Whether you’re in an area that’s been ripe with drought warnings and emergency declarations, or you’ve just seen your utility bill, you know you’ve got to do something to save water.

It’s time to rethink the lawn. But what will replace it in the New Front Yard?

Imagine a fertile greenbelt of colorful native flowers alive with hummingbirds and buzzing with bees. Picture a garden space ripe with home-grown fruit. See substantial water savings – and no more mowing.

Yet many homeowners are reluctant to take out the turf; they know what the grass looks like and aren’t quite sold on alternatives. But in Sacramento, Calif., city officials have voted to ask residents and businesses to slash water use by 20 percent, so many consumers will be pushed into action.

“This situation offers an opportunity here,” said water-efficient landscape expert Cheryl Buckwalter, executive director of EcoLandscape California. “It’s time to actually take action and do what we’ve been talking about. If people really started these things some time ago, we’d be in a much better position today. But if you start now, we’ll be in a better position in the future.”

Landscape irrigation accounts for about 65 percent of household water use in the Sacramento area, according to water agencies. Turf grass ranks among the thirstiest landscaping, needing 2 inches of water a week (or more) during hot summer months.

Even with cutbacks, that water use adds up quickly: A half-inch of irrigation for a typical front lawn uses as much water as about 104 showers, 52 baths or 52 loads of laundry, according to efficiency experts. Faced with rationing, do you want clean kids and clothes or green grass?

“Unless you have horses grazing in front of your house, there’s no reason to grow grass there,” said Sacramento radio host “Farmer Fred” Hoffman.

He saw the water savings firsthand at his own 10-acre property in Herald, Calif. Hoffman removed about 2,600 square feet of Bermuda grass and replaced it with fruit trees, blueberries and native plants. He slashed his water use for that former turf area by 88 percent.

“The sprinklers used 2 gallons a minute,” Hoffman observed shortly after the makeover. “The drip system uses 1 gallon an hour (once a week). It’s a fraction of the water and very low maintenance.”

The blueberries don’t need to be mowed, he noted, and they’re a lot tastier than turf.

Some homeowners assume that the best drought-minded alternative to turf is concrete or other hardscape; it needs no water at all. That worries Buckwalter.

“(Low-water landscapes) are not all cactus and rocks,” she said. “There are beautiful landscapes that are low-water use. People take out softscape and put in impermeable surfaces such as concrete and it can create a heat island effect (making the surrounding area warmer); you no longer have the cooling effect of plants. You need the softscape – the plants and mulch.”

What if you could replace that grass with plants that need no summer irrigation or just a trickle? That was the goal of UC Davis Arboretum horticulture director Ellen Zagory and the arboretum’s staff in compiling a collection of easy-care – and beautiful – low-water candidates for use in residential landscaping.

“We call it ‘The New Front Yard,'” Zagory said of the 41 recommended plants. “These are lawn alternatives, making it look nice but without a lot of resources. We’re creating a new regional model for plants for low-water landscapes.”

Several of these plants also have a major side benefit – they help wildlife. This is the time of year when birds really need our help, Zagory noted.

“Personally, I’m obsessed with our relationship to animals,” she said. “They’re suffering from drought, too.”

Instead of just pulling out the lawn, replace it with native or other low-water plants that can support the local ecosystem, she suggested.

“There is a new paradigm in the garden world, and the model is spreading,” Zagory said.

She cited a statistic from the U.S. Forest Service: “With more than 80 percent of the U.S. population living in urban and urbanizing areas, protecting and restoring wildlife habitat in our cities and suburbs has become a vital component of wildlife conservation.

“For those planning to convert a water-guzzling lawn to a low-water landscape, now is also a great time to take stock and plan changes to also support wildlife.”

Buckwalter agrees. “That’s one thing I’m so excited about with new landscape plans: You’re creating a wholesome habitat, a food source for wildlife.”

The New Front Yard collection relies on California natives that are favorites of birds, bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.

“Adding or converting to California native plants wherever possible strengthens your garden’s draw to native animals,” Zagory said. “Planting design, plant selection and maintenance practices all add up to the difference between a yard rich with living things and one without.

“Many people don’t realize that the winter garden is home to a variety of both resident and migrating bird species,” she added. “Winter blooming plants provide sparkle during dreary winter days but also provide nectar and pollen for resident creatures, like hummingbirds and native bees.”

The old lawn may have been flat, but its replacement can have height, she noted. Consider such native shrubs as currants (Ribes malvaceum, Ribes viburnifolium), manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) and silktassel (Garrya elliptica). In the shade of oaks or other trees, the currants can live with almost no summer irrigation once established.

“Incorporating evergreen shrubs, including conifers, and growing thick hedges provides birds with shelter from inclement weather, places to hide from predators and a place to nest,” Zagory said.

For example, migrating cedar waxwings love toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).

