landscaping ideas | Gardening

HGTV Memorial Day Suggestions for Outdoor Landscaping Fun [VIDEO]

HGTV offers an array of landscaping design ideas for good times and outdoor fun on Memorial Day.

HGTV makes it easy to show gratitude to soldiers with a variety of outdoor decorating and recipe ideas for Armed Forced Day and Memorial Day.

HGTV Star-Shaped Treats for Soldiers

May 19 is Armed Forces Day and Monday, May 28 is Memorial Day. Both holidays give Americans an opportunity to think about the soldiers they are thankful for. One way to express gratitude is to serve the star-shaped treats featured on the HGTV “Design Happens” blog.

Today’s Daily Delight at HGTV’s “Design Happens” blog showcases a dessert for military forces. The patriotic dessert is a white cake dyed blue and cut into star shapes then topped with cherries dipped in white chocolate. It is a sweet way to express thanks to soldiers today and on Memorial Day.

Another idea from a past HGTV “Design Happens” blog entry is an alfresco celebration for Memorial Day. Dining outdoors is a favorite activity as warm weather arrives at the end of May. Suggestions include red, white and blue decorations for the table and a healthy red, white and blue dessert that includes blueberries and strawberries.

HGTV Outdoor Planning for Memorial Day

The HGTV Facebook page directs fans to their spring guide to improve outdoor spaces. Outdoor planning for Memorial Day starts with a visit to the HGTV website for great ideas.

HGTV outlines the benefits of good landscaping. From the front yard to the backyard patio, an attractive outdoor area increases property value and boosts personal enjoyment on Memorial Day and throughout the spring and summer.

The first step toward a successful landscaping project is to determine priorities and get a plan. A long-term landscape plan transforms a boring and dysfunctional yard into a place people want to be. Homeowners need to know the strengths and weaknesses of a property and develop an understanding of the landscape design process.

HGTV encourages people to set goals for updating the yard and be aware of their likes and dislikes. Curb appeal, functionality and privacy are common goals. Safety issues such as erosion or fencing around pools or other areas are also important goals. A safe and functional yard is the best place to have a Memorial Day gathering.

A master plan might include a theme, look or feeling. This is created through installing or revamping entertainment areas, walkways, flowers, gardens and outdoor fixtures. HGTV offers fans a Landscaping Planning Guide to help them decide the right solutions to outdoor issues.

HGTV “Going Yard” and DIYNetwork Ideas for Outdoor Fire Pits

HGTV also refers fans to its DIYNetwork to create outdoor fireplaces and fire pits to light up the night on Memorial Day and throughout the seasons. A fire pit or fireplace brings ambiance to any outdoor living space. It is an ideal place to roast marshmallows, cook hot dogs or simply gather on a cool evening to enjoy the outdoors and stay warm.

HGTV’s DIYNetwork offers step-by-step instructions for building a fire pit. Backyard fire pits are considered one of the most popular landscaping features. They are functional and attractive areas constructed from fireproof materials on a level, flat area.

Fire pits should be at least 25 feet from a tree or house and are governed by local building codes. It is important to know local codes before constructing a backyard fire pit. Below is a video showing the first stage of constructing a backyard fire pit. It is a perfect spot to gather for Memorial Day barbecues and gatherings.

Another way to get great ideas is to watch HGTV “Going Yard,” which premiered last Saturday. “Going Yard” is hosted by Chris Lambton of “The Bachelorette” and his wife Peyton Wright of “The Bachelor.”

HULIQ reported the show premiered on Saturday, May 12, at 5 pm ET. Lambton turns neglected yards into inviting family areas used for entertaining for celebrations such as Memorial Day parties. Lambton uses elements such as water features, arbors, plants, patios, fire pits and more to transform lackluster backyards into alluring places to be.

The first episode of HGTV’s “Going Yard” took place in Cape Cod and included an outdoor fireplace, double deck, playground and brick patio. Lambton said, “It was literally dangerous. But we turned it into a beautiful oasis for the family.”

