When it comes to attractive plants on lawns and in flower gardens, beauty doesn’t have to be imported from elsewhere. Native varieties work well, too.

Many of the grasses and flowers that adorn our yards are exotic species — plants that were brought here from other parts of the world. Maintaining the beauty of these plants is often a high-maintenance job. Many exotic species require high amounts of water, fertilizer, pesticides or some other type of labor-intensive chore that takes more of your time — and money — than you originally intended.

An increasing number of people are realizing that native plants can be just as beautiful to look at and a lot less trouble to grow.

Native plants are a good choice for landscaping whether you have a small plot in the city or large acreage in the country.

Increasing environmental awareness, a desire to connect with nature on a personal level and limited time to devote to home landscape and land management projects are reasons to turn to natural landscaping alternatives.

The plants and patterns that occur naturally in our prairies, forests, savannas, wetlands and glades can give us good landscaping ideas.

There are many benefits associated with a well-planned, diverse native landscape. One of these is wildlife attraction. The songbirds, butterflies, small reptiles and mammals that you go to parks and other publicly owned facilities to see can often be enticed to your backyard with the proper plantings.

These plants provide food, nesting and other habitat essentials required by these animals. Those instinctual needs will draw a variety of wildlife to specific plants whether they’re growing at a nature center or in your backyard.

As mentioned above, native plants usually require much less care than exotics. The reason for this is simple: Millions of years of evolution have adapted these plants to the conditions found here.

Exotic plants have few of these inherent adaptations and, as a result, can often only be sustained through extensive “life-support” procedures such as heavy watering, fertilization or pest-control applications.

Native plants come in many shapes, colors and forms. Those interested in growing indigenous plants have a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, grasses, small and large trees from which to choose.

The best natural landscaping plan is one that involves a mixture of plant types, but space can be a limiting factor and, if it is, that’s still all right. Native plants can work for you whether you have 10 acres on the edge of town or a single flower bed alongside your driveway.

Some people shy away from native landscaping techniques because they think a native-plant landscape will have a rougher, “woollier” appearance than the well-manicured flower beds to which they’re accustomed.

That’s not necessarily a fair criticism because you still control the neatness of your plantings. Just because you have native plants doesn’t mean that you can’t mow, trim, edge and do all of the other aesthetic maintenance procedures that are done with exotic plantings.

People can learn more about native plants and their landscaping benefits on Saturday at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Naturescaping Symposium and native plant sale at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center.

No registration is required for this event, which is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Grow Native program, which is supported by the Missouri Department of Conservation and public and private organizations, also contains excellent information about how native plants can fit into your backyard design schemes.

More information about the program can be found at your nearest Department of Conservation office or on the Grow Native website, www.grownative.org.

Francis Skalicky is media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Southwest Region. For more information about conservation issues, call 417-895-6880.

Fewer azaleas will bloom this year in Highland Park as the town aims to reduce water use.

Parks staff swapped out some of Highland Park’s signature plants — which are not native to the area — for more drought-resistant options. They’ve also installed precision nozzle sprinkling systems, attended conservation seminars and adopted waterwise landscaping techniques in town parks.

The next step is spreading the message of water conservation to residents, said Ronnie Brown, director of town services.

Highland Park is drafting a water conservation plan that may be adopted by Town Council in April. The plan, which sets goals for water savings, is required by the state and must be updated every five years.

About 96 percent of the town’s water consumption is by residents, Brown said. Half of that is used for irrigation.

“Before we tell someone else what to do, we felt like we had to get our own house in order,” he said.

The town fell short of its 2009 water conservation goal of reducing water consumption 1 percent each year. In the new plan, the staff recommends a 0.8 percent reduction goal per year. That would add up to a 4 percent reduction by 2018.

The staff plans to notify the town’s top 25 water users this summer and work with them to reduce use. It will also work with Highland Park ISD’s student environmental club, review the town’s plumbing and irrigation ordinances, offer free sprinkler inspections and host free water conservation seminars, among other ideas.

New Highland Park homes reduce outdoor water use, since most homeowners install modern, efficient sprinkling systems, he said.

“Everybody wants to have an attractive lawn,” Brown said. “Can we do that and save water? And I say we can.”

