gardens and landscaping | Gardening

Renovations Include Lush Landscaping at Tampa Hotel Near Busch Gardens

TEMPLE TERRACE, FL, May 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) —
A refreshing array of changes have taken place at a stylish and
comfortable Tampa hotel near Busch Gardens where everything from
landscaping to room renovations have resulted in a bright and
contemporary new look.

Recent renovations over the past few months at the Fairfield Inn
Suites by Marriott Tampa North have created an exciting new look for
this family-friendly Tampa hotel that features a variety of room
options to meet the needs of Florida travelers. Offering standard
king and double rooms as well as one-room king suites with sofa beds,
this well-appointed lodging pampers guests with the Marriott’s new
sleep experience while providing complimentary amenities for
value-added savings.

Highlighting the hotel’s new renovations, the entire property
surrounding the Fairfield Inn Suites hotel near I-75 in Tampa has
undergone a total refurbishment with special focus and attention to
landscaping of the hotel’s sparkling outdoor pool and hot tub area.
Aimed at providing guests with a well manicured and meticulous site
for relaxation and family fun, this outdoor patio area features
inviting new furniture and an exciting variety of trees and shrubs
for a remarkable landscaping transformation. Completing the project
is the addition of a poolside grill so guests can gather with family
and friends for afternoon cookouts.

Whether traveling to Tampa for family vacation fun, a weekend getaway
or business endeavors, guests of the Tampa North Fairfield Inn
Suites enjoy free high speed Internet access, complimentary breakfast
served daily in the hotel’s vibrant breakfast room, convenient access
a well-equipped business center and The Market, where snacks,
beverages and personal needs are available 24-hours a day.

The spacious guest accommodations at this prominent hotel near USF
Tampa and other popular destinations include lavish Marriott bedding
ensembles, 32-inch flat screen TVs with premium movie channels,
in-room microwaves, mini refrigerators, coffee and tea service and a
spacious work area with plenty of outlets and an ergonomic chair.
Guests also enjoy special privilege access to the hotel’s newly
designed fitness center where state-of-the-art cardiovascular
equipment, a treadmill, stair stepper and cycling equipment are
readily available.

About the Fairfield Inn Suites Tampa North

The Fairfield Inn Suites Tampa North hotel has joined in Florida’s
preservation efforts and is recognized as a Florida Green-Lodging
property continuously setting goals and taking appropriate action to
help conserve and protect the state’s natural resources. Conveniently
located near attractions such as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,
Channel Side, Ybor City, Florida’s beckoning white sand beaches and
destinations such as Busch Gardens and Adventure Island Amusement
Park, the hotel is an ideal choice for experiencing all the area has
to offer while enjoying comfortable accommodations and exceptional
service.

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        CONTACT:
        Katya Sljusar
        Fairfield Inn  Suites North Tampa
        1-813-989-0007
        Email Contact

SOURCE: Marriott International



 
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Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

National Garden Clubs Inc. Announces 2012 Award of Excellence Winners

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Winners Hail From Rhode Island, Virginia and Wyoming

ST.
LOUIS (May 22, 2012)—National
Garden Clubs Inc. recently announced the winners of its highest honor: the 2012
Award of Excellence. The winners, who were recognized at NGC’s annual
convention May 19 in Buffalo, N.Y., include Southside Community Land Trust of Providence,
R.I., Strange’s Florists, Greenhouses and Garden Centers of Richmond, Va., and
Shane Smith of Cheyenne, Wyo.

“The
Award of Excellence program annually recognizes three truly exceptional
individuals, organizations or institutions that have made significant
contributions to their communities in such areas as environmental and civic
responsibility, conservation, beautification and promoting the love of
gardening,” says Shirley Nicolai, president, National Garden Clubs. “By
recognizing these deserving award recipients from different parts of the
nation, NGC hopes to educate and inspire others in communities coast-to-coast.”
National Garden Clubs Inc. is recognized as the largest volunteer gardening
organization in the world.

Nominated
by Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., Southside Community Land Trust,
www.southsideclt.org, is an organization
that fosters awareness of urban and sustainable agriculture programs and
provides land, education, tools and support to encourage people to grow food in
Greater Providence. The organization was
selected for the Award of Excellence based on its local efforts to provide
ongoing gardening education and offer comprehensive urban agriculture programs.
Among the many programs offered by Southside Community Land Trust are 13
neighborhood-based community gardens, a city farm located in the heart of
Providence, and the Urban Edge Farm, a 50-acre business model farm that offers
new area farmers a place to make the transition to commercial agriculture.
Southside Community Land Trust also created an urban agriculture task force
that brings together a coalition of growers, community professionals and
environmentalists to collaborate with community development groups, farmers,
chefs, policymakers and health care professionals to promote practices and
policies that strengthen Providence’s local food systems. Katherine Brown,
executive director, Southside Community Land Trust, accepted the Award of
Excellence from National Garden Clubs Inc.

