Ten million dollars, maybe more, and 10 years, possibly more, will work a transformation of the Friday Harbor waterfront not seen since the harbor’s canneries, lumber mills, warehouses and wharfs eventually succumbed to fire or age.

In late 2013, the Port of Friday Harbor drew together a team of planners, landscape architects and maritime engineers to provide a conceptual design and longterm plan for the waterfront. Makers architecture and urban design, J.A. Brennan landscape architects and Moffatt and Nichol engineers put in several hundred hours of public outreach and private consulting to fashion the Port of Friday Harbor Waterfront Master Plan.

Port Director Marylin O’Connor maintained that the master plan process should meld with the Spring Street Landing building design process.

“The process gave us a chance to analyze the problems and opportunities we see along the waterfront and get some new ideas from the public,” O’Conner said. “It’s an outline that will give general guidance over the next ten years or so.”

The 30-page “draft for public comment” cost about $70,000 and is on the Port website at www.portfridayharbor.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Master-Plan-3-11-2014.pdf. The result is a three-phase conceptual design with 19 listed projects, including four major structures.

Port Commission Chairman Mike Ahrenius is pleased with the result, but cautions: “… nothing is in concrete. It’s an appropriate plan, it’s our vision for the future, but it’s only a snapshot in time. Realistically, by the time we get there, some of it will be different.”

Construction includes the Spring Street Landing building replacement and the bulkhead replacement in “near-term projects” during the first two or three years; a parking deck on top of the present upper parking lot, a mixed-use building and a performance space and pavilion in “mid-term projects” over the second three years; and a new marina services building to replace the Port offices among “long-term projects” during the final five or six years.

The mixed-use building, west of the present traffic circle, will probably use the plans and land originally intended for use by the Customs and Border Patrol. Other projects include extensive landscaping, pathways and sidewalks, a main pier overlook, a new yacht club entry court, and terraced seating in front of the performance space.

How will all this be paid for?

The recent insurance settlement for the former SSL building will pay about half of the new building cost, but all other master plan costs must be paid for by the Port from operating revenue, grants, bond issues or partnering with others such as a developer, the town or even the Washington State Ferries.

Grant funds are available for a wide variety of public port projects, but O’Connor cautions that grant processes are “highly competitive.” The Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program, the Boating Infrastructure Grant program and four state Recreation and Conservation Office grant programs provide substantial funds, albeit usually on a competitive matching basis. There are also possible legislative appropriations, but that’s a tough sell in the present budget environment.

O’Connor points out that the Port Commission can issue revenue and general obligation bonds without a public vote, but only, she says, “if the revenue stream exists to service the debt.”

Funding will be discussed, and the plan voted on, at the Port Commission meeting on Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m., at San Juan Island Yacht Club.

Q: Last year the children in my daughter’s school class each entered their creations in the Riverside Flower Show. Our family went to the show and we were amazed at all the beautiful entries. Our garden is beginning to burst with flowers and I want to enter some at this year’s show. As a first-time entrant, can you give me any suggestions for preparing our entries?

A: You know spring is truly here when it’s time for the Riverside Flower Show. For 67 years, this show has celebrated the end of winter and the beginning of our best gardening season. This year, the show will be open to the public from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 12, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 13. It is being held at the Elks Lodge at 6166 Brocton Ave. in Riverside.

All gardeners are welcome to enter the flowers and plants that they have grown. If flower arranging is your talent, you can enter your garden flower arrangements, too. There are categories for virtually any plant or flower that a gardener might grow. If you don’t know the name of the flower, it’s no problem. Experts will be on hand to identify your entry and see to it that it is entered in the correct class, and containers are provided for cut flowers.

