Do you spend long hours outside, making your landscape beautiful? Do you know someone who does? Now you can be rewarded for all that hard work. Enter The Southerns contest, Best on the Block.

We will choose the Best on the Block from submitted photos, and each months winner will take home three prizes: $50 gift certificates from Plantscape in Herrin, Changing Seasons in Marion and Southside Lumber in Herrin. Winners will be featured the last Friday of July, August and September on the At Home page.

One more thing: The yard work must be done by you, not a professional landscaper or gardener.

Heres what to do:

1. Take a digital photo of what makes your yard or your friends yard a contender. It can feature flowers, flowering shrubs, overall landscaping, vegetable gardens, rock gardens or whatever makes your yard the Best on the Block.

2. Go to http://www.thesouthern.com/bestblock to enter your information and upload your photo.

A winner will be chosen near the end of the month by a panel at The Southern and will be featured in a story in the At Home section the last Friday of the month.

So, put the pruners down, grab your camera and enter today.

Excerpt from:
Best on the Block: Enter and win!

Thursday, June 26th, 2014 Issue 26, Volume 18.

FALLBROOK The Fallbrook Beautification Alliance (FBA) has announced the winners of its seventh annual Outstanding Landscape awards.

Each year, the FBA recognizes those who have taken an extra effort in keeping Fallbrook beautiful. Submissions are open to residential and commercial properties alike. An FBA-appointed committee reviews each submission for innovative, sustainable, or beautiful landscaping, architectural design, public art, preservation, conservation, and more.

The winners for 2014, by category, include:

Residential

The home of Sharon and Bill Desatoff, located at 1624 McDonald Rd. was selected as the residential winner for 2014. The fact that the Desatoffs were in the floral design business for more than 15 years shows.

This do-it-yourself project was completed section-by-section, taking six years. The landscape has no automatic irrigation and is all hand-watered.

Taking lessons that she learned from the Fallbrook Garden Club, such as in mulching, Sharon has created a garden and butterfly paradise. The property has many large boulders, all donated by local construction companies looking to keep them out of their way.

The yard originally contained fruit trees but is now home to rolling walkways, birdbaths and trellises, as well as many vibrant flowers and numerous native plants. Butterflies flutter around host plants, including the butterfly bush and flambego. Morning glories add lots of color, accented by purple, pink, and white delphiniums and cosmos.

Drought-tolerant

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Outstanding landscapes earn honors

Austin, TX (PRWEB) June 26, 2014

According to the Texas Association of Realtors 2014 Texas Remodel Valuation Report, creating a backyard oasis or a livable outdoor space is one of the most popular and profitable home renovation projects among Texas homeowners recouping almost 112% of the total project costs in added home values. Increasingly though, homeowners want more than just comfortable and attractive outdoor spaces, according to a 2014 study from the American Society of Landscape Architects, they want their outdoor spaces to be sustainable and low-maintenance. And, to this end, propane can offer a valuable solution.

Sharp Propane a propane service provider in five markets across Texas realizes the potential for propane to power its customers outdoor spaces and they use their expertise to help motivate and assist with their customers outdoor renovation projects. In each of Sharps service areas Austin, Bastrop, College Station, Fort Worth and La Grange Sharp works with homeowners and their landscape contractors to safely and efficiently incorporate outdoor appliances into customers primary propane system. This includes every step of the propane installation process, from a review of your site plan to coordinating with the city on permitting and working with your contractor to ensure your project comes in on time and on budget.

By hooking up these propane appliances to the homes primary propane tank or installing a new tank, homeowners can relax and entertain in their outdoor living spaces without any stress or concern, because the propane seamlessly moves from tank to appliance with no homeowner thought or effort. Propane also gives homeowners peace of mind in that they are using a safe, green alternative energy source for all their outdoor needs. If measured by carbon footprint, propane is one of the greenest forms of energy available its cleaner burning than other petroleum-based products and emits less than half as many greenhouse gases as electricity generated in coal-based power plants. Additionally, propane is low-maintenance, energy-efficient and versatile enough to accommodate many aspects of outdoor spaces from outdoor kitchens and lighting, to pool heating and more.