Mayor Joel Williams acknowledged at a recent council meeting that watering — and water restrictions — is a hot button issue in a town known for large, green lawns. He said he’d prefer to encourage change through carrots, not sticks.

He said he’ll ask the new Town Council, which will be sworn in this spring, to “roll up our sleeves.” Williams, who is uncontested, will serve another term.

Last year, the parks staff encouraged residents to survey their properties for stagnant water and monitor water use to minimize the number of mosquitoes and decrease the chance of West Nile virus. Highland Park had the highest rate of West Nile virus in Dallas County in 2012, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The town also has one of the highest residential water use rates in North Texas, according to 2011 regional data collected by The Dallas Morning News. Highland Park residents used an average of 364 gallons per day in 2011, roughly three times more water per person than in Dallas that year.

Town rules require residents to have rain-sensing devices and freeze gauges on their sprinklers. Residents and their landscapers cannot water the lawn with irrigation systems between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31, according to a town ordinance.

The water regulations were accidentally deleted when Highland Park updated its plumbing code in 2008 but were reimplemented at a March 24 council meeting.

Town employees usually notify residents with door hangers if they see yard runoff or sprinklers running in freezing temperatures, Brown said. He said he prefers to educate residents, rather than write them tickets.

As for azaleas, they’ll continue to be part of Highland Park landscaping — but as accents, not anchors. Highland Park’s new town hall, which opens in the spring, will have about 75 percent fewer azaleas, Brown said.

Residents, he said, will still be surprised by its beauty.

Follow Melissa Repko on Twitter at @melissa_repko.

My Edmonds News is looking for products or services to feature in April to help residents spruce up their spruce trees and prune their plum trees. If you are a local business with a landscaping or gardening angle — and you would like free publicity — email janette “at” myedmondsnews.com to be featured as our “Gardening Idea of the Week.”

Up to four landscaping businesses and ideas will be chosen and featured for the month.

Whether you’re selling a home or staying put, ramping up the curb appeal can increase the home’s value.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

With spring-like weather on its way, Southview Design has several easy landscaping ideas for homeowners who want to increase their home’s curb appeal.

“Whether you’re planning on selling a home or staying put, putting time and money into the front landscaping is a great investment,” said Karen Filloon, a landscape designer with Southview Design. “First impressions are everything, especially if you’re thinking about selling. It can determine whether your home is a drive-by or a must-see.”

According to the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR), the Twin Cities is in a seller’s market, because the demand for homes far outstrips the supply of homes currently for sale. In fact, MAAR reports that the inventory of homes for sale is at an 11-year low. Although the average sale price of a home in the Twin Cities area is up 12.6 percent over last year, homes that are in “move-in” condition tend to sell faster and for more than those that need a lot of work, according to real estate professionals.

Filloon said that early spring is the best time to take a good look at your front yard from across the street to see the big picture. Do the exterior and/or front door need to be painted? Are the driveway, front walk and steps in good repair? Are the front walkway and doorway well lit and inviting?

After you take care of the hardscape basics, it’s time to address your home’s front landscaping. Filloon has three key tips for using landscaping to increase the curb appeal of your home:

1. Replace overgrown or badly pruned shrubs and small ornamental trees.

2. Top-dress the plant beds with a fresh inch of hardwood mulch.

3. Add ‘pops’ of seasonal color in the front beds or container gardens near the front door.

“Of course, taking care of your lawn is a must,” Filloon said. “Avoid the temptation to irrigate in the spring just to get the grass growing. Allow it to green up naturally. Mow frequently but avoid scalping, and don’t start to irrigate until the dry conditions of early summer cause turf wilt.”

Filloon also said that if the lawn is beyond repair, the fastest way to fix it is to start over again with fresh sod. However, she said that fresh sod or a freshly seeded lawn may take several weeks of special care before it’s well established, so it’s important to get that started well before putting the home on the market.

For photos and front yard landscaping ideas, visit http://www.SouthviewDesign.com and the section on how to enhance the curb appeal of your home.

