As long as there’s a backyard outside your rental house, the door is open to creating affordable outdoor living spaces – if your landlord doesn’t mind. Many rental homes lack backyard landscaping, or what’s there is dull and doesn’t reflect any personal style. To create a wonderful space in just one or two weekends, consider tips from the Small Budget Gardener.

Two keys: First, make low-cost choices. Second, choose portable items, so you can take them to your next house.

Portable patio: The most affordable patio makers are plain concrete squares known as “steppers.” The smallest ones are about 12 by 12 inches and 2 inches thick and run about a dollar each. Larger, 2-foot sizes can run about $3 each. Use them to create a new patio for about $100. The steppers can be set edge to edge, or you can leave a gap for decorative gravel, grass or groundcover.

Fire pit: Create a fire pit for about the same cost using concrete block tumbled in giant drums to make them look old. All over Pinterest are examples of how to create a fire pit by stacking these blocks just so. Some repurpose old washing-machine drums to hold the fire, surrounded by dry walls of block. Their weight is such that stacked creations don’t need a foundation or mortar. When it comes time to move, unstack, load up and go.

Paint and stain: Painting or staining can turn worn-out wood fences or sheds into something delightful. Often, fencing at rentals is a hodgepodge of wooden slats, but a can of stain can unify the spans via subtle color. Water down latex paint to make it more like stain in your favorite color. Or if you’re looking for a lovely cottage garden, use whitewash to transform an everyday look into a clean and tidy background.

Trellis: A wall trellis is easy to make with scrap twigs – or simply buy a cheap wooden one and paint it. Some gardeners are recycling old screen doors, metal bedsteads and sections of old wrought-iron fencing as trellises. These flat panels stand against walls to allow vines to climb up for a beautiful, vertical garden. Best of all, you can simply detach the trellis and take it with you.

Plants: Big annual plants are always the best choice for rentals. You can grow them from seed or buy them in low-cost six-packs to make your summer-living spaces look nestled into the landscape. The most powerful plants are big, burly sunflowers. Use in a patch or row or as a single specimen. Hollyhock is another great choice that leaves you with a whole crop of seeds for next year. Cosmos, foxgloves and all the amaranths are easy-to-grow choices.

As always, containers are the best way to grow anything more long-lived, such as dwarf fruit trees and blueberries. The larger the pot, the more powerful it will be in greening up rental spaces with big plants that will go elsewhere when you do.

Learning to garden as a renter is a great way to save money while improving your lifestyle. Even the smallest spaces can be incredibly rewarding when transformed with these ideas.

CALEDONIA, Mich. (WOOD) – Spring got off to a late start this year and now that the warm weather is in full swing, it’s important to have your backyard in tip top shape. The new trend in landscaping, isn’t just plants and shrubbery, but to create an inviting outdoor living space. A way to achieve this feeling is by incorporating outdoor art.

While Harder and Warner Landscaping in Caledonia is known for their variety of shrubs and plants, they also have a large selection of art. Something new to their store are outdoor canvases. These canvases withstand fading for up to five years, winds up to 60 miles per hour and give your outdoor space a designer feel.

If you’re looking for new ideas to spruce up your backyard, simply bring in pictures of your space to Harder and Warner Landscaping and their experts will walk you through the design process. Customers can be as hands-on or as hands-off as they want to and Harder and Warner experts will step in to help.

Harder and Warner Landscaping is located at 6464 Broadmoor SE in Caledonia. For more information call 616-698-6910 or visit www.harderandwarner.com.

A TIME capsule buried at the site of the new Walton Bridge is one of the suggestions for its grand opening this summer.

According to the team working on the bridge, due to open in July, a ceremony will be held and will possibly include the burial of a capsule containing items showing what life was like in 2013 – not to be opened until 500 years has passed. Other ideas included a plaque at the site.

The comments were made at a Walton Bridge meeting organised by the Elmbridge Seniors group and chaired by Sir Ivan Lawrence QC.

Keith Scott, Surrey Highways planned maintenance manager and Walton Bridge project manager, said the county council was looking for ideas on what to do at the opening later this year.

Traffic should be using the bridge by the end of July, with works such as landscaping the area continuing into the second half of the year.

Updating the meeting on the progress of the bridge, Mr Scott said anticipation would be like the Olympic road races – apathy before the event but when it started people were more interested.

He said they wanted to promote the bridge and surroundings as a “leisure area” showing off what Walton and Shepperton “has to offer”.

