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Poll: Dig the Design of ‘Dayton’ Housing Project?

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With a series of staggered peaks towering above 106 high-end apartments set behind the Ridgewood rail line, sketches of the Tudor-style housing proposal “The Dayton” on South Broad Street elicit a range of opinions.

Scott Loventhal, of developer Garden Homes, says major revisions have “de-massed” the proposed five-story luxury apartment building on the land that had previously been Brogan Cadillac.

Garden Homes is appealing for the property to be re-zoned to allow for residential uses; and it’s just one of several properties being studied by Ridgewood to assess if zone changes to allow for residential housing downtown should be sought, and if so, what regulations should be in place.

The purchase of a small adjoining property has helped lead to some distinct design changes to the most ambitious of the housing projects proposed in the village, though Loventhal stopped short of calling them an improvement over previous designs.

The prior proposal featured a singular building with a fairly uniform roof height, and few breaks in the dimensions of the structure.

Now, a roof line ranges from roughly 40 feet at the lowest peak to 64.4 feet at the highest point. The roof height largely confers with the set back from the property line. The building is designed to look like two separate buildings joined in the center, behind which is a court yard for passive recreation.

A total of 187 parking spaces have been allocated, with much of the parking at grade below the building. About 70 percent of the units will be 2-bedroom dwellings, with the other third being 1-bedroom units.

The change from previous plans to add more 2-bed units is, according to Loventhal, an acknowledgement that residents who desire such housing want more space. Various units will now come with lofts and dens, he said.

If constructed, the apartments are expected to go between $2,000 and $4,000 per-month. Because of the price, he reasoned, as well as the decidedly not-kid-friendly amenities and greenery, families that could afford such a home would rather buy a house in Ridgewood.

This appeals to young, mobile singles/couples and also empty-nesters who want to stay in town, Loventhal said.

(There will be an article on unit sizes and school impacts on Thursday, so check that out.)

Members of the planning board by and large called the design aesthetically pleasing but some were not without reservations.

Member Kevin Reilly said certain elements of the height were still “jarring,” though he agreed the building didn’t look as massive.

With the pure size of the project – swallowing much of the land south of Columbia Bank down – it’s going to make an impact in the neighborhood, unquestionably, Reilly said. Whether it’s overall positive or negative from the board’s perspective remains to be seen.

The planning board will be coming up with a check list on core bulk regulations it would like to see met for the re-zoning of the property, and greater discussion arising at future meetings.

Stay tuned for a much more detailed report on what’s going to happen next with the proposed downtown housing developments. But for now, take the poll – based on design, do you like the look of ‘The Dayton’?

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Garden Calendar: Classes will help your fall garden look its best

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PERENNIALS SWAP: Trade your extra perennials for others you’ve been wanting to try at Calloway’s fall swap. Log in at calloways.com/perennial-swap to post what plants you have to share and what you would like to swap for. 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at 760 Grapevine Highway, Hurst; 2100 N. Plano Road, Richardson.

WATER-WISE LANDSCAPES: Two free seminars will provide ideas for water-wise landscapes in North Texas. Mountain View College, Performance Hall, 4849 W. Illinois Ave., Dallas. Free, but reservations requested. savedallaswater.com. 214-670-3155. Water-wise landscape design 101, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday Fantastic plants for North Texas, 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday

FALL FLOWERS: Dress your flower beds for fall with Texas-proven options. 10:15 a.m. Saturday. All Calloway’s Nursery locations. Free. calloways.com.

DAYLILIES: The North Texas Daylily Society will have its annual daylily sale. 9 a.m. Saturday. Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth. northtexasdaylilysociety.com.

FALL FAVORITES: Learn how to select and care for proven perennials and shrubs. 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Redenta’s Garden, 5111 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington, 817-451-2149; 2001 Skillman Ave., Dallas, 214-823-9421. Free. redentas.com.

TREES FOR NORTH TEXAS: Fall is the best time to plant trees in North Texas. Learn which trees are best and how to plant and maintain them. Class will offer pruning tips, too. 11 a.m. Saturday. Covington’s Nursery, 5518 Bush Turnpike, Rowlett. 972-475-5888, ext. 111. Free. covingtonnursery.com.

AFRICAN VIOLETS: Three Dallas African violet clubs will sell hundreds of named violets, gesneriads and leaves for propagation. 9 a.m. Saturday, North Haven Gardens, 7700 Northaven Road, Dallas. Free. 903-356-2540.

