landscaping ideas | Gardening

BENSON — It’s March Madness at the Benson Museum, to be celebrated with a number of activities on Saturday.

The museum, located at 180 San Pedro St., will be featuring the works of local artists, with selections of oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil and photography on exhibit through April. The participating artists are members of the San Pedro River Arts Council.

In addition to the art exhibit, the Quilt Gallery and gift shop will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Visit the shop and enjoy a bake sale while on the museum property.

Muralist Doug Quarles will be at the Benson Clean and Beautiful informational booth where he will answer questions about the mural he’s completed as well as discuss plans for future projects. Clean and Beautiful committee members will be handing out brochures of the murals, fact sheets and applications about becoming a committee member, said Lisa Hill, who chairs Benson Clean and Beautiful. Members are currently in the process of working on short and long range goals for Benson. Suggestions include the following projects: planting trees along Fourth Street and in local parks, community clean-up projects, placing benches along the “Mural Walking Tour,” cleaning up Fourth Street and adding plants in flower pots and purchasing large, non-portable ashtrays to place next to business entryways.

Hill says that Clean and Beautiful is looking for people who might be interested in serving on committees within the organization to help with such projects as membership drives, fundraisers, future murals, landscaping and community clean-up efforts as well as community awareness and publicity. “When we work together as a team, there is so much we can accomplish,” she said.

“We are asking the community at large for ideas about future projects they would like to see Benson Clean and Beautiful undertake,” said Hill. The deadline to submit ideas is March 31. Those with recommendations should call Hill at (520) 586-2516 or by going to BensonCandB@yahoo.com.

The community is invited to visit the Benson Museum during Saturday’s March Madness event and learn about the different projects around town. Participate in the list of activities the museum is hosting throughout the day and enjoy the exhibit by local artists.

For information, call the museum at (520) 586-3134.

If you find a correction for this story, please contact our editorial department

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There’s no place like Lehigh Valley Home Show

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Along with chirping robins and budding crocuses, homeowners making treks to home improvement and hardware stores are an annual sign of spring.

So after more than 5 feet of snow this winter, the Spring Home Show at Stabler Arena and Rauch Fieldhouse in Bethlehem is apt to look like an oasis to a Bedouin.

On March 28-30, the home show will draw almost 300 vendors showing off more than 400 booths with displays on everything from kitchen renovations to landscaping, from solar panels to outdoor fireplaces.

Chuck Hamilton, executive officer for the Lehigh Valley Builders Association, which runs the show, says, “I think when you get that cabin fever and you haven’t been able to do anything around the house because of the ice and snow, it’s the perfect time to get out and get ideas and get reinvigorated on what you want to do for the summer.”

Contractors are starting to see home construction and remodeling pick up, he says. Upgrading kitchens and bathrooms continues to be popular.

“As the home values are steadily increasing, we’ve seen an increase in both new home construction and remodeling,” Hamilton says. “Home additions have been very popular as a substitute for moving to a larger home.”

Among the trends the association is seeing:

Reuse of materials or “green materials”

Ruhmel Contracting and the Design Studio at HoudenHAL will be among vendors with exhibits about using sustainable energy sources and recycled products.

Robin Ruhmel of the Design Studio at HoudenHAL says the company has seen increased demand for sustainable energy sources to heat homes. Within the last year it’s installed several solar hot water systems.

“Those are investments that they’re making in the future of their house, which will save money over the long term,” she says. “People are more concerned about the environments that they’re living in.”

HoudenHAL (Houden means “to sustain” in Dutch) is a LEED certified, “green” home built about three years ago in Weisenberg Township, just off the New Smithville exit of Interstate 78. It is powered by solar, geothermal and wind power. Design Studio also sells eco-products such as carpet and countertops made from recycled materials.

Robin is the wife of Ruhmel Contracting President Hersh Ruhmel. Ruhmel Contracting, which makes custom homes, can talk to home show-goers about ways to make their homes more energy efficient by using different types of framing materials and insulation.

Outdoor rooms

More homeowners are adding rooms outside, including fully equipped kitchens, complete with stoves, grills, refrigeration, work spaces and bars. Some are adding outside fireplaces or built-in fire pits.

Landscaping vendors can show people options for making their yards more private while adding scenic touches, Hamilton says.

