Master Landscaping
http://www.masterlandscaping.net

A newly built Georgian-style house with four bedrooms and seven bathrooms in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood.

Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Johnson and Daniel Division (James Strathy Warren)

With 11-foot ceilings, the main floor features large principal rooms with dark-stained floors of quarter-sawn white oak. A library is panelled in mahogany, and has a coffered ceiling. A dramatic reverse staircase ascends from a centre hall.

At the rear is an open-concept space comprising the kitchen, family room and eating area, with doors opening to the garden. The countertops in the kitchen, wet bar and pantry are fashioned from Calacutta honed marble.

Some areas of the house feature heated stone floors.

A state-of-the-art system controls temperature, security and lighting. The house also contains Category 5 wiring and structured cable for high-speed internet, television and communication services.

Upstairs, mahogany doors lead into the master suite, where French doors open to a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden. A dressing room is lined with hand-crafted closets and includes a flat-screen TV. The ensuite bathroom has a separate water closet, cast-iron tub and honed marble flooring with in-floor radiant heating.

The two other bedrooms on the second floor have ensuite bathrooms. Located on the third floor are a bedroom and bathroom as well as a games room.

On the lower level, an “infinity” swimming pool is surrounded by limestone and enclosed in glass. A media room has built-in surround sound and a gas fireplace. Adjoining an exercise area is a bathroom with limestone floors and walls, as well as a steam shower.

A climate-controlled wine cellar is constructed of reclaimed brick and lined with Douglas fir wine caskets that accommodate 500 bottles.

Outside, the landscaped property includes a very private stone terrace in the rear garden. A more functional element is an in-ground irrigation system. The exterior features copper trim and a cedar roof.

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Surrounded by flowers and with a breathtaking view of Longs Peak, members of the community not only get to take in a beautiful landscape at Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s Conservation Garden; they also get to learn about water.

“Water conservation in our region is essential,” said Jill Boyd, communications specialist for Northern Water. “Visiting our gardens gives homeowners a very practical idea of what they can do to conserve water. Beyond the education component, it is very beautiful out there.”

Located behind the district at 220 Water Ave. in Berthoud, the 2.5-acre garden — which Northern Water employees nicknamed “the backyard” — is broken into sectors to educate residents on landscaping and the best way to maintain yards with minimal water use.

Walking through the garden, visitors have the opportunity to learn about different types of grass and what works well in the Colorado environment, irrigation and sprinkler technologies, soil revitalization, the conservation’s weather station and new types of gardening tools.

A portion of the garden also is devoted to Xeriscaping, or landscaping that uses a minimal amount of water. This area is broken into eight miniature units that show examples of how yards can be landscaped.

“The backyard helps to combat the notion that landscaping that doesn’t use a lot of water is not attractive,” Boyd said. “You can see that you can use less water and still have a very eye-catching landscape.”

Northern Water maintains at least 250 species of plant life in its backyard area each year.

“Every year, we try to add about 67 plants,” said Ron Boyd, landscape water management and conservation specialist for Northern Water. “The garden is designed so it can be changed out.”

Also included in the tour of the area is an interpretive section featuring various ponds that represent Northern Water’s reservoirs. In two agricultural areas, irrigation technology and alfalfa species are tested.

The garden is open 24 hours a day, year-round. During the summer months, tours are available upon request from 2 to 4 p.m., and tours for larger groups can be arranged.

Community members who want to stroll through the garden on their own can bring a cell phone. By dialing numbers posted around the garden, they can listen to free descriptions of the processes and research taking place.

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Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Concho Valley Master Gardeners Association is hosting “Water-Wise Landscaping,” at 7 p.m., June 10 at the Tom Green County 4-H Center, 3168 N. U.S. Hwy. 67.

Kay Thompson, Master Gardener program coordinator, said the workshop should put to rest some popular misconceptions about low-water-use plants.

“We hesitated to call this a Xeriscape workshop, because many people have a picture in their minds of rock and cactus when they see that title,” said Thompson. “That’s the image we are trying to steer away from.

