Garden design Education of a gardener

Arts outdoors - five top summer events In Review’Asuccessful garden is one that has a ,” begins .

I believe him because, in garden design circles, he is God. So even if he scarcely utters a word today, some of the magic from his own creation at the end of a single-track lane near Usk is bound to rub off.

But Maynard, 43, a genial man with a , runs at full throttle, which surely comes as a relief to we of the soil paying ï¿¡180 each to learn about “The Main Plant Players - Designing Structure with Plants“.

Maynard’s one and two-day courses, running from March to November, are now in their second year and the venue is his own newly created garden at his 15th- house in .

Whether you want to design , build earthworks, and knots or learn how to make the most of topiary, summer perennials and winter woodlands, these feature and well-made lunches.

The garden - a redundant of and orchards with a stream and an ancient track running through it - is a beguiling open-air classroom.

As we stand in the approach to Maynard’s house, which is planted with an emerging tapestry of ‘Vicar’s Mead’ and ‘Lily ’, he explains his to structure: “The garden melts into the landscape so that it roots into its setting.”

Maynard achieves a from woods to garden with a 30-year-old topiary beech standing beside the track.

“It’s saying ‘This is the way’, it almost draws you in,” he says, as the track takes us across a bridge over the stream where (Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’) grow.

Beech, , box and Ilex crenata are among Maynard’s main players, and he clips them into free-flowing topiary. As he wanted his garden to look good quickly, his trees are mature and wildly expensive - the beech was a stupefying ï¿¡4,500 from a in Holland.

“The Dutch and the Belgians have always moved large trees - the secret is to keep moving them and cutting the roots to create a tight root ball. Our culture is different - we like growing from seed and taking cuttings,” he continues.

His planting is robust. “I don’t want a garden that’s too precious,” he says.

“It’s about connecting the with the garden - it will appear completely seamless but will get very intense around the house with a mad jumble of topiary.”

Weaving between huge yews, a swirling contemporary earthwork is planted with a spiral of copper beech at different heights.

At the rear of his house, a boundary fence has blurred into the ; more earthworks planted with bush allow the garden to merge with the pastoral amphitheatre behind, where the line of an old drovers’ road cuts through the middle distance.

After lunch, in the loft of a barn, Maynard discusses design. There is no glass in the wooden mullions. “I so like the connection with outside,” he says, flinging back the shutters.

He explains how he trims, tames, pollards and pleaches, how he half-annihilates an ancient hedge to spectacular effect, how he sinks a drive to lose it in the and how he despises parked cars.

We students scribble in notebooks. “Apart from a few trees, my garden is non-existent. I’ve never done anything like this before; I’ve come to listen to one of my gardening heroes,” whispers Louise Brook, who wants to transform her garden in Italy.

Emma Mills from West Sussex, also intends to try what she has picked up on the course.

“What attracted me to Arne is his idea that you bring the into the garden and look to nature for inspiration. I like his holistic approach,” she says.

Archie Scott from Whitchurch concurs: “I’m a professional gardener specialising in hard landscaping but on a smaller scale - a day like this is where I get new ideas.”

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Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Backyard Landscaping, Landscaping Rock No Comments

Caracas gives teacher lessons in culture crime

CARACAS, Venezuela — Dusk had just fallen when I took off for a jog in a desolate area of this capital city of 3.6 million people. Although I knew Caracas was a different place by night than by day, I had run before without incident and had no concerns.

But during my 30-minute run, two men pulled up next to me on a moped. The passenger jumped off and wielded a knife, eyeing my iPod. Both started yelling at me in Spanish.

Luckily a man came running out from his house yelling and scared the two men away. They jumped back on their moped and drove away laughing, leaving me more cautious about how I flaunt my possessions.

It was one of the many lessons I learned during the nine chaotic months I spent here teaching English in a country I came to find more familiar than my own.

If you go: Caracas, Venezuela

Flights to and from Caracas are relatively cheap. The best route is to fly to Miami and from there take LAN airways (a Chilean airline) straight to Caracas. The flight from Miami to Caracas is usually about $200.

If you don’t know Spanish, it’s helpful to study some Spanish beforehand and take a Spanish-English dictionary. All signs outside the airport and in Caracas are in Spanish.