“In our awards program, one of our people created a waterfall from the top of a hill, and that’s a fairly extensive job,” he says. “Coy ponds or regular ponds are popular yet.”

White on white kitchens and bathrooms

After years of homeowners opting for dark woods for remodeled kitchens, Hamilton says he’s starting to see more white cabinets, flooring, backsplashes, counters, fixtures and appliances, with just splashes of color added.

“It’s gone through transitions of real heavy cabinetry with dark woods to a nice cherry, which is still very popular,” Hamilton says. “The woods are still very popular. But I’m starting to see the white on white.”

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Public weighs in on Hennepin-Lyndale construction

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MINNEAPOLIS — Between 50,000 to 60,000 cars travel the Hennepin-Lyndale corridor everyday.

It’s old and outdated and rarely isn’t a bottleneck. You’ve driven it. You know how bad it is. So does the city.

“It was built in the 1950s. It’s full of potholes, It’s in really rough shape. The curbs are bad, the sidewalks are bad, the lighting is getting old, so it needs to be replaced,” says Don Elwood, Director of Transportation Planning and Engineering for the city of Minneapolis.

Replacement is the plan, but that’s really about as far as the city has gotten. Tuesday was the first public input meeting at the Walker Art Center. City officials say they want to hear ideas about improvements from the people who use the area most.

That doesn’t mean there are not at least some preliminary concepts to work from.

MORE INFORMATION: Here is a link to the project.

Some of the ideas include narrowing or eliminating some of the lanes in the stretch that runs from Dunwoody to Franklin. There is also talk of new “Dynamic Signage” that would help drivers get through the area more efficiently.

“More time to figure out which lane they need to be in, plus they’ll be given conditions on maybe the congestion of the lanes so they can make decisions sooner and we think that’s going to channelize the traffic a little better,” says Elwood.

Beyond the cars, transit, bikes and pedestrians will also see some improvements. Those would include updated bus shelters and possibly a boulevard or trees and landscaping to separate pedestrians from the traffic lanes.

“I think it’s dangerous. You know you’ve got people coming from many different directions,” says Shelley Anderson.

Anderson parks her car at the Walker and then hoofs it to her apartment a few blocks away, but must cross the incredibly busy street to get there. The intersection is right out in front of Exit Realty. They love the location but it’s not always a plus.

“Clients coming and going are always complaining about it. We’ve witnessed several accidents right out here,” says Dave Doran with Exit Realty.

They represent exactly who the city of Minneapolis wants to hear from, the people who use the roadway the most, and who will ultimately end up footing the 10-million dollar bill.

“A little over $7 million is federal and the rest of that project funding comes from local, which would be the city of Minneapolis, which comes from state aid gas tax, the bonding authority that the city has, and some assessments,” says Elwood.

Minneapolis hopes to have the final design figured out by next winter. Construction would start in 2015 and wrap up in 2016. They say they’ll plan construction around major events in the area.

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$9.1 million Lafitte Greenway project gets underway, but much work remains … – The Times

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Construction officially got underway Tuesday (March 25) on New Orleans’ long-awaited Lafitte Greenway Bicycle and Pedestrian Path, an idea some eight years in the making. But officials warned that much work remains to make the project a success.

“This is one of those city-wide transformation projects,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at a groundbreaking event, flanked by representatives from a half-dozen government agencies and community groups that have contributed to the park’s development.

The 2.6 mile pathway will stretch along a vacant rail corridor from City Park to Armstrong Park, connecting six historic neighborhoods from Bayou St. John and Mid-City down to the French Quarter. The project’s $9.1 million first phase will include a paved bike path, landscaping, lighting and ball fields on a patch of property adjacent to the Lafitte housing development near Claiborne Avenue.

The first phase is scheduled to be completed in late winter 2015.

The project — funded entirely with federal disaster recovery grants, according to the city — will add a major piece of recreational infrastructure and possibly serve as a bicycle commuter corridor. But the city does not yet have a plan for security or maintenance of the new park.

Landrieu and other officials touted the corridor’s potential to connect diverse neighborhoods. But cyclists could find themselves targets as they make their way through some areas that have historically struggled with high crime rates, particularly if they travel the park at night.

