WILLIAMSBURG — After busily working to get the park ready for the season, Busch Gardens’ landscaping experts are taking their expertise on the road. Busch Gardens announced that Naomi Donohoe of Salisbury, Md., is the winner of the Busch Gardens Landscape Giveaway presented by Bad Boy Mowers®.

Donohoe’s prize is a front yard landscaping package that includes design and consultation services from Busch Gardens’ horticultural professionals, landscaping and gardening supplies and landscaping installation. Busch Gardens’ landscaping team will visit the Donohoe home later on this spring to install the landscape prize.

Hundreds of entries from the mid-Atlantic region poured in for the giveaway, the park narrowed down the entries to 20 finalists and Donohoe was randomly selected as the winner. According to Donohoe’s submission she is a wounded warrior and totally disabled veteran. Due to multiple surgeries over the last four and half years, she has been unable to transform her home’s landscaping.

Donohoe’s complete submission essay is available on the Busch Gardens’ official Facebook page, Facebook.com/BuschGardens. A video announcement from the park is available here.

For 23 consecutive years Busch Gardens has won the “Most Beautiful Park” award from the National Amusement Park Historical Association.

UNC Asheville will celebrate its annual Greenfest with spring activities and programs focused on environmental sustainability. On Saturday, April 4, members of the UNC Asheville community will participate in the Greenfest Day of Service, landscaping and planting gardens at 525 Broadway near the Reed Creek Greenway site. More details on the Greenfest Day of Service are included in the summary that follows.

Greenfest is sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association, the Student Environmental Center, and Office of Sustainability. All event listed are free and open to the public:

March 31

· Backyard Bash—Greenfest kicks off with the second annual Backyard Bash, featuring a live drumming performance, DJs from UNC Asheville’s Blue Echo student-run internet radio station and vegan snacks from Rosetta’s Kitchenette. Attendees can decorate their own reusable shopping bags and repurpose t-shirts. The Bash takes place from 12 – 3 p.m. at Overlook Hall, and is cosponsored by Blue Echo and the university’s African Drum Ensemble.

· Rhoades Garden Work Day—UNC Asheville is home to several student-run gardens. Located at the corner of W.T. Weaver Boulevard and Merrimon Avenue, the ROOTS Garden includes vegetables, herbs, fruiting shrubs and more. All volunteers are welcome regardless of prior gardening experience. Tools and instruction will be provided. The workday lasts from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Rhoades property.

· Food Security Panel—Local food organizers will discuss hunger and food insecurity issues in Asheville, and possible solutions. Speakers will include Olufemi Lewis of Ujamaa Freedom Market; Susan Sides of The Lord’s Acre garden; Sir Charles Gardner of Gardens United; Randal Pfleger of Bountiful Cities; Brandee Boggs of the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council; and Allison Casparian of Bounty and Soul market in Black Mountain. The panel discussion is from 6-8 p.m. in Highsmith University Union, room 223.

April 1

· Campus Sustainability Update—UNC Asheville students and staff will discuss the latest topics in campus sustainability in three “PechaKucha” style presentations, in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each. Topics include the “Real Food Challenge,” an update on UNC Asheville’s work toward a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and what makes for a “shareable” campus. The presentations will be followed by an open Q-and-A session. The event begins at 12:15 p.m. in Ramsey Library, Glass House.

April 3

· Taste of the Earth—Local food-based businesses will provide samples at this environmental fair and music performance. UNC Asheville’s bike shop will be on hand to showcase the latest rentals and provide tune-ups, and the Student Environmental Center will host a recycled art contest. The fair runs from 12 – 3 p.m. on the main quad.

Other green-related events taking place on campus include:

April 2

· Food Policy Council “Meeting of the Whole”—The Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council (ABFPC) will celebrate progress made in the community over the past year working toward policies that support a “healthy food friendly” region. Participants will learn more about the council’s work and help set priorities for the next year. An orientation for new members will be held at 5:30 p.m. prior to the start of the meeting for those unfamiliar with the council. Please RSVP on the Facebook event page or contact info@abfoodpolicy.com. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Sherrill Center.