“This workshop will teach homeowners how to have the lush landscape they’ve always dreamed of–one that will not only look good, but perform the way they want it to.”

Thompson said once such a landscape is installed, immediate results will include reduced irrigation and lower water bills, less maintenance and a tougher, higher quality landscape that is adapted to West Texas weather conditions.

There is no charge for the workshop, but organizers ask that participants call the AgriLife Extension office in Tom Green County at 325-659-6528 by June 6, so enough printed material can be made available.

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Some very noticeable changes are being made to improve outdoor aesthetics at the Palestine Public Library this week — changes that will make the library more convenient and pleasing to its patrons.

“Our new look is fresh, attractive and inviting,” library director Carol Herrington said. “Every day, at least one library patron comments to me about how much they like it.”

The project includes the construction of steps and a paved walkway from the rear parking lot, the removal of shrubs around the building and the addition of butterfly and friendship gardens to the library’s landscaping.

A new irrigation system also has been installed; and the removal of the bushes in front of the building created four new much-needed parking spaces near the library’s main entrance.

“Since I have been director here, about 90 percent of the suggestions I have received included the need for additional parking spaces,” Herrington said. “So I know patrons will appreciate getting those additional spaces out of this change.”

The new set of steps and pavestone walkway also have been a long-time need at the library — providing directionality to its patrons.

“We have had people park in the rear lot and not know where to come in,” Herrington said. “The walkway and new signs will make a big difference.”

To give its patrons a sense of ownership, Anderson County Master Gardeners included the “Friendship Garden,” in their landscaping design. That garden, located at the front of the building, will be filled through a bulb exchange event set for June 7.

“We want patron to bring bulbs from their garden to plant here at the library and to exchange with other gardeners,” Master Gardener and landscape design coordinator Nancy Waggoner said Wednesday. “The goal is to have people to walk by and say ‘that bulb was from my garden.’

“We want them to have a sense of pride and identity when they visit the library,” she added.

The butterfly garden, located at the rear of the library, will be included as a means to educate the patrons about plant and animal life. A new curved pavestone walkway will allow visitors a full view of the area.

“We have designed the landscaping so that there will be something blooming all season,” Waggoner said. “And as the plants mature through the years, I think it is only going to get better.”

According to Herrington, the project came about after learning about the cause of the library’s ongoing flooding problems — the large shrubs around the building were holding water against the walls.

“The Library Board decided to go forth and develop a new landscape design for the library,” Herrington said. “The library board took bids for the design, which was developed and won by the Anderson County Master Gardeners.”

Also winning bids for the landscaping project were Jo Ann Pigeon Landscaping, Blackstone Irrigation and Palestine Concrete & Tile. A community work squad from the local Gurney Unit has provided much of the labor.

“City Engineer Ron Sullivan was able to bring the Gurney crew in, which saved us a significant sum of money,” Herrington said. “Warden Karen Brown and her crew have done and great job. We could not have done this without them.”

Funding for the project has been provided by a $15,000 matching grant from the Palestine Economic Development Corporation, with the Friends of the Library and the Library Memorial Board contributing the initial funds.

“The library appreciates the efforts and cooperation of all the participating entities to make the landscape project come to fruition,” Herrington said. “It is amazing what can be accomplished when people work together for a common goal.”

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the average household spent more than $400 for garden-related items. Landscaping grew by 19 percent, water gardening by 49 percent, fruit tree planting by 26 percent and vegetable gardening by 1 percent. Experts watch sales and several other areas to distinguish trends.

Why are they important? Garden and landscape trends shape consumer choices for the next year and years to come.

I mentioned last year after returning from the International Master Gardeners Conference in Little Rock that green gardening was the undertone of many of the speakers. For 2008, the Garden Media Group identified going green as the No. 1 global trend, professional trend-watchers for the gardening industry.

“Environmentally savvy homeowners know that it’s not just good enough to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle; you’ve got to be environmentally responsible ” said Garden Media’s Susan McCoy.

