Posted: Friday, August 9, 2013 12:07 am

Garden Design Series this fall

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As a gardener, there is nothing more exciting than to see a garden design that started on paper develop into a living expression of color, texture and space. It’s incredible to think about the expanse of knowledge we are exercising when gardening: from the arts to the sciences, to research and physical activity. Gardening is truly all inclusive.

As we enter the fall of the year, we often reflect on our garden – what we did right, and what didn’t go so well. For me, August is usually the month that I start to figure out what changes I can make when I can plant again, in September and October. I don’t know of a gardener that doesn’t tweak their work to make it better, more beautiful, more maintenance free, or whatever the goal. Plants come and go. If we make the right decisions in advance by planning before implementing, our plant selections will thrive longer, and we will enjoy our gardens longer with less frustrations.

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Friday, August 9, 2013 12:07 am.

A charming country garden can be a great addition to any home. Beautiful, quaint and part of a long British tradition, these types of garden can be enjoyed all throughout the year.

There is so much that can be done with a country garden, and it’s the perfect way to really put a stamp on your property to garner interest from prospective buyers. Waltons has some handy tips just for you to get started , so it’s time to unleash your creativity and design that fourth bedroom which will leave viewers fighting over the highest bid!

Perfect plants

No country garden is complete without a bed of wildflowers. But remember that these plants are used to wild, natural environments: give them free reign with a free-flowing style.

Creating a rugged look mimics the countryside, so bringing together hardy perennials and shrubs with the less conventional can really nail that rustic style.

Traditional wildflowers such as wood sorrel with its pale blue petals and heart shaped leaves can make you believe you’ve stepped out into the unknown. Try honeysuckle and long-stemmed buttercups to reproduce your very own pasture.

Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage provide joy all year round as they give gorgeous scents in the summer, as well as being useful for the kitchen! Use the aroma to draw people into the garden escape to really attract the top offers on your home.

If you’re looking to add wildlife to the mix, go for lavender, angelica and bergamot which will bring those busy bees your way. Encourage frogs with metal pails of water and plenty of hidey-holes.

Log cabins

A log cabin can spark your country paradise into life. Walton has a top selection of bespoke buildings that will really bring your garden together.

Log cabins can be used for sitting out late into the evening in a beautiful setting, or even as a summer office. If furnished, it’ll give you the chance to present an extra room for multiple uses.

Make sure you have a winding path to guide you to the door after those evening walks among the mint and jasmine. Line it with locally sourced stone or wood to give it that natural feel. Who knows, maybe there’ll be more at the bottom of the garden than meets the eye?

If you aiming for a family-home-sale, a wildflower garden can seem like a fairytale for young children. With so many places to hide and discover, they’ll feel like they’ve fallen into wonderland if you leave wild patches to explore.

A log cabin could also be used as a den for the long summer holidays. Children will love having their very own space where they can play, imagine and create in their countryside space.

Natural accessories

By making your very own features from reclaimed wood, you’ll be helping out nature as well as injecting some original creativity into the garden.

Wooden beds or a weathered bench made from bleached timber can add that extra charm to your space. Use an old watering can or wheelbarrow to fill to the brim with your favourite wildflowers, as if they sprung up overnight!

When it comes to gardens, they tend to be one of the last places a new family will fix-up after they’ve moved in. By providing a space which is fit for their casual needs, or even for their youngsters, you’ll be providing potential buyers with a room that is already perfect. Meaning that when it comes to asking for top dollar, it’ll be hard to be refused!

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Hisao Suzuki

THE GOOD BURN | Shou-sugi-ban wood encloses a courtyard of a house in Carlsbad, Calif., designed by architect Sebastian Mariscal.

AS A GARDEN DESIGNER, I’m a fan of dark fences. Their color provides an emphatic backdrop for plants, but doesn’t compete for attention. Until recently, though, the only ways to achieve a fence in a sophisticated chocolate, gunmetal or charcoal shade were paint (fated to peel) or stain (likely to fade).