April 5

North Asheville Tailgate Market Opening Day UNC Asheville’s campus hosts the weekly North Asheville Tailgate Market, Asheville’s oldest producer-only farmers’ market. More than 60-percent of the vendors earn their primary income from farming. The market begins its 32nd year of operation with more than 40 vendors selling locally produced products. The market is open from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. in lot P28.

For more information, contact Sonia Marcus, UNC Asheville’s director of sustainability, at smarcus@unca.edu or 828.251.6627.

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DURHAM — A winter-weary crowd flocked to the Whittemore Center Arena Saturday to catch a glimpse of the promise of flowers and warmer days.

The 20th annual Seacoast Home Garden Show held at the arena on the campus of the University of New Hampshire continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. While the outside surroundings still held on to the bleakness of the previous season, attendees enjoyed seminars on gardening sponsored by Churchill’s Gardens of Exeter, cooking demos and more than 200 exhibitors showcasing their latest products and services for the home.

Roberta Williams of East Kingston said she was enjoying the show and getting a lot of information to take with her.

“I’m interested in some vinyl railings for my deck,” she said.

A couple from Berwick, Maine, said they were interested in looking at air conditioning options and solar panels. And Ken and Lynn Smith of Kittery, Maine, said they were having fun “just looking around.”

The lobby and concourse had displays of greenery and plants and featured an artisan marketplace where people could try local food products and purchase seeds, planters and garden decor. The main floor offered exhibits on building and remodeling, kitchens and bathrooms, as well as on green living and landscaping.

Todd Derby of Piscataqua Landscaping and Tree Service, based in Eliot, Maine, said it was the fifth year the company set up a booth at the show.

“We do get some new customers each year from this,” he said.

Portsmouth chefs Kevin Fitzgibbon of Michelle’s on Market Square, Julie Cutting of Cure Restaurant and Ian Thomas of The District three of six chefs who offered cooking lesson throughout the day. Sunday’s line-up of chefs includes Craig Spinney of Tavola and Justin Bigelow of Mombo.

Gardening seminars on Sunday include container gardening, introduction to trees and shrubs and planting for the best presentation.

There will also be clinics on powering with solar photovoltaics, home energy audits, homeowner’s coverage and do it yourself home improvement.

Visit http://seacoast.newenglandexpos.com/ for a full schedule of Sunday’s events.

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For the Intelligencer by submission

Edwardsville Garden Club

Newly-installed officers of the Edwardsville Garden Club are, seated from left: Pam Maker, historian and Wendy Maertz, president., In back are, from left: Tammie Billhartz, historian; Mary Beth Williams, second vice president; Barbar Goeben, secretary; Janice Tolliver, treasurer and Kathleen Bohnet, first vice president.

Posted: Saturday, March 29, 2014 9:00 am

Garden Club elects new officers

For the Intelligencer

The Edwardsville Intelligencer

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The Edwardsville Garden Club recently installed new officers for the current year, 2014. The EGC was established in 1939 and has been an active part of the community since. Although the title states Edwardsville, members come from various other cities and towns in the metro-east area as well as Missouri. Membership is open to both men and women. The EGC is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., Garden Clubs of Illinois and the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

It is a non-profit organization intended to learn and educate its members and others about gardening. Meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month and programs the club tries to cover include landscaping, perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, herbs, vegetables, pruning, soil preparation and bird habitats. Notices of meetings are published in the Intelligencer.

Two plant sales are conducted during the year – one in the spring and one in the fall. Plants sold are grown by members, so they have a proven growth record for the area.

Members volunteer to help maintain gardens at local nursing homes, museums, schools and various other local establishments. They contribute to local charities whether it be monetarily or garden related.

The Edwardsville Garden Club has several social events throughout the year. In addition, there is always  some gardening event that it enjoys as a group. There is always a new nursery or greenhouse to enjoy, a floral display or herb garden to visit, a nature reserve to explore.