Some of the benefits of using propane over other energy sources in outdoor spaces include efficiency and speed. By using propane to heat a pool for example, homeowners enjoy a swimming season that stretches throughout the whole year, and propane heaters that warm water two times faster than electricity. Additionally, outdoor kitchens and grill features that use propane heat up faster than charcoal, and release less carbon monoxide and soot in the process.

A recent example of a backyard renovation project Sharp Propane helped complete is Patrick and Misty Watkins outside of Austin in Bee Caves.

The Watkins Austin-based outdoor landscaping contractor, Mark Bichler of Pearson Landscaping, spent six months working on The Watkins backyard renovation. The Watkins project was a full-scale upgrade to their backyard essentially we built them a second outdoor house. Bichler said. What they told me was, when the kids are here, we dont want them in the house, so we built them an outdoor space that was virtually self-sufficient.

The Watkins newly upgraded backyard features an outdoor bathroom that is plugged into the homes septic system; a complete outdoor kitchen with large burners, a grill, crawfish boiling pot and fireplace, all fueled by propane; a pool and spa, both heated by propane; as well as landscaping and a stone deck that integrates and pulls together each of the backyards disparate spaces.

Because The Watkins project incorporated so much propane into the design, we coordinated and met with Sharp eight or nine times over the course of the project and every experience was right on point, Bichler said. Sharp even went above and beyond for the Watkins. When we ran propane lines through the trenches below the kitchen, Sharp ran an extra line of pipe under the slab just in case they might want a fire pit over to the side or some other propane-related product there in the future.

The Watkins home project is just one recent example of the outdoor renovations Sharp has helped coordinate and make a reality for their customers. In Justin, Texas, just outside of Fort Worth, Jenn and Joe Washam worked with Sharp to help make their pool and outdoor kitchen project a reality. In our backyard we now have fire features thanks to propane, a fireplace run by propane, an outdoor kitchen run on propane with an outlet off the back for hooking up burners for crawfish boils and a pool and spa both heated with propane, Jenn Washam said. Our builder Klapprodt Pools did a time lapse video of the entire project too. Sharp coordinated with Klapprodt on the blueprints and the initial plans for our backyard, kept in contact throughout the process and came out whenever they were needed. Such a seamless process.

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Sustainable, Low-Maintenance Outdoor Spaces Increasingly Popular, Profitable in Texas

Published on June 26, 2014

It wont be long before the trees are taller than she is, but Molly Head, daughter of Gord and Allison Head, is eager to get started on tree planting. Check out the June 30 edition of The Aurora for more photos.

Photos by Ty Dunham/The Aurora

Published on June 26, 2014

They may be small now, but Thomas Dawe, Darren Dawe and Sherry Dawe knows each tree makes a difference to the scorched land.

Photo by Ty Dunham/The Aurora

Off the Trans-Labrador Highway, about 15 minutes outside of Labrador West, is a long stretch of dirt road entering Blueberry Hill, which begins with bright green trees and gradually turns into black ground with the charred remains of last years devastating forest fire.

A car that looks like it aged 1,000 years sits on a lot, the interior burnt and tires disintegrated. Rubble is all that is left of some cabin sites, while newly constructed dwellings stand out against the dark landscape.

Standing in the forest, its easy to see far down where greenery used to block vision in just a few feet. Walking over soot and scraping across the branches leaves black marks against clothing.

But the Labrador West Boy Scouts, Beavers, Girl Guides and Blueberry Hill cabin owners didnt seem to mind. Spreading out through the trees, their coloured jackets and shirts brightly contrasted against the landscape as they dug holes and filled them with infant black spruce trees.

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Reviving a blackened landscape

Land Clearing update number 5
Then the rain came,,, Rains a good thing,, more to come,,,,, thanks for watching,,, SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL LEAVE A COMMENT.

By: ligebellbuckletn

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Land Clearing update number 5 - Video

Land Clearing update number 6 Got me Some Help
Me With the help of the girls and Little Jason Done a little more on the clearing Leave comments,,,,, Subscribe to my Channel,,,,, Thanks for watching Lige.