The park will likely be open from dawn to dusk, but its nature as an open bike path means commuters may ignore the official operating hours.

Deputy Mayor Cedric Grant and Councilwoman Susan Guidry, acknowledged in interviews the potential for security issues, and said that a future management board run by community representatives would be tasked with brainstorming security ideas.

Guidry, who heads the council’s Public Safety Committee, said such ideas might include cameras, additional lighting, and geographic signage that will help potential 911 callers give first-responders their location.

It also remains to be seen exactly how the park will be maintained. The New Orleans Recreation Department is “at capacity,” Grant said, so private individuals and entities will have to step up to raise money and help with keeping it clean and maintained.

Guidry was optimistic that the community would make this “perpetual” project a success.

The Friends of Lafitte Corridor, a well-organized community group, is already in place, and politicians have shown they are highly motivated to make the project a success.

The project faced long odds when it was first conceived, Grant said. The soil, much of which was contaminated with benzene, had to be remediated. Property had to be purchased. Cooperation between several government agencies had to be coordinated.

The Greenway has been a citizen led project from the start, Landrieu said, and that will help ensure that it’s a success.

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The Dirt: Landscaping book; speedy vegetables to grow

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“Landscaping Ideas That Work” by Julie Moir Messervy

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Landscaping possibilities

Julie Moir Messervy understands the challenges involved in making sense of outdoor spaces. The landscape designer helps readers envision the possibilities and turn them into realities in her new book, “Landscaping Ideas That Work” (Taunton Press, $21.95).

The book guides users in assessing their property, identifying their style preferences and determining what they need and want in their yards. But mostly, it helps them envision the outcome by providing plenty of photos and descriptions of landscapes and features.

Messervy covers all the elements of a beautiful and useful landscape, from paving options to plants. For some features, she addresses the benefits and drawbacks and provides a guide to the relative cost of options.

Fast-growing vegetables

Sometimes, impatience is a virtue.

Certain vegetables are at their tastiest when they’re very young. Those are the plants Mark Diacono and Lia Leendertz focus on in “The Speedy Vegetable Garden” (Timber Press, $18.95).

The book covers plants requiring a range of effort, from seeds that need only be soaked before they’re enjoyed to veggies with a fairly fast turnaround from planting to harvest. Also included are sprouts, micro greens, edible flowers and salad greens.

Diacono and Leendertz, who are journalists as well as gardeners, include instructions for growing and harvesting the vegetables and recipes for enjoying what you’ve grown.

Akron Beacon Journal

related content
“The Speedy Vegetable Garden” by Mark Diacono and Lia Leendertz

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Tahunanui: Our big, big sandy beach

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DOG WALKERS’ PARADISE: One man and his dog take a sunset stroll along Tahunanui Beach.

Cable Bay has it all

Bike trail is Nelson’s big day out

Nelson: A boating paradise

Bike, beach, paradise

Camping or glamping – take your pick

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Nelson’s clothes shops tried out for size

Fences come between neighbours

Hunting out the riches of Richmond

Eating your way around Nelson

“How about we meet under the yellow rocket?” was a popular invitation when my children were young. We spent countless happy hours in the Lions playground at Tahunanui, and also on the beach itself.

Many years later, Tahunanui is still a cool place to visit for all the family. The brochures say “Tahuna is Nelson’s gem by the sea; a beautiful safe family friendly swimming beach, with a fantastic climate, restaurants and activities for all ages”.

And that about sums it up, but my column is 800 words so I will have to expand on this and offer some more ideas for getting out and about at Tahunanui on the next sunny day.

Tahunanui Beach was known as “The Sands” until a competition was run in 1902 to suggest a name, with a one guinea prize. The Maori name Tahuna was selected, meaning “sand-bank”. This name also applied to a post office in Morrinsville, so ‘nui’, meaning ‘big’ was added – and this beach is indeed big, with 1.75km to walk along and play on.

According to the NZ Gazetteer, the name Tahunanui is not yet official – a bit like the North and South Islands were up until late last year. So, there’s still time to come up with something different!

Over the past seven years, the area adjacent to the beach and beside the Lions playground has been extended into a series of sheltered and linked spaces. Clever landscaping makes these spaces welcoming for youth, families and the wider community.

