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The Junior League kitchen tour, a tree giveaway, the Spring Garden Show, the … – The Times

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It’s hard to find just one highlight on this week’s home and garden calendar. It’s bursting with home tours, garden shows and plant sales. Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

The Junior League of New Orleans Kitchen Tour —  Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in Uptown New Orleans and Old Metairie — A self-guided tour of the kitchens of 12 Uptown and Old Metairie homes. Proceeds benefit the community projects of the Junior League of New Orleans. Admission: $35 in advance and $40 day of the tour. More information: jlno.org/KitchenTour or 504.891.5845

Spring Garden Show —  Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., New Orleans Botanical Garden, City Park — Plant sales, educational programs, exhibits, a kids discovery area and more. Admission: $8 for adults; $4 for children 5 to 12; free for children under 5 and Friends of City Park members. More information: 504.658.2900.

Bogue Falaya River Sweep and picnic — Saturday, April 5, 8 a.m., Menetre (4th Avenue) Boat Launch, Covington — Keep Covington Beautiful volunteers will collect litter from the Bogue Falaya River, followed by a picnic at Bogue Falaya Park and the Covington Clean Green River Run canoe and kayak races. Race proceeds will benefit the Blue Swamp Creek Nature Trail at the Covington Recreation Complex. More information: keepcovingtonbeautiful.org, 985.867.3652 or kcb@covla.com.

Taste at the Lake celebration — Saturday, April 5, 6:30-9:30 p.m., 135 Robert E. Lee Blvd.-– The event, sponsored by the Friends of Lakeview and the Lakeview Civic Improvement Association, features food, drinks and music, with proceeds supporting the continued restoration of Lakeview, including the “Lighting the Way” project at New Basin Canal Park. Admission: $45.

‘Linens’ Book Signing — Saturday, April 5, 1-3 p.m., Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St. — Leontine Linens owner Jane Scott Hodges discusses and signs her new book, “Linens: For Every Room and Occasion.” More information: 504.895.2266 or gardendistrictbookshop.com.

Tree Giveaway —  Saturday, April 5, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Samuel J. Green Charter School, 2319 Valence St. — Volunteers with the Hike for KaTREEna organization will give away 150 live oak trees grown from acorns collected from the City Park historic oaks. More information: info@hikeforkatreena.org.

Garden Seminar — Saturday, April 5, 10:30 a.m., Home Depot, 40 Park Place Drive, Covington — Carmen Johnston, garden designer and founder of event business Nectar and Co., leads a seminar on gardens “Ready to Impress.”

Bywater Home Tour —  Sunday, April 6, noon-5 p.m., Bacchanal Fine Wine and Spirits, 600 Poland Ave. —  A tour of eight homes in the Bywater on or around Poland Avenue. Admission: $15 at Bacchanal Fine Wine and Spirits, 600 Poland Ave. More information, 504.812.8481, cjdixon@latterblum.com or bywater.org.

25th anniversary Stained Glass Tour —  Sunday, April 6, 2-5 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6249 Canal Blvd. — The Preservation Resource Center celebrates the 25th anniversary of its stained glass tours with a visit to three New Orleans churches: St. Paul’s Episcopal, St. Joseph’s Catholic and St. John the Baptist Catholic. Participants will meet at and return to St. Paul’s for a post-tour reception. Admission: $20 ($16 for PRC members). More information: 504.636.3040 or prcno.org.

Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence — Wednesday, April 9, 5:30 p.m., New Orleans Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Blvd. — The Louisiana Landmarks Society pays tribute to 15 examples of excellence in historic preservation in New Orleans, including the Saenger Theatre, Civic Theatre, Lakefront Airport, the Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center, and more, 5:30 Wed. Admission: $50 per person, sponsorships available. Call 504.482.0312 or visit louisianalandmarks.org.

Rockin’ the Rails — Thursday, April 10, 5-7:30 p.m., 419 N. New Hampshire Street, downtown Covington — Michael Baptiste performs a free concert at the Covington Trailhead.

Louisiana Iris Day at Longue Vue — Thursday, April 10, 4-7 p.m., Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Road — Visit the Wild Garden to view Louisiana irises and learn about the contributions of Caroline Dormon, a conservationist, naturalist, writer and botanical illustrator. More information: 504.293.4726 or longuevue.com.

