Park City, IL, May 06, 2012 –(PR.com)– Two residential landscape projects by Heynssens and Grassman, Inc. have won top awards from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), in the professional association’s annual awards competition. The firm has earned 9 awards in the last 10 years for design, installation, and landscape maintenance services.

Both of the award-winning projects by Heynssens + Grassman showcase the growing trend toward no-lawn landscaping; taking out underused lawns in urban and suburban yards in order to develop interactive outdoor living areas and landscape amenities that can be used throughout the seasons.

The no-lawn landscaping trend is especially appealing to empty-nesters and other homeowners who see their landscapes as extensions of the home’s living areas, but with enhanced durability, aesthetics, and lifestyle features built in. Because lawn areas usually comprise a good portion of a residential lot, re-claiming that space for other uses can offer many possibilities for outdoor entertaining or re-connecting with nature.

Although stylistically different, both award-winning projects were complete front-to-back renovations of infill properties which required creative solutions for stormwater drainage, privacy concerns, tree preservation, as well as skillful arrangements of each homeowners’ lists of amenities. The Glencoe project has an international flair with clean, contemporary lines, textural planting schemes, and smooth stone paving in muted tones of grays and taupe. The home’s panorama of windows look out to a raised pool and spa, cook station, firepit, and several art installations.

The Winnetka project began with the tear-down of the former house. The newly built home completed in 2009 won a Preservation Award from the Village for its compatibility with the neighborhood context; the site-specific design that takes advantage of light, views, and orientation; as well as its seamless integration with the outdoors. Among the many clever attributes, Heynssens + Grassman created a vintage two-track brick driveway with a mosaic of sedums planted in the center strip that would allow rain water to percolate down, instead of running off into municipal storm sewers. A large brick and stone patio, lush, colorful gardens, and a circular path around a decorative urn are other key features in the rear of the property.

Led by the husband and wife design team of Chris Heynssens and Rene (Grassman) Heynssens, the firm is also celebrating their 25th year in business as landscape architects and contractors on Chicago’s northshore.

The Company
Heynssens + Grassman is a full-service landscape company offering design, installation and maintenance of properties throughout Chicago’s northshore communities. The firm is a long-standing member of the ILCA, the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce. In addition to earning many awards honors their work has been featured in the Garden Conservancy’s summer tours, Architectural Digest magazine, Chicagoland Gardening, West Suburban Living, and other publications.

The ILCA Awards
Judged by a diverse panel of out-of-state landscape professionals and educators, the ILCA’s award-winning projects showcase some of the Chicago area’s most beautiful public and private gardens and outdoor spaces. The public is invited to view the traveling photo exhibition featuring all gold-award winning projects as it rotates between venues such as the Merchandise Mart, Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Cantigny, Chicago Flower Garden Show, Klehm Arboretum in Rockford, Oak Park Conservatory, as well as quality retail garden centers. Website: www.ilca.net

Contact: Rene Heynssens, Principal, Heynssens + Grassman, Inc.
Phone: 847-360-0440
Website: www.hglandscape.com
Email: rene@hglandscape.com

The 16th Mansion in May, presented by the Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center, is “a showcase of design inspirations of the area’s top interior and landscape designers, and open to the public every day in May 2012.”

Westfield-based landscape architect, Gregg Spadaro, president of LAND Identity, LLC, has been distinguished as one of only 17 premier landscape designers across the state of New Jersey to be featured in the “Mansion in May 2012” in Morristown, New Jersey.

Spadaro is a licensed Landscape Architect in six states, with over 13 years of professional experience. His firm specializes in both residential and commercial design. LAND Identity, LLC provides a full range of services from planting, lighting and irrigation design, to grading, drainage, and construction management.

This year’s Mansion in May event returned the 1913 Glynallyn estate to its former glory. In keeping with the period’s rich architectural history and detail, Gregg Spadaro designed space #15, The Tudor Rose Garden, to compliment the 32,000 square-foot Tudor-style castle.

The space features a circular sunken garden and a seven foot diameter fountain found at the heart of its namesake Tudor Rose. Natural stone pathways utilize stonework similar to that found on the façade of the grand castle and are accented with brick salvaged from the existing walkways. Arbors featuring Tudor arches help to define the entry points into the garden.

Steve Sylvestro, award-winning pool builder and owner of Crystal Pool Spa, Inc., (http://www.crystalpoolandspainc.com) brought life to the space by introducing five illuminated water jets that arc from the points of the Tudor Rose into the central fountain.

Mo Soliman, of Curb Appeal Design, LLC, ([ http://www.curbappealdesign.biz]www.curbappealdesign.biz) was the lead contractor for the space. He and his team supplied all labor and materials associated with the gardens, walkway, retaining walls, arbors, landscaping and lighting. If not for the skilled craftsmanship of Curb Appeal Design, LLC, the beautiful design plan would not have come to fruition.

Learn more at [ www.LANDIdentity.com%20 ] http://www.LANDIdentity.com or purchase tickets to tour the Glynallyn estate and gardens at http://www.mansioninmay.org,

The Gustavsons’ home is run on pragmatism and surrounded by flowers.