No more. The Japanese art of charred wood—known as shou sugi ban—is making inroads in American landscaping. It’s believed that the technique’s Asian roots date to the 1700s, when the Japanese first started subjecting wood siding to fire as a way to preserve it. The charring protects the timber from sun, wind, water, decay and, yes, fire, greatly extending its life.

Recently, American landscape designers and architects have begun playing with this seemingly pyromaniacal technique when it comes to fences, and loving the results. Charred wood is seductive—its appearance ranging from lightly scorched to something resembling dried prehistoric lava or alligator skin, depending on the degree of burning. When shou-sugi-ban boards are used en masse to surround a garden, the effect is elegantly mysterious.

Ithaca, N.Y.-based landscape architect Marc P. Keane, who spent several years in Japan designing gardens, is well-versed in the practice. “As with so many things, the Japanese have refined the process to an art,” he said, noting that they primarily use Japanese cedar. “It’s a clean-grained wood that burns very well. Most lumberyards in Japan sell beautifully wrapped bundles of the shou-sugi-ban boards,” he explained. Mr. Keane is about to enclose a garden at the Cornell Plantations at Cornell University with a charred cedar fence, the first time he’s applying the technique in North America.

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Delta Millworks

A range of scorching options, from mild to extreme, offered by Delta Millworks in Austin, Texas.

Boston-based architect Sebastian Mariscal got a chance to use shou sugi ban for the exterior and surrounding fence of a minimalist house in Carlsbad, Calif. “It’s not often a client allows their architect to experiment with a new technique,” said Mr. Mariscal, who worked with his own crew to get the admittedly challenging, time-consuming process right. Degree of difficulty aside, he said he’d use it again for the right project. “It has a beautiful depth you don’t get from a stain. As the light hits the surface, it can go from silvery to gray to brown,” he said.

This is not a project for the casual DIYer. Fire safety is essential, said Mark Word, a landscape designer in Austin, Texas, who has installed a number of shou-sugi-ban fences for clients. “You don’t want to just take a blowtorch to your fence,” Mr. Word explained. “To get the right look, you really need to control the fire.” Traditionally, boards are burned over an outdoor fire, drenched with water, then brushed to remove excess soot.

Delta Millworks, an Austin-based family business founded in 1985 (
deltamillworks.com
), has perfected the process and can produce large quantities of authentically charred wood and ship it nationwide. The company achieves an array of shou-sugi-ban effects by controlling the degree of burning or applying natural stains and sealers to alter the color. “It’s an increasingly popular item for us,” said owner Robbie Davis, “especially the alligator finish.” Though the price (approximately $8 per foot) and durability of Delta’s product are similar to ipe (Brazilian walnut) and other tropical hardwoods popular for high-end fencing, the mill uses sustainable, domestically harvested softwoods, like southern cypress. While a standard cedar fence can start to decay after about five years, said Mr. Davis, a shou-sugi-ban fence can last up to 30 years with minimal care. And that’s not just blowing smoke.

—Lindsey Taylor

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A version of this article appeared August 3, 2013, on page D10 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: LANDSCAPE DESIGN’S NEW FLAME.

In a brightly colored purple, pink and white tank top, with a few tiny braids woven through her blond hair, then swept up with a flower, Brooke Downing almost blends into her southeast Lincoln backyard garden.

Turquoise, purple, yellow and pink colors pop from behind the foliage and from unexpected outdoor furnishings.

With her friend, garden designer Sue Wurm, the two took out every blade of grass that grew there and transformed the yard into a unique oasis that meets all of the criteria for a Bohemian-style garden.

You won’t find a definition for that term in any garden book. “It’s funky, fun, colorful and bright,” Wurm said.

But that is only part of the design criteria. The other elements came from repurposing pieces found in the garage, basement, thrift shops, garage sales and just about anywhere else they could salvage things.

And it suits Downing perfectly, she said. After living in the cottage-styled home for more than three decades, she wanted the backyard to reflect her personality.