The Tahunanui Youth Park project was completed in 2013 and is part of a drive to create more recreational spaces for young people in Nelson. It is a great place to chill out, with shade sails, furniture and art, lighting and planting.

New play equipment, designed for young teens, form part of the park and a mosaic by Nelson artist Tejas Arn is the centrepiece of the chill-out space.

The community barbecue area reserve includes a shelter, paths, a stage and artwork by local sculptors. There are coin-operated barbecues and this is the perfect venue for a birthday party or end-of-season cricket party.

An invitation I have had many times recently is, “how about we meet at the BBQ area?”

Up by Rocks Rd is Abel Tasman Park, which was formed from spoil stored on the dunes during upgrading work on Rocks Rd.

As well as Abel Tasman’s statue there are itinerant food vendors and even bean bags that you can sit on to survey beach sights from above.

Nearby is the Nightingale Library, which was built in 1961 with a bequest from Nellie Nightingale, a Tahunanui resident. Opening hours are limited so check before rocking up to change your books.

For those seeking more action, the fun park to the west has mini golf, bumper boats, a hydroslide and Indy 500 track. There is also a roller skating rink, public tennis courts, Natureland Zoo, the Modellers Pond and a BMX track. These are excellent venues for birthday parties. I’ve been to them all at some stage.

And now for the beach. The teenagers not at the youth park are preening themselves on the sand, trying to get an even (nearly all-over) tan, drinking beer, taking selfies, talking intensely about important things, and playing Frisbee.

Younger children are building sandcastles, eating sandwiches with sand in them, and getting excited by the gentle waves. In the distance to the east I can see children at the rock pools making exciting discoveries.

Other people are reading books, strolling on the beach and splashing in the water. A few are paddle boarding, kite surfing and kayaking.

No-one is windsurfing, which is odd as there are perfect wind conditions. I know this because my husband is studying the waves and decides it is the perfect breeze for sailing and he’s not sure why he’s on land with me.

So he doesn’t mourn lost sailing opportunities, I decide to tempt him to a cafe or bar. There are numerous options within five minutes’ walk.

Ever-popular is the Beach Cafe. I also have good memories of Mr Whippy and the van selling real fruit ice-cream. These were popular in our yellow rocket days, and the long queues show that they still are.

Even though the air has a definite autumnal feel, there is still plenty of time to enjoy being out and about in Nelson. Tahunanui is well-worth a visit, even if your kids have passed the yellow rocket stage.

NITTY GRITTY

Dog beach – if you have a dog, keep to the Back Beach. Dogs are prohibited on the eastern two-thirds of Tahunanui main beach.

Commercial activities – some of these are seasonal, so check opening hours before you turn up, particularly post-Easter.

Litter – if you take it with you then take it away, or put it in the bin. There is nothing worse than finding other people’s food wrappers and half-eaten items. Well, the seagulls and ants will be happy with you, but no-one else (and birds will poop on you as punishment!)

elizabethbean91@gmail.com

– © Fairfax NZ News

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Monday at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week: finding a $50000 idea for coastal … – The Times

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The sixth edition of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, expected to draw 5,000 attendees, opened over the weekend with a trio of business pitch contests for youth entrepreneurs, an around-the-clock hackathon aimed at developing technologies for the tourism industry and a half-day session on growing restaurant businesses.

Monday begins the festival’s week of business hours events taking place at Gallier Hall. Events include he $50,000 Water Challenge for entrepreneurs with strategies for managing coastal and water issues, and a talk by Andrew Yang, who founded Venture for America, a twist on Teach for America that deploys college graduates to work in startups across the country in similar fashion as the education group places people in schools.

The Water Challenge, sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and The Idea Village entrepreneurship hub that produces Entrepreneur Week, includes four startups seeking money to advance their projects. The ventures include an environmentally minded landscaping company, a social journal for people to report potential effects of climate change that they notice, a coastal protection system based on growing oyster beds and a green construction company.

The pitch competition takes place from 3:20 p.m. to 5 p.m. Discussions and exhibits on water management and environmental strategies begin at 9:30 a.m., including an 11:15 a.m. speech by Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Yang, the Venture for America founder, speaks at 3:30 p.m. on the challenge of recruiting talented college graduates to help build startups.

