No society requires public gardens, any more than they require art museums. But public gardens, which are museums of living plants, enrich our culture and display our achievements in science, design, education, preservation and entertainment.

Public gardens — including botanical gardens, arboreta, conservatories, and historic landscapes — have become much more today than sites for attractive plant displays. Reflecting their original roles in 16th- and 17th-century Europe, contemporary public gardens endeavor to hold diverse collections of plants from around the world. But in response to the global loss of plant biodiversity, many are also banning the display of invasive non-natives and are nurturing locally rare or endangered species to restore those plants to their natural settings.

The education of audiences, from preschoolers to retirees, on subjects as varied as landscaping for wildlife and botanical illustration is central to the mission of most public gardens. Increasingly, gardens are also reaching out to those most in need in our society and providing them with the tools to be positive, contributing members of their communities. Since humans are largely responsible for environmental degradation but also are the only species that can reduce or reverse that degradation, public gardens must address the well-being of its citizens if they expect those individuals to become advocates for the planet.

Public gardens have also long been recognized as sites that can contribute to visitors’ relaxation and recreation and as transitional spaces between the busyness of the modern life and the natural world. But public gardens also offer a common ground for different people to come together and to seek their common interests. The planting and tending of plants and the pleasure that their growth brings is a universal experience that rises above the many obstacles that divide cultures.

Now that it is spring, Cornell Plantations — the region’s premier public garden — is again sponsoring Wildflower Explorations, in which every third-grader from the Ithaca and Trumansburg school districts learns about our native flora through activities in the Mundy Wildflower Garden.

This effort — part of the Kids Discover the Trail program — is one aspect of a comprehensive educational program at Cornell Plantations whose overall goal is to convey how essential plants are to human survival, our well-being, and the health of our planet.

This Friday is National Public Gardens Day, and we invite everyone to stop into the Nevin Welcome Center to pick up a cup of free Gimme! coffee, and to explore the botanical garden, F.R. Newman Arboretum and spectacular natural areas. On your hike, we invite you to consider this question: How much poorer would our nation be if all of our public gardens were to disappear?

Valley Beautiful, a community action group dedicated to the beautification of the San Jacinto Valley through the use of sustainable landscaping, will hold a Water-Wise Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 12.

The tour will feature five gardens in Hemet, of various types and sizes, ranging from two compact but beautifully designed gardens in Four Seasons to the expansive grounds of a 40-year resident in the citrus groves of Valle Vista. They include creative and attractive hardscapes, with attention paid to drainage and water collection, as well as usable garden spaces.

“This is our fifth garden tour, and we think these gardens are the best yet,” said tour committee Chairman Don Miller. “People will certainly see how easy it is to have a beautiful and unthirsty garden.”

Street signage will direct people to the tour gardens, and each garden will have docents and information on water-wise gardening, as well as selected plant lists.

Advance tickets at $12 are being sold by Valley Beautiful members and at Cagliero Ranch Nursery and Hemet True Value Hardware.

On the tour day, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., tour headquarters will be at the historic Santa Fe Depot in Downtown Hemet, where tickets can be purchased for $15 and tour maps may be picked up.

This will also be an opportunity for the public to enjoy the landscaping on the depot grounds, which was recently improved by members of Valley Beautiful. It features many trees and shrubs which are particularly appropriate for the valley’s arid climate.

Valley Beautiful meetings are open to the public, and often feature guest speakers and interesting programs. The group meets the third Monday of each month at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 796 E. Main St., San Jacinto.

For more information, call Diane Mitchell at 951-927-1775.

A Walk In the Garden

Sun-Gazette

Wondering what to get mom for Mother’s Day? Why not take her on a nice walk through a beautiful garden … or four of them.

The Exeter Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Garden Walk from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 12 in Exeter. Come view four unique gardens and then enjoy refreshments and tea at By the Water Tower Antiques. Each year hundreds walk through various area gardens enjoying the sights, sounds and smell of local flora and fauna.

Tickets are $15 and available at the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and By the Water Tower Antiques in Exeter. For more information call 592-2919.

Dan and Jeri Sweeney Garden

This beautiful homestead of 20 acres sits nestled within fragrant orange trees and is a jewel in the Venice Hill area of Exeter.

The Sweeney’s love for this land began in 1993, with the planting of the 10 acres of oranges at the front of their property. Their first project was the creation of the large .2 acre pond with the breathtaking 300 ton waterfall. The many rocks for the waterfall were hand selected from the Badger Hill and Three Rivers area and it took two years to complete. The pond also has an island accessed by an old arched wooden bridge with a large gazebo structure in the middle. This is a lovely place to sit and take notice of the lovely Iris’s and wildflowers sprinkled throughout the rocks. The old wooden dock keeps a couple of small boats until one is ready to go exploring for wildlife. Many fish, turtles, birds and Canadian Geese, Mallard ducks make their homes, here in the pond, surrounded by 158 Blue Aptos Redwood trees planted in 1997.