Delgado Plant Sale —  April 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m, and April 11, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. — Delgado Community College’s Horticultural Program holds a plant sale.

Friends of the Jefferson Public Library Big Book Sale — April 10-12, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; April 13, noon to 5 p.m., Pontchartrain Center, 4545 Williams Blvd., Kenner — More than 65,000 items will be for sale, including gardening and home decorating books, as well as gently used adult and children’s books, puzzles, DVDs, CDs, most priced from 50 cents to $3. The sale benefits the Jefferson Parish Library System. More information: 504.455.2665 or friendsJPL@Yahoo.com.

Piety Street Market —  April 12, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 612 Piety St. — More than 30 vendors offer art, jewelry, crafts, homemade goodies, vintage collectibles and flea market finds. More information: 504.269.3982 or creemccree@gmail.com.

Madisonville Art Market —  April 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tchefuncte Riverfront, Water Street — The monthly Art Market features fine art from local artists including painting, mixed media, photography, jewelry, wood carving, sculpture, stained glass and more. More information: madisonvilleartmarket.com or 985.643.5340.

Antique Rose Sale —  April 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Lakeside Shopping Center, Metairie — More than 30 varieties of roses will be for sale, including climbers and shrubs, at the New Orleans Old Garden Rose Society’s annual Antique Rose Sale. One-gallon rose containers will be $10 each, and society members will be on hand to guide customers. Proceeds support the society’s work preserving and fostering old garden roses.

New Orleans Orchid Society Meeting —  April 15, 7 p.m., New Orleans Botanical Gardens, City Park —  Weyman Bussey of Florida will speak on Mexican species. Prior to the meeting, the Orchid Basics program will be held at 7 p.m. Visitors welcome. More information: neworleansorchidsociety.org/

First Time Renovator Training Part II — April 15, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Preservation Resource Center, 923 Tchoupitoulas St. — Learn how to create a floor plan, communicate effectively with a contractor, manage a renovation project, design a kitchen and bath. Pre-registration required at prcno.org. Admission: $65.

Preservation Matters — April 16, 5:30 p.m., and April 17, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., The Historic New Orleans Collection, 410 Chartres St. — The Preservation Resource Center partners with the Tulane University School of Architecture to present the symposium on “The Economics of Authenticity: How U.S. Cities Have Reversed Decline Through Historic Preservation Programs.” Admission: $50 for individuals, $25 for students. More information: prcno.org.

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Middlebrook Gardens named a water conservation award winner

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Middlebrook Gardens and its founder Alrie Middlebrook were given a Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award for Greenscape Management in a March 24 ceremony.

The award was one of eight given this year by the 13-member Silicon Valley Water Conservation Coalition, which has been recognizing water conservation efforts with awards since 2009.

Middlebrook Gardens, now located at 76 Race St. in the Rose Garden area, was established by Middlebrook in 1976 with a specialization in interior garden design, installation and maintenance.

In 1995, Middlebrook expanded her focus to include outdoor design with an emphasis on native plants, water conservation and the elimination of pesticides.

Since then the company has designed and built more than 500 gardens for residential and commercial clients as well as schools.

Additionally, Middlebrook has used her site to host the California Native Garden Foundation and the Environmental Laboratory for Sustainability and Ecological Education.

Each year CNGF works with some 75 interns and awards garden grants to California schools.

ELSEE oversees a college internship program and continues to work on developing model garden programs at public and private schools throughout the state.

Other award winners and their categories were: City of Palo Alto Utilities for Water Utility; NASA-Ames Research Center for Government Agency; Google for Business; Canopy for Organization; EarthCapades for Education; Laura Allen for Water Champion and Kathy Machado for Lifetime Achievement.

Coalition members are: Acterra, Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, City of Foster City, City of Palo Alto Utilities, Green Town Los Altos, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Sustainable San Mateo County, Sustainable Silicon Valley and Tuolumne River Trust.

For additional information visit waterawards.org.

Hampton Court budget gardens show off accessible design

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By Sarah Cosgrove
Wednesday, 02 April 2014

Landscapers and designers are creating a series of low budget gardens to show at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

Four ‘Your Garden, Your Budget’ gardens are being created with the help of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) – one for each of the £7,000, £10,000, £13,000 and £15,000 price brackets – for the show which runs from July 8 to 13.