Today’s episode of HGTV’s “Going Yard” happened at the home of Carmen and Eddie Machado. The couple loves camping and spending time with their three boys. Carmen wanted an English garden and everyone wanted to grow their own vegetables. Lambton build them an edible English garden that included a play structure, fire pit and plenty of grass for backyard camping sleepovers.

From landscape planning to building a fire pit, the HGTV website and network are the places to go for great ideas for Memorial Day gatherings and “staycation” backyard ideas.

Image Source: HGTV Facebook

Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Seaside landscaper creates 840-square-foot sanctuary fir the San Francisco …

by Leave a Comment

Click photo to enlarge

The idea of a garden as sanctuary is nothing new — in fact, it’s one of the oldest reasons there is for having a garden.

Landscape contractor Mitsugu Mori of Seaside put a fresh spin on this idea in his award-winning design at this year’s San Francisco Flower Garden Show, one of the best-known garden shows in the United States.

His “Healing Garden” attracted thousands of visitors during the recent show and also won a silver medal.

The intent, Mori said, was to create a place of quiet refuge where someone could sit and contemplate: “When you have a busy city life, you need a space where you can sit down and relax, read a book, think about the next day’s schedule, whatever.”

Although Mori had been to the show many times as a spectator, this was the first time that he designed one of its show gardens.

Mori, 60, has worked as a landscape contractor for many years on the Monterey Peninsula. The former resident of Osaka, Japan, settled in Seaside in 1978, and owns Green Valley Landscaping as well as the Seaside Garden Center, which he opened in 2007.

Mori said another reason he had for entering the show was to see how his design would do in a competition. It had particular significance for him because he is now taking the next step in his career, and will become a landscape architect this fall. He’s been attending classes at West Valley College for 10 years toward this goal.

Only 20 show gardens were created for the 2012 garden show, with

renowned Bay Area and South Bay landscape designers and design companies displaying top-notch concepts. All who want to create gardens for the show must apply by submitting design ideas, according to Kay Hamilton Estey, marketing manager for the garden show.

“The gardens are the most important part of the show,” said Estey, who estimates that between 30,000 and 35,000 people visited the recent show in San Mateo. “It’s a big endeavor.”

The show gardens are judged by landscape architecture and garden design experts, who determine the majority of the award winners.

Mori said his idea was to create a tranquil refuge where people could go to relax and renew themselves after a long day at work.

His intent also was to display something that would be attainable for the average homeowner to have in the back yard.

“A garden show is like a fashion show,” said Mori — designers tend to show off flashy, elaborate layouts that aren’t always practical for the ordinary gardener. “I wanted it to be realistic.”

What made Mori’s Asian-influenced design unique was the use of water-saving plants like ceanothus, sedum and fountain grasses, as well as native trees. The trees acted as a privacy screen, creating a personal space for the homeowner to enjoy, as well as a dry stacked rock wall made from natural stone, a fire pit, a dry creek, seating and a water feature with a stream flowing over rocks.

The native and drought-tolerant plantings fit with the theme of this year’s show, “Gardens for a Green Earth.”

“No concrete was used in the wall. Everything was done as sustainably as possible,” said Mori.

All this was created in a space similar to what you’d find behind a home in an average middle-class neighborhood in a city, an area measuring 24 by 35 feet.

Although the completed show garden was relaxing for viewers, putting it all together was anything but. Mori and his crew had to haul in all the materials and plants to the San Mateo Event Center on two trucks; then came two whirlwind days of construction. His show garden was built on wooden pallets in order to create several different levels.

“We were the first ones to finish,” said Mori with satisfaction.

Not only did Bay Area garden fans visit Mori’s garden, but also a fair number from the Monterey Peninsula, including 47 people on a bus that Mori chartered from Seaside Garden Center.

And what did the thousands of visitors think? Mori calls the response “overwhelming.”

“People were standing in line waiting to see it,” he said, and one couple returned on the last day of the show, just because they wanted to visit Mori’s garden again. They also took photos because, as they told him, they hoped to renovate their own back yard in a similar style.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Edible landscaping: Dig in (and pass salt, please)

by Leave a Comment

Vancouver landscape architect Senga Lindsay’s debut gardening book Edible Landscaping: Urban Food Gardens That Look Great features scores of edible garden design ideas, from vertical herb walls to colourful and beautifully patterned vegetable patches.

