After you move into your new house and begin to think about selecting some trees for your yard, you may find this more challenging than you expect.

First, the neighbors may be closer than you realized when you chose a lot on an empty street with no houses on it, and this may change your tree-planting ideas altogether. A privacy screen of small evergreens for the side yards a feature you had never considered may become the first priority, with shade and ornamental trees to be planted later.

How could the proximity of the neighbors come as a surprise? The average lot size for a new house in the Washington area is a generous 7,200 square feet, with a width of 60 feet. But the houses built on these lots are big, occupying about 40 feet of that width. This leaves only about 10 feet for each side yard and 20 feet between you and your neighbors, said Dan Fulton of John Burns Real Estate Consulting in Reston, who has studied the Washington housing market for more than two decades.

The second challenge: You cant just go down to the big box store nursery and select a good screening tree. In a new-home community, you have to do some fact checking first.

The local homeowners association (HOA) may have rules on your landscaping choices, dictating not only acceptable tree species but also the height in some instances, including that of a living fence between side yards, said Rockville lawyer Thomas Schild, who represents condominium and homeowners associations in the Washington area. Most HOAs in Maryland and Virginia do not address this, but some do. For this reason, homeowners should check the HOA documents before developing any landscaping plans, he said.

Youll also have to locate the swales on your property because you cant plant trees or shrubs in them. A swale is a shallow ditch. In new home communities, they run across individual lots channeling rainwater into the storm sewer system. Swales are often so shallow that homeowners have no idea they are there, especially when the grading is so subtle the yard appears to be essentially flat. Despite its near invisibility, a swale serves a critical function. Legally you cannot plant anything in it that will impede the flow of water or affect a neighboring property.

The location of the swales will be indicated on the site plan of your lot, which your builder included in the documents he submitted to get a building permit for your house. If your builder is still active in your community, you should be able to get this information from his sales agent or someone in his construction trailer. If not, you may have to go the office where your builder applied for a permit to get a copy of your site plan.

Once you get the site plan and study it, youre likely to discover that a swale runs along one or both of your side-yard property lines (half of it is on your side and half on your neighbors), exactly where you envisioned a living fence of screening trees. You may still be able to implement this plan if the swale is narrow enough, said Jim Baish, a Frederick landscape architect and land planner who has designed the land-use plan for many new-home communities in the Washington area. For example, a 5-foot-wide swale down the middle of the 20-foot-wide area between houses would leave you 71/ 2 feet to work with, enough room for a row of small evergreens, he said.

Your site plan may also indicate a utility easement running across your front yard where underground lines for electricity, gas, cable and phone are buried, Baish said. The easement can be as wide as 15 feet from the curb toward your house; inside this area, a utility has the right to remove a tree if its roots are causing a problem. This is far less likely if you contact Miss Utility, a local service (District and Maryland, 800-257-7777; Virginia, 800-552-7001) that arranges for each utility to come and locate its lines, usually by spraying a different stripe across your lawn, so that you can factor this into your tree-planting decisions.

When youre finally ready to start selecting trees, youll discover that much of the advice has changed since you bought a tree for your old house 20 years ago. Back then, the emphasis was on ornamentals and bigger trees that looked good and were easy to maintain. The easy-to-maintain part is still true, but ecological and environmental considerations are the new starting point.

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How to select the proper trees for a new homes yard

A home with a swimming pool has become part of the American Dream. Unfortunately, that dream becomes a nightmare when the pool lighting kills a member of the family.

A recent local newspaper story opened with this information: A faulty pool light is central to the investigation of the death of a seven-year-old boy at his Keystone Point home. The same news article cited two other examples of electrocution death caused by outdoor lighting. In one case, a student died at a bus shelter due to a live wire on the bus bench. In the other case, a high school freshman died at an Aventura tennis court when he touched a receptacle box at the base of a 22-foot lighting pole. If a swimming pool is part of your home environment, there are some safety guidelines you need to know. The first step is to know the local safety codes and the National Electric Code when doing any electrical work around your pool. As an example, the NEC indicates that low-voltage lighting systems must be not less than 10 feet horizontally from the nearest edge of the water. You do not want someone to be able to touch a light fixture while part of their body is still in the water.

