As Glenwild Garden Center Nursery in Bloomingdale celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, it remains a close-knit, family-run business that the community can trust for its enduring gardening expertise and commitment to quality products and service.

Founded upon its long-standing landscaping services, Glenwild has branched out as a resource that educates customers about the value of natural, organic gardening.

Those who step onto the grounds of Glenwild Garden Center and wander into the store, located at 104 Glenwild Ave., will understand the center’s reputation as “a hidden New Jersey gem” – from the colorful array of flowers currently sprouting up outside, to the treasure trove of unique items inside.

Right now things are in full-swing at Glenwild, as spring is its busiest season of the year. The business held its open house last weekend, where its 85th birthday was officially celebrated with music, refreshments, giveaways, and special presentations by local farmers, gardeners, and artisans.

The week before Mother’s Day, in particular, is usually the busiest of the year, said owner Jodie MacKenn-Bross, as it is the time of year when most spring plantings of fruits, vegetables, and herbs should begin. The sale of shrubs, trees, and native plants are very popular too around this time.

Glenwild Garden Center is known foremost for its emphasis on organic gardening, said Jodie, as the business stresses the importance of moving toward nontoxic lawn care for the betterment of the environment.

Among the gardening products Glenwild sells are natural and organic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and insect repellents, animal repellants, disease-control products, composting products, and soil products. There are also many other earth-friendly products available like biodegradable pots, and pots made from recycled materials.

Glenwild Gardens likes to source its products as locally as possible, said Jodie, and they sell certified organic herb and vegetable plants.

The landscaping side of the business is run by Jodie’s brother, Brad MacKenn, a certified landscape architect with a degree from Penn State University. Glenwild’s landscaping services provide a lot of work on revitalizing overgrown landscapes, as well as patio and stone work. They can also help clients introduce composting and other sustainable practices to their yards.

In addition to the plants and gardening products it sells, Glenwild Garden Center is also home to a gift shop that offers a wide array of unique, decorative items for both the home and garden – ranging from fountains and bird baths, to garden sculptures and smaller ornaments made by local artists.

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Road in Willoughby, presents
its annual plant sale May 3-5. An exclusive preview sale for Holden members
takes place Friday, May 3 from noon to 6 p.m. The event opens to the public
Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Non-members receive $3 discounted
admission during the sale.

The sale takes place rain or shine and is held in the
Corning Visitor Center. More than 40 vendors will offer annuals, perennials,
woody species, herbs, container plants, garden accessories and crafts. Holden-produced
wildflowers, jams and jellies are available as well. Experts will be on hand to
provide tours of the gardens and to present landscaping tips.

Highlights of the show include several award-winning
species. The Perennial Plant Association’s 2013 Perennial of the Year, a
variegated Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum), can be purchased by patrons. The
International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year, the classic elderberry shrub
(Sambucus spp.), is also available for plant lovers. In addition, several
native perennials chosen as “bests” by the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for
Biodiversity will be showcased for shoppers.

A selection of
Holden-related rhododendrons from Madison’s David Leach Research Station will also
be offered, as will several azalea species. Concessions await patrons who grow
hungry and thirsty from shopping.

Persons interested in the Friday preview sale still have
time to become members. General memberships for adults begin at $40. For
further information about the plant sale or Holden, call 440-946-4400.

Rising costs of landscape and garden care are causing financial distress for homeowners across the United States. Landscape.com offers groundbreaking solutions for homeowners and landscape developers alike, by creating a real time virtual marketplace where both can greatly benefit, keeping gardens and wallets green.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) April 29, 2013

With economic stresses placed upon homeowners and business owners these days, the last thing they need is a huge bill for garden and landscape work. At the same time, there are many landscaping companies that are seeking new business opportunities and would gladly offer their services at a lower cost if they could obtain more business. That is where Landscape.com comes in. Landscape.com is a new virtual marketplace, that matches homeowners and businesses in the United States and Canada who have landscaping needs with landscapers who can fulfill those needs.