Gardeners want to find ways to conserve water, use locally produced or recycled materials and use environmentally responsible maintenance procedures.

Eco-chic is the buzzword for gardens designed and maintained in an ecology friendly manner. Gardeners are recycling plastic pots, composting and using rain barrels to catch rainwater. To restore balance in nature, they are creating feeding spots for birds and planting flowers so that bees, ladybugs and beneficial insects have fruit and nectar to eat.

Water gardening is still trendy. However, it is not necessary to have a huge water feature. In fact, wasting water is out. New smaller scale fountains and ponds are en vogue. They use less water, require less maintenance and can be more interesting in a home landscape. Pondless waterfalls are an option as are tabletop and recirculating fountains.

Many gardeners are opting for less grass in smart and easy landscapes. They are adding stamped concrete patios, walks and driveways. Turfless landscapes are showing up as gardeners install rocks, shrubs, trees and ground covers rather than traditional grass lawns. More expensive initially, it will save time, money and energy in maintenance, especially if combined with a drip irrigation system. Natives show up frequently in low maintenance gardens as well as ornamental grasses.

Half of this country’s consumers say that a lack of time is a bigger issue than a lack of money. The landscape service industry is exploding as homeowners who have purchased homes with large landscaped lawns just cannot find time to maintain the outdoor aspects. Full-grown plants and trees are hot sellers for homeowners too impatient to wait for smaller ones to naturally mature in the landscape.

Outdoor rooms take center stage in gardening trends. For the past five years, outdoor living and decorating were cited as the top two mega trends. In 2007, $6.2 billion was spent on outdoor furniture, accessories and grills. More than a million outdoor kitchens were constructed, and upscale homeowners opted for construction of gazebos near their outdoor pools. Stylish table lamps, special submersible lighting for fountains and dramatic illumination options are now on the market as a result of interest in outdoor living projects.

Simplicity is in with a new twist on the monochromatic slant. One basic color theme dominates a bed or pot with foliage plants and succulents, many of them variegated, used as accents. Landscaping Services A ratio of 60 percent of a primary color, 30 percent of a secondary color and 10 percent of accent color is attractive for a pot or bed. Big is beautiful these days. Big plants in big containers with big bold color are being used to create stylish pot scapes.

The “slo” food movement is growing, according to Landscape and Garden Consultant Adele Kleine.

“This philosophy reduces dependence on convenience and processed fast food. One of the purposes of gardening is to encourage adults and children to feel better emotionally and to inspire them to take more control over what they consume. That’s what slo food does,” Kleine said.

Farmers markets and organic food stands are part of this movement, as well as home vegetable gardening. Garden sales via the Internet are increasing dramatically. This year, sales are expected to equal or exceed catalog sales, growing from $7 million in 2007 to more than $10 million.

Consumers jump on the bandwagon for products that are new and hot, so growers will continue to introduce hundreds of new plants each year to meet consumer demands. Organic pesticides, fertilizers, eco-friendly products and drought tolerant and/or pest-resistant plants, many of which are container suitable - plus more native options - are expected to be big sellers this year.

Hopefully, these eco-friendly trends are not merely fads that will fade with time Landscaping Services. We all can be responsible caretakers of the environment, but need readily accessible products to help us do so.

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Meet with landscape designers at 10 private gardens and landscapes they designed and installed from Southern Marin to San Rafael, Terra Linda and Novato. These gorgeous, well-established gardens may feature a stone fountain, pond, waterfall or beehive.

Whether your garden has shaded or sunny areas you will get great ideas for successful plant combinations. Tour gardens are diverse, but all are pesticide-free.

Gardens may feature a creek with stabilization project, steep terraced hillsides with oaks, redwood and fern bordered rock creeks, succulents and ornamental grasses, fruit trees, lawns, herbs and medicinal plants or flat meadow areas. Some are Asian or English garden-influenced with a California twist. See ways to better use rain and irrigation water on your property.