It’s on a corner in the Swan Lake neighborhood where the plant life ranges from magnolias and spice bushes to beautyberry and aster.

Grass is scant at the Gustavsons’. Up an incline, amid leaves and blossoms and blades of ornamental grass, their small house is visible.

This kind of beauty looks like it takes a lot of time and effort, but Kevin Gustavson is not into dedicating hours upon hours to landscaping maintenance work.

“We’re not the folks who go out in the middle of the night and put up the sprinklers,” said Britta, Gustavson’s wife.

Turning problems into assets

When the couple was considering the property, Kevin Gustavson said the prospect of having to mow a lawn that large made him hesitate. Rather than being daunted, he turned the big yard into a huge asset.

Gustavson modified the outdoor space, piece by piece, utilizing rain gardens.

According to the Blue Thumb Rain Garden Guide, part of a program for which Gustavson serves as technical outreach coordinator, a rain garden is a planted depression that is positioned to capture rainwater from small storms. The water is absorbed into the soil, instead of sluicing into a storm sewer. Rather than a carpet of grass, Gustavson envisioned something like the woods, with diversity and natural dips in the land where rain collects.

If it saves money, helps the environment and creates a livable space for his family, Gustavson is interested in doing what achieves this end.

Outside of his professional life, as an environmental science college professor, Gustavson is an environmentalist. He and his wife devote conversations to the plants they’re growing, the insect life they’re supporting and the value of the natural habitat they are maintaining.

And although the plants and wildlife can be impressive aesthetically, the couple said the choice to invest in a nativescape and build the rain gardens wasn’t so much for beauty’s sake – not at first, at least. In addition to Gustavson’s uninterest in mowing or edging a lawn, one big motivator was the water seeping into the home’s basement. Gustavson said water would wash off the neighbor’s roof and sometimes run downslope to his house and flow into basement windows.

Adapting the flow

It was Gustavson’s work on watershed projects in Michigan that gave him the ideas about rain gardens. The gardens would solve the basement issues and put what would be wasted rainwater to use.

A rain garden typically hinges upon three parts: a depression, a berm and an outlet. The depressions are the areas Gustavson dug out to capture the water. The berm, a man-made earthwork created with dips and rises, is what channels the rainwater, diverting it toward the garden. An outlet, typically created with rocks, breaks the flow of water and prevents flooding during heavy rain.

The work of creating rain gardens is something of an art, but it is largely a science. Gustavson had to study the flow of water on his property before he could determine how to transform trouble zones into opportunities.

In the front of the house, a berm is placed in such a way that water from a downspout flows through a slight trench and travels clean across a slanted sidewalk into one of the gardens.

Two gates lead in and out of the backyard. At one of them is a path Gustavson created, under which a downspout is buried. During construction of one of the rain gardens, he ensured the downspout would empty into a depression where plants grow. It is a perfect environment for irises.

And near the basement, where water once washed in, Gustavson made window wells bordered by brick and then redistributed the soil in that area – more up against the house, grading down to a lower area that slopes toward the backyard. The result: Now water flows gently to the backyard and eventually into one of the family’s rain gardens in the back.

Tour lends inspiration

When rainwater runs through a lawn, into the street and ultimately to a stream, it carries fertilizer, pesticide and whatever else has been applied to the ground with it, Gustavson said. The result of the latter is the increased growth of blue-green algae, known as pond scum. Generally more of a nuisance than anything else, the naturally occurring bacteria can produce toxins and be poisonous to humans.

Gustavson works with the Oklahoma Conservancy Commission. He is concerned about water quality and its implications for living organisms, so naturally, the insects and animals that find their way to the family’s yards are welcomed.

On a recent weekend, Gustavson took careful steps into one of the gardens in search of insects. His efforts were rewarded with the discovery of a small black caterpillar perched on the edge of a part-eaten leaf.

It was perhaps this love of wildlife, nature and gardening that the Gustavsons share that sent them on a wildlife habitat tour of homes with nativescapes some years ago. The idea of using hardy plants in their own landscaping inspired the couple.

“We were exposed to more and more ideas of how to design our gardens by going on the tour and were exposed to new native plants,” Gustavson said.

He was all too happy to get rid of the grass in the front yard, on the sides of the house and in the strip of lawn between the curb and sidewalk. Some of the grass Gustavson replaced with frog fruit, an ornamental plant often used as groundcover.

“The neighbors called him the sod buster,” Britta Gustavson said. Kevin Gustavson did leave some grass however, for the couple’s daughter, Svea, to play.

Adding value to life

The initial time spent in research and construction has yielded results, the couple said. Because the gardens are saturated with rain, instead of a hose, there’s no need to consume additional municipal water, making for a smaller utility bill. Without that large carpet of grass, there’s no need to burn gasoline with a lawnmower.

The Gustavsons emphasize the importance of finding plants that adjust to the environment when constructing a rain garden. The plants that work well are ones that love moisture but also can withstand dry conditions. Firmly establishing any garden takes time and trial and error.