Landscape.com lists over 275,000 landscapers in the United States and Canada. “Customers can register with our site and Landscapers can claim their business, or list a new business on our site,” states Ravi Brahmbhatt, Chief Marketing Officer for Landscape.com. “Once registered, a customer can post their landscaping needs which landscapers can see and bid on, essentially competing for the customers business. At the same time, landscapers who have registered can not only bid, but they can post special deals they are offering. Although the basic services are free for all, landscapers can register for the premium service, which gives them earlier notification of new potential jobs, much greater exposure to the public, and better reputation control, in addition to editing and writing services to assist with their web presence.”

Chintan Shukla, the Chief Technology Officer, noted that “…one of the core features of Landscape.com is the ability of landscapers to post their profile page, which allows customers to see what services they perform, learn about the company, and see images and videos related to the landscaping service. Customers can also rate the landscaping service they received. The advantage of our technology is that it truly connects, in real time, those supplying a landscaping service with those in need of it.”

After purchasing a house and a car, a significant, recurring expense facing home and business owners is the cost of landscaping and lawn maintenance. According to the New York Times article “Estimating Expenses Before Buying your First Home” (Nov 8, 2011) a homeowner can expect to pay on average $83/month (annualized) for lawn and landscape, $67/month for snow removal, $20/month for tree trimming, and $8/month for sprinklers, which amounts to $2136 yearly. Paul Popp, PhD, Chief Operating Officer for Landscape.com stated that “…the amount of investment made annually in landscaping/lawn and garden maintenance is usually a function of the home or business owners’ personal desires. However, in many subdivisions or neighborhoods where certain landscape/lawn maintenance requirements must be met, the cost can exceed $10,000 annually. Commercial landscaping in response to zoning requirements can be very costly as well. With the real time virtual marketplace created on landscape.com, a landscaper can bid on services at a reduced price, because they know that each new customer that receives high quality service will likely be a loyal client for years.”

Some of the services covered include lawn services, leaf removal, patios and entertainment areas, outdoor lighting, pool and water feature design and construction, irrigation systems, drainage solutions, plants and flowers, rock work, tree trimming and removal, snow removal, pesticide applications and stone and paver installations, for both residential and commercial customers.

Landscape.com is a real time virtual market place for connecting those in need of landscaping services with businesses supplying those services. Ultimately, customers benefit from high quality services at an affordable price, and landscapers benefit from the addition of new customers. Started in 2013, Landscape.com is “keeping gardens and wallets green.”

For more information, contact sales(at)landscape(dot)com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweblandscape/garden/prweb10679668.htm

NEW LISTINGS

DATED EVENTS

Summerfield Garden Tour: Eight diverse gardens. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. April 28. Summerfield Community, Summerfield Way, Stuart. $5. 772-221-3425; judyrich7020@Hotmail.com.

Downtown In Bloom: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. April 27; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. April 28. Garden displays, landscaping workshops, kid zone and green market. Downtown at the Gardens, 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Palm Beach Gardens. 561-340-1600; Downtownatthegardens.com.

Spring Plant Sale: Vendors selling plants, garden art and food. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. May 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 5. Heathcote Botanical Gardens, 210 Savannah Road, Fort Pierce. 772-464-4672; heathcotebotanicalgardens.org.

Indian River Bromeliad Society: 7 p.m. May 13. Garden Club of Indian River County, 2526 17th Ave., Vero Beach. 772-713-6007; irbromeliadsociety.org.

Your Florida Yard Series: Selecting the right plants, with Fred Burkey. 1 p.m. May 18. Fort Pierce Library, 101 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce. 772-288-5654; library.stlucieco.gov.

REGULAR MEETINGS

IRC Master Gardeners Plant Clinic: Have a plant question? The Master Gardeners can help. 9 a.m. -noon, 1-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. IRC UFL/IFAS Extension Office, 1028 20th Place, Vero Beach. All Ages. 772-770-5030; http://indian.ifas.ufl.edu.