Learn how the right plants and planting can reduce fire danger around your home. Garden includes natives and other Mediterranean summer-dry climate plants.

Discounts to visitors are offered on landscaping services. Refreshments provided and free resource booklets and other garden experts are available at each site to answer questions.

Marin’s Eco-Friendly Garden Tour Sat., May 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Featured designers include PlannedLand, Jeannine White; Edger Landscape Design; EcoScapes, Leslie Patton; Quinn’s California Landscapes; Blume & Dean Landscape; Equinox Landscape; California Native Landscapes; EcoLogic Landscaping, Leith Carstarphen; Reilly Designs and Art Gardens Landscape Company.

Registration required, directions provided at time of registration: Call Gina Purin of MCSTOPPP at 499-3202. Cost: $15 per adult.

Support Community Gardens with City Council

The cost of fresh fruit and vegetables is going through the roof. Many children have lost their connection to the earth and its seasons. Seniors have become increasingly isolated. People from all walks of life have little or no access to garden space, whether apartment renters or folks who own condos, townhomes or McMansions. Community gardens bring people together, provide opportunities for socialization and education on healthy gardening and eating.

Please contact the Novato City Council and let them know you support community gardens. The Garden Committee has identified two good potential locations. Novato covers a large geographic area and one garden would be a great start, whichever location they choose.

For little cost to the city, it will bring great benefit to Novato residents. Individuals including seniors and families with children will be able to experience the pleasure of gardening, the health benefits of garden exercise and fresh, pesticide-free food.

The Novato Community Garden Committee has been working with the city and other groups to find a permanent location. They received grant funding through the Kaiser Foundation and Supervisor Judy Arnold that will help the gardens get off the ground. Ongoing funding for insurance and water management will be provided by nominal annual garden plot rental fees.

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The Town of Windsor Museum area in Boardwalk Park is coming together, but the town wanted a better landscaping design around it Landscaping Contractor.

“We wanted a historical landscaping design for the area, with plants common to the area in the 1920s,” said Windsor Director of Parks and Recreation Melissa Chew.

The Town of Windsor Museum area in Boardwalk Park is coming together, but the town wanted a better landscaping design around it.

“We wanted a historical landscaping design for the area, with plants common to the area in the 1920s,” said Windsor Director of Parks and Recreation Melissa Chew.

The town contacted Colorado State University’s Design and Horticulture Program and offered a competition for the landscape design. A plan designed by two students, CSU seniors Celsey Svenson and Lydia Young, was selected by town staff.

“We were given a concept of what this area is and did research to find out what sort of plant life would have existed here,” Svenson said. “We designed a plan with natural grass seeding, such as buffalo grass.”

In the design, poppies and an orchard of peach, cherry and apple trees will be planted. A vegetable garden will be located near the school house, featuring cabbage and carrots. Other plant life will include yucca plants and goldenrod.

“We’re also going to incorporate lots of wildflower patches,” Young said.

Windsor Town Manager Kelly Arnold asked about irrigation.

“Because the plant life is native to the area, we’ve designed it to be almost xeriscaped,” Young said. “Of course, there will need to be some watering with the initial planting.”

Chew explained that less intense watering would help keep the historical buildings in good shape by eliminating water spray on the buildings.

“This design will need to be approved by the landscape architect we have on retainer,” Chew said. “Then we can look at the cost of implementing the plan and decide when we can get to work.”

Windsor Mayor John Vazquez asked about the hard surface being planned for the trails through the village.

“We’re looking at using a fine crusher gravel, which is pretty low maintenance,” Svenson said.

The museum is coming along well, and the train depot Landscaping Contractor, schoolhouse, church and beet shanty will be open to receive visitors this summer.

“The house and kitchen area are not finished, and the church hasn’t been given much renovation since we accepted it from the Historical Society,” Chew said. “We also don’t have much of a plan for the Eaton House yet, but we’ll get there.”