But this was something the Gustavsons were willing to try. They love their home and the neighborhood it is in – its history, walkability and diversity. Wanting only to add value to their way of life, making the time and resources – natural and otherwise – well-spent, the Gustavsons weigh a number of priorities when making their decisions.

“We love and want to preserve the historic nature of the house,” Gustavson said, “but we also want it to be safe for our daughter, comfortable for us and sustainable for the environment.”

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Learn more about rain gardens

The Tulsa Garden Center will hold a class on rain gardens starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the center’s auditorium, 2435 S. Peoria Ave.

One of the newest trends in landscaping, a rain garden is a planted depression that is positioned to capture rainwater from small storms. These gardens reduce water runoff from landscapes and ultimately into nearby streams and allow what water is captured to be soaked in by the garden’s soil. Rain gardens not only help the environment, but they also cut down on energy consumption, said Kevin Gustavson, who will instruct the class.

Gustavson will cover where to locate a rain garden, how to properly size it for your landscape, how deep it needs to be and how to build one.

The lecture is $10 for nonmembers of the garden center and $8 for members. Advance registration is required.

For more information, call 918-746-5125 or visit tulsaworld.com/tgc

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Growing a rain garden

When you’re planning a rain garden, you want to bring in plants that will suit the purpose of such a landscape. Gustavson recommends choosing plants that can tolerate wet but also drought conditions. Many times these are native plants but not necessarily.

A few plants great for rain gardens include:

• Purple coneflower

• Spicebush

• Aster

• Iris

• American beautyberry

• Swamp milkweed

• Sedge

• Perennial Plumbago

• Daylily

• Joe-Pye weed

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The Gustavsons’ garden will be featured on this year’s Tulsa Audubon Society’s Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour, which runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 and noon to 5 p.m. May 20.

For more information, visit tulsaworld.com/tulsaaudubon

Original Print Headline: Garden that gives back

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Bravetta Hassell 918-581-8316

bravetta.hassell@tulsaworld.com

Many Colorado municipalities are limiting water use this spring and summer. But with smart water use and proper plant selection, KUNC Gardener Tom Throgmorton says gardening is still a worthwhile endeavor.

The Denver water board is implementing watering restrictions.  The perception is that with limited water it isn’t worth gardening or landscaping this season.  With water conservation we can have our gardens and eat them too.

Part of the reason we were drawn to our communities is the lovely Colorado landscapes.  Cities have beautiful parks and public plantings.  School districts have landscaped buildings and ample athletic fields.  We all enjoy our green neighborhoods.  Because of the potential drought we don’t have to let all of this die.

With a little sacrifice, we can save a lot of water.  Our neighborhood lawns and greenbelts don’t have to be emerald green.  Smart water use can maintain healthy plants even in the driest of years.

Train lawns beginning in the spring to have deep roots. Instead of leaving a sprinkler in one area, cycle the sprinkler.  Divide the twenty minutes into two sets of ten minutes or even four sets of five minutes.  Cycling pushes the water and the roots deeper. 

Aerating and mowing to keep the grass two and a half to three inches long will use less water.  Even with proper maintenance there are areas of lawn that are just too hard to maintain.  Eliminate them and put the right plant or hardscape in.

We grow a lot of flowers and herbs in containers.  Use polymers in flowerpots.  Polymers are gels that hold water and release it slowly.   They can be blended into the container soil.  With polymers the plants will need watered less often.  Polymers in the vegetable garden soil will help use less water there. 

A drip system for shrub and perennial beds would also save water.  A drip system gets the water right to the plant’s root zone.  The system can be as simple as a hose with holes in it.  Or it can be specialized tubing with special drip heads for each plant type.  As the plant grows the drip system needs to be adjusted.  But an adjusted drip system keeps the right amount of water in the right place for the plant.   

Conserve water outside and we can still have our beautiful gardens and landscapes.

 

tom@throgmortonplantmanagement.com

What is that growing again this year along our highways, streets and roads, in our parks, forests and home landscapes? Sadly, the correct answer is “invasive weeds.”

Cheatgrass seeds arrived in the U.S. from Eurasia centuries ago and in Flagstaff in the early 1900s. Many more species were accidentally or intentionally introduced, and they’re still thriving in private and public landscapes and providing fuel to wildfires. Museum of Northern Arizona’s herbarium collection has specimens of invasive weeds, including Common mullein, Cheatgrass, Field bindweed and Foxtail barley grass, dating back as early as 1915.

Invasive weeds steal water and nutrients from native species, out-compete natives by blocking out the sun’s rays, and reduce biodiversity. They crowd out natives, establishing mono-cultures which spread aggressively. Complete native ecosystems have been destroyed. Tamarisk has taken over riverbanks, altering the soil chemistry making it difficult for natives to survive, and because tamarisk is more flammable than native willows or cottonwoods, it introduces wildfires to riparian areas that are not adapted to fire.

The public’s fight against invasive weeds has a long and productive history in Flagstaff. When I first arrived here in 2004, I saw a specimen of Dalmatian toadflax and a hand-written note hanging on a sign at Buffalo Park encouraging walkers to pull it. Since then, longtime residents have told me the population of Dalmatian toadflax is now substantially reduced. I’ve seen lots of evidence of passing weed warriors along FUTS and forest trails. One woman I recently met adopted 2 miles along Townsend-Winona Road and pulls invasives every year! That’s dedication.