For more information, visit www.edwardsvillegardenclub.com or attend a meeting.

© 2014 The Edwardsville Intelligencer . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Saturday, March 29, 2014 9:00 am.

After the long, cold winter, gardeners can’t wait to get their hands in the dirt. And the 12th annual Baton Rouge Spring Garden Show this weekend is the perfect place to get a little inspiration, a lot of plants and oh-so-much more.

In addition to the show on Saturday and Sunday at LSU’s John M. Parker Coliseum on Highland Road, there will be a koi show, car show and chili cook-off.

The garden show will run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days and include local nurseries and other vendors selling plants and other garden wares, including tools, pots, ornaments and landscaping materials.

LSU AgCenter horticulturist David Himelrick said the floor of the coliseum will be transformed into a world of plants and gardens for the event.

The cost is $5 for adults; free for youngsters 12 and younger. All other events are free.

Koi show

If you’ve never seen koi, you’ll be blown away by the beauty of these big fish on display at the Deep South Koi and Pond Society’s first show.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the coliseum. Admission is included with your garden show ticket.

“Members of the Koi Society have dreamed for several years of producing a koi show,” said the society’s Danna Spayde, “and plan for it to become an annual event in Baton Rouge.”

Twelve tanks of various types and sizes of koi will be judged, as will goldfish.

Prizes will be awarded in 10 different koi categories and four goldfish categories. There will also be awards for “People’s Choice” and “Kids Choice, ” which will be decided by popular vote. Koi experts from Texas will be on hand to offer advice.

And the Koi and Pond Society will have a booth, where a raffle will be held and fish will be sold. Stop by to find out about koi, goldfish, ponds and water gardening or to join the group. For more information, visit deepsouthkoi.org of call (225) 317-0933.

Chili Cook-Off

The Eighth annual Chili Cook-Off will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in front of the coliseum.

Sixty contestants are expected to participate in the cook-off, with teams from the local region and other spots all over the country.

Competition categories include Red Chili, Chili Verde and Salsa and Home Style Chili. Those attending can get a taste and vote on the “People’s Choice Award.”

The cook-off is sponsored by “Catholic Radio” WPYR-AM, 1380, Knights of Columbus, Audubon Kiwanis and 4theKids. All proceeds will benefit the children at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, which is the second largest children’s hospital in Louisiana, touching the lives of 86,000 children last year alone.

The hospital treats children in need, regardless of ability to pay.

For more information, visit louisianachilicookoff.com.

Car show

The Fifth annual Baton Rouge Spring Car Show is set at the coliseum for Sunday.

All models and years are welcome to join the competition, with registration from 9 a.m. to noon.

Cost is $25.

At 2 p.m., awards will be presented for top cars, trucks and motorcycles, Best of Show and People’s Choice.

There will also be music by DJ Homer Thornton and children’s activities.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Posted Mar. 24, 2014 @ 1:01 am

University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners in Washington County will present a free landscape workshop on Saturday, March 29 from 8 a.m. until noon at Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valle Creek Road, in the council chambers on the second floor. The public is invited to attend to enjoy presentations on popular topics for the home landscape, as well as the opportunity to talk one-on-one about their own gardens with trained U of M Extension Master Gardeners. Coffee and donuts will be available.
The landscape workshop features three 45-minute educational presentations to help attendees improve the appeal and sustainability of their home landscapes:
• “Importance and Secrets of Pollination” — How to choose plants not only for their beauty, but also to attract bees and other pollinators that play a critical role in growing flowers, fruits and some vegetables, by special guest presenter JoAnne Sabin, a beekeeper, gardening educator and Master Gardener from Dakota County.
• “Ornamental Grasses” — How to use them in Minnesota landscapes to create interest in all seasons, by Marge Sagstetter, a Washington County Master Gardener and Tree Care Advisor from Lake Elmo.
• “Water Quality and Rain Gardens” — How to beautify a yard and capture runoff so it can be used by plants rather than going to waste in the sewer system, by Tom Nelson, a Washington County Master Gardener and Woodbury resident.
During breaks between presentations, Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions from attendees, provide tours of relevant gardening websites, and share information on pruning, bees and pollinator landscapes and more.
Master Gardeners are University of Minnesota-trained volunteers who educate the public about a variety of horticulture subjects using up-to-date research-based information. More than 100 Master Gardeners in Washington County volunteer several thousand hours each year teaching community education classes, diagnosing plant problems, helping people with environmental issues and answering questions at “Ask a Master Gardener” events such as Farmer’s Markets and the Washington County Fair. They also maintain the Demonstration Gardens at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Visit mastergardenersin
washingtonco.org to learn more about Master Gardeners in Washington County.

