apparently won’t hurt anything. It can be a conversation starter and a fun activity to share with children. I think most sound gardening practices have to do with soil health and temperature, moisture levels and fertilization.

But I can’t help but wonder when I see that caterpillar late in the fall if we are going to get a mild winter, or those fogs that we actually did have here in August mean snowfall for us this year. You decide.

Go out and purchase a recent Farmer’s Almanac. It is fun to read. Also, if you want to have some fun exploring the phenology of our region, go to the website www.attra.org, a USDA-sponsored project.

Also if you need university-researched-based information on all gardening practices, give Extension a call. We provide up-to-date accurate information on all things horticulture.

Wanda Cannon serves as Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture assistant for the Hall County Extension office. Phone: 770-535-8293. Her column appears biweekly and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.

Top tips: garden cities and new towns | Housing network | Guardian Professional

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John Lewis is chief executive of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation

Communities must be involved in new towns from the outset: Development partnerships are a great idea as long as there is local involvement threaded through the governance of the partnership. The days of commandeering swathes of land without consultation and involving local people in the process are long gone.

Think long-term when it comes to finances: Unlike garden cities, the new towns were unable to capture land value for the benefit of the town itself as the value had to be returned to the Treasury. Letchworth has been able to capture value and retain the income streams for the benefit of residents, this is the critical difference. And this is the model that needs to be revisited as a solution to ensuring long term management of new places.

Katy Lock is the garden cities advocate at the Town and County Planning Association

We need to de-risk investment: While the government’s announcements should go some way to facilitate this, we still need them to provide certainty on funding and delivery mechanisms to reassure investors that upfront investment will pay off over the long term. Models such as the Netherlands’ infrastructure investment model where the Dutch municipal bank provided finance for development at low rates of interest to be paid back over 15 years could be useful in Britain.

Richard Blyth is head of policy and practice at the Royal Town Planning Institute

There is no distinction between new towns and garden cities: All large scale new development needs to solve the key question of what work are people going to do who live there, and where is this work to be located. The Howard concept was really about linking a series of garden cities, which partly by design and partly by accident has actually happened in Cambridge, Royston, Letchworth, Hitchin, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and now Kings Cross.

Investment in transport is essential to make planning work: I doubt that any garden city can be remotely self contained these days so what matters is how they relate to existing places and to each other. This requires the government to swallow really hard and plan transport investment along with housing policy.

Robin Hoyles is group land and planning director at Crest Nicholson

Garden cities were mostly designed before mass car ownership unlike the new towns: The rise in car ownership is one of the greatest challenges we face in delivering 21st century garden cities and we are encouraging our masterplanners to think innovatively about how the car will be incorporated successfully into our future large scale schemes. Rear parking courts that have become the norm across developments for the last 10 years are not welcomed by residents who wish to park outside of their front door. It means they park in undesignated spaces where there is not adequate space. The garden city approach gives us the opportunity to take into account where people wish to park and adapt the streetscape accordingly.

Handing open spaces over to local authorities might not be the answer: From past experience we have discovered that whether the management of the open space is handed over to a management company or a residents association there are challenges, especially in terms of the long term maintenance. As a result we have investigating new and innovative ways to manage these spaces by learning from trusts and assessing structures at Letchworth, Hampstead garden suburb and elsewhere. We are hoping to create a board of management type structure which would have 2 tiers. Depending on the size of the development the board of management would compromise 4 experts from backgrounds such as estate management, planning, architecture or law who would offer independent professional advice. The second tier would be a group of elected residents to provide some democracy in the process.

Colin Wiles is a housing consultant with more than 30 years’ experience in the social housing sector

We have come a long way from the original vision of garden cities: The original vision of the garden city was an estate of 6,000 acres of which only 1,000 was built upon. The city would be surrounded by farmland that would produce its food, and provide the town with goods from factories and workshops and waste would be recycled and used on the land. It’s a very modern concept (a true eco-town in fact!), although the vision was never fully realised. So yes, there is a distinction between garden cities and new towns in terms of the original vision, but in truth there is not a great deal to distinguish between Welwyn and Stevenage, except that the former features better design and is greener.

Sabine Coady Schäbitz is the director of the Collaborative Centre for the Built Environment (CCBE) at the University of Northampton

Would new garden cities be seen as an imposition from above or an expression of local ambitions? Would people actually want to live in completely new garden cities? Or would they prefer to see improvements and additions to the places they currently live in – making them more liveable? Overall there is a lot of opposition to large scale development or even just development in this country – despite the obvious need. This is something which needs to be acknowledged and worked with.

Kevin Thompson is chief executive of North Hertfordshire Homes (NHH)

There are two separate debates going on in this sphere: One is whether we have the capacity to develop and implement large scale new town projects and the other is whether they are a good thing. I don’t believe that previous generations that built new towns, garden cities or large scale social housebuilding after the wars were better at it, or less restricted by financial, legislative or capacity issues or the availability of land than we would be. The government is already trying to release public land for housebuilding. It has enough of it to create two cities the size of Leicester.

As to whether they are a good thing, the consensus seems to be they would be, providing the scale was sufficient for them to be sustainable. I don’t think this is utopian. Principles we would probably all hold to is that sustainable development needs to be based on environmental, economic and social components. Ebeneezer’s three magnets, in other words.