It’s important to note that there are native species that can be confused with non-native species, so if you’re not sure, check twice before you pull. For example, native purple-flowered Wheeler thistle and red-flowered Arizona thistle have smooth, round stems. Non-native thistle stems usually have nasty spiny-wings, which can inflict seriously painful damage to the skin.

A docent at The Arboretum at Flagstaff has good advice for anyone who wants to eradicate invasives. He said, “Get ’em while they’re young and easier to pull.” Following this advice, 19 volunteers for Grand Canyon Trust, AZ Native Plant Society, Museum of Northern Arizona and Master Gardener’s recently participated in a weed pull at Pioneer Museum to remove young Diffuse knapweed rosettes. This is our third year at this location, and results have been astounding. Not that we’re done, of course! Work will continue for years because more seeds are waiting in the soil to germinate. However, control will require fewer and fewer workdays. We have already seen increased populations of beautiful native Scarlet gilia, Penstemon and Geraniums. Success!

If you would like to participate in a weed pull along Fort Valley Road today or on June 9, or volunteer for the Vegetation Program at Grand Canyon or for other Grand Canyon Trust projects, visit to their website at www.gcvolunteers.org. You’ll be glad you did.

Master Gardener Association’s blog at coconinomgassociation@blogspot.com frequently announces upcoming volunteer activities also.

Dedicated volunteers have spent years in collaboration with the city removing Scotch thistle from Picture Canyon and restoring its wetlands. www.friendsoftheriodeflag.org has information on this and other volunteer Rio projects.

For years, another group has pulled Scotch and Bull thistles at Logan’s Crossing, a well-loved area for bird watchers. Contact WeedWarrior1@live.com to participate.

One way to keep those invasive weeds out of the landscape is to plant more native species. What fun this can be! With this goal in mind, on June 11 through 13 and Aug. 6 through 8, AZ Native Plant Society will offer two non-credit native plant workshops. Each will include information on identifying native plants and invasive weeds, controlling weeds and landscaping with natives. There will be field trips to practice our identification skills and to visit local gardens. Registration is through Coconino Community College at 526-7654. Class size is limited to 10.

You will find helpful information on identification and control of many common high-elevation invasive weeds at http://extension.arizon.edu/coconino-master-gardener-2012-home-and-garden-show-powerpoints.

English author John Heywood said, “Many hands make light work.” That’s true when it comes to weeds. Please consider becoming a “Weed Wizard” and make those weeds disappear!

Dorothy Lamm, a Master Gardener, is a member and a volunteer at the Native Plant Society and the Grand Canyon Trust. Her email address is lammdory@gmail.com. Dana Prom Smith edits Gardening Etcetera. His email address is stpauls@npgcable.com. His blog is http://highcountrygardener.blogspot.com.

It’s all go in the veg garden, with leeks, beans, courgettes and squash to be
planted. But warmer soil and longer days also give weeds a mighty boost. So
hoe regularly and tackle perennial nasties with a weedkiller such as Roundup
Gel. It’s ideal for sorting out those pesky weeds hiding in your flowerbeds
and veg plot. Just dab it on and wave weeds goodbye.

Get out and about

All work and no play makes a dull garden. So make a point this weekend of
visiting a garden or a plant fair. Other people’s gardens are always a fund
of good ideas. Our great woodland gardens at this time of year are a sight
to lift the spirits: Exbury, near Southampton, Plas Newydd in Anglesey,
Cragside in Northumberland, Abbotsbury near Weymouth and the great Cornish
gardens such as Glendurgan, Trewithen and Trewidden are all spectacular in
May.

And when you’ve had your fill of rhododendrons, catch the wisteria at Iford
(Wiltshire), irises at Newby Hall (North Yorkshire) and the glorious bog
garden at Dorset’s magical Forde Abbey.If plant buying is on your agenda, a
specialist plant fair is the place to find more unusual and interesting
varieties.

Failing that, the Plant Finder and the Nursery Finder, both online at rhs.org.uk,
will help you track down local nurseries where you will find not only
lovingly grown plants at the keenest prices, but also good advice on how to
grow them.

Fairs and plant sales

May 5: Dawyck Bring and Buy Plant Sale, Dawyck Botanic Garden, nr
Peebles, EH45 9JU.
11am-4pm. Normal garden admission applies: £5.50, children £1.
01721 760 254; rbge.org.uk

May 5-7: Hertfordshire Garden Show, Knebworth House, Stevenage, SG3
6PY.
Exhibitors include Hampton Court and Chelsea participants. 10am-5pm. £8.
01438 812661; knebworthhouse.com

May 5-7: Spring Craft and Design Fair, RHS Rosemoor, Devon, EX38 8PH.
Items for home and garden, made by West Country craftsmen. 10am-4pm. Normal
garden admission applies.
01805 626800; rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor

