Jessica Walliser
Freelance Columnist
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Tribune-Review Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts ‘The Organic Gardeners’ at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including ‘Grow Organic’ and ‘Good Bug, Bad Bug.’

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Saturday – June 15, 2013

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Friday – June 14, 2013

By Jessica Walliser

Published: Friday, June 14, 2013, 8:57 p.m.

Updated 23 hours ago

While most gardeners prefer to leave their smart phones and iPads inside when working in the garden, your phone and tablet can, in fact, be a valuable gardening tool. Smart phones and tablets have a plethora of apps (short for applications) tailored to gardening. A quick search will yield many apps related to gardening. Some cost a few dollars and others are free. Here are a few of my favorites.

Garden Buddy: This is a handy little tool available on iTunes does “garden math.â€� It helps estimate things like how many cubic yards of mulch you need, what size pond pump to purchase, how much lawn fertilizer you’ll need, and how many plants should you get to fill a certain space. A similar app for Androids called Landscape and Garden Calculators also measures for bricks, blocks and pavers.

Botany Buddy: A terrific iPad-only app for identifying trees and shrubs, Botany Buddy lists more than 2,000 plant species and hosts nearly 10,000 images. It’s also a perfect way to search for the right plant for a particular site in your own landscape. A collaborative effort between professional gardeners and landscape designers, this app is a personal favorite for its advanced search features and extensive photo library.

FlowerPedia: With more than 1,300 images of flowers from around the world, this app is great for helping you identify flowers by answering some questions (leaf structure, petal number, etc). It also enables you to share the location of flowers you found with others and to access unusual plant sites located by others — both at home and abroad. FlowerPedia for iPhones and iPads has growing information about each plant as well.

Gardening Toolkit: Great for both organizing your garden and learning some new how-to techniques, this iTunes app is probably the most versatile I have found. It allows you to add pictures, track harvest times and sowing dates, search its extensive database of plants for the “perfect� one, look through a garden glossary, track your watering, and follow month-by-month gardening advice for your hardiness zone plus much more — great for vegetable and ornamental gardeners. A similar app for Androids is Essential Garden Guide and Blackberry users will like Burpee Home Garden Coach.

Audubon Insects and Spiders: Hosting images, identifying features and descriptions, this app is all about bugs. With over 500 common insects featured, it’s useful for learning about the critters you come across in your garden. Enter a few identifying features and scroll through the resulting images to discover what’s bugging you. You can even keep a history of all the insects you’ve found. It is available on both Google Play and in iTunes.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners� at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Grow Organic� and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.� Her website is www.jessicawalliser.com.

Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

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To many motorists, Gardens Corner can pass in the blink of an eye. But to one small group of residents, it’s not only rich in history, but the gateway to Beaufort.

Over time and with road construction that ended in 2011, the intersection of U.S. 17 and U.S. 21 has receded into a bland shadow of its former self.

So the Friends of Gardens Corner has launched landscaping and beautification projects to restore lost luster.

“This golden stretch of the highway contains every bit of our history,” says group president Woody Collins. “The Yemassee Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Reconstruction — so much went on in this area.”

Group member Bill Ladson said the Friends have so far adopted six miles of road for cleanup — two miles along each of the three “spokes” radiating from the traffic circle that is now the heart of Gardens Corner.

As more volunteers come forward, that cleanup will stretch farther. Ladson hopes it eventually covers six miles to the Combahee River on U.S. 17 toward Charleston, about four miles to the Whale Branch River along U.S. 21 toward Beaufort, and about eight miles to Point South on U.S. 17 toward Savannah.

“We are the center, the gateway to those three cities,” Collins said. “You can’t avoid that.”

Ladson is seeking helping hands for the cleanup wherever he can find them. Inmates from the Beaufort County Detention Center assisted the June effort. He has spoken with the Parent Teacher Organization at Whale Branch Early College High School about recruiting students.