When most people hear about a country’s political turmoil, civil unrest and tension in its relations with the United States, their first instinct is to stay away, to experience the unfolding events from their living rooms.

But it was exactly that unrest that attracted me to this South American country after I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in May 2006 and was looking for something to do. An advertisement to teach English in Venezuela caught my eye — I had to see the country for myself, despite my poor command of Spanish.

I arrived in Caracas, Venezuela’s largest city, in September 2006, and moved into an apartment in Chacaito, a neighborhood that bordered a nice section, as well as a dangerous part, of the city. The large I shared with two architecture students — one from Austria and the other from Mongolia — came empty, so we filled it with furniture that we found on the street.

From the outset Caracas felt like any other big city but with its unique character: a caco-phony of people and cars crowding in the streets, the smell of arepas (corn-based bread) and other local foods permeating the sweltering air, vendors enticing me with exotic jewelry.

I taught English to employees at Procter %26amp; Gamble, most of whom spoke English fairly well but needed help working on their fluency. The city, however, was intimidating, and I would go to work and then straight home to my afterward, too afraid of what might happen to me. But after about a week, I started to explore a bit and ended up going everywhere.

Although relations between the United States and Venezuela have deteriorated since Hugo Chavez was elected president in 1998 — over oil imports and his deepening relationships with Cuba, Iran and North Korea — the people couldn’t have been more welcoming to me. Eager to practice their English or to help me with my Spanish, Venezuelans were less concerned about my nationality and more interested in what I thought about their country.

Mass transit is easy in Caracas because it has one subway system stretching from one end of the city to the other. But with the country’s temperate weather, walking is best. Among the most interesting areas to trek through were the buoneros, or vendors in an area close to my called Sabana Grande. Winding of shops sold everything from clothes to jewelry to illegal DVDs. Music blasted from speakers and vendors would entice shoppers to their tents with the best of the black market. It was easy to get disoriented amid the crowds and deafening noise, but you had to stay vigilant to the thieves who would prey on pedestrians and then vanish back into the maze of chaos. (Since I have returned from Caracas, the government has shut down the buoneros).

Like other large cities in developing countries, Caracas possesses a great divide between the rich and poor. High rises, SUVs and expensive restaurants are concentrated in the city center. Plastic surgery in Caracas is the most profitable industry in South America, and the central part of the city is filled with plastic surgery clinics and offices.

As you travel outward, the view changes. With more than 80 percent of the country’s 25 million people poor, tiny shacks no larger than a living room hug the mountains that border the city, clustered on top of one another like matchboxes. At night, the shanties create a paradox of tempting beauty with millions of lights dotting the landscape like fireflies.

The local cuisine is best enjoyed in the many outdoor restaurants in the city. There are arepas (fried pancakes served with an assortment of fillings or eaten plain), cachapas (corn pancakes) or my favorite the ‘perro caliente’ (a hot dog with toppings consisting of everything from chips to avocados), which brings shame to the New York hot dog. Most times the best addition to any meal is a cold cerveza, such as Polera or Polar Ice, a very watered down version of Bud Light.

We made sure to explore the countryside on weekends. Venezuela is home to the Amazon and the highest waterfalls in the world (Angel Falls at 3,212 feet in southeast Venezuela near Brazil), as well as rain forests dry plains, pure white beaches and mountain ranges.

There are two distinct seasons: dry, which runs from early November to May, and wet, the rest of the year. It’s usually more pleasant traveling during the dry season, although Angel Falls is more magnificent during the wet season because of the heavy rainfalls.

Public transportation in Caracas is relatively cheap. Shorter bus trips outside the city (a few hours away) are provided by school bus-types of vehicles for about $3 round-trip. But it’s far from luxury. They are usually crowded with people bringing all sorts of food and bags stacked on top of each other. The bus driver blasts the music at high volume (from salsa to Reggaeton). With little enforcement of the speed limit, drivers get you to your destination as fast as they can. For longer trips, regular luxury buses are typically available. However, when taking these, be prepared for a frigid journey — drivers usually set the air conditioning on high for the whole trip.