One of the largest and fastest growing landscaping companies in MN, Southview Design is expert in residential and commercial landscape planning, construction and design. Founded in 1978, Southview has completed over 5,000 landscaping projects. Listed among the top 25 fastest growing landscape firms in the U.S., Southview’s landscape designs have garnered awards from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and the Minnesota Chapter of NARI. For more information, visit http://www.southviewdesign.com.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/03/prweb11717591.htm

Outdoors

No comments posted. |E-mail|Print
| Search Archives

Friday, March 21, 2014 3:05 AM EDT

Recycling nature
Decorate with garden ‘debris’
BY VIRGINIA A. SMITH | THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

David Hughes created this 4-foot-tall garden gate using native Eastern red cedar and Moravian tiles. (Courtesy David Hughes via Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

David Hughes, a Doylestown, Pa., landscape architect with an affinity for native flora and natural landscapes, often finds himself ripping out dead, overgrown, or otherwise undesirable plants to make way for new.

But he doesn’t haul that nasty Japanese honeysuckle, Chinese white mulberry, or Norway maple to the dump, curb, or chipper. Hughes is that rare soul who prizes what other designers and gardeners despise, more so if it’s scarred by deer browsing, insect damage, or disease.

That’s because, in addition to designing ecologically responsible landscapes in the Philadelphia region, Hughes, 46, is a skilled woodworker who makes rustic furniture from garden “debris,” a kind of plant-world Dumpster diver.

“To me, it’s a nice marriage, landscaping and woodworking,” says Hughes, whose five-year-old business, his second, is called Weatherwood Design. It comprises about 70 percent landscaping and 30 percent woodworking.

Storm-felled trees and gnarly vines make good raw materials. So do pruned branches, old barn boards, and stuff plucked, with permission, from the side of the road.

An arborist friend scouts out intriguing branches and discarded trunks. Hughes helps the Natural Lands Trust and local preserves thin out invasives or dead trees. And every July Fourth, again with permission, he rescues unwanted driftwood from death by bonfire at a public beach on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

The wood might sit for years on the one-acre property Hughes shares with his widowed dad, Merritt Hughes, a retired English teacher. Logs, planks, oddball sticks and scraps are stacked along the driveway, in the yard, and in and around Hughes’ densely packed, unheated 8-by-12-foot workshop.

“It’s hard to throw anything out,” he says a bit sheepishly of the jars of nails, screws, and bolts, the bits of this or that, and the saws, planes, and other tools of his trade.

Drying wood outside is challenging. But if rain and snow are his nemeses, water is also a friend. “My best ideas come in the shower,” he says.

Those ideas — for chairs, tables and benches, garden gates, and screens, trellises, arbors, railings, and birdhouses — are time-consuming. A simple-looking chair can take 35 hours to make, at $45 an hour, not counting time to find and dry the wood and do research.

“It’s like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle. There are no square edges to anything,” says Hughes, who is itching for some land of his own so he can grow hedge rows of the native trees — alder, sassafras, Eastern red cedar, black locust, Osage orange — he likes to work with.

He also wants to live off the grid and build native plant, meadow, and woodland demonstration gardens. Four acres, at a minimum, would do it, though so much real estate would involve a lot of deer-fencing.

But fenced it must be; deer are plentiful, and Hughes has had Lyme disease 14 times since the early 1990s. That he has worked through such a scourge reflects a lifetime of loving plants.

Growing up in Glenside, Pa., Hughes was “always out playing and getting muddy and dirty,” often in Baederwood Park. Foreshadowing the landscape architect he would become, he spent hours in the attic constructing vehicles and buildings with Legos and Lincoln Logs.

As an 8-year-old, guided by his handy grandfather, Sylvester “Cookie” Cook, Hughes built metal cladding to reinforce a toy castle, and carved sticks to support a leather-covered tepee.

“I loved the outdoors,” he says, including time spent at his family’s vacation home outside Wellsboro, Pa.

Hughes is a graduate of Abington High School and Pennsylvania State University, where he knew almost instantly “I was doing the right thing” in studying landscape architecture. He also did graduate work at the University of Massachusetts.