Nominated
by Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., Strange’s Florists, Greenhouses
and Garden Centers, www.stranges.com, is one of
Virginia’s largest greenhouse growers and one of the largest retail garden
centers in the U.S. Strange’s, which has
been led by four generations of the Gouldin family, has been a fixture in the local
Richmond and Virginia business community for 75 years. They are one of the state’s
largest greenhouse growers, as well as one of the largest retail/grower
organizations and garden centers in the U.S., offering a wide variety of
flowering and green plants to gardening enthusiasts as a viable alternative to
“big box” greenhouse retailers. Strange’s offers to the consumer gardening educational
opportunities through in-house seminars and how-to instructional materials. As
a retail florist, Strange’s is a member of the Florist Transworld Delivery
Association and is consistently ranked in the nation’s top 40 FTD florists for wire
orders. They also support the work of numerous civic and non-profit
organizations through sponsorships and donations of plants and floral
materials, including the Science Museum of Virginia, the Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts and the Virginia Orchid Show. William J. Gouldin, Jr., president,
Strange’s Florists, Greenhouses and Garden Centers, accepted the Award of
Excellence from National Garden Clubs Inc.

Shane
Smith, who was nominated by Wyoming Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., is a noted
garden author, consultant and the director and founder of the award-winning
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, www.botanic.org, Wyoming’s only
public botanical garden. This nationally recognized garden has been lauded for
striving to promote the beautification and enrichment of the High Plains
through gardening, volunteerism, education and stewardship. In the 1970s, Smith’s
vision was to create a non-profit botanic garden and sustainability center in
Cheyenne—a city situated 6,000 feet above sea level renowned for its harsh weather
conditions. As part of this vision, Smith also directed the area’s efforts to
construct one of the nation’s first solar-heated greenhouses on the site. He
also was instrumental in developing the Paul Smith Children’s Village, the first
public children’s garden in the U.S. to earn a Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building
Council.

Smith
is the author of the Greenhouse Gardener’s
Companion, the top-selling greenhouse book on Amazon.com. He serves
coast-to-coast and internationally as a guest lecturer and consultant on
greenhouse gardening, community greening, horticulture therapy and
community-based botanic gardens.

Headquartered in St. Louis, National
Garden Clubs Inc. (www.gardenclub.org) is comprised of nearly
190,000 members, 6,000 local clubs, eight regions, 50 state clubs, a National
Capital Area club, and hundreds of international affiliates. NGC offers members
extensive educational programs on topics of current interest such as plantings
for public spaces, protecting aquatic ecosystems, greening and beautifying the
community, conservation, recycling, floral design, flower shows, garden
therapy, healing gardens and youth programs. Working in partnership with other
organizations, NGC offers several projects, including Habitat for Humanity
Landscaping and Penny Pines. Among NGC’s
most nationally honored projects are the Blue Star Memorial marker program and
funding and support for the Butterfly Garden at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

# # #

Media
contact: Patricia Binder, 636-441-0022, or Debra Finkel,
314-878-2465, Finkel Binder Communications LLC, agent
for National Garden Clubs Inc.

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Add tasty edible plants to your landscape

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slideshow

Add tasty edible plants to your landscape

(ARA) – Window boxes overflowing with blooms, decorative pots lining the driveway with striking colors, and even a flowering vine climbing up the mailbox – the growing season have arrived, and it is time to decorate the landscape.

The latest gardening trend is growing your own produce, so incorporate edible plants as a beautiful compliment to the typical annuals and perennials. This year, spice up the landscaping decor with some tasty options.

Edible plants – whether herbs, vegetables, fruits or flowers – add a creative variety of interest to your landscape, and also produce a delicious bounty for your dinner table come harvest time.

Here are some ideas to help incorporate edible plants into your landscaping:

* Decorate an arbor in the garden, along a walkway or near the house with grape vines. These vines can help shade an area and also can produce grapes good for eating, juicing, making into jams or jellies, or even wine. Different grapes thrive in different areas of the country, so research your region first before attempting to start some vines.

* Switch to edible flowers like nasturtium, violets, chamomile, dandelion, hollyhock, honeysuckle, and pansies in your window boxes and decorative pots. Do not eat flowers grown for ornamental purposes, instead, start edible flowers as seeds and grow them yourself. These flowers work great in salads, teas, summery drinks like sweetened tea, mocktails, and lemonade, and also can be crystallized to decorate cakes. To crystallize flowers, separate the flowers from the stem, and wash and dry the bloom. Heat up an equal parts water and sugar until the sugar dissolves, and the liquid becomes an amber color. Let the syrup cool. Take flower blooms and quickly dip the pedals into the liquid mixture, turn back over and let dry blossom face up. Stronger petals with form and shape work well.