Use a 12-volt lighting system because they are less hazardous than the 120-volt systems, which must be installed by a licensed electrician. A 12-volt pool light can only be 300 watts.

Pay attention to the quality of the equipment. Mike Gambino, writing for , says the inexpensive plastic fixtures designed for the do-it-yourselfers are not suitable for applications near water.

He points out that these products are very susceptible to damage and have inferior service lives. He recommends quality cast brass or other non-ferrous (non-rusting) metal alloy fixtures such as copper or steel.

Gambino, owner of a landscape lighting company in the Los Angeles area, says that wiring next to water should always be installed in conduit. Although some installers will argue for burying the cable, Gambino finds that the added safety and durability of the conduit system and the ease of replacing wiring or expanding the systems gives the advantage to conduits.

Do not permit any part of the lighting system, fixtures, transformers or wiring to become submerged in water at any time. Transformers should be properly grounded in accordance with both manufacturer recommendations and the National Electric Code. Every component of a lighting system that can potentially come in contact with water must be protected with groundfault circuit interrupters (GFI).

Your careful attention to safety guidelines about your swimming pool lighting will assure happy times not tragic ones around that pool.

Check out our website at and contact us at 305-378-4011 or email us at with any questions and comments.

Short URL: http://www.communitynewspapers.com/?p=84539

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Improperly wired swimming pool lighting can kill you!

246 6th Concession E Waterdown, Ontario L0R 1V0 905-689-5557

There are seemingly endless options for water features in landscape design today. They include pools and ponds of all sizes and shapes as well as hot tubs, waterfalls, cascades, streams and fountains using any number of items for background and building materials. With all of the options available, how can you narrow down your choices? Here are a few factors to consider:

Size and Type of Space Available

Make sure your water feature fits in the space you have available. You want it to be a focal point, but not necessarily the only one. It should stay in scale with your other design elements and your budget too!

Consider the type and location of space available for your water feature. Will you be able to get plumbing or electricity to it if needed? Will construction crews be able to access the area with the necessary equipment?

Safety and Pondless Water Features

Todays water features are usually self-contained, meaning the water doesnt come from the plumbing supply, but from a pond, sump, or other reservoir. They are usually powered by an electric pump, although solar-powered pumps are now available as well. While ponds can be beautiful additions to your outdoor landscape, parents of small children tend to avoid them due to safety concerns. Many municipalities have strict bylaws that mandate enclosing pools and ponds for child safety reasons.

One way to incorporate a water feature into your landscape design without having a pool of water is to use a pondless feature. Pondless water features are fountains, cascades or waterfalls where the water disappears into stones or other porous materials so that it doesnt accumulate into a pool. A simple bubbling rock in your garden can provide a soothing waterfall sound without the safety risk or expense of more elaborate water features.

Hess Landscaping has decades of experience designing and building a variety of water features. Call 905-689-5557 or visit http://www.hesslandscaping.com to find out what they can do for you.

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How to incorporate water features into your landscape design (Home & Design)

The design of Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa at Mai Khao beach was a challenge due to the projects various requirements and limitations. The site, relatively flat, deep and covered by numerous species of vegetation, has a western boundary stretching along the coast. The project is comprised of just over 200 guestroom units including 27 detached villas.

The design approach was premised on the notion that all rooms, and in particular the seaside villas, were to have unobstructed views of the ocean. This aesthetic atmosphere is meant to embrace guests with a strong impression the moment they arrive. This required careful zoning of the different buildings so as not to impose upon guests privacy.

