Weve had our winter a little snow, a cold snap or two, and a bunch of rain so now its time to start thinking about spring.

And nothing says spring like yard work and landscape renovations.

If you love your home, and you havent already done the deed, chances are youre already thinking about how youre going to transform your yard into your personal paradise this spring and summer. And if youre a typical homeowner, you probably dont have nearly enough money to do everything youd like to do, or enough time to accomplish it all.

Which is why Sherilyn Gale and Rob Turner of Beneath Your Feat Landscaping suggest the best way to begin transforming your yard is to develop a plan.

Naturally, there are as many ways to develop the perfect plan as there are people, and your personal paradise is not going to end up looking anything like your neighbours or best friends.

Its all about personal taste, say Gale and Turner.

Even if youre on a budget, you can achieve wonders, if you put your mind to it.

The award-winning landscaping team says a good plan starts with a dream. Do you envision a party zone or a personal oasis? Is it about food production or a place for the kids to play? Did you take a trip somewhere and marvel at the gardens you saw?

Perhaps you wish to include a design such as a Japanese garden, or as many customers we have built for want, a garden that emulates the Whistler theme natural rocks, boulders and native plantings that are drought tolerant. It could include an actual waterfall and stream, or even a dry river bed, says Gale.

One of the advantages of creating a plan, says Turner, is that it allows you to do the necessary projects over time. This is particularly helpful for those who can only devote so much time each year, or those whose budget only stretches so far.

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Gardening: Planning to transform your yard

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Author and landscape architect Senga Lindsay will inspire both your landscape and your fresh-from-the-garden meals with her multi-media workshop this Saturday, March 8 at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden.

March 7, 2014

Author and landscape architect Senga Lindsay will inspire both your landscape and your fresh-from-the-garden meals with her multi-media workshop, The Best of the Best: Edible Trees, Shrubs and Plants to Use in Your Landscape.

The workshop takes place this Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden in Sechelt.

The grow-your-own-food movement has taken a stylish turn these days as foodies want their edible plants to look as good as they taste. From fruiting shrubs to root crops, patio containers to acreage, tasty plants belong in every garden.

Lindsay is a bright light on the Vancouver garden design scene and has created edible landscapes for private clients and restaurants, even edible rooftops.

Her recent book, Edible Landscaping: Urban Food Gardens that Look Great, will be available for sale. You can catch a preview on her YouTube channel, Pinterest page or website, http://www.sengadesigns.com.

A homes landscape can be its most healthy and attractive room, helping our planet while saving money too. You may be willing to make a few small changes or renovate your whole yard; either way, youll reap the environmental benefits, enjoy your outdoor space more, and harvest the herbs, fruit and vegetables, too.

Tickets are on sale at the Garden at 5941 Mason Road in West Sechelt, at local nurseries and at the Sechelt Visitors Centre, $12 for Botanical Garden members or $15 for non-members.

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How to eat your landscape in style

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MARS (KDKA) The rural landscape of western Pennsylvania is peppered with natural gas well rigs. But the rewards and risks of the industry are now being weighed heavily in Mars, Butler County.

Next week, the Mars Area School Board is likely to vote on a proposal from Rex Energy, which is based in State College.

The company is offering $1 million up front for a five-year lease to drill under district property. The district would also gain a percentage of royalties from the gas and oil extracted.

Calling their group, Protect Our Children, many mobilizing against Rex Energys plan met Friday afternoon to pool resources.

There are too many risks, there are too many unknowns with this industry, and we dont want it to be underneath the school district property, said Amy Nassif, who is against drilling under the schools.

The specter of last months gas well explosion in Dunkard Township, Greene County, which killed one worker, only heightened fears.

Greene County scared me a little bit, if that happened here in Mars. This well that they are proposing, the permit, theyre trying to go for the permit a half-a-mile from our school district. It is 2,000-feet from my house, also, said Jennifer Mallin, who is also against the drilling.

Rex Energy wants to begin drilling in June or July vertically on the farmland on Denny Road in Middlesex Township. They already lease the land.

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Mars Area Parents Mobilizing Against Drilling Under School District Property

There is no park equipment more powerful than a childs imagination, and that is exactly what MIG landscape architects want to harness in their new South Park design ideas.

MIG, the firm hired to translate nearly a decade of South Park redesign talks, which were led by community activist Jessica Guheen and attended by dozens of Hermosa Beach residents throughout the years, presented two conceptual plans last Thursday honing in on the community groups primary goals: natural elements and accessibility. Complete with renderings and photos of similar projects, they left the City Council chambers buzzing with energy at the possibilities, and the satisfaction of seeing a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

By the end of the meeting, community members had expressed a preference to dismiss the second conceptual plan a beachy theme and concerns it would be a novelty that would eventually wear off. Instead, they opted for a free play theme powered by imagination.

The design includes winding dry creek beds, designed to catch run-off in the rains, and inspire hours of adventure even on dry days, trekking along the river bed in search of treasure or on safari.

At the highest point on the hill, where new fencing will keep cars out and kids in, will perch bird cage-shaped metal frames. The cages serve as the framework for children to build their own communities. One day, the frame may be covered by a blanket for a fort, another day by sticks for a teepee, another day an igloo, an African village, an animals cave. It is a framework for possibility, and according to MIG designers, inspires an innate feeling of security for children, who like to play in small spaces.