His resumé includes jobs at plant nurseries, landscape architectural and planning firms, and the U.S. Forest Service. He has restored wetlands and woodlands and worked on suburban subdivision landscapes, meadows, and residential projects, including a highly idiosyncratic Bucks County, Pa., second home belonging to New Yorkers Todd Ruback and Suzanne Schecter.

The couple’s 2½-acre property, overlooking the Delaware Canal in Upper Black Eddy, Pa., features a converted century-old barn that backs up to a gravelly 200-foot red shale cliff that was choked with exotic vines. Hughes cleared the cliff and literally carved a landscape into it, choosing wildlife-friendly plants such as Eastern prickly pear cactus, the region’s only native cactus, that grows almost exclusively along the high cliffs of the Delaware River.

“He’s not bringing in eucalyptus trees,” Ruback says. “He’s making use of what local, Bucks County nature is giving us.”

And much of what Hughes takes away from “Bucks County nature” goes toward his rustic furniture. The results, says a mentor, Daniel Mack of Warwick, N.Y.

Both sturdy and playful, and demonstrate “a poetic sensibility.”

“Nobody actually needs any of these chairs. There are plenty of chairs in the world already, thank you,” says Mack, a rustic-furniture teacher and author. “You’ve gone beyond need, and you’re into another realm.”

It’s a realm, Mack says, that “engages us with the landscape in a way you don’t see with more-anonymous furniture.”

Follow Us

---

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog.
Please be civil and respectful.
If you’re witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican.
Registered users comments will be posted automatically.
All other comments will be reviewed by our staff before appearing on the Web site. Click Here to register.

Image Verification: (Case sensitive)   

• Help Squad: Money saving tax tips that could save you big bucks

  March 31, 2014 9:06 a.m.

• Help Squad: Basketball company gives deserved refund to injured player

  March 31, 2014 9:06 a.m.

It’s been covered with snow for the past five or six months, but now that your lawn and landscaping are in full view again, it’s time to think about getting them ready for summer.

But how much do you know about fertilizers and weed killers? Are they safe? How do you know which types are effective for your yard?

Help Squad reached out to Dr. Aaron Hager, associate professor in crop sciences and weed science Specialist at the University of Illinois, who gave us the dirt.

• There are certain elements required by all plants and many can be supplied by the soil, but overtime, there can be deficiencies in these elements, causing a need for fertilizers. If you have deficiencies and you choose not to fertilize, the plants may never reach their full growth potential, or they could die.

• Weed killers, also known as herbicides are pesticides, are used to kill unwanted plants that can grow in your sidewalks, driveway, garden or grass. There are several different types of weed killers, so be careful in what you select. Some are broad spectrum and others are more specific in what they kill.

• All herbicides used in the U.S. go through extensive tests by the EPA and the industry is highly regulated. Therefore, if you use the products according to their directions, they are safe.

So, should you hire a landscaper to do the job, or head to Home Depot and do it yourself? What are the advantages of having your yard treated professionally and what’s the cost difference? For these answers, we talked to Highland Park-based landscaper, Gary Bregman, whose company, Bregman Landscape Group has been treating yards on the North Shore for more than two decades.

 

5 tips in treating your yard this spring:

1. Timing is important. Lawns and landscaping should be treated four times during the season, and Bregman recommends spacing it out. He suggests two applications in the spring, a summer application and a late fall or early winter application.

2. Be careful to use the right amount of the product. Using too much can burn your lawn and applying too little will prevent you from getting the desired effect. Professional landscapers have equipment that is calibrated to put down the intended amount.

3. Different lawns require different types of fertilizers and pesticides. In other words, what’s right for one yard might not be right for another. Choosing the right product is based on the type of grass, how much sun the lawn gets, and if the property has an irrigation system affecting how much water it’s getting. Bregman said certain landscapers use the same product on every lawn, so make sure to ask if the project will be customized.

4. Small jobs, such as treating minimal driveway cracks that have some growth, or spot spraying your dandelions and clovers can be done easily using store bought products. Just make sure you always wear gloves while handling the products, and don’t treat the areas on days when the weather is extremely hot or when there are high winds.

5. The average cost of each treatment of either fertilizer or herbicides done by a landscaper is $65-85. A bag of Vigora Lawn Fertilizer from Home Depot that will fertilize 5,000 square feet costs $12.78. A 32 ounce spray bottle of Spectracide Weed Stop costs $9.47.