BEST OF FALL: Free class will offer ideas for what to plant in your fall garden. 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Marshall Grain, 2224 E. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, 817-536-5636; 1:30 p.m. Saturday, 3525 William D. Tate Ave., Grapevine, 817-416-6600. Free, but participants are asked to bring a donation for an ongoing food drive. marshallgrain.com.

EXOTIC INSECTS: The Indian Trail Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists monthly meeting will include a presentation on exotic insects. 7 p.m. Monday. Waxahachie First United Methodist Church, 505 W. Marvin Ave., Waxahachie. Free. 972-825-5175.

ANTIQUE ROSES: The Dallas Area Historical Rose Society will include a photo tour of famous rose gardens. 7 p.m. Tuesday. Farmers Branch Recreational Center, 14050 Heartside Place, Farmers Branch. Free. 972-620-1131.

TEXAS INVADERS: Find out how to identify, eradicate and protect our native habitat from invasive plants. Noon to 2 p.m. Sept. 29 and Oct. 27, Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. $40. dallasarboretum.org.

EARTHKIND DESIGN SCHOOL: Learn how to design, plant and manage a landscape that is beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant and environmentally responsible. No previous plant or design knowledge needed. Dr. Steve George, creator of the EarthKind Environmental Landscape Management System, is the lead instructor. The 2 1/2-day course at the Texas AM Research and Extension Center in Dallas will include classroom learning, an outdoor lab session, field trip and personalized design consultation. Oct. 5-7. $295. Advance registration is required. Email f-hill@tamu .edu.//needs or call 972-952-9241.

SPRING BULBS: The Collin County Master Gardener Association will offer spring-blooming bulbs, including new varieties and old favorites. Order daffodils, species tulips, grape hyacinths, lilies and more. Find order form at ccmgatx.org. Orders and payments must be received by Oct. 1. For more information, call 972-548-4219.

GARDENING CONFERENCE: Register for the Tarrant County Master Gardeners Fall Regional Conference. 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13. Resource Connection Building, 2300 Circle Drive, Fort Worth. $45, includes lunch. Complete agenda and registration form at tarrantmg .org. Advance registration is required. 817-884-1296.

Submit calendar information at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date to garden@dallasnews.com.

English garden with a potting cottage – The Register

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After sculpting the backyard at their Eugene home into an English flower garden on one tier and leisurely brick patio on the other, David Edrington and B.K. Robinson needed a place to store tools, pot plants and tuck away bags of compost.

So Edrington designs a little something he refers to — with a straight face, no less — as his garden “shed.”

True enough, the 10-foot by 12-foot, two-level creation does have exposed framing — in early American style — on the inside. Old, reclaimed windows and recycled brick floors at ground level also betray a workaday purpose.

But the facade, inspired by the couple’s Romantic Revival home built in 1929, looks more like a miniature English cottage: super-steep roof, teensy dormers, green-shingled siding and adorable sitting porch with posts and beams supported by old-fashioned knee braces.

In the words of Marv Glover, who built the garden shed as College Hill’s resident general contractor, the wee potting cottage imparts a “Main Street Disney” enchantment.

“It’s that kind of scale — it has that kind of look,” Glover says. “It’s actually a child’s scale. I think it appeals to the children in all of us: cute little cottage in the backyard; basically a playhouse.”

Edrington, who just happens to be a long-time architect known for his Craftsman-style projects and charming cabin designs, indeed revealed his inner child in the shed’s design.

Still is revealing it, for that matter.

He and grandkids resort to the shed’s attic for Monopoly, watching Wi-Fi movies on the laptop, or calling a bluff in Big Hold ’Em. They climb up through pull-down attic stairs, then close barn-style doors behind them for extra floor space of rustic tongue-and-groove hemlock.

The slight shed dormers allow for two built-in twin beds; a lamp with table tucks into the center pitch. Just enough room remains for a few sleeping bags on foam pads.

“It’s like a giant fort that you can sleep in,” Edrington lauds.

But the shed earns its keep, too.

Garden tools and supplies stack against the exposed stud walls at ground level. Edrington and Robinson pot plants in a bench with sink, then start some seedlings— including tomatoes — beneath the south-facing windows of an old garage-style door fixed in place.