Chew Valley Trees has designed Green is the Colour, a garden inspired by Canadian woodlands and forests for a budget of £7,000. The design focuses on common requests by small garden clients – screening, privacy and low-maintenance. The planting scheme will combine shades of green foliage while a variety of closely planted evergreen trees create a textural backdrop to the garden. 

The £10,000 offering is called the Bacchus Garden. Blousy blooms will fill the curvaceous wineglass-inspired space providing a sense of abundance, while overflowing tiered pools will represent a continuous flow of wine. The garden provides a secluded area for relaxing and entertaining guests while enjoying being outdoors and connecting with nature. 

Stuart Charles Towner has designed a Mediterranean garden based on the imagery of a Greek island for a £13,000 budget. Halo features a steel blue ‘halo’ structure which references a Greek Orthodox church dome. 

And top of the budget range is Alexandra Froggatt’s Garden of Solitude which has relaxation and contemplation at its core. It features a sheltered seating area and reflective pool and waterfall given extra privacy by the use of sculpture, raised borders and trees. Soft, ambient lighting will stream through recycled glass panels on the wall painted in white and pastel colours.

Rogers Park Participatory Budgeting Ideas Include a North-South Greenway

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sidewalk repairs

Discussing proposals at a 49th Ward participatory budgeting meeting in 2011. Photo by John Greenfield.

Chicago aldermen traditionally use their $1.3 million in discretionary “menu” money for basic street, sidewalk and lighting improvements. However, this year a handful of wards are holding participatory budgeting elections. These often result in money being set aside for innovative transportation projects, and walking and biking infrastructure is a relative bargain. 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore, who five years ago became the first U.S. elected official to pioneer the participatory budgeting process, is once again holding a PB election, and a few walking, biking, and transit projects may be on the ballot.

The ward has hosted two community events so far, where residents have had the opportunity to discuss proposed projects. The final meeting takes place this evening at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church by the Lake, 7100 North Ashland. PB committee members will draw upon feedback from constituents to narrow down the candidates to a final ballot, according to Moore’s aid Bob Fuller. Early voting will take place from April 26 to May 2, with the final election happening on May 3. “We’ve been doing this for five years now, and by all accounts things are going smoothly this year,” Fuller said. “But it’s certainly a challenge finding consensus in a neighborhood of 56,000 people.”

The ballot will have a section where residents vote on what percentage of menu money should be spent on street and alley repaving, sidewalk repair and streetlights, from zero to 100 percent. The results are averaged – last year it was 62 percent – and the remainder of the money is awarded to nontraditional projects, according to how many votes they garnered.

The winning proposals in 2013 included funding a $30,000 pedestrian safety engineering study on hectic Sheridan Road, exploring whether bumpouts, signal timing improvements and other strategies could make the street more walkable. Voters also opted to spend $75,000 to install bike-and-chevron shared lane markings on Clark from Albion to Howard. Other proposals that won funding the restoration of cobblestones on Glenwood, and cherry blossom trees and a new water fountain at Touhy Park.

None of the above projects have been finished yet. “It definitely takes more than a year for some things to get done,” Fuller said. The traffic safety study and sharrows are pending the completion of gas line work on Sheridan and Clark.

Red Line Loyola Station post construction

A graphic design was applied to the Loyola and Sheridan intersection by the Loyala campus. Photo: Justin Haugens.

The most exciting proposal for the upcoming ballot is a north-south neighborhood greenway leading from Edgewater to Evanston, which could be similar to the Berteau Greenway in the 47th Ward. The Chicago Department of Transportation is currently putting together a design for the Rogers Park route, which would likely include stretches of Glenwood, Greenview and Ashland, Fuller said. Other transportation proposals include new bus stop benches and high-visibility, decorative intersection treatments. A couple of these were recently installed in the ward, by the Loyola campus.

The ballot may also include proposals for new carpet at the Rogers Park library, improved fencing at local pocket parks, a small Astroturf soccer field at Langdon Park, and a wheelchair-and-stroller-accessible beach path at Hartigan Park. This brand-new park will be built this spring on the lakefront at Albion, on land that’s currently a city-owned vacant lot. Fuller says it will be a quiet park space with seating, landscaping, a short walking path, and possibly a drinking fountain.