SLC Master Gardeners: Volunteers answer horticulture questions. 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Fri. UF/IFAS Extension Office, 8400 Picos Road, Suite 101, Fort Pierce, 772-462-1660; stlucie.ifas.ufl.edu. Also: 1-3 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 9-11 a.m. Sat. Morningside Library, 2410 S.E. Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie, 772-462-1660; stlucie.ifas.ufl.edu.

Fort Pierce Orchid Society: 10 a.m. Garden Club of Fort Pierce, 911 Parkway Drive, Fort Pierce.

MC Master Gardeners: Plant doctor. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. UF/IFAS Extension Office, 2614 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart, 772-288-5654; martin.ifas.ufl.edu.

Gardening Advice: Bring your questions, a sample of the problem. 1-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. 9-11 a.m. Saturdays. Morningside Lilbrary, 2410 S.E. Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie. 772-337-5632; library.stlucieco.gov.

Heathcote Botanical Gardens: General garden, bonsai workday. 9 a.m.-noon Wednesdays. Organic vegetable garden workdays 9 a.m.-noon, Thurs. 210 Savannah Road, Fort Pierce. 772-464-4672; heathcotebotanicalgardens.org.

MONDAY

IR Bromeliad Society: Speakers, raffle, show tell. 6:30 p.m. open, 7 p.m. program. 2nd Monday. Garden Club of IRC, 2526 17th Ave., Vero Beach, 772-713-6007; irbromeliadsociety.org.

Rio Lindo Garden Club Meetings: Workshop, meeting, lunch, speaker. Public welcome. 9:30 a. m. 4th Monday. Parks Edge Recreation Center, Port St. Lucie. 315-408-8443.

TUESDAY

Gardening Advice: Provided by Master Gardeners. 1-3 p.m. Morningside Library, 2410 S.E. Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie. 772-4621-660; library.stlucieco.gov.

WEDNESDAY

North IRC Master Gardener Clinic: Volunteers answer your plant questions. 10 a.m.-noon. North IRC Library, 1001 C.R. 512, Sebastian. 772-770-5030; indian.ifas.ufl.edu.

THURSDAY

SATURDAY

Gardening Advice: Provided by Master Gardeners. 9-11 a.m. Morningside Library, 2410 S.E. Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie. 772-4621-660; library.stlucieco.gov.

GARDENS

Garden Walk: Old garden roses. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Country Care Roses, 14070 109th St., Fellsmere, RSVP: 772-559-5036; countrycareroses.com.

Historic Bok Sanctuary: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, $3-$10. 863-734-1221; boksanctuary.org.

McKee Botanical Garden: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. 350 U.S. 1, Vero Beach, $4-$7 May 1-Oct. 30; $5-$9 Oct. 31-April 30. 772-794-0601; mckeegarden.org.

Oxbow Eco-Center: 1-5 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie, 772-785-5833; co.st-lucie.fl.us/erd/oxbow.

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd., Port St. Lucie, $5. 772-337-1959; pslbotanicalgardens.org.

Tropical Ranch Botanical Gardens: 9 a. m.- 3 p.m. Open one weekend/month. 1905 SW Ranch Trail, Stuart. 772-283-5565; trbg.us.

In the
summer months, our landscapes drink up a lot of our good, clean water.

People
bristle when this fact gets mentioned. “Please don’t make me turn my beautiful
lawn into gravel,” they are thinking. Many people even tell me, “I don’t like
cactus and I’m not going to do zeroscape.”

I’m a
horticulturist, so that means I like plants, not gravel. And the term is
actually xeriscape, not zeroscape, but the point has been well taken. We
misunderstand what drought-tolerant and water-conserving landscapes are, and we
don’t want them besides.

We are
getting away from the confusing and scary term xeriscape and moving into terms
such as “smartscape,” “water smart” and Earth-Kind. These are all approaches to
gardening and landscaping, practices that focus on healthy and beautiful lawns
and flower beds.

Did you
know that the recommendation for a water conserving landscape is actually
one-third lawn area, one-third hardscape and one-third perennials and shrub
beds? Hardscape refers to non-living areas such as sidewalks, decks, patios
and, yes, fields of gravel if that’s your thing.