Toronto Police investigators are puzzled why anyone would want to kill a 64-year-old landscaper with no criminal record at the doorstep of his tidy west-end home.

In a morning update of the city’s 16th homicide of the year, Detective Sergeant Pauline Gray revealed the name of the victim, Ngoc Ngo, and divulged witness recollections of a killing that has rattled a neighbourhood that knew Mr. Ngo as a quiet family man.

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Two to six white men in their early-20s showed up at Mr. Ngo’s Symington Avenue home around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, according to witness accounts provided to police.

When Mr. Ngo answered the front door in slippers, a shooter sprayed several shots into the home, killing Mr. Ngo, but missing his wife and another family member who were also inside.

“Whoever these gentlemen are, and I use that term loosely, had no regard for whether their children were in the home at that time or not,” Det. Sgt. Gray said. “So, pretty dangerous fellows out there.”

The men ran southwest to the northwest corner of Kingsley Avenue and Perth Avenue, where they drove off in a dark minivan.

A witness described one of the men as 5-foot-8 with a heavy build, brown hair and baggy blue jeans.

Among the well-kept brick homes along Symington Avenue, south of Davenport Road, Mr. Ngo was known as a reserved grandfather who took time to shovel snow from neighbouring sidewalks and compliment neighbours on their gardens.

One woman picking up her child from a daycare next door to Mr. Ngo’s home said she often saw the Vietnamese man with his wife and several children and admired the landscaping work he did for several people in the area, where he had lived for 18 years.

“It absolutely is an execution-style hit,” Det. Sgt. Gray said. “I’m having difficulty coming to a place in my investigation where a 64-year-old man living in his home in his slippers is a threat. Either [they] targeted Mr. Ngo for some perceived threat, or [they] were just careless and got the wrong person.”

Police are asking for any witnesses who may have seen a dark minivan in the area at the time of the shooting.

California’s drought was on everyone’s radar at the 28th annual San Francisco Flower and Garden Show.

The show, the nation’s third largest, drew an estimated 35,000 visitors to the San Mateo Event Center, where new owners Sherry Larsen and Maryanne Lucas paid particular attention to current topics such as water-wise plantings and sustainable design.

Their collaboration with author and ornamental grasses expert John Greenlee resulted in an overhaul of the main Expo Hall’s design, including the installation of the Grand Allée, which boasted olive trees, California natives and other drought-tolerant plants.

A shuffling of stages, a greater emphasis on flowers and floral design, and a concerted effort to connect edibles and food systems to the show’s Garden Fresh Stage, which featured chefs and cooking demos, was also part of the new layout.

Larsen stopped long enough to talk to us during a busy Friday afternoon and was thrilled with the response. “We achieved what we wanted as far as the core of the show,” she said. “We wanted to upgrade the gardens and bring back their theatrics.”

One of the 20 show gardens that met the owners’ theatrical expectations was the over-the-top garden designed by Nathan Beck of Clearwater Designs. His garden, “Vulcania: An Oasis for the Soul,” was built around Nautilus, a Burning Man art car that evokes memories of Jules Verne’s famous aquatic vessel.