Dan Jeri were thrilled to finally built their country home in 2006, matching it to their existing landscape. The front of their home hosts a soothing water fountain and a large grass area. You will also see many box hedges and colorful shrubbery. In the back yard you will be treated with the fragrances of a pretty rock rose garden, a vegetable area and a rock flower cutting area. All of the interesting rocks you see were also gathered from Badger Hill in 1985.

Just imagine how relaxing it is to take a summer dip in the pool or stroll along the walking path while surrounded by the beauty of this landscape.

Darrel and Mary Waterman Garden

When the Waterman’s moved to Exeter in 2004, they knew they were ready to slow down and “smell the roses”. They are a self employed family and wanted to find a relaxing way to enjoy their yard. “Having never successfully grown anything” they were excited when they were able to plant their first vegetable garden.

They were already enjoying their mini orchard of lemon, orange, cherry, apricot and plum trees, so they figured attempting a vegetable garden couldn’t hurt. They were thrilled when veggies started to grow too. They have very much enjoyed the rewarding bounty of their raised edible garden beds . You may see tomatoes, potatoes, beans, carrots, lettuce, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe and blackberries.

One of the favorite additions to their home, after building, was the expansion of the patio and added shade covering atop the brick patio which they labored over with love.

They enjoy many evening meals and family gatherings here. You will find a hidden spa area tucked away, where they can often be found relaxing after long days working in their office.

Your senses will be delighted with the aroma of orange blossoms and the recently planted wisteria as one enjoys a sit in the shade under the patio or refuge in the spa. This is where the Waterman’s find time to slow down and “smell the roses”.

The front yard will be undergoing some redesign this coming fall, but the main feature will remain. Can you guess what that is? If you guessed the “fake” grass you were right. This no maintenance, always green lawn is a highlight in the Waterman garden that is sure to stay.

The cute tandem bicycle leaning at the base of the Coastal Redwood is a reminder, to the family, of the adventures they’ve had traveling around the world on this bicycle.

They were so happy and they hope that you notice the old water valve cover from Waterman Industries, even though the only connection is in name and they have no family relationship.

Ron and Sue Phillips Garden

The Phillips hope you enjoy your visit as much as they enjoy working and relaxing here. If you follow the walk to the right you will see a large pine tree under-planted with a mix of flowering shrubs and dwarf nandina. Further along the fence you will find clematis vines, black and blue salvia and a tall narrow thuja and a big free growing lorapetalum bush.

Just to the right of the gazebo you will see a slightly mounded area with a little stone pathway that leads to the back of the planting area. This year is only the second year they have planted this area with a mix of perennials and annuals. In another year or so they hope to have a colorful little planting bed with very little care and maintenance.

The Phillips hope you enjoy the Japanese maple area with it’s rocks and ground cover. If you wish, sit down and relax on the little white bench tucked away by the fence and backed up by a flowering evergreen vine.

They love its fragrance and the way it pushes its way around the lamp post.

The west end of the yard has another raised area and a planting are with a trial mix of perennials and annuals. This area is more “woodsy” looking with evergreen trees, a red leaf maple and shrubs. The Phillips hope these will soon provide more shade on those hot summer afternoons.

The walk will lead you along another planting bed between the patio and the lawn area. Look for the hostas and impatients among the larger plants. On toward the east end of the patio you will come to an area shaded by an Italian Stone Pine. They have planted this area with a mix of red, white and blue, the colors of the wonderful American flag, although it is a little early for the blue agapanthus to be in bloom.

As they planned their yard their goal was to provide an attractive area to be viewed from the windows of the home so they can enjoy the back yard even from the inside.

The Phillips have tried to provide each little area with an anchor planting such as flowering shrubs, small trees or tall narrow evergreen thujas and then finish out the area with small evergreen plants, perennials and annuals.

They hope you leave with a new idea or an inspiration to plant something new and make your world a more beautiful and enjoyable place in which to live.

Fred and Glenna Bardone Garden

Fred and Glenna Bardone have created a landscape that is rooted in nostalgia. The flowers their grandparents grew and loved surround this lovely Victorian style country home. As soon as you step from your car, you will be taken in with a detail here, a splash of color there and beauty all around. When the Bardone’s began the process of building their “dream home” some 15 years ago, their focus was to create a relaxing environment for enjoying time with family and friends. They have used a mixture of annuals and perennials for a very homey effect. The front is so welcoming and hosts many different colors and type of roses, coastal redwoods, Japanese maples, baby tear, a raised vegetable garden, grape vines and much more.