Concerns were raised with Mr Scott about different aspects of the scheme, including traffic leading up to the bridge on both sides of the crossing.

One of the questions asked was about the possibility of changing the traffic lights sequence on the Walton side, to try to stop congestion on the Shepperton side of the bridge.

He said no changes had been made but the design team would be looking at improving traffic safety.

A lot of discussion took place over the difficulty of a right turn into Cowey Sale, and the traffic problems it currently causes.

Mr Scott said: “This, along with the traffic improvements, is being looked at by our design team and any changes will go through the democratic process.”

He added there was due to be an area for five cars queuing to turn right on the new bridge, therefore keeping them out of the main carriageway.

Mole Kenny, a member of Elmbridge Seniors, said a “few small changes” would be needed to help traffic flow in the area, including making a ‘no right turn’ at Cowey Sale.

“All traffic issues could easily be, and should be, addressed by Surrey County Council experts to improve the new Walton Bridge for cars,” he said.

Mr Scott added there was an opportunity for more cost savings on the £32m project, and said they had already managed to save around £500,000.

It is enjoyable hearing from someone who understands both sides of he building trade. Wade Myer writes that he is a recovering contractor who has turned to writing as it is much easier on his back. He adds that he has always been drawn to the written word where he can frame sentences rather than walls. Here he provides a quick and common sense perspective concerning the landscaping side of the green building challenge.

Drought-tolerant woolly silver thyme, golden sedum, and miniature blue bellflowers are perennial low creeping groundcovers blooming together along a garden pathway. Source: Shutterstock

Green Landscaping Ideas

As more and more people are realizing the significance of their impacts on the environment, we are seeing a rapid growth of the “green” movement. As the movement has grown it has also expanded into numerous aspects of our lives. One area where people have become especially conscious of their environmental impact is in regards to their home. For those who want to make their homes more eco-friendly, an easy place to start is outside. Here are some green landscaping ideas and techniques you can implement to make your house more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Use Native Plants

The first thing you should consider when thinking about green landscaping is whether or not you have native plants in your garden or yard. Planting only native plants is green in a variety of ways. Native plants are accustomed to the region you are living in and will require much less care and water.

Utilizing Shade from Trees

Another green landscaping idea deals with the shade produced by the trees in your yards. Strategically placing trees so that they shade your house can save on energy. The shade from these trees protects your home from direct sunlight which keeps your house cool and reduces the stress put on your air conditioner during summer months.

Xeriscaping

This is a relatively new term and idea that deals with clever irrigation practices. As mentioned before, using native plants will help with this technique as it saves on water. Aspects of xeriscaping include utilizing low-flow nozzles and soil moisture sensors along with smart controllers which determine how to use water most efficiently. To go a step further, you can direct any rain spouts or gutter spouts are directing rain water to your garden or lawn.

Create an Edible Garden

This is perhaps one of the most eco-friendly things you can do in regards to green landscaping as its environmental impacts go beyond just your garden. Keeping the idea of native plants in mind, you can make your garden not only beautiful, but also functional by planting edible vegetation. Eating food that you grow in your own garden will provide you with healthy organic food and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.

These are just a few of the techniques available for green landscaping practices. Ensuring that your garden and the landscape of your house are eco-friendly is a good starting point to making your house more environmentally friendly. The green movement will only continue to grow, and as it does, everyone will benefit.

Wade Myer is a recovering contractor who has turned to writing as it is much easier on his back. He has always been drawn to the written word where he can frame sentences rather than walls.  Currently he writes on behalf of Crown Point home builders Steiner Homes LTD.

Photo: Drought-tolerant woolly silver thyme, golden sedum, and miniature blue bellflowers are perennial low creeping groundcovers blooming together along a garden pathway from Shutterstock.

The three-and-a-half story entry arch at Bellarmine University will be installed May 6 to 8.

John R. Karman III
Reporter- Business First

Email
 | Twitter

Bellarmine University plans to build a three-and-a-half story entry arch at the Newburg Road entrance to its campus.

St. Robert Gate will be named for the university’s namesake, St. Robert Bellarmine, according to a news release. The concrete gate is being donated by Bellarmine alumni Nick and Gincy Carosi and Alban Carosi Inc., a Woodbridge, Va.-based architectural precast concrete firm. Nick Carosi is the company’s president.

The gate is being made of precast concrete with a brick finish. It will bear the university’s name and seal.

The gate will be illuminated and has an interior ladder system for electrical maintenance.

A construction cost was not disclosed in the news release.