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Our yard is boring with just a lot of grass. The house faces east, which means our living area in the back of the house gets hot in summer, even though I close the blinds. What kind of landscaping do you suggest that could help cool the house?

The right kind of landscaping can enhance the look of a home, offer more outdoor living space and even help cool a house in summer. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that carefully positioned trees can save up to 25 percent of a typical household’s energy used for cooling.

A well-designed yard offers environmental benefits, such as controlling erosion or limiting runoff, providing food and habitat for wildlife, and cleaning the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Landscape design typically is site specific, but in general, deciduous trees that shade in summer and drop their leaves in winter are the best choice for shading a house. Mike Odren, landscape architect and planner for Olson Engineering in Vancouver, suggests planting a deciduous canopy tree on the southwest corner of the building if possible or along the south side that will allow for maximum shading in summer.

Tim Shull, landscape designer with Yard and Garden in Vancouver, said maples are a good choice of deciduous trees for our area.

“If the yard is small, the home owner should consider planting a more columnar tree,” he said. “Armstrong maple is a good choice because it’s narrower and fits into a smaller area.”

Exact placement of trees will depend upon where the windows are in the home, and if there are skylights or solar panels, which you’ll want to avoid shading.

Odren added that plantings around a building also will help shade it and reduce the amount of heat it absorbs and stores during the day that is radiated back during the night.

“Use organic mulch or gravel for paths and walkways rather than asphalt or concrete,” he said.

Another tip from Odren is to incorporate running water into your landscaping, which gives the perception of cooling. Install a pond or even a patio bubbler.

“If you have water somewhere around your patio, it will tend to feel cooler,” he said. “But it has to be running water. Standing water will heat right up and cause other problems, like a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.”

Whatever you plant, choose a species that will grow to the desired size, rather than buying a fast-growing variety that you will have to prune each year.

“If you take a 40-foot tree and try to make it stay at 20 feet, Mother Nature will win,” Shull said. “Look down the road 10 years.”

And before you plant a tree, look up. If your proposed spot is near any overhead power lines, you’ll want to choose a tree that will grow no more than 25 feet tall to ensure your tree won’t cause power problems once it grows up.

Reduce lawn

Lawn is typically the least eco-friendly thing in our yards when you consider the maintenance it requires. We mow it weekly, usually using a gas-powered mower, apply moss and weed killer, feed it, and water it — just to do it all over again.

By reducing the size of the lawn and planting native plants or drought-tolerant plants, we can have a smaller impact on the environment.

“There are a number of plants out there that don’t require supplemental irrigation, such as native plants,” Odren said. “Consider alternate irrigation techniques such as drip systems or microsprays that use water more efficiently.”

Both experts recommend staying as close to native plants as possible because they thrive in our climate and are typically more disease- and pest-resistant.

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Californians, in general, are urged to conserve water now. Why? Because by 2015, water officials statewide predict Riverside County could be unable to provide drinking water to 360,000 people.

Residents can help the situation by watering lawns less, installing efficient irrigation systems and replacing grass with more drought-resistant plants.

Locally, we’ve all seen the streams of water flow through city streets due to overwatering of lawns, or inefficient sprinkler systems.

Local water districts can help property owners, including businesses, design landscaping that conserves water. Most districts offer tips, demonstrations and other information to help property owners transform their landscapes.

One tip is to install sprinkler systems a few feet inward so water doesn’t land on the sidewalk and run into the streets. Rock, or desert plants, make an attractive display along the perimeter of a yard and help stop the runoff.

But because this is the desert, complete yards of desert landscaping makes sense. Residents should reconsider lawns all together. Developers should give strong consideration to installing only desert landscaping in all new developments.

Ongoing drought conditions and lower-than-normal snowpack have water officials around the state searching for ways to help their customers conserve Landscaping Rock. But property owners shouldn’t wait for a mandate. Conserving water is the right thing to do now.

Water districts around the state are preparing for the shortage by planning mandatory conservation programs. This is a smart move because simply asking people to conserve may not be enough to meet the growing demands our population puts on the water supply.