Technically, the project began last fall when Downing applied a chemical grass kill to her backyard, including an area behind the garage that she referred to as “where the wild things grow.”

After that, she had the surfaces rototilled for a clean slate. Faced with the results, she said, “I looked at it and wondered, ‘What did I do?’”

It wasn’t until the second week in June when she and Wurm really dug in and began implementing the backyard plan, which included a wide path lined with custom-made stepping stones, a potting space, firepit and new seating areas.

For Wurm, it began with pruning foliage and eliminating some overgrown, very thorny, barberry bushes. Then she cut back and trimmed the existing trees.

Next they headed to the basement for a couple of afternoons to create a variety of sizes and shapes of stepping stones. They used plastic plant drip trays and cardboard boxes as molds and poured the concrete mix around colorful broken dishes, ceramic pieces, Mexican tiles and yes, even a couple of beer bottles of Downing’s favorite brews. When it was done, 20-plus very individual stepping stones were ready to be placed on the wide garden path.

Plants came from half-price sales — the beauty of doing this mid-June, they said — and the choices were a mix and match of Wurm’s and Downing’s favorites.

Downing wanted color — so there’s plenty of perennials, such as bright pinkish-orange coneflowers.

Wurm likes a bit of structure — add a few small boxwoods, in a curvy row and some knockout roses, which are traditional, but bloom and bloom and bloom.

In the center of the yard is a fountain Downing had, and it is surrounded with Goldilocks, a variety of Creeping Jenny, a lime green groundcover that was behind the garage. No other plants there, Wurm said; it is a “quiet” space.

“Rearranging” is what Wurm calls the “fun” part of this garden renovation. She and Downing walked through her house, went to the basement and garage and picked up odds and ends they thought might work in the new outside space. Wurm calls her garden business Design Cents, and emphasizes using “found” items whenever possible.

The two women came up with two full-sized wooden doors — one turquoise, one yellow — which form a bright corner in the very back of the yard. An old metal typing stand holds a piece of blue Corian to form a coffee table. And hanging on the fence are some painted birdhouses Downing had collected.

In some cases, it was just a matter of grouping things, Wurm said. One area has several blue-gray pieces of pottery and statues. Another has orange collectibles. And along the garage is a grouping of “rusty” iron pieces — from a vintage child’s wagon to an ornate iron backdrop.

“There must be order,” Wurm said, “or it can look junky.”

A firepit in the far corner of the yard, surrounded by four newly painted park benches — in yellow, purple, turquoise and orange, is a great focal point. Kindling sits in a nearby box, filled with sticks and a couple of bright, painted accent branches.

Bricks and stones, scattered throughout the yard, define spaces and paths as do bags and bags of mulch.

On the existing patio, which is made with pavers, joining Downing’s table and chairs is an abandoned blue-and-cream kitchen cupboard set from the garage that has taken on a new life as a serving piece — or a potting station. Ornate metallic candle holders nailed up behind it provide evening ambiance, as do other candle holders on tree trunks and the privacy fence along the side of the yard.

Downing’s favorite piece is a former wooden porch swing a friend custom-painted several years ago. It sits on the raised bed near the patio, covered with several coats of polyurethane to protect it. A plastic-covered cushion made from a patterned former padded headboard fits neatly on the seat.

Although gardeners rarely consider a site “finished,” Downing is enjoying the completion of the renovation. But if something pops up — at a garage sale or thrift shop — she won’t hesitate to add it to her Boho space, she said.

In 2013, over a 10-day period, our group of 11 visited selected gardens in Ireland as well as places of interest to us individually.

Ireland is called the Emerald Isle, and we found the name well deserved with verdant landscapes nourished by cool rain. On most days we found there were three time periods that cycled within an hour or two: rain, just finished raining and about to rain. The landscapes included ancient mountains and vast areas of pasture.