Strolling along, you will see several water features and be tempted to sit and relax on the cozy swing, glider, benches or chairs. Fred and Glenna did all of the landscaping, plantings, water features and design and enjoy trying new plantings and decorating ideas. Garden art and creative objects have been placed imaginatively throughout the planters and porches to catch your eye and add a whimsical feel all around.

The incredible view will tempt you into the back yard as you travel in from either side of the house through beautiful arbors and color in abundance. The mountains stretch as far as your eye can see with breathtaking views all around. It is a haven for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Watch for small sparrows and golden finches as you meander through the back yard. From the large back deck you will see dogwood trees, red maples and your nose will be delighted. Be sure to stop and enjoy the shade of the willow trees, near the red barn, where several family members and close friends have enjoyed their weddings, receptions, birthday parties and special moments.

The large lush lawn surrounding the home is the scene of many family egg tosses, marsh mellow gun fights and bocce ball competitions. The patios find many a little feet racing around after the animals and riding along on tricycles. So many memorable meals and sunset and sunrise talks have been and continue to be enjoyed on the deck and porches.

Fred and Glenna hope you enjoy their garden as much and they do and that you feel at home and welcome.

By the Water Tower Antiques

Refreshments and tea will also be served at By the Water Tower Antiques, the loveliest place to relax underneath gently veiled tents and chat about the lovely gardens. Take a stroll through the shop and find something to commemorate a wonderful day out with mom or the girls. By the Water Tower Antiques is located at 141 South B Street in Exeter.

Tickets for the walk are $15 and available at the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and By the Water Tower Antiques.

The event is sponsored this year by Petals and Presents and C-Thru Window Cleaning. The Exeter Chamber of Commerce is located at 101 W. Pine Street in downtown Exeter. For more information call 592-2919.

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Not everyone can afford a piece of museum-quality artwork. But for as little as the cost of a few reproduction lithograph posters, art-minded East Enders can purchase living sculpture—a tree or a shrub—at the new Parrish Art Museum site in Water Mill.

The museum and most of its contents will move from its Southampton Village home to put down new roots at a scenic field in Water Mill before October. But the move is not just about artwork, or the bricks and mortar needed for the 34,500-square-foot museum building. With the new 14-acre property on Montauk Highway in Water Mill comes the need to plant trees, shrubs, grasses, plants and flowers. Thus the idea for the Parrish Art Museum’s “Landscape Campaign” was born.

The landscaping initiative serves several key purposes, according to Parrish Art Museum Director Terrie Sultan. Natural landscaping will certainly complement the new structure, designed by architects Herzog de Meuron and currently under construction. But there’s more to the plan than simple aesthetics.

“We want everyone in this community to feel they have a stake in this,” Ms. Sultan said during an interview last month at her office at the museum on Jobs Lane in Southampton Village. “People love gardens and the landscape here. This new 14-acre park is for the community. We want everybody to love it and feel a part of it.”

And what better way to feel a part of the first museum built on the East End in the last 100 years

than to purchase a tree or shrub, which is planned to stand on the site for years to come.

Plantings began at the Water Mill property during the last weekend in April. In total, there is a need for more than 1,000 trees and shrubs at the new site.

The price tag for individual tree and shrub donations ranges on the low end from $30 for a 5- to 7-pound hybrid poplar container to the high end at $2,225 for a 5- to 6-foot northern catalpa. Individuals can choose from a variety of trees and shrubs for purchase, including northern catalpas (priced at $1,040 and $2,225), London planes (from $415 to $1,025), sweetgum ($340 and $520), red oak ($275 and $440), swamp white oak (from $275 to $770), gray birch (from $82 to $462), hybrid poplar (from $30 to $71), staghorn sumac (from $52 to $138), juniper (from $105 to $193) and sassafras ($40 each).

All donations will be purchased from local vendors, according to Doug Reed, a principal at Reed Hilderbrand, the Massachusetts-based firm responsible for the landscape architecture.

Ms. Sultan was quick to point out that most of the work on the new site is being sourced locally as well.

“Almost everything we are doing here is local. We bought the materials locally, and we are hammering and sawing locally,” she said. “It is something we do, and those working on the project do, with very deep pride.”

Last month, Mr. Reed wrote about the philosophy behind the landscaping at the Water Mill site.