Lots of trends were spotted during the five-day event, including edible and ornamental backyard foraging for bouquets demonstrated by experts including floral designer Max Gill and landscaper Stefani Bittner; organic and non-GMO seeds for Bay Area climates from the Living Seed Co. ( www.livingseedcompany.com); and an organic mustard meal fertilizer from Farm Fuel Inc. ( www.farmfuelinc.com).

Here are more highlights and trends spotted this year:

Low-water gardening

Besides his Grand Allée promenade, Greenlee created a meadow garden that dramatically anchored the garden space, with its sweeping design showcasing the wide variety of ornamental grasses available for low-water-use gardens. As water-thrifty gardens continue to trend, Larsen predicted that gray-water gardens will increase in popularity over the next five years. She was particularly impressed with New Leaf Landscapes’ “Hydro Literate Landscape” garden that utilized a fully integrated water catchment system.

Agaves

Succulents have earned their place alongside other mainstay perennial plants, and there was a greater emphasis on agaves. Like other succulents, agaves are perfect specimens for a low-water-use garden. Several varieties were on display, including the spineless Agave attenuata and the mescal-making, slow-growing Agave parryi. Arizona State University’s “Agave,” Academy of Art University’s “Urban Mixology” and Clearwater Designs’ “Vulcania: An Oasis for the Soul” had very different themes, yet demonstrated that agaves work within a wide assortment of garden styles and make a striking addition to arid, urban and tropical landscapes.

Best in Show

The Best in Show garden award went to South San Francisco’s Terra Ferma Landscapes ( www.tflandscapes.com). Their design, “Vintage California,” was singled out by judges from Sunset and Pacific Horticulture among others who appreciated their craftsmanship and use of water-wise landscaping. “We had a great reception, this being our first time participating, and feel that our garden was well received because of its timeless and classic aesthetic and plant palette,” owner Brian Koch said. The design’s centerpiece, a 12-foot-diameter woven grapevine orb, was constructed from collected spent vines that would have otherwise been burned. The orb, which visitors passed through and sat inside while admiring a water feature and recycled wine bottle flooring, referenced an earlier Napa Valley era.

Native seeds

The Heirloom Expo booth was a hub of interest as Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. ( www.rareseeds.com) founder Jere Gettle and seed explorer Joseph Simcox passed out free seed packets and spoke about the importance of keeping native seeds alive through sowing and education. Gettle’s ‘Florida Green’ and ‘Arkansas Green’ colored cotton samples caught the attention of fiber enthusiasts, and though he didn’t officially have any seeds on hand, he did take one local cotton spinner aside and share his coveted stash of these rare plantation-era seeds. “It’s fun giving out seeds. I’d rather give them out than sell them,” Gettle said.

Aquaponics

Less than a year old, Watsonville’s Viridis Aquaponic Growers ( www.viridisaquaponics.com) is turning conventional greenhouse growing on its head. This 8-acre commercial farm was at the show to promote its operation and introduce visitors to aquaponics, a closed-loop type of farming that cycles nutrient-rich water from fish tanks that house sturgeon and other freshwater fish to trough-like soilless planting beds. Nathan Kaufman, who handles outreach and education, said, “We’re producing about eight times more per square foot than conventional soil-growing greenhouses and using about 95 percent less water.” The company has a small modular greenhouse kit in the works, which will house a fish tank, a solar-run battery to cycle water, and planting beds for both deep-rooted crops like beets and tomatoes and shallow-rooted plants like lettuce and spinach.

Sophia Markoulakis is a Burlingame freelance writer. E-mail: home@sfchronicle.com

Marian Cruger Coffin isn’t a name that rolls off a feminist’s tongue very often during Women’s History Month.

Her pioneering work in the field of landscape architecture hardly causes a ripple among the suffragettes and revolutionaries, but her star is fixed firmly in the horticultural firmament. As one of a handful of female landscape architects in an arena dominated by men, she made a successful living designing landscapes in the first half of the 20th century.

Coffin put her stamp on some significant real estate along the East Coast, and her associations with the du Pont family brought her to Delaware, where she influenced several of its most famous gardens.