May 5-7: Southend Spring Garden Show, Garon Park, Southend, Essex.
‘How to’ zone, landscaping advice, local nurseries, shopping. £6.50.
01702 549623; aztecevents.co.uk

May 5-7: Orchid Show at Raby Castle, near Darlington, DL2 3AH.
Displays of rare and exotic varieties and advice on easy-to-grow orchids.
11am-5pm. £6.
www.rabycastle.com

May 5-7: Tulip Festival at Glenarm Castle, Ballymena, BT44 0BQ.
Some 8,500 tulips have been planted as a backdrop for the festival. Expert
advice from Bloms Bulbs. Sat and Mon,10am-5pm; Sun, 12-6pm. £6.
028 2884 1022; glenarmcastle.com

May 6-7: Plant Hunters’ Fair at Weston Park, Shropshire, TF11 8LE.
Set among 1,000 acres of Capability Brown parkland. Specialist nurseries,
guided bluebell walks, gardening clinic, beekeeping advice. 10am-5pm. £2.50.
01952 852100; planthuntersfairs.co.uk

May 6-7: Plant sale and open gardens. Eastcombe, nr Stroud, GL6 7DS.
NCCPG plant sale, Eastcombe village hall. 2-6pm. Garden admission: £5, plant
sale free.

May 7: Grand Plant Fair at Longstock Nursery, near Stockbridge, SO20
6EH.
Nurseries, members’ plants, food stalls. 10am-4pm. £4, children free.
01264 810894; longstocknursery.co.uk

Exhibitions

From Another Kingdom National Botanic Garden of Wales, Llanarthne, SA32
8HG.
The fascinating world of fungi. Until Feb 28, 2013. 10am-6pm. Garden
admission: £8.50, children £4.50.
gardenofwales.org.uk

In Search of the Blue Poppy Benmore Botanic Garden, Argyll, PA23 8QU.
Photographs from the mountains of Bhutan. Until June 29. 10.30am-4.30pm.
Garden admission: £5.50, children £1.
rbge.org.uk

Garden Open Today: 300 years of garden visiting. Garden Museum,
Lambeth, London SE1 7LB.
Our love affair with other people’s gardens. Till June 24. 10.30-4pm. £7.50,
under 16s free. 2-for-1 entry to National Trust members. Also, May 5 only:
Cottage Garden Society Exhibition.
gardenmuseum.org.uk

Yellow Book Gardens

Details of gardens to visit at ngs.org.uk

May 5:

Bryan’s Ground, nr Stapleton, Presteigne, Herefordshire, LD8 2LP.
An eight-acre Arts and Crafts garden offers a sunken garden, formal potager,
pools and parterres, colour borders and a Sulking House. 2-5pm.

Lamorran House, St Mawes, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 5BZ.
Four-acre garden by Falmouth Bay with southern hemisphere and Mediterranean
plants. 10am-5pm.

May 6:

Firvale Allotment Garden, Harthill, nr Worksop, Yorkshire, S26 7YN.
See the National Collection of Euphorbias. 1-4pm.

Moat House, Little Saxham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP29 5LE.
Two-acre, partially moated site with sunken garden, rose and clematis arbours.
1-5pm.

Slape Manor, Netherbury, Dorset, DT6 5LH.
Valley garden with primula-fringed streams down to lake. Magnificent hostas
and rhododendrons. 2-6pm.

Petersham House, Petersham, London, TW10 7AG.
Country garden adjoining a nursery. 11am-5pm.

Ty’r Gawen, Llanegryn, Gwynedd, LL36 9UF.
Cottage gardens and semi-wild areas. 11.30am-5.30pm.

Netherhall Manor, Soham, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5AB.
See Old English tulips in this fine garden. 2-5pm.

May 7:

12 Ansell Road, Ecclesall, Sheffield, S11 7PE.
Established in the Thirties, a living example of an interwar garden. 11am-5pm.

Sunningdale Park, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 0QE.
Twenty acres of Capability Brown-style garden with lakeside and woodland
walks. 2-5pm.

King John’s Lodge, Etchingham, Sussex, TN19 7AZ.
Romantic site with moats, wild gardens and elegant formal areas. 11am-5pm
(also Sunday).

We’re giving away three Roundup Weedkiller Gels every week, enter now for your
chance to fast track your way to a weed-free garden.

Enter
to win new Roundup Weedkiller Gel here

Saturday: MorGreen Nursery and Landscape Free Seminar on “Gardening in Small Spaces and on a Budget”: 10:30 a.m. at 468 U.S. 72 W., Collierville. Led by landscape designer Greg Pope. Call (901) 853-9877. morgreenlandscape.com

Saturday: Spring Speaker Series at Millstone Market Nursery: 11 a.m. at 6993 Poplar, Germantown. Lowell Lott, master gardener, botanist and chemist, discusses practical aspects of urban farming and container vegetable gardening. Urban soil conditions discussed, as well as best seeds and plants to try for the beginner. (901) 730-1183. millstonenursery.com

Saturday: Plant Sale and Food Samples: Noon-5 p.m. at Miss Cordelias, 737 Harbor Bend on Mud Island. Herbs, blooming plants, container gardens for sale with food to sample and purchase. Nancy Morrow with Green Mansions available to answer gardening questions. Michael Wayt of Landscape Works speaks at 3 p.m. on landscaping, water gardening in small areas. (901) 274-7818.