“The planting design of the museum’s new home evokes those familiar and memorable landscape features of Long Island’s East End—its meadows, hedgerows, scrub oak woodlands, and wetlands—which have provided inspiration and subject matter for artists over two centuries,” he wrote during an email exchange. “In doing so, the new building, with its collections, and the site will unite art and nature into the visitor experience in a palpable way. This palette of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials will provide a rich habitat for nesting and migratory birds.”

According to the Parrish website, the landscape is meant to “evoke the heritage of the East End.”

“The site will be reshaped into a meadow with grasses and native wildflowers, rising toward an oak and birch woodland at the northern boundary. A special feature of the new design is the creation of public areas for contemplation and social interaction. Conceived as a single, integrated work, the architecture and landscape will offer the public a unified and cohesive experience year-round,” the website said.

The new Parrish Art Museum will include parking at the back edge of the property in a zone defined by a cedar hedgerow on the north and edged by grey birch poplars, and viburnum on the south edge, Mr. Reed reported. White oaks and red maples will provide a shady canopy over the parking area, he said.

Additionally, native locust and catalpa trees shade the pathways through the meadow that link the parking to the museum’s entrance, according to Mr. Reed.

Keeping the landscape in line with a sustainable philosophy is important, according to Ms. Sultan.

Gardeners can never have enough plants in their yard, seed catalogs on their nightstand or garden books in their library. Before the springtime air tempts you to dash out and purchase more seeds and plants, it’s best to educate yourself a bit. Drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, sustainable yards that grow flowers as well as food are what the garden experts are preaching this year. This way gardeners can conserve water, create wildlife habitat, protect local watersheds, save energy and have healthy soil to grow tons of “Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter” tomatoes this summer.

I instantly fell in love with this first book. It’s hard not to. Willi Galloway is a Portland-based award-winning radio host, writer and former editor at Organic Gardening magazine. Her delicious new book, Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening (Sasquatch Books), is fabulous. If you are fed up with the pesticide-packed produce at your local supermarket and are joining the millions of home gardeners yearning to grow their own food, this book is for you. Galloway will take you by the hand and show you step by step exactly how to sink a seed into the soil to grow your favorite vegetables. Each entry has a recommended recipe as well as harvesting and storage tips. Breathtaking color photos of food and flowers by Seattle-based photographer Jim Henkens are finely woven throughout the book.

Seattle and L.A.-based outdoor living expert Debra Prinzing’s new book, The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers, (St. Lynn’s Press) is in bookstores this month and it is a must-read. You’ll be educated about the “slow flower” movement. Right now nearly 80 percent of cut flowers in the U.S. are flown in from other countries. Many of these foreign flower farms use chemicals that have been banned in the United States because of their toxicity to animals and humans, yet workers on these farms are exposed to them on a daily basis. All so we can have flowers on our tables? That seems mighty selfish to me. You will be happily seduced by the stunning photography of David Perry; he and Prinzing traveled around the U.S. visiting 50 flower farms to interview the dedicated farmers who stand at the forefront of this cultural shift.

Tag, Toss and Run: 40 Classic Lawn Games (Storey Publishing) is author and sustainability educator Paul Tukey’s latest book on turf, and it is a blast. Tukey is usually seen traveling around the country giving talks for Safe Lawns (www.safelawns.org ), his nonprofit advocacy group promoting chemical-free lawn care. Actress Victoria Rowell (The Young and the Restless) co-wrote the book. Both grew up in rural Maine without much to play with except “their own wits and the lovable nitwits and nincompoops from the neighborhood,” says Tukey. “Our days were spent with endless outdoor games,” they write. “No cell phone, no pocket money, no instructions other than to be home by dinnertime!” With obesity levels for 5- and 6-year-olds doubling in the past decade—and even worse for teenagers—this book is the perfect motivator and guide to get kids off the computer and outside this summer. Some of the games: Double Dutch, Capture the Flag, Bocce, Follow the Leader, Kick the Can, Tug of War, Ghost in the Graveyard and my all-time favorite, wheelbarrow races. What I also learned? Long ago, Russell Frisbie, a baker in Connecticut, stamped his name into his pie tins where nearby Yale students began tossing the metal tins through the air hollering “Frisbee” as they threw it. Wham-O bought a pie-pan prototype from Fred Morrison, named it the Pluto Platter, later the Frisbee, and made millions.