“I’ve seen flocks of cedar waxwings devouring the berries,” Zagory said. “I led a tour recently (of an arboretum garden) and saw several toyon bushes wiggling around. I shook a bush and out flew all these waxwings. It was really fun.”

Think like a hungry bird when picking out low-water plants, she suggested. “Incorporating plants for berries and seed production will set the table where birds will dine.”

Don’t forget oaks, she said. “Native oaks provide acorns for jays, but also host a wide variety of insects eaten by birds.”

If weather returns to normal, the New Front Yard will still thrive, but those water savings will continue to add up.

“There are always going to be more people and that puts more pressure on our water supply,” Zagory said. “No matter what happens with the weather, we’ll always be under pressure to save water.”

SAVE WATER NOW AND LATER

Garden designer Cheryl Buckwalter, executive director of EcoLandscape California, teaches river-friendly and water-efficient landscaping and gardening techniques. She urges homeowners to come up with an “action plan” including:

– Take out lawn. It doesn’t have to be the whole lawn, but start reducing turf and convert it to more water-efficient landscaping. Water savings may not be immediate but will add up over time. Remember that any new plants (even drought-tolerant natives) need regular, deep irrigation until established.

– Turn off the automatic sprinklers. “I still see them going, every single day,” Buckwalter said. “It’s not like the middle of summer; in winter you need less water. There’s less evaporation and less heat.” Even traditional landscapes need irrigation only once a week in winter. Before switching on the sprinklers, check the soil. If it’s still moist two or three inches deep, wait a little longer before you water.

– Plant natives. Not all natives are drought-tolerant, but many were meant to grow in your area and adapt well to long periods with little rain. They also attract beneficial insects and support birds and bees.

– Mulch. If you do nothing else, add an insulating layer around trees, shrubs, perennials and bedding plants. Mulch maintains soil moisture levels, keeping roots hydrated and healthy. You’ll use less water, too. Depending on the size of your landscape, an inch or two of mulch potentially will save thousands of gallons a year.

– Convert to drip irrigation. Put water where plants need it most – at the roots. Drip systems also keep runoff to a minimum and can encourage deep root growth – necessary for surviving drought. Where appropriate, convert traditional sprinklers to water-efficient rotary-style sprinklers. Some water districts offer rebates and other incentives for installation of “smart” controllers, moisture sensors, sprinkler retrofits, drip systems and other efficient makeovers.

– Need ideas? Check out a gallery of water-efficient landscapes (and get more tips) at EcoLandscape.org. See more plant suggestions at www.watersavingplants.com. For more tips, visit BeWaterSmart.info.

– Debbie Arrington

Nearly three weeks have passed since Gov. Steve Beshear unveiled his $210 million tax reform package, and leaders in the House and Senate are about as close to an agreement now as they were then.

Beshear said Thursday he has met with leaders in both chambers “on a pretty regular basis” since announcing his wide-ranging proposal, which has been met with some criticism among legislators.

But they’re not quite at the negotiating table. Beshear has said he wants leaders in both chambers to come to a consensus on tax reform before voting.

“Obviously we’re in the beginning stages of it, and right now it’s an educational process in terms of the different parts of the proposal,” Beshear said. “But we’re having some good conversations.”

Passing a comprehensive tax reform plan more than halfway through the 60-day session seems to be a tall order, though. House Speaker Greg Stumbo said the issue “doesn’t appear to have any legs at this point” and may be too complex to address this session.

Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, reiterated one of his concerns with Beshear’s proposal: collecting a sales tax on services such as landscaping, custodial labor and auto repair. Expanding the state’s 6 percent sales tax to those areas could yield some $244 million in new tax receipts, according to estimates from Beshear’s office.

“I don’t think it’s fair to just place a tax on certain services because they don’t have the voice here,” Stumbo said. “I mean, the people who repair automobiles aren’t organized; they’re not up here lobbying. Why is it fair to tax them for their service and not tax others who have lobbyists here — lawyers, doctors, people like that?”

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said lawmakers have respected Beshear’s request to examine the dynamics of individual pieces of the tax reform plan. 

“We’re still gathering information about certain ideas and certain individuals in his administration are being made available to us and discussions are ongoing,” he said.

Beshear has assumed the role of mediator on his tax plan, but leaders in both chambers will need to settle their differences on the proposal eventually if there’s any hope of progress this session.

“This is a proposal he (Beshear) has brought forth and initiated and I was hoping he was having some discussions with the speaker, and I just raise that question,” Stivers said of a conversation with Beshear Thursday.

Beshear said he wants lawmakers to fully grasp his tax plan before moving forward.

“Then we’ll be moving into trying to find that common ground to see if we can’t come to some good conclusion on it,” he said.