“Anyone, anywhere is welcome to become a member,” he said. “We all see Gardens Corner. It is our traditional front door.”

At the traffic circle and interchange, the Friends plan a $50,000 landscaping project. The fledgling nonprofit is seeking grants and hopes to start work in a few years.

“Considering what it is going to give Beaufort County, I don’t look at that as a lot of money,” Collins said. “We still have to get it, but I have faith and confidence that we will.”

The landscaping project would put flowers, trees, shrubs and two historic markers where overgrown grass, weeds and small trees have overtaken the former garden spot.

Beaufort County has agreed to pay for the markers, which cost about $2,000 each. They will tell about American Revolutionary War Col. Benjamin Garden, for whom the community is named, and of wars and other historic events in the area, Collins said.

To raise money, the organization is arranging lectures and selling memberships and $10 T-shirts. People also can pay only $5 for the shirt if they give it to a youth who volunteers to help clean up the highways.

Collins says the new Friends group is reviving an old tradition in Gardens Corner. Various garden clubs have added their touches over the years, from rows of palmetto trees planted by the Alexander Garden Club in the late 1930s, to later groups that planted fields of daffodils, Collins said.

“So we’re just keeping in line with the traditional history that there are people who care about Gardens Corner,” he said.

After all, he said, “this is our front door to Beaufort County, and we want it to look like our front door.”

Related content

1. At Gardens Corner, something special is sprouting at the intersection of past and future, Feb. 2, 2013
2. Past, present and future converge at Gardens Corner, Feb. 19, 2011
3. At last, U.S. 17/U.S. 21 interchange is open, Feb. 10, 2011

Jessica Walliser
Freelance Columnist
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Tribune-Review Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts ‘The Organic Gardeners’ at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including ‘Grow Organic’ and ‘Good Bug, Bad Bug.’

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Video
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Friday – June 14, 2013

Thursday – June 13, 2013

Wednesday – June 12, 2013

By Jessica Walliser

Published: Friday, June 14, 2013, 8:57 p.m.

Updated 14 hours ago

While most gardeners prefer to leave their smart phones and iPads inside when working in the garden, your phone and tablet can, in fact, be a valuable gardening tool. Smart phones and tablets have a plethora of apps (short for applications) tailored to gardening. A quick search will yield many apps related to gardening. Some cost a few dollars and others are free. Here are a few of my favorites.

Garden Buddy: This is a handy little tool available on iTunes does “garden math.â€� It helps estimate things like how many cubic yards of mulch you need, what size pond pump to purchase, how much lawn fertilizer you’ll need, and how many plants should you get to fill a certain space. A similar app for Androids called Landscape and Garden Calculators also measures for bricks, blocks and pavers.

Botany Buddy: A terrific iPad-only app for identifying trees and shrubs, Botany Buddy lists more than 2,000 plant species and hosts nearly 10,000 images. It’s also a perfect way to search for the right plant for a particular site in your own landscape. A collaborative effort between professional gardeners and landscape designers, this app is a personal favorite for its advanced search features and extensive photo library.

FlowerPedia: With more than 1,300 images of flowers from around the world, this app is great for helping you identify flowers by answering some questions (leaf structure, petal number, etc). It also enables you to share the location of flowers you found with others and to access unusual plant sites located by others — both at home and abroad. FlowerPedia for iPhones and iPads has growing information about each plant as well.

Gardening Toolkit: Great for both organizing your garden and learning some new how-to techniques, this iTunes app is probably the most versatile I have found. It allows you to add pictures, track harvest times and sowing dates, search its extensive database of plants for the “perfect� one, look through a garden glossary, track your watering, and follow month-by-month gardening advice for your hardiness zone plus much more — great for vegetable and ornamental gardeners. A similar app for Androids is Essential Garden Guide and Blackberry users will like Burpee Home Garden Coach.