A launch for the book takes place at Barbara-Joâ€™s Books to Cooks (1740 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver) on Saturday, June 9, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event features a presentation on edible garden design over beverages and snacks. For more information about this free event or to reserve a signed copy of the book, please call Books to Cooks at 604-688-6755.

Senga Lindsay will sign copies of her book and host presentations on edible garden design featuring Edible Landscaping, at Garden Works (705 West Third Street, North Vancouver) on Sunday, June 10 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, at Save-On-Foods Park Tilford (333 Brooksbank Avenue, North Vancouver) on Saturday, June 16 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and at Whole Foods Market (925 Main Street, West Vancouver) on Monday, June 25 at 6:30 pm. For more information about these free events, please visit www.harbourpublishing.com.

nlanthier@vancouversun.com

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Wirth Landscaping Propagates Across Generations

by Leave a Comment

Working in a big office building never appealed to Mark Wirth.

“I like to be outside,” he said. “I’m not the kind of person who can sit behind a desk all the time. I like to get my hands out and do things. I like to meet people.”

He found his niche as owner of Wirth Landscaping in Darien.

Wirth’s parents were both teachers. In the early 1980s, his dad, Lee, began working on the side for a teacher who had his own landscaping and nursery business. Wirth remembers his dad saying after many years, “Why can’t I do this?” And so began Wirth Landscaping.

“(Dad) never gave up teaching,” Wirth said. “Obviously springs and falls were very hectic.”

Wirth’s mom, Donna, had left teaching years earlier to care for her growing family. She also worked for the business, answering phones and handling scheduling and estimates.

“She likes to talk to people,” Wirth said. “She’s very personable.”

Mark Wirth was in grade school at the time.

“I started (landscaping) when I was 13 or 14,” he said. “As soon as I was able to push a little lawnmower, I would go and help the other guys. I’ve been working with (Dad) ever since.”

Wirth graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil sciences/landscape design.

“I wanted to focus on installation and maintenance,” he said.

About five years ago, a few years after he retired from teaching, the elder Wirth passed the landscaping business to his son. Mark Wirth has continued to grow that business as a full-service landscape company.

One area of his expertise is hardscape, including patios, walkways and retaining walls. Wirth uses professional-grade natural and manufactured stones, bricks and pavers. He is a certified by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).

Wirth begins each project with a free consultation and estimate.

“We go to the spot and first I ask them a lot of questions,” he said. “‘How big is your family? Do you like to entertain?’ I tell them to take a hose or a rope, and mark out a comfortable area in your yard that you think you’re going to be happy with. If you have a (patio) set, set it all up and make sure this space is going to work for you. Then I’ll give you an idea of a budget, what this might cost you. We can always scale it (larger or smaller) or use a different material to save a little money.”

For landscaping, he always asks the customer’s preferences. He is also ready with suggestions, and to discuss the pros and cons of various ideas.

“I’ve gotten very good at listening and explaining to people what I’m trying to give them,” he said. “Most people don’t exactly know what they want. When I first meet them, I usually ask, ‘Are there some particular colors that you like? What’s your favorite color?’ I ask if there are plants that they like, and I might incorporate a few of them. A lot of times I try to broaden their horizons.”

Wirth likes to reuse existing landscape elements. “Nowadays, a lot of people are just adding on to what they have,” he said. “That’s my biggest (area of) expertise – trying to use what you already have and make it work. Take some of your existing plants and maybe move them or arrange them differently. Add some new stuff to it. A lot of people are just amazed at what you can do with what you already have.”

Wirth looks for good homes for discarded plants. He donates them to the First Baptist Church of Bolingbrook and Christ the Servant Catholic Church in Woodridge, as well as to other groups.

Wirth shops local nurseries to find the best plants.

“I pick out the plants myself,” he said. “I want to inspect them myself. I don’t send my guys to do that. Or I’ll go with (the customer).” Customers can also choose to go on their own and tag their choices for Wirth to pick up later.