Up in smoke

Beshear wove two of his legislative priorities — a statewide smoking ban and increasing taxes on tobacco products — into a campaign to improve Kentucky’s health rankings in a number of categories, including smoking, by 2019.

If those issues fail to pass this session, Beshear said he expects the push will continue next year. He sees “growing popularity all the time” in anti-smoking initiatives, he said.

“Many of these issues are difficult to address, and it takes a period of time and education before you finally get there,” he said. “But I’ve seen a lot of strong movement in both of those areas. As a matter of fact, we’ve raised the cigarette tax once since I’ve been governor and I’m hopeful that we can do it again before I go out as governor.”

The prospects of a statewide smoking ban are up in the air. The only bill gaining any traction thus far is Democratic Rep. Susan Westrom’s House Bill 173, which has been ready for a vote on the House floor since Feb. 13.

Back from the grave?

It’s been about two weeks since House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark declared that expanded gaming wasn’t dead yet, but simply at the funeral home.

If that’s the case, some have been working behind the scenes to make sure the issue isn’t rushed to the morgue anytime soon.

A closed-door Senate GOP caucus vote held earlier this month that essentially killed the chances of a constitutional amendment starting in the chamber was “a setback,” said Beshear, who has pushed for expanding gambling since taking office.

Beshear said he has been in “constant communication” with stakeholders and lawmakers in an attempt to move legislation forward.

“It’s still too early to know exactly what may happen on that issue,” he said.

There’s a chance for expanded gaming this session, Stumbo said, but it will take action from the Senate first. Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said after the caucus vote that there’s “no chance” the Senate will act first on a constitutional amendment on gambling.

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The Beach, a giant sandbox complete with carving tools, will be ready for creative building of sand sculptures by children and adults. Sand Pirate Janet Schrader of Fairy Godmother Services in Lakeside, MI. will share the secrets of sand as she builds a giant medieval sandcastle, teaching how to make towers, doors, windows and stairs and hosting a sandcastle contest. Children will have the opportunity to fish at the Trout Pond fully stocked by Michigan B.A.S.S. Federation Clubs and play in the kid’s activity center at the Cran-Hill Family Zone. Michigan Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of historic boats, will have boats on display.

Cottage Living Center will provide the opportunity to relax and work on a community puzzle, put a pin in an oversized Michigan map to show where cottages are located, listen to the 2014 Cottage Favorite Play List music and read a 2014 Essential Cottage Reading List book. Patrons owning cottages are able to post them on the Cottage for Sale or Rent Board.

The Water Woods Photo Contest Display will allow voting for the best photo that captures the cottage and lakefront lifestyles.

Landscaping ideas to increase your outdoor living space are incorporated in landscape displays that include wooden cabins, fireplaces, cooking options, patios, decks and garden products. Other exhibits with information and educational materials for those looking to buy, build, rent or maintain cottage and lakefront property include log, timber frame and cedar homes, cottage rental, cottage furnishings, lakefront homebuilders and realtors, lakeshore maintenance, boats and docks, outdoor recreational equipment, non-profit environmental organizations, government agencies, financing and other products and services. Experts throughout the show will provide tips, advice and knowledge on purchasing, renting, planning and maintaining spring, summer and year-round cottage and lakefront living homes.

Conservation, family fun highlight Outdoorama

For more than 40 years, Michigan’s sportsmen and sportswomen have helped make Outdoorama the state’s most popular outdoors event. With over four acres of boats, hunting and fishing equipment, outfitters, conservation organizations and other features this year’s show promises to keep the tradition alive when it comes to Novi.

Choosing beautiful plants that double as a food source. Selecting ground cover that produces fruit. Saving rainwater for irrigation during dry months. Planting herbs in the front yard.

These all are part of permaculture, a design system based on ecological principles or based on nature.

But those are only a few of the ideas that can turn your property into an ecological haven – whether it be a city lot with a front and back yard or several acres in the country.

Vince Kirchner of Great Lakes Permaculture said landscaping can be beautiful as well as functional.

The Tiffin-based company specializes in providing permaculture solutions for homeowners.

“It’s working with the homeowner to give them what they want,” he said. “Not everybody wants a front-yard garden, but everybody wants to eat.”

Fact Box

Learn more

Vince Kirchner of Great Lakes Permaculture, Tiffin, is planning to teach a permaculture class beginning the first weekend in April at the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center.

The class continues for five weekends, excluding Easter weekend, and finishes in May.

For more information or to register, call Kirchner at (419) 937-5978 or email him at vince@greatlakespermaculture.com.

Visit the business website at www.greatlakespermaculture.com.

One example of beauty and functionality is planting a row of rugosa roses, which can be used in teas and soups. Next to those might be lavender, which has scent, medicinal and edible uses, along with creeping thyme as a groundcover, which doubles as a cooking herb.

“We’re trying to find the most efficient solution for the property,” Kirchner said. “We don’t overdesign or underdesign.”