Saturday, Wednesday and May 16 and 20: Memphis Chapter, Tenn. Ornithology Society: Birdwatching events.

Saturday: Field trip to Overton Park. Meet 7:30 a.m. at East Parkway (Pavilion). Call (901) 274-1045.

Wednesday: Field trip, Shelby Forest State Park. Meet 7:30 a.m. at park headquarters. Call (901) 876-3337.

May 16: Chapter meeting 7 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 2425 S. Germantown Road. Program: “Mysterious Night-herons of Midtown Memphis” with speakers Dick Preston and Andrea Cowart.

May 20: Field trip, Wapanocca NWR in Turrell, Ark. Meet at 8 a.m. at refuge headquarters. Call (901) 725-7640.

May 12: Mid-South Hosta Society Plant Sale and Garden Tour:9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 7374 Abercrombie Lane (at Cotton Plant Road near Southeast Germantown). More than 1,200 hostas, companion plants available. Call (901) 230-0230.

May 15: Memphis Bonsai Society: 7 p.m. meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Bring your own tree(s) to work on and/or solicit aid in styling, pruning and trimming. Guests are welcome.

May 17, 24 and June 14: UT Extension-Tipton County Free Brown Bag Programs: 5-6 p.m. At 111 W. Washington, Covington, Tenn. Call (901) 476-0231. May 17: “How to Maintain a Healthy Lawn” — Booker T. Leigh; May 24: “Questions and Answers on Rose Care — Vernon Pairmire, master gardener; June 14: “Creating a Pollinator Garden” — Sheri Rose, master gardener.

May 18-20: Memphis Orchid Society Show and Sale: Noon-5 p.m. May 18 (sale only); 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 19 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 20 (exhibit and sale). Memphis Botanic Garden. Free admission and parking.

May 19: Garden Jumble Tag Sale: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Agricenter Showplace Arena. Free admission. Gently used tools, books, outdoor furniture, yard art, planters, seedlings and more. Call (901) 752-1207. memphisareamastergardeners.org

May 19: Memphis Cactus and Succulent Society: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Free with admission. Call (901) 681-0700. memphisareamastergardeners.org

E-mail event information to fason@commercialappeal.com.

EVANSVILLE —
Rows of spotted, multicolored plants from regions local and exotic line a greenhouse at Evansville’s Mesker Park Zoo Botanic Garden where they are examined daily by the critical eye of Paul Bouseman, the zoo’s botanical curator.

“These plants make the zoo look beautiful, but they are also an opportunity for education for all kinds of visitors to the zoo,” Bouseman said. “Families can walk through here and develop ideas or look at plants they want to purchase and take home with them.”

Many people will use this weekend’s Bloomin’ Zoo Garden Festival to some of Bouseman’s rare and unusual plants home with them.

Photo by Erin McCracken

ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER PRESS
Paul Bouseman, botanical curator, at Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden carries plants out of the greenhouse Thursday morning as they prepare for this weekend’s 11th annual Bloomin’ Zoo Garden Festival and Plant Sale. Many of the rare and unusual plant varieties seen around the grounds of Mesker Park will be available for sale to members and the public this weekend. About 3,000 plants and trees will be offered to zoo members only on Friday evening and the public Saturday and Sunday inside the entrance at the zoo.

Photo by Erin McCracken

ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER PRESS
Paul Bouseman, botanical curator, at Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden carries plants out of the greenhouse Thursday morning as they prepare for this weekend’s 11th annual Bloomin’ Zoo Garden Festival and Plant Sale. Many of the rare and unusual plant varieties seen around the grounds of Mesker Park will be available for sale to members and the public this weekend. About 3,000 plants and trees will be offered to zoo members only on Friday evening and the public Saturday and Sunday inside the entrance at the zoo.

Photo by Erin McCracken

ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER PRESS
Misty Minar, horticulturist at Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden, navigates through the greenhouse Thursday morning carrying plants while preparing for this weekend’s 11th annual Blooming Zoo Garden Festival and Plant Sale. The plant sale will feature rare and unusual plants such as tropical bedding plants, unusual perennials, shrubs and trees, and ornamental grasses. The sale begins with a member only sneak peek 5-7 p.m. today and will be open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Now in its 11th year, the public will have opportunity to purchase tropical bedding plants, unusual perennials, shrubs and trees, as well as ornamental grasses, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. A preview party for zoo members only is scheduled for 5-7:30 p.m. today.

“I’ve had a lifelong interest in plants and animals,” Bouseman said recently as he checked the branching roots of a sprout.

He came by the job nearly by accident while attending the University of Southern Indiana in the early 1990s on a scholarship to study art. In need of extra income, he took a job as a part-time groundskeeper at Mesker. After working there for a year, he developed a love for the zoo, and changed his major to pursue a career in botany.