In 1840, Ireland had about 8 million people. In subsequent years the potato blight, then not understood as a plant disease, resulted in large-scale crop failure, famine and emigration. Ireland has not yet re-attained its population of a century and a half ago; the Republic of Ireland has currently 4.59 million people. What that means is there are large expanses of open land with cattle and sheep, and even the larger cities (Dublin, Cork) seem small in comparison with the megacities of much of the world.

We also found extraordinary hospitality and friendliness that extended to a series of favors both smaller and larger, such as picking up an umbrella someone had dropped, and we were given group discounts virtually everywhere we went although not technically at the required group size.

The gardens we visited fell into three groups. The first group comprised botanic gardens where plant identity was central, and plants were often arranged by genus or family.

The second group of gardens had a large component of natural woodland in which plants were placed among trails and pathways. The third type of garden was found around manor houses or castles; these tended to be formal in design.

Several of the gardens were particularly unusual. We visited Birr House and Gardens, located toward the center of Ireland. Birr House has been and still is the home of the Rosse family since 1620 — even with a 30-year mortgage the house has been paid off for centuries.

In the mid-1800s, the third Earl of Rosse was very interested in astronomy and built the world’s largest reflector telescope with its 6-foot mirror, made not of glass but of metal. We were able to see the restored telescope as well as indoor displays of science and scientists. The best part of the gardens at Birr, I thought, was the long pathway along the Little Brosna River with dense forest and overhanging branches stretching over the stream. It wasn’t too difficult to imagine oneself in the Middle Ages — or Middle Earth.

Ilnaculin, or Garinish Island, is located just offshore in Bantry Bay, so one takes a boat to reach the garden island. The 37-acre island is home to natural areas of forest, rock and bogs, but also contains a formal Italian garden, a walled garden and other plantings interspersed among the native plants.

On the highest point of the garden, the British built a stone tower about 1805 as a lookout and defense against a feared invasion by Napoleon. One can climb the steep spiral staircase to the top level to enjoy the vista.

After the U.S. and Australia, Ireland is the third country for breeding race horses. One can see why: It’s the grass, rich in calcium and plentiful, nourished by frequent rains.

Attached to the national horse breeding farm is a Japanese garden, said to be the finest in Europe, and perhaps it is. This garden is unique in that the pathways are marked according to stages of a person’s life, such as the cave of birth, the bridge of marriage, the hill of ambition, and the final climb on the hill of old age.

Plant selection and extraordinary attention to maintenance complement the design. I find words or even photos inadequate to describe the overall construction and impact of this garden.

If you come to one of our fall horticulture classes at the UC Cooperative Extension office, we’ll show photos. I hope you, too, will be able to visit some of these gardens, perhaps as a side trip during a business visit to London or as part of a vacation. As a further incentive, Dublin is home to one of the world’s greatest libraries of ancient manuscripts and, lest we forget, Guinness is the local beverage.

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 | By Tom Banks

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While many UK summer music festivals have tried to embrace public art, interactives and installations in recent years, in many cases it appears a bit bolted on – a bit of an afterthought.

The Temple by An Architecture

By contrast The Secret Garden Party, which isn’t that secret – here’s the website – has a Secret Arts division, which has garnered a reputation for delivering some heavyweight installations.

This year the festival is imbued with the theme Superstition, which has been broadly interpreted by installation artists.

Although ultimately an inconvenience, being pooped on by a bird is said to be good luck. Armed with this knowledge Hungry Castle, the people bringing you the incredible Lionel Richie’s Head at Bestival this summer, have also designed Lucky Shit.

This brilliantly infantile contraption appears to have been taken straight from the pages of Viz. 

Sparingly and indiscriminately, after spending large periods of time doing absolutely nothing, a giant bird sculpture will ‘shit’ yellow muck on people who dare to walk beneath it. Yum.

Elsewhere we can expect a giant florescent triangle, which is a gateway to a space mirrored on all three sides.

Luz – as it will later appear at Burning Man festival – by Les Mechants

The installation is called Luz, has been designed by Les Merchants and will give the sense of being inside a kaleidoscope. Geometric patterns on a hand screen-printed floor will conjure an infinity perspective. Indeed your own reflection will be refracted into an eternity of fragments.  But you will leave fully formed.