Audubon Insects and Spiders: Hosting images, identifying features and descriptions, this app is all about bugs. With over 500 common insects featured, it’s useful for learning about the critters you come across in your garden. Enter a few identifying features and scroll through the resulting images to discover what’s bugging you. You can even keep a history of all the insects you’ve found. It is available on both Google Play and in iTunes.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners� at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Grow Organic� and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.� Her website is www.jessicawalliser.com.

Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

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THE ENDURING IMPACT of world’s fairs on gardening — private, public and municipal — prompted Cathy Jean Maloney to pen her latest book, “World’s Fair Gardens: Shaping American Landscapes” (256 pages, University of Virginia Press, $40), which covers the nine major U.S. world’s fairs from 1850 to 1940, what she considers their heyday.

On June 20, she will share her insights from researching her book in a talk, slide show and book signing focusing on San Francisco’s three expos — the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, sited in what is now Golden Gate Park; 1915’s Panama Pacific International Exposition, now the Marina district; and the Golden Gate International Exposition from 1939 to 1940 on Treasure Island.

The author, who lives in a cottage on the grounds of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed estate with a Jens Jensen landscape in Chicago, was intrigued with world’s fairs gardens after researching the World’s Columbian Exposition, which took place in 1893 in Chicago.

“It was a game changer for world’s fairs, not just in America but in the world,” she explains. “It was the first time that a landscape architect, (in this case) the noted Frederick Law Olmstead, who was hired to do the landscape, was at the same table as the architect, art sculptors and engineers.”

And, she points out, it was also the first time that landscape architecture was considered an important

art form, “where landscape was considered as an integral part of the plan along with the building designs and outdoor art, not an afterthought.”

The Chicago Expo, she explains, sparked the nationwide City Beautiful movement, “with the idea that when you plan a city, you want to incorporate nature and parks.” Out of the City Beautiful movement came Edward Bennett, who created the ground plan for the 1915 Pan-Pacific Expo.

Through their exotic flora and artful landscaping, “world’s fairs have shaped American gardens and green spaces,” Maloney says. “Nurserymen, growers and florists who exhibited at a world’s fair would win medals and ribbons for certain plants or flowers, such as a winning gladiola for example, and then they’d publicize that in all their catalogs so that everyone back home would buy a lot of the award winners.”

She admires John McLaren, the designer of Golden Gate Park, whom she deems “the coolest guy.”

“In the world’s fairs that I studied, only San Francisco picked a native son to work on all three of their expositions. He was the go-to guy,” says Maloney.

From him, fairgoers were exposed to plantings of staggered heights and using native plants, or at least what grew well in that area.

“That was happening in other fairs,” says Maloney.

With the Pan-Pacific Expo, McLaren had a problem, she says.

“Bennett had created a compact fairground with huge buildings that could feel overpowering when you walked by, just like being in downtown Manhattan,” she says.

To solve his problem, he cleverly planted trees in a graduated manner from the building down to the walkway.

And, in what is a foreshadowing of the now-popular trend of vertical gardening, McLaren built huge frames to screen the fairgrounds from the bay for blocks, installed irrigation and planted them with ice plant.

“It looked like an ivy-covered arch and it was all that people were talking about,” she says.

It went well with the idea that the Palace of Fine Arts was designed to look like a Grecian ruin, which McLaren enhanced with creeping vines.

The lagoon, which predated the expo, exuded a sense of informality and naturalism that began to change American’s taste from the formal, Victorian mosaic, or geometric, garden style that they were used to seeing.

In 2001, the U.S.’s membership in the Bureau of International Expositions became inactive apparently because of a lack of funding. Still, Maloney says, “San Francisco lobbies hardest to bring the World’s Fair back to the United States.”

Just what new inspirations would be on the landscape if the city succeeded?

PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday and also on her blog at DesignSwirl.net. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield, CA 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.

if you go

What: “World’s Fair Gardens: Shaping American Landscapes”
Where: Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio, 104 Montgomery St., San Francisco
When: 6 to 8 p.m. June 20
Admission: $40
Information: 441-4300; www.gardenconservancy.org

About The Ground Up

The Ground Up is a company that applies commercial compost tea to lawn, garden and landscape projects. The tea feeds the soil for healthier plants and ecosystems. Owners Shawn Bruckman and Sam Gervais believe that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy communities. They are committed to improving soil quality for increased food production, more lush landscapes and biodiversity. For more information, contact them at shawn.bruckman@gmail.com.

Live a lifestyle reflective of the French Riviera, just one hour from New York in the Mediterranean-inspired villa at 10 Bluewater Hill South in the Compo Beach section of town.

This 1.1-acre property, named Le Jardin Bleu, or the Blue Garden, contains beautiful, terraced formal flower gardens and an open meadow designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed about 100 public parks throughout the nation, most notably New York City’s Central Park. The picturesque and pastoral setting includes specimen plantings and thousands of perennials that keep the gardens in bloom throughout the summer. Among the early bloomers are 75 peonies and 20,000 daffodil bulbs.

The current owners appreciate the intricately woven tapestry of color and pattern. There are so many blossoms that they adorn several rooms of their 3,674-square-foot house with vases of fresh-cut floral arrangements every day from spring to fall. They also invite friends to share the beauty.

“Where else can you find your own cutting garden and who else practically begs friends and guests to cut their own flowers and offers a choice of vases to fill, take home and keep?” said one of the current owners.

They also appreciate the house that was built in 1976 and designed in such a way that it allows stunning views from almost every room.

On one side of the house, the walls of floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the gardens and the crescent-shaped, heated Gunite in-ground swimming pool with its long, curved and colonnaded, vine-covered pergola. On the opposite side the windows open to views of Long Island Sound.

Just as the gardens are well-designed, so too is the home’s interior. Mirrors are strategically placed to reflect the water views.

Although this property is secluded and its gardens create a private sanctuary, it is convenient to local amenities. It is within walking distance to Compo Beach and Longshore Club Park, as well as the Bluewater Hill neighborhood association beach that has a kayak launch, kayak racks and two new tennis courts.

The dramatic front entrance of the stucco house features an over-sized custom mahogany front door with a decorative, arched transom. It opens to a two-story foyer, which has a stone floor and custom, thick wood railing.

The first floor includes a family room or den with a fireplace, three bedrooms and a wine closet. One of the bedrooms has sliding doors to the gardens. The full bath features a soaking tub and bamboo flooring.

The upper level contains the main living features. The living room and formal dining room share a double-sided gas or wood-burning fireplace with a marble surround on one side and a wood inset. The dining room also has a light silver-leaf tray ceiling. The living room has French doors to a balcony.

In the recently renovated gourmet kitchen there are custom maple cabinets, granite counters, glass mosaic backsplash, a center island with two stainless steel sinks, and an eat-in area. Stainless steel appliances include a Gaggenau four-burner range top, Dacor oven, warming drawer, LG refrigerator and Miele dishwasher.

Off the kitchen is a utility room that includes the laundry area and a built-in desk area.

The master bedroom suite features a vaulted ceiling, a window seat and a marble master bath.

There is a modest annual Bluewater Hill Association fee, which covers maintenance of the private beach and tennis courts as well as road maintenance and snow removal.

For more information or to set up an appointment to see the house, contact Jillian Klaff of William Raveis Real Estate at 203-858-2095 or email her at jklaff@jillianklaff.com.