Locally, Kirchner has been donating his time to work with the Sisters of St. Francis to create permaculture landscaping around Little Portion Green, the strawbale house.

“When we start working with an owner on a project, we sit down and try to understand what they want to accomplish with the property,” he said.

He researches and discusses such considerations as the amounts of wind and rain the land receives, how much water is available, wildlife and plant interaction and the individual wishes of the owners.

For example, at the strawbale house he is taking into consideration the needs of the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center, the St. Francis campus and Sister Jane Omlor, who lives in the house.

Then, he puts together a plan he recommends.

“We started about two years ago, and the plan is still evolving,” he said.

The sisters had a few flooding problems to resolve, and they wanted to create some sustainable food for the property, long term, that didn’t require a lot of work for an aging population.

“We looked at different cash crops with low maintenance – truffles, mushrooms, nut crops,” he said. “Things that, once planted, are perennial types of crops that don’t require a lot of input.”

Around a house, Kirchner said he divides a property into zones.

“The things she (Omlor) uses every day, we would put closest to the house,” he said.

For example, an herb garden and berry bushes might be located in the front or back yard while trees grown for wood or trees grown to harvest nuts once a year would be placed farther from the house.

“We can work with any type of curriculum,” he said. “A front-yard garden, backyard garden, a completely edible landscape.”

Kirchner said acres of land are not needed. Much can be accomplished with a small yard.

“For most people, that’s around the house that they have now,” he said

Instead of ornamental bushes, a plan might include bushes that provide an edible berry. Instead of low-growing ornamental groundcover, he said homeowners could choose low-growing varieties of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or figs.

“That way, they’re able to harvest something and eat it,” he said.

Some homes are good candidates for rooftop gardens, he said, and some are conducive to aquaculture.

“The fish that live in the water create nitrogen, which is then fed to the plants, which, in turn, purify the water,” he said.

People can choose to harvest food produced by the plants or eat the fish.

Aquaculture systems can range from large-scale commercial systems or apartment systems in 10-gallon tanks.

Overall, permaculture also takes into consideration methods of storing energy, he said.

“Food is a form of energy,” he said. “We take a look at how to preserve that.”

Water conservation is another topic. It often includes storing rainwater in containers – rain barrels, cisterns, ponds or even swimming pools. Stored water then can be used inside the house for daily living or for plant irrigation outside.

“There are methods out there for drip irrigation,” he said. “You could set it up and, once a week, it would automatically water your plants.

“If you could eliminate some of those mundane tasks, how could you use that extra time?” he asked.

Kirchner said the idea of permaculture is not new. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren were the originators of the concept when they wrote the book, “Permaculture One,” which was published in 1978.

He said Holmgren’s definition of permaculture is “a design system based on ecological principles.”

“It started as ‘permanent agriculture,'” he said. “It’s gaining a lot of momentum the last five or six years. There are probably millions of permaculturists around the world.”

Permaculture concepts encompass everything from backyard gardening to the design of public lands by city, state and federal governments.

“It’s a way of creating permanent culture and it’s involved in city planning, food security, climate control, soil remediation and water purification, to name a few,” Kirchner said.

Kirchner, 57, said he became interested in permaculture about three years ago when he began to look at his life differently.

Although he enjoys his longtime job designing glass for the automotive industry at Guardian Industries, Upper Sandusky, he said he began to look at other aspects of life.

“As you get older, you start to think about the things you’re accomplishing in your life and try to find things that give you greater enjoyment,” he said.

He remembered spending time on his grandfather’s farm in Erie, Pa.

“I enjoyed the time I spent with him on the farm,” he said. “And my great-grandfather took me on nature walks.”

He started investigating

methods of growing food at his house on Schonhardt Street, five doors down from Calvert High School.

“Because of my engineering background, I wanted to know why to use something and when,” he said. “I looked into all the different techniques. … All these are great techniques, but when do you use one over another?

“I came across permaculture just through a Web search. What intrigued me the most is that it had ethics to it.”

He said the practice encourages care of the earth, care of people and reinvestment of surplus.

“It impressed me that it had some values associated with it,” he said. “And there are natural techniques associated with it.”

He read books and decided to take a 72-hour class to become certified.

“Then, I took another class to be able to teach, and I became a Master Gardener (through Ohio State University Extension) at the same time,” he said.

During this time, he started to experiment in his yard and discussed the concepts with his wife, Cindy.

“We don’t always agree on the same techniques,” he said. “But we agree on the same principles. We started with a square-foot garden. That was the year I went to the permaculture class.”

His idea was to make the yard – front and back – a permaculture showplace.

“She wasn’t really keen on all that,” he said. “So, we sat down and decided what we want. The front yard has roses and a grape arbor and all that, and it’s going to become a nice sitting area. The back yard is our food area.”

