Cape Town, South Africa (PRWEB UK) 14 March 2014

"Due to a multitude of factors including an increase of urbanisation in and around business and suburban areas, it is very rare for any home or work place to be 100% pest free these days," says Rentokil's Pietermaritzburg Branch Manager, Rajan Naidoo. Rodents, flies, crawling insects and even pest birds can put a family or colleagues health at risk and cause damage to property, stock and belongings.

Although getting rid of pests may seem simple, you often need a pest control expert to tackle the problem effectively and safely. While do-it-yourself pest control options may seem appealing, one must remember that if administered incorrectly pesticides can be hazardous to the health of humans, as they are designed to kill living organisms. It is therefore essential that the use of pesticides around people, especially small children, is carefully controlled. When selecting a pest control partner, consumers are urged to choose a reputable, professional pest control company, says Mario Pluke, Rentokil South Africas Technical Manager.

Rentokil urges the public to ask the following questions when choosing a professional pest control partner:

Getting answers to all of the above questions will help a consumer ensure that they are using a reputable company who will take the necessary care and caution when dealing with potentially harmful pesticides on their premises.

Rentokil only makes use of pest control products that have been approved by the local Department of Agriculture and Rentokil's Global Technical Panel based in the United Kingdom. Getting to the root of the problem is what their technicians are trained to do. A proper pest management programme should take a preventative approach, rather than a reactive one.

Rentokil technicians are registered with the Department of Agriculture, and are provided with extensive and intensive technical training. They are skilled in using alternative techniques to control pests. Our approach is to always restore the balance in the environment and use the quickest, most effective method to eliminate pest infestations, says Pluke.

For more information on Rentokil pest control, visit their website or contact them on 0800 736 865.

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Rentokil offers Advice on Choosing a Professional Pest Control Partner to keep Environments Pest Free and Healthy

Killeen house painters - The best residential painting contractors
http://www.Joelonaroll.com/ Killeen House Painters. NEC Quality Painting Serving Killeen. A Killeen House Painting Company, Industrial, Commercial and Reside...

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Killeen house painters - The best residential painting contractors - Video

Europe led outdoor lighting wholesale and LED commercial lighting Manufacturer
More info you can visit:http://www.lead-lighting.com/led-flood-light/rechargeable-portable-led-flood-light-30w.htm Shenzhen Lead Opto-Technology Co. Ltd is a...

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Europe led outdoor lighting wholesale and LED commercial lighting Manufacturer - Video

There might be a new solution to keep your landscape alive during this difficult dry spell. The new product, Hydretain, was used on a residential lawn for the first time in Wichita Falls on Thursday morning.

Hydretain is being sold at the Smith Gardentown in Wichita Falls. We spoke with the co-owner of the store and he explained how the product works.

"It actually pulls moisture and humidity out of the air and transfers it into the soil so it becomes more available to the roots of your trees, shrubs, and grass," Steve Smith, Co-owner of Smith Gardentown said.

With stage four water restrictions in place and stage five looming over us, watering our lawns is not an option. Research of the product showed that it can reduce the amount of water moisture needed for your lawn by 50-percent.

Smith said, "Well, obviously since we are not able to water now, we need to give out landscape plants all the help we can possibly can and this product will help and has been proven by several universities."

Smith explained Purdue and the University of Florida have tested the product and it showed that it pulls the moisture out of the air and transfers it into the soil so your plants can utilize it.

There are different options you can choose from if you are interested in treating your lawn. Smith Gardentown can come out to your property and do the treatment, the cost will depend on the size of the yard. The water they use to treat your landscape is from reclaimed water that goes to their pond at the nursery.

"We come out and we put the granular down around the trees and then we come back with the liquid version and water it in," Smith said.

However, you can also do it yourself, as long as you have your own water source available. It comes in the ready to use sprayer that has an attachment on the bottle. A granular solution is also available at the store.

If you are not able to do that, then you can get the granular and out it down and wait for the rain to water it," Smith explained.

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Wet Without Water

Spring is in the air. The snow is gone, the sun is out, and it's time for a Home and Garden show.

The North Idaho Building Contractors Association 42nd annual Monogram Homes/Mort Construction Home and Garden Show will be held March 14 -16 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

"The show is bigger, with far more featured displays than last year," said Larry Jeffres, executive officer of the NIBCA.