Care instructions are vital for new plantings. “Most of the plants I give you are going to be pretty carefree, not have any extraordinary things you’re going to have to do to get them going,” he said. “You’re going to water them a lot for the first two weeks, then scale it back.”

Wirth’s customers put a lot of trust in his work.

“The last few years, a lot of clients have been doing backyard weddings,” Wirth said. “I had a customer last year (who) just gave me a blank slate. A new patio, plants, everything. (They said,) ‘Make this yard look beautiful. Don’t worry about what it costs. Just do it. We know you’re going to do a great job.’ I’ve had that happen a few times. That makes me feel good. I’m going to go above and beyond, give them everything they need to make them perfectly happy. It’s their special day.”

Wirth Landscaping also provides weed control, fertilizer and pruning services. As do many landscapers, they do snow removal in the winter months.

Wirth has five full-time employees as well as several part-timers during the busy seasons. One young mower has been with him for 10 years, and while a hardscape worker has been with him for 14 years.

“I treat them well because I know I can depend on them,” Wirth said. “They work hard and they stay with me.”

His longtime customers appreciate Wirth’s business ethics.

“I’m going to give you quality and exceed your expectations,” he said. “You’re not going to ever be disappointed with me. You’re going to get exactly what you wanted, and you’re going to know what that’s going to cost. And you’re going to be happy.”

For more information, contact Wirth Landscaping at 630-479-4245, or go to www.wirthlandscaping.com.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Treatment ideas for nut grass, Bradford pears

by Leave a Comment

<!–Saxotech Paragraph Count: 6
–>

Question: Is there any easy solution to getting nut grass out of a flower bed? I bought some good topsoil and topped it off with some topsoil that came in bags. I made the bed late last fall and did not have any problem until this month. It is now thick with nut grass and seems the more I pull the more it spreads. Is there any solution other than to dig it all out and ship it to the landfill?

Answer: Nut grass is very hard to control but there are two products that now can be used under many conditions to control the sedges. Remember that sedge has a triangular stem. A product with a trade name image will control sedge in many situations but be certain that you read the label to understand exactly where it is safe to use.

Another product is called SedgeHammer. It can be used in turf and in landscape beds if carefully sprayed on the nut sedge. It comes in a small package containing only 0.9 grams of ingredient in a water-soluble plastic envelope. This is the amount to put into one gallon of water and will treat 1,000 square-feet of turf or flower bed. That is a little dab that will go a long way. Be certain to follow the instructions. Both products are somewhat expensive but will cover a large area. If it works, it is a cheap way to get rid of the problem.

Q.: I have two Bradford pears that are dying. It is not fire-blight, which I have had, and this is not the same. What can it be? The leaves are first turning yellow and then brown. Now they are starting to fall off the trees.

A.: The Bradford pears are suffering from “weed eater” disease. Someone has gotten too close to the bark near the base of the trees with a string trimmer and the string is hitting bark and has crushed the food supply route from the leaves. Dogwoods also are bad about getting the disease. Protect the base and bark of the trees from a string trimmer.

Recently, a young couple who are friends of mine bought a house near the lake. It is on a side hill with concrete walks and a driveway leading down to the house. The heavy rains from the last big storm turned the concrete paths into rivers and flooded the house. Water ran under the doors and into the house.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

LandscapingNetwork.com Features Three Handy Landscape Design Checklists

by Leave a Comment

CALIMESA, Calif., May 18, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
Before undertaking any landscaping project, big or small, one must first
examine several very important questions regarding landscape
design. LandscapingNetwork.com, online resource for landscaping
industry information, has gathered three helpful and informative
landscape design checklists for consumers interested in starting new
landscaping projects.

According to the site, landscaping
design is an ideal outlet to express creativity, creating a space that
can provide three important elements: calm, awe, and balance. Landscape
design integrates colors, textures, scents and structural compositions
to create anything from entertaining areas to peaceful retreats at home.

Courtesy of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and two
professional landscape design firms, these checklists guide consumers
through many questions that will help define landscaping needs, as well
as wants and preferences. These questionnaires will help provide both
consumer and landscape designers a better understanding of the project
and project goals.