“I visited some other zoos and saw the different techniques and things that were happening in the landscapes,” Bouseman said. “They were becoming more natural and beautiful, and I wanted to bring that back here.”

In 1994, Bouseman went to work at Mesker full-time, designing the landscapes, overseeing plant care and assisting in planting.

“Seeing the animals and the public enjoy the plants at the zoo is just very rewarding,” Bouseman said.

His previous study of art lent him the appreciation he has for the esthetic beauty of plants and landscapes, whether exotic or local. As he observed the paint-like splotches of white on the auburn leaves of a spotted Begonia, Bouseman said Mesker is pushing toward native habitats and plant substitutes, a push he is proud to be a part of.

“Plants and animals need each other, and it’s very much the same here,” Bouseman said. “The landscapes here mostly contain hardy plants that grow right here in the area.”

Bouseman strives to address problems with natural solutions to preserve the integrity of the plant. Instead of using pesticides that could pose a potential health hazard to the animals, Bouseman said Mesker uses natural pesticides such as beneficial insects. If there is an aphid outbreak, caretakers release ladybugs into the greenhouse to eat them.

“These methods protect the animals and preserve the natural beauty of the plant,” Bouseman said. “It’s very exciting to be working in this kind of a natural, hardy environment.”

As he walked through the family garden portion of the zoo, Bouseman said he’s excited to see thousands of volunteers and eager gardeners involve themselves in learning about the plants and gaining new ideas for their gardens at home. Every week he takes calls from local gardeners, assisting and answering questions they have about their own projects.

Bouseman is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Association of Zoological Horticulture, where he serves on the board of directors. Within those organizations and at the zoo, he offers botany classes, educating the public about landscape design and plant toxicity.

A chain-link fence with interlocking plywood planks enclosing one of the exhibits stretches along a walkway and is enveloped by a lush, green vine. Called a Dutchman’s pipe, Bouseman said the vine is grown on the fence not only to shield the unnatural obstruction from the public eye, but also to serve as a place for a native butterfly species’ to lay their eggs. Later, after the butterfly have hatched and the vine begins to wither, it will be fed to some of the zoo’s animals.

“Everything serves a purpose here, even the plants we don’t feed out are turned to compost and reused somehow within the zoo,” Bouseman said.

Each day, Bouseman walks through the zoo, checking newly planted ferns and bamboo and generating ideas for his next landscaping project, ideas he may even decide to carry on to his personal garden at home. Many species of bamboo and fern used to feed animals and fill landscapes are native to the region. The resemblance in texture, taste and appearance helps the animals feel more at home in this foreign atmosphere, he said.

“Zoos used to be very sterile and clinical,” said Bouseman as he strode through the muggy, humid environment of Amazonia. “Here we’re all about making the animals feel at home because if they feel comfortable, visitors will feel comfortable and enjoy their stay. Plus, it’s kind of fun picking out the right plants for the right animal.”

While the animals are the main attraction, Bouseman said he never feels his work is underappreciated. In fact, he said the carefully planned and executed environment surrounding the exhibits and walkways do not go unnoticed, though most are not as blatant as in Amazonia.

“I have people coming up to me asking where they can purchase some of the plants they see here. Having a zoo and botanic garden combination draws a wider crowd than a botanic garden on its own would,” Bouseman said.”People enjoy plants and the beauty of nature, and a lot of times they leave here with a newfound appreciation for the landscapes. That part is very rewarding for me.”

If you haven’t started paying attention to your yard and landscaping, chances are you will be soon. Hillsborough group BoroGreen wants to show you how to do a great job while preserving the environment.

The grassroots group committed to building a sustainable community is partnering with the Hillsborough Public Library for a workshop on sustainable landscaping. It will be presented in three different parts on May 12 from noon to 2 p.m. in Program Room B.

The talks will be given by Clare Liptak, who will address “Native Plants for More Vibrant Landscapes,” Jeremiah Bergstrom, who will present “Rain Gardens to Solve Flooding Issues,” and Judd Mandell, who will cover “Sustainable Landscaping.”  To register go to the library’s registration page.

The following are short summaries of what you can expect:

• Rain gardens are specifically designed to manage stormwater runoff, mainly from rooftops, but also from driveways, lawns, roads, and parking lots. Rain gardens look like regular perennial gardens, but they are much more. During a storm, a rain garden fills with water, and the water slowly filters into the ground rather than running into storm sewers. Compared to a patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about 30 percent more water to soak into the ground. Therefore, by capturing stormwater, rain gardens help to reduce nonpoint source pollution (i.e., road sediment/salt, fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria from pet waste, eroded soil, grass clippings, litter, etc.) and help to protect local waterways. Rain gardens also add beauty to neighborhoods and provide wildlife habitat. Last year, the township created a rain garden in the Prall Road detention basin with the help of Boy Scouts and BoroGreen volunteers. Jeremiah Bergstrom is a licensed Landscape Architect with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program that specializes in designing stormwater management systems that use native vegetation to remove pollution and enhance the aesthetic. He will present information on how rain gardens can be incorporated into existing landscapes and how existing stormwater systems such as detention basins can be converted into rain gardens.
• Native plants are well suited to New Jersey landscapes because they have grown here for thousands of years and are well adapted to our soils and climate. Compared to exotic, introduced plants, they also have a more subtle benefit. Native insects feed upon native plants and are in turn eaten by native birds which is a natural web of life. The exotic plants disrupt this natural web of life because they are not a natural source of food. Native plants are attractive and resilient and make for a vibrant landscape. During extreme climate conditions, native plants have a greater chance of thriving than exotic plants in drought or flooding conditions. This presentation is led by Clare S. Liptak, retired horticulturist and Agricultural Agent of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County.
• Proper planning and foresight will help produce a landscape requiring less maintenance time and cost, no need for pesticides or herbicides, and provide you with more time to enjoy your yard. Learn to protect your home’s footprint, create more usable space, and have a sustainable landscape. This presentation is led by Judd Mandell, owner of Landscape Better.