It is possible to be pro-regeneration and pro-new development: We must have the right housing in the right place. Empty homes are not necessarily the result of council or government social engineering, but the consequence of unemployment and demographic changes. For both new and old communities jobs, transport and schools are essential. Where urban areas can be regenerated we should do so, and we have a sad history of demolition but it should not be a stick to beat those looking to do other things in the right place for them.

John Hoad is head of planning at Campaign to Protect Rural England

Garden cities and new towns have a lot to teach us about collective social action to meet housing need: However they are very much of history and a particular time. Currently government tools are inadequate to create workable new settlements. We have no effective strategic planning to find suitable locations, we cannot acquire land for public use at existing use values and thus deliver land value capture to create the basis for infrastructure investment. The public sector thus cannot create the infrastructure framework for efficient private investment.

We have to be practical about what works now: It seems we are best working with the grain – organic development of existing cities and towns under strong planning control to prevent edge of town sprawl and waste of land – that creates the right incentives for landowners and counters the pure, individual, market decision making by the land owner. So even if we go for new towns we will need strong green belt and countryside protection policy to create compact energy efficient urban forms.

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Your Garden Guy: Tips for maintaining a ‘living’ Christmas tree | Home and …

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Now is the time buy and decorate a living Christmas tree. These live trees with roots will need a large container to hold the root ball while indoors. Water regularly so the roots dont dry out, but dont allow water to sit for extended periods in the bottom of the container. Living Christmas trees need to be planted outside before Jan. 1. Choose a location that is suited for your tree in terms of size and sunlight. Next year, add some lights!

Paperwhite narcissus are blooming in the garden and in my greenhouse — just in time for the holidays. Whether you use live plants or cut stems, the beautiful, fragrant flowers add elegance to any holiday occasion. Because the fragrance is strong, its best to use these away from food and food serving areas.

This is the best time of year to move and transplant trees and shrubs. Your success rate will be close to 100 percent because of the cooler, wetter weather.

Keep the bird feeders full. Your feathered friends are depending on you as a primary food source. When hard freezes are predicted, be sure to empty the water from birdbaths to prevent cracking.

December is a great time to buy and plant perennials, shrubs and trees. Just be sure that the soil is not muddy.

In the vegetable garden, plant onion sets now.

I love amaryllis. This large bulb is easy to grow and produces huge trumpet shaped flowers during the holidays. Amaryllis grow in bright light, moist soil and cool conditions. Remove flowers as they fade.

Did you know that poinsettias are not poisonous? In fact, the Aztecs used these plants for dyes and medicine. But, they are not edible either. Accidental ingestion will cause a tummy ache.

Prune rose Knockout now. Use hedge trimmers to cut these hardy shrubs 8 to 12 inches from the ground. If your roses are still blooming like mine, wait until after Christmas.

Todd Goulding provides residential landscape design consultations. Contact him at 345-0719, GouldingDesignGroup.com or on Facebook.

Ask the Designer: Jill Metzler-Wiese – Home/Garden – NewsObserver.com

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Justjillinteriors.com

Your design philosophy in 10 words or less: Dont love it? Dont live with it.

Best way to dress a mantel:Clean it off and keep it simple. Fireplaces are a great architectural detail that need very little to make them come alive. For Hanukkah: Simple white candles placed in clear, silver and blue glass. For Christmas: Stockings can be nestled in a bed of pinecones and apples. For Kwanzaa: A kinara can replace the stockings on Dec. 26.

Best decor bargain you ever scored: Child-sized leather chair and ottoman that looked exactly like the one I bought his dad. Dads was real leather, made in Asheboro and will last forever, while Mini Mes was wipeable leather-like plastic made in the Pacific Rim and will be replaced after he outgrows it. Both pieces cost $18, including tax.

Every guest room should have: A comfy bed thats easy to get into at night and make in the morning (Translation: Lets not get crazy with throw pillows!), a place to put their stuff so they dont have to live out of a suitcase and an uncluttered night table with a good reading light.

How I turned a decor miss into a decor hit: A bad use of good space is a pet peeve of mine! Many downsizing empty nesters have what I like to call a slash room that is office/guest room. One client had a twin bed and a small desk in their slash room too small for either function. I designed a Murphy bed to cover much of the wall space and included a dresser with lighted makeup mirror, built-in bookshelves, a large workstation, room for a fax and a printer. The bed folds down to reveal great art, two swing-out lamps and a shelf that doubles as a night stand.

Favorite design blog: ABC News Made in America and Green Source.

Your design inspiration: I use the homeowners. Try to do the same. Look at the space from a practical-use standpoint. Family needs and styles change about every five years. I tell people to re-evaluate their lives and needs has a spouse come in or out? A child? Grandchild? Are you home more? Do you have a new hobby? Your space will need to change along with yur life.

Best idea for low-cost holiday centerpiece: For Christmas Eve, cut off the lowest branches of your Christmas tree. Lay them down the center of the table and pepper it with gold and silver ornaments and red votive candles. For Hanukkah, pick up mirrors of different sizes and shapes as well as some white or blue votives to sit atop.

Biggest design no-no: Knick-knack overload. Its very easy to go from accessorizing to being on an episode of Hoarders.

My best tip for do-it-yourself designers: Theres a fine line between following a trend and throwing your money away on a fad. Invest in a comfortable, North Carolina-made sofa. Paint, pillows, art and even reupholstering are a more cost-effective way to follow a trend and not end up with a budget-busting tangerine leather sectional sofa.