Whether you are a veteran gardener or a newcomer, there are only a few things to keep in mind when preparing entries. First, and most important, make sure there are no insects on your entry trying to hitch a ride to the show. If insects are discovered on an entry, that entry is removed immediately. Second, make sure your entry is clean, no dust or mud on the petals or leaves. Also, remove any damaged or insect-chewed leaves as neatly as possible. Third, get your entry to the show on time. Entries are received from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 11, or from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday, April 12. Finally, have fun and enjoy the show. Seeing such a wide array of beautiful flowers is a joy, and if you also decide to visit the home gardens on tour, you will likely see clever landscaping ideas to incorporate in your own garden. The Riverside Flower Show is a great resource for all gardeners.

Q: I was browsing a garden book and liked the way they used verbena as a ground cover. I have a bulb bed that has finished blooming and needs a summer ground cover. Will verbena do well here?

A: Verbena would be a very good choice to cover a bulb bed. Although verbena is technically a perennial, it is commonly treated as an annual. These tough plants thrive in the hot weather of our Inland valleys and are drought tolerant once established. Their lower water requirement meshes nicely with the lower water needs of post-flowering bulbs. Verbena grows well under most soil conditions, and is rarely bothered by diseases or insects. A visit to your garden center will reveal garden packs of verbena in a rainbow of colors. When planted about a foot apart, they can make a solid carpet of color in a matter of weeks and will bloom endlessly all summer.

Ottillia “Toots” Bier has been a master gardener since 1980. Send comments and questions to features@pe.com.

With the housing market getting better but still historically weak, it’s important for landscape contractors to encourage existing homeowners to invest in landscape upgrades. Northwest Indiana contractor Mike Arnold of Creekside Landscaping couldn’t agree more.

“It is so important for contractors to convince homeowners and other property owners that it is vital to their property’s worth that they invest in great landscaping,” Arnold says. “If the property owner’s goal is to ultimately sell the property, a fresh landscape design is a sure ticket to quick selling. An old and outdated exterior gives a negative first impression and leaves a bad taste before prospective buyers even enter the building. Then, if landlordship is the property owner’s forte, curb appeal is a must for retail, and good luck getting a quality renter in your apartments or homes without paying attention to your landscape layout.”

Hardscaping fits the bill

According to Arnold, one of the best ways to bring a property’s landscape from eye sore to eye candy is through hardscape design and installation. “If done right, most of your landscape budget will be targeted toward a sophisticated mix of retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits/fireplaces, and maybe even a paver driveway,” Arnold points out.

The financial value of this option is clearly in the cost of the materials and the extensive labor to install. But the value in the eye of an estimator is its permanence and capacity to be an outdoor living space. “If installed correctly, these structures will last a lifetime,” Arnold says. “At Creekside Landscaping, we firmly believe that our customers should consider hardscapes because we understand the primary concern of every homeowner: growing the value of an investment.”

Taking clients from idea to implementation

Creekside Landscaping has a well-defined process for evolving a client’s vision to reality. “First, we hear out our prospective client,” Arnold shares. “They got a hold of us, so that means they already have ideas stirring for their upcoming project. Our design team takes in their ideas and budget while observing and considering what landscape exists during the site visit.”

That first meeting is critical, Arnold says. “Our dialogue does not stay within the bounds of the customer’s first ideas only. We are there to aid in the dreaming process, to cast a vision for the masterpiece their landscape could be. This includes suggestions for replacing the typical old, cracking concrete patio with an outdoor kitchen, or ripping out neglected shrubbery and making way for a brick grill enclosure.”

Immediately after the first meeting, preliminary drawings begin. “We lay out our notes from our consultation, pull up the measurements we took, pour a cup of coffee, and get to work,” Arnold relates. “A 2-D drawing is composed, followed by a 3-D drawing or an edited picture of the home (depending on the type of project). Once we have our presentation material and detailed quote drawn up, a follow-up meeting is scheduled with the client.”

The second meeting is usually something Arnold and his staff really look forward to. “We know the customer is anticipating something great, and inside our folders we know we have something that we’ve creatively slaved over and is sure to widen their eyes,” Arnold says. “Once we’ve presented the material, we discuss costs and budget, and do absolutely everything we can to accommodate their needs.”