Have you always wanted to read a book by a hydrology scientist? I have just the book for you. Hydro-geek Robert W. Domm and horticulturist Lynn Steiner have teamed up for the user-friendly rain garden handbook Rain Gardens: Sustainable Landscaping for a Beautiful Yard and a Healthy World (Voyageur Press), designed exclusively for the home gardener. This beautiful book provides simple, low-cost ideas and advice to help you create your own rain garden using native flowers, shrubs and trees. Just what is a rain garden? “A rain garden is a plant bed that collects rain runoff from your roof, driveway, patio or other waterproof outdoor surface. A pipe connected to a downspout or an above the ground channel conveys the water to the garden,” explain the authors. What sets it apart is that it is usually on an incline or a down-slope so that water can be collected there. The soil is well amended with compost and plants are carefully chosen so there is no fertilizing or maintenance, and the rainwater is absorbed into the ground. It includes photos and simple steps on planning, plumbing, building, planting and standing back to admire your work.

And last, for you city slickers, pick up a copy of Willow Rosenthal and Novella Carpenter’s The Essential Urban Farmer (Penguin Group). Two of our favorite Bay Area writers, eco-advocates and farmers released this 500-page treasure a few months ago. Though there is plenty of clear information about growing a prolific garden, what is most useful about this book is that it addresses all of those questions novice city farmers may have, such as how to procure the land, how to deal with contaminated environments or to how to choose and care for (and kill) farm animals in the ‘hood. “We were both trial-and-error urban farmers. We would’ve loved to have had a guidebook that showed us best practices. So this is the book that we wished we’d had when we were starting out,” says Carpenter. The authors claim in the intro that the average urban backyard can grow all the fruit and veggies for one person in 25-by-40-feet, and that it makes economic sense to garden if you have more time than money. (Isn’t that all of us these days?) Thinking about getting some bees, chickens, goats or rabbits? Get this instructive book first!

MARIN BAY-FRIENDLY GARDEN TOUR

This splendid eco-tour, Saturday, May 19, is organized through the Bay-Friendly Landscaping Gardening Coalition, a regional nonprofit comprised of home gardeners, landscape professionals and local governments.

Registration is required to receive a guidebook with directions, garden descriptions and entrance tickets. Cost: $10. Register at www.BayFriendlyGardenTour.org. (Registration deadline is May 11.)

One of the stops on the tour is the gorgeous garden at the Marin Brain Injury Network in Larkspur. Soil scientist Stephen Andrews will be lecturing there about “Building Healthy Soil” at 11am and 1pm. I will be there signing books from noon to 2pm. Come on down to talk dirt with us!

Dig dirt with Annie at dirtdiva.com

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The landscaping on Michelle Kalantari’s small Richfield yard used to be generic: a carpet of turf grass surrounding a couple of small garden beds.

“I was mowing my lawn like everybody else,” said Kalantari, a nature photography hobbyist who used to have to go to her cabin or to a public garden to find wildlife.

Not anymore. Now her yard is alive with butterflies, birds and bugs. “I’m amazed how many can find my little Shangri-La — it’s like I’m in a nature preserve,” she said.

What’s Kalantari’s secret? It started with a lightbulb moment several years ago after she planted a single meadow blazing star plant because she liked its purple flower. Like magic, Monarch butterflies started fluttering around it. “Before, they used to fly by,” she said. “I realized, ‘Oh! I need native plants to attract native birds and insects.'”

So she replaced all of her lawn, first in back, then in front, with mostly native plants, more than 150 different species. Since then, she’s never lacked for photographic subjects. “The more variety you have in plants, the more variety you have in things that depend on plants,” she said.

Few gardeners go as far as Kalantari, who works for the Nature Conservancy, but a growing number are incorporating native plants into their landscapes. Natives have been identified as a top trend by both the Garden Media Group and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Minnesota was ahead of the curve, with more native-plant nurseries than most other states, according to Steve Milburn, president of the Minnesota Native Plant Society, a nonprofit devoted to conservation and education. “You do see more interest in native plants, more acceptance and more availability, especially in the Midwest.”

Landscape Alternatives, a native-plant nursery near Marine on St. Croix, reports a widening of its customer base since it first opened in 1986. “It’s a pretty broad spectrum now, from new homeowners looking for hardy, low-maintenance plants that are attractive to look at and attractive to wildlife, to longtime gardeners looking for something a little different,” said co-owner Roy Robison.

Natives are naturally low-maintenance because they’ve adapted to thrive in local conditions, he said. “It’s much easier to keep natives happy. You don’t have to be out watering and fertilizing.”

Homeowners want to see what native-plant landscapes look like, he said, so his nursery has added demonstration gardens showing landscapes at different stages, from new to mature, at its St. Croix location.

Because most native-plant nurseries, including Out Back Nursery in Hastings, Minnesota Native Landscapes in Otsego and Dragonfly in Amery, Wis., are located on the outskirts of the metro area, a visit requires more time than some homeowners are willing or able to spend, said Karen Eckman of Shoreview, native-plant advocate and educator.