* Mix an herb or two into container gardens. Lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lemon grass are just a few that grow extremely well in containers, and mix attractively with other blooming flowers. Not only are the herbs edible, but also emit delicious scents when picked or touched, making a great choice for window boxes or path plantings.

* Pot a tomato plant right in the front yard. Or, the backyard. Tomatoes grow well in full sunlight, and are decorative when the vines drape along a trellis or arbor. Tomatoes also work well as a natural screen along a porch or patio. Also good for use on an arbor or trellis are cucumbers, smaller melons and squash, beans and peas. Inter-plant vines with containers or landscaping, and your small vegetable garden will get a pop of interest to make it stand out – and provide a great harvest for your family.

* Create a hedge with berries. Try blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and even gooseberries to make a unique hedge along the edge of your property. Just remember, your family will not be the only samplers of the fruits. Consider covering the hedge with netting to help keep birds from stealing all the berries.

As you are planning new edible gardens, stock up on all the materials needed to give these plants great growing power. Be sure to use a high quality potting mix when planting container gardens, such as Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix or Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix. For in-ground or raised bed gardens, try Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Garden Soil that holds up to 25 percent more water than native soils. Miracle-Gro also offers Organic Choice Garden Soil, with natural fertilizer that provides both quick and slow release nitrogen feeding for lush, vibrant plants. A 2- to 3-inch layer of one of these soils can be worked into existing beds for a great boost of organic matter to amend native soils each year. And do not forget to feed your plants throughout the growing season. This can easily be done at the same time you water with the Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed Advance Feeder. The sprayer attaches to your garden hose, making watering easy and great for your plants.

Combining beautiful landscaping with delicious foods to serve at dinner is sure to create many compliments – both from visitors enjoying the front and backyard views, and from dinner guests enjoying the produce harvest. Follow these tips and this year your garden will look good enough to eat.

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Boynton woman’s garden wins national landscaping award – Sun

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A Boynton Beach woman recently was honored with a national landscaping award, and she’s not even a member of the garden club.

Sophie Janssen, a resident of Boynton Hills, was honored in April after catching the eye of new Boynton Garden Club president Audrey Gerger.

“Her landscaping was just beautiful,” said Gerger, who nominated Janssen through District 10. “There are so many different clubs and she won the Residential Landscape Award.”

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Janssen lives in a mixed economic neighborhood and bought her historic house four years ago.

“It was their annual meeting in Boca,” Janssen said of winning the award. “A jury went to all the gardens nominated and three awards were given out. Public Landscaping, the Commercial Award and Private Residence. The award was chosen for places from Boca to Vero Beach.”

Janssen said she was surprised because she is not part of the Boynton Garden Club.

“This honor could happen to anyone,” she said. “Audrey submitted it for me and that shows that my home enhances our community.”

Janssen was quick to give the other local winners some credit, too.

“The guy who won the Commercial Award has a car wash that looks like a Key West home instead of an ugly car wash,” she said.

Why does Janssen garden and work so hard to add special touches to her 1928 home?

She said seeing the smiles from people who stop and stare, and making someone’s day a little brighter makes it all worthwhile.

“A woman came by with her daughter and said the little girl wanted to walk by the pretty house,” Janssen said. “It is all about stopping to smell the roses.”

Originally from the south of France, Janssen said her grandfather Georges got her into gardening, after she made fun of him as a child.

She said gardening is a very French thing to do.

“We are people of the soil,” Janssen said. “We have a beautiful county and feel very connected to it. If my grandfather is looking down now, he’s laughing.”

Janssen said gardening shows a sign of respect for nature and slows people down to enjoy the details.

As for her home, she said, “I don’t know what I’m doing but it works. I do butterfly weeds for the butterflies. I have a tiki hut with little, fun furniture. I also have a small pond with little gold fish in them.”

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Downey man walks the walk when it comes to conservation and ecology

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DOWNEY — When it comes to water conservation and ecology, Steve Perez talks the talk, walks the walk and rides a tricycle.

“I haven’t used more than a gallon of gas in the past nine months,” said Perez, 52, a landscaper known as the Green Gardener, based at his home, 7646 Third St.

He uses his three-wheeled, adult-sized vehicle to pull a cart containing his landscaping and gardening equipment. The gasoline used is for a power tool. “I don’t like pushing a lawn mower,” he said.

During the past two years, he has focused on landscaping with native, drought-resistant grass and plants. A vegan — “I don’t eat anything with a father or mother including dairy products” — Perez is planning to move into vegetable production.