 

Need help?

Did a utilities company overcharge you? Did a boutique deny your request for a return? Are you the victim of fraudulent business practices? Is someone just exhibiting bad business behavior? Let Help Squad make the call for you. Send your letters, your complaints, your injustices and your story ideas to HelpSquad@pioneerlocal.com and we will be happy to help you.

Normally, that used water is piped straight to a wastewater treatment facility, where it is filtered, kept in a pond and disinfected ­— all at great expense. But if the ideas of a small-but-growing minority take hold, it could be diverted to water a backyard fruit tree instead.

This is “graywater,” a term used to describe water that is not fresh but not toxic either — such as the used water coming from a bathroom sink, shower drain or laundry machine. It’s not potable, of course, but plants like it just fine.

With that in mind, why shouldn’t residents of single-family homes, especially those living in dry climates like Petaluma’s, be watering plants while they do their laundry?

According to James Johnson, a senior environmental health specialist for Sonoma County’s Permit and Resource Management Department, graywater is an idea whose time has come. Although the concept has been around for several years — the East Bay’s “Greywater Guerilla Girls” were rebelliously installing not-to-code plumbing systems in the late 1990s — California only recently updated its building codes to make it easier to install such systems legally.

According to Johnson, the state updates its codes every three years, and new rules that took effect at the beginning of this year have “given us a little bit more to work with.”

Today the regulations include a whole section devoted to graywater, which the state says can come from numerous sources including swimming pool backwash, foundation drainage or cooling runoff from an air conditioner. Such water, once captured, can be stored only briefly and used for specific purposes.

“You can even bring it back into the house to flush the toilet,” Johnson said. If done properly, a typical household can reduce water use by about one-third using a graywater system.

In this time of sustained drought, such recycling techniques are considered a good way to recapture precious water. County leaders know this, Johnson said.

“My director came to me, about two weeks ago, and he provided the Board of Supervisors update that tells people in the county what’s going on,” Johnson said. Their motto: “Retain it! Don’t drain it!”

According to the county’s website, “We can respond to the drought by installing graywater systems in our yards to irrigate plants and keep them thriving.”

The City of Petaluma has been on board with this plan from the start, due in no small part due to Daily Acts, a nonprofit group headquartered downtown. Dedicated to furthering sustainability in the city and county, the group has been spreading the word about graywater for years.

Indeed, Trathen Heckman, the group’s founder and executive director, “installed the first permitted single-family-residence graywater system in the county, way back in 2009,” said Daily Acts program coordinator Ryan Johnston.

That was in his home near 8th and G streets. Soon after, a few neighbors took up the idea, then a few more. Today, Johnston said, more than 30 Petaluma households are using the simplest type of graywater system – basically a pipe or hose diverting used water from the laundry machine to landscaping outside.

In Petaluma, such a system requires no permit and is easy to install with about $150 worth of materials. The city has “a really wonderful incentive program,” Johnston said, in which it will give interested residents all the parts necessary, free of charge, “to install a laundry-to-landscape graywater system.”

Daily Acts then follows up with residents to make sure they’re able to install the system properly.

By some estimates, a typical family of four uses at least 7,000 gallons per year on laundry alone — meaning that a few hundred Petaluma families switching to graywater would save millions of gallons per year, while also relieving the city’s overburdened water treatment facility. In both cases, water and sewer rate payers can save money.

Such a setup “recharges groundwater as well,” Johnston said. “It’s putting back into the piggy bank that we’re drawing out so heavily.” He also recommended that residents remove thirsty lawns and plant gardens instead (graywater is not appropriate for vegetables where the water touches the food directly, such as carrots, but is perfect for woody perennials and trees).

Carrie Pollard, principal program specialist for the Sonoma County Water Agency, remains optimistic on the prospect of recycling water at the single-family-home level.

“I would say graywater is more predominant in Sonoma County than in other regions. But there’s definitely an opportunity for expansion,” she said. And as Sonoma County weathers a years-long drought, “This is a source of water that’s readily available.”