About three years later, the backyard contains fruit trees, hazel nuts, figs, josta berries, raspberries and other berries, currants, grapes, juju and goji berries, among other food sources. And it’s an ongoing project.

“You’re never where you want to be,” he said.

One of the principles he teaches is planning for the long-term, and reacting to the short-term.

“Say you get a pest infestation one year or you get hot weather,” he said. “You take care of the problem without changing the plan.”

Changes might be needed because there might be too much of something or a lack of something else.

“One permaculture homeowner tried to eradicate black ants, and he created a void in the ecosystem, and the fire ants came in,” he said. “He created a void he had to fix. … It’s like a yin and a yang. I have too much of one thing or not enough of something else.”

Usually, he said permaculture doesn’t eliminate weeds.

“We don’t advocate weed-killing and things like that,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody who uses chemicals. A weed is a misplaced plant. The weeds are there for a reason and we use those as indicators of what’s going on in the soil.”

Shortly after he became certified in permaculture design, his mother in Texas and son, Joel, now in Tennessee, also became certified.

“Once you understand the concepts, they can be used in Ohio, Texas or Tennessee,” Kirchner said.

A plan takes into account the climate and location no matter where the site is.

He said Joel has chosen a site in Tennessee to build an American copy of a house made of natural materials designed in the United Kingdom.

“That’s another part of permaculture,” he said. “It’s called a cruck house. It’s a British style of architecture. All the energy is stored in the house.

“It’s interesting to see the kids are looking into an energy-efficient house. The amount of money they’re going to save over their lifetime is phenomenal.”

Talk to 10 people who’ve been to Philadelphia Flower Shows past and you’ll get 10 different opinions.

You like those edgy videos? Other folks hate ’em. Chasing blue ribbons for your pampered succulents? Plant competitions bore the next guy silly.

Sometimes, it seems, the Flower Show – the nation’s oldest, founded in 1829 – has an impossible mission. Like other legacy institutions, it must find a way to retain its core audience – mostly white, middle-aged, and suburban – while also attracting a younger, more diverse population to carry it into the future.

“This is a living, breathing show that needs to perpetuate change. It’s like a movie. You can’t have the same plot. No one would go see it,” says Drew Becher, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which launches the 2014 Flower Show on March 1 through 9 at the Convention Center.

For the first time since 2006, the theme has nothing to do with places like New Orleans or Ireland. The 2014 show promises to be more cerebral: “ARTiculture, where art meets horticulture.”

In an unusual arrangement, the show’s landscape and floral designers have been paired with Philadelphia-area museums, along with the Getty in Los Angeles, the Guggenheim in New York City, and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Using plants, trees, sculptures, and other elements, exhibitors are interpreting a particular painting, a body of work, an entire artistic movement. Even, in one case, a museum’s outdoor garden.

Designer Michael Petrie of Swarthmore, for example, draws on the Barnes’ post-impressionist paintings, especially those by Henri Matisse. Stoney Bank Nurseries of Glen Mills, working with the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, channels three generations of Wyeths. And Wyndmoor’s Burke Bros. interprets not a work of art per se, but the cacti garden, lavender pergola, water features, and travertine building materials in the Getty Museum’s landscape.

“It’s almost like a cubist painting, everything rectilinear, plants arranged in blocks of vibrant colors,” Kevin Burke says of his creation.

PHS’ largest fund-raiser, the Flower Show costs up to $10 million to produce and typically generates about $1 million for the nonprofit’s public landscape, urban farming, tree-planting, and horticulture programs.

And while every show generates excitement, there’s a sense that PHS needs to mount a robust counterpoint to the 2013 show, which failed to match the popularity of “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha” in 2012 (270,000) and “Springtime in Paris” in 2011 (265,000 visitors).

The 2013 production (“Brilliant!” about Britain) attracted only 225,000, the lowest in a decade, even though PHS added an extra day to the show. Becher blamed TV forecasters, contending that their no-show snowstorm scared visitors away and caused a shortfall of about $2 million.

Those in the “snow-happens-in-March” camp scoffed.

They found the theme ho-hum. They blamed pricey tickets ($32 at the door) and parking ($25/day). They couldn’t find a place to sit or landscaping ideas to take home.

“You try some things, and some things work and some things don’t. We can do better,” Becher says. “That’s a show.”

The 2014 production will bring more change, which has become the watchword of Becher’s four-year tenure. At the same time, in a nod to the old guard, a popular feature that was eliminated in 1996, when the show moved from the old Civic Center in West Philadelphia to Center City, will be restored.

Yes, the much-missed, fragrant hyacinths that greeted winter-weary visitors at the entrance to the old show are back. About 700 will grace the base of the show’s entrance garden, Becher’s new name for the erstwhile central feature.