“I plan to grow a vegetable garden on part of my front lawn,” he said, adding he believes there would be no problem with city zoning codes if the garden is kept neat.

“I would like to see a community garden. We have lots of vacant land but Downey is the only area city without one.”

Perez said his decision to live a vegan lifestyle was strengthened by an online video called “Forks Over Knives,” meaning you should eat only with a fork and not need to cut meat, which he says can be unhealthy if it takes up more than five percent of one’s diet.

“If we didn’t eat meat there would be no cancer or diabetes,” he said.

Although his landscaping business is about two years old, Perez says he has been conservation minded since his childhood.

He moved to Downey with his family in 1972 from and graduated from the former Pius X High School (now St. Matthias) in Downey. He attended Loyola Marymount University and earned a degree in business administration and Spanish.

For years he participated in the family’s real estate business, primarily in the Downey area.

“I found that landscaping with eco-friendly plants which use little water increased the value of a house and made them easier to sell,” he said. “Native plants are the big thing. I also like to make the different plants as harmonious as possible.”

He gets around Downey on his three-wheeled vehicle or by walking, saying “If I can get there on a bike, I will.”

He admits to owning a 1970 Volkswagen bus for long drives, such as a recent trip to Malibu to discuss landscaping on an estate there.

Despite his interest in plants, Perez is not from a farming area.

“We are Cuban refugees and were dirt poor,” he said. “We lived in a house on the beach which had a dirt floor. If we didn’t catch fish, we didn’t eat. We had no toys but on my 4th birthday, my grandfather gave me a broken machete,” he said, adding that started his interest in plant growth and care.

The family came to the United States in 1967. Perez, who is divorced, resides with his mother, Adita, in Downey, who loves to garden.

“She has been one of my mentors. She has an amazing green thumb and a very large front yard,” Perez said.

He has planted native grasses on part of his lawn and has regular grass on the other side to show the difference between the two, noting the native grass needs very little watering, mowing or fertilizer.

“Regular grass takes a lot of water and cutting,” he said. “I want to show people they don’t have to stay with regular grass. That’s just a cultural thing.”

Perez does not spend all of his time gardening. “I try to visit my five kids and granddaughter as much as possible,” he said, also noting that a teenage son, Nick, has “moods but finds landscaping therapeutic.”

He also has membership in several civic groups such as the Downey Kiwanis, the Knights of Columbus and several business networking groups.

His newest organization is the city’s Green Task Force, created to advise the City Council on matters of conservation, ecology and related programs and activities. He was appointed by Mayor Pro Tem Dave Gafin .

“My focus on the task force is twofold — water conservation with drought-resistant landscaping and community gardens. I want to push for those.”

He said he would also like to see events such as conducted by the Los Angeles-based group CicLAvia, which promotes closing down streets to vehicle traffic and opening them for use by bicyclists and pedestrians.

“I have approached the Chamber of Commerce about allowing youngsters on bicycles, roller skates and skateboards to take part in their Christmas Parade, with appropriate [safety] apparel and decorated bikes.

“They seemed receptive and referred me to the company which organizes the parade,” he said.

His Christmas card last year showed him dressed as Santa Claus on a decorated bike instead of a sleigh.

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Gardening businesses now exempt from hosepipe ban

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Following recent rainfall, landscaping, turf and gardening businesses have been made exempt from the hosepipe ban.

A total of seven water companies imposed temporary use bans on their customers on April 5.

They included the three serving Elmbridge – Thames Water, Veolia Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water.

Yesterday (Monday), the seven firms adjusted their bans, allowing gardening businesses to use hosepipes to water newly-laid turf and plants for up to 28 days.

The news comes with two-and-a-half-times the normal amount of rain having fallen in April and frequent showers having continued through most of May.

Richard Aylard is sustainability director at Thames Water, which provides sewerage services across Elmbridge and water in the Esher and Molesey areas.

“Our restrictions have caused real difficulties for some gardening businesses, so we are relieved to be in a position to take this step, which will enable them to carry on designing, landscaping, maintaining and building new features and gardens, while safeguarding their livelihoods and those of their employees,” he said.

“From today they will be able to water where necessary to get new gardens, lawns and plants established, and their clients will be able to continue this for up to 28 days.”

Earlier this month, Defra confirmed that London and the south east still have a serious water shortage despite the recent rain, with groundwater levels still exceptionally low in some areas.

Thames Water said that while gardening businesses are now exempt, the hosepipe ban remains in force for the rest of the company’s customers, who are being urged to continue to use water wisely.

Mike Pocock is the water resources manager at Veolia Water, which provides water in the Walton and Weybridge areas.

“We are keen to help businesses where we can,” he said. “Unfortunately at present, we will not be relaxing the temporary use ban further, as we need to conserve our supply of water to prepare for the possibility of a third dry autumn and winter.