Pollard is co-chair of the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper, or QWEL, program, which offers training to contractors, plumbers and landscapers in “how to appropriately manage landscapes.” A subset of that training is installing graywater systems.

Anyone can take advantage of the several-day, 10-hour program. “We do have homeowners come and participate in all of our classes,” she said. Those interested can sign up at qwel.net.

These are all baby steps, perhaps. But from the perspective of someone who’s been following the movement from the beginning, graywater has come a long way.

“Compared to what it was and what it is now, it’s totally different,” said Laura Allen, an Oakland resident and one of the original Greywater Guerrillas.

Today, for example, “You can legally install a graywater system with no permit,” she said, referring to the basic laundry-to-landscape model.

Allen praised both county efforts and Daily Acts. She also spoke highly of cities like Petaluma, which “has a really great rebate program,” she said.

It seems some local leaders have come to realize that, in the long run, “It’s cheaper for them to provide an incentive program than to buy more water,” Allen said.

FLINT, MI — More than 1,000 people hopeful for the arrival of spring showed up March 29-30 for the annual Home and Garden Show at Perani Arena.

“We’re anxious for spring. We’re here to get some ideas for our garden, outdoor gardening,” said Terry Mortier, of Grand Blanc, looking over items Sunday. “Just getting ideas of pond stone and new plants to put outside. It’s nice that it’s in one place and you can get a lot of information quickly so that you can figure out what you want to do.”

Perani Arena and Event Center now runs the show in-house after it was previously led by Chuck Lambert for more than 70 years and by the Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan from 2010-2011.

“It is a long-running show and a pretty successful event. We’re
trying to re-grow the show as far as the number of vendors and how many people
come to the show,” said Jeremy Torrey, director of operations for Perani. “So we’ve had some success over the last couple of years
re-building the show.”

In chatting with some of the show’s more than 60 vendors in attendance, Torrey said, “I’ve heard from a lot of our vendors that business is
starting to pick up a little bit so that’s a good sign and hopefully they’ll
have a big spring and summer season.”

With the economy improving, people are definitely starting to
put money into their homes again, said Justin Salzano, a
salesman at DW Windows Sunrooms in Davison Township. He noted sunrooms and acrylic bath
wraps are popular this year. 

“This show is probably one of our best shows that
we do as far as home and garden shows. This is our target market right here. It’s
nice because people are coming directly to you basically,” said Salzano. “There are no real
sales-y things that have to happen because they’re coming to you for the home
and garden show. So you know they’re truly interested and you’re not wasting
your time. It’s an easy market for us as far as that goes.”

Brand recognition and networking were the main goals for the
vendors in attendance. 

 “We’re just
trying to get out and meet people from the community and get brand awareness.
We will come (every year) from now on,” said Wayne Lake, general manager of Two Men and a Truck. “We’ve had quite a few people that were
interested in moving and they’ve had questions that we were able to answer. Put
a face with the name, you know. There’s definitely a lot of local moving still.” 

Vendors providing a variety of services including security
systems, pool sales and maintenance, windows, dish network, water purifying
services, moving companies, outdoor landscaping and many more attended the
event that serves as a launching point for their sales season.

“They get started on business
for the year here. It’s always proven to be successful for them. They always get
a lot of business out of the show,” Torrey said. “The main reason that we decided to do the
show is because, in our view, it’s important to the economy here and it’s important
to our local vendors. And if we can help them generate business and improve the
economy here, then we want to do that.”

As the weather finally warms up, homeowners are eager to plan their outdoor projects.

First-time homeowner Erik Nelson, 28, of Brandon walked booth to booth Sunday at the Sioux Falls Lawn and Garden Show at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, asking every question he could think of.

With spring on its way, he and his wife want to put their own stamp on their new home.

The plan: Plant a few fruitless crabapple trees and maybe even a red oak tree in the yard and build a fence around it.

Nelson said he plans to take all the information he gathered home to his wife, discuss it with her, then get to work.

“We want to put our own footprint on the house and someplace we can hopefully start a family,” he said.

The Lawn and Garden Show featured landscaping and garden displays, seminars, presentations, demonstrations and hands-on activities to help homeowners get ready for spring and summer. About 100 vendors were set up.