PHS’ Flower Show survey indicated that visitors didn’t like the pale colors and minimalist style of the 2013 central feature – oops, entrance garden. So PHS designers this year are emphasizing bold hues: They created three oversize picture frames and a garden inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobiles, paintings, and sculptures. They’ll be filled with brightly colored flowers, grasses, stones, and glass.

Becher wants the entrance garden to be more interactive, inviting visitors to walk through and around it, rather than just passing by.

“The days of people just walking in and looking at exhibits and ‘Isn’t that a nice pond, aren’t those nice flowers?’ are gone,” he says. “People want the experience now. They want to walk through and lose themselves.”

That idea informs this year’s showbiz element, delivered by Bandaloop of Oakland, Calif., an aerial dance troupe that has performed on vertical surfaces from Seattle’s Space Needle to the Italian Dolomites.

Dancers won’t exactly be walking through the entrance garden. They’ll be doing their thing while suspended from the Convention Center ceiling.

For traditionalists, the show will have its signature plant competitions in the $1 million Horticort, funded by philanthropist Dorrance “Dodo” Hamilton, a fierce competitor, who is calling it quits after decades of ribbon sweeps.

The Horticort will honor Hamilton with an exhibit of Flower Show history and her place in it. Some of her best-known plants – clivias, orchids, lilies, hanging baskets, shoo-ins all – will be on display.

Becher has other changes in store:

The show’s lectures, traditionally consigned to rooms along a Convention Center hallway, will be moved inside the show. And no more PowerPoint presentations. Becher wants more audience participation.

Culinary programs, too, are moving inside the show to highlight the “hot local chefs” whom PHS is bringing (Rich Landau, Tia McDonald) and the not-so-local stars, like Rachael Ray, Edward Lee, and “The Fabulous Beekman Boys.” (Aramark, provider of the Convention Center’s food, also consulted Philadelphia’s Jose Garces on the show’s cafe menu.)

Although ticket prices are a frequent complaint, PHS nixed the idea of a cheaper option this year – say, a $20 ticket for weeknights after 5 o’clock. Instead, it went with a new $125 VIP package with perks.

But PHS appears to have listened on another front: 600 new seats will be added throughout the show, bringing the total to 1,100.

Finally, weather. After such a winter, a snowy forecast – correct or not – likely won’t keep anyone away from the 2014 Flower Show. Might even boost attendance.

 

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vsmith@phillynews.com

215-854-5720

facebook.com/InqGardening

@inkygardener

www.inquirer.com/

KisstheEarth

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 21, 2014)– For home improvement projects, the Home, Garden and Remodeling Show, presented by Window World, offers a comprehensive selection of vendors at the largest home show in the state. The show runs Feb. 28 through March 2 in South Wing B and C at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

More than 350 exhibitors attend each year, giving visitors a chance to compare prices and products from the worlds leading suppliers of windows, cabinets, fencing, hot tubs and more. Seminars are also available throughout the weekend covering gardening and cooking topics.

The Belgard Outdoor Living Pavilion, alongside the Belgard Hardscape Challenge, is returning this year to demonstrate how attendees can turn their backyard into an outdoor oasis. The audience will judge the Belgard Hardscape landscaping contest, a competition to create the perfect backyard entertainment space between three local companies, Bluegrass Pavers, Greenside Outdoor Services and Picture Perfect Landscaping.

In addition to the exhibitors, the show offers fun for the family. The K-9 Disc Connected Frisbee dogs are back this year. All of the performing dogs are rescue animals that will demonstrate high-flying flips and tricks. New to this year’s show will be the Kosair Kids playhouse display.  Attendees will be able to see and explore the playhouses built in partnership between the Building Industry Charitable Foundation, Kosair Charities and YouthBuild Louisville.

Tickets are $10 per person, $9 for seniors (62 and older) and free for children (15 and under). Parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center is $8 per vehicle. Show hours are Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit louisvillehomeshow.com.

 

PORT ANGELES — The annual KONP Home Show will feature 110 home-improvement information booths this weekend.

Doors in the Port Angeles High School gymnasium, 304 E. Park Ave., will open at 9:30 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The KONP Home Show, presented by the Clallam County Public Utility District, aims to help homeowners prepare for upgrading their properties this spring.

“We strive to make the show a real ‘show for living,’” said Todd Ortloff, KONP general manager.

For 32 years, the KONP Home Show has served as a showplace for North Olympic Peninsula businesses to display their services and for prospective customers to gather information.

It typically attracts between 7,000 and 10,000 visitors each year.

Parking is located in the Port Angeles High student parking lots on the 200 and 300 blocks of East Park Avenue.

A free shuttle will take visitors to the gym.

30 new exhibitors

This year, the Home Show has added 30 new exhibitors, said Stan Comeau, sales manager for KONP AM and FM radio in Port Angeles, which sponsors and organizes the show.