Other
best management practices include adding a 3- to 6-inch layer of mulch to all
your shrubs, trees and flowering plants. Mulch helps insulate the soil, reduces
erosion, reduces competition from weeds and slows water loss from soils. If you
use an organic material such as wood chips, they break down over time,
improving your soil. It’s like a slow-release fertilizer.

Plant
selection is also important. Picking plants that enjoy our hot summers and can
survive on minimal supplemental irrigation is important. Indulging in a few
high-maintenance favorites is allowed, but don’t water your entire landscape
just to give those few plants enough water. Group or zone plants according to
water requirement and set your irrigation timer accordingly.

You might
be surprised at the quantity of beautiful, lush and “non-cactus looking” plants
that are drought tolerant. To see some of our recommendations, check out the
links on www.dcmga.com. Other great resources for plant selection can be found
at http://www.txsmartscape.com and http://earthkind.tamu.edu.

To hear
more about some of my favorite plants for our area, join me at 6:30 p.m. May 7
at the city of Lewisville Water-Saving Landscape class. I’ll be speaking on
plant choices and Earth-Kind landscaping principles. The class will be at the
city’s Kealy Operations Center, 1100 N. Kealy St., Suite D. To register for
this free class, contact rdavis@cityoflewisville.com or call 972-219-3504. This
is open to non-residents as well.

If you
need even more convincing, come see plants in action at the Denton County
Master Gardener Spring Tour on May 11. You will see beautiful home gardens and
get great ideas on what you can incorporate in your own landscape.

This event is the Master Gardener annual fundraiser. Advance tickets
are $10 and $12 on tour day. For more information call 940-349-2892, e-mail
master.gardener@dentoncounty.com or buy tickets online at www.dcmga.com. Call
ahead if you have mobility concerns because not all gardens may be accessible.

JANET LAMINACK is the
horticulture county extension agent with Texas AM AgriLife Extension. She
can be reached at 940-349-2883. Her e-mail is jelaminack@ag.tamu.edu .

 

Swords from the Civil War, furniture made by Thomas Day and a dress worn by Hollywood child star Shirley Temple — all of these items are on display at the Alamance County Historical Museum in Burlington.
“There are so many wonderful artifacts out there,” said Julie Monroe, one of the committee members for the upcoming Alamance County Historical Museum’s Garden Tour Party in the Park, a fundraiser for the museum.
The property on N.C. 62 South in Burlington was once part of a 1,693-acre farm called Oak Grove Plantation and has served as the Alamance County Historical Museum since 1977. It is open for public and private tours and parties.
“It really is a treasure,” Lynne Taylor, also a committee member, said of the museum.
The self-guided garden tour not only raises funds for the museum, but it gives participants a chance to get landscaping ideas they could possibly adopt in their own backyards.
The 10th annual event will be from noon to 4 p.m. May 4 at five participating Burlington gardens. A party at the gazebo at Willowbrook Park, West Willowbrook Drive in Burlington, will follow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with hors d’ouevres, wine and lemonade and Grammy and Dove award winner Elijah Chester will perform Broadway hits. Orchids, geraniums and Boston ferns also will be for sale. Cost is $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. Proceeds will go toward programs/exhibits held at the museum.
Gardens on the tour include:
• The Wall garden, Mayor Ronnie and Susie Wall, 613 Meadowood Drive, Burlington — Previous homeowners Pete and Beth Glidewell originally established the garden and the Walls added crape myrtles, the water garden and expanded the perennial garden, as well. A water garden is the focal point of the backyard.   
• The Schaller garden, Bob and Nan Schaller, 1532 York Place, Burlington — The landscape is constantly evolving, from perennials to bulbs and flowering shrubs and trees. Four-foot-tall poppies, hellebores, a lilac tree, a pearl tree, peonies and weigela can be found in the garden. Birdhouses and vintage containers add interest and color to the outdoor space. 
• The Harman garden, Pat and Phoebe Harman, 806 Tarleton Avenue, Burlington — Original owners Bill and Hazel Sellers commissioned Herman Biberstein, a Charlotte architect, to design the house in 1935. The Harmans purchased the home in 2003 and have restored and renovated both the home and gardens. They also have added a terrace and fountain adjacent to the sun room at the rear of the house.
• The Hood garden, Frank and Elizabeth Hood, 1011 West Davis St., Burlington — The 1925 Georgian Revival-style home was built by Edwin C. Holt and owned by James H. Holt McEwen and Iris until her death in 1984. The Hoods recently completed extensive landscaping, including a formal garden. Sculptures and brickwork accent the garden.
• The Trotter garden, the Rev. Al and Gaye Trotter, 427 Glenwood Avenue, Burlington — Their home was built in 1938 and densely planted beds provide a rotation of annuals throughout the seasons. A variety of unique plants, gathered from around the country, can also be found here.
Tickets can be purchased on the phone for pickup at any of the gardens or at Willowbrook Park the day of the event and are also available at the museum, 4777 N.C. 62 South, Burlington, or from board members. You also can call ahead to purchase orchids, ferns or geraniums for pickup that day. For more details, visit alamancemuseum.org or call (336) 226-8254.
 