The reception area, with main dining area below, was located at the front of the site, flanked on either side by guestroom wings set along the northern and southern boundaries. The middle section of the site, kept more open following the master plan, could then become the common facilities and garden, serving as view for the guestrooms. Visible from the reception lobby, this central area was created to visually impress guests upon arrival; it includes dense trees, waterfall, fresh water pond and family swimming pool in a natural setting. Hidden amidst the trees and surrounded by a lush green slope sits the circular spa structure, its treatment rooms radiating out from its central pool to provide independence and privacy in each room.

The view path connecting from the lobby lounge towards the main pool and the beach was intentionally laid out, with sand and coconut trees among other local plants, to enhance the guests experience of a tropical beach resort.

The resorts large swimming pool is lined with dark tiles and surrounded by a sun deck. The landscape design introduces grass as a mediating surface between the pool and the beach, allowing the natural tree line and vegetation along the beachfront to be preserved, while creating a shaded relaxation area.

Half of the beachfront area is occupied with villas placed amongst the existing trees behind walls that help maintain privacy. The beachfront communal building is strategically located at the end of the pool opposite the villas to prevent restaurant activities from disturbing guests. The swimming pool and landscaping thus act as a transitional space linking the two areas.

The resort was designed following a unique tropical eastern architectural style. The sloped roofs over the reception lobby and villas are softly curved like flower petals or turtle shells to reflect the natural habitats of the surrounding area.

Dark natural colors are used throughout the site with different elements emphasized by varying tones. The natural materials, expressed in the architecture, interiors and landscaping, were selected to complement one another and for their simplicity, elegance and warmth.

By Architects 49; Team: PrabhakornVadanyakul, PichaiWongwaisayawan, ChanaSumpalung

Location: Phuket, Thailand Completion: 2011 Owner: Seacon Hotels & Resorts Interior Architect: P49 Design and Associates Landscape Architect: Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer: Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer: M&E Engineering 49 Contractor: Project Planning Services

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Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa

Landscaping a hill need not be an expensive job requiring retaining walls, bulldozers and a crew of landscapers to perform. While a very steep hill presents certain challenges, a gradual slope or rounded hill can actually be a boon to the creative landscaper. Completely flat land is boring, but a hill puts vertical dimension into your landscape and creates a dramatic backdrop for plantings and garden features.

If you want to minimize your hill, but do not want to remove it physically, try this simple "fool the eye" trick to lower it visually. Instead of the usual method of planting shorter plants in front and taller in back, reverse the process. Put small trees or shrubs at the base of the hill. Place tall grasses or foundation plantings higher up the slope immediately behind those. Continue planting shorter plants as you work upward to the top of the hill, covering the summit with grass or low ground cover to diminish outlines that add height to the hill.

If you have a hill and want a water feature, consider yourself lucky indeed. Natural hills are the best place to site a cascading waterfall with small pools or a meandering stream. Form your falls, stream and pools with the aid of pond liners or concrete, adding large rocks and plantings where appropriate. Consult the library for books about artificial water features for specific construction methods, or check out the Clear Water Landscapes website photo essay on pond and waterfall construction.

If your house sits at the base of a hill, squeezing your lawn and garden between house and hill, consider creating a terrace to break up the space. Pave the area near the house with flagstone, leaving a strip of lawn beyond it on the side near the hill to avoid an abrupt stop that further emphasizes the closed-in effect. Build a curved path paralleling the hill's base, working gradually up and around the hill. If you own the whole hill, continue spiraling around it to the summit. If not, use switchbacks in the path to wind to the top. Plant shrubs on the uphill side of the path and lower plants down the slope so the path is visible and inviting from below. Create wider places along the path for a bench here and there, and use an occasional larger shrub or small tree to hide the path and add a touch of intrigue concerning its destination.

If your house sits atop your hill, you have a view of everything below it. That can be a good thing in some ways, but rather spoils attempts at creating little garden nooks or intimate corners. Adding short staircases to small paved terraces (backed by retaining walls on very steep slopes) will break up the view a bit and give a closer, cozier feel to the perspective. Plant a large shade tree or build a vine arbor at the back of terraced areas to cover the ground just beneath, block the view from above and create private sitting areas.