ABOUT THIS HOUSE

TYPE: Mediterranean Villa

ADDRESS: 10 Bluewater Hill South

PRICE: $3,995,000

NUMBER OF ROOMS: 9

AMENITIES: water community, views of Long Island Sound, formal flower gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, crescent-shaped heated Gunite in-ground swimming pool, deeded private beach rights with kayak rack and two Hard Tru tennis courts, easy walking distance to Compo Beach, Longshore Club Park and Mill Cove Beach, generator, double-framed skylights, 1.1-acre property, coveted private cul-de-sac, three fireplaces, balcony, insulated windows, security system, audio system, exterior and landscape lighting, patios breakfast room, some window treatments, invisible fence, vaulted ceilings, privacy wall and shrubbery, wine closet, outdoor shower

OTHER INFORMATION: four bedrooms, three full and one half baths, attached three-car attached under house garage with storage and a sink, zoned forced hot air natural gas heat, no basement, attic with pull-down stairs, sewer system, city water, hardwood floors throughout, ceiling fans, cedar closets, laundry room, workshop, Bluewater Hill Association fee, shed, zoned central air conditioning, built-in bookshelves

SCHOOL: Greens Farms Elementary, Bedford Middle, Staples High

ASSESSMENT: $2,188,800

TAX RATE: 17.91 mills

TAXES: $39,201

DENNIS TOWNSHIP – Ron Barber, owner of Barber’s Fresh Meadow Nursery Inc., turns boring yards into inviting gardens for homeowners across South Jersey.

Barber, 64, of Dennis Township, designs flower gardens and landscapes for residential customers in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties.

“I kind of have a talent to know how to set plants up and put them together. I feel it’s a blessing from God,” he said. “My mother was a dance teacher. My father was a farmer. I inherited the genetics from both sides.”

For years they specialized in landscaping yards for new-home construction. But after the 2008 housing-market collapse, it expanded into maintenance contracts to spruce up yards, trim hedges and mulch flower beds.

Today, the company does both, mostly with trees and shrubs grown at its nursery in Eldora on the Delaware Bay.

For each new job, Barber’s Fresh Meadow Nursery starts with the customer’s budget.

“The budget is definitely the No. 1 factor. Then we talk about what they like. I show them the work I’ve done and get a feel for the different plants they want,” he said.

Barber grew up on the family farm in Middle Township and has a degree in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College, where he studied landscape design.

Barber works with his son Brandon, 23, who lives at home surrounded by the family’s greenhouses and nursery stock in Eldora.

Brandon Barber said landscaping takes experience and flexibility.

“All landscaping is trial and error. My dad has been doing it for so long, he knows what works,” he said. “Once the landscape grows in, it becomes mounds of color. It’s really neat.”

Landscaping companies are expected to be in growing demand over the next decade as Baby Boomers retire and rely on gardening services, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The industry is expected to expand by 20 percent between 2010 and 2020.

Brandon Barber said offering his customers all-inclusive landscape service saved the business after the housing-market crash cut new orders in half.

“We took a really big hit,” he said. “We’re doing more maintenance now, which is key.”

The service includes spring and fall plantings and mulching, lawn cutting and chemical or fertilizer applications.

Brandon Barber said he has learned a lot over the years by watching his father work.

“Nobody can match his design. He designs on feel,” he said. “Things work the best when he is left alone to do his thing. He is really talented.”

His sister, Christen, helps with marketing of the business. Family businesses often magnify friction, but Brandon Barber said they get along pretty well.

“Sometimes we disagree, but we get along. He’s been calling me the boss a lot this year,” he joked.

In years to come, the family would like to expand the nursery stock for its wholesale business and continue to add more residential clients.

“I don’t want it to get so busy that I can’t spend 20 minutes talking to a client,” Brandon Barber said. “We want to keep it personal.”

Contact Michael Miller:

609-272-7217

MMiller@pressofac.com

Barber’s Fresh Meadow

Nursery Inc.

Location: 142 Powell Road, Dennis Township

Owner: Ron Barber, 64, of Dennis Township

Founded: 1970

Employees: 4

Revenue: Not disclosed

Phone: 609-861-5050

Eight homeowners on the 22nd annual Grosse Pointe Garden Center’s garden tour express colorful and imaginative individuality through plantings by the dozens and landscaping to instill feelings from tranquility to excitement. They are mixing Michigan’s plants and those from far away lands to reflect their personalities and visions.