Back in Caracas, crime continues to be a big problem, with countless people being killed every year, mostly in petty crimes. While a woman during the day can usually walk safely through the city alone as long as she moves at a quick, assertive pace, nighttime is different, which I found out the hard way on my jog.

I returned to the United States in June and now work as coordinator for a Venezuelan architecture firm, Urban-Think Tank, in New York City, which is working to improve the South American slums.

Perhaps overwhelming at first, Venezuela is a country that will soon enthrall you. Whether it’s dancing salsa until 6 a.m., eating local cuisine at an outdoor restaurant or shopping for the cheap and plentiful in the endless winding bazaars, Venezuela is a challenging test for the true traveler.

Stephanie Trainer attended Springdale High School and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in political science. She now lives in New York City. You can reach her at Stephi3@comcast.net.

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Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Backyard Landscaping No Comments

Playing against prejudice Teams from FLDS area face plenty of obstacles

COLORADO CITY, Ariz. %26#151; The insults hurled at the kids were cruel.

“Plyg kids!” they would shout. “Go home to your wives!”

The players on the El Capitan School basketball teams just ignored it.

“They’d try to pick fights at us and throw snowballs at us,” said 14-year-old David Hammon. “I don’t really mind, ’cause it makes me play better.”

This year, no one is making fun of them.

That’s because the boys and girls teams have dominated the competition with an 11-5 season for the boys, and a 13-2 record for the girls.

The El Capitan Eagles are playing with numerous obstacles in their path. They come from an area notorious for polygamy and a lot of negative publicity accompanying it. Their school district is under financial control of the state of Arizona %26#151; more fallout from the multi-state crackdown on the Fundamentalist LDS Church and its leader, Warren Jeffs.

Both inside and outside these communities, some don’t want these kids to play.

“This is one of the most positive things that has come out of this community in a long time,” said boys coach Joel Heaton.

A new game

Up until a few years ago, Colorado City never really had a sports program. Culturally speaking, athletic competition is often frowned upon in these fundamentalist communities.
Story continues below

“I went to school here, and I loved sports,” said Carol Timpson, the principal of El Capitan. “I would have loved to have the chance these kids have.”

Girls team coach Natalie Zitting pushed to bring athletics to El Capitan.

“They told us we could do it as long as the school really didn’t have to come up with too much money because they’re in receivership and on a tight budget,” she said.

The Colorado City Unified School District was taken over by the state of Arizona after a 2005 raid amid allegations of financial mismanagement %26#151; tied to the FLDS Church. That makes funding an athletic program of any kind difficult at this school.

There is no alumni. There is no booster club or cheerleaders.

“It’s really kind of a miracle we have a program at all,” Heaton said.

Zitting volunteers her time. Heaton receives a small and drives from Hurricane early in the morning to hold practice. For many kids, this is their first exposure to the world of high school athletics.

“When I first came to school, I didn’t expect to play,” said Curtis Blackmore, 17.

When she first started, 18-year-old Lestie Williams couldn’t steal the ball away without offering a meek “excuse me” or “I’m sorry.” She’s since learned to be more aggressive.

“I didn’t even know how to dribble a ball,” Williams giggled. “I just got so excited and I put myself out there and tried my best. I love playing.”

Prejudice

The Eagles are not afraid to dream big.

“Our goal is in four years to be going to a state championship,” said Heaton. “That would be really great if we could compete with the likes of Valley High School, Panguitch, Paiute, Bryce Canyon. We beat Milford this year.”

For now, they have to be content with playing unaffiliated teams. For their last game of the season, they played the Diamond Ranch Academy, a nearby school for troubled teens.

Zitting has tried to book games with other schools. After learning where El Capitan is, some suddenly became too booked. When they would get a game, Zitting recalled hearing things like “Hang the prophet” and “Inbreds” being shouted at the kids.

“The sad thing is nobody ever stopped them,” she said. “The coaches never stopped them. The principals didn’t stop them.”

Williams said they have had to earn respect from everyone they played.

“You can’t make fun of someone that beat you,” she said.

The girls played for three seasons without a win. Last year, they turned it around.

“They’ve just blown them away,” Timpson said, smiling with pride.

To watch the Eagles play, you are stuck by how much they give. Racing up and down the court, the kids aggressively hustle for the ball.