While details of a centre-piece lake sculpture by Pirate Technics remain under lock and key, we can tell you The Temple by An-Architecture, will rise out of the site’s main lake, and can be accessed by a pier designed by artist Edward Lewllyn, giving festival goers a unique view gained through gaps in its mesh of beams.

The Temple by An Architecture

If you can climb up to the top, as well as a confusing view below through the interlocking beams, you’ll be able to see across the lake and over the rest of the site.

We Find Comfort in the The Common by It’s Nice That is a presentation of three works that look at the ambiguity of horoscopes, and tackle Superstition head on.

While the form of these remains deliberately ambiguous, we are at this stage aware of contextual research by the likes of David McCandless, which will feed into the pieces.

Part of the We Find Comfort in The Common series by It’s Nice That

McCandless conducted a study in 2011, which showed how 90 per cent of the words used in a sample of horoscopes were exactly the same.

It led him to write the following meta-prediction that could be applied to any star sign on any day of the year: ‘Whatever the situation or secret moment, enjoy everything a lot. Feel able to absolutely care. Expect nothing else…Keep making love. Family and friends matter… Help and talk to others. Change your mind and a better mood comes along.’

The Street by Katy Beveridge and Fernando Laposse

Kat Beveridge has looked at the ghostly side of Superstition for The Street, a piece made up of ‘flying paper houses’ which are inert and invisible by day but at night take on a haunting presence as they appear to rise from the lake.

The White Death is an extraterrestrial take on this year’s theme, and provides a safe zone from the electromagnetic bombardment we are all subjected to everyday.

Created by Bob Winslow, it’s essentially a Faraday cage and will protect festival goers from electromagnetic radiation – the stuff of radioactive rocks, neutron stars, and radio transmitters – which is apparently harmless.

Winslow’s supposition is that this electromagnetic radiation is in fact the work of extraterrestrials scanning us from space ships, and the mating calls of creatures burrowing toward the earth core.

Twilight Tweets by Tetsuro Nagata and Guy Woodhouse

We’re excited about Twilight Tweets by Testuro Nagata and Guy Woodhouse, which will see a parliament of owls take to the trees. By day they will sleep, twitch and flutter, and by night they will come alive – responding to each other, and people below.

Their party piece is unfolding their wings to form screens, which will display short films shown elsewhere in the day.

Meanwhile Leeland Crane is creating 3^rd Planet, which is being kept under wraps, but organisers tell us it’s about ‘awe, beauty,  perspective and introspection.’

The context, is the 1967 photograph of earth captured from space and how it changed the way we perceive ourselves.

Secret Garden Party takes place from 25-28 July, Mill Hill Field, Grange Farm, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, PE28 2LA

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Fairy gardening is a trend in gardening that is gaining popularity with all age groups.

For centuries the world has been fascinated with the thought that pixies live among us with the power to spread magic and mischief throughout our homes and gardens. While evidence of the existence of fairies is slim, adding a fairy garden to your own garden is an amusing way to participate in this centuries old tradition of trying to please the spirits and gain their favor. The good news is that you do not have to believe in fairies to have a garden brimming with charm and intrigue. You only have to have imagination, creativity, and the desire to have fun!

The basic idea of fairy gardening is gardening in miniature, creating the appearance that tiny pixies have taken up residence in your garden. Creating this type of garden is also a great opportunity to connect with children, by having them be a part of the process. They will find pleasure in planting and caring for these miniature havens brimming with charm and intrigue.

The best place to create a fairy garden is where someone will feel that they have simply “stumbled” upon or discovered a magical location. At first glance, someone might not see the little details that make your flowerbed or herb garden so special. Thus, take advantage of your natural landscape and create your fairy garden near the base of a tree or nestled against a hill, rock outcropping, or stump to protect it from the elements.