Candidates for Fort Monroe landscape architect firm take bicycle tour

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HAMPTON — With a master plan in place, Fort Monroe officials are looking for a landscape architect firm with experience creating public trails, who can create programs for green areas and who have worked on other National Park Service sites.

Experience riding a bicycle isn’t required, but it’s recommended.

Fort Monroe officials gave prospective bidders a 90-minute bike tour of the 565-acre property Wednesday afternoon. The Fort Monroe Authority is seeking landscape architects to take the property’s master plan and create programs and activities within existing spaces on under-utilized sites.

Keith Oliver, a principal at Norfolk-based InSites Landscape Architecture, said he visited Fort Monroe as a child, but never had the opportunity to ride around the property on a bicycle.

He was among the 31 prospective bidders for the project to sign in at the gathering.

“It really is a ground-breaking project to work on,” Oliver said. “I don’t know of anything like it around here.”

Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Glenn Oder said the winning firm must be within a day’s drive of the property, which excluded Sasaki Associates, the Boston-based company that created the fort’s master plan.

“This is going to be an interactive relationship with the Fort Monroe staff,” Oder said. “The further away you are, the more challenging it becomes.”

The entrance is one of the sites authority officials believe is vital to create an impression on residents and visitors.

“The entrance is a big deal to us,” Oder said. “We want to create a real sense of arrival at this historic property.”

The authority is also asking bidders to generate ideas involving the proposed 7-mile trail, living shoreline along Mill Creek and the boardwalk along the beach.

The winning firm will negotiate a contract with the authority.

“Hopefully we were able to express what’s important to us today,” Oder told attendees. “We’re looking for you to give us qualifications that shows you can do this with us.”

Brauchle can be reached by phone at 757-247-2827.

Native plants a wise landscaping option – Springfield News

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When it comes to attractive plants on lawns and in flower gardens, beauty doesn’t have to be imported from elsewhere. Native varieties work well, too.

Many of the grasses and flowers that adorn our yards are exotic species — plants that were brought here from other parts of the world. Maintaining the beauty of these plants is often a high-maintenance job. Many exotic species require high amounts of water, fertilizer, pesticides or some other type of labor-intensive chore that takes more of your time — and money — than you originally intended.

An increasing number of people are realizing that native plants can be just as beautiful to look at and a lot less trouble to grow.

Native plants are a good choice for landscaping whether you have a small plot in the city or large acreage in the country.

Increasing environmental awareness, a desire to connect with nature on a personal level and limited time to devote to home landscape and land management projects are reasons to turn to natural landscaping alternatives.

The plants and patterns that occur naturally in our prairies, forests, savannas, wetlands and glades can give us good landscaping ideas.

There are many benefits associated with a well-planned, diverse native landscape. One of these is wildlife attraction. The songbirds, butterflies, small reptiles and mammals that you go to parks and other publicly owned facilities to see can often be enticed to your backyard with the proper plantings.

These plants provide food, nesting and other habitat essentials required by these animals. Those instinctual needs will draw a variety of wildlife to specific plants whether they’re growing at a nature center or in your backyard.

As mentioned above, native plants usually require much less care than exotics. The reason for this is simple: Millions of years of evolution have adapted these plants to the conditions found here.

Exotic plants have few of these inherent adaptations and, as a result, can often only be sustained through extensive “life-support” procedures such as heavy watering, fertilization or pest-control applications.

Native plants come in many shapes, colors and forms. Those interested in growing indigenous plants have a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, grasses, small and large trees from which to choose.

The best natural landscaping plan is one that involves a mixture of plant types, but space can be a limiting factor and, if it is, that’s still all right. Native plants can work for you whether you have 10 acres on the edge of town or a single flower bed alongside your driveway.

Some people shy away from native landscaping techniques because they think a native-plant landscape will have a rougher, “woollier” appearance than the well-manicured flower beds to which they’re accustomed.

That’s not necessarily a fair criticism because you still control the neatness of your plantings. Just because you have native plants doesn’t mean that you can’t mow, trim, edge and do all of the other aesthetic maintenance procedures that are done with exotic plantings.

People can learn more about native plants and their landscaping benefits on Saturday at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Naturescaping Symposium and native plant sale at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center.

No registration is required for this event, which is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Grow Native program, which is supported by the Missouri Department of Conservation and public and private organizations, also contains excellent information about how native plants can fit into your backyard design schemes.