“Months of wet weather, particularly during the next autumn and winter period will be needed to restore groundwater to normal levels.”

The water firms have agreed codes of practice with the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) and other trade bodies.

The aim is to ensure that the minimum amount of water is uses and as widely as possible.

Tim Briercliffe, director of business development for the HTA and APL, said: “We are delighted that water companies have reviewed the restrictions on the landscape trade in light of the recent rainfall.

“Our members were facing serious business challenges as a result of the restrictions and this was likely to get worse with lost contracts and job losses.

“Much of this can now be averted thanks to this decision.

“Our members fully support the need for water efficiency and will do all they can to carry out water efficient practices, such as the use of drip watering systems, and to promote these to their customers.”

Tim Mudge, chief executive of the TGA, was also pleased with the decision.

“The turf industry has already been hit hard by the hosepipe ban, with our members reporting a number of redundancies and reductions in sales of up to 60%,” he said.

“We hope the exemption will improve the situation as people begin to buy and lay turf again.

“Working alongside water companies and other trade bodies, we will continue to advocate the responsible use of water in the garden.”

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Add tasty edible plants to your landscape

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Edible plants – whether herbs, vegetables, fruits or flowers – add a creative variety of interest to your landscape, and also produce a delicious bounty for your dinner table come harvest time.

Here are some ideas to help incorporate edible plants into your landscaping:

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Tesselaar Plants Hopes You Rev’ Up Your Outdoor Living With Easy-Care Plants

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by Anthony Tesselaar USA Inc.
Posted: Monday, May 21, 2012 at 2:53PM EDT

The desire for low-maintenance landscapes just keeps growing, according the latest gardening and landscaping surveys. At the same time, Americans’ love for outdoor amenities like fire pits, grills, dining areas and seating shows no signs of waning (see “Recent Statistics”).

So combining the two should mean less work and more play, right? Here, experts suggest fuss-free flowers and foliage for outdoor living.

“Whether you’re relaxing during a private moment in your personal sanctuary or are hosting a dinner party, you don’t want to come out to a tired, ailing landscape,” says Anthony Tesselaar, cofounder and president of Tesselaar Plants. “The idea is to go for something that’s easy-care, with season-long interest, so you never have to worry about what’s outside your door.”

“We all lead such busy lives,” agrees California landscaper and North Coast Gardening blogger Genevieve Schmidt. “You don’t want an outdoor living space where you’re looking at more chores or another to-do list.”

Not-so-needy blooms

If you’re looking for less watering, spraying and pruning, flowers aren’t out. Schmidt regularly uses drought-tolerant, blooming perennials like catmint, hardy cranesbill geraniums, ornamental sages, Russian sage, lavender, lion’s tail, euphorbia, sunrose, artemisia and phlomis.

Landscape roses are another favorite of Schmidt’s, and she often turns to the Flower Carpet®line (The original Flower Carpet Pink shown at right). Often called “desert roses” in the southwest, these shiny-leaved, colorful bloom factories can be a great choice for low-maintenance, season-long color in beds or containers.

When planted en masse, carpet roses (which spread more horizontally than vertically and become covered with a blanket of blooms) are also a great way to quickly fill in a large bed while turning it into a more low-maintenance, sustainable landscape.

The Flower Carpet range of roses, notes Tesselaar, won high marks in the Dallas Arboretum’s famous plant trials in extreme heat. The series has also won the most awards for disease-resistance; most notably, Germany’s coveted All Deutschland Rose (ADR) designation, the world’s top honor for disease-resistant roses: “And if you want roses in containers, which succumb to drought even quicker, Flower Carpet’s Next Generation line offers even better heat and humidity tolerance.”

Another Tesselaar plant that did well in the Dallas Arboretum trials was the Storm™ series of agapanthus (Blue Storm shown at right). Says Tesselaar: “It offers up to three flushes of blooms a season with full clusters of strappy foliage in between for season-long interest.” Jimmy Turner, Senior Director of Gardens for the Dallas Arboretum, says it’s good for mass planting, because of its sturdy, multiple flower stalks, uniform height and multiple flushes of blooms, each lasting six to seven weeks. But, Tesselaar notes: “It’s really a head-turner when it’s by itself in a pot.”

Schmidt also recommends native and adapted plants (those that naturally grow or thrive in your area without using a lot of resources, respectively): “Native plants are especially nice for outdoor leisure areas, because you’re inviting in the local cycles of wildlife and a balanced local ecosystem, which means wonderful extras like singing birds, the sight of butterflies and nature’s own methods of pest and disease management.”

There’s a native plant society for almost every state, she notes, and you can go to your state’s page to learn more about native plants in your area.