Other events throughout the day include discussions of crowd-funding rules under the federal JOBS Act, public relations strategies for business owners, legal issues facing businesses, learning from failure, how to test business ideas and an event called the Salesforce-Silverline Challenge, which offers a business coaching course to a winning participant.

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Area chefs heat up cooking patio at REALTORS® Home & Garden Show

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The 90th REALTORS® Home Garden Show sponsored by Unilock is heating up State Fair Park. Now through March 30, the expo is highlighting more than 350 home and garden professionals with ideas and tips to accomplish everything on a to-do list.

Among the experts, are some of the area’s seasoned chefs. They are adding flavor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Cooking Patio with daily demonstrations that are sure to entice appetites.

March 23, the expo kicks off with a day of Latin flair as Greg Leon of Amilinda, a new Venezuelan/Portuguese/Spanish restaurant slated to open this spring in Walker’s Point; Nicholas Ramos of Antigua; and Sean Henninger of Atomic Chocolate, with chocolates sourced from Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador; spice up the day with flavor.

Karen Gill of Down to Earth Chef, a personal chef who hangs her hat on wholesome, in-home meals, visits the show at 6 p.m. March 26 and 27. March 26, Gill introduces the art of raw cooking, followed by cooking with cinnamon March 27. Arrive early for her sessions and take advantage of free parking. The first 500 cars to park after 5 p.m. March 26 and 27 will enjoy free parking, compliments of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

March 28, Cody Kinart of Colectivo Coffee Roasters; Kyle Cherek, host of “Wisconsin Foodie”; Karen Gill of Down to Earth Chef; and Yollande Deacon of Afro Fusion Cuisine will share ideas in coffee brewing, farm-to-table cooking, savory ways to use chocolate and Jamaican cuisine.

Jarvis Williams of Carnevor; Chris Hatleli and Nick Burki of Coquette Café; Zach Espinosa of Harbor House; Kyle Cherek, host of “Wisconsin Foodie”; Karen Gill of Down to Earth Chef; and Yollande Deacon of Afro Fusion Cuisine round out the March 29 lineup. Hatleli and Burki will present a Lakefront Rendezvous Biere Cheese Soup, while Cherek continues to keep things local with Wisconsin ingredients and great pairings. Switching gears to more worldly fare, Gill returns to the stage with tips on cooking with cinnamon and Deacon divulges secrets to African cuisine.

The final day of the show, March 30, features Cody Kinart of Colectivo Coffee Roasters; Greg Leon of Amilinda; and Dan Jacobs of Odd Duck. Best practices for brewing coffee at home and small plate preparations are themes for the day.

A complete list of topics and times for all chefs are available at www.mkehgs.com.

Visit the gardens and enter to win $1,000
Another popular area of the show is the Garden Promenade. Showcasing 12 gardens and more than 10,000-square-feet of living landscape displays, guests are invited to tour these retreats and vote for their favorite. People’s Choice voters will be entered into a giveaway that will award one lucky attendee $1,000 from The Equitable Bank.

New this year, 16 outdoor sculptures by four Midwest artists are the gateway to the Garden Promenade. Peter Flanary, Bruce Niemi, Beth Sahagian and Jason Verbeek are the featured sculptors at the show.

Peter Flanary from Mineral Point, Wisc. is showcasing “Round River,” “Sundial,” “Polka Dot Rock” and “Beet Wagon.”

Bruce Niemi, a returning artist to the show from Kenosha, is introducing four sculptures of soaring proportions –“Power of Three,” “Glorious Ascent,” “From Within” and “Visions of a Palm.”

“Spring Bronze,” “Chrysallis,” “Medusa’s Mirror” and “Fossa Bronze” are pieces being shown by Milwaukee’s own Beth Sahagian.

Jason Verbeek of New Lenox, Ill. is showcasing “Vertical Vegetation,” “Conjoined in Stone,” “Tethered” and “Prairie Joint.”

Show-goers will also notice the sculpture theme carried throughout the Garden Promenade as small and large pieces are discreetly and prominently integrated into the 12 gardenscapes.

Sustainable Solutions Park
Tour the latest energy-saving concepts and environmentally friendly landscaping ideas at the Sustainable Solutions Park by Breckenridge Landscape. Showing homeowners that sustainability can be both aesthetically and financially pleasing, featured applications include gabion walls, a bubbling water feature, native plantings and permeable pavers – put to the test with twice-an-hour rainstorm demos each day.