Vendors located in four gymnasium areas and outdoors will tell visitors of a wide variety of services, including contractors, home-improvement supplies, home services, landscaping, pet care, health care options and home decor.

Food will be available from the Port Angeles Kiwanis Club.

Hopefully this year, the show will be as successful as last year, Comeau said.

“Even the weather seems to be in our favor,” he said, referring to a National Weather Service forecast high of about 46 degrees, with a 30 percent chance of light showers.

This year, there will be no major promotions or door prizes, as there have been in past years, Comeau said.

Instead, it will be a straightforward presentation of products and services.

The KONP Home Show started in 1982 at the Vern Burton Community Center and has grown each year since.

The Home Show website is at www.thekonphomeshow.com.

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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.

Water-guzzling gardens aren’t the only ones that look good. Many that rely on little irrigation are just as lush, colorful and captivating as their thirstier counterparts. And since quenching your garden can account for as much as half of your household water bill, it makes sense to conserve not only in drought years but all the time. Fortunately, Bay Area gardeners have access to an abundance of gorgeous, drought-tolerant plants that thrive in our climate, along with innovative ways to grow them. Here we show a spectrum of design ideas – that range from using few plants to carpeting a plot with greenery – to inspire your own low-water landscape.

Living art

Creating a serene space topped the list when landscape designer Beth Mullins ( www.growsgreen.com) created this backyard retreat near San Francisco’s Glen Park. The owners use their garden mainly to relax and unwind, and dreamed of having their own labyrinth. So Mullins created a living labyrinth outlined with Carex divulsa, an extremely tough and versatile grass-like sedge that can handle sun or shade and take drought once it’s established after a couple years of growth. Now mature, the sedge needs very little care or irrigation, and Mullins says, “Instead of a water or fire feature, this becomes the focal point. It’s like having a piece of art in the garden that’s functional, and when people gather, you don’t have to move it out of the way.”

Confined plantings

Having a drought-tolerant garden doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with hardscape alone. You can still surround yourself with greenery, while minimizing your water needs, by limiting and confining what you grow. Because the owners of this Potrero Hill backyard often look down on their plot from above, Mullins created a highly visual space and used low-water plants to fill narrow beds along the plot’s periphery. Grouping growers in defined areas has the added effect of putting them on display and giving them elevated status. The plants need little irrigation and survive mainly on rainwater that’s captured in the owners’ rain barrels.

Low-water tapestry

High up in Los Altos Hills where summer temperatures can soar into the 100s, and facing southwest with no shade, this garden required plants that were ultra-tough and unthirsty. Because the homeowners view this space from large picture windows, it had to look good, so landscape designer Rebecca Sweet ( www.harmonyinthegarden.com) created a colorful bed filled with mounding plants to mimic the contours of the surrounding Santa Cruz Mountains. Pink-flowered teucrium, orangey Stipa arundinacea, ‘Moonshine’ yarrow, silver artemisia, Cleveland sage and ‘Provence’ lavender in the foreground give way to phlomis, miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ and calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ in the rear; all looked lush with little irrigation after their first year of growth.

Lawn substitute

Once planted with thirsty turf, this dymondia “lawn” in Los Altos offers the same utility – a visually soothing expanse of greenery that can handle foot traffic – for a fraction of the resources: The owner’s water bill dropped a whopping 40 percent once the traditional grass was removed. To temper dymondia’s silver hue, Sweet dotted it with swaths of ‘Dragon’s Blood’ sedum and thin-bladed Carex divulsa. Bordering the lawn are catmint, ‘Blue Springs’ penstemon, ‘Sunset Gold’ coleonema, ‘Happy Returns’ daylily, and dark-pink centranthus that draw hummingbirds and insects, creating a wildlife haven for the owner’s grandkids to explore.

Mini meadow

Once a steep slope with limited access, this Cow Hollow backyard in San Francisco now has three tiers of useful space. Landscape architect Roderick Wyllie ( www.sdisf.com) designed a house-level deck at the top, a mid-level gravel gathering area with a fire pit and a plant-filled meadow below. Because the rest of the garden’s elements – including built-in benches, low concrete walls and peekaboo fencing – are so graphic, the meadow was intended to have a wild look, and overflows with unthirsty plants, including Cleveland sage, perovskia, echinacea, carex and muhlebergia. “It’s a nice contrast to the architectural design of the spaces you occupy,” Wyllie says.

Julie Chai is a Bay Area freelance writer. E-mail: home@sfchronicle.com

N.C. State students collaborated with a nonprofit organization that not only contributes to the community, but pulls families out of homelessness.

The students helped Pan Lutheran Ministries Families Together to create a video about the importance of helping homeless families stay together, while other nonprofits split them up. 