On April 26, students from the University of Tennessee were contemplating what to do with their upcoming three months of freedom from school, with one student confessing he would be spending his time in Georgia doing landscaping, according to the Daily Beacon. Mary Palmer Dargan knows all about that, as her and her husband Hugh’s landscaping firm in Buckhead is open year round.

Doing landscaping is a lot of hard work and I usually start at like 6 and the heat is crazy, especially in Georgia, but seeing the job done at the end of the day makes it a success,” Cameron Larose said.

Mary Palmer Dargan would likely agree with the UTK student because she’s worked for 40 years in the field of landscape architecture, and a majority of that time has been spent in Georgia. Dargan’s designs populate many of the grounds of the homes in the Atlanta community as a result. But she designs landscapes beyond Buckhead too.

As an author, the expert landscape architect seeks to educate the homeowners she has not had the pleasure of working with, giving them the tools they need to design their own special utopia. And she accomplishes that with her latest book, Lifelong Landscape Design, and its predecessor, Timeless Landscape Design.

Mary says “no one is born knowing how to garden,” and that it is through experimentation that we each come to design our personal outdoor places.Designing those spaces, however, is usually motivated by changing needs, hence the reason for the first word in the title for her book: lifelong.

This “lifelong” endeavor of developing a utopia for the home landscape might start as a herb garden on the balcony of an apartment as a single adult, according to Mary. Yet as we change and grow, so too does our landscapes, typically following progressions as singles living in apartment buildings to families living in a suburban setting. But that’s not always true, of course, with many families living in urban settings instead.

And that’s why Mary Palmer Dargan seeks to help every person create their own “master plan” for developing a utopia setting from the landscape they already have. Her book provides as many as 200 landscape patterns to choose from, or to serve as inspiration. And the photos depicted give readers a visual representation of the landscapes presented.

Dargan talks of how to create rain gardens, the importance of creating feeding stations in the landscape for your pets, and how much a beautiful and calming landscape can help reduce stress in daily living.

The Atlanta-based landscape architect believes that gardening is therapy in addition to providing healthier foods for the table, and she says the fragrance provided by blooming flowers in your own oasis is an aromatherapy experience you don’t have to buy from someone else.

Designing your own utopia at home should include lifelong landscape activities in addition to special places, according to Dargan. And that can include activities like growing a vegetable garden in a pot or doing stretching exercises on the grassy green lawn.

Strolling through a flower garden or swimming a couple of laps in a lake or pool within the home landscape qualify as lifelong landscape activities too, although the former might be the wiser for those seniors with physical challenges. And that brings the subject back to the focus of Dargan’s landscaping book: creating utopian landscapes based upon the stage of life.

Those interested in a landscape design book that covers everything a homeowner needs to know about developing their site for the maximum in healthy living and enjoyment can find it in Mary Palmer Dargan’s Lifelong Landscape Design.