By: ligebellbuckletn

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Land Clearing update number 6 Got me Some Help - Video

"We live in a rapidly changing society, but parks are that island of security," Loza, whose association is based in Harrisburg, said Thursday. "They're a source of stability."

That could change, he said, if last year's decision by Chester County Court Judge Katherine Platt allowing part of the park to be sold stands. The decision is being appealed, the latest twist in a case both sides say could land in the state's highest court.

The land trust, which represents 75 conservancies across the state, filed a brief against the development in March, the third time in 20 years it has weighed in on a court case.

Downingtown has for decades considered developing Kardon Park, a stretch of ponds, fields, and forests with a paved walking path that many residents cherish for its tranquillity.

Borough officials say the land is also flush with arsenic, iron, and mercury from when it was used it as a landfill in the 1960s.

The contamination would be mitigated under a 2007 sale agreement with developers Jack Lowe and Sarah Peck, who would also maintain about 20 acres as parkland and improve trails, according to the borough. The pair plan to build 300 town houses and 20,000 square feet of retail, with apartments above those shops.

Borough officials have said the project would bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue, plus residents who would enrich the business district just south of the park.

The sale has been tied up in court since 2009, when a group of residents filed a lawsuit. In a November ruling, Platt focused on how the land was acquired - not how it is used - in deciding if it could be sold.

The two sides, which are both appealing, read the judge's ruling differently but agree Platt cleared at least half the park for sale.

That land was acquired through a state land conservation bill known as Project 70. At the request of the borough, the legislature in 2011 lifted the restriction that the land remain open, clearing the way for development, Platt ruled.

Original post:
Land trust intervenes in Kardon Park dispute

BROOKSVILLE The owner of property that had been promoted as the site of a mud-bogging event known as the Mud on the Barbee has agreed to pay a fine and meet other requirements after he was issued a stop-work order by county officials.

Thomas H. Malouf faced four citations from Hernando County Development Services when the county discovered what was going on and issued the order. The citations included failure to obtain a conditional use permit for a mud-bogging site, failure to obtain a land-clearing permit, failure to obtain a floodplain permit before constructing a bridge and failure to obtain a permit for the construction of a stage.

On Thursday, Malouf's attorney, Dean A. Kent, faced a special master and agreed to pay a $500 fine as part of a stipulated agreement.

Malouf will have to revise the approval he received from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a mud bog and agree to use the area for agricultural purposes, such as a cattle pond, said Chris Linsbeck, the county's zoning supervisor. He also will have to use the platform that was to have been a stage for the Mud on the Barbee as a pole barn or other agricultural use.

If the structure is found to be too close to the road, Malouf will have to move it or get a variance, Linsbeck said.

Mike Barbee had been promoting the site, on U.S. 98 just north of Brooksville, as the home of the Mud on the Barbee, a mud-bogging and music event and the backdrop for a reality television show. On the event's Facebook page, Barbee had posted pictures of the work and announced that it would be ready to go by July 4.

His plans have since changed.

Barbee now plans to hold a Fourth of July weekend event at the Hernando County Fairgrounds.

The event, which is scheduled for July 4 and 5, promises mud-truck racing at the fairgrounds arena, live bands, overnight camping and a watermelon seed-spitting contest. A billboard at the fairgrounds pledges more than $12,000 in prize money.

On the Mud on the Barbee Facebook site, Barbee says there will be competition runs inside the arena with film crews shooting footage for the reality TV show. He hopes thousands of spectators fill the stands. Participants will qualify on Friday for a chance to win money on Saturday.

Link:
Owner of land where mud-bogging event was planned fined $500

10 hours ago

Crops grown on "land-grabbed" areas in developing countries could have the potential to feed an extra 100 million people worldwide, a new study has shown.

The improved infrastructure brought about by foreign investment could increase the productivity of subsistence farmlands in countries such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and could mean these lands can feed at least 300 million people around the world. This is compared to about 190 million people that could be fed if the land was left tended to by the local population.

The findings have been published today, 27 June, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.