“A bunch of us got so frustrated,” she said. “We would teach people about native plants and then they’d go and buy cultivars. When it really struck me was realizing my daughter would have to drive an hour each way to get to one of the native plant companies. I thought, ‘Darn, we’ve got to do something about this.'”

So last year, Eckman and others organized Landscape Revival, a Native Plant Expo Market in Roseville. It proved so popular that they’re doing it again this year, on June 2. Ten organizations will have tables to educate people about the benefits of native plants, Eckman said, and 11 native-plant suppliers will be on hand to sell plants.

Education is important because “there’s some bad information out there about what is and isn’t a native,” Robison said. “If there’s a varietal name, like ‘Karl Foerster’ grass, it’s a cultivar or perennial, not a native.”

Cultivated varietals are selected or bred for traits to attract humans, such as more flowers, Robison said.

“That usually translates into something that’s less attractive to butterflies. It changes the plant at the gene level, and the first thing that goes is the nectar.”

Daylilies, for example, are sometimes thought to be native plants because they’re easy to grow and low-maintenance. “But they’re not going to be a butterfly magnet like meadow blazing star,” Robison said.

Some gardeners are wary of native plants because they fear they’ll grow shaggy and messy, but that’s easily avoided, Robison said.

“That was a common concern a decade ago, but it’s about finding the right plant for the right spot,” he said. “You can take ornamental grasses that get to 6 feet tall, put them on the boulevard and it looks like a weed patch. But with a little time and effort, it’s not a problem.”

Kalantari tries to keep her unconventional landscape within neighborhood norms by making it “showy” along the boulevard. “I put in a scalloped rock area for setback, and put zinnias and cosmos [low-growing non-native garden flowers] up front, so it looks like a garden,” she said.

The new Miller library branch in Ellicott City will open its Enchanted Garden next weekend, an outdoor learning space that will be one of the few nationwide to be owned and tended by a public library.

The space, which will offer classes and activities related to nutrition, environmental science and gardening, was named for the now-defunct Enchanted Forest amusement park on nearby U.S. 40.

There will also be programs on meditation, acupuncture, insects and painting in the new space, said Rita Hamlet, the development specialist in charge of the quarter-acre garden. A variety of programs during the grand opening will showcase the garden space’s offerings.

A donated object from the original nursery rhyme-themed park, part of the inventory rescued by Martha Ann Clark of Clark’s Elioak Farm, will be unveiled as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. May 12.

“We are trendsetters and always innovative,” said Hamlet. She expects libraries elsewhere to embrace Howard County’s concept by adding gardens.

While some observers contend that brick-and-mortar libraries are falling out of favor as e-readers and online research gain in popularity, that isn’t happening locally, she said.

The library’s two-day opening weekend Dec. 17-18 drew 7,000 visitors to the $29.7 million facility, said library spokesperson Christie Lassen.

With an average of 2,600 daily visits to the county’s largest library branch since it opened four months ago, the staff pays little heed to predictions that libraries will go the way of video rental stores, Lassen said.

“Libraries are in a transition phase beyond our collections of books and resources,” observed Hamlet, a trained cartographer who parlayed a passion for community gardens and volunteer work at the Howard County Conservancy into a position specially created to oversee the project.

“We are becoming more experiential,” she said.

Also at the event, the winning name will be revealed for the metal frog that sits on a boulder at the head of the garden’s meandering man-made stream, Lassen said. Visitors used computer touch screens at kiosks inside the library to propose 4,000 names, and staff voted on the final choice.

The human-size sculpture is made of copper, brass and stainless steel, and was created by Charles and Zan Smith, a father-and-son team from South Carolina. A second sculpture by the Smiths of an adult frog reading to its child sits at the library’s entrance. Both were donated by the Friends of the Howard County Library.

Master gardeners from the county’s University of Maryland Extension, who Hamlet said have been invaluable as consultants, workers and teachers, will be on hand as tour guides and will answer questions and give demonstrations on composting and using rain barrels.

“Part of the joy of the Enchanted Garden is seeing the plants and the conditions in which they’re growing,” said Georgia Eacker, master-gardener coordinator. “We’ve assembled a lot of instruction on a small scale to help with planting design and environmental issues.”

Drought-resistant native plants will fill most of the landscaped plots in the fenced-in garden, Hamlet said. These include blue amsonia and Joe Pye weed, and redbud, sweet gum, magnolia and holly trees. Columbine planted near a window in the children’s section inside the building will attract hummingbirds.