The public can view the gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, along with the Grosse Pointe Garden Center Trial Gardens at the War Memorial where guests can purchase tickets. Pre-tour tickets cost $12 and $15 on tour days. The event is held rain or shine.

Grosse Pointe Park

A canopy of trees shade the iron gates that swing open to reveal an English Tudor estate on the Lake St. Clair shore. The house, built in 1928, is surrounded by perennials, shrubs and trees, some more than 100 years old. Historical artifacts are tucked into tree-lined areas. Large hydrangeas add color around the house. A mother Mary statue is central to the expansive lawn circled by lilacs, lilies and seasonal plants.

A path through the patio area displays azaleas, lilacs, mountain laurel, roses and Asiatic lilies. A border of privet, viburnum, holly and Japanese maple surround mature mock orange shrubs. Three chamaecyparis can also be found in this area.

advertisementA nearly 100-year-old tree is the sole survivor of a long-ago clearing project.

Near the middle of Grosse Pointe Park is a yard once filled with snow on the mountain, the owner of the second garden said. “And it has taken about 20 years to get rid of it,” she said.

A second challenge was the accumulation of water because the land sits lower than the surrounding streets and remedied with a better drainage system.

The patio was replaced with a field of daffodils, tulips, azaleas, dogwoods, serviceberry and rhododendrons.

Two climbing euonymus, more azaleas and primrose line the driveway.

advertisementFrom season to season, the backyard blooms with perennials around this house built in 1922.

In observance of the owners’ Dec. 28 wedding anniversary several years ago, the couple took the castoffs at a local nursery and came up with rhododendrons, clematis, ivy and hosta — all thriving today.

Wandering on the side of the property is a wood-chip covered path covered by a canopy of mature trees where ferns and hosta brush the ground, leading to a “ladies garden,” where all plants are women’s names. The owner planted lilies, rosemary, dahlia, ferns and ivy in recognition of female friends and relatives who have suffered a trauma and come out stronger and better, she said.

Growing across one side of the brick garage are climbing roses celebrating a positive doctor’s report years ago. Another rose, blooming in soft yellow, grows on the patio and was started from her grandfather’s bush.

Tucked in another area is a tribute to Michigan with Solomon’s seal, trillium, May apples and rhododendron and a stone plaque in the shape of the upper and lower peninsulas.

advertisementThe third Park garden to be viewed lies a few blocks south of the aforementioned garden. In 1991, the couple found a bird bath in the backyard’s sunken garden. After removing the cement bird bath bowl, they found the base to be a World War II airplane tire rim.

A mighty wind blew through in December 2008 knocking down trees, that in turn, crushed the back fence. Since then the newly planted pines and cedars have grown in front of the rebuilt brick fence keeping the rabbits out. River birch, with its scaly bark, are neighbors to arborvitae, forsythia, roses and day lilies along the fence.

A wild grape vine grows over a gazebo sheltering a picnic table and benches.

The circular flower bed’s center holds a peony bush surrounded by a self-seeded cutting flower bed of zinnias, snapdragons and sunflowers.

The homeowners havebeen planting perennials to bring in birds, bees and butterflies.

Grosse Pointe Farms

Two of the three featured gardens are close to each other but both reflect the owner’s individual approach together their yards.

Itoh hybrid yellow and light red peonies, rhododendrons and weigela in the front yard beds greet the visitor at one house. The backyard features sun, part-sun and shade gardens filled with perennials, flowering bushes and trees, blooming spring through summer and featuring false sunflower, cone flowers, Joe Pye weed, fox glove and delphinium, among others. Tomato plants flourish near the driveway.

For ground cover, the homeowners used pachysandra, coral bells and hostas in the shaded areas.

Hydrangeas and purple butterfly bushes line up along the side of the house while the walkway and birch tree area see phlox, cone flowers and red cardinal flowers flourishing.