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Ideas for Landscaping a Hill | Garden Guides

Learn about the landscape which inspired poets and musicians

12:49pm Wednesday 4th June 2014 in News

FIND out how the landscape of hill has inspired poets and musicians during an illustrated talk.

Donald Hunt welcomes Peter Avis to the Elgar Birthplace Museum, Lower Broadheath, near Worcester, to discuss the influence of Bredon Hill, near Evesham, during My Summertimes of Bredon on Tuesday, June 10.

Mr Avis has climbed the hill more than 150 times and his thoughts about its effect on the creative mind.

Chris Bennett, museum supervisor said: Bredon Hill is a most beautiful area and Peter Avis is our ideal guide. Peter is a writer, broadcaster and singer, and knows just about every inch of the hill.

"His knowledge of the poets and composers who have been inspired by the area is second to none, and given his reputation as a raconteur this promises to be a most enlightening and entertaining presentation.

The talk starts at 10.30am and tickets are 6, including interval refreshments.

Advance booking is advisable.

For more information and tickets, go to elgarmuseum.org or call 01905 333224.

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Learn about the landscape which inspired poets and musicians

The Brook Hill School is offering a number of sports and recreational camps throughout the month of June.

Baseball:

Students entering grades three through 5 will participate in the Brook Hill Guard Baseball Camp, held 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday, June 9-12, at the Brook Hill Baseball Complex. Students entering grades six through eight will participate in the 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. camp. The camp is designed to improve fundamental baseball skills including hitting, pitching, and base running. Participants will enjoy game-like competitions to test their individual skills and scrimmages each day.

Instructor for the camp is Brock Lemire, head baseball coach. Lemire played collegiate baseball at Tyler Junior College, where he won a National Junior College Championship. He is known throughout East Texas for his work in developing young players fundamental baseball skills. The cost of the camps is $75 with a camp t-shirt included. For more information, contact Lemire at blemire@brookhill.org.

Softball:

The Brook Hill Softball program will host three camps focusing on different aspects of softball. The Fast Pitch Offensive Camp for girls entering sixth through eighth grade will be held 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 16-17, at the Brook Hill Softball Field. Girls entering grades nine through 12 will participate in the camp from 12p.m. to 2 p.m. on the same days. The camp is designed to teach the proper mechanics for fast pitch softball hitting and short game. Athletes will also lean to be aggressive base runners, read defenses, and pick pitches.

The Fast Pitch Softball Defensive Camp for grades six through eight will be held 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 18-19, at the Brook Hill Softball Field. Girls entering grades nine through 12 will participate in the 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. camp. The camp is designed to teach the pro-per mechanics for fielding, throwing, catching, and playing through the ball for infield and outfield positions. Athletes will lean the specific responsibilities and fundamentals for each position.

The Fast Pitch Softball Pitching Camp for second through fifth grade will be held 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 23- 24, with girls in grades six through twelve participating from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The camp is designed to teach the proper mechanics of fast pitch softball pitching. Athletes will learn the technique for throwing different pitches, fielding, and what it takes to be a pitcher.

Instructor for the camp will be Brook Hill Head Softball Coach Anthony Springer, who has had success in softball, winning six state titles, one National Championship title, and one World Series title. All softball camp participants will receive a t-shirt and a video analysis of their specific skills. The cost of all softball camps is $80. For more information, contact Springer at 903fastpitch@gmail.com or (903) 372-1188.

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Brook Hill offers mix of athletics, personal interest

Abigail #39;s sacred land clearing.. When the land says thank you
After clearing the land on a bay in koh Paghnan Thailand, Abigail is given a beautiful, enchanting gift from nature as the land days thank you..