The Minnehaha Master Gardeners put on the seminars and workshops.

Thousands learned how to garden in a bale of hay, design a creative garden or dehydrate foods, and about bees and butterflies — and pests, too. Experts answered questions on the best lawn management practices.

“This is a great place to come, they have so many ideas,” event coordinator Tawy Kaup said. “If you’re a new couple, it’s fun to come get your scrub ideas, your stepping stone and kind of create your own retreat right in your backyard.”

Sioux Falls couple Justin and Emily Gislason, too, decided it was time to spice up their home. So for the first time, they went to the lawn and garden show.

Talks ranged from expanding their deck area to landscaping, and what seemed most important — a flag.

“We’re seeing what kinds of ideas are out there. Seems like there’s always a new way get something done,” Justin Gislason said.

Before leaving, the couple added two new lawn ornaments to their collection: a giant frog and a small turtle.

* Local stores altering their focus after winter shortens their business season

The business season for North Jersey garden centers typically begins in the middle of March, but local store owners say this winter’s relentless assault of below-normal temperatures and above-average snowfall has forced homeowners and companies to delay overhauling landscapes and buying lawn upkeep products such as mulch and topsoil.

A slow start to the season can badly damage their business, especially when they are faced with stiff competition from larger retailers like The Home Depot and Lowe’s, they said.

“I haven’t gotten any of the normal calls for pansies or things like that,” said Norman Frederick, a co-owner of Rock Ledge Garden Center in Wayne. “I’m glad firewood makes up 30 percent of my business now, because no one is calling. The ground is still frozen, so people couldn’t start planting.”

The increased competition in the past few years and the compressed season this year have forced North Jersey garden center owners to think of new ways to appeal to customers — including specializing in niche aspects of garden work or selling uncommon trees and shrubs.

Denny Wiggers, owner of Denny Wiggers Landscaping and Garden Center in Paramus, said that after seeing competition from larger retailers, and mismanagement of other locally owned garden centers, he decided to focus on becoming known for high-end stonework — such as retaining walls, patios or lawn furniture cut out from large slabs of stone. The stonework can be done in colder temperatures than most of the landscape design and maintenance. Wiggers said the stonework helps propel sales in other areas of the business, such as lawn maintenance.

The key to becoming a leader in stonework is being willing to take risks, Wiggers said. He visits Mexico yearly and will visit China in October to find new ideas to incorporate into the projects he does for corporate clients, he said.

After revamping his store’s online presence with examples of his stonework, Wiggers said, he has worked with pop singer Lady Gaga and radio personality Don Imus, and he is designing a large stone pizza oven sculpture for pizza retailer Papa Razzi’s renovated store in Short Hills.

Wiggers said that without his online presence, which he updates during the day, he would not have been able to show his work. Any business not embracing the Internet won’t succeed, he said.

“I try to make my stonework be one-of-a-kind, and there is a real market for customers looking for that kind of work,” he said. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money to be creative.”

Wiggers said his stonework now accounts for about half of his yearly business. His store also sells rare or unusual ferns, provides fencing, and sods Manhattan rooftops for weddings and other large events.

Cristina Alves, a co-owner of Mayberry’s Nursery Garden Center in Woodcliff Lake, said her store works mostly with residential clients and has more than $1 million in annual sales To be competitive, she said, she focuses on ordering high-quality ferns and trees from Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania that can be used as part of the store’s landscaping design and construction business.

“A lot of our clients are people who move from Manhattan and have no idea what it takes to maintain a yard,” Alves said. “But they still want a high level of quality with the work they get. The customers we typically get orders from aren’t looking for the cheapest work; they want the highest quality work they can get.”

Alves said Mayberry’s projects range in cost from $1,000 to more than $200,000, depending on the expansiveness of the design and plants used in it. She said customers typically look for large evergreen plants or ornamental plants that are different from what can be bought at a large retailer.

Despite the compressed business season this year, Alves said she expects a boom in business once the weather finally gets warmer. “Sure the weather has delayed everything this year,” she said. “People don’t think of spring until they can step outside and actually feel it. But that’s the way it is for garden centers.”

Email: wyrich@northjersey.com Twitter: @AndrewWyrich