The entire show is located in the Jacklin Building (enter the Fairgrounds through Gate C off Kathleen Avenue).

There are more than 100 vendors with lots of great ideas, from longtime favorites to brand new participants. Food vendors will be on site, and for age-qualified attendees who may need to wet their whistles, beer will be available.

Bring a can of food to the ticket booth to receive $1 off admission. Food collections will benefit Union Gospel Mission of Coeur d'Alene and the citizens in need of their services.

Don't miss the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt with a grand prize of a Home Spruce-Up, which includes patio pavers, retaining wall material, landscaping stones, lawn mowing, and an air conditioner tune-up donated by show sponsors. The winner will be drawn at the close of the show, Sunday, March 16.

There's also a raffle, with a first prize of a stainless steel refrigerator from Fred's Appliance, a 40-inch television for the second-place winner and a beautiful gift basket for the third place winner, donated by the Professional Women in Building. Your admission ticket is your raffle entry. Additional chances to win are only $1 at the NIBCA booth (located at the entrance).

Main show sponsors are Advanced Heating and Air Conditioning; Andy's Heating, Cooling and Stove Shoppe; Ultra-Lawn; The Coeur d'Alene Press; Overhead Door Co.; North Idaho Masonry and Hardscape; R.C. Worst and Co.; Santiago Sales and Window World of the Inland NW.

Hours are today noon to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5, with children 12 and younger admitted free.

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Home and Garden Show this weekend

LISBON - It does not appear Lisbon students will have to make up any more snow days, but that could change with the weather.

Superintendent Don Thompson reported at this week's meeting the bill passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor to address the problem of school districts that have used up their allotment of five automatic "calamity" days this winter before districts must begin scheduling makeup days.

Lisbon has taken seven calamity days to date because of the weather, but the board added two contingency days back in February. Thompson said they should not have to make up any more days, weather permitting, of course.

In other action, the board:

- Contracted with Time Warner Cable to provide fiber optic connectivity to the administration offices at a cost of $17,760 and with the Ohio Mid-Eastern Regional Service Agency to continue providing high-speed Internet service to all buildings from that connection at a cost of $42,780. The district is reimbursed up to 80 percent under E-Rate, a federal program that provides schools affordable access to the Internet and related services.

-Renewed the contract with Land Approach Ltd. of Salem to provide turf maintenance services at the football field for $1,270.

-Renewed the contract with Hayes Lawn Care of Lisbon for mowing services under a two-year contract. The contract restricts Hayes to no more than 21 cuts per year at $400.

- Issued coaching contracts to the following people: Kyle Bing, head boys and girls track coach; Dom DeFilippo, assistant boys track coach; and Melody Allison, assistant girls coach.

- Rehired Scott Gallo as stadium caretaker for another year, at $12 an hour and not to exceed 600 hours and hired Brian Clapsaddle as part-time stadium caretaker for $8.50 an hour, not to exceed 400 hours.

- Accepted the resignation/retirements of first-grade teacher Melinda Belaney and kindergarten teacher Tammy Walker. "What can you say. They have both been very good and very loyal employees over the years," Thompson said.

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No more makeup days, weather permitting

Working with a Landscape Architect Sydney to Renovate Your Yard
It is a good idea to start your landscape design process by brainstorming a list of uses for your newly landscaped yard and must have requirements.

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The Alexander Craig House garden at Colonial Williamsburg. (Sangjib Min / Daily Press / January 5, 2006)

WILLIAMSBURG

Just 18 days after forming Colonial Williamsburg Inc. and the Williamsburg Holding Corporation on Feb. 27, 1928, preservation pioneer W.A.R Goodwin made one of his most important hires.

Over the following 13 years, landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff would not only help define the look and feel of the emerging Historic Area but also make Colonial Revival garden design a nationally influential force in shaping the 20th-century American landscape aesthetic.

Arthur Shurcliff was the original and principal architect behind the Colonial Revival gardens that helped make Colonial Williamsburg's landscape design world-famous. (Lombardi; Barbara Temple / February 4, 2009)

"From the very beginning, Williamsburg's restorers appreciated the importance of reconstructing the gardens and greens as well as the houses and shops," write M. Kent Brinkley and Gordon W. Chappell in "The Gardens of Colonial Williamsburg."