By: Abigail Pattman

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Abigail's sacred land clearing.. When the land says thank you - Video

GRIFFITH | Enbridge Energy Partners LLP is cleaning up after last year's construction of its new Line 6B but continuing a flurry of activity in Northwest Indiana.

The Houston-based company plans to soon build a new 79-mile pipeline through Illinois and Northwest Indiana because of the booming crude oil production in North America and the market demand for more pipeline capacity. The new Line 78 will run from an Enbridge terminal near Pontiac in central Illinois to its Hartsdale Terminal on Kennedy Avenue in Schererville, slicing through parts of Will, Cook and Lake counties.

This fall, crews will start clearing a path for the new pipeline, which will run for about five miles in western Lake County. Enbridge also plans to soon start clearing land around its existing Line 62 pipeline in Dyer and Schererville, spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said. The company will remove mostly large trees, but also any brush, sheds or pools that encroach on the utility right of way because of federal regulations that require the land to be left open for maintenance and emergency response.

Installation of the new Line 78 will not affect as many property owners in the area, since it starts to run along existing right of way under overhead power lines when it gets to Crete and then largely runs parallel to train tracks between Sauk Village and Enbridge's terminal in Schererville, Smith said.

The new pipeline will be up to 36 inches in diameter and increase capacity by 570,000 barrels per day.

Enbridge wants to transport more crude oil from Western Canada and the Williston Basin region in North Dakota to regional refineries, including the BP Whiting Refinery. Production in North Dakota has surged to more than 1 million barrels per day, according to the state's industrial commission.

More of that crude oil should start flowing into Schererville midway through 2015. Work is on schedule to start next spring.

Enbridge work crews also will clear trees, shrubs and any structures over the existing Line 62 pipeline, which was built in the 1950s and runs from Cushing,Okla., to the Hartsdale Terminal. The company started clearing brush and trees from the paths of all its pipelinesin 2006 after federal regulations and industry guidelines dictated the land be kept clear. Work crews need room to dig up the pipeline if they ever had to respond to a leak or do maintenance, such as applying a new layer of anti-corrosive coating after a nick or ding to the steel pipe, Smith said.

After starting in Oklahoma and making their way east, workers have cleared about 350 miles so far, and are just now reaching Northwest Indiana. Most of the land they will clearis owned by the town of Schererville, but private property owners will be affected as well.

Schererville residents Pasquale and Connie Capocci learned Enbridge plans to clear 30 feet of right of way from the yard of the homethey bought in the Shady Oaks neighborhood five years ago. They stand to losemature trees that shield their home from a busy street.

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Enbridge building new pipeline, clearing land around current one

Its president, SM Mohamed Idris said the state government should reconsider the approved land reclamation and hill clearing projects to ensure all proposed projects would not affect nature and the people's lives.

"Climate change is one indication of a much larger problem, which is humans' unsustainable consumption, production and lifestyle.

"This is demonstrated by the use of dirty, non-renewable energy, our exploitation of forest and natural ecosystems and our unsustainable development," he told reporters, here, Wednesday.

He said the waste management sector, which was a source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, could become a major contributor to climate change mitigation.

Idris also said the reclamation projects along the coast of Penang such as in Jelutong, Tanjung Tokong and Batu Uban required millions of tonnes of rocks and sand.

"Sand and gravel are mined worldwide and account for the largest volume of solid material extracted globally.

"Our increasing dependence and the significant impact that extraction of natural resources has on the environment, has been mostly ignored," said Idris, who is also the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president.

He hoped for concerted action by all sectors to reduce GHG emissions and combat climate change.

"The needs of vulnerable poor communities must also be addressed so that they can adapt to the impacts of climate change," he said.

Idris said a variety of measures were needed to reduce the growth and impact of these emissions, such as efforts to encourage energy-efficient vehicle technologies, promote efficient patterns of travel and land use, and develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.

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Stop Land Reclamation, Hill Clearing Projects To Combat Climate Change