For tea-time breaks, the couple heat water on a butane campstove, then relax on a chair inside or lounge on the porch. “B.K. keeps a stash of tea bags, cups and saucers out there,” Edrington says.

Insulted with rigid foam and heated by an electric radiant panel, the shed remains cozy — and without musty odor — year-round.

Romantic charm

Outside, the shed nestles into a corner of the English flower garden like a storybook scene.

Only old-fashioned shingles would do for exterior siding, Edrington says, because both he and B.K. love quaint cladding on cabins, particularly those at the coast.

Interior designer Michelle Pellitier suggested blue/green for the shingles, matched by yellow window trim with rose sashes. To color the shingles, Glover’s crew hand-dipped each one in colored stain, then hung them on a clothes line to dry.

“They will retain their color that way, and (the stain) won’t peel off,” Glover says.

While Edrington matched the shed to his and Robinson’s home with its own steep roof and yesteryear charm factors, he kept it in scale with the garden.

The shed’s precipitous roof — at an 18/12 pitch — creates narrow gables and lower eaves befitting a backyard shelter. “The low edge on the porch roof brings the scale down to the edge of the garden,” Edrington explains.

Robinson loves how the shed frames roses and a colorful array of other perennials in what has become a wonderfully transformed backyard over the past five to six years.

Triggered by a problem

Something has to spark a backyard makeover, and for Edrington and Robinson it was a neighborhood project to take unsightly electric power lines and run them underground.

The couple decided to bury the power line at the back of their property under a basalt rock wall. “That’s what started it all,” Edrington says.

They never did like how their sloped backyard, heavy in clay, bogged with rain and drained downhill toward the house. They had nice plants back then, too, but the property’s English laurel had grown “quite tall,” Edrington says.

So they called in the Rexius excavation calvary and chiseled the backyard into an upper tier for the English flower garden and lower tier for the brick patio with basketball hoop and dining area below a pergola.

Over the past five years, Scapes Unlimited crews have stacked more basalt walls — 340 lineal feet, to be exact, at heights ranging from 2 to 5 feet — for bordering the home, alley and garden paths. The columnar basalt, quarried near Harrisburg, forms into rectangular lines.

Flowers thrive in the garden, thanks to a new layer of planting mix by Lane Forest Products. “We over-excavated about a foot for adding the planting mix,” Edrington says.

Large shrubs mark corner points, including lilacs, red currant and “River Road” rose, a hardy climber named for its apparent Eugene origins.

David Austin roses line the garden’s alley side, where campanula groundcover keeps weeds to a minimum. A fountain splashes at the center of the garden; espaliered apples and pears grow on the alley fence.

Peonies, echinacea, asters, dahlias, geranium, sweet William, robust mophead hydrangeas, black-eyed Susan, phlox and delightfully fragrant nicotiana, or flowering tobacco, bloom mostly in purples and pinks but in bolder spot colors as well.

But the garden’s star attraction remains the garden “shed,” which Edrington and Glover built a couple of years ago.

“It helps frame the yard nicely,” Robinson says. “Plus, it’s a nice fort for the kids to play in.”

Staff writer Kelly Fenley can be contacted at sp.feedback@registerguard.com.

Community input sought on ideas for Museum District

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Armed with a wealth of ideas for creating a more walkable, campus-like environment, the Museum Park Super Neighborhood is asking community members which options they like best.

Ideas include widening and beautifying north/south streets in the neighborhood, placing art in street medians, installing roundabouts centered by fountains, creating pocket parks and using benches for street signs.

The design ideas can be found by going to http://ricedesignalliance.org and clicking “Charrette Brings Museum Park Neighborhood to Life.” Suggestions may be sent to beautification@museumparkna.org.

The suggestions are the result of the Rice Design Alliance’s 2012 charrette, an intensive design competition that challenged participants – mostly architects – to create a master plan for the super neighborhood’s community, which encompasses much of the Houston Museum District and Hermann Park.

The charrette, hosted by RDA’s young professionals group rdAGENTS, addresses a different project or community need every year.

Ten teams participated in the 2012 event, “People, Places, Promenades: Unifying Museum Park Super Neighborhood,” held Aug. 4 at Rice University’s School of Architecture.