Installation of the gate is scheduled to take place May 6 to 8, and Bellarmine’s Newburg Road entrance will be closed at that time. During installation, all traffic will enter and exit the campus on Norris Place.

After the gate is installed, finishing work and landscaping will continue for about a month, the release said.

“Grand entrance arches are a major feature of the beautiful hill towns in Italy’s Tuscany region, including St. Robert Bellarmine’s hometown of Montepulciano,” Bellarmine president Joseph McGowan said in the release. “Hospitality — in its deepest sense — is an exceptionally important value at Bellarmine University, as we regularly welcome new ideas, new perspectives and new people. A grand entrance arch is a compelling symbol of such hospitality.”

John R. Karman III covers these beats: Economic development and government, commercial real estate, transportation, utilities, sports business, lottery, tourism/conventions, higher education, nonprofits, Jeffersontown, Downtown, Central Area.

CJ Perrine of CAP’s Nursery and Landscaping
Shelby Mack | Mlive.com

 Caps Nursery Landscape was started by Carroll Perrine in 1970. Perrine’s grandson, CJ, began working with the business during the summers through high school and college. In 2007, CJ Perrine took over the family business. Since Caps Nursery Landscape opened more than 40 years ago, the landscape industry has seen many changes. During that time, Caps Nursery Landscape has worked hard to stay on top of the expanding plant varieties, styles and other changes. Shannon Maynard recently sat down with CJ Perrine to discuss the business.

Question: What does Caps Nursery Landscape offer?

C.P.: At the nursery we have perennials, shrubs, small trees and a lot of advice. As far as landscaping, we offer design, installation, fountains, pavers, outdoor kitchens. We do a lot of tear outs and renovations. We tear out plants from the 70s and 80s and make things look much more modern and fresh.

Biz info:

Name: Caps Nursery Landscape

Owner: CJ Perrine

Employees: 4 (seasonally)

Address and website: 6500 Lansing Ave.; www.capsnurseryandlandscape.com

Phone number: 914-8444

Most popular plant: Hydrangeas

Fast fact: Americans spend about $44.7 billion on lawn care and landscape maintenance, landscape installation and construction, tree care service and landscape design services each year.

Question: Why did you want to offer landscape design as part of the business?

C.P.: Everybody likes to know what something is going to look like before they invest their money. They like to see it. Also, a lot of do-it-yourself type people like a plan to go off of. Even if they want to do it themselves and they’re not sure what plant to put where or what will look nice in their home, we do designs for that too.

Question: What process do you go through when someone is looking to have landscaping done?

C.P.: We’ll set up and meet with them at their house. We’ll walk around the property with them and get an idea of how they use it, whether it be a backyard or if they just want something to accent and draw some curb appeal to the front yard. We’ll take all the measurements and write down what they like, whether it be colors, plants. Then we come back and draw it up based on what they said they like and what they’re going to use it for. Then we meet with them again with that design and go over it. They have the opportunity to make changes and we go back and do the final draft and present them with the price at that time. They can decide whether they want to do it all, do it in sections or do it over a couple years.

Question: Why do you feel landscaping is important for a house or business?

C.P.: It adds value to your home in that it creates an environment that draws people in, whether it be curb appeal or a backyard that you can actually use and spend time in. It’s environmentally friendly and there are a lot of options. There are a lot of things we can do environmentally that comes natural to us. We were green before green was popular. And it’s attractive and it makes your house stand out against other houses.

Question: If someone is going to hire Caps to do their landscaping, do they also have to purchase their landscape products from you?

C.P.: I’ve never really had someone want to (buy their products somewhere else). We’ve installed some trees that people have gotten somewhere else, but usually they like to have us do it. It’s less of a burden on them. We’ve had a few customers that have found a plant whether it was out of town or something like that and they’ve asked us to put it in. We do that… Purchasing it from us means we know where it came from and we know how it was taken care of. Generally a plant that was well taken care of will do well when it’s planted. Whether we get it directly from us grown here or from one of our suppliers, we know how that plant has been taken care of. So we can feel more comfortable planting it. If a customer buys it from somewhere else we don’t really know how it has been taken care of. We don’t know whether it’s dying.

Question: Why would someone choose you over another nursery in the area?

C.P.: The knowledge. We like to educate the customers. We try to treat every customer the way we would like to be treated. Whether that means that we take a plant out that died that was out of warranty or going the extra mile to make sure that everybody is happy with everything we do. I think our faith plays a big part in trying to make sure we do the right thing.

Question: What advantages are there to hiring a family-owned business?