The second house on the short Farms street features both thriving vegetable and herb gardens and a variety of perennials including lavender and climbing hydrangeas. With two comfortable patio areas, guests can look over the European-style garden. Hand painted Majolica pottery and terra cotta pots filled with geraniums, gardenia, oleander and bougainvillea tell of the house owners’ travels and reflect Roman balconies. A 10-year-old lemon tree is the container garden’s focal point.

Each section of the yard is bordered by low and trimmed boxwood.

A talking point is the gray wooden fence from England surrounding the vegetable garden and keeps the critters away from the lettuce, corn, cabbage, tomatoes, Swiss chard, onions, beets and carrots. A raised herb bed deters the four-footed nibblers.

The garden’s fountain is a replica inspired by fountains in the St. Peter’s Basilica square and its water attracts a variety of birds.

The centerpiece of the third Grosse Pointe Farms garden was created when a Norway maple had to be taken down. In its place is a small pond surrounded by three toadstool benches and plantings in miniature, including a dwarf Japanese maple that grows an inch a year. The owner is said to want things to stay in scale.

Coral bells, golden hinoki, a silverlock fir tree, also dwarf sized, stands with a dwarf spruce, rhododendron and a weeping hemlock.

A sangau-kaku Jap-anese maple grow near the back fence. The maple’s limbs and trunks turn bright red after the yellow orange leaves drop in the fall. Today, visitors can see the red bark striped with a summer’s gray bark.

Fragrances of the sweetbay magnolia and daphne that combine to create an olfactory delight when walking through the backyard.

Three sky pencil holly stand slender and erect at the back of the yard and Columnar blue atlas cedar, along with the golden mop false cypress and mature hemlocks, complete the backyard’s look.

Grosse Pointe Woods

Two gardens here are “works in progress.”

The first stop is a bungalow. Step under an archway covered in varying colors of clematis and yellow Golden Showers’ roses to walk into a backyard that is unexpectedly large, carpeted with rich green grass and anchored by mature trees.

The owner said she continues to plant and rearrange so her gardens are blooming in three seasons. Columbines have been planted to bring in hummingbirds and purple cone flowers, daises, butterfly weeds and butterfly bushes to attract butterflies. A pathway and border has been created with rocks from Lake Huron and accented with hostas. A shade garden includes hollies, sweet woodruff, Asiatic lilies and spiderwort.

A vegetable garden gave way to rose bushes, lilacs, hosta, sedum, peonies and lily of the valley.

A fairy garden is under construction. So far the blue stones simulating water and a small house are in place.

Avid hikers, the homeowners would like their visitors to feel the tranquility they have built in their backyard.

A retired University Liggett School teacher has been working four years on her generously-filled garden. Between the lawn ornaments and variety of plantings, this yard is all about color. The front features a myrtle carpet and knockout roses, a border of strawberry candy day lilies and white, pink, rose red azaleas and 400 daffodils bloom in the spring.

The homeowner has a good start on her goal of planting an entire yard of perennials. Rose of Sharon, butterfly bushes, weigela, spirea, daisies, delphiniums, gaura, phlox, bleeding hearts, coreopsis, cone flowers, lavender and hibiscus entice the birds, butterflies and bees to make a stop on this corner lot garden.

A weeping Norway spruce keeps watch over lilies, azaleas, peonies and clematis. A Japanese maple shelters a stone bench and bee balm. A blue Arctic willow, blue star junipers, cotoneasters and rhododendrons are bordered by Ohio bluestone ledge rock.

As a tribute to her mother, the homeowner has planted Tropican hybrid tea roses. A Montana sandwort is being cultivated in recognition of her father’s birthplace.

Editor’s note: The following water conservation tips are offered by Frank Jager, president of Oakland-based Jager Landscaping.

With many states likely facing drought conditions this summer, homeowners across the country will be looking for ways to save their landscaping while conserving water. Even though you may not be in a drought-affected region, it pays to keep conservation in mind when it comes to watering your plants and lawn, according to Frank Jager, president of Jager Landscaping, located at 231 West Oakland Ave. in Oakland. Using less water is beneficial for the environment and your wallet.