3 Steps to a Successful Fairy Garden

Step 1: Planning Your Garden

Before you begin, you should give some thought to the type or theme you would like to build. These gardens can be any size or shape ranging from an expansive flowerbed to a patio flowerpot. Gardens types to consider include woodland, flower, herb, placement near a water feature, or moon garden, since many fairies are nocturnal.

Step 2: Choosing Plants

Most fairy gardens have a combination of flowering plants, herbs, and ornamental grasses. Additionally, they should be eco-friendly, organic, and a great habitat for native wildlife too. In fact, most of the plants that are rumored to attract fairies also attract birds, butterflies and bees. Use small or low growing plants, keeping in mind scale and proportion.

These are just a few of the flowers and plants that can be used in fairy gardens.

Colorful flowers, including fairy rose, coneflowers, coral bells, daisies, poppies, and calendula.

Herbs, such as lavender, oregano, thyme, savory, sage, scented geranium, chives and rosemary

Trees, including apple, holly, ash, hawthorne, elder, and oak

Mosses, ferns, and ornamental grasses

Step 3: Planting and Creating Your Garden

It may be useful to section off an area for your fairy gardens with some type of border, miniature fencing, or rocks. However, try to avoid being overly organized, as fairy gardens should appear natural and as “wild” as possible. Once the desired living elements are in place, consider adding fun additions that make the garden appear as if it is inhabited.

Add a small house that encourages fairies to make their homes in your garden. Craft one out of rocks, twigs, and bark.

Create meandering paths with stones, gravel, or bark that will give it a storybook feel.

Consider adding a small pond in your garden, placing a tiny boat tied off the shore made from bark.

Flat stones are popular additions to garden areas. Myths say that fairies like to sit on them to sun themselves and dry the morning dew from their wings.

Wind chimes are a welcome addition. They add an inviting sound to the area.

Unleash your imagination and fill your garden with magical, tiny details, including furniture, such as beds, tables, and chairs made of natural materials. The possibilities are limitless!

Information about Extension Solutions for Homes and Gardens can be found on the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension website, www.caes.uga.

edu/extension/cherokee ; or contact the Cherokee County Extension Office, 100 North St., Suite G21, Canton, GA, 770-479-0418. The Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program is a volunteer training program offered through county offices of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

As a gardener, there is nothing more exciting than to see a garden design that started on paper develop into a living expression of color, texture and space. It’s incredible to think about the expanse of knowledge we are exercising when gardening: from the arts to the sciences, to research and physical activity. Gardening is truly all inclusive.

As we enter the fall of the year, we often reflect on our garden – what we did right, and what didn’t go so well. For me, August is usually the month that I start to figure out what changes I can make when I can plant again, in September and October. I don’t know of a gardener that doesn’t tweak their work to make it better, more beautiful, more maintenance free, or whatever

the goal. Plants come and go. If we make the right decisions in advance by planning before implementing, our plant selections will thrive longer, and we will enjoy our gardens longer with less frustrations.

This fall we will be offering a Garden Design Series, focusing on specific plant groups and design. We will begin the series on Thursday, Sept. 5, with Basic Garden Design. As with many great gardens, design begins on paper. Thoughts and ideas can be sketched to make the outdoor space flow so the use of the space is enhanced. This basic design class will cover design elements, from conceptual drawings to the finished plan. We will go through the steps of design so you will have the tools you need to create your own garden haven.

At our next class on Thursday, Sept. 12, we will discuss plant selection focusing on shrubs and trees. As with most garden designs, the structure is the most important part, and trees and shrubs become our outdoor structure. We will talk about different plants, what soil, sun and moisture they need, making your choices a bit easier when plugging the plants into your design. We will talk about specific plant’s assets as well as some of the problems that may occur when using specific plant species.

Perennials are the focus on Thursday, Sept. 19. These herbaceous plants become the accents of most gardens, and, although may not be the most important when it comes to structure, they become the plant group we focus on when viewing or living in an outdoor space. You will learn information about specific plants, where they grow, and how to care for them.