C.P.: (When you’re a family-owned business,) you’re constantly being watched to make sure you’re doing things right. That’s something I’ve always appreciated. There is also a wealth of knowledge you can tap in to. I have the blessing of my grandfather still being alive and I can bounce things off of him. I can ask him questions about things that I’m not sure on. It’s the same thing with my dad, especially with plants. If there’s a problem with something that I can’t put my finger on, I can usually get advice. I think it’s priceless to have a resource like that at your disposable. There are also a lot of older people who have dealt with my grandpa that have nothing but good things to say. He has a good reputation.

Question: How does the weather affect your business?

C.P.: We sell Christmas trees in the winter. We install Christmas lights for businesses and individuals. A lot of people like to have lights but don’t like to climb ladders. It’s something we just started offering three years ago. Once the ground freezes we’re pretty much done as far as plants. We do snow removal as well. Spring and fall are both very busy times and summer is also busy.

Question: What have you learned since you took over the business?

C.P.: The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s very important to listen to your customers. I think when you’re young, you’re out of college, you may talk more than you listen. Over the years I’ve learned to listen a lot more than I talk. My grandpa was very much a perfectionist. We’d do things over if we had to. I think I realize now why he was and I think that has helped. (I’ve learned) to do things right the first time and not cut corners.

Question: What are your future goals for Caps Nursery Landscape?

C.P.: In the nursery, I’d like to grow a little bit in the retail and make this more of a place that people want to come for ideas. I’d like to offer more variety, bigger trees, bigger items like that. As far as the landscaping side, we would like to get into more sustainable (items) like water gardens, permeable paver projects. (We’d like to do) things that are more on the cutting edge.

A community center for Hebron is definitely a go say city officials, but they want to make it a community involvement project overseen by the council – one of the reasons for disbanding the existing community center committee earlier this year. And while there exists two separate drawings created in the last decade for such a center, the city leaders would like to do away with them and start from scratch. Maybe.

In March, three tracts of farm ground in Thayer County (412 acres) bequeathed to the City of Hebron under the terms of the Jane Stastny Brinegar Revocable Trust, sold for approximately $2.6 million. (Tract 1 sold for $5,600 an acre; tract 2 went for $5,539 an acre; tract 3 sold for $7,200 an acre.) “We passed a resolution last month to accept the net trust distribution proceeds,” said Hebron councilwoman Beth Goldhammer, “and in so doing agreed to comply with the terms of the will. The proceeds must be used solely for the purpose of building and maintaining a community center in Hebron.”

On Monday night in special session, the council turned to the public for ideas and information sharing on how best to proceed. It would seem, according to those present who have been involved with the community center planning from the get-go, that Jane Stastny Brinegar read an article in this newspaper several years ago about the City’s interest in constructing a community center. She liked the idea and decided to include Hebron in her will. She passed away April 8, 2012.

During the special session, University of Nebraska-Lincoln education extension agent Phyllis Schoenholz and Thayer County Healthy Communities Coalition supervisor Megan Heinrichs collected information from the 30 or so citizens at the meeting stressing the need to remain positive. Debate over whether the city needs a community center or not is moot – the City must use the inherited funds for a center and nothing else.

While the council would like to oversee the project, Schoenholz recommended a steering committee made up of a handful of people to lead the way; an example might be two members of the city council and three members of the public. From there, subcommittees could be developed for special interests within the overall project such as kitchen design, landscaping, parking, a possible visitor’s center, etc.

“Right now, this project is at the very beginning stages,” Schoenholz told those in attendance Monday night and explained that right now would be the prime opportunity to let the city board know if there’s an interest in helping. “Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up at the City Office,” she said. “Simply list your name and fill in the part of the project that interests you.”

In the meantime, if anyone has questions they are encouraged to call city officials. A Facebook page is also available for updates at http://www.facebook.com/StastnyCommunityCenter?fref=ts. The next council meeting will be at the city office this Monday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m.

I bumped in to Nan Chase at the Blue Ridge Book Festival last May. The Asheville author was discussing her book, Eat Your Yard.

Riding the crest of the Eat Local movement, she has produced an attractive, helpful book to help backyard farmers. But instead of ripping out the sod to grow squash and beans, Nan takes an aesthetic approach—mix food-producing plants into the landscape.

Like most all good ideas, this isn’t a new one. Back in 1962, my parents had the good fortune to buy a house built by Mr. Hayes, a “master gardener” before his time. Inside of three short years, he had turned a flood-prone corner lot into an attractive living space with a small ranch house and remarkable landscaping. He began with good quality dirt and fertilizer, then added an array of interesting trees and shrubs. The finishing touches were an array of amazing flowers and edibles.