There will also be raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. To avoid the risk of frost, some planting will be done the morning of the grand opening, Hamlet said.

Specialty gardens have been set up to feature plants favored by Peter Rabbit or related to herbal healing, stir fry and pizza — the latter mapped out with landscaping timbers like a sliced pizza pie.

First lady Michelle Obama hasn’t yet agreed to give the staff a list of her family’s favorite fresh foods, to be grown in a raised bed that’s been reserved for the White House Kitchen Garden, so that planter remains empty for now.

And while it’s unlikely that will happen before the grand opening, Hamlet still has reason to believe the first lady will be in touch.

Obama travels around the country with her “Let’s Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity, Hamlet said, which ties in nicely with the library’s goal to use the garden to “help kids learn what healthy eating really is.”

And the first lady is about to release a book titled “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens across America.” The book will detail the 2009 creation of fruit, vegetable and herb plots on the South Lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Perfect timing, Hamlet pointed out.

“We’ve been in communication with the White House,” Hamlet said, “and we’re still hopeful.”

There are a few spaces for handprint tiles remaining a week before the ceremony, Hamlet said. Those age 18 and younger can put their first name, handprint and age on a tile for $100 during the grand opening, and their artwork will permanently adorn low walls on either side of the garden entrance. Pavers engraved with individual or family names are also available for $250. Proceeds from both fundraisers will be used for garden upkeep, Hamlet said.

Black-eyed Susan seed packets will be distributed to the first 500 patrons. Children will also be able to plant a seed in a peat cup that can be taken home and planted, cup and all. Stories will be read aloud from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and scavenger hunts will be held all afternoon.

The idea of constructing teaching gardens at the county’s other branches has been discussed, Hamlet noted, though no decision has been reached. Oasis Design Group and Live Green Landscape Associates created the space at the Miller branch.

“We are working to make the library an even more central part of the community” than it already is, Hamlet said. “Even in a down economy, we have been expanding.”

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The salmon flower opening in the Engleman prickly pear and the stalk of crimson firecracker blooms on a red yucca invalidate misconceptions about water-smart gardens.

A water-conserving landscape doesn’t have to be a sun-bleached and solitary cactus poking up through a blanket of sterile rocks, and the garden at the Virgin Valley Water District’s (VVWD’s) administration building proves that with beauty and function.

Instead of forbidding spiky plants, the water district’s water-smart landscape features the soft gray-green of a fruitless olive, the green bark and yellow blooms of a Desert Museum palo verde and the tangerine flowers of globe mallows.

William “Pete” Peterson, VVWD water conservation expert, has been working on the garden for more than a year, from the planning stages to the final stages.

“We started with the idea, got bids (for the landscape installation) and then got (VVWD) board permission,” Peterson said. “I think it’s turning out nicely. It should be completed in another week or two.”

Peterson still has some plant identification signs to place and some solar lighting to include, but the bulk of his work is done and the garden is open for business.

“We decided, when we were talking about conservation, to give some examples of plants that save water but still have an attractive landscape,” Peterson said. “We asked for ideas from landscapers and they gave us plenty. We wanted to keep the front side (of the property) Sonoran style, but we went with a Mediterranean look along the side.”

There are plants, such as cacti, that literally need no water, and the entire garden “uses very little water,” Peterson said.

When the project is complete, all plants will have signs identifying them and will be assigned a number that will correspond to specific cultural information included on sheets located inside the water district office.

“We’ll also have complete landscaping layouts that will be available,” Peterson said. “We have pool-friendly layouts, for example. People can ask me questions and I’ll be glad to answer them.”

On the tip of Balboa Peninsula, where multimillion-dollar homes sit snug against the sand and the legendary waves draw crowds of bodysurfers, an unlikely battle is taking shape.

At the center are the lawns, lounge chairs, hedges and playground equipment — even a rusty metal shark sculpture — that for years have sprawled out from oceanfront homes onto the public sand.

It’s all illegal, says the state of California, which has ordered homeowners along some of Orange County’s most coveted coastline to rip out the landscaping, sprinklers and all the other upgrades that have crept steadily seaward.

PHOTOS: Encroaching onto public sand

The order from the state Coastal Commission reignites the perennial clash between the government and homeowners up and down the coast who have sought to claim the sand next to their homes and, in so doing, given visitors the impression that the public beach is their private backyard.

Some of the incursions are extensive. There are full lawns, stone walkways, flower beds, fire pits, birdbaths and colorful displays of cactuses and succulents extending far beyond the public property line. Fences and irrigation systems have been installed, landscapers brought in, gardeners hired. At night, some yards are illuminated with outdoor lights.