And the "clear, simple, direct, energetic and, personally, very charming" Shurcliff -- as he was described by his colleague and lead restoration architect William Graves Perry -- served not only as the original and principal architect of the Historic Area's world-renowned landscape but also -- as Brinkley and Chappell note -- "a pivotal figure in the development of the discipline of landscape architecture in America."

Educated in engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in art history, design and horticulture at Harvard University, Shurcliff began his career in 1896 working in the famed Brookline, Mass. office of Frederick Law Olmstead Sr. -- the father of landscape architecture in America.

In 1904, he set up his own practice in Boston, where he drew national attention for his work on the layout of Old Sturbridge Village and the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, among many other projects. He also was influential in the early development of the American Society of Landscape Architects, where he served two terms as president (19281932).

Shurcliff had more than 30 years experience, in fact, when he began developing designs for Colonial Williamsburg on March 17, 1928, and he was well known for an academic style marked by its fondness for symmetry and geometric features.

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The man who made Colonial Williamsburg's gardens world-famous

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is pleased to announce the addition of Susan Van Atta, FASLA to their 16-member Board of Trustees. In addition to her regular Trustee duties, Susan will serve on the Garden and Horticulture Committee. Ms. Van Atta is President of the Santa Barbara-based Van Atta Associates, Inc. (VAI), and is a registered landscape architect whose 30 years of experience and award-winning designs reflect her long-standing commitment to environmentally-appropriate landscape design, habitat restoration, and the use of native plants. As the co-author of the Gardens Cultural Landscape Master Plan with Charles Birnbaum in 2012, Ms. Van Atta demonstrated a deep understanding and appreciation of the Gardens historic designs and evolution. Her book, The Southern California Native Flower Garden, can be found in the Gardens Gift Shop. A graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, Environmental Studies andCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Landscape Architecture, Ms. Van Atta resides in Santa Barbara, is married to Ken Radtkey (founder of Blackbird Architects), and has two sons, Kellen andIan.

For further information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Steve Windhager, SBBG Executive Director, or Susan Van Atta, FASLA, and to request high-resolution images please contact Joni Kelly, Communications Manager, at 805-682-4726 ext. 132 or via cell at 805-886-1869. For more information about the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, please visit http://www.sbbg.org

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Susan Van Atta Announced as New Trustee for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Landscape Trends of 2014

How does one predict the landscape design trends of 2014? Well, they look at some of the most popular trends of 2013.

In the past, the landscaping was a row of perennials or shrubs around the foundation of a house, some nice shade trees and lots of lush green lawn. In 2014, gardeners are seeking more from their landscape by trying to create an outdoor living space, which has been trending for a while. A place to drink their morning coffee, watch the birds and have family gatherings.

This leads to the first prediction: fire pits or fire grill, because who doesn't want to enjoy the outdoors while grilling a steak or keeping warm on a cool night. These can be very easy for homeowners to install and come in an array prefabricated kits.

The sustainable gardener will rule in 2014 by conserving water and preventing runoff and erosion. Rain barrels will be placed under gutter spouts to collect the rains of the spring for the droughts of the summer. If it doesn't rain an inch every week, then it is advised to give additional water to the landscape to keep the plants in good health.

Many gardeners may be contemplating installing drip irrigation to save time and conserve water. According to Colorado State University, drip irrigation is 9 percent efficient in getting the water where it needs to be compared to sprinkler irrigation at 50-60 percent.

Rain gardens and permeable walkways may also experience a spike in popularity. Rain gardens are designed to capture storm water runoff from roof tops, drive ways or parking lots. Instead of going into local water ways, the water is recycled back to recharge the ground water and filter out pollutants. Plants like swamp milkweed, cardinal flower, penstemon and Culver's root should be employed in a sunny rain garden. For a shade rain garden, use native ferns, Jacob's ladder and wild ginger.

Gardeners may also use permeable walkway pavers, pervious concrete or open-celled concrete blocks instead of an old fashioned slab of concrete to help reduce runoff and erosion. They still provide the solid base but allow the water or melting snow to seep into the ground rather than wash into the storm gutters. If walkways or drive ways are near trees, this will allow the water to get to the roots.

Finally, the last predicted trend is less grass and more native plants. You don't have to be an experienced gardener to know that having a lush green lawn is a lot more work than creating gardens of native plants. Native plants do not need as much water, fertilizer or regular mowing; get considerably less pests and diseases; and, once established, can be home to wildlife like birds and butterflies.

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Yard and Garden: Landscape Trends of 2014