“We were absolutely thrilled with how many people decided to attend,” said Kathleen O’Reilly, vice president of the super neighborhood, which is bounded by Hermann Park, Main Street, Texas 288 and U.S. 59.

The entity turned to the RDA to help it develop a strategy to create a more cohesive setting with safe, easy access for pedestrians, signage to guide people to destinations and a decrease in traffic congestion.

“There were so many ideas to extend the Hermann Park campus throughout the neighborhood, unifying the residential areas, the 17 museums and cultural centers, as well as the churches, schools and health-care facilities,” O’Reilly said. “There were some incredible ideas on those design boards.”

The winning team selected by the RDA, Team No. 8, included Neda Izadi of Milton Architects; Laura Beth Mertz, Intexure Architects; Ray Mora, Energy Architecture; Bayardo Selva, cre8 Architects; and Will Denman, who has since moved out of state. But ideas from all the groups are on the table for consideration.

Team 8’s plan

Team No. 8’s plan, “EnLIVEn,” suggests widening the north/south streets in the neighborhood and enhancing them with green spaces, bike lanes, bright intersections, boutique eateries and public parking.

“Our proposal is to use the north/south axis streets that connect the neighborhood to (Hermann Park) as ways to make the area aLIVE to the city,” the plan reads. “The east/west axis streets will focus on the people that LIVE in the neighborhood.”

The east/west streets would feature community gardens, green spaces, small eateries, meeting places and access to everyday amenities. The plan recommends more retail development on Almeda Road – where a grocery store is suggested – and Fannin Street.

The plan also calls for wheelchair-accessible sidewalks on all of the streets.

To further enhance pedestrian safety, the team suggested more streetlights and a color-coded signage system that identifies residential, transportation and commercial areas for drivers.

Another possibility would be raised road surfaces at four-way stops, similar to speed bumps, to protect pedestrians by slowing traffic.

To improve parking, the plan calls for eliminating traffic lanes on some streets and replacing them with on-street parking.

Receiving the judges’ vote for the best team plan was a pleasant surprise, Mertz said.

“It was completely unexpected,” she said. “There were so many great submissions. It was very close.

“We’re just hoping these ideas will be taken to heart by the city and the neighborhood.”

Market under U.S. 59?

O’Reilly said she’s pleased with Team No. 8’s proposals, and many of the other teams’ suggestions, including the creation of a marketplace under U.S. 59 at Caroline.

“As it is now, it’s a dead zone, and it could be so lively,” O’Reilly said.

Additional suggestions from the charrette teams included using roundabouts with center fountains to calm traffic; offering street signs in the form of benches and providing architectural plazas with landscaping and shaded seating and community gardens that use captured rainwater.

Also proposed was creation of pocket parks and water parks at the dead ends created where streets meet the Metropolitan Transit Authority light rail line. Other ideas: placing art in the medians of the widened roadways, burying utilities to minimize clutter and allow architectural lighting to stand out and adding a uniquely designed parking garage that would become a neighborhood landmark.

“The ideas for art in the median are really fun and whimsical,” O’Reilly said. “It would make people happy just to walk by them.”

Like ‘Project Runway’

The competition was intense, Mertz said.

The members had eight hours to get their ideas together.

“It was like being on ‘Project Runway’ and trying to make a design in one day,” Mertz said. “Trying to develop a plan for the city neighborhood in eight hours can be a little intimidating.”

The super neighborhood hosted a public meeting Sept. 19 to show community members the charrette design boards and get their comments. On Sept. 24, the group will host an invitation-only reception at the Asia Society Texas Center, where community members and leaders will have another opportunity to review charrette proposals and weigh in on the super neighborhood’s future.

The super neighborhood would present the master plan to the city for proposed funding.

“The events this month are preliminary efforts to get opinions and ideas from the community so we can refine our focus as we actually head into the (master plan) design,” O’Reilly said. “The more feedback we have, the better the outcome.”

Flori Meeks is a freelance writer and can be reached at flori@swbell.net.

Landscape’s New Frontier: Outdoor Rooms

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A couple months ago, Kay Ries’ back yard was nothing much to shout about.

“We had a grass lawn, a little concrete patio and a swing set,” said Reis, a resident of Orland Park.

Now, she looks out the window and sees paradise. The clue that she’s upgraded to something truly unique? How about the palm tree that has all her neighbors buzzing?