MPTV Great TV Auction Art Preview
Preview the MPTV Great TV Auction’s collection of art antiques and collectibles available for bid during their televised auction, April 25 – May 3. Over 1,000 items will be on display along with entries from the “Art is for the Birds” Birdhouse Contest. Be among the first to see the 2014 Featured Art Collection and get a head start on auction shopping by placing proxy bids on favorite items. Raffle and sweepstakes tickets will also be sold.

Garden Market
If large projects are not on the list, enjoy a boutique shopping experience at the show’s Garden Market. Offering a wide selection of garden ornaments, tools, pottery, plants and more for purchase, the collection of shops is stocked with one-of-a-kind treasures and eclectic décor to complement even the most unique landscaping designs.

When to go
The 90th REALTORS® Home Garden Show presented by Unilock is at State Fair Park now thru March 30 (closed March 24 and 25). Show hours are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for children 12 and younger, and free for active military with ID. To learn more, go to www.mkehgs.com or call (414) 778-4929.

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Local briefcase published March 23

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Honors

Pediatrics organization gets national honor

The Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has been named Best Small Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for 2013. This was announced on March 16 at the Annual Leadership Forum held in Chicago. President Sheila Idzerda, M.D., Vice President Pepper Henyon, M.D., Secretary-Treasurer Tanya Jagodzinski, M.D., and executive director Molly Taylor were present to accept the award.

Names and faces

Brad Stephenson completed two days of TRANE Advantage training and one day of TruComfort Variable Speed training for TRANE heating and cooling systems.

Montana Legal Services Association announces that MLSA attorneys Bob LaRoche and Amy Hall are recipients of the Montana Justice Foundation Champions of Justice Awards.

LaRoche and Hall are among 35 legal professionals chosen this year for their significant contributions to justice in Montana.

LaRoche started with MLSA in 1969, worked briefly for legal aid in Idaho, then came back to MLSA in Billings. Specializing in public benefits, he has dedicated his career to advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves, assuring fairness in the justice system for the most vulnerable in our society.

Hall began with MLSA in 2002 after 12 years with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. Known as a passionate advocate, Hall previously practiced family law and now specializes in housing issues, providing access to the courts for countless Montanans who cannot afford private legal representation.

MLSA congratulates LaRoche and Hall, as well as all of the honorees.

Announcements

Volume One Bible has new owner

Manna Basket Ministries, a local Christian charitable organization, has purchased the former Volume One Bible Store. The store has been renamed Harmony Road and is operated by Manna Basket Ministries.

Harmony Road is located at 434 N. Last Chance Gulch and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. All proceeds from sales go to fund the work that Manna Basket Ministries does, such as helping missionaries, churches, pastors and orphanages both locally and around the world.

Bibles, books and gifts as well as work from local artists can be found at Harmony Road. Imported items will be available from the various missions that Manna Basket Ministries supports in Bethlehem, Kenya, Costa Rica and other places.

For more information call Bonnie at 443-3648 or 461-5133.

New lawn, landscape company opens doors

The Grounds Guys of Helena and Bozeman, a lawn and landscape company owned by Joshua and Jasmine Talley, has opened its doors and is ready to serve the people of Helena.

The Grounds Guys of Helena and Bozeman offers a variety of lawn care and landscaping services. They provide professional skills and knowledge of lawn care services.

To learn more about The Grounds Guys of Helena and Bozeman, call 315-4217 or visit Helena.groundsguys.com.

Applications open for Leadership Montana

Leadership Montana is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing together business, government, education, nonprofit, health care and other leaders from around the state for a program of leadership development, networking and education on the issues facing Montana today.

The class begins in September and meets once monthly over the following eight months in various locations around the state. This year’s class will begin with the orientation and retreat in Big Sky, then travel to north-central Montana, Missoula, Helena, Sidney and Butte, before culminating in the graduation celebration in Billings in April 2015.

The class of 2015 will be the 11th Leadership Montana class and will join an alumni organization of over 400 graduates from 50 different Montana communities. More information is available online at www.leadershipmontana.org or by calling Montana office at 896-5877.