Zachary Swann, senior in communication, and Cameron McCarty, an N.C. State alumnus who also majored in communication, combined their skills to market the nonprofit organization’s involvement in the lives of homeless families in the Raleigh area. 

Swann said PLMFT was in need of a video for an upcoming fundraising event and was having trouble contacting the professional who had done it the past three years. 

“Videos in the past for PLMFT had the same sort of feeling to them, a sappy sad story with a black background.” Swann said. “They wanted something different to get the same sort of message across.” 

PLMFT presented the video at an annual fundraising event in October and proved to be a success for the organization, according to Beth Bordeaux, executive director of PLMFT.  

Swann met Bordeaux participating in a mission trip with the Appalachian Service Project. During a conversation, Swann said he impressed Bordeaux with his marketing ideas and communication skills and asked him to partner with her organization in making the nonprofit video.

“She saw the personality I had and thought it would match the program,” Swann said. 

Swann recruited McCarty, his best friend since freshman year, to storyboard the video, conduct interview questions, interview a family for the video and edit it.  

Shooting the video took an entire day, and McCarty and Swann spent many late nights in the editing room for two weeks, McCarty said. According to Swann, they brought the product to PLMFT for feedback and then made changes before submitting their finished project. 

McCarty said he enjoyed being a part of the project because PLMFT really helps people and families. McCarty said he gained valuable media skills and learned about lighting and on-site set up. 

“I have had hardships in my life, so it was only right to lend my expertise as a helping hand,” McCarty said. “What I learned from this particular project surpasses just video and audio editing.” 

Though some nonprofits such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army only accept one homeless parent with a child, PLMFT is different because the family can stay together. However, PLMFT keeps the mother, father and children together, according to Swann. 

The organization provides short-term housing in apartments and helps move families out of shelter programs or other situations into permanent housing, according to Bordeaux.  

James and Jessica Barnes from Raleigh starred in the video, talking about their life before and after PLMFT assistance. James Barnes was an N.C. State student, but had to drop out because of family circumstances, according to Swann. 

Swann said Barnes was recommended by PLMFT to be in the video. Barnes said he would love to talk about the program and how it impacted his life, according to Swann. 

“Life before PLM was stressful and treacherous,” Jessica Barnes said in the video.

According to Swann, James and Jessica Barnes had applied to PLMFT two-and-a-half years ago, when he was laid off. They were living with Jessica Barnes’ mother but were kicked out unexpectedly, and they didn’t have a place to go. 

Swann said the couple felt blessed about getting into the program as fast as they did. 

“We could not have asked for a better person to talk to,” Swann said. “James was very articulate, very passionate and intelligent.”   

James Barnes currently works full time and has his own landscaping business. Jessica Barnes also works full time. 

According to Bordeaux, PLMFT can help 120 families at any given time. PLMFT also provides coaching, education on handling finances and children’s programs. 

Bordeaux said the video showed how resilient and dedicated families can be. 

“The story of James and Jessica was incredibly inspirational,” Bordeaux said. “Their story made me feel like that’s the reason why I do this.” 

Bordeaux said she has a longstanding connection with N.C. State students because she has worked with Park Scholars and interns from the social work department. She said she’s excited about Swann working as their team leader for their annual campaign taking place on March 2. 

We have teamed up with Together Mutual Insurance to offer up to £25,000 worth of funding towards a community project that will improve both the area and the lives of the residents.

The Better Together scheme aims to boost community spirit by supporting existing local projects, or kick-starting new ones, that bring people together for a better quality of life.

It is open to charities, community groups, action groups and neighbourhoods in the north west.

Whether it be landscaping a derelict area to create a children’s playground or providing equipment to start a communal vegetable garden, Better Together is open to all possibilities.

Depending on the entries received, the funding could be shared across more than one project.

Chris McElligott, head of marketing at home insurance specialist, Together Mutual, said: “Better Together aims to bring  communities together and, in turn, improve lives.

“It is our philosophy to put people  before profits and we have a long-standing heritage in charity projects such as this.

“We are seeing a worrying decline in community spirit with as much as half the country unaware of their neighbours’ names.

 “Recent events highlight that, as a nation, we can  achieve great things together – just look at the London 2012 Olympics and Diamond Jubilee.

“With Better Together, we are looking for projects and ideas that will make a real difference to people and encourage a greater sense of community in the area; even the smallest changes can have a really positive effect.”

The winning project or projects will receive both funding and labour to complete the required works, which will be carried out by Groundwork MSSTT – an environmental regeneration charity that works in  partnership with people to deliver a range of projects.

Entries are open now and close on Friday, March 21, when judges will decide on a shortlist.           

Readers will then be able to vote for the winner or winners.

Entrants need to submit a 200-word description of the project and how it will contribute to the local community, along with two or three high resolution photos. For further details, visit togetherinsurance.co.uk/better.