Fuss-free foliage

Low-maintenance foliage can also soften and add character to outdoor living spaces.

“Going without flowers doesn’t have to mean no color,” says Tesselaar. The colorfully foliaged Tropicanna®cannas (at right), which can handle wet feet, can be potted and set right into your favorite water features. And the dark-red, strappy foliage of Festival™ Burgundy cordyline (at right) is so extremely drought-tolerant and pest resistant, you’ll wonder if it’s real. Its basal-branching low-growing structure allows for fuller, more compact clumps and a gentle fountain effect – perfect for containers or color blocking around your favorite outdoor living spots.

Festival, which is only hardy in Zones 7 or warmer, also overwinters beautifully as a houseplant, says Tesselaar: “So you can simply bring the patio pot in or out depending on the season, or replant it in the landscape year after year.”

Schmidt loves the bright-red color of Japanese blood grass, along with other low-maintenance ornamental grasses like maiden grass (miscanthus – although it’s considered invasive in some areas of the country), blue oatgrass, leatherleaf sedge, fountain grass and noninvasive dwarf or clumping bamboo. Favorites in other parts of the country include ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue, pampas grass (also invasive in some areas), Northern sea oats, blue panic grass, muhly grass (also extremely salt tolerant and prevents sand dune erosion) and little bluestem (hardy to Zone 3).

Then there are Schmidt’s other foliage faves: phormiums (New Zealand flax), nassella (needlegrass) and Mexican feathergrass. Succulents, she adds, have exploded in popularity – in containers, hanging baskets and even as wall art.

Of course, the plants themselves aren’t the only part of a low-maintenance landscape, say Schmidt and Tesselaar. There are also tips and tricks like mulching, grouping together plants with similar needs, efficient irrigation, reducing your lawn and maintaining healthy soil. But low-maintenance plants are a key ingredient.

“Some work in the garden is great if you enjoy it, but we all have tasks we’d rather not do,” says Schmidt. “I know I’d rather be doing artful pruning, potting up containers and deadheading instead of weeding or mowing. The idea is to reduce or eliminate what really feels like work so you’re free to focus on what matters to you.”

Fact sheets

Flower Carpet roses

Next Generation Flower Carpet roses

Storm series of agapanthus

Festival Burgundy cordyline

Hi-res images

Pink Flower Carpet roses and lavender, poolside

Festival Burgundy cordyline alongside pool, deck

Festival Burgundy cordyline underplanted with white lobelia in pot on formal patio

Tropicanna cannas in small water feature near patio

Blue Storm agapanthus in landscape (cordylines and phormiums at right)

Blue Storm agapanthus in container

Recent statistics

In the 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), a whopping 96.6 percent of respondents rated low-maintenance landscapes as “somewhat or very in-demand” In particular, 85.4 percent of them had installed native or drought-tolerant plants in their outdoor living spaces.

The Winter 2011 survey on sustainable gardening by the Garden Writers Association Foundation showed similar results, with 58 percent already having reduced their watering (58 percent) and 35 percent adding more drought-tolerant plants.

At the same time, respondents in the ASLA survey stressed their love for outdoor leisure elements like grills (97.4 percent), pools (79.2 percent) and seating and dining areas (95.7 percent).

About Tesselaar

Tesselaar Plants searches the world and introduces new plants for the home garden, landscape, home décor and gift markets. Tesselaar undertakes extensive research and development of its varieties and, once they’re selected for introduction, provides marketing and promotional support for them through its grower and retail network. Tesselaar carefully selects its licensed growers and purposefully keeps its portfolio of plants small by design, resulting in consistently high-quality, dramatic, prolific plants that are also environmentally friendly and exceptionally easy to grow.

The Tesselaar philosophy is to introduce exceptional plants while “making gardening easy” for everyone, and so it makes its products as widely available as possible. Tesselaar believes that the more gardeners there are, the better it is for everyone.

Source: Anthony Tesselaar USA Inc.

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Going Green: Local Residents, Businesses Embrace ‘Drought Tolerant’ Landscapes – Long Beach Business Journal

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Going Green: Local Residents, Businesses Embrace ‘Drought Tolerant’ Landscapes

By Sean Belk – Staff Writer

May 22, 2012 – When the landscaping industry tumbled amid the housing slump, wholesale nursery owner Ricardo Arrivillaga survived by branching out into the retail sector, selling plants directly to homeowners in Bixby Knolls. Since then, an emerging source of income has come to light: “drought tolerant” landscapes.

Faced with uncertain water resources in California, water agencies, such as the Long Beach Water Department, have spearheaded various campaigns and incentives in recent years to keep reserves healthy and more reliable by storing up for times of prolonged drought.