That first year we enjoyed a bounty of tomatoes staked among the peonies, mint in the shade of the back porch, sage near the carport, and a plank fence loaded with gourd vines for fall decorating.

The following spring brought strawberries from the patch that hugged some old-fashioned yellow roses. Along the fence came shoots of asparagus spears and rhubarb which my mother proceeded to harvest and cook to death. We kids, of course, hated the soupy results.

Mom, who preferred house plants to landscaping, eventually let the asparagus and rhubarb succumb to neglect. Un-pruned rose canes choked out the strawberries. The mint and sage were regularly assaulted by the lawn mower. And of course we never bothered to plant more tomatoes. Within a few years, Mr. Hayes’ Garden of Eden had gone to seed and ruin.

But over the years I haven’t forgotten what he started and how magical it was to have a yard with food tucked around every corner. Recently, I tried sweetening our heavy clay soil with lime and mixing in sand for a “well-drained” asparagus bed. That effort brings a few stalks to the spring table, but I do have a healthy stand of rhubarb, sage, chives and rosemary. My small raised bed produces spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and… well, you get the idea. I’m pretending it’s 1962 all over again.

President of Homes For Our Troops

Left to Right, Kirk Lantier, Sean Henderson, Ammon Lang, Kiri Lang, Sandra Hixson-Matthews, and Timothy McHale, President of Homes For Our Troops

Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 10:38 am
|


Updated: 10:40 am, Tue Apr 30, 2013.

The Rotary Club of Maple Valley Helps to Welcome a Special Family to Washington State

By Sandra Hixson-Matthews

VoiceoftheValley.com

|
0 comments

Incoming president, Sean Henderson and past president Kirk Lantier were among those who helped to welcome a young family to the state of Washington on Saturday, April 27th in Port Angeles. Marine Cpl Ammon Lang, his wife Kiri and their two young sons will be moving to our state as soon as their special home is completed. The home is special because it will be a single story specially adapted home built for the Langs with features designed to meet Ammon’s specific needs. Cpl Lang has specific needs due to injuries he suffered while serving in Afghanistan on June 11, 2011 when he stepped on an undetected IED, resulting in the traumatic amputation of his left leg above the knee and the eventual surgical amputation of his right leg below the knee.

What does this have to do with Maple Valley Rotary you ask. Well, for that we need to go back about a year. Maple Valley Rotary holds an annual action in the late fall. The proceeds of this auction are what fund most of the works of the club throughout the year. There is a special auction item every year which we call the “Fund a Need”. The fund a need item is carefully chosen and presented during the live auction as a paddle item, meaning that attendees simply raise their bidding paddles to donate funds designated specifically for that item. The incoming president is always the auction chair and when Sean Henderson asked members for ideas for his fund a need, Rotarian Storm McNeil, himself a retired Marine, reached out to three agencies who had programs to help our wounded veterans. He connected with an agency called Homes for Our Troops who work with donors, sponsors, and volunteers to build special homes for veterans who return home with severe, life changing injuries received in the line of duty. When Storm got Jennifer Reed of Homes for Our Troops on the phone and explained that Maple Valley Rotary was looking for a project to support, her response was that they had just identified a soldier for the next house and that he had just chosen Washington state. When he took the recommendation back to the auction committee, it was immediately approved and thanks to our generous donors, we raised $22,950.00 specifically for the outfitting of the kitchen in the home. Maple Valley Rotary was the first financial donor to the project. In addition to the fund a need proceeds, Ken and Cheryl Dunham are donating the sheet rock and installation for the home, Malone’s nursery are donating the landscaping, and Sam and Shelley Emmons are donating a play system for the yard.

Yesterday was the ground breaking ceremony in Port Angeles where the home will be built. Each of these homes cost approximately $400,000.00 so the fund raising to finish is not complete. If you would like to donate dollars or in-kind items, please contact me at fbtdra9@aol.com and I will put you in touch with the right people. Maple Valley Rotary can accept donations earmarked for this or any other project by simply stating where you want your donation to go. You can also find out more about this project at www.homesforourtroops.org.

The fund a need item has been identified for our upcoming auction on October 19th. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend, and stay tuned for more information.

© 2013 VOICE of the Valley Online News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

• 
  Discuss
  
• Print
  
  
  

Posted in
Rotary

on

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 10:38 am.