“We started with the idea of putting in an in-ground pool,” Ries said. “My husband always wanted one. The job just kept getting bigger and bigger. We wanted to get it done right so that we will be able to enjoy it for years. I think my favorite part was when Mark put in a little palm tree. Then, the yard became our little paradise.”

Mark is Mark McClure, residential sales director for Beary Landscaping, an industry leader that has been tackling jobs in the south and southwest suburbs for more than 25 years. He directed his team to plant the palm tree at the request of Ries’ husband, John, owner and operator of Alsip-based Mid-American Tool Inc. and also a franchise salesman for the Canadian-based Tilted Kilt restaurant chain.

“When the neighbors drive by, they’re always texting, ‘Oh, what a great palm tree,’ ” Kay Ries said. “Will it survive the winter? Probably not. We’ll probably have to replace it.

“But my husband wanted it, so he got it. He promised he’d work harder to pay for it. He works so hard already. It’s definitely an extra. I’ve taken to how nice it looks and how it completes the whole tropical look that we have going on out there. And Mark said he’ll help us out and install a new one every year if that’s what we want to do.”

McClure and Beary Landscaping worked with the Ries’ every step of the way on their backyard landscape makeover project, one that started in mid-June and was completed in late August. The list of new features runs the gamut from a custom fireplace with a recessed opening to house a flat-screen TV to an outdoor bar with a granite countertop and a quilted paver patio.

None of the features can top the palm tree that rises above all the brick and mortar and serves as the finishing touch, much like a cherry perched atop an ice cream sundae.

“Palms have been a big thing with people doing outdoor pools lately,” McClure said. “Palm trees have a made a new surge here in popularity. It’s difficult to get them to survive over winter. It is more of an annual plant.

“You have to budget that in just like you plant annual flowers around your house.”

McClure said typical tickets for Beary landscape jobs run from $5,000 to $70,000—or more, all depending on the size and scope of the project.

“We provide a wide range of different services,” he said. “We do everything from full-landscape maintenance, where we’ll actually maintain properties. We will do spring re-mulches on homes, complete new construction, where we do everything from the landscape designs to the sod, to the sprinklers, the brick pavers, the landscape lighting—everything all-inclusive.

“And, then, we will do a lot of this market, the backyard, outdoor environment market, which has really taken off. A lot of homeowners have decided to stay in their homes and really invest in their outdoor environment and enjoy that environment. And that’s what this new era of landscaping is all about.

“Those projects—depending on the features you put in to a backyard project with pools, fireplaces and pergolas—you can have $50,000 or $60,000 or $70,000 into it. Backyard patios, with a real nice custom patio, could be as simple as $5,000 to $10,000 to do.”

The Ries project evolved after McClure and his team started working with the homeowners. He pitched several ideas, one a tug-on-the-heartstrings notion that struck a chord with both John and Kay. They couldn’t resist.

“Right outside their back door on their old, existing concrete patio, they had a section of concrete where their kids at a young age put their handprints into the concrete,” McClure said. “We were removing that concrete patio. I came up with the idea—I said, ‘Guys, why don’t we cut this section of concrete out in an arch and we’ll put that right in as the hearth of the new fireplace?’

“So, it’s actually built in. We cut it out, cleaned it up so you can see all the handprints now. And we put that custom piece of their back yard and their history right into the fireplace. It is now the now permanent feature in their back yard.”

Kay said the Ries’ are thrilled with the finished project. Her boys, Justin, 13, and Zachary and Colin, twins, age 11, were swimming in August.

“We do love to entertain,” she said. “Now, we have the entertaining house.”

And a palm tree to start conversations, too.

Garden art enhances landscape

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Master Gardener board member Marilynn Elliott offers garden art ideas at two area venues in the coming weeks.

 

She speaks at the Green Thumb Brown Bag series at noon Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles. She will repeat the program for the Class Act at Woodcock at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at 2711 Woodcock Road, Sequim.

 

Elliott discusses budget, design, selection and placement of artwork, including seasonal displays.

Recently honored with the Master Gardeners Golden Trowel Award for lifetime achievement, she has experience with landscaping, container gardening and creating garden rooms as well as 1,500 hours of volunteer work at plant clinics and educational programs.

 

Call 417-2279 with questions.