– Submitted by BoroGreen.

Jeanne Santangelo

Must see! The Bay-Friendly Garden Tour in Marin showcases 11 home gardens in Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Larkspur and Novato May 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., with plant sales and garden talks. Diverse microclimates and garden styles are represented. Host gardeners include do-it-yourselfers, native plant enthusiasts, permaculturists and landscape professionals.

Registration by May 11 is required to receive guidebook with directions, detailed garden descriptions and entrance tickets; cost is $10 per guidebook with 36 tickets to share with friends and plant nursery discount coupons up to 20 percent. Register at bayfriendlygardentour.org. Clear driving maps group the gardens for easy travel. Contact info@bayfriendlycoalition.org.

Here are a few highlights of these inspiring and delightful gardens.

Mill Valley

Michael Painter’s garden is one of three Mill Valley gardens featured on the Bay-Friendly Garden Tour. The Painter garden’s five outdoor rooms include 1,000 species of plants: 40-year-old trees, perennials, grasses, vegetable garden, fruit trees, herb garden and trellised grapes, fire-resistant hillside plantings of succulents, and a pond and waterfall that collect rainwater from roof runoff.

Barbara Merino’s lawn conversion by Kathleen Slattery of Gardens and Gables is planted with Australian, New Zealand and California native plants, succulents and grasses. Features a dry creek, flagstone semi-permeable patio and path.

Eric Woodhouse and Jill Thomas’ garden is terraced with stonework steps and shot concrete retaining walls and includes permeable paver driveway, restored stream bank, rain catchment tanks and a “no mow” meadow. Denise Muscarella of Gardenscape Design featured many native habitat plants.

Novato

Charlotte Torgovitsky’s garden next to an oak woodland and open space is alive with birds, butterflies, lizards and Pacific tree frogs. California and Mediterranean shrubs, perennials and grasses bloom year-round. Plant Sale on tour day, Garden talk 1 p.m. Charlotte will talk on propagating plants for a home garden.

Stuart Bunting’s garden features oaks, meandering pathways and views of the wetlands, swales and native plants, including California grapes, Dutchman’s pipe, buckwheat and Cape Mendocino reedgrass.

Lynn von der Werth and Bené da Silva’s cottage garden includes a pervious flagstone patio and deck of sustainably harvested redwood, rain barrels and bio‐swales, drip irrigation, water features and drought-resistant plants that attract wildlife.

San Anselmo

Burr and Jane Purnell, graduates of the Regenerative Design Institute’s permaculture program, created a family-friendly urban permaculture model in their own backyard with playhouse, sandbox, bees, chickens, vegetables, berries, fruit trees, graywater system, worm and compost bins, raised beds, rain catchment and a native plant rain garden, woven willow fence, a cob oven in progress, a solar oven and a chicken tractor (movable coop).

Robin Brandes’ garden features a deck overlooking a rehabilitated creek bank, owl box, perennial and native habitat species. Friend and next-door neighbor Sarah’s garden has a stone patio and low terraces with planters. Succulent beds on the public pathway run along the side.

Larkspur

Iris Gold and Steven Katz’ mini-organic farm borders Larkspur Lagoon with Mount Tam in the background. Containers raise plants above saltwater intrusion, including flowers grown for Ikebana. Featured in Better Homes and Gardens: Small Gardens and Paths. Garden talk 11 a.m., “Edible Landscaping Made Easy” by Avis Licht of Sweetbriar Landscape Design.

Betsy McGee’s lawn was sheet-mulched and planted with cover crops, and is now a mostly native habitat garden with salvaged concrete and woodchip paths. Water use here is extremely low, yet the garden is lush and full.

Marin Brain Injury Network’s large garden features espaliered fruit trees, rainwater retention, owl house, raised beds with edibles, a garden therapy area and a native demonstration garden bordering the Corte Madera Creek Marsh bike path. Plant sale on tour day will benefit MBIN. Garden talks at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. At 11 a.m.: “Soil Testing: You Need to Do It!” by scientist Stephen Andrews. At 1 p.m.: “OK, I Tested. Now What?” Learn how to turn test results into action and build living soil. Local author Annie Spiegelman will sign her book “Talking Dirt.”

Contact Jeanne at

Jeanne@lazygardener.org.