“We’re kind of short on the height, so we have to get ourselves in there. We have to do what we can,” Williams said. “And play a good game.”

Zitting said her girls play like they have nothing to lose.

“They have so much heart,” she said. “They’re so used to being underdogs.”

Community support

Most players are FLDS dissidents or members of the neighboring fundamentalist community of Centennial Park, Ariz.

“We’re all equals on the court,” said Marcus Zitting, 15. “We do have a lot of different religions mixed on our team. We just play.”

El Capitan serves kindergarten through 12th grade. The entire student body is about 450, and it has rallied around the home teams.

“These teams are really leaders in our school. They’re all pretty good in academics,” Timpson said.

Family support also comes in big numbers and packed bleachers.

“We feel like the basketball is also leading these kids to better things,” said Jethro Barlow, who was at Friday night’s game to cheer on his son.

Being a player isn’t cheap. They have to pay for physicals, jerseys, insurance, trips and other costs.

“That’s tough in a community that’s in a high poverty area,” said Timpson. “It amazes me when parents say, ‘I value this’ and put into it.”

Not all parents are supportive. Some frown on their children playing sports with more important things to worry about.

“To their credit, they’ve allowed their children to make that decision,” Heaton says.

Asked if he’ll return next year, 15-year-old Jared Hammon shrugs.

“It depends what my dad thinks,” he said. “He’s really not good with this. He never comes to our games.”

“We have responsibilities at home,” adds his brother, David.

“We have a big family,” said Jared. “Here, we have to respect my dad.”

Fund-raising

Basketball is the only sport offered at El Capitan. They had baseball %26#151; until they lost their coach.

“We’re really limited in who we can get to coach. If we can get a coach, we can put a program together,” Timpson said, adding that she would love to offer wrestling and volleyball.

The school desperately wants to be a 1A team in the Utah High School Activities Association, but they have many hurdles.

“We’ve got to get a new gym,” Heaton said.

The UHSAA requires a gym that seats 500 to 700 spectators. The tiny El Capitan School gym seats maybe 150 at most. To build a new gym, the coaches are doing a lot of fundraising. Heaton contacted the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns for , equipment, anything to help grow a basketball program. He asked another high school to let him copy their gym plans.

Their current gym doesn’t even have a permanent scoreboard. Zitting is reaching out to the rest of Utah and Arizona for help.

“I want to challenge people from around the surrounding communities to say, ‘We aren’t prejudiced. We’ll donate to you guys,”‘ she said. “Wouldn’t it be incredible to get a gym? It’s not support for Warren Jeffs, it’s support for the kids.”

Game time

In a pre-game huddle inside a tiny classroom near the gym, Heaton gave his team a pep talk.

“It could be next year we don’t have a program, so this is our focus, this game right now,” the coach said. “This year you are what?”

“EAGLES!” the boys shout back.

The boys shared warm-up time with little children who would run across the tiny gym floor or try to shoot some baskets of their own. The opposing team showed up, looking stunned to see a cramped gym.

“They don’t even have a scoreboard!” laughed a player for Diamond Ranch.

The boys took the court and annihilated the Diamondbacks, 79-35. The girls won 45-17.

Each time the Eagles would score, the crowd roared.

“Go Eagles!” kids would shout.

“This is such a positive thing,” Heaton said. “We haven’t had any good come out of this community for so long. This basketball program is one that if we can get it to stay %26#151; and that’s a big if %26#151; we need some help. We really do.”

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Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Backyard Landscaping No Comments

Canopies and carpets of color spread all the way to Florida

Georgia’s mountains demand attention

Leaf peepers pull out their cameras and put on their in October when forests turn into bright blankets of red, orange and gold.

Of Georgia’s 48 state parks, six of the most popular for foliage-focused tourists are Amicalola Falls, Black Rock Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, Tallulah Gorge, Unicoi and Vogel. For quieter getaways, visitors may consider lesser-known parks, which can be just as vibrant. Providence Canyon State Park, frequently called “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon,” has hiking trails and unusual scenery. Watson Mill Bridge State Park, near Athens, boasts a scenic picnic area beside the state’s longest covered bridge. Beautiful hardwoods, boulders and creeks can be found on the 23-mile Pine Mountain Trail at F.D. Roosevelt State Park near Columbus.