Here in the valley, Coachella Valley Water District officials are considering a tiered billing system that would help conserve water within a year.

Based on other districts around the state, the CVWD could keep a base rate for the majority of its customers, but charge higher rates for customers who exceed normal use, according to a tier system. Landscaping Rock It’s been successful in other districts around the state and deserves consideration in the Coachella Valley.

Meanwhile, we encourage residents to avoid overwatering lawns and consider making other changes in landscaping to conserve water - the desert’s most precious resource.

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When I moved to Grass Valley in 1992, I bought a house, which was surrounded by two acres of old overgrown manzanita. A fire trap to be sure. After hiring a brush-clearing firm, Hillside Landscaping I was left with an acre of bare red dirt and a few scattered oaks trees.

I immediately set to work transforming this barren landscape into a garden. I put up a deer fence and built a path system-all the while thinking about what I would plant in my new garden. Because I have a low output well, I was restricted to drought tolerant plants. And because I wanted to create an eco-friendly garden, I chose to plant California native plants.

I decided to experiment with as many different species of penstemon as possible. I had observed several spectacular species in the wild and hoped they would grow well in the garden. My research told me that wild penstemons are tricky to grow and can be short-lived in the garden. Their primary requirement is well draining soil and many of them require minimal irrigation. For those gardeners with poorly drained clay soil, one solution is to import a good sandy loam from a soil vendor and mound it up on top of the existing soil. Both Eaton’s penstemon (P. eatonii) and P. pseudospectabils have thrived in my garden on mounded sandy loam soil. They receive morning sun and are shaded by tall pines in the afternoon. Both these plants form sprawling clumps and have semi-upright stems with tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds. Eaton’s penstemon has red flowers and P. pseudospectabils has outrageous red/pink/pruple flowers that defy description. Both are native to mountainous areas of the southwestern states, but can flourish here in the foothills.

The trick when watering penstemons is to give them enough to keep them looking fresh through the summer, but not too much, otherwise you can kill them with kindness. Many of the penstemon species that inhabit dry desert and mountain habitat in the Southwest, can survive the summer without irrigation once they are established in the garden. But after a long dry summer without water they will look pretty ratty. A more practical solution is create a semi-dry border by combining penstemon species with wild buckwheats, monkey flowers, California poppies, salvias and other drought-tolerant native plants and drip irrigating once every ten days in the summer, beginning in May. This will keep your plants looking fresh and extend their bloom well into the summer. In the Sierra foothills of Nevada and Placer Counties, azure penstemon (P. azureus) and foothill penstemon (P. heterophyllus) are native wildflowers. A hybrid of these two species called Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’ is one of the easiest penstemons for garden culture. This hybrid was discovered next to the back porch at Las Pilitas nursery in Santa Margarita, Calif-thus its name Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP.’ It forms an evergreen, 3-ft wide sprawling mound covered with masses of tubular blue and purple flowers. Dave Roberts, President of EcoLandscape California, a non-profit ecological landscaping organization, grows P. ‘Margarita BOP’ in his Sacramento garden. He grows it in sandy soil and waters it once a week during the summer, beginning in May, which keeps the plant blooming and looking fresh through the summer.

Several penstemon species have persisted and thrived in my garden without any special improvement of soil drainage. They are all planted in full sun on a west-facing slope. Beginning in May, they are drip irrigated once every two weeks through their first summer after being planted in the garden. During subsequent years, I water them sparingly through July and then cease watering for the rest of the summer.

My hand’s down favorite has been Penstemon incertus. I grew it from seed that I purchased from the Theodore Payne Foundation in southern California.

The plant is clump-forming with multiple 2-foot tall stems, grey green foliage and beautiful blue/purple tubular flowers. It is easy to propagate from cuttings and seed and is now abundant in my garden. My original plant is still thriving after four years. Royal penstemon (P. spectabilis) has also thrived in my garden without soil improvement. This