The hardcover book is available online at Amazon.com for approximately $22.50 based on April pricing. It is also available in a Kindle edition for half that price.

© Radell Smith

All rights reserved.

The desire to have a pristine, well-manicured landscape leads many homeowners to toil outdoors for hours every weekend. Hiring a professional landscaper can free up homeowners’ time and help them ensure their yards are cared for properly.

One of the benefits of hiring a landscaper is the time savings. Landscapers typically have commercial-grade equipment that can dramatically reduce the time it takes to mow and perform other maintenance tasks around your property. Furthermore, some services have multiple employees working concurrently, enabling them to tackle several projects at the same time and complete them in a fraction of the time it would take a homeowner working on his or her own.

Landscapers familiar with botany and landscape design understand how to properly care for plants and trees on your property, while novice green thumbers may be unaware about when to prune trees and shrubs, at what height to cut the lawn and which plants will thrive in particular locations. Such do-it-yourself maintenance may even cost more money than leaving it to a professional.

Hiring a professional landscaper is, in many instances, more economical. For a certain weekly or monthly fee, homeowners receive the benefit of professional knowledge and execution. Also, homeowners will not have the expense of purchasing the various tools and equipment necessary for lawn and garden maintenance, tools and equipment that include lawnmowers, string weeders, edgers, fertilizer, grass seed, leaf blowers, and shovels.Another benefit is the lawn will continue to be mowed whether a homeowner is home or not. During the spring and summer vacation season, it’s easy for homeowners to overlook their lawn and garden in favor of recreation and leisure activities. Without proper watering and maintenance, lawns and gardens can brown or overgrowth can occur. But hiring a landscaping service allows homeowners to rest assured that their yards will be maintained whether they’re home or not.

Hiring a local landscaping service will not only benefit homeowners, but also it will benefit the local economy. Residents can feel comfortable knowing their lawn service will be available for calls when needed and will be familiar with the community. Also, local contractors may go the extra mile to earn your business recommendation.

Hiring a landscaping service can be advantageous to homeowners who want to free up time and still enjoy a well-maintained landscape.

– Source: MetroCreative

The Lake County UF/IFAS Extension had a successful Landscape and Garden Fair last weekend, despite the rainy weather. We are planning to make it an annual event.

Make sure your garden is getting the correct amount of water by placing short cans, like tuna cans, out for 24 hours on an irrigation day to capture the water. The next day, look in the can and see if you are providing 1/2- to 3/4-inch, the proper amount to apply, or if your irrigation needs tweaking.

Tweaking may be as simple as moving a mist head so that it is not blocked by overhanging leaves, altering the length of time the irrigation set runs, or cleaning out the emitter/filter. Replacing irrigation heads and lines is more complicated but is important for saving water and money.

As the temperatures heat up, annuals that can take the heat include salvia, torenia, wax begonia, coleus and ornamental peppers. Vegetables for the summer garden that can be planted now include okra, southern peas and sweet potato. We planted some peanuts in the Discovery Garden’s vegetable garden this year so we can harvest for boiling in August. Get your peanuts in before mid- month, as late plantings will not amount to much.

Warm weather means the insects are becoming active too. The lubber grasshoppers are starting to eat our lilies. The young grasshoppers are black with a red/orange stripe but will eventually become large multi-colored beasts. It is best to control them now with hand-picking (put them in a bucket of soapy water or trash bag) or chemicals.

Insecticides that will kill young lubbers include carbaryl, bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin and esfenvalerate. This is the active ingredient on the label, not the brand name, and it usually has to be applied right on the grasshopper to kill it. Be careful to follow label directions — most of these chemicals are toxic to fish and if used on food crops may have important restrictions.

Once they are large, nothing will stop lubbers short of a brick. They are toxic to most other animals, so don’t expect the birds to take care of them for you. Small mammals may vomit and remain ill for several hours after eating one. When you pick them, they may spit “tobacco juice,” a semitoxic liquid that can stain clothes. Just make sure to wash your hands like your mother always told you.