“The mountains are where most people go to see the changing leaves,” says state park director Becky Kelley, “but people shouldn’t overlook middle and south Georgia. The cypress and tupelo swamps found at Georgia Veterans, George L. Smith and Stephen C. Foster state parks can turn brilliant orange toward the end of the season.” (www.GeorgiaStateParks.org)

Festivals ignite enthusiasm for the season by featuring pumpkin patches, corn , craft demonstrations and live entertainment. Georgia’s most popular October festivals include Autumnfest at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain (through Nov. 4), Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival (weekends in October) Georgia Mountain Fall Festival and Georgia’s Official State Fiddlers’ Convention at Hiawassee (Oct. 12-21). (www.georgia.org)

October is Virginia Wine Month, a promotion to highlight the state’s 120 wineries. Festivals celebrate the bounty of the agricultural landscape at the same time as leaves bring brilliance to forests. Wine trails call attention to tasting rooms and locally owned restaurants.

Virginia’s farms and orchards create old-fashioned fun for families. Corn , pumpkin fests and farm demonstrations are scattered throughout the state. Virginia has more than 2,500 miles of designated scenic byways, plus themed highways such as the musical Virginia’s Crooked Road. Motorists on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Drive get lost in the blaze of colors. (www.FallinVirginia.org)

Seasoned leaf-watchers give sensational ways to experience North Carolina’s riot of autumn color. They include the following:

n Ride the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad through painterly valleys and gorges. (www.gsmr.com)

n Bike on byways to vineyards and villages. The state has 65 wineries. (www.carolinatailwinds.com/winetour.htm)

n Fly in a hot air balloon above Yadkin Valley. The Yadkin Valley Grape Festival takes place Oct. 20. (www.balloonadventure.net)

n Ride the whitewater of the Nantahala River. (www.noc.com)

n Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, designated as an All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration. (www.nps.gov/blri)

Spectacular spots to commune with autumn are Mount Mitchell State Park, Nantahala National Forest, Lake Lure, Pisgah National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hot Springs and Lake James State Park. (www.VisitNC.com)

Wine-tastings, cooking demonstrations, jazz concerts and dazzling dining options will be featured during the Highlands Culinary Weekend, slated for Nov. 8-11. This mountain town in Western North Carolina will host chefs from throughout the region to prepare specialty dinners.

In partnership with the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Inn at Half-Mile Farm will help host the event. The inn will offer special multi-night stay packages. Attendees will find many other reasons to visit: shopping, spas, entertainment, golf and outdoor adventure activities. (www.highlandschamber.org, www.halfmilefarm.com)

Splashed in eye-popping colors, Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee River Gorge beckon people to jump in their cars, hop on trains, pull out their walking boots. Chattanooga’s revitalized waterfront, popular attractions and vibrant dining scene make this an award-winning destination.

Rock City Gardens’ Lover’s Leap provides amazing views of nature’s majestic display. Motorists on the Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway follow the gentle curves of the land to waterfalls and canyons. The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, Tennessee Valley Railroad and the Southern Belle Riverboat offer relaxing opportunities to enjoy the vibrantly hued . Recreational outfitters feature a variety of experiences in kayaks, rafts, bicycles, hang gliders or hiking trails.

Tennessee Aquarium’s Thrills, Gills and Chills, a promotion available through Oct. 31, focuses on the chilling predator/prey relationships linked to moray eels, piranha, alligators and sharks. Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn, The Chattanoogan Hotel and Chattanooga Marriott at the Convention Center are offering special accommodations packages. (www.chattanoogafun.com)

Cool temperatures energize gardens in Florida. They spring back fresh after enduring summer’s blistering heat. The Historic Spanish Point in Sarasota is fluttering with life. The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables will host a garden festival Nov. 1718 with music, food, exotic plant sales and farmer’s market.

The newly opened Gardens of Trout River Plaza in Jacksonville is described as “a garden of the future.” It provides residents with a unique event site featuring a sculpture, water element and 12 columns alive with seasonal blooms cascading down into garden beds.

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Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Garden Landscaping No Comments


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