Covering a multitude of landscaping elements, each checklist covers
various facets within the design process. These checklists give insight
into details the professional designer will need to know to accurately
craft the project’s concept.

Consumers must decide on a particular design style, for example between
Mediterranean, Spanish, Tropical themes and many others. Consumers must
consider color schemes, plant and paving preferences, what the space
will be used for, desired amenities and more. Most importantly,
checklists will help the consumer set a project budget so that both
parties, client and designer, are on the same page.

For full PDF versions of these landscape
design checklists, and more on landscape planning, visit
LandscapingNetwork.com.

About LandscapingNetwork.com

LandscapingNetwork.com works with a team of professional landscape
designers and writers to bring together the very best landscaping
resources and information available. Homeowners, landscape designers and
architects, builders and more can also stay up-to-date through the
site’s extensive collection of articles, landscaping photos and videos
on landscape design ideas, products and more.

For consumers ready to turn their landscaping design dreams into
reality, the site offers an easy-to-use Find a Contractor directory to
find local landscape
contractors and designers throughout the United States and Canada.

SOURCE: LandscapingNetwork.com



        
        LandscapingNetwork.com 
        Thad Orr, 855-624-5110 
        thad@landscapingnetwork.com

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Grand tour: Fun and surprises at Floriade

by Leave a Comment

Venlo, Netherlands – Floriade was fun. This world expo of horticulture, held only once every ten years, turned out to be a glorious gardening show, full of sensational displays, creative landscaping ideas and all sorts of delightful sensory surprises.

It was totally unexpected, for instance, to turn a corner and find a tree wearing a sweater and to walk into a water garden and find furniture that looked like granite that turned out to be made of soft foam covered with rubber. It was just as much fun watching other people make the discovery.

It was cute to sit at a sushi-style conveyer belt and pick off products that you could either eat (cheese, cherry tomatoes, herb dishes) or touch (sheep’s wool and bulbs) or keep and take home as a gift (forget-me-not seeds and a miniature plant pot or a egg-shaped foam you squeeze to relieve stress).

It was inspiring to walk through a row of 15 innovative small-spaced gardens, each created for a specific purpose, such as a lunch time play space for office workers or a courtyard food garden planted whimsically with asparagus.

And it was a particularly stimulating sensory treat to walk along a path through a dense woodland that had been wired for sound. Short bursts of music or spoken words or weird sounds added a sense of the surreal to the mystery of the forest and heightening the experience of a walk through a wood with all its comforting as well as unnerving characteristics.

This simple but elegant horticultural art installation was inspiring because of the way it transformed an ordinary woodland into a living life force as if the trees could were speaking and making their own music.

Spread over a 66-hectare site, the Floriade expo, which opened in April and runs until October 7, also features some impressive architecture – a wavy steel and glass entrance and stylish bridge – but none of this compared to the sleek, spacious contemporary landscaping that greets you on the inside where immense reflecting ponds and wide paths and a colourful sweeping tapestry of flowers in long curving borders define and separate five themed zones.

People go to Floriade to be wowed. They want to see things they haven’t seen before or can’t seen anywhere else. The wow-factor is definitely there in buckets.

Or, rather should I say, the wow-factor is there in baskets – dozens of brightly coloured plastic shopping bags backed with gerberas and other flowers, bringing a completely new slant to the definition of “hanging baskets”.

The idea was extended, even more playfully, with the structure of a typical supermarket shopping cart transformed into a mobile push-me-where-you-want-me garden.

From massive ball of daisies to gigantic grass sofa, Floriade has a lot of entertaining features.

There are movie-theatre pavilions where you can experience being swallowed by a flower or stand in the dark and watch the world turn right under your feet as you flash like a flying spirit from country to country to see horticulture at work.

There are refined borders planted with a sea of blue geraniums and there are experimental gardens where food is being grown on walls to create edible vertical gardens.

Corten steel with its rusty orange patina is used everywhere: for large tree containers at the entrance and throughout the site; in raised planters, mass planted with red-orange foliage heucheras and set off by contrasting blue ornamental grasses; and even used as the material for a caravan with topiary cyclists created out of tightly bended strips of Chinese privet (Ligustrum delavayanum).