Some residents and businesses are now embracing a new market for low-water use, low maintenance landscapes that mirror the region’s natural Mediterranean coastal climate. The modernized topography often consists of native or non-native drought tolerant plants, water-efficient drip irrigation systems and hardscape, such as decomposed granite, mulch, bark or topsoil.

The water department’s “lawn-to-garden” turf replacement incentive program, started a couple of years ago, has offered homeowners up to $2,500 in rebates per home to entice residents to replace their water-intensive grass lawns with “water wise” gardens. The program has converted close to 600 landscapes so far, with the potential to save over 100 million gallons of water over the next 10 years, in addition to drought tolerant landscapes converted outside of the program, according to the water department.

More recently, the water department has begun partnering with local businesses, such as Ricardo’s Nursery, that now offer a 15 percent discount to residents in the program. “We have good prices here,” said Arrivillaga, who took over the decades-old nursery, once called Garden of Eva at 6850 Atlantic Ave., nearly five years ago. “I’m very happy and looking forward to working with the program.”

Darlene Burtsfield, one of the program’s first participants, has replaced the grass in her front yard amidst a sea of traditional neighboring green lawns along Walnut Avenue. Her landscape was featured this month in the water department’s First Annual Long Beach Lawn-To-Garden Tour that showcased 31 different converted landscapes throughout the city. More than 2,300 residents signed up for the tour.

Since planting lavender, manzanita and other shrubbery, her water bill has been cut in half, she said. Burtsfield said the sparsely irrigated landscape has attracted humming birds and butterflies, while becoming a topic of discussion in the neighborhood. “People stop to look, especially now, with everything in bloom,” she said. “There’s reds, purples, blues and yellows . . . It’s 10 times more aesthetically pleasing than a lawn, if you ask me.”

For some residents, however, the traditional grass turf still has its pluses, particularly for children and pets to play in and other sentimental reasons, said Matthew Lyons, the water department’s director of planning and conservation. Even so, he said surveys show that some residents, although hesitant to make the full conversion, are still open to the idea of adding at least some drought tolerant plants that typically require only 20 to 25 percent of the water used for lawns.

“The question is, if you plant the seeds here, do other landscapes eventually get converted? And the answer seems to be yes,” Lyons said. “The people who say ‘I love my lawn’ eventually move into that middle group, who may be interested in doing part of [their] lawn . . . and then you’ve got people in the middle who are transitioning to the group ready to do it right now.”

Nurturing Business

Local nurseries have boosted their inventory in succulents, cacti and other low-water use plants. Some plants may not be native to California, but still thrive in the state’s Mediterranean climate and display a more colorful plant palette. The state’s climate is shared with only four other regions of the world located in parts of South America, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean.

Jeff Shibata, owner of HH Nursery in Lakewood and a partner with the program, said demand for more varieties of succulents is five times higher than it was about five years ago, while sales of California native plants and hardscape has also increased. “There are a lot of people who are seriously thinking of switching over,” he said. “Anytime you see a well-done landscape, it’s pretty, it’s very attractive . . . and the more you see it, the more it’s not so strange anymore.”

Camilo Ayala, co-owner of Bonita Nursery in West Long Beach, said partnering with the city’s program has produced a “minimal” increase in sales. He said some small retail nurseries are still impacted by economic factors, while having to compete against wholesale distributors and growers that sell plants at lower prices.

Another partner in the program, Orchard Supply Hardware at 4480 Atlantic Ave. has increased its inventory in drought tolerant plants and hardscape supplies. Cindy Lippert, store manager, said she knows personally the financial and aesthetic benefits of drought tolerant landscapes since converting her own front yard into a desert-like Southwestern setting to fit her Spanish revival home.

While the store still sells more traditional plants, such as roses, perennials and trees, Lippert said more and more people are gravitating toward succulents and other drought tolerant plants. “There’s still a general interest out there,” she said.

Designing Landscapes

The city’s water department also partners with local landscape designers, providing residents in the program with professional consulting services for a $25 fee. Barbara Paul, who teaches classes on drought tolerant landscapes at the water department’s headquarters, said the program has been a prime source of business in the last few years.

There are many benefits to drought tolerant landscapes other than just reducing water consumption, such as attracting wildlife and reducing toxic water runoff, she said. But making it work in the right environment often takes an expertise in the field. “It’s not just about throwing in a whole bunch of plants,” Paul said. “It’s about changing it into something that will thrive in our coastal Mediterranean climate without a lot of water and without a lot of other interventions.”

Jorge Ochoa, a horticulture instructor at Long Beach City College, said the region’s natural endemic plant life of years past mostly consisted of what’s called a “coastal sage scrub” habitat, similar to that currently seen on Catalina Island. But, he cautioned that local neighborhoods “might not be ready” for such entirely native landscapes.