Programs this month include “Green Industry Best Management Practices” on May 22. This is a day-long program that can result in a fertilizer license. The license will be required for all people applying fertilizers for hire, starting in 2014. The program teaches about responsible use of irrigation, chemicals, fertilizers and cultural practices for landscaping.

A class for natural areas pesticide applicators that will include presentations about new invasive species, easily confused native and invasive species, and how to choose the right treatment for the site will be held May 29. If you are a homeowner interested in saving money on your landscape, a lunch- time webinar on May 23 called “Saving Strategies: Your Home Landscape” will provide the information you need to utilize sustainable landscaping principles.

The Area D 4-H horse show is May 3-5 at the Clarecona Horse Park in Ocoee. The public is welcome to cheer on riders from Central Florida as they compete to attend the state 4-H horse show in July.

Visit the Discovery Gardens and our plant clinic with your plant problems and questions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays, at the Ag Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares.

Live Oak —
Friends and associates joined the members of the Rotary Club of Live Oak as they honored John and JoAnn Martz with the 2013 Service Above Self Award this week.

“The Rotary Council on Legislation established ‘Service Above Self’ as the principle motto of Rotary since it best explains the philosophy of unselfish volunteer service. John and JoAnn you are being recognized today by the Rotary Club of Live Oak because you give so freely of your time and energy to help others,” said Ronnie Poole former district governor and Rotarian during the presentation.

John is a very active Rotarian serving on the board, is part of the United Way of Suwannee Valley serving this year as its General Campaign Chairman and he is the incoming President for 2013-2014. He is also active in his service to Arc, Relay for Life of Suwannee County and Love INC.

John also participates with the Suwannee Foundation for Excellence in Education. He makes a point of supporting all the schools in the counties that his business, SVEC serves and encourages his employees to do the same.

He is a member of both the Lake City and Live Oak chambers and has served on the Live Oak chamber board. Since 2006 John has been the chairman of the Council for Progress and is a member of the Business Recruitment Team.

“John we know there has been someone in your life that has been right with you all the way supporting your efforts and along the way doing her part in making our communities a better place. That is why when the committee began to look at you as a candidate for the Service Above Self award, the more we learned the more we became aware that there was someone equally deserving to be recognized. That person is JoAnn,” said Poole.

JoAnn is a University of Florida (UF) Master Gardener and has been very active with the planning at Heritage Parks and Garden and serves on the board of Friends of Heritage Park and Gardens. She and John were instrumental in getting UF to help design the landscaping plan for the park and gardens.

She is involved with the CRA and volunteers her time to help with revitalization projects and is a member of Suwannee County Extension Advisory committee.

Joann and John are faithful members of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Both are Eucharistic ministers – participating in taking communion to nursing homes and other facilities. JoAnn visits nursing homes on a weekly basis, has put together retreats for the ladies of her church, has spent many hours planning and furnishing the new fellowship hall and has been president of the Gainesville Deanery for the past two years

John and JoAnn were gracious in the acceptance of the award and each complimented the other for the service they provide to their family, church and community.

John added, “I was so surprised and honored, but I guess I was supposed to be surprised.”

The Service Above Self Award presented by the Rotary Club of Live Oak is presented each year to an individual who has, throughout his or her lifetime exemplified the Rotary Motto of Service Above Self.

The past recipients of this award are: the Reverend Robert Hall, followed by Jo Kennon, Marjorie Carmichael, the Reverend Charlie Webb, Ronnie Poole, Patt Slaughter, A. P. “Buddy” Nott, J. L. McMullen, Keith Leibfried, Roy Guercio, the Reverend Clarence Parker, Jackie Dove, the Reverend Pomeroy Carter, Wallace Townsend, Bob McGranahan, Greg Scott, Carolyn Spilatore and last year’s winner Sam Carter.

The Rotary Club of Live Oak meets weekly at The Farm Bureau on Dowling Avenue. More information on the club and the opportunities for service it presents can be found at http://liveoak.rotary-clubs.org/.