At least 22 countries have their own garden pavilions on the site. You can drop into Spain or China, Turkey or Sri Lanka, India or Italy, and take the horticultural pulse of the country by discovering how plants contribute to the economy.

The site is divided into five zones, each with a specific focus. The Relax and Heal zone is all about inducing a state of well-being through the use of soothing sounds, such as water tumbling over rocks, to pleasing fragrances and calming colour schemes.

For an overview of the entire site you can jump into a cable-car and fly in a few minutes from one end to the other. The excellent design of the garden is emphasized even more by being view from overhead. You can see the clever circles and curves, rectangles and patterns of the foundation structures that are sometimes less obvious on the ground.

In the water garden section, there were large red pipes that could be turned to pick up water and splash it everywhere. Nearer the lake, there were more fun water features to engage children in having a playful interaction with the landscape.

It is possible to criticize Floriade, perhaps for not having enough traditional garden content in terms of flower beds.

But I could not stop thinking during my time there that it is such a wonderful, creative, unique effort – sometimes you just don’t see even being attempted anywhere else in the world.

It strikes me as silly to say anything less than bravo, bravo, bravo to the Dutch for making the effort and putting on a world-class horticultural exposition with more highs than lows.

I loved being at Floriade. It is definitely a world-class show. It is certainly impossible to see everything in a day. I came away thinking what a major tourist draw it is as well as being an important influence on the shape of the world of the future.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

DecorSpark.com Shows 38 Different Design Ideas for a Garden Sanctuary

by Leave a Comment

Garden Landscape Design

Wouldn’t you love the landscaping in your garden to look like the one pictured? Could you imagine just sitting there, enjoying the beauty of nature. Basking in quiet of your back yard with nothing but soft sound of water from your fountain?

Middletown, PA (PRWEB) May 17, 2012

For some, a garden is nothing more than a few flower bushes or a bed vegetables, but for some people, that is not enough. As a result, a growing outdoor decorating trend amongst homeowners is transforming their garden into a sanctuary, right in their own backyard. DecorSpark.com shows readers how to turn any backyard into a garden sanctuary.

It is not as difficult as one may think to create a luxurious garden retreat. Here are 38 garden design ideas for turning your home into a peaceful refuge by Fresh Home that is guaranteed to inspire. This blog post rounds up various different yard styles via photographs. There is something for everyone.

Landscaping sounds like serious stuff, but it is not as intensive as one may think. The landscaping can be a DIY project with a little research and elbow grease or the other option is to call in the professionals and hire a landscaper to do do the dirty work.

DecorSpark.com has great examples of different landscaping styles in their recent blog, 38 Design Ideas for a Garden Sanctuary. What it comes down to is, depending on the style of the yard depends on how much landscaping actually needs to be done. It’s best to have a plan, and then worry about the rest.

According to Fresh Home, “The right garden accessories and plant species can set the tone for an incredible outdoor atmosphere, an invigorating place of retreat.”

“Designing your garden should be fun and relaxing. Some ideas include green labyrinths, cobblestone pathways, small ponds, water fountains, colorful flowers and small round trees. These are all ways of creating the best garden experience for yourself possible.”

Make sure to read the rest of 38 Design Ideas for a Garden Sanctuary and check out the photos. The photographs alone are enough to generate 38 ideas!

Be sure to check out DecorSpark for more stories about design, decor, and everything in between. We even review and pick apart the interiors of your favorite television shows and movies. DecorSpark.com recently looked at Don Draper’s new apartment in the current season of Mad Men. Check it out.

Don’t forget to visit us on facebook too.

PDF

Print

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Ideas shared to draw more to plaza

by Leave a Comment

Trees, seating and landscaping that might interest people in spending time at the Bartholomew County Public Library plaza were offered as possibilities Wednesday during a public forum to discuss a fresh plaza design.

About 25 people attended the forum, which Blue Marble Design organized to gather public input into how to breathe life into the plaza as library architect I.M. Pei envisioned.