You can reduce your water bill this summer by better organizing your watering efforts and conserving water outdoors, according to Jager. Here are some easy ways to conserve water, save money and preserve your garden and lawn this season:

* Traditional watering methods for lawns, gardens and flower beds waste a lot of water through runoff, over-saturation and evaporation. Rather than spraying water over plants, use a method that delivers the right amount of water where it will do the most good – the roots of plants.

* Drip irrigation systems can help you water more effectively as these systems deliver water as close as possible to plant roots achieving better watering results. You’ll also lose less water to runoff and evaporation. Place the system on a timer, and you can also ensure you’re watering at optimum times of the day to reduce evaporation and waste. A starter kit with 50 linear feet of tubing – ample enough to handle most gardens and planting beds – costs less than $1 per foot.

* Water your lawns, gardens and flower beds either early in the morning or as evening approaches to ensure you don’t lose moisture to the hot sun.

* Even during drought conditions, some rain and condensation will occur. Take steps to capture natural moisture. A rain barrel situated beneath a downspout ensures you can catch run-off from your home’s roof. While using barrel water may not be practical with most irrigation systems, it’s a great option for watering container gardens or even indoor plants.

* There are also complete rainwater harvesting systems that hold up to 30,000 gallons that can be used for watering lawns and gardens.

* You can help plants retain more moisture by placing organic mulch around the roots. The mulch will also help keep down weeds that would compete with plants for much-needed moisture.

* Finally, adjusting the type and location of plants is a great way to grow a drought-resistant garden or landscaping bed. By planting hardier varieties, you can help keep your environment green and growing through a long, dry summer – and avoid the money drain of high water bills.

For more information, contact Frank Jager at 201-463-7102.

In a recent journal article, “Transforming Inner City Landscapes,” researcher Frances E. Kuo, challenged Chicago law enforcement officials who argued that, in inner city spaces, trees and other forms of vegetation increase fear. Kuo concluded that tree density and grass maintenance increased both preference and sense of safety – in other words: trees and grass, gardening and landscape, whether in the front yard or backyard, increased personal calm and instilled a sense of safety.

But in the midst of an economic downturn and with neighbors in close proximity (row houses), how best can today’s urban chic, create a gardening oasis?

Landscaping artists recommend homeowners spend between 5 and 15 percent of their home’s value on landscaping. But for urbanites, who may have capital rich homes in tight spaces, maintaining the aesthetic beauty of their homes through landscaping can be a bit of a challenge.

Use What You Have: Preserve the existing plants and trees already on your property and educate yourself about plant care and pruning. Learn more about trees and rooting to avoid common pitfalls such as planting a tree too close to your house.

The Cheap Can Turn Out Expensive: Some jobs are do-it-yourself, while others are clearly set aside for professionals. Plenty of home improvement stores provide both in-store and low cost expert advice, as well as direct contact to contractors who can ensure the job is done properly the first time. Also, check to see if your local home improvement store offers nursery and landscaping services that discount materials.

Take a Phased Approach: Divide your plan into phases and pay as you go with readily available funds. You’ll save on loan or credit costs and be able to evaluate your progress and adjust plans before moving to the next phase.

Buy Off-Season: Purchase trees, shrubs, soils late in the season when they are being marked down for clearance.

Use Free Water: Purchase a large beer bucket to catch rain water to conserve energy and reign in the cost of watering gardens.

Call on Neighbors: Gardening encourages old-settlers and new supplants to get together and “grow together” by gardening alongside each other. In addition to sharing the costs on some landscaping items or tools, the safety and security of knowing your neighbors is achieved as well.

Ask for What You Want: Masons, homebuilders, and concrete workers often have odd ends and pieces that they cast off as garbage. These materials are often great for enhancing gardens as loose art or stained and molded together to create terra cotta-style walkways.