 

 

 

Rain garden workshop held

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by Ken Quintanilla

Guam – Hoping to teach others about the impacts of runoff to our
water quality on Guam, a rain garden training workshop was held earlier this
month hoping to show others how landscaping can lead to healthy streams. Center
for Watershed Protection program director David Herschman says a rain garden
will help purify and protect the lagoon nearby.

He told KUAM News, “So this is one kind of practice that’s
designed to capture the runoff from impervious surfaces such as rooftops or
roadways or any other types of hard surfaces that generates runoffs and capture
runoff and absorb it.”

The workshop aimed to show others how to build a rain garden.
Island Girl Power’s Juanita Blas says her organization received a $30,000 grant
to work with the some of the villages to build rain garden and was on site to
learn about the process. “There’s only so much you can learn from research
on the computer and talking with people but getting hands on and working on a
rain garden is really amazing,” she explained.

Ultimately for Horsley Witten Group project engineer Michelle
West, she hopes residents can learn about rain gardens and even build one at
home. She said, “And every little bit helps if everyone built a rain
garden at their home it can help the overall problem we have on Guam.”

The training was put on by Guam Coastal Management and the NOAA
Coral Reef Conservation Program. 

Winterizing Gardens and Lawns

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By Jaimee Green 

Winterizing Gardens and Lawns

Fall Edition

Grafted ornamental trees provide nice landscaping while allowing leaves to blow through yards rather than collect.

With the worst of the summer heat behind us and the cooler fall temperatures offering a mild reprieve before the winter weather settles in, now is the time to begin preparing lawns and gardens for next year’s growing season.

Several simple tasks will help ensure your lawn’s health and garden’s beauty is revived come spring.

“It’s that time of year when the leaves are turning different colors because they lack moisture and the days are getting shorter. This is a great time to take advantage of good weather and start preparing flower beds, edible gardens and lawns for winter and next season,” said Ann Ronning, Roosevelt County Extension Agent.

Fertilizing and winterizing grass, trees and shrubs will allow home foliage to enter its winter slumber nourished and comfortable.

It’s a good time to add a large amount of compost to the garden soil. This can be done using anything from grass clippings, dead leaves, kitchen trash or dry manure. The composting materials can be placed in a hole and covered over, or just left on top.

When it finally comes time to accept the fruits of the gardening labor have been realized, it is beneficial to pull all of the plants out of the garden and perform a soil test. This will provide time in the fall for applying necessary nutrients that can meld all winter long and prepare the soil for spring. “By knowing what you have and what you need in your soil, you’ll be ready to feed your plants as soon as warm weather permits,” Ronning said.

Soil tests cost an average of about $35. The primary nutrients that will be evaluated are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as the acidity and alkalinity of the soil.

Fall tilling can also be beneficial by working in any left-over and healthy garden material. By adding these nutrients, it will help to build strong, healthy plant roots for spring crops. As the soil is turned it allows for better air circulation and helps with the decomposition of any added organic matter. It can also prevent the growth of new weeds in the spring. It can also prevent garden pests and insects from wintering in the soil.

One simple way to remember where everything was planted in the garden this year is by taking a picture of it that can be looked at later. It’s an easy and efficient way to help determine where to best place next year’s root crops, fruit bearing and edible plants.

Sharon Salvevold, a Culbertson resident, has been gardening her yard for some 35 years. For years she enjoyed her large perennial gardens but got tired of the maintenance and upkeep required with keeping plants from getting root bound and transplanting them to different areas. “Even though you don’t have to replant them each year there is still a lot of work involved,” Salvevold said. Today, she enjoys a lush landscape of trees and shrubbery that require little maintenance.

Salvevold uses only plants zoned for the climate of Northeast Montana, growing trees such as grafted ornamental trees of Korean lilac, blue spruce and weeping caragana.

In an effort to keep her yard aesthetically pleasing, she tries to use only several ypes of trees and shrubs in varying shades of green. She arranges them in varying sizes to give her yard dimension.

“I went from having a lot of work to do to just a minimal amount. I like the grafted trees with trunks and sticks because they don’t allow leaves to build up around them. I tried a number of different plants and shrubs in my yard but these are great because they allow the leaves to blow right through the yard rather than settling,” Salveveold said.

One of the keys to her success is that she fertilizes her yard three times a year, in early spring, July and fall. In the weeks following the mulching, weeding and feeding, she soaks the ground with water.