Blue Marble Design will use the public’s ideas to help it come up with a proposal for the library’s outdoor space, which needs repairs. Additional comments can be made to library Director Beth Booth-Poor at library@barth.lib.in.us or to landscape architect Randy Royer at info@bluemarbledesign.com.

This story appears in the print edition of The Republic. Subscribers can read the entire story online by signing in here or in our e-Edition by clicking here.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

New garden director has big plans

by Leave a Comment

New garden director has big plans

Kathryn Goldman pursues new programs for nonprofit organization

By TONY EVANS
Express Staff Writer

Executive Director Kathryn Goldman has plans to further engage the Sawtooth Botanical Garden in the local business community. Photo by David N. Seelig

The five-acre Sawtooth Botanical Garden along state Highway 75 south of Ketchum is a showcase of gardening and landscaping expertise. What many people don’t know is that it is also an educational and research garden that could soon have an increased impact on the surrounding community.

For 17 years, the garden, which is open year-round from dawn to dusk, has provided raised garden plots for growers to raise vegetables and other plants while sharing gardening ideas.

In recent years, the garden has been expanded into one of the valley’s most impressive parks, featuring a Tibetan prayer wheel and pagoda, examples of Idaho’s diverse ecological communities, and public art sculptures made by local artists.

Executive Director Kathryn Goldman recently took charge of the garden, which has a $275,000 annual budget. The garden is a non-profit organization funded by donations, grants and individual memberships.

Goldman is a nine-year valley resident with a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana. She worked for five years at the nonprofit Wood River Land Trust, and as campaign director for the Idaho Conservation League and the Blaine County Pesticide Action Network, before taking the helm of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden this past winter. Goldman has plans to expand the garden’s programs to include professional certification training and tie-in promotions with the landscaping industry.

But on Wednesday, May 9, Goldman first had to adopt away a few more millipedes and daddy long-legs spiders that remained unsold after the garden’s recent “Bug Zoo” event. The Bug Zoo each year draws hundreds of kids to the greenhouse and classroom complex at the heart of the facility. Nearby is a terrarium with Venus flytrap and pitcher plants, used during the garden’s carnivorous-plant terrarium-building workshop last winter.

“Kids loved it. It sold out,” said Goldman.

The Sawtooth Botanical Garden also provides year-round educational opportunities for adults, including a certification program for arborists that will be available this fall. Grown-ups can also attend cooking classes and get a heads-up on which plants are likely to survive in the Wood River Valley’s sage-steppe and mountain environments.

Goldman said the garden will soon roll out a Sawtooth Botanical Garden-approved list of plants that do well in this region, tagging them at landscaping companies in the area.

“Local resources are where it’s at,” Goldman said.

Testing the vigor of local and introduced species has long been a part of the mission at the garden. Six raspberry species were tested a few years ago in the site by University of Idaho agricultural extension service, to see which of them would be viable as a commercial Idaho food crop.

“Raspberry species K-18-6, a nova variety, tested as the most viable,” Goldman said. “Another species won as best tasting.”

In order to find new ways to interact with communities in the Wood River Valley, Goldman said she will attend public meetings and seek input from the public on how to develop garden programs.

She is set to roll out a new smart-phone garden tour application that can be used either on-site or remotely.

The tour includes about a half-hour walk through examples of four of the five biomes, or ecosystems, in Idaho, from sage steppe to alpine.

“It will give people an idea of what to expect when they come here,” she said.

Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

HGTV Memorial Day Suggestions for Outdoor Landscaping Fun [VIDEO]

Seaside landscaper creates 840-square-foot sanctuary fir the San Francisco …

Edible landscaping: Dig in (and pass salt, please)

Wirth Landscaping Propagates Across Generations

Treatment ideas for nut grass, Bradford pears

LandscapingNetwork.com Features Three Handy Landscape Design Checklists

Grand tour: Fun and surprises at Floriade

DecorSpark.com Shows 38 Different Design Ideas for a Garden Sanctuary

Ideas shared to draw more to plaza

New garden director has big plans

Innovative vertical growing

Recent Post

Categories