Nonprofit Communication Grant

An orientation meeting about the 2014 Excellence in Nonprofit Communications Grant Award, which is available to Helena-area nonprofits, will be held on Tuesday, March 25, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the large conference room of the Lewis Clark Library at 120 S. Last Chance Gulch. RSVP to 443-5860 or bpratt@bigskyinstitute.org.

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Home Green: Xeriscaping saves water, money – even energy – Las Cruces Sun

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Las Cruces has a major case of spring fever. Trees and flowers are budding everywhere. Even our mesquite trees, which hold tight until the last risk of a freeze is over, are finally letting go and are showing signs of green.

Now is a perfect time to highlight some of the easiest and most rewarding ways to “green” up our homes through landscaping. Landscaping adds beauty, color and life to our homes. With just a little forethought and planning, your home’s landscaping can also help you save energy, water and money.

Around our town, it is common to see yards that are mainly comprised of rocks or gravel with minimal or no plants. That type of landscaping is sometimes referred to as “xeroscaping” (presumably on the assumption it means “zeroscape”), but the correct term is “xeriscaping.” Xeriscaping refers to the conservation of water through creative landscaping using native, drought-resistant plants to create beautiful, low maintenance, natural-looking landscapes that enhance the home. Unfortunately, many homeowners have misunderstood the concept, and have covered their yards with gravel and plastic. This type of landscaping is not only unappealing, but it is self-defeating as far as water conservation is concerned, and it also can have very counter-productive effects on cooling bills in the summer.

Thoughtfully designed xeriscaping can beautify the home, enhance your enjoyment of outdoor living, conserve water and save money on heating and cooling bills. Here are some of the things you can do:

1. Design landscaping for shading and cooling. Heat from the sun is absorbed through windows, walls and rooves, making our homes difficult to cool in the summer. Well-placed trees and shrubs provide shade to help keep your home cool. Trees also release water vapor that cools the surrounding air temperatures. Because cool air settles near the ground, air temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than air temperatures above nearby pavement. Trees planted to the west of the home are great for shading western-facing windows, doors and patios from the intense afternoon sun. Shrubs and ground cover shade the ground and pavement, reducing heat radiation and cooling the air around your home. A study in Arizona found that well-designed landscapes reduced air-conditioning costs in homes by as much as 25 percent.

2. Add trees or shrubs for blocking or deflecting wind. Properly selected, placed and maintained landscaping can provide excellent wind protection, or windbreaks, which can actually reduce heating and cooling costs, and make your outdoor living much more pleasant.

3. Use regionally appropriate, low water-use and native plants. Plants that are native to our area are typically very drought-tolerant, and are well adapted to our soil and climatic conditions, in turn requiring minimal fertilizer. Native plants are more resistant to pests and diseases than are other species.

4. Group plants according to their water needs. Plants with similar watering needs should be placed into specific “hydrozones” to reduce water use and protects the plants from either underwatering or overwatering. Areas of grass should be kept to a minimum, and should always be separated into different hydrozones because grass has higher water needs.

5. Maintain or upgrade automated timed irrigation systems. Homes with automatically timed irrigation systems use about 50 percent more water outdoors than those without. Your system can waste even more if it’s programmed incorrectly, or if you have a leak. Make sure to check for clogged, missing, or broker sprinkler heads or drippers. A leak about as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month. Replacing a standard clock timer with a WaterSense labeled irrigation controller can save an average home nearly 8,800 gallons of water annually.

If you want to get some great ideas for beautifying and greening up your home with landscaping, you will want to catch the Las Cruces Tour of Gardens on May 3 this year. If you do, you will see some great examples of fabulous gardens and landscaping, like the home of my neighbors, Steve and Mary Lacy, who inspired me to write about how landscaping can enhance a home’s beauty, enjoyment, comfort and sustainability. They have put all these principles to work and have achieved amazing results. If a picture is worth a thousand words, seeing these homes on the Tour of Gardens is worth much, much more. I’ll see you on the tour!

Renee Frank is a local Realtor with certifications in energy-efficient and environmentally responsible features of real estate. Her Home Green column appears the fourth Sunday of each month. She may be reached at renee@reneefrank.com. Read her blog at lascrucesrealestatereneefrankblog.com.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

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