More information about the program can be found at your nearest Department of Conservation office or on the Grow Native website, www.grownative.org.

Francis Skalicky is media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Southwest Region. For more information about conservation issues, call 417-895-6880.

Rockland earns $100K turning sewage sludge into compost

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HILLBURN –

What goes in, must go out, right? But then what?

For 15 years, the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority has been providing a clever—and valuable—answer: biosolids-based compost. Sludge from the county’s six wastewater treatment plants is mixed with wood chips to produce nutrient-rich compost. The compost is then sold to landscapers and others looking to improve the quality of their soil. It is not offered directly to the general public.

Profiting from waste: “We create this product that can be sold to offset the costs of what the residents of Rockland County flush down their toilets,” John Klos, the authority’s operations manager, said. “Most people don’t think of that. When you flush it, you don’t care, you don’t know where it goes and don’t care, but eventually a product is made that can be sold.” Klos calls it “black gold.” He said more than $100,000 worth of the stuff is sold per year.

Veggies a no-go: The product — dark, loamy stuff that carries none of the odor of its source material — can be used in the building of athletic fields, roadside berms and yards. New York does not permit its use in vegetable gardens, but 49 other states do. Charles Duprey, sales manager for WeCare Organics, the contractor that runs the biosolid composting program in Rockland and elsewhere, said, “It’s an archaic holdover in New York State.”

Tested and approved: After a 50-day process in which the material is mixed and cured, it is tested weekly for anything that could pose a health risk. “There’s nothing in there that’s any different than what’s in your back yard,” Brian Fleury, senior vice president at WeCare Organics, said.

Locally unique: Typically, wastewater sludge—the solids remaining at the end of the sewage-treatment process—is either buried in a landfill or incinerated. Neither Putnam nor Westchester has a similar county-wide policy for the disposal of biosolids. Yonkers’ sludge, for example, is dried and trucked to Pennsylvania, where it is composted. Mamaroneck and New Rochelle send their sludge to Connecticut, where it is burned to make electricity.

Saving space: All of Rockland County’s sludge is trucked to the authority’s facility in Hillburn. There’s no shortage of it: 100 tons a day, five days a week. “There is an absolute need for more organic matter in our soils,” Fleury said, “and an absolute need to bury less material in our landfills.”

Gone, baby, gone: In the parlance of sustainability, reusing the sludge helps “close the loop.” And it’s popular. Fleury said they produce about 25,000 cubic yards of biosolid compost a year, and every year they sell out.

Twitter: @NPRauch

Health tips for gardening

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Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 12:00 am
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Updated: 12:20 am, Wed Apr 2, 2014.

Health tips for gardening

Dr. Wendy/Hayden Health

The Coeur d’ Alene Press

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0 comments

As the weather warms up, many people will spend more time outside working in the yard. Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body may not be ready for it.


A warm-up and cool-down period is as important in gardening as it is for any other physical activity. It is important to stretch your muscles to help alleviate injuries, pain and stiffness.

Before stretching, here are a few tips to keep in mind. Breathe in and out slowly throughout each stretching exercise. Stretch gently and smoothly with no bouncing or jerking. Try the following stretches for the back, legs and shoulders:

1. Stand up and prop your heel on a step or stool with your knee slightly bent. Bend forward until you feel a slight pull at the back of the thigh (hamstring). Hold the position for 20 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

2. Stand up and put your right hand against a wall or other stable surface. Bend your left knee and grab your ankle with your left hand. Pull your heel toward your buttocks to stretch the front of your thigh (quadriceps). Hold the position for 20 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

3. Weave your fingers together above your head with your palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds to stretch the side of your upper body, then reverse. Repeat two or three times.

4. Hug yourself. Wrap your arms around yourself after letting your breath out, and rotate to one side as far as you can go. Hold it for 10 seconds. Then reverse. Repeat two or three times.

Be aware of your body technique, form, and posture while gardening. When working in the yard, avoid twisting motions. Bend at the knees, not the waist, as you pick things up. While raking leaves, use a scissor stance: right foot forward and left foot back for a few minutes; then reverse. Alternate your stance and movements frequently.

If you have already hurt yourself, apply a cold pack on the area of pain, and see your chiropractor!

For more information, contact Dr. Wendy at haydenhealth@gmail.com.

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