When Newport Beach put up “public welcome” signs several years ago to remind people whom the beach really belonged to, most disappeared in the middle of the night.

“I insisted on those signs being up because I think it’s intimidating to the public to see a lawn and a lawn chair and not realize that that’s still the public’s land,” City Manager Dave Kiff said. “And the public has a right to throw a picnic blanket on it and have a picnic.”

Some neighbors said they are mobilizing as a community and hiring a lawyer to fight the crackdown.

One woman, a longtime resident who — like others here — declined to give her name for fear of retribution from the Coastal Commission, said the plot of grass she maintains on the public beach protects her home from blowing sand and shields her from beachgoers.

“We know it’s not our property, but there’s really no reason whatsoever to make us take the grass away. It’s nothing,” she said. “There’s so much beach already that anyone can walk on.”

Others called it a trivial matter for state involvement, but coastal officials don’t think so.

Though each shrub and flower pot on its own may seem inconsequential, together they block off a substantial amount of public beach, said Charles Lester, executive director of the Coastal Commission.

“So it requires vigilance, monitoring and action to protect the public’s space,” he said. “There’s always an inherent tension between private and public space on the shoreline.”

It has been a recurring problem, particularly in those parts of Southern California where homes sit right next to the sand, with no barriers to curb the temptation to push out onto the sand.

In neighborhoods like Venice and the peninsula in Long Beach, the agency’s past warnings — which can threaten fines of up to $15,000 a day — have persuaded property owners to yank out their offending plantings.

On other occasions, residents have dug in their heels. In 1999, some homeowners on San Diego’s Mission Beach faced misdemeanor criminal charges for refusing to remove walls, fences and other obstacles.

Coastal Commission officials said they began their Newport Beach investigation last year after receiving complaints. They started sending letters to property owners in February, focusing only on the lawns and gardens that displace large swaths of public beach.

“These seem to be cropping up more and more out there and we seem to be losing more beach,” said Andrew Willis, an enforcement analyst for the agency. “It seems that these are proliferating, becoming more extensive and taking on more of the characteristics of private property than a public beach.”

Kelly Chashai, owner of Down to Earth Gardens and Nursery, says enforcement at the municipal level is not enough. She hopes the province bans the sale of pesticides altogether, as several other provinces have done, including Ontario. The B.C. government set up a Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides last year and its members are expected to submit their recommendations this month.

“Banning the use of pesticides is one thing, but if people are still allowed to sell them, then it sends a mixed message,” she said.

Victoria city staff also try to lead by example, using two environmentally sensitive products to adhere to the bylaw.

Topgun “looks like soap,” said Bernard Hopcraft, the city’s horticulture supervisor. He and his crews also use Ecoclear, a mixture of acetic and citric acids that are the components of vinegar and lemon juice. The product is sprayed onto the weed directly and will only kill what it touches.

It “smells like fish and chips,” said Hopcraft. “At one time, we relied on herbicides like Roundup. It’s not a particularly dangerous pesticide, but it’s one that we’re not allowed to use.”

Planning a garden properly can help prevent weed problems before they start, said Michelle Gorman, integrated pest management co-ordinator for the City of Victoria. Tips include using healthy soil that is fertilized with organic compost; strategically placing plants in dry and sunny areas, rather than in wet and shady areas; and using raised flower beds to avoid clay, which makes growing a challenge.

Gorman’s staff regularly hold workshops to teach people a range of techniques to reduce weeds, including pruning, watering and mulching.

Hopcraft and his crew select drought to lerant plants, which reduces the need for watering. That’s important, because the overall workload has increased, since they can no longer use pesticides to get rid of pesky weeds. Now they have to ensure plants are strong and healthy to help fight off weeds.

“We realize this is the way things are done now and we have to adapt to gardening in a world where we can’t use the pesticides that we’ve come to depend on,” Hopcraft said.

Eco-friendly landscapers say that extra work puts them at a disadvantage next to competitors who can offer lower prices because they still use chemicals, especially without an outright ban throughout the region.

“Guys who aren’t organic usually win, if it’s all about the dollars,” said Chashai. “It would be nice to have everyone playing the same game. [A provincial ban] would even out the playing field.”

Despite the municipal bans, Chashai still sees other landscapers still using pesticides, which allows them to keep costs down and get more contracts, because organic methods take longer and cost more.

Scott Jackson, who owns Scott’s Gardening and Landscaping, is also frustrated by the rules in different municaplities, although he’d prefer to be able to use pesticides throughout the region.

His employees are well trained in chemical pesticide use, but when they do jobs in any of the four communities that banned them, they have to pull weeds rather than blast them with chemicals.