From the village, children may continue along their winding path to two hilltop slides, built into the natural slope of the park. As with many elements of the park, there will be more than one way to reach the slides there is the pathway, or stairs along the eastern side, or large rocks secured into the hillside to climb along the western side.

The design includes a play area for young tots, and a separate play area for bigger kids, filled with natural elements such as logs, sand and water, trimmed by winding edges, as well as more traditional swings and recognizable playground equipment.

In the center of the plan sits a pavilion, ready for birthday parties, picnics, or a parent hangout to oversee kids playing all around. The pavilion connects to a raised platform for children via a bridge, accessible by a pathway and a rope course.

It is a design that challenges childrens minds and bodies, as they navigate elements and engage in make-believe play. A ground labyrinth would allow for meditative time, or following a maze an activity found to be very soothing for autistic children while a childrens garden will give young gardeners a safe way to experience the natural flora of California. MIG will explore ways to tie the garden into the larger adult community garden, and was inspired by comments at last Thursdays meeting to explore a sensory garden concept.

While Guheens inner child popped alive with possibilities, ways for kids and their parents to climb and explore, residents shared positive feedback on the plans, and encouraged MIG to stick to as many natural elements as possible, and keep the community gardeners and dog owners in mind when defining the space.

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A park where dreams take root

08 March 2014| last updated at 09:50PM

The New Straits Times recently reported that a portion of the forest, which forms part of a local community mangrove replanting programme, was being cleared for a freshwater prawn aquaculture project by a private company from Penang.

State Forestry Department director Datuk Roslan Ariffin said the department would be submitting a proposal to the state government to protect the Kuala Gula mangrove forest from further deforestation.

However, he stressed that the forest was, presently, not in imminent danger.

"According to the latest reports from our team in the (Kuala Gula) area, land clearing has stopped for the moment," he said.

Roslan said no action will be taken against the company clearing the land as it had been acquired legally.

The Kampung Teluk Rubiah mangrove forest is the site of a massive mangrove replanting project involving the local community, Sahabat Hutan Bakau Kuala Gula, corporations, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions.

Over 200,000 saplings have been planted in the area over the past seven years.

The NST had reported that over RM500,000 had been spent by the federal and state authorities towards the replanting effort.

Roslan said that it was crucial to protect the state's mangrove forests as they play a vital role in maintaining the wetland's ecology.

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Forestry dept attempts to save Kuala Gula wetland

Idea Dream Home Season 5 - Final scores on Palangad house
Playlist - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYPdwomiSITwMzMswBdmAvCgLp_ihUQgb Architect interior designer Arun Vidyasagar and architect Anna Kuruvilla...

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Idea Dream Home Season 5 - Final scores on Palangad house - Video

Interior Design, Episode 5 Vegas with Rebecca Robeson
http://shar-style.blogspot.com, Interior Design, Interior Decorating Ideas, Home decor as Interior Designer Rebecca Robeson reveals the 3D SketchUp design pl...

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Interior Design, Episode 5 Vegas with Rebecca Robeson - Video

Living Room Project 2 - Interior Designer transforms Living Room into Updated Traditional Space
Check out the second of 8 makeovers from a traditional North American living room to an updated traditional space of designer quality. At Windsor Decorating ...

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Living Room Project 2 - Interior Designer transforms Living Room into Updated Traditional Space - Video

Riley the interior designer
Riley describing new home improvements in the designing stages.

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Riley the interior designer - Video

by Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 7, 2014, Friday

KUCHING: Naim Holdings Bhd, one of Malaysias leading developers, has engaged top French interior designer Bruno Panis to provide the wow factor to its new sales gallery and show units situated at Rock Commercial Centre, Jalan Green, Kuching.

Declared open on February 2, the sales gallery created hype among the Kuching community with its tasteful design and cozy ambiance. The sales gallery also houses two Sapphire On The Park condo show units, the first product under the Naim Signature Collection, Naims newly-launched upmarket brand.

No stranger to interior design and armed with over 20 years of experience, Panis who has been in Malaysia for the last four years, has worked extensively with internationally renowned brand names such as LOreal, D & G, Helena and Nivea.

Besides having an interior design background, Panis also possesses a Master degree in business and marketing specialising in product-design.

Panis told The Borneo Post that the interior design concept for Naim Kuchings new sales gallery was based on three main factors the companys philosophies, environmental conservation and profiles of its customers.

As one of Malaysias leading developers, Naim has always been a trend-setter. The sales gallery showcases the seamless fusion of space and function, exuding style in simplicity.

We also chose the right materials and colours to enhance the aura of coziness and comfort. The sales gallery echoes Naims philosophy of differentiating itself from the rest, being in a class of its own, explained Panis.

The main feature of the gallery was the striking Vertical Garden, a backdrop comprising local plants and greenery, a manifestation of Naims focus on environmental conservation.

As a responsible corporate citizen and through the Vertical Garden, Naim is saying that environmental conservation is beautiful, and that its properties are designed with this in mind. The sales gallery is also equipped with LED lights to facilitate energy saving, a further tribute to the environment, disclosed Panis.

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A touch of class with Naims Signature Collection