Instead, Ochoa said residents should mix in plants that are more familiar to the community, such as purple lavender, which are colorful but still drought tolerant and thrive in the region’s climate. “There is a very large selection of plants out there that you can choose from,” he said. “And if you’re going to design a garden . . . design it in a way that’s still going to look as if it’s part of the actual neighborhood.”

Regardless of plant type, however, Ochoa said any garden still takes a certain amount of maintenance, care and attention. “Nothing is ever going to be problem free,” he said. “We’re still dealing with a garden that has to have some sort of order and control.”

Industry Trends

Water conservation and drought tolerant landscapes have also become leading industry trends for landscape architects, designers and business practices that are now shifting away from the subtropical, water-consuming landscapes of the past 30 years.

Gary Flietstra, in charge of business development for Proscape Landscaping based in Signal Hill, said plans are in the works for shopping malls, homeowners associations and major manufacturers, such as Boeing, to start replacing traditional water-intensive landscapes with plants that have the same colorful blooms, but come with a longer shelf life and require less water. Water conservation for businesses has become more prevalent today as a way to prevent damage from overwatering and leaks, while cutting costs on water bills, he said.

Irrigation systems have become more advanced and water-efficient than typical sprinklers. Drip irrigation systems, for instance, now feed plants at the roots and are operated by high tech “smart controllers” and “hydro zone” systems, Flietstra said. “We can have less amounts of water and still have the same . . . and sometimes better performance with our plants,” he said.

As water conservation initiatives continue in California, landscape-related businesses should expect to become even more sophisticated, as technology advances and landscapes require more fine-tuned gardening rather than the standard commercial maintenance, said Baxter Miller, president of the Southern California chapter of the American Society for Landscape Architects.

“If you’re into fixing sprinkler heads, then your days are numbered, because it’s going to be drip irrigation for everything,” he said. “The days of mow and blow are pretty much over in the State of California . . . and the education and attention to maintenance is going to have to change.”

For more information about the Long Beach lawn-to-garden program, visit www.lblawntogarden.com. For a list of certified drought tolerant plants and water conservation tips, visit www.bewaterwise.com.

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Landscape industry delight at hosepipe ban exemption

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By Editor in Industry on 21st May 2012 8:00

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) today welcome the news from the water companies that landscaping and turf businesses are exempt from the hosepipe ban as of today.

The adjustment to the Temporary Use Ban by the seven water companies in the south and east of England allows gardening businesses and their customers to use hosepipes to water newly laid turf and plants, for up to 28 days from planting.

This decision comes as it was confirmed that the record rainfall experienced in April and continuing rain in May has reduced the severity of the ongoing water shortage in the South and East of England although groundwater levels still remain exceptionally low and the hosepipe bans remain in place.

Tim Briercliffe, Director of Business Development for the HTA and APL, said: “We are delighted that water companies have reviewed the restrictions on the landscape trade in light of the recent rainfall. Our members were facing serious business challenges as a result of the restrictions and this was likely to get worse with lost contracts and job losses. Much of this can now be averted thanks to this decision which was made as a result of the business case we made with other landscape trade bodies. Our members fully support the need for water efficiency and will do all they can to carry out water efficient practices, such as the use of drip watering systems, and to promote these to their customers.”

APL Chairman Mark Gregory adds, “Despite the rain the restrictions have had a real impact on businesses and this was only going to get worse through the summer, and so it is a huge relief that the water companies have taken our very real concerns onboard, and in the light of the weather, lifted the restrictions for landscapers.”

A recent HTA Member Voice Survey of member businesses providing garden design or landscaping services revealed that 25% had experienced customers cancelling work, 55% with customers postponing jobs and 75% saying that prospects and leads were putting off getting landscape jobs done as a result of the drought orders.

Richard Aylard, sustainability director for Thames Water, one of the water companies making the adjustment to the Temporary Use Ban, comments, “We are relieved to be in a position to take this step to allow gardening businesses to carry on designing, landscaping, maintaining and building new features and gardens, while safeguarding their livelihoods and those of their employees.”

The HTA and the APL, along with the Turfgrass Growers Association, British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), Landscape Institute, Institute of Groundsmanship, Royal Horticultural Society and the Society of Garden Designers have agreed codes of practice with the water companies to ensure that the minimum amount of water is used and as wisely as possible. This includes a code for landscapers and codes on turf and planting for landscapers to pass onto their customers. Landscapers will be required to provide their customers will a letter confirming the date of planting as part of the exemption conditions.

These organisations will be meeting water companies again on 29 May to agree longer term plans on managing the impact of hosepipe bans in the future.

For the latest information on the water situation visit – www.the-hta.org.uk/waterhttp://www.the-hta.org.uk/water

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