Poll: Vote for Longwood Gardens in national contest

As a young woman, Coffin desired to be a “great artist,” but decried her lack of talent in any of the usual avenues open to women at the beginning of the 20th century – painting, music, sculpture or writing. Owing to her father’s early death, she needed to make a living and pursued a friend’s suggestion to enroll in a new course of study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Landscape Architecture.

In 1901, admitted as a “special” student, Coffin was one of two female students who joined the class of 500 men. She described her three years there as “one long grind,” having combined two years of study in one to finish early.

Her rigorous training in design, drafting and horticulture was augmented by visits to gardens and estates in Massachusetts and abroad. Family friend Henry Francis du Pont of Winterthur, who was simultaneously studying horticulture at Harvard, joined Coffin on many of these outings. Encouraged by mentors such as Charles S. Sargent, director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, and Guy Lowell, head of MIT’s school of architecture, she emerged ready to take on the world.

In 1904, at the age of 28, Coffin graduated from MIT and became a junior member of the American Society of Landscape Architects along with only two other females, Elizabeth Bullard and Beatrix Farrand.

“We were pioneers, and moreover pioneer women in a new-old-profession and one in which all one’s ability to see and interpret beauty out of doors taxed all our resources, and we were determined to show what enthusiasm and hard work could accomplish.” Strong words soon put to action.

No one would hire her so she moved to New York City, where her mother had grown up, hung out her own shingle and went into business.

In a career that spanned five decades, she earned over 130 commissions for estate, residential and institutional landscape designs, succeeding through two world wars and the Great Depression. Her clients numbered among society’s elite and she worked on the estates of Marshall Field, Stephen Pell, E.F. Hutton, and of course, the du Ponts of Delaware.

Often, her work appeared in the pages of popular magazines like “Country Life,” accompanied by photographs and drawings. A savvy and organized businesswoman, she commanded handsome fees (in 1918, she charged $250 to $500 for preliminary drawings) and demanded strict control over her sites, from soil preparation to unveiling.

The hallmarks of a Coffin garden endure to this day: long sight lines on an axis, clearly defined entryways and paths, statuary and pools of water used as focal points, rectangular spaces closed in a semi-circle, and enclosures of stone or shrubbery. While her designs were often formal, she softened them with plant material that spilled over walls or erupted in bold splashes of color along the beds.

Marian Coffin’s designing hand is evident today in the grand staircase at Winterthur, the round pool garden at Mt. Cuba, the mall at the University of Delaware, and at Gibraltar, the property at Greenhill and Pennsylvania avenues that once belonged to Rodney Sharp.

Of all, Gibraltar is quintessential Coffin. It breathes life into her guiding principle that “simplicity is beauty’s prime ingredient.”

From the terrace overlooking the garden, three tiers roll down from the house, connected by sweeping staircases and punctuated by impressive urns. A simple rectangular pool echoes the geometry of the garden, which consists of a series of outdoor rooms connected by straight paths, ornate gates and magnificent statuary, all enclosed behind massive stone walls.

Gibraltar’s fate, however, is uncertain, since there is no formal maintenance provided for the garden and supporting organizations have disbanded.

The book, “Money, Manure, and Maintenance,” by Nancy Fleming, provides a thorough look at Coffin and the gardens she designed.

Moira Sheridan is a Wilmington freelance writer and gardener. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Master Gardener program. Reach her at masher9@juno.com.

TO-DO LIST

• Be patient. It will eventually dry out and we can get out there and plant potatoes, peas, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and chard.

• Continue pruning shrubs while dormant.

• Rake out beds that are suffocating under piles of leaves and cut back any dead plant material from perennials.

• On a cool, overcast day, dig up crowded small bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops and transplant them where they can naturalize. They won’t skip a beat.

• Plant flower seeds of larkspur, poppy, bachelor’s button, and sweet alyssum directly outdoors.

• Remove mulch from vegetable beds to let the soil dry out.