Oftentimes people decide to transplant trees and shrubs in the fall. In Northeast Montana, Zone 3 for plant heartiness, it is important to only transplant trees that do well in zones of 1, 2 and 3. “The concern is that our zones average first frost comes between Sept. 1 – 20 and those lowered temperatures will hurt those trees and shrubs,” Ronning said. For successful transplants, the key is to get the roots to grow a little before the frost to enable them to take hold before winter.

This time of year it’s okay to slow down on watering plants too. However, when you do water, it’s a good idea to really soak the area. A good determinate of when enough water has been applied is to use a cat food or tuna can and place it on the lawn where you are watering. Once the can is full, enough water has been applied.

It may not be beneficial to water after the garden is pulled out, because you run the risk of potentially germinating weed seeds.

From left to right are Will Salvevold, 4, Camri Salvevold, 3, Aubrey Elle Salvevold, 1, and Sharon Salvevold in her yard she meticulously cares for each gardening season.

There are several benefits to watering less often too. If plants are waiting each day for water that always is provided they don’t have to work for it and the roots don’t grow. If watered less frequently, the roots will stretch and grow while searching out their own water sources. This increases the soil and grass health.

When sticking to a fertilizing regime, it is recommended to do it four times a year using the holidays of Labor Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day and the first freeze as dates of reference. The key is to apply a pound of nitrogen per 1,000 feet of lawn.

For the last grass cutting of the season, it’s a good idea to leave between two and two-and-a-half inches of height.

“One of the most brilliant and simple things I have seen was a farming neighbor who pushed all of his snow over the garden when he plowed,” Ronning said.

For those who have an especially difficult time resigning their green thumb, garlic is a plant that can be planted now, much like winter wheat. Garlic requires a long growing season. “The seeds will lie dormant and then wake up once the weather suits their needs,” Ronning said.

Gardening: Tulips in bloom

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The Dutch were on to something when they went crazy over tulips hundreds of years ago.

Their attempts to breed wild varieties and distribute them far and wide has left us with a brilliant array of bulbs that still turn heads.

David Glenn has about 6 thousand tulips in his garden and he brought a selection of them into the studio to brighten us up a little.

He also shares his love of early harvest asparagus and onions.

To keep up with David Glenn’s garden, listen to ABC Ballarat and Southwest Mornings Wednesdays from 10am fortnightly, and for a year round look at what’s happening in his garden, check out David’s blog.

Time management, garden tips offered in Warren Township

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Posted: Friday, September 14, 2012 3:00 am


Time management, garden tips offered in Warren Township


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WARREN TWP. – Several programs are offered for September at the Warren Township Public Library.


Adult Programs

Afternoon Book Club: 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13. This month’s selection is “Girl in Hyancinth Blue” by Susan Vreeland. Call the reference desk at (908) 754-5554 ext 32 for more information. New members are always welcome.  No registration required.

Evening Book Club: 7:15 p.m., Monday, Sept. 16.  This month’s selection is “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett.  Call the reference desk at (908) 754-5554 ext 32 for additional information.  New members are always welcome and no registration is required.

Time Management with Jamie Novak: 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22. Are you tired of going from task to task without much to show for all your exhausting efforts? Is your to-do list way too long? Do you get tripped up when trying to prioritize? If your current time management strategy is not working join Jamie Novak, expert organizer and author of ‘1,000 Best Time Saving Strategies.’

Learn how to make the most of your time so you can have more fun and get more done.  Registration required.

Creating a Winter Garden: 7 PM, Thursday, Sept. 27. Ruth Claus, from the Master Gardeners of Somerset and Hunterdon, presents this timely program. Garden elements can enliven cold, gray winter days.

The speaker will guide you to flowers that bloom months before the crocus, sculptural shrubs, plants with colorful twigs or bright fruits, and tree barks that peel in striking patterns.  Registration required.

The Art of Ikebana, Japanese Flower Arranging: 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29. Toshio Okimatsu, vice president of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of New Jersey, will provide a brief illustrated introduction to three styles of Ikebana arrangements.  

The origin of Ikebana goes back 550 years in Kyoto, as a Buddhist floral offering. It has been passed down through generations and spread throughout Japan and the world. Registration is required.

To register online go to www.sclsnj.org/warren.htm  – Click on Adult Programs or call (908) 754-5554 ext 64.

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Friday, September 14, 2012 3:00 am.


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