We will finish up the series with a class on Specialty Gardens. After use and structure of a garden are determined, we often find niches to fill that require a special touch. Whether it’s a water garden, a courtyard, or any other micro-climate that may be created, sometimes insight on the special needs of a site are necessary.

We will touch on water gardening and container gardening in this class, along with information on wildlife gardening. All the classes will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The fee for each class is $8. You can pick and choose which classes you would like to take or participate in the entire series for a complete overview of ornamental gardening. The classes will be located at the Agricultural and Natural Resource Center, 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg. Pre-registration is required; deadline for registration is Aug. 26. For more information, call Penn State Extension, Adams County, at 717-334-6271 or email Mary Ann Ryan, mar35@psu.edu.

There will be one more Garden Chat this summer: Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Trial Gardens at 670 Old Harrisburg Road in Gettysburg. Our Trial Gardens look especially nice this year – we have had enough rain that has encouraged good growth. You are welcome to visit the Trial Garden plots any time during daylight hours. If you want a guided tour, call the Extension office at 717-334-6271 and one can be arranged for you.

Cancellation: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the two programs for children have to be canceled. They were scheduled for Sept. 14 and Oct. 12. We are very sorry to have to cancel these two programs since everyone was looking forward to seeing the children’s garden this year.

Got a gardening question? The Penn State Master Gardener Hotline is open. Talk to a Master Gardener on Mondays and Fridays, April-September from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 717-334-6271, or visit us at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg, with your sample for diagnosis.

Mary Ann Ryan is the Penn State Master Gardener Coordinator of Adams County. is a Penn State Master Gardener from Adams County. Penn State Cooperative Extension of Adams County is at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 204, Gettysburg, call 717-334-6271.

News

Published: Thursday, August 08, 2013

By ALICE TESSIER
atessier@ctcentral.com
@thelct on Twitter

NEW MILFORD—Local landscapers want to create an organic gardening center on property located on Litchfield Road (Route 202), in the Northville section of town.

The Inland Wetlands Commission is currently conducting a public hearing on the proposal, which will continue Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.

Chris Bruzzi, owner of the property at 354 Litchfield Road, said he is seeking a change in zoning use from residential to mixed use to allow retail and office space, along with related landscaping and a parking area, for the creation of a retail garden center.

Mr. Bruzzi noted that he had owned the property for several years, occupying the house, and then sold it and moved to his current residence in town. Then, last year, he repurchased the Litchfield Road property, aiming to pursue his plans to create an organic garden center.

He said he had previously obtained a permit for retail sales and outdoor storage on the site.

“This has been a dream of mine, to do this, for a long time—to create a place where you can come with your family and do an activity, walk around and see our plantings and designs, eat a little something with your family, get plants and supplies, and learn about our design services,” he said.

“It would be for people who want to see what the possibilities are, in plants and design, whether they want to do it themselves or have someone do it for them,” Mr. Bruzzi said.

“It wasn’t the right time for me to do it before, but I bought the property back last year, because I want to go ahead with this now,” he said.

Mr. Bruzzi, a landscape contractor, noted he has 17 years’ experience serving customers in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., with his business, Bruzzi Lawn Landscape, LLC.

According to its Web site, the services it provides include landscape design, installation and maintenance, hydroseeding, masonry, excavation and drainage. Continued…

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“We are all organic as far as what we do and what we use,” he said, regarding the services he provides for his customers and the products he uses. He noted, however, that they may not choose to be “all organic” in what they do with their own property.

According to his proposal, Mr. Bruzzi would like to use the first floor of the house on the property for retail and other uses, including a refreshment and activity area. The second floor would be used as office space by Dirk Sabin, a landscape designer based in Washington, and a library where visitors can browse horticultural books.

Mr. Bruzzi would create an office for his own use in the barn on the property, which would also store supplies, after that structure is renovated.

A patio area off of the house would also be used for activities that would be “family oriented and instructional,” Mr. Bruzzi said.

“People could come and learn about plants, pot plants or have it done for them, see how they work in a landscape, and the plants would be what are local within a few states,” he said. “They could come and do a craft, maybe even have a group do a project or have a potting activity. We plan to have different horticultural classes there.”