The large-scale acquisition of land by foreign governments and businessmore commonly known as land grabbingis a contentious issue, particularly in Africa where a large number of deals have taken place in regions facing food security problems and malnutrition.

Some argue that investment by foreign governments and business will drastically improve crop yields, generate new jobs and bring new knowledge and infrastructure to often deprived areas. Others highlight the fact that any food grown is often exported to other regions and argue that such deals can strip local communities of their land, water and natural resources, leaving them in a far worse state.

In their study, the researchers, from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and University of Virginia, US, quantified the maximum amount of food that could be produced from crops grown on acquired lands and the number of people that this could feed. They also compared the use of traditional farming techniques to industrialised agricultural methods, to come up with the yield gap.

To arrive at their results, the researchers used a unique dataset of all land deals, greater than 200 hectares, which had occurred after 2000. Each land deal included information regarding the spatial extent of the acquired land, the dominant crop, and whether a deal was concluded with a signed or oral contract, or just intended with an expression of interest.

The researchers calculated the potential maximum crop yield from each of these deals and then used the crop's food calories to determine the amount of people it could feed.

If all of the acquired lands were farmed to their full capacitya 100% closure of the yield gapthere would be a 308 per cent increase in rice production, a 280 per cent increase in maize production, a 148 per cent increase in sugar cane production, and a 130 per cent increase in oil palm production, the researchers calculated.

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'Land grabbing' could help feed at least 300 million people, study suggests

Ontario, Canada (PRWEB) June 26, 2014

Interior designer Andrew Pike is known for his innovative and contemporary designs and one-of-a-kind interiors that have been featured on HGTVs Design Rivals and Rooms that Rock. In addition to being featured on HGTV, Pike is also the expert designer on CTVs The Marilyn Denis Show and for several media publications. He is also the Senior Design Director of Andrew Pike Interiors. This next month, Pike will complete the design of the model home to launch an exclusive new collection of homes at the Estates of Wyndance. The model home, The Cavendish design is a two-storey, 4-bedroom home available in three elevation styles.

As a designer, I wanted to create calm, beautifully styled and well-appointed spaces that welcome you into each and every room, says Pike. My ultimate vision: a modern interior with a gracious nod to the traditional. Its elegantly sublime with a sophisticated twist.

It has been really exciting to work with Andrew Pike, who is renowned for his beautiful interiors as well as his work on HGTV, says Paul Golini Jr., executive vice president and co-founder of Empire Communities. Andrews creative use of colour and innovative approach to elegant, contemporary design with a touch of the traditional, have brought a new design standard to Wyndance.

During the collaboration and design process, Pike has been wearing a GoPro to give a first-person account of his design process, showing everything that goes into making a house a home from the selection of mirrors and paint colors to other functional and aesthetic touches. Pikes process will be live on Empire Communities Instagram (empire_living) and Twitter pages (@Empire_Living).

In addition to the spectacular interior design, the Estates of Wyndance offers the perfect combination of nature, family-living and one-of-a-kind luxury. The estate homes are located in the now protected Oak Ridges moraine with coveted greenspace, featuring a golf course, walking paths and private basketball and tennis courts. The personally-selected homesites start at 85 wide by 200 deep, with the collection being built to Energy Star standards The collection is scheduled to be released alongside the opening of the Andrew Pike-designed model home this summer. For more information about the Estates of Wyndance and to register for updates on the new release, please visit: EmpireWyndance.com

About Empire Communities Empire Communities is an award-winning homebuilder headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario. Recognized for its outstanding attention to detail and best-in-class customer service, the company designs and builds commercial, industrial, low-rise and high rise residential, luxury new homes, and affordable housing properties in the greater Toronto area. Over the past 20 years, Empire Communities has developed some of the most successful master-planned communities in the area, including over 5100 houses and 3200 condominium units. Its commitment to using energy-efficient amenities and appliances sets the standard for eco-friendly living to help promote a sustainable future.

For more information please visit http://www.empirecommunities.com/.

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Empire Communities Announces Andrew Pike as Interior Designer for The Estates of Wyndance - The Private, Gated ...