“I want it to be just a different place,” he said. “There would still be things like planters and mulch along with other supplies for sale, but visitors could wander around and stay awhile and see designs for ornamental and display gardens and masonry as well.”

Mr. Bruzzi said he sees the current proposal as “a small start” to fulfilling his dream on the five+-acre parcel, which is located across from Northville Fire Department on Route 202.

Commission members want more information about how the area by the river would be used and landscaped, as the property, citing 100-year-flood plain concerns.

Mr. Bruzzi said he thinks some residents in the area might be opposed to the proposal, particularly since he plans to serve food there.

“I’m thinking more of a café-like setup. I’m not going to be putting a deli here,” he said. Continued…

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NEW MILFORD—Local landscapers want to create an organic gardening center on property located on Litchfield Road (Route 202), in the Northville section of town.

The Inland Wetlands Commission is currently conducting a public hearing on the proposal, which will continue Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.

Chris Bruzzi, owner of the property at 354 Litchfield Road, said he is seeking a change in zoning use from residential to mixed use to allow retail and office space, along with related landscaping and a parking area, for the creation of a retail garden center.

Mr. Bruzzi noted that he had owned the property for several years, occupying the house, and then sold it and moved to his current residence in town. Then, last year, he repurchased the Litchfield Road property, aiming to pursue his plans to create an organic garden center.

He said he had previously obtained a permit for retail sales and outdoor storage on the site.

“This has been a dream of mine, to do this, for a long time—to create a place where you can come with your family and do an activity, walk around and see our plantings and designs, eat a little something with your family, get plants and supplies, and learn about our design services,” he said.

“It would be for people who want to see what the possibilities are, in plants and design, whether they want to do it themselves or have someone do it for them,” Mr. Bruzzi said.

“It wasn’t the right time for me to do it before, but I bought the property back last year, because I want to go ahead with this now,” he said.

Mr. Bruzzi, a landscape contractor, noted he has 17 years’ experience serving customers in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., with his business, Bruzzi Lawn Landscape, LLC.

According to its Web site, the services it provides include landscape design, installation and maintenance, hydroseeding, masonry, excavation and drainage.

“We are all organic as far as what we do and what we use,” he said, regarding the services he provides for his customers and the products he uses. He noted, however, that they may not choose to be “all organic” in what they do with their own property.

According to his proposal, Mr. Bruzzi would like to use the first floor of the house on the property for retail and other uses, including a refreshment and activity area. The second floor would be used as office space by Dirk Sabin, a landscape designer based in Washington, and a library where visitors can browse horticultural books.

Mr. Bruzzi would create an office for his own use in the barn on the property, which would also store supplies, after that structure is renovated.

A patio area off of the house would also be used for activities that would be “family oriented and instructional,” Mr. Bruzzi said.

“People could come and learn about plants, pot plants or have it done for them, see how they work in a landscape, and the plants would be what are local within a few states,” he said. “They could come and do a craft, maybe even have a group do a project or have a potting activity. We plan to have different horticultural classes there.”

“I want it to be just a different place,” he said. “There would still be things like planters and mulch along with other supplies for sale, but visitors could wander around and stay awhile and see designs for ornamental and display gardens and masonry as well.”

Mr. Bruzzi said he sees the current proposal as “a small start” to fulfilling his dream on the five+-acre parcel, which is located across from Northville Fire Department on Route 202.

Commission members want more information about how the area by the river would be used and landscaped, as the property, citing 100-year-flood plain concerns.

Mr. Bruzzi said he thinks some residents in the area might be opposed to the proposal, particularly since he plans to serve food there.

“I’m thinking more of a café-like setup. I’m not going to be putting a deli here,” he said.

He said what he would like to see happen is for the Northville area to become more a destination for people to visit.

“My property is right next to The Silo,” he said, referring to Hunt Hill Farm. “There are shops here and